Hey guys!

Sorry for any grammar and editing mistakes!

Please comment, vote, and follow!

Enjoy!

-&-

Chapter 33

We walked side by side from Trey's house to mine as the others went to get something to eat from Trey's mom. They never stop eating.

Although Rex's hand held mine firmly, like some sort of life line, my mind was racing in circles. I was worried about tomorrow, scared by the dream that kept popping into my head, nervous about my dad coming home. It was all starting to be too much. Rex was the only thing keeping me grounded.

"You okay my Roza?"

I smiled up at him as he cast worried eyes down at me. "Yeah, I'm okay." His frown stayed but he nodded and held me closer.

"Hey Rex? Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can, you know that." He pressed a kiss to the top of my head as we neared my house.

"Why do you call me Roza?" His frown turned into a smile and he gripped my hand tighter.

"My mom was Russian, didn't I tell you that?" I shook my head as he dropped my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"She moved to America when she was little, quickly learned how to speak English, and even how to hide her accent, but every once in a while she would slip and start trailing off in Russian. And she loved her rozas." He said my nickname with an accent that had my stomach fluttering. He winked at me and held me closer as I melted into his side.

"Roza is Russian for Rose..." I muttered under my breath, but he still heard.

"Bingo."

He was so darn sweet.

I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek as his free arm slid around my waist and held me to his chest. He chuckled. "Are you sure you want to go out tonight?" He murmured into my hair as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Mhm." His sinfully delicious lips pouted against my neck and I laughed. "It will be fun, and the boys are excited to go."

"There always fucking excited." He grumbled, but didn't argue. Maybe we should have just stayed in for the night. But I knew with what was going to happen tomorrow, everyone needed a stress free night.

And what was more stress free than bowling?

-&-

I was wrong. Bowling was very, very, stressful.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Rex shouted at the top of his lungs as Trey got another strike. That was his fifth one if a row.

"Awe, don't pout Rex. You'll get one eventually."

"You're fucking cheating!"

"How can you cheat at bowling?" Jax piped up, but sunk into his chair at the look I sent him. He did not need to add to Rex's anger right now.

"He fucking rigged the ball or something!" Rex looked so angry I thought he was fixing to throw punches. It made my chest ache and caused a frown to fall over my face.

"Don't worry kid. He's just really competitive." Brett leaned across the table to pat my head, like he always did, and Jax scoffed.

Competitive or not, he didn't need to be yelling at Trey like that. I stood up and carefully wrapped my hand around his forearm. His dark eyes snapped away from a laughing Trey and down at me. I gave him a small smile as I hugged his arm to me.

"It's okay T', it's just a game." His jaw clenched and the arm I was hugging flexed before relaxing in my hold.

"That doesn't mean he gets to cheat." He grumbled down at me, but the anger in his eyes slowly started to ease.

"No, but we can't be sure he's cheating either." I entwined my fingers with his and laid my free hand gently on his brick wall of a chest.

He let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine." He growled before his hand squeezed mine and he turned back towards the chairs. When he pulled me down next to him and curled me into his side, he pressed his warm lips to my ear.

"I better get a kiss for this later." I couldn't help the blush that tickled my cheeks at his words, but I nodded and hid my face in his shoulder anyway.

He chuckled.

The rest of the night was better, and rather fun. Rex kept his temper down, even though Trey beat everyone like a drum. Brett kept glancing at his watch anxiously, but kept laughing and smiling nonetheless. I didn't blame him. His brother was after all, on bed rest. I'm sure he was ready to go home and check on him.

I yawned and curled further into Rex's side as his arm wrapped tighter around me. "Are you ready to go?" He murmured down at me as the others laughed in the booth around us. I nodded, but didn't pull myself away from his side. He was so warm. He chuckled.

"You want me to carry you?"

The offer was tempting, and I almost said yes. "No, I can walk." I mumbled and forced my needy self away from his side. His smile turned into a frown, but he stood up with me anyway and took my hand.

"We're going to hit the road. Jax you need a ride?" I would have been surprised at Rex's question if we hadn't been the ones who had brought him here in the first place.

"Nah man, I'm going to crash at the Dimajio's." The blonde, buff, jock leaned back against his seat and propped his arms behind his head like he was as cool as a cucumber.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Don't give me that look bae."

Rex's hand tightened around mine.

"You're not going to get into any trouble, right?

Jax rolled his eyes. "Of course not Rosie. Brett offered and I said yes. You know guy's night and what not." My glare didn't ease up, but he sat forward and reached for my free hand.

"I promise, no trouble just spending the night." He squeezed my wrist gently before letting go and leaning back with a smug smile on his face. Rex's grip on my hand was starting to hurt.

We said are goodnights to everyone and left, well I said goodnight, Rex was brooding. He tugged me out of the bowling alley an into the freezing November air. Before I could even ask him what was wrong he pulled to a stop and turned to me with hard, cold, eyes.

"Tell him to stop or I will."

I was taken aback, and my eyes widened in shock at the hard bite in his tone. "What are you talking about?" I stepped closer to him and tried to rub soothing circles on the hand that was holding mine.

He clenched his jaw, flexed his free hand and glared. "Jax, tell him to stop fucking calling you that, or I'll make him."

"Calling me what?" I blinked up at him, but that only made him madder.

"Bae! I don't fucking like it and I swear to god if I hear him call you it again I'll make him choke on his own fucking tongue."

Whoa.

I probably looked like a gapping fish as he released my hand and began pacing angrily in front of me. It was just a... a name...

"It's just a pet name, T'. All of you have one for me-"

"It's not just a pet name Rose. It's what couples call each other. It's fucking lame, idiotic and it pisses me the fuck off." He looked like he was fixing to blow and I didn't want him to go in there and start anything with Jax.

I wrapped my arms tight around his waist, forcing him to stop pacing and pressed my face into his chest. "Okay Rex, if it bothers you that much I'll tell him to stop." Or at least tell him not to call me that when Rex was around.

He eased slightly and his arms wrapped tightly around me. "I just don't like the idea of... of sharing you, and when he says that it just... it makes me want to start a fight."

My insides were goo, my stomach a fiery pit of heat, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. He didn't want to share me...

He let out a heavy sigh before letting me go. "Come on, let's get out of here." I reluctantly let go of his waist and grabbed onto the hand that wrapped around mine as he walked us to the car.

That was the only conversation I could think of for the rest of the night. I couldn't really even sleep either. All my nerves from before kept coming back, and knowing that Rex was going to see the man that had caused him so much pain in just a few hours kept eating away at me.

I was on the brink of sleep, my eyes finally too heavy to hold open, when Rex made an odd sound. I picked my head up from his chest and gasped when my eyes landed on his face.

Rex's jaw was clenched so tightly in his sleep I could see the tightness in his cheeks. There was sweat forming on his forehead and his eyes kept flickering quickly beneath his closed eyelids.

He was having another nightmare, and this one seemed a lot worse.

Then his body starting moving. His fists clenched and unclenched around me, his legs kicked at the sheet and I had to jump off of him as his body started twisting.

I was frozen next to him. I didn't know what to do. I was never in this position. I was in his. What did he do last time I had one? He came in my room, woke me up and cradled me till the tremors left.

I quickly leaned back over him as his tremors got worse and he started groaning inaudible words against his clenched jaw. "Rex. Rex, it's okay." I gently cupped my hands on his cheeks and rubbed soothing circles onto his clenched jaw.

His head stopped jerking but he didn't wake up and the distressed look on his face only got worse. "Sh, it's okay T'. I pressed my forehead against his and kept murmuring a little above a whisper until his jaw began to unclench under my hands.

"Rosalyn..." My name came out as a hoarse groan and I pulled back just enough to watch his pained face.

"I'm right here, Rex. It's okay, wake up." I placed a small kiss on his forehead and rubbed my nose against his as his body began to relax under me. His eyes flickered open and I tried not to gasp. The whites were almost completely red and the dark chestnut I loved so much looked... broken.

"Roza..." His hands reached for my waist and I quickly let him wrap them around me as I cradled his face.

"I'm here. I'm here." I cooed softly as he blinked slowly. He looked around like he wasn't sure where he was, but his arms were like iron around me.

"It was just a bad dream." I murmured softly and couldn't stop myself from leaning down and pressing a soft, quick, kiss to his lips. Just enough to let him know I was there. His eyes focused and flickered to mine and the tension in his body completely left.

One of his hands came up and tangled in my hair until he could pull my face into the crook of his neck. "Just a bad dream..." He murmured into my ear, but held me in a cage of iron on top of him like whatever he was dreaming about had been real.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked softly as his grip tightened, which I didn't know was possible.

There was silence between us for what felt like forever, the only sounds in the room were our quiet breathing. "I don't want to..."

That's okay.

"To upset you." I frowned and tried to pull away from him, but he mumbled something and wouldn't let me move.

"How would you upset me?" I asked quietly as my palm ran up and down his side soothingly.

He let out strenuous sigh before burying his face in my neck. "Bad memories. About my life." He grumbled, but wouldn't budge after that and I let it go. If he didn't want to talk about it, then we wouldn't.

We were quiet for a while, just lying there squished together by his giant arms. His big, but gentle palm slowly running across my lower back. "You," He started after a while, his voice low as he whispered, "Are my everything."

I swore my heart stopped beating for a good ten seconds.

The last time he said that he went off to... to die.

I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. If he was... was going to do something stupid again I was going to... going to...

"I just wanted you to know that." He murmured into my ear and squeezed me tighter.

I started to cry, no matter how hard I tried not to. And I pressed my face into his neck so he couldn't tell. It took a few good minutes before I could get my stupid eyes under control, and I wanted to flinch at the roughness of my voice as I forced myself to speak.

"Don't... don't leave me Rex." It was a stupid request, because if he really wanted to I would let him go. But not for something as dumb as a death wish.

"You know I never will."

No. I didn't.

-&-

Rex

"I'll be fine."

She rolled her eyes. Actually fucking rolled her damn beautiful eyes at me. My gaze turned hard, that fucking feeling in my stomach twisted uneasily. My jaw clenched.

She noticed.

She always noticed, and it irritated the hell out of me. Worry grew in those dark green eyes of hers as she started to reach her arms out for me.

"Rex, I promise. I'll be okay."

Her warm hands cupped my cheeks, and her thumbs stroked the skin under my eyes. If it was anyone else I would have shoved them away, hard. I would have sneered and spit in their face, maybe even throw a few punches. But not her.

Never her.

"Are you sure? I would feel much more comfortable if you go to Trey's house, or even go visit that fucking moron Dimajio for a while-"

"Rex, I swear I'll be fine here. Luce will be back in a few hours, and my dad's coming back today." I knew she wanted her words to be reassuring, but I could see her happiness ease and watched as the light slowly left her eyes. She was still worried about the whole situation. Silly girl, she needed to trust me when I said she didn't have to be.

My frown didn't ease.

"I'm still good with the idea of going with you, if you want." That sneaky look that barely ever entered her eyes flashed across the light there, and mine narrowed.

"Why do you continue to make idiotic suggestions if you always know the answer?" I growled out between the light grip she had on my face.

The light from her eyes slowly disappeared and those fucking lips of hers started to pull down into a pout. My chest tightened.

Fuck.

"Sorry baby." Before she could react I quickly leaned out of her grip and pecked those agonizingly intoxicating lips. I can't believe I waited that fucking long to kiss her. She smiled against me and dropped her hands to my shirt where they curled around the ends, just like I thought she would.

She always did that.

"It's okay, I was just kidding though."

Guilt pooled in my stomach and I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist as she leaned into me. "I know, Roza. I'm sorry." Saying sorry had become a fucking habit around her. I couldn't even remember a time where I hesitated at those two almost painful words.

But just like every fucking thing in my life, she changed that.

"I'm just..." I had to trail off. I couldn't finish the sentence, the thought. I hated the feeling swelling up inside of me. I hated the nerves. I hated feeling this weak. I was a fucking moron to let that fucker waltz back into my life, into her life, and now I had to deal with the repercussion of the consequences.

Talked about fucked up.

"Nervous?" She finished quietly for me, her tiny body pulling back slightly from mine to blink up at me with those damn eyes.

Those fucking eyes I dream about every single night.

I gave her a small smile, which she always seemed to love, just to let her know I was okay... on the outside. I was being tugged in every possible direction on the inside. "Yeah." She let go of my shirt and dropped those small hands into her lap, her eyes following them.

I watched as she lifted up her hand and nervously tucked her hair behind ear. She did that every time she was afraid to say something, like she wouldn't like what I would say back.

Honestly I didn't blame her. I wasn't necessarily the most level headed guy. But you would think she would finally get it through that fucking beautiful head of hers that I don't get mad at her.

Just her fucking decisions.

"You don't..." She licked her lips, looked up at me, and then dropped those teasing eyes back to her lap, "You don't have to go T'... I-I don't know why you even are."

I let out a heavy sigh and rubbed my hand through my hair. My head hurt, my eyes hurt, and honestly I didn't even want me to go either, but I had to. I knew she would start asking sooner or later. "He asked to see me. I have questions, he has answers. Simple really."

"Rex."

Fucking hell. I knew every damn time she said my name like that she thought I was lying, or full of shit.

"Don't Rex me, Rosalyn. That's why I'm going."

"It just doesn't seem like a good enough reason for you to go see him..."

"Well, it's good enough for me." I stood from the bed with a crick in my neck. Stress was a word that was at the front of my mental vocabulary ever since she got on my radar, and I had a very bad feeling it wouldn't leave anytime soon.

She was quiet as I slung my jacket onto my shoulders, her small form sitting in a ball on the bed. My chest clenched and I let out a heavy sigh. I upset her, again. She was the calmest person I had ever met, but she got upset ever five damn minutes.

I turned back towards the bed and brought my lips down to the top of her head. "I know you don't understand, but trust me okay? I need to do this. It's like a... closure thing."

She nodded softly, but kept her dark eyes pointed at her lap. And here comes the 'I'm a fucked up P.O.S' feeling. I clenched my jaw.

"Roza-"

"No, it's okay. Really, I get it." She lifted her head up and gave me a small smile, but I could see the unease pooling behind her beautiful eyes.

I reached up and cupped her soft cheek, my thumb rubbing against her cheekbone. I really didn't want to leave her. "You're just saying that..."

She smiled and leaned her head into my hand. I really, really didn't want to leave. "No, it's okay. I promise. I just don't want you to go." And there she fucking goes again, that damn guilt trip. The worst part is that I don't even fucking thinks she realizes she's doing it.

"I don't want to leave." I admitted softly as I leaned down one more time and pressed a soft kiss to those tantalizing lips. "But I'll be back before you know it." I announced louder as I straightened and let my hand fall from her cheek.

"Yeah?" I didn't miss the hopefully glint in her eyes, the spark that let me know whenever she was happy or excited. The spark I tried so hard to keep there.

"Yeah baby." She got up off the bed and began following me out of the room