Jessalin ran her hand self-consiously through her blonde hair. What is Father going to think?.. she thought. Groaning, she pulled out the cellphone and dialed her father's number.

"Speak," the voice on the other end barked.

"Father..." Jessa started.

"What do you want, Jessalin Arianna?" he snapped.

"Uh... well... you see... there's been this accident.. and, well..." she stuttered.

"Just stop," he interrupted. "If you don't want to come home, fine."

"But...I...." she tried to protest.

"No! Just don't come home tonight."

"I'll be home as soon as possible," she whispered guiltily. She threw the phone down in the boat, burying her face in her hands. Trying not to cry, she took a deep breath.

Unbeknownst to her, AJ had slid around to sit next to her. He put his arm around her gently, startling her. Her tear-filled eyes met his concerned ones.

"What's wrong?" he asked her softly.

She shrugged, "My own stupidity."

"What do you mean?"

"I should have never left the house.. I... I... damn, he always calls when I'm out... I should have realized..." she buried her face in her hands, letting her blonde hair fall over her face.

Aj stared up at her, before shaking his head and whispering, "It'll be ok."

She looked at him, horrified, her hair framing her face, giving her a surreal look, that of perhaps an angel- or, more likely, a perfect, haunting, vampire. With every look she gave him, she seemed to be sucking the life out of him, draining his heart.

"No it won't," she whispered hoarsely, shaking her head violently. AJ pulled her into his arms in a comforting hug. Her body betrayed her as she relaxed in his strong arms.

"Then let's take advantage of this time we have," he whispered seductively in her ear. She shivered. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Jessalin," she murmured, leaning closer to him, her cold soul needing to feel his warmth.

"Beautiful." he whispered, holding her tighter, as if sensing her needs.

Faintly, she whispered, "What's your name?"

"Alex, but most call me AJ."

She smiled briefly at him.

A few moments later, she whispered, "I'm so scared, Alex... so scared...." Her violet eyes, wide and full of fear, met his own comforting stare. He unconciously felt his hands move, rubbing her back. She sighed softly, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He kissed the top of her head gently before standing up.

"Don't leave me," she whispered hoarsely, reaching her hands out to him, showing him she needed his arms around her.

He smiled gently, murmuring, "Don't worry, I'm just doing something I should have thought of a long time ago." With that, he stepped out of the small boat into the cold, shallow, water.

Smiling softly, he reached over and pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his chest, closing her eyes and letting out a soft sigh. She found herself wishing that it could be this way everyday.

Stroking her hair gently, AJ brushed a stray strand out of her eyes. She smiled up at him. Very slowly, he began walking down the tunnel, hoping the end was nearby. Jessalin felt AJ shiver at the cold water and the cold air, and pushed herself closer to him, trying to help. He smiled at her in thanks.

Finally, they reached the exit, squinting at the bright sun. AJ let out a whoop of joy as he set Jessalin down on the ground.

"My hero," she grinned as she bowed overdramatically. He laughed softly before taking her hand and leading her to a bench.

"So, Miss Jessalin, what do you do?" he asked, pulling her to sit next to him.

"well, since Father pulled me out of highschool, I write," she said softly.

He decided not to pressure the first issue further, instead focusing on the latter. "What do you write?"

"Ah... fantasy, drama, romance, erotica, songs, poetry," she smiled shyly.

"Would it be possible for me to read any of this?" he asked curiously. She bit her lip as she pondered that. Her eyes lit up as she got an idea.

"Follow me to my house, and you can read them while I do my chores and cook."

He grinned, "Great idea." She smiled.

Together they stood up and walked to the exit. They eventually arrived at her house.

Jessalin laughed as AJ nodded approvingly at the mansion. She led him to the den and ran upstairs to grab several notebooks full of her work: the ones labeled 'poetry', 'songs', 'erotica', and 'fantasy'.

"Enjoy," she smiled as she placed them on the table next to the arm chair he sat in. He grinned at her. "Can I get you anything?" she asked, picking some papers off the floor.

"You could, but I think she's busy right now," he breathed. She dropped what she was holding in surprise, then shook out of it and bent over, clumsily picking up the papers again. AJ smiled at her reaction. "You sure you don't need any help?" he asked softly, brushing her hair away from her eyes as she looked up at him.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "I'll handle it, you sit here and read, k?" He smiled, nodding and picking up the binder labeled 'songs'. She wandered into the kitchen and began making the crust dough.

.Next Chapter.