TWENTY-THREE | MESSY

The next morning, I wake up to find the house smelling like a diner. The hearty aroma of cooked bacon, eggs, pancakes, and coffee hang in the air. I practically bolt out of bed and stumble into the kitchen. Mom's just ladling a heaping feast of food onto two plates.

"I've missed you so much!" I moan, practically sobbing as I go around the island to sit down and eat. Wait - sit? I stare dumbfoundedly at the barstools under the island's shelf.

"I took the liberty of getting a few things for the house." Mom laughs at my expression and pushes the plate closer to me. "Eat." She instructs in her no-funny-business tone. I pick up the fork from the side of the plate and happily dig in. I'm nearly half-way through the plate before coming up for air and a sip of coffee. It's made just the way I like it. A little milk, dark roast, and just enough sugar so it's not bitter. And, as always, it tastes ten times better than anything I've ever made.

"You're going to need to teach me how to make food taste this amazing!" I groan, pausing again to take another, much deeper gulp of the hot coffee.

"Well, about that-" Mom begins, setting aside her own fork to look me in the eye. Before she can say anything, the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it." I jump up and run for the door before she can. Just the way I used to when we lived together. I'm so happy that I carelessly throw open the door before checking the peephole to see who's on the other side.

"I approve," Blue grins at me, his eyes roaming my body. I get the wind knocked out of me by that smile of his and immediately slam the door in his face as my embarrassment takes over. I hear him laugh from the other side of the door before running back to my room ad promptly locking myself in.

"Good morning, Zane." I hear Mom's chipper voice a few seconds later as I rush around to find some decent clothes. How could I have forgotten to actually wear something before getting out of bed? I was dressed in nothing but a tank an underwear after showering last night, and somehow didn't even notice when I went to open the door.

I throw on a plain, black t-shirt and baggy sweatpants - then stop. Looking down at my legs, I expect to see the usual array of gruesome pink, puckered scars glaring back at me. But all I see are faint, silvery lines in their places. I freeze and run to the bathroom, nearly tripping over a box on my way there.

I grip the edges of the sink and stare at my reflection in the mirror.

"Oh. My. God." I breathe, my eyes widening. They've faded. Not completely, but the angry, raised lines and jagged edges have calmed into silvery lines. Nearly flat against the surface of my skin. I pull my shirt up to examine the rest of them. Even the worst of the scars, the ones closer to my heart and vital organs, have been reduced greatly. I stare. And stare. And stare. Until my eyes begin to water and I have to blink.

*How did I not notice last night? Were they like this last night? Or is this all some messed up dream?* I pinch myself. *Ow. Okay, not a dream. Then what could have-* All of a sudden, I remember what Mr. Hale suggested as a treatment for them. A wave of nausea threatens to overcome me and I press a hand to my mouth. *Tell me he didn't*...

*I think I'm going to murder my father*.

I finish dressing and march back into the kitchen.

"Hey, Red." Blue grins at me from the counter, sitting in the seat next to mine. "What's wrong?" He frowns as he examines my expression.

"Did you let Hale feed me vampire blood?" I growl at Mom. Her cheerful expression immediately goes dark.

"Wisty-" Mom begins, slowly standing and raising her hands in surrender.

"What were you *thinking*?" I try to keep from raising my voice as my churning gut become hot with anger.

"It had to be done-" She tries to explain, but Blue interjects.

"You were dying-" He gets to the point, but my anger is suddenly directed at him.

"You *knew*?" My eyes go wider and I feel like I'm about to explode as a wave of betrayal shoots through me.

"I don't understand why you're so upset. It's like getting a blood transfusion-" Blue frowns, his eyebrows knitting together.

"I'm *upset* because I don't want to have any more *sucker* blood in me than I already have!" The room falls silent as the truth finally comes out. I shut my mouth, my boiling anger reducing to a simmer. The realization that I'm part vampire slamming into me yet again.

"You're still you, Red." Blue comes around to pull me close, maybe sensing through the bond how all this has affected me. "A little bit of blood isn't going to change that." His embrace is brief, gentle. I burry my face in his neck, my arms wrapping around his broad shoulders as he pulls me close. I bask in the warmth of his touch, feeling the muscles of his body relaxing to cradle mine. And we fit. Like pieces of a puzzle, we fit. I pull away first, putting a little distance as that annoying burst of hope threatens to spark to life again.

"Why are you here?" I ask tiredly, smiling despite the coldness of my words.

"I missed you, too." He smirks at me and pulls me to the island. I take my seat and go back to eating before he explains. "You've missed a couple of days of school, so I thought I'd bring you your homework."

"I hate you." I groan into my coffee mug half-heartedly. Blue laughs and passes me a Manilla folder.

"What Scarlett means is *thank* you," Mom says to Blue, but looks directly at me as her voice gets that motherly-be-nice tone. I grumble at her and show Blue my teeth - not in a nice way either. "Scarlett Wisteria-!" She begins to use my full name, but Blue stops her.

"It's okay, Mrs. Holland. Red's a shit liar anyway. I know what she means." Blue leans across the distance between us until out faces are level and only a few inches apart. His silvery-grey eyes search mine lazily, his expression smug as I feel him in the back of my mind, searching through my emotions through the connection we share. The air between us warms a few degrees and I'm finding it hard to breathe regularly.

"You know," Mom begins, looking at us thoughtfully. "I believe Storm mentioned something about a dance coming up-"

"Mom," I warn, narrowing my eyes at her.

"-You two should go together." Blue grins at me, sitting back in his chair thoughtfully.

"I can't, I'm singing in the choir-" I begin to protest.

"Perfect," Mom claps her hands together. I gape at her, but don't say no. I can't seem to make my mouth form the words.

"I was planning on asking, to be honest. But I knew you'd say no." Blue nudges my foot with his shoe. I purse my lips, looking at his guarded expression. "What'd you say, Red? Wanna go to the dance with me?" I open my mouth to say no, but he's right. I am a shit liar.

"Yes."

- - -

To Blue's credit, he did manage to get every assignment I missed while I was unconscious, and even included extremely detailed notes over the lessons I'd missed. I spent the rest of the weekend going over what I missed and completing the homework. Mostly because Blue began texting me with reminders after he left the house Saturday morning.

Apparently, Mom gave him my number at some point. My phone buzzes softly on my bed as I finish up the last of my assignments. I look at the illuminated screen and see *Incoming call from: Blue* on the thing. I immediately grab it before Mom can see and run out of the room. We've been sharing the room since there's no other bedroom in the small house, and every time she see's me playing with my phone she gives me suggestive winks and coos at me like a school girl.

I'm finding this new, more relaxed side of her both endearing and extremely annoying.

"What's up?" I answer the phone as I walk out of the house and into the back yard.

"*It's Sunday night*," Blue's voice comes through the other line, slightly robotic-sounding, but still goose-bump-inducing so loud in my ear.

"Mhm." I agree, looking up at the half-moon already high in the sky. "Almost Monday morning." I don't know what else to say. I hear him chuckle, the sound raising a slight flush to my cheeks.

"*You forgot, didn't you?*" He sounds amused. I frown, not sure what I 'forgot'.

"I finished my homework," I begin, slightly defensive. "If that's why you're calling."

*"I'm calling,*" Blue says slowly, patronizingly slow. "*Because we agreed to keep meeting. For the visons*."

"Right. The visions." I echo, smirking and rolling my eyes. *Why do I feel like that word's becoming code for something?*

"*Admittedly*," He says, and I hear a slight echo. I step away from the house, getting a little closer to the woods to see if it helps the quality. "*I'd like to meet for more than just a few minutes because of the visions, but*-" The echoing only gets worse. "-*since you seem to have an issue with that*-" The call suddenly drops, at the same time, strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me into a hard body. My breath catches in my throat and I look up. "I guess this is my only excuse to see you regularly." Blue's dazzling smile is inches from me.

"Hi," I breathe stupidly, stunned by his sudden appearance and closeness. My skin comes alive, humming, begging for him to touch me. I mentally curse the bond between us, that now pleasant tugging that always seems to bring us together. I both love and despise the way being so close to him makes me feel.

"Hello," His smile widens, and it's almost unfair how disarming that expression is. My insides melt. And maybe it's because I haven't been around him in nearly forty-eight hours, or the slowly growing closeness between us, but I'm finding it harder and harder to convince myself getting close to him is a really bad idea.

*Why am I even fighting this? Oh, right. Because my family's insane and wants to kill anyone and everyone who tries to keep me alive*.

"Um..." I blink, trying to clear my head as I pull away from him. He reluctantly releases me, his smile fading and that all-too-familiar unreadable mask falling into place. I clear my throat and turn to face him.

"We have some time before midnight," Blue tells me, his voice calm and controlled. For some reason, seeing him withdraw like this sends a spike of guilt through my chest. I try not to visibly cringe. "Let's take a walk."

"M'kay." I mutter, putting my phone into the pocket of my sweatpants. We start walking into the woods, our pace slow and wandering.

I feel like we're exploring a minefield, carefully choosing each step as the silence goes from light to heavy with things unsaid. We still haven't talked about the other visions. After he left Saturday I ignored his calls, only answering the reminder-texts about school work. He hasn't pushed me to talk about them, either. Though, I'm starting to wish he would. It's not like I don't want to talk about them, more like I'm afraid to.

It's a hell of a can of worms to untangle. Both emotionally and mentally. Each vision we've had was worse than the last. Except for the last one. That was almost pleasant. But then again, Mom said not all vision are set in stone. What if all the bad ones come to pass, but none of the good? What if it's replaced with something darker and more sinister? I feel the uncertainty of the future hanging over us like a dark cloud.

We reach a little clearing, the same one we met in the first time we met in our wolf forms. I take a deep breath and look up at the moon. It's midnight now. Blue coms to a stop in front of me and turns to face me.

"Ready?" He asks softly, holding his hand out to me. Our eyes lock, and though his face is calm and composed, I can see the swirling emotion in his eyes that mirror my own.

"No." I murmur truthfully, but reach out and take his hand anyway-

-*Sunlight streams in through the slightly parted curtains, illuminating the face of a man only a few inches away. I smile, taking in the sharp features of his face, the high cheekbones, full-kissable lips - slightly parted in sleep. His nose is long, but slightly crooked, having been broken one-too-many times over the last few years. The way his inky-black hair sticks out in silky spikes, a gorgeous disarray that makes him look more untamed and wild than he really is. Still, after being around him almost constantly everyday, my heart stutters in his presence. There's a sense of overwhelming respect and love that flows through me*.

*I wiggle a little closer, carefully reaching out to trace the lines of his face as they captivate me. With the lightest touch I can manage, I use my fingertips to explore the relaxed expression on his face. I catch sight of a thin band of white gold on my fourth finger and a beautiful stone, modestly set in the center. Still not used to seeing it, I pause for the briefest second to admire the ring before returning to my original task. Just as I get to the side of his face - where the beginnings of stubble scratch at my skin - long, strong fingers catch mine. A little gasp escapes my mouth and I look up into those hypnotic silvery-grey eyes - still half-lidded with the dregs of sleep.*

"*That tickles." He murmurs with a lazy grin. He takes a deep breath and I feel the bed beneath us dip as he shifts. My body is pulled in by his other arm and we're suddenly chest-to-chest. The heat of his bare skin against mine sends a shiver down my spine*.

*"Morning." I breathe, trying not to get lost in that heated gaze of his*.

*"Morning, Red." He grumbles, releasing my hand and cupping my cheek. He leans in for a good-morning kiss when I hear something outside the door.*

"*Z, we have a problem*- whoops!" *A familiar voice bursts out as the door to the room flies open. Misha and Yuri tumble into the room. Misha's grey eyes widen when they see us and Yuri reaches over to cover his little sister's eyes*.

"*A little warning would be nice!" Yuri calls, turning around to shield his own eyes. Blue laughs*.

"*You guys could knock-" I yell back, but Blue talks over me, tucking me closer into his body*.

"*It's your fault. You should know better than run in here unannounced." He laughs, pulling me closer and tugging the sheets up around me to hide my nakedness from the others*.

"*I didn't see anything, I swear!" Misha yells over her brother's shoulder.*

"*What do you guys want?" Blue growls at them, narrowing his eyes at our Packmates*.

*"Good morning to you, too*, sunshine." *Yuri grins and opens his eyes before releasing his sister when he sees we're both semi-covered. "Got some new reports from the Coven about the western expansion you two should may want to look into."*

"*Give us fifteen." Blue sighs, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. I get a lovely view of his bare back, inky black tattoos grace the sides of his ribs in the beginnings of a tribal symbol for the Pack. My fingers itch to trace the lines and feel the corded muscles beneath*.

*"Fine. Just fifteen. Not a second longer." Yuri warns, looking between us meaningfully before exiting*.

"*Maybe you were right about Florida." Blue grumbles and rolls back onto his side, pulling me close*.

"*Once the expansion treaty goes through maybe we can take that trip." I suggest, raising an eyebrow at him.*

"*Mhm." He kisses my cheek, and buries his face in my neck. My stomach flips, my body warming as he places little kisses against my throat*.

"*C'mon, shower first. Then we talk to the Coven-" I begin, but he tightens his hold on me.*

"*But we've got fifteen minutes-" He groans*.

"*Which is just enough time for a shower." I protest, pulling away. "C'mon," I roll off the bed and tug on his hand.*

"*Mhm, right*. Shower." *Blue smirks, raising an eyebrow at me. I wink at him and pull him from the bed*-

-I'm thrown back into the present, looking into the face of the same man - only younger. His face still has a slight softness to it, and no facial hair. His nose is still perfect and unblemished. I pull away from him, wrapping my arms around myself as the jarring reality hits me. The warm, fuzzy feeling from the vision fades out, dousing me in cold. My chest aches at the loss, and I can't help but wish the vision had been longer.

"Can't say I disliked that one." Blue finally says. He's leaning against a nearby tree, keeping the distance between us as he talks. I feel the tension between us drain instantly and I give him a little smile as heat rises to my face.

"Mhm." I murmur, rolling my eyes despite myself and shaking my head. "It beats getting the shit beat out of me, that's for sure." I agree with a little laugh. His mood immediately sobers.

"About the others," He begins, pushing off from the tree to come closer to me. There's a certain resolution in his eyes and icy coldness.

"My mom says visions aren't set in stone." I tell him somberly, my mind going to the last two visions. But by they way his eyes light up, I know he's think of the other, much darker ones.

"Works both ways, doesn't it?" He asks me, and I feel him in the back of my mind, searching through my emotions.

"I'm not a 'glass-half-full' kinda girl if you haven't noticed." I grumble at him, narrowing my eyes.

"I've noticed." He surprises me with a gentle smile. "I'll be optimistic enough for the both of us." His words warm my heart, making my expression relax and a little smile creep onto my mouth.

"There's an 'us' now?" I try to diffuse the different sort of tension I feel slowly growing between us.

"There will be," Blue smirks. "If these vision keep going the same direction they have been." And there he goes again, making me feel like there's hope.

"What do you see, when we have the visons?" I ask, a little curious. "I experience it from my own point of view.

"Same." He nods. "It's just like we've jumped in time, same bodies, same view - just not in our current reality."

"So, the first one came to pass." I tighten my arms around myself, using the pressure to focus as I mentally relive the other visions.

"They seem to follow chronological order." Blue nods, watching me carefully. "The older girl in the second one looked a lot like you," He says slowly an I grimace.

"Paris. She's a cousin. Mom had a twin, Zariel, who was her dad. Both her parents died within two years of each other in a Pack war." I tell him what I know about them without meaning to. "Parri and I were close growing up. Used to tell people we were twins." A faint smile slips onto my face without my permission. "The younger one is Ivy. I haven't seen her since she was a pup."

"Those were the only two I saw, but I could hear other voices. Male." Blue nods as we sort out the details of the vision. I nod slowly, wondering how much he saw in that one. "Ryker was fighting Yuri. Ryker, you've met."

"Right. First vision." Blue grits out, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah." I agree, feeling that sadness in me deepen. "Parri, Ry, and I were inseparable when we were pups. Even though I couldn't shift, they would try to hang out with me all the time." I find myself smiling at the memories. "Mom would be away for weeks on end, trying to find a safe place for us, before I even knew we were in danger. But they were my world back then. My best friends. My Pack."

"How long have you guys been running?" Blue asks, bring me back to the present.

"About seven years." I shrug. " Little less. It will be seven in month and a half." I recalculate the time in my head. "On my tenth birthday, our grandmother found out I wasn't just a Wolven-human hybrid, but...well, you know." I gesture a little vaguely, knowing he knows what I mean. He nods in affirmation, a little, sad smile on his face. "She ordered the Pack to kill me, but Mom got there in time. We ran." I sum up the rest of that night as briefly as I can. "They've been hunting us ever since."

"It's a hell of a long time to hunt someone." Blue comments, his face a mask again.

"Mhm." I agree, shrugging again. "They came close over the years, but we managed to get this far."

"Third vision." He addresses.

"Yeah, I didn't see you in that one." I admit to him, frowning.

"I was there, trust me." He smirks, but there's a slight coldness in that look.

"Huh. Well, Paris and Ryker are skilled Trackers. Better than a lot of the Wolven in my Pack," I explain. "I guess, for some reason, I went west. Alone. They seemed to have found me - and a Hunter. Then..." I frown, not wanting to voice what I did after that. No that I know for sure what I am, I know what happened has something to do with my vampire side. "Pretty sure someone shot me, but I didn't see their face. So it could have been my other cousin, Craven. Or Ivy." I say thoughtfully. Blue grunts in reply.

"Then the fourth vision." His expression lighten a little. "Seemed like a ways into the future."

"A little." I nod, chewing my lip as I recall that much brighter snapshot. "We didn't really say much."

"But it seemed to be a happier time. We were together." Blue says gently, the smallest slivers of hope dancing in his eyes. I offer him a little smile.

"Seemed like it." Is all I say before looking away from him. "That last one was-"

"Nice," Blue murmurs, his tone sending shivers down my spine.

"I was going to say well into the future." I tell him, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Maybe." He grins playfully, taking a step closer to me. "We were both naked-"

"And now were not." I cut him off abruptly, taking a step back. He sighs, putting his hands into his pockets and taking a step back.

"Seemed like we were happy, though." It's a valid point. One I don't acknowledge. Or deny. "Red-"

"It's getting late." I interrupt him stiffly. He lets out a long sigh and nods.

"Yeah. Okay," He closes the distance between us before I can dodge and leans in so our faces are just millimeters away. My stomach flops, heat racing through my veins at his sudden closeness. I feel my breath catch in my throat as I look into his hypnotic, silvery-grey eyes. "Good night, Red." Blue breathes softly, the heat from his words warming my lips. My eyes flutter shut, and for a second, I think he's going to kiss me. But a moment later, I open my eyes to find myself alone in the glade, wishing I didn't always try to push him away.