Hey guys! Sad to say, this will be the last chapter of Taking Risks :( But don't worry, because I'm going to try to make it an awesome chapter! And here you go, the final installment of Taking Risks! :)

P.S: There is some swearing, more than I usually use, but it's not that bad.

Disclaimer: I do not own Virals (sad face). If I did, Tory and Ben would totally be a couple now, or at least flirting more ;)

Tory's POV

It's been about a month since the incident with Blake. No one really knows what happened to him. We did eventually go back to that one cave, but nothing remained, well except for the giant metal cage and a few papers here and there. People around school didn't notice that he just stopped coming, not even the teachers. It was like he was never here. But I can never forget him. That story he told, the dream I had after, they are always with me. I sighed as I walked to my locker, grabbing my bag and books. Summer was only like 20 days away and I couldn't be more excited. I started walking toward the ferry. It was Friday of course. And I had no plans for the weekend. I got on the ferry and just stared off in to the water. Today would be a good day for a swim, I thought to myself. I needed time to clear my head, and just think. Because of the persistent persuasion from the guys, mostly Shelton, I caved in and told Kit what happened. He freaked of course, which was the reason I didn't want to tell him in the first place. He called the police and they went to search the cave. They were completely skeptical of the kidnapping, but once they saw the cage, even they knew I was telling the truth. I sighed as I walked home. There were still no leads on Blake, not even the slightest hint of where he could have gone. I made it home, changed in to my one piece (I had hidden it in the back of my closet when Whitney took my swimsuit shopping just in case, and thankfully I had. I now owned 3 bikinis, which I will never wear), put on a pair of shorts and started toward the beach. When I got there, it was empty. Thank God, I thought to myself. Peace and quiet. I jumped in the water then floated on my back. I wonder what the guys are doing right now. Hi had been grounded for not telling his parents about the kidnapping/rescue. Shelton was only grounded for staying out too late that one night, and Ben… Well Ben had actually gotten off with no punishment. He said he explained something's with his dad, and his dad let him go. And when I asked him how he had done that (I wanted to try it the next time with Kit) he said it was nothing. I thought about Ben. I couldn't figure out where we stood. I mean, besides the kiss, and the hug, we didn't really talk that much. Heck, we've barely talked since I told him my dream and about Blake's mom. I liked him, but there was no way I was going to be the one to admit it first. I sighed again, and kicked my legs a little, pushing me out farther. Sometimes I really hate being a girl.

I floated around for a while, letting my mind wander. When I decided that I had been out long enough, I swam back to the shore, dried off a little and put my shorts back on, then started walking. I checked my phone, surprised to find 3 missed calls and a text. The text was from Kit asking when I was going to be home. One of the voicemails was also from him, letting me know he had important research to do and would not be home for dinner, and that he was going to spend the night with Whitney and I was not to leave the house. The other was from Shelton, asking about the homework that was due next Friday, like I was even thinking about that right now. And the last was from an unknown number. I checked to see when they called, 5 minutes ago. I thought of who it could be then shrugged, I had no idea. I continued walking through the woods to my house, putting the phone to my ear to hear this mystery caller. At first, it was a muffled sound, then I heard a voice, and I stopped dead in my tracks. "Hello Tory. Had you thought that I had forgotten about you? Quite the opposite really, you haven't left my mind. After your escape, I was rushed to leave. I forgot to tell you something. I am always watching. And let me just say, that red one piece does not do you justice. Green would have been a better choice." My eyes widened as I looked around, frantic. He was here. He was watching me swim. He was HERE!

SNUP

I flared, panic running through me. I ran, and I ran fast. I was almost out of the trees when I saw him. He was standing right where the trees met the road. I skidded to a stop, out of breathe. I quickly grabbed my phone, holding it slightly behind me, so he couldn't see it. I hit Ben's name, then stuffed the phone in my pocket, partially out, but unnoticeable.

Ben's POV

I was on Sewee when I got a call. I looked down and saw that it was Tory. Why is she calling me? I answered. "Hello?... Hello?" I got no response. Odd. I listened closer. I could hear faint talking. "Well Tory. As cliché as this sounds, we meet again." Oh Shit! That was Blake! Why the hell was he still around? And why was he with Tory? My mind spun. I got on my laptop while putting the phone on speaker so I could still hear. I connected my phone and put up the iFollow we created. I found Tory's location. It was near the beach, just inside the woods. I need to get down there immediately, I thought. I ran toward the beach, never turning the phone off. "Listen Tory, I realize what I did was rash, and that I probably should have thought it through more. But I'm being pressured. If you can believe it, someone wants you dead more than I do. My father. See, he hasn't gotten over shooting my mother, and will do basically anything for revenge." I ran faster.

SNUP

My flare kicked in. Good. I was able to run 10 times faster. "I'm not going to kill you Tory" said Blake, to which I heard a small sigh of relief, assuming it was Tory. "Oh, no. I'm going to leave that to my father. Who I might add, is behind you".

Tory's POV

"Who I might add, is behind you." I quickly turned around, which was a mistake. I should have just ran, I would have made it. But no, I turned and saw a man standing less than 4 feet away from me. Why had I not smelled or heard him? I thought. Because I was focused too much on Blake. The man was tall, and was an image of an older Blake. Blake is not going to age well. The man pulled stepped closer to me, and I stepped back. I could hear Blake walking towards me. Great, I'm going to be trapped between two psychos. Then the man pulled out a knife. Oh, it could only get better from here. And it did of course. Blake lunged at me and grabbed my arms. I struggled, and with my flare, put up a good fight. But the fact that I was out numbered weighed in. I managed to break away from Blake, only to be grabbed, quite violently, by his father. And the knife went to my throat. I gulped waiting for the end. He laughed. "Did you really think I was going to end it so quickly? Oh no my dear. You WILL suffer. Now son, do you think you'll be able to hold on to her for a few minutes? Or is that too much to ask?" Blake was about to respond but his father cut him off. "Here's some help" and with that he took the knife and swiftly cut the backs of my knees, two small, yet semi-deep cuts. I cringed and staggered a little. "Now Tory, I'm going to tell you exactly what I'm going to do. You see, one stab wound is painful, but it is over fast. I am going to give you a series of small cuts, at key points on the body. This techniques is one of the most painful and horrific methods of torture. The wounds are not deep enough to kill, but bring immense pain and suffering to the holder." He cut my shoulder. I tried to hold in a cry, but to no prevail. I tried to get away from Blake, but my knees hurt too much. Please hurry Ben.

At that moment a shape slammed into Blake's father, sending him hurtling through the air. Ben turned toward me. He saw Blake and literally growled. Blake stepped back and was about to pull something out of his pocket when Ben grabbed him and threw him. He hit a tree and fell to the ground. Blake's father had gotten up and was rushing toward Ben with the knife. Ben pushed his arm away, twisting the guy's wrist in the process, making him drop the knife. I heard a snap. The guy dropped in pain. Ben had broken his wrist. Ben glanced around, and then asked for my shoe laces. I looked at him, confused. "I need to tie him up" he explained. I nodded then gave him my shoes laces. Blake's dad was trying to get up, but Ben kicked him, hard and knocked him unconscious. He flipped the man, tying his hand together, in a tight knot. There's no way he's going to be able to untie that… It's gonna need to be cut off, I thought to myself. Blake in the meantime had started to crawl away. Ben stopped him. He stepped on Blake's back. "Please! Don't hurt me! I swear I'll tell the cops everything!" He was starting to cry. This was all just too much for him. Ben was looking down at him in disgust. He tossed me the phone and told me to call 911. I did while Ben tied Blake up. "The police are on their way" I said while sitting down. I was feeling a bit light headed. Ben finished with Blake and walked over to me. "Are you okay?" he asked. I just laughed. "Yeah, I'm peachy. I just love it when people try to kill me." Ben looked down at me with worried eyes. "You're bleeding. Let me help" he said. He scooted so he was sitting right next to me. "You know Tory, you should really learn self-defense. You get in to trouble so often, it would come in handy." I just nodded. I'm not sure of what happened after that. It was getting hard to keep my eyes open, and eventually I just gave in.

I awoke to smell of something rancid. I opened my eyes slightly, letting them adjust. Then I opened them all the way. I was lying in the hospital. I felt bandages around my knees and when I tried to move my arm, my shoulder stung. I looked and saw another bandage. I turned to scan the room, and was amazed that Ben was the only one in here. He was sitting next to me in a chair, head resting on his hands, which were clasped together over his face. It almost looked like he was praying. But he was sleeping. I tried to sit up but actually let out a squeak. My whole body hurt. I looked back over at Ben and saw that he was looking at me. "What happened?" I asked. "I remember you tying up Blake, but after that…" I trailed off. "You fainted. You had lost a lot of blood. That guy, Blake's father, cut you pretty deep. Luckily the ambulance came and they brought you here. Blake and his father were arrested for kidnapping, assault, and attempted murder. Blake's even being charged as an adult. We won't ever have to worry about them again." He finished off with a small smile. I smiled back.

It turns out I had been unconscious for about a day. The doctors said it was normal, and luckily they didn't need to take any of my blood. That would have been hard to explain. I was released that next day, Sunday. Kit came to get me (Ben had called once I was in the hospital and apparently Kit had come to visit, he had just left when I woke up). Sunday I was up and about, ready to do something. After doing absolutely nothing Saturday, I just wanted to move. This made me think though. Was Blake's father really correct when he said we had healing capabilities? It would explain why my cuts were almost completely healed, only after 2 day. I pushed the thought out of my mind and went to the bunker. I had hardly spent any time with Cooper, and I needed some puppy love. No one was at the Bunker, and I was happy with this. I sat down and Coop sat on my lap. I was inspecting my shoulder wound when I heard a voice. "The cut looks a lot better". I turned to see Ben leaning against the entrance of the Bunker. "Yeah, it's almost completely healed" I said. Ben moved to sit next to me. Coop got off my lap to lick Ben. I chuckled. "Ben… I never got to thank you before. For saving me. I would probably be dead right now if you hadn't shown up." I said, looking straight at him. "It was nothing. You had the idea to call me, and hide the phone. Which brings up a question I've had. Why did you call me? Why not Hi, Shelton, your dad, or even the police? Why me?" he asked. I sighed. It was now or never, I thought to myself. "I called you because I knew that you would come. You have always been there for me, even when I don't deserve it. And… It's because I like you Ben. More than just a friend." I watched his mouth drop. Crap, he doesn't feel the same way… "Forget that I said that. I'm sorry for making this awkward. I understand if you don't feel the same way." I got up and faced away from him. How could I be so stupid! We were finally at a point where we were really good friends. Why did I have to ruin it! "Tory" Ben said. I didn't turn. "Tory" he said louder, and I could hear him getting up. "What?" I responded, still not looking at him. "Look at me" I just shook my head. I felt a hand go to my uninjured shoulder, turning me around. I looked into his eyes. "I like you too" he said softly. I looked at him surprised but before I could say anything, he pulled me close and kissed me. And it was unlike all the other kisses I have ever had. I wrapped my arm around his neck, deepening the kiss. His hand went to my waist, trying to pull me even closer, though it wasn't possible. My other hand went to his hair, fingers diving into it. This is what I wanted. And I could tell he wanted it as well. I could feel his lips moving against mine, so I moved them back. After a few minutes, we broke for air. "…Wow…" was all I could say. "Yeah…" he said. And then smiled, a smile that went to his eyes. All I could think was that this was going to be a great summer.

And that's all folks! I felt kind of iffy on how to end this, but I hope it was good! I will be writing another one/two shot soon. Tory will take Ben up on that Self Defense tip. Please review and tell me what you think! I'm not sure when I will have time to write that one/two shot, but it should be up before the end of August. Probably a lot sooner! Thanks to all that read and reviewed! You made this worth writing!

Stay Stellar!

~KimKo03~