Time to Dance

I knew from the buzzing of my phone I was in trouble and not from the kind where you show up late after curfew and face the wrath of your parents. I wanted to answer it. I wanted to let everyone know who I was with but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Part of me knew it was from Nate compelling me and the other was just me. I was finding the inner struggle that I faced with Dimitri coming out again only this time it was by Nate and I wanted time alone with him. Could I save Nate?

"Nate, where are we going?" I managed to find my voice.

"Don't worry, I'm not taking you to Dimitri." Nate laughed.

"Then where are we going?" I asked a little ticked off.

"Just relax." Nate replied as he held me in his arms and ran to where we were going. Nate had gotten faster since his time kidnapped from me.

"Here." He said sitting me down in front of a tall building.

"I know this place." I said suddenly remembering the night Nate and I first made love.

"Come on." He said taking my hand and leading into the building. We went up the elevator to the third floor and got off. Nate led me to the safehouse.

"Remember this place and our night together?" Nate whispered in my ear as he held me from behind, keys jingling in one hand.

"I'm actually shocked that you do." I said turning around to face him.

"Alex, why do you have to be like this?" Nate asked.

"Because this isn't you. You would never compel me to do something I don't want to do." I said in all honesty.

"You mean you don't want to be with me?" He asked looking me in the eyes. It was then I had to fight him. I had to fight this feeling he was stirring in me.

"I want to be with you; just not like this." I said pulling away.

"Alex..." Nate commanded.

"No, Nate. I'm done. I won't let you control me. My love for you is stronger than that." I said about to turn and walk away but Nate grabbed my right arm and spun me around.

"Let go of my arm, Nate before I do something I might regret." I said angrily.

"I'm not letting you leave." He growled. "You belong with me."

"I belong with the old Nate. Not this stranger Dimitri created. You have three seconds before I seriously do some damage. One..."

"Baby, you can't walk away from me." Nate pleaded clutching my arm tighter.

"Two..."

"You wouldn't dare harm me." Nate said.

"Three!" I took my left hand, grabbed Nate and flipped him up over my head tossing him into the wall of the adjacent apartment.

"I warned you Nate." I said as Nate's body was leaned up against the wall partially slouched onto the floor as well. "Nate?" I asked as I kicked his foot. He was unresponsive and there was blood on the wall behind his head.

I looked around panicked that one of the neighbors would come running out into the hall wondering what the ruckus was but no one came. I sat down beside Nate and shook him. He was out cold. I grabbed the keys to our apartment that were lying on the floor and opened the door. I then grabbed Nate and dragged him into the safehouse locking the door behind us.

I went into the bathroom to find that it had been replenished with bandages and such. Brendon or my Dad must have made sure to come back here at some point after we left here graduation night. I placed Nate on the bed and bandaged his head to stop the bleeding. Then I pulled up a chair and watched him.

I couldn't help myself but to touch his face and trace it. I wanted to memorize his face all over again. Nate had a piece of hair that had fallen flat over his left eye. I went to push it out of the way when Nate reached up and grabbed my hand. His eyes fluttered open catching me off guard.

"You could have left me." Nate said letting go of me and touching his head.

"I could have. You would have found me again. We're bonded in more ways than one you know." I said.

"Alexandra, I'm sorry." Nate replied sitting up but wincing from his head wound.

"I hope I knocked some sense into that thick head of yours." I smiled. "I did warn you."

"That you did. I'm really sorry, Alexandra." Nate said. There was something in the way he said my name. It was like old Nate had briefly returned again.

"You can leave, you know." "I'm not stopping you." He said after my cell phone buzzed again but on the new table that was in the room. I had put it there before I went to find bandages.

"I just... I just wanted to make sure you were ok so now that I know you are..." I said getting up.

"It's ok, Princess." Nate said making me stop in my tracks. He called me Princess. Nate knows I hate being called that. It was like his pet name for me. He would do it to irk me.

"Nate?" I whispered as I turned back around to face him on the bed.

Before I knew it Nate had grabbed me and pulled me on top of him. I gazed into his eyes that were back to normal. He leaned in and kissed me leaving me breathless. In that moment I saw everything.

Nate's memories were creeping into my brain like a dream. I felt his pain, loss, and dispair. Dimitri had seriously hurt him. It occured to me that I had seen this before in a dream but I had forgotten it until now. The only difference was that once Nate had been starved, the brainwashing started and set in. Not to mention that Sara was after my man. Oh yeah, I saw all of her advances but Nate managed to push her away.

Nate's lips left mine. "I remember you." He smiled. "Sara could never come between what you and I have."

"Darn right. Makes me want to kill her even more." I huffed.

"Easy there tiger." Nate said.

"You have to come with me. You have to see your family. They will be so happy to know that you are back." I said trying to pull Nate up off the bed.

"I promise but not right now. I have you here and I want you in my arms." Nate grinned.

"Deal." I said sitting back down on the bed. "I'm sorry Dimitri hurt you. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to protect you." I looked down.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault. When you died, I felt it. I think that is when I gave up fighting. I shouldn't have. I felt our bond disappear but now its back. My heart broke even though it doesn't beat. But somehow you didn't give up on me; on us. We found each other." Nate hugged me.

The hug led into something more. Nate and I got caught up in our happy moment that bliss soon arrived and boy did it feel like the first time. I found myself lying on his right shoulder not long after. My right hand was placed over Nate's heart as he held onto me and kissed my forehead. We were both intwined with the sheets.

"I will never hurt you." Nate said. I smiled as I fell asleep peacefully.

I awoke a few hours later to find a missing Nate from the bed and apartment. My eyes had to adjust to the darkness as the lights were turned off. I wrapped the sheet around me and got out of bed. I managed to find Nate's button down shirt he was wearing on the floor and put it on so that I had that and my bikini bottoms on. I reached for my phone on the table to see that it was after three a.m. and that I had over two hundred text messages not to mention several voicemails all from my family. I didn't have time to go through all them right now.

I walked over to the front door to see that it was cracked. I opened it just a little bit more as I heard two voices out in the hallway. One was Nate and the other was another vampire as my senses finally kicked in. What was Nate doing out in the hall with a vampire? I wanted to bust out and kill the vampire but I knew that might be a bad idea so I decided to eavesdrop a bit.

"So you have her?" The vampire replied.

"Yeah, I got her. She is asleep. Tell Dimitri to get here quick. I don't know how much longer she will be out." Nate answered.

My heart just broke into a million pieces. It was all a lie. Nate betrayed me and tricked me into thinking he was back. I was a fool. My emotions got the better of me. My mind raced and I knew I needed to get out of here without Nate and that vampire seeing me but what could I do?

I quietly closed the door and searched the floor for my shoes and pants. I looked around the room freaking out. How was I going to get out of here? Then it hit me. The window was how I would make my escape. It was boarded up pretty good but all it needed was some slayer strength to break through and that I did after recieving some bloody knuckles.

I grabbed my phone off the table and then hurried out the window and climbed onto the fire escape. From there I made my way down and took off running. It was only a matter of time before Nate would realize I was gone and find me. He would either track me or call for me which I would ignore with all my might.

I took my phone out of my pocket, stopping just long enough to call my dad. One phone call was all it took to tell him what area of town I was in and what happened and for him to find me. I ran into his arms crying as my brother, Brendon, and Jace were standing behind him.

"He can't get to you while we are here." Brendon said looking out for his son.

"I know but he isn't that far away." I replied as I was led to the car my dad drove to find me. I knew Nate was around watching. I could feel him and what hurt the most was hearing his words echo in my head, "I will never hurt you."