Chapter song: Say Something - A Great Big World ft. Christina Aguilera. Listen on repeat, warning: tears possible.

Brett

I ran out of the hotel as fast as I could. Nothing else mattered, I just needed to make sure she was alright.

Becca's voice sounded broken. I hated it. Hated the sound of her crying, of her in pain. I wanted to take it all away, to carry the pain for her. Anything to never hear her sound like that again.

I went thirty over the speed limit the entire way to her house. I was being a reckless idiot, but I couldn't get to Becca quick enough. I needed her in my arms to know she was alright.

My mind raced with all the possibilities as to why she could be crying. Each one made my fists ball up in anger. If it was Parker, he would get more than a broken nose this time.

I pulled into her parking lot and threw the car in park, my eyes searching wildly for her.

There. She was sitting on a bench, her knees pressed into her chest looking completely broken.

I felt my heart literally ache in my chest.

I pulled the keys out of the ignition and ran out of my car, reaching Becca in five quick steps. She looked up at me, her eyes red and full of so much sadness I felt my knees go weak. She closed her eyes and began to cry and I didn't care anymore, I sat beside her and pulled her to me, holding her body on my lap and pressing her into me tightly.

Maybe, just maybe, if I held her tight enough, I could take away the pain and bear it myself.

"Becca," I whispered, not knowing what else to say. I kissed her forehead softly, then brushed the hair off her face. She buried her head in my chest, sobbing quietly into my shirt.

I don't know how long we sat there. I held her until her body stopped shaking and her eyes became dry.

Becca removed her head from under my chin and looked up at me. She blinked, her crystal blue eyes now rimmed with dark red. I wanted to know what happened, but I knew that she didn't want to talk. Not yet.

I kissed her forehead once more and she sighed. A small, simple sound that assured me that the distance I felt between us this past week had disappeared.

It was just the two of us again. Me and her.

I couldn't help the smile that stretched across my face. It felt so good to have her in my arms again. I wouldn't let go this time.

"My place?" I asked her quietly, reaching out to run my thumb under her eye, catching the tear that managed to spill out. She nodded once and took a deep breath, unfolding herself from me and standing up slowly.

My eyes widened as I noticed the blood on her shirt and how she nursed her hand to her chest. I sat up quickly and gently removed her hand from her chest. A long, red gash sliced across her palm, covered in dry blood.

"What happened?" I stared up at her and she shook her head. Of course, she doesn't want to talk about it. But she was alright, it seemed, and that's all that mattered. Her hand was a mess though, I needed to do something about that.

In a quick second, I pulled off my hoodie. Her eyes widened in surprise and I tried so damn hard to hide the smile that fought its way to my face.

Then, I pulled off my t-shirt too. The wind sent a chill down my spine, or maybe that was because of the way Becca was staring at my bare chest. Her eyes roamed over my skin, down and up until her gaze met mine. She blushed and looked away quickly.

I grinned and fought the urge to make a snarky remark. This wasn't the time for that.

I reached for her bloody hand and wrapped my t-shirt around it carefully, making sure not to press too hard and hurt her. She watched me, still not saying a word.

Reluctantly, I pulled my hoodie quickly back over my head then wrapped my arm around her waist, holding her tight against me as I lead her to my car.

Becca was quiet the entire ride back to my hotel. She didn't make a sound, she just sat there and stared out the window.

The entire situation was fucked up beyond comprehension, but I couldn't help but feel selfishly happy on the inside. Becca was back, sitting beside me in my car. My hand resting on her leg, her hand resting in mine.

A small piece of me clicked back into place as we drove through the streets.

It took every ounce of strength in me to not bombard her with a million questions about what the hell happened to her. I wanted to know every single detail so I could hurt whoever hurt her, but she wasn't ready to talk yet.

I was beginning to realize that with Becca, you needed to be patient. You can't push her, she needs time. Time to open up, time to process. I was never a patient person, but if that's what she needed, I would be the most patient guy on this damn planet.

I parked the car at the hotel and ran around to her door, holding her hand and helping her get out. I bent down to pick her up but she placed her hand on my shoulders gently and shook her head. I settled with holding her hand in mine as we walked inside and she smiled. My heart flipped.

"Sit down," I told her softly once we were inside my room and she did. "I'll be right back." I ran to the bathroom and grabbed disinfectant, bandaids, a cloth and filled a bowl with warm water.

I took a seat beside her seconds later and her eyes widened in surprise. "Doctor Wells at your service," I joked lamely, just wanting to make her smile and she did. She laughed even. I felt like a million bucks.

"Give me your hand, Becs." I said and she slowly removed her hand from her chest and placed it on the table. The small action made me feel something indescribable, that she trusted me. That she called me. I pushed the thoughts aside and grabbed her hand gently in mine, a jolt running through my body at the feel of her skin pressed to mine.

I looked up at her and I knew she felt it too, her eyes told me more than her words ever could.

The silence was comfortable around us as I cleaned up her hand. She watched me the whole time, her eyes never leaving my face. Every time I glanced up at her, she was watching me. Something inside me stirred every time our eyes met.

Pressing the bandaid onto her skin, I smiled down at her hand in satisfaction. The blood was gone, the cut was clean and covered.

"Thank you." My eyes shot up to her face at the sound of her voice. "For coming when I called you," she finished. I scooted my chair closer to hers and held her cheek in my palm. She closed her eyes and rested her face into my hand, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"Thank you for calling," I told her gently and she smiled sadly, looking more tired than I had ever seen her.

This girl had no idea the effect she had on me. It was like magnetic pull, I couldn't seem to stay away from her.

"What happened?" I asked her again, wanting nothing more than for her to tell me who did this to her. I stroked her cheek gently, tucking the strands of hair that had escaped behind her ear.

She looked away from me, her eyes resting on something behind me. "I've never told you about my father," she said, her voice shaking at the mention of his name. I held her hand in mine and listened, waiting for her to continue.

"He left my mother and I when I was twelve for another woman." She paused, bringing her eyes back to mine. "We weren't enough for him, Brett. He just packed up one night and...he was gone. I haven't seem him since."

I couldn't believe what she was telling me. Here I was, dealing with my own father's crap for the past year, having no idea that she was going through the exact same thing. I knew how she felt, the pain wasn't something you could put into words. It ate away at you slowly. I struggled to imagine how she dealt with this for six years when one single year of my father's lies had crushed me beyond repair.

But, sitting here with Becca's hand in mine, I knew that we could fix each other. We were the perfect antidote for one another and I wouldn't stop trying until the sadness left her eyes permanently.

I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the words I was about to ask. "Did he do this to you?"

Her eyes widened in surprise and she shook her head quickly, squeezing my hand in hers. "No, he didn't. I dropped a glass on the floor and cut myself picking it up."

I stared at her, confused. Not understanding how this all related to her father.

"My mother is leaving this week for a business trip. She wants me to stay with him while she's gone." She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "She says he's changed, Brett. But I don't believe it for one second. I don't want anything to do with him. Anything," she repeated again.

My jaw tightened at her words, my hands balling into fists against her palm."Brett," she whispered, rubbing my fingers with hers to calm me down. "I'm alright."

No, she wasn't. She looked the complete opposite.

"You're staying here with me," I told her firmly, wanting desperately for her to agree. Her mouth popped open slightly, her lips parting. I wanted to kiss her. So. Damn. Bad.

"I can't and you know that," she said softly.

"Why not? I'm not letting you stay with him, Becca."

"I can stay with Cassie..." she trailed off, lost in her own thoughts. I knew she was thinking of a million reasons to say no to me, I just needed to give her one reason to say yes.

"Becca, this past week without you was hell. Do you know how many times I had to turn my phone off just to stop myself from calling you?" She smiled at my words and my entire body ached for her. "But you're here now...and I can't shake the feeling that this is temporary. That I'll wake up tomorrow and you'll be gone again," I whispered.

She reached out and held my face in her hands, reminding me of the very few times I had the privilege to kiss her. I wanted nothing more than to close the distance between us and feel her lips on mine, but not now. Not yet.

"I'm not going anywhere," she assured me, but I struggled to believe it. I was used to temporary, nothing in my life was ever permanent. But I needed Becca to be a constant, I couldn't have her sometimes. I needed her all the time.

"I'm sorry I got so upset last week when you punched Parker," she continued, bringing back all the pain that week brought. "It seems like we can never get on the same page, huh?" She smiled, making me laugh.

"I want us to be on the same page. Always," I told her. "Stay with me tonight at least?" I asked her desperately, wanting more than anything for her to say yes. I could see the hesitation in her face, her hand tightened in mine. "You can have the bed. I'll take the couch." I was being completely serious, unless of course she didn't mind sharing...

She nodded shyly, her cheeks a light shade of pink as she bit her lip. I loved it when she did that, it made my temptation to kiss her fly through the roof and I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold out.

"Just for tonight," she replied quietly. "But you're not sleeping on the couch, Brett. We can share..." she trailed off, her eyes not meeting mine. I grabbed her face in my hands, tilting her head so she was staring at me again.

"I don't want to share you with anyone," I told her truthfully. I wanted her. All of her. Or at least as much as she was willing to give me.

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Brett?" She teased, eyebrows raised as she watched me, a beautiful smile on her face. I wasn't sure how this day ended up being so fucking amazing, but I wasn't complaining.

"Yes." I replied quickly. "For real this time," I clarified, not wanting to fake my feelings for her anymore. I wasn't sure if I even could. What I felt for Becca was so damn powerful I felt like it was taking over every other ounce of my being - like my heart beats for her, connecting us as one.

Her eyes lit up and her smile grew even wider. I wanted to grab my phone and take a picture so that I could relive this moment forever. Something told me this was the beginning of the rest of my life.

She leaned her face into mine, stopping with her lips inches from mine. "Is that a yes?" I asked, my heart feeling like it was going to fall out of my chest.

"Yes," she breathed and I lost myself in her. Her mouth met mine in an instant and we kissed like we'd been separated for years. I couldn't get enough of her, but I willed myself to slow down. I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her off her chair, gently placing her on my lap as she wrapped her arms around my neck, her hands digging into my hair as her lips never left mine.

Her lips parted and our tongues met. I couldn't hold her close enough, I wanted more and more and more. Our faces and bodies were pressed so tightly together, she was all I could taste. All I could see. All I could feel. Only her.

And in that moment, I knew that there was a name for everything I was feeling for this girl. It was love.

I hoped with all my heart that she felt it too.

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What are your feelings on this chapter and everything that happened? Brett and Becca are finally together, but my Episode readers know there is SO much more in store for them (a specific, four letter word that's bright red, perhaps? ;) ) Hope you all loved this chapter and it surpassed your expectations for this moment! xo