Chapter Seventeen

I stand at the train station with the rest of the Pirates, waiting for Natalie and Luke.

I laugh as some of them play around with the neoflies, putting them on their glasses or on someone's bag. The twins decorated the metal holder of the ticket counter. I unwrapped my wrist last night after the battle and showered, cleaning out the cuts. They look an angry red, but I don't care. I am not doing it again. I give up. I am moving on and trying to focus on my family. Luke went to the bank lst night and payed them for the Vault. We have the keys back and we were in there last night, eating, laughing and celebrating. Chase joined us, but he has decided to go back to L.A in a weeks time, to talk to Andie.

"Hey, there she is." Anala points out.

I look over to where she is pointing to and smile.

She is looking around and I realise she must have seen the Neoflies.

"Are you forgetting something?" Jacob calls out.

She turns to look over at us and smiles a teary smile. She walks over and puts her arms around Jacob and I. The Pirates all wrap their arms around us and we have a huge group hug.

"I am going to miss you guys," Natalie says tearily.

I smile at her and let a few tears of my own fall. I sigh and let her go. She looks at the all of us and frowns.

"Where's Luke?"

Jacob and I look at the top of the stairs where Luke has a bag and is coming down. He spots us and begins to walk over. Natalie walks over to him and then pull in to kiss each other.

The pirates and I cheer and they pull away from each other to laugh, then go back to kissing. I hear a few gasps and more cheers and I turn to look at Moose and Camille.

"Can I kiss somebody right now?" Jason asks.

I laugh and then look back at Luke and Natalie. Luke is coming over here with a box and a few papers on top. He hands the box to Moose and the papers to me.

I look at the papers and then up at him in disbelief.

"Are you kidding?"

He shakes his head. I throw my arms around his arms and start to cry.

"Hey, don't cry." He says and rubs my back.

"I am sorry. I am just so happy now. You are my legal big brother now." I sob into his shoulder.

He chuckles, :thought that you would be happy about it."

He pulls back and looks down at me.

"Fix things with Danny. Make everything easier?"

I nod and grin at him tearily. He kisses my forehead.

"Look after yourself Luke. Natalie! If anything happens to my big brother, I will kill you!"

I hear her laugh at me and we all smile.

"You take care now everyone. I love you guys."

He walks away over to Natalie with her suitcase. I watch them go with blurred eyes. Moose pulls me to his other side, the one that Camille isn't on. I rest my head on his shoulder as I watch them leave my sight.

The Pirates turn around and start to head off, me among them. I read through the papers in my hand. It has Luke's will with it. I get the Vault and everything he owns if he passes away. I smile and tear up again. I feel the tears fall and sigh.

I have a family. I real family.

I have an older brother that loves me.

I have a crew that will help me with anything.

I have a cousin and his girlfriend who will save my life if it comes to it.

I have a bestfriend who is understanding and witty.

I have almost everything I need.

I fold the paper and put them in my pocket. I pull out my phone and check it.

Luke - Love you Zizzy

I smile and put my phone away again.

Moose turns around to look at me and smiles, "you coming back to the Vault?"

I shake my head, "I need to sort some things out in my apartment."

He nods and heads off, holding hands with Camille.

I walk up the stairs to my apartment building and walk inside. I head over to the mail boxes and open mine with my key. I pull out a handful of envelopes.

I then check the package box and see one for me. It is in a large envelope. I shrug and make my way to my apartment. As I come up the flight of stairs leading to my floor I groan at what I see.

"Figured you would probably be coming back here today." he says.

I walk to my door and he blocks my way. I pull out my key and try to push him to the side. I glare up at him.

"I want to get into my apartment thanks."

He looks down at me with those beautiful dark brown eyes I love so much.

"Have you been crying?"

I try to push him out of the way again but he doesn't budge.

I go to his left side and shove hard. He loses his balance a little, but enough to make him move out of the way of the lock on my door. I put my key in and unlock my door. I open it and then hold it open, sighing. He looks at the open door before stepping through. I close it after him.

"I might as well just talk to you."

"Why are you acting like it is me that has done something?"

I shrug, "I am not the one that sent a message through someone else to my ex girlfriend, telling her that I am sleeping with a whole heap of girls."

He snorts, "I am not the one that cheated on my boyfriend with his crew captain for money."

I open the door again and look at him expectantly.

He holds his hands up in surrender and sits on my couch.

"Sorry." he murmurs.

I close my door and rub my wrist as I walk to the opposite couch. I sit down and put the mail on my coffee table. I then walk into the kitchen and grab an icepack. I sit down on my couch and place the icepack on my sore wrist. I look at him, waiting for him to speak.

He looks down at my wrist and he bites the insde of his cheek. He looks between my face and my wrist for a while before I get irritated.

"If you are going to say something about it, just spit it out!"

"Did you do it?"

I frown and tilt my head at him, "Do what?"

"The night that Carlos went to you guys, did you cut before then? He said he saw the blood dripping down your hand," he swallows.

I look down at the icepack and remove it. I hold out my wrsit and see him flinch as he looks at it. I point to one of the ones I di that night and hold my breath.

"That one is from that time. some of the rest are from after and that night after we saw each other at the Pizza shop. Those ones," I drag my finger over the newer ones, "I did when we got back and had dinner."

I hear him hiss under his breath and he leans back. I put the icepack of my wrist again and sit back.

"Who is he?"

I frown again, "Who?"

"That guy, the one that was in the Pizza shop with you."

I smile as I think of Chase, "that is Chase. Andie broke it off with him so he came to New York to see me. Cable told him about...well..."

Danny nods.

"Zailee, we should talk about this."

He points between the two of us and I begin to fidget with the hem of my shorts. I see him lean forward and place his arms on his knees. I swallow and look up to meet his eyes. I quickly look down again as I feel my phone buzz. I pull it out and answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Zailee?"

"Who is this?"

"Oh, sorry. It's Natalie. I got a new phone so Julian couldn't contact me."

"Oh...okay. Yeah, wahts up?"

I hear her sigh on the other side of the line, "I think I should tell you. You remember that conversation we had, when I was telling you about my feelings for Luke?"

"Yeah, I remember. You told me that you love him."

I hear Luke laugh on the other end of the line.

"I...umm recorded the part where you told me of your feeling toward Kid Darkness. And I err...I may have sent it to him after the World Jam."

"WHAT! NATALIE!" I yell.

"I'm sorry. I just, I saw the bandage and I asked Luke. I felt like I had to do something."

I look over at Danny who is looking at the phone with a interested look.

"Hang on a moment," I say to Natalie.

I get up from the couch and walk into my bedroom. I close the door behind me and walk into the bathroom. I close that door too, to make sure Danny can't hear me.

"Natalie, he is currently sitting on my couch, wanting to talk to me about all of this. I don't even know what his feeling towards me are right now," I tell her.

I hear Luke ask for the phone.

"Zizzy, the way he reacted when he found about what you did, tells me that he loved you and there is a huge chance he still does. It doesn't matter. Just go and talk it through with him."

I sigh into the phone and nod, "okay. Love you guys. Sorry for going off at Natalie."

I hang up and walk out into the lounge room. Danny looks up at me.

"She told you about that recording she left me, didn't she?"

I nod slowly and nervously. I walk into the kitchen and look in the fridge. I pull out the bottle of raspberry soft drink that Natalie got me the other day. I pull two glasses from the cupboard above me and take them through to the lounge. I sit them on the coffee table and then go grab the soft drink. I sit it on the table as I open it and pour a half galss full for me. I sit it down on the table again and go grab a bottle of vodka from my liquor cabinet, which I never get into.

I open the bottle and go to pour it. Before I can even tilt the bottle, Danny grabs my arm.

"I won't let you drink, because you want to get out of this. Or because you feel like you need it."

I frown and he takes the bottle from me. He does the lid back up and puts it down next to him. I sigh and pour more raspberry softdrink into the glass. I take a huge gulp and sit on the couch, looking at him.

"What makes you think that I care what you will and won't do?"

"Because I care about what you do."

I roll my eyes at him, "yeah. You only care because you want me sober right now so you can have a go at me," I grumble.

He growls at me, "You and I both know that isn't true."

I look around the room, at everything but his face now.

"Zailee, please."

I smile slightly, "you don't call me Zails anymore," I do a one shouldered shrug, "can't say I blame you."

He sighs and stand up. He comes around the table and sits next to me. He holds his hand out. I frown and look up at him with a confused look.

"Your wrist?"

I raise my eyebrow and place my wrist into his hand hesitantly.

He runs a hand over the scars and cuts, "I care that you did this. When Carlos told me, I freaked out. I blamed myself and thought about the worst possibilities. Maybe one time you could have cut too deep," I flinch at his words, "and it could have taken your life...Did you just flinch?"

I don't answer and he then starts to physically stress, "you cut too deep once or twice didn't you?"

"Moose found me on the floor, unconcious and my wrist in a pool of blood. He called an ambulance."

Danny looks down at my wrist. I feel his warm breath on it as he leans down and places a kiss on it. I pull it back quickly and hold it to my stomach. He looks up at me in shock.

"We really need to talk," he says.

I nod. I bite my lip and tell him the same thing I told Luke. I begin to cry again, but I keep going as Danny listens to me.

"...I...Julian means nothing to me. I hate him. He tore my and my brother apart and me and you apart. I wish I could take it all back, but I can't and it makes me feel worse."

He nods and looks down at his lap.

"The only reason I stayed with the Samurai is because Julian lied. He told me you begged, that it was all for fun. And he said that because you begged he couldn't turn you away. I...I guess now I realise that he just wanted me to stay to try and win World Jam."

I chuckle a little, "I thought you would know better than me. Julian uses people to get what he wants. He used to me break Luke. You were just an extra I think."

"Wow, make me sound like an object."

I shrug, "you are an object to me."

He frowns at me in disappointment and misunderstanding, "I thought that talking it out might actually help. Hell, I was about to forgive you."

I laugh at him and rest my hand on his, "Danny, I meant you are the object of my affection."

He drops his mouth open, "oh."

I laugh at him and pull him to me.

"I am sorry, Danny, I really am. I just...I wanted to help Luke and I didn't think of any other ways to do it. I just leaped into it. I am sorry, so so so sorry."

He wraps his arms around my waist, "I know. So am I. I should have thought about it. And I should never have used that word towards you."

I put my head in the area between his neck and shoulder. I kiss the skin exposed and hum.

"I love you Danny. You already know, but I feel like you should actually hear it from me in person."

He rests his head against mine and leans back on the couch. He pulls me on to his lap and tightens his grip on me.

"Promise me something?"

I move back a little and look at him, "anything."

"Don't do anything like that again?"

"I swear it. On my life. I love you too much, and this one time almost killed me."

I feel him flinch a little.

"And don't ever do that again, I don't know if I could bear it."

I chuckle and nuzzle against his throat, "I won't be. I have stopped completely...hopefully."

He sighs and I lean into him.

"You know, I missed you. And I never had any girl near me while I didn't have you with me. Carlos probably wanted to hurt you. Did you piss him off?"

I give a smug smile, "maybe a little."

Danny rolls his eyes, "Of course."

He kisses my forehead.

"We should start all over again." I suggest.

"What do you mean?"

"Start again. Like start over with the relationship."

He nods, "and take it slow?"

I think about it for a moment, "maybe."

He chuckles and we sit there, me on his lap, talking.