Here it is! As some of you requested, a closer look at the scene when Annabeth kisses Luke. I'm sorry for taking just about forever to get this up! I really hope you enjoy it!

As always, thanks to my beta, Miz636, for the editing and for all the help with Luke's thoughts.

Chapter Fifteen: Annabeth and Luke Kiss Scene Outtake

The evening was quiet.

If the fact that Luke was back and awake at camp wasn't enough, then Annabeth was sure the silence of the night would eventually drive her insane.

Thick, dark, storm clouds dragged along in the sky and the wind outside of camp was picking up. A storm was coming, and Annabeth found herself walking towards the Big House, the building she had been avoiding ever since Luke had woken up.

She couldn't explain it to herself, but the fact remained: Annabeth had been avoiding facing Luke again. Seeing him again would spark things inside Annabeth that she had long buried deep inside of her, and that was exactly what she was afraid of. Not to mention, lately she had already found herself running away from Percy, too, and it scared her more than anything.

She just couldn't face the two people who seemed to be driving her thoughts crazy. She felt torn in half, and all she wanted to do was hide underneath the protection of her invisibility cap, and vanish away from the world for a second. She was much stronger than that, though, and she wasn't going to take the easy way out.

Feeling the heaviness of the air, Annabeth took in a breath while curving her fingers tighter around the door knob, preparing herself for what she was about to do. She was about to face him; she was going to face Luke after all these years.

When Annabeth stepped inside the room, where Luke laid in his bed, she didn't feel different. It was exactly like visiting Luke like she had been these past weeks while he was unconscious, making sure he was okay. Except this time he was awake, and his blue eyes fell on Annabeth as she entered.

Luke tried to sit up, but failed as the pain struck in a muscle in his chest. He stared at Annabeth as if he was confirming that she was actually real, that it wasn't just his mind acting up.

"Annabeth?" Luke asked, surprise in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

Annabeth crossed her arms, unable to answer that question for herself. She didn't know what she was doing here. All she knew was that she wanted to stop running away from herself; she needed answers, and if facing Luke was the only way to do it, then she was going to do it. Annabeth took a few slow steps forward across the wooden floorboard of the room. "I just… I just wanted to see you."

She could feel Luke's sharp eyes fixed on her, studying her. "Are you alright?" he asked, breaking the silence that had filled the small room. Luke could tell that something was wrong. It confused him, and all he wanted at the moment was to help her.

Annabeth put on her best smile. "I'm fine," she said, hoping he would buy it, but Luke's eyes remained steady on her.

"No, you're not," he stated, concern in his voice as he observed the sixteen-year-old girl standing in front of him. Luke had known her long enough to tell that she was lying.

Hearing those words brought a slow smile to Annabeth's face, and she found herself flashing back to years ago. The tone in his voice reminded her that Luke always knew when something was bothering her. Whether Annabeth was just having a bad day, or whether it was the memories of her father and step-mother haunting her when she was small; Luke had always been there to understand her. Annabeth could see now more than ever that Luke just knew when something was wrong, the way he did now.

"I'm fine. I promise," Annabeth said, surprised at how quickly Luke had already brought a small smile to her lips. She walked towards the single chair in the room which stood against the wall, and she positioned it across from the side of his bed. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Luke nodded slowly, watching as Annabeth took a seat in front of him. He wasn't convinced at the least, but he knew he wasn't going to get an answer out of Annabeth so easily. "Thanks," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

As Annabeth stared at him for what seemed like hours, silence consuming the air, the memories came flooding back quicker than she was ready for. Just looking at him made her feel like her heart felt like it was sinking, and her eyes burned. Her voice cracked when she spoke. "You know, I missed you a lot, Luke."

The thing Luke said next was what she wasn't expecting. He said, "I'm sorry."

The strange thing was that he meant it more than he could ever explain to her. Luke knew he had hurt the girl in front of him, just like the way he had hurt another girl, one with electric blue eyes. He had never wanted it to get this far, and now laying helplessly on the bed, he couldn't do anything else but say the single word. The single word that seemed to have no meaning compared to what he felt. Sorry.

The words struck at her hard, and they were enough to get her vision to blur in tears for a second. Annabeth didn't realize it at the time, but she was letting her emotions take over; she wasn't thinking anymore. She felt exhausted. "You just left me, Luke. I needed you there," Annabeth said, subconsciously letting her hand reach forward to touch Luke's.

He gripped Annabeth's fingers tightly. "I never meant to hurt you, Annabeth. You know that I didn't have a choice -"

"Yes you did." Annabeth cut him off, her gray eyes hard as she stared back at Luke. "Why did you leave? Do you have any idea what it was like looking into your eyes as the enemy?"

"Annabeth." There was warmth in Luke's voice, suddenly reminding Annabeth of the way he would sit down with her all those nights when she was nearly seven and talk to her quietly; explaining things to her until she was fully satisfied with her problems. "I was angry at the gods. There never had mercy on us. They let Thalia die, Annabeth. I just… I needed to make them pay."

Annabeth listened silently, trying to read Luke's eyes, the eyes she hadn't gotten a full look at in so long. For the first time since she had last seen him on the battle ground, they weren't the same cold blue eyes that had been resenting her. They were eyes full of pain and sorrow; the pain Annabeth could understand.

"After I was with Kronos, I didn't have a choice anymore, Annabeth. I never wanted to hurt you," Luke continued. "I didn't want any of this to happen."

"I know," Annabeth said in barely a whisper, quieting Luke. Right that second, there was a look in Luke's eyes telling Annabeth that it was the first time any one had ever understood him. For a second, Luke looked grateful.

He was grateful. Luke had never before heard any words like the ones that had just come out her mouth; words telling him that someone believed him, someone was on his side. Annabeth was the first to see it, and he couldn't help but love her even more than he already did. She was his family, after all. The only family he knew.

Outside of the thick walls, the sound of the wind sounded quietly and the waves from the ocean that could be seen through the window caught Annabeth's eyes. Just for a minute, the thought of Percy crossed Annabeth's mind, and it was enough to makes her throat feel dry.

Her heart sped, and sitting there Annabeth felt like she had never been more confused.

"You look so much older now," Luke told her quietly, his voice bringing her out of her thoughts. Luke was searching Annabeth's face, and she swore she could have seen him smiling again. He wore the same warm smile that she had been deprived of for so many years.

It hurt Luke more than he had thought to see Annabeth in front of him again. He had always sworn he was going to be by her side, yet he had missed the most important parts of seeing her grow up. Her golden streaked hair was so much longer than he could remember, the curls cascading over her shoulders. Her delicate features were now sharp and gorgeous as they shone upon her face.

Their eyes locked, and even though Annabeth had held onto this moment from ever since she could remember - the moment when she would finally be able to sit in front of Luke again, and be able to look into his eyes without fear - something kept poking Annabeth in the back of her head. The image of green eyes shot through Annabeth's mind, and it was enough to make Annabeth look away from Luke.

She swallowed, trying to collect herself. There was a hollow feeling in Annabeth's chest, and it hurt more than she could bear. "You've been gone for five years, Luke," Annabeth managed to say. "What do you expect?"

The smile on Luke's face as he looked at her - so much older and beautiful now - made her heart sink deeper.

Annabeth wasn't thinking when she absently leaned forward, touching the scar on the side of Luke's face.

He flinched at her touch, realizing that her face was so close to his now. Annabeth ran her fingers along his cheek, tracing the narrow line of uprooted skin that seemed to look blood red. "Does it hurt?" Annabeth whispered.

"Yeah…a little," Luke admitted as he tried to tune out the pain. "I've been weaker. If it wasn't for Calypso finding me… I don't think I would have made it."

"Don't say that!" Annabeth snapped, surprising ever herself. She gripped Luke's fingers tighter in her hand. "I don't want to think about what it was like when you weren't here, Luke. If I ever lost you again…"

More wind howled past the borders outside of camp, and Annabeth seemed to catch herself with exactly what she was saying. Everything about the moment was startling Annabeth, and for a second she leaned back. Her eyes fixed on the window, which showed her that the sun had disappeared and a storm was approaching quickly across the dark, gloomy sky.

She wasn't supposed to be here, Annabeth thought, at least not while she had sworn to Percy that she was only his.

Luke frowned in confusion as he watched Annabeth looking out the window, obviously confused and torn apart inside. He didn't know what was going through her mind at the moment, but he knew that she was hurting. It pained him more than ever now to not know what was causing it or to know that he couldn't comfort her that way he wanted to. He couldn't simply hold her in his arms anymore and tell her it would be okay; he wasn't going to make half-hearted promises that he couldn't live up to.

"So…Calypso," Annabeth found herself saying; the urge to change the topic suddenly eating up at her, "does she take care of you?"

"Yeah, she's been really helpful," he told her as he thought about how much Calypso had healed and done for him. As he stared at her, he flashed back to something Calypso had said. He found himself saying, "She…uh, she told me -"

Annabeth met his eyes. When Luke didn't speak, Annabeth asked, "What?"

"She told me about…you and Percy," Luke said, his eyes were clearer than ever, but he hesitated at the fear of Annabeth taking his words the wrong way. "You're with him now?"

The question shouldn't have bothered Annabeth as much as it did, coming from Luke's mouth. At that moment, Annabeth felt like everything inside of her that she was trying to keep together might have shattered. There were a million things on her mind, and the last thing she needed right now was a reminder of Percy.

She could almost imagine Percy; he would be in his cabin now. Percy would never do anything to hurt her, yet here she was torn in two pieces over him and the boy who lay in front of her; the only person who had cared about her when she was little and left with no one.

Luke was the one who had always been there for her before he had lost himself with Kronos. Staring at Luke, Annabeth thought she could have felt anger, bitterness, betrayal - anything that could have proved how much he had hurt Annabeth all the years he was away. But, as Annabeth sat in front of him, the only thing that she felt was pain, pain because of her confusion.

"…make up your mind. It's either me or Luke," Percy's voice echoed through Annabeth's head. They were the words he had told Annabeth while he was frustrated, and now they came back to her as she closed her eyes hard enough to push back the tears.

"Are you alright?" Luke said, looking at Annabeth. He extended his hand, the one that wasn't in wrapped around Annabeth's fingers, and brushed back the hair that had fallen onto her face. He could tell that something was terribly wrong.

Luke was genuinely concerned, and Annabeth felt like her skin was on fire. Her head was spinning so fast with the millions of thoughts rushing through her that she felt like she could have completely lost it any second.

"Percy…" Luke found himself saying, wondering if Percy was the one causing Annabeth's turmoil. He watched Annabeth carefully as he asked, "he takes care of your, right?"

"Yes." Annabeth spit out more quickly than she meant to. She didn't want Luke to get the wrong idea, but she couldn't conceal herself anymore. She stuttered out, "Percy…Percy would never hurt me."

Annabeth could see Percy's eyes in the back of her head every time she blinked. She saw the same green eyes that could make all her problems go away when they were once filled with frustration, ordering her to make a choice.

Annabeth's heart was throbbing so hard, she thought it might come right out of her chest.

Luke's eyes were questioning, filled with concern as he stared at Annabeth silently, and it was enough to make Annabeth block out all her thoughts. For a second, she stopped to take a sharp breath, gathering herself all over again.

It had become pitch dark outside and only a dim lamp sitting on the table beside her lit the room. Annabeth hovered above Luke as he lay in his bed, and she could see every inch of Luke's face perfectly.

Everything was happening too fast before Annabeth even had time to catch herself. She leaned forward, touching Luke's face. Her hands were cold on his cheek.

Luke stared at Annabeth's face coming closer and he only had time to whisper, "Annabeth... hold on. What are you doing?" Luke was confused, worried, and a bit frightened by what was happening with Annabeth, but there wasn't anything he could have done at the moment.

When she was just an inch away from Luke, she felt like she could see into his right into his eyes. Annabeth had always thought she understood love when it came to Luke, but all of that had changed when Percy had shown up five years ago.

Annabeth pushed those thoughts away. At the moment all Annabeth could see was Luke, and that he was finally in front of her again after all these years. She needed to know the truth; she needed to know exactly what she felt for Luke. She couldn't think to care about anything else. "I missed you," Annabeth whispered, her lips barely centimeters away from his. Luke's eyes widened.

The thing Annabeth did next was something that she only found out later that she would never forgive herself for. Annabeth Chase kissed Luke.

When her lips were on Luke's, it was like a cold, sharp jolt of electricity ran through her skin, and her head was spinning faster than she had ever felt before. His lips were warm on hers, and time moved by quicker than she had time to count.

Luke was in shock as he realized what was happening. Annabeth, the girl he taken care of ever since she was young, was kissing him. He could feel the soft, cool, skin of her lips pressed tightly against his mouth, and his raw and cut lips stung at the touch of hers. Luke didn't have time to think or a way to stop what was happening, but the only thing that was going through his mind was a prayer that Annabeth would be alright. She was tearing herself apart on the inside, and he could feel her burning tears slip out of her eyes as she moved her lips against his.

Outside, lightening stuck, shaking the sky. It filled the room with light just for a second, and it startled Annabeth enough to break her trance. She nearly jumped, backing away from Luke.

In the process, her hand hit the lamp next to her, making it fall and come crashing towards the floor, shattering. The room went pitch black, and Annabeth edged away in the darkness.

"Annabeth -" Luke tried to say, wanting to calm her down, but Annabeth felt like she had reached her limit and her head felt like it could have exploded. He wanted to tell her something, anything, which would make her listen. He wanted to tell her that he loved her; that she was like his little sister.

As she backed towards the door, Luke caught sight of her face in the narrow light from the corridor. She looked as if she couldn't believe what she had just done, and all she could manage to choke out was, "I'm so sorry. I didn't- I didn't mean to."

The last Luke saw of her face was as she left the room, absolutely startled, with tears and confusion rimming her gray eyes. It pained him to see her like this, but the only thing he had left to do now was hope that Percy would save her from breaking apart; catch her before she fell just like he had five years ago when Luke left her standing on a nothing but a bridge made of a single strand of thread.

Little did Annabeth know, she was only leaving the room to be met by Percy where he would soon tell her three little words strong enough to make her forget any of this had ever even happened.

Thanks for reading this extra! I really hope you enjoyed! It was my first attempt at Third Person, so I hope I succeeded with it. This was tweaked just about a thousand times, and I hope this final product turned out well. I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts! Please review!