Something woke me up.

I look around the room with a start. It was dark and quiet, just like I remember when I dosed off in here. I went back to my quiet, out of the way, basement room in case Lady showed up and was waiting for me there. But she wasn't around and I couldn't sense her very well, so she was still pretty far away. I fell asleep, waiting around.

My new hobby.

I get up from the bed and notice that the lights hadn't turned on when I moved. Walking towards the door and out into the dimly lit hallway that was similar to those creepy hospital hallways. You know; dull light, white walls with cold floor with doors lining the sides. All that fun...that spooked the hell out of me when I first realised where I was. It was probably because it was underground and deserted that gave it the ambience of a creepy horror movie.

I see a shadow slumped against the entrance door, making me jump forty feet in the air. Fuck me.

The heavily breathing shadow looked up with glowing mismatched eyes and I quickly run over to him, sliding to my knees in front of him. "X?"

He pulls me into a rib breaking hug, his breath shuddering in his chest and his wet hair and clothes soaked me in an instant.

"X?" Slightly panicking here.

"Sorry...Just give me a second...Let the song...die...let the melody...stop."

He was freezing to the touch but that didn't stop me from wrapping my arms around him. "That bad?"

"Outside...the Outside...screaming...calling...never stopping...always... ....But here. 'Here' is...the song is..." He moves his head down to my chest. "Alive."

I look around his back and see that he had a few rips in his shirt...there was darker wet patches lingering along the rips. My eyes widen in panic, "X, you're bleeding!"

"It's ok. It will stop...just needed to rest...needed to find...and I'm here. I found...always needing to find 'here'. I found the peaceful quiet and...I'm 'here'."

"X!" I snap grabbing his face and forcing him to look me in the eye, "What happened?"

"Fight...restless...something is making it restless..."

The 'Storm's Eye' will open soon. The words knock around in my skull, to the extent that I realise that I said them out loud as X's eyes widen before he took my hands from his face and into my own.

He surprises me as he quickly steals my thoughts as his cold lips sought my own, almost stealing away the warmth along with my breath.

"X!" I protest between gasps, feeling myself on the verge of losing it and wanting to fall into the addled lust. "You need to -ah!" He lightly kisses down to my collar bone before latching onto my neck, making my back shutter and electrify with the shock. So close to the edge...

X comes back to my lips, indulging himself in exploring my mouth with his hand supporting the base of my neck, pushing me deeper into the kiss. I feel myself reaching to grab hold of him before I went crazy, my heart hammering in my chest and the feel of his cold skin sent a nerve killing tingling down my body, pooling under my gut. I didn't realise that my eyes had shut when I hear small beep that made me freeze and open my eyes to see a small blue light enter my vision. I see that X's earpiece still tucked neatly into his ear and X froze as I reach up and grab the thing, putting it close to my ear.

"...still haven't reported in. X this is a direct order. Report." The voice was urgent laced with grumpy and I knew it from anywhere.

"Siem?" I ask, half frowning.

"Kae?" his surprised voice came back instantly but then it changed immediately to understanding. "Ah, he went to you. Hanna's in a frenzy because he hasn't reported yet...what is his status?"

You mean playing tonsil hockey with me just five seconds ago. "Uhh..." I must sound so intelligent to this lot. "He...has some wounds that I can see..."

I feel X shift until I was sitting in his lap and his arms and legs wrap around me.

"-Oh give me that, idiot!" Hanna voice suddenly cuts in over Siem's. "Hi Kae. I mean how is he mentally?"

I look up at X's face, only for him to stare down incomprehensibly and the full beam lights suddenly turn on, blinding me in an instant and I groan in pain.

"Kae? What's wrong?"

"The lights fucking came on." I wince, rubbing my eyes with my free hand. Fucking hell.

"Interesting...the power shouldn't be cut down there...anyway-"

X puts his face next to mine, to talk into the receiver and I immediately went red as his voice was next to my ear. "I'm fine, Hanna." It was slow, controlled and sent chills down my spine more than the damp clothing already soaking into my back.

"So he's calmed down then. All thanks to you, I imagine. Ok, that's all I needed to know. Didn't mean to disturb you two, ciao!" Thanks to me...?

"Don't turn off-" Siem's annoyed voice was cut off suddenly and I realised that Hanna must have purposely 'hung-up'.

X takes my hand with the ear piece in it, taking it away from my before chucking it and it slide down the hall, hitting the wall with a dull clink.

He then entwines his hands with my own and rests his head on the base of my neck. "Too much time...I'll probably become dependent on you, Kae...It's terrifying."

I think it's more terrifying for me, buddy. "What happened?"

"Just the usual. But it's closer...like something is building up...and it's frustrating...straining against the glass cage."

Thanks for the direct answer.

"You went out into the city today," he mumbles into my back. "Seth..."

"I was going crazy and Seth took me out." Why do I feel like I'm scolded?

"Seth does whatever he likes...I'm just...annoyed that I wasn't there...It's a strange feeling."

"Well, I didn't know where you were or when you'd be back so...I was also annoyed."

"I'm...relieved that it annoyed you."

This is so awkward. "Why?"

"I like that I leave an impression. It's not fair if you're the only one."

I felt my face burning. Why can he say these things so smoothly!?

He moves he head to lean on my shoulder. I couldn't help looking down at our hands in embarrassment.

"This is...comfortable."

"How? You're soaking wet, freezing and we're on the floor."

"I like it, though."

Stahp.

"You alright, Kae?"

I had bundled up into a ball, hiding my face in my hands. "You and you're God damn one liners!" Is he trying to kill me with his...is this 'cuteness'?

I look up between my fingers to the sounds of the main door opening beside us. Lady stood there and took us in. She looked at X wrapped around me and had somehow moves his hands under my rib cage and was hugging my tightly. Lady eyed our position keenly.

Oh my God.

'Chimera being unfair.' She moves herself over and licks my head. Blegh the tiger drool is mixing with the water and its making my hair stick up. 'Lady pamper too.'

'I don't need it.'

'Do so.'

He sits down in front of me and gets comfortable, her heat far outweighed any of the heat building up between me and X. ...That sounds weird.

Fuck.

I feel happy.

It was laced with so much guilt. Do I really deserve this?

"Kae?" X pulls me up frown drowning in my own self-pity. But I suddenly feel the full force of the guilt crashing and almost ready to crush me. I'm like this, feeling this and...Cody and Anne are out there somewhere and here I am on the ground feeling happy for a second and I...actually forgot for a second.

"You didn't make them disappear, Dreamer. Lady think it ok. Dreamer allowed to be with more than just Dreamer's siblings. Dreamer cannot stay stagnant in the past forever. But it is ok.' Lady's thoughts came down on my like she was sitting on me.

I felt X's hold on me tighten. "You're...worried about this?"

"I...just feel so guilty." I voiced my inner thoughts and it made me tremble. "I feel like I've left them behind." Have I? Anne, can you tell me?

Was I seeking out her permission to feel sorry for myself, again?

"What can you do now, Kae? Oz has sent most of the processing power to look for them, you cannot do this blind.... It's ok to rely on us for a little while. Is it ...uncomfortable to not being the one that others rely on?"

"...Is that it?" Is that my problem...or is that I can't accept feeling any sort of happiness because it feels like I'm replacing my old happiness with this weird new one? I've never felt this for anyone. Heck I've never thought about sexual...anything. There wasn't any time...or I didn't allow myself to.

"Ow!" X bit my neck, scraping his teeth against the sensitive skin...and I didn't want to admit that I felt more than just pain.

"Don't go think about it too much on your own. I'm here as well. I might not be the best at voicing things myself but...I will always try...So...even if its hard...indulge me...and try...I feel...better when you use me as support."

"I can't just keep taking. That's not how relationships work." Is that what this is?

"No...but I've always relied on you..."

When?

"All the time..."

'Dreamer is just too thick to notice.' Lady said happily with a swish of her tail.

What did she call me?

'Thick-in-the-head cub.'

She really has no trouble voice her opinions of me and sounds so happy about it.