Fate intervenes <COMPLETE>

The lake

She stands up straight and walks to the shore again, before coming out to me. She does this a few times, and I think I must have read her face wrong. There's nothing special about walking your anger out. But suddenly I feel two hands on my back and that's the only thought going through my brain before I'm crashing into the cold water. Even though it's September and it's not so cold; I certainly would not say it's swimming temperature.

"So, have you calmed down enough to have a normal conversation with me Mr.Blackbourne?" she says to me, with an innocent face and humor in her voice. And when she winks at me a shiver goes down my back, and not because of the chill air or the water. Damn that girl turns me on, and just by a wink and some sass.

I swim to the ladder at the dock and climb up, looking into her eyes the whole time. I guess she can read what I'm thinking because she is slowly taking steps away from me with a glint in her eyes, but an uncertain look on her face.

"Don't you dare Mr.Blackbourne."

"A war is a war Ms.Sorenson. Everything is permitted in war and love my dear."

"Mr.Blackbourne, don't you dare! I don't have a spare change of clothes, and it's a long way to my house from here." She tries to warn me.

"Sang, my dear, dear Sang. Do not mess with the devil if you're afraid of the consequences."

That made her stop in her tracks, and she looked pissed again. What did I do now? She stalks forward to me again and points her finger at my chest.

"Is that how you see yourself? The devil? Are you out of your mind? You're way, way on the other side of the scale!" she screams out loud.

"You're an angel, maybe with black wings sometimes," she says, and mutters the last thing mostly to her self, but I hear it.

"But an angel that came to me and saved me from the hell I was living in. If it hadn't been for you and the rest of the boys I could have been dead. Don't you see that? I owe everything to you, and I refuse to let you think you're like the devil."

Her hands go to my dripping wet shirt, and she grabs it in both hands to make a point.

"Fine, maybe some of it was your fault, that I was alone this evening and not spending the time with you, but it's my fault as well. I could have been stubborn and told you how much I wanted to spend my evening with you. I should have blackmailed you into doing it, telling you that family comes first and that I would tell Sean that you would rather be on your own. And probably you can blame yourself for not being there when those guys barged into my room and did what they did, but nothing happened. Well, nothing more than some slaps on my cheek, and the ripping of my top. Nothing else happened, and that guy stopped anything else from happening when he kicked the door open and kicked those boys do the ground."

I can't hear more, I have to interrupt her.

"But can't you see Sang, those boys shouldn't have had the opportunity to get into your room and get so close to you and hit you. I should have been there with you, protecting you. I was so scared, so scared they had done something to you. I was so scared that I almost..."

"But you weren't! You can't protect me from anything in this world! You can't be with me all of the time! And you came! You came as soon as I redlined you, and you were there to help. Do you know what hurt me the most about this night? That you weren't there when I woke up."

"I needed to go away, I don't deserve your worry."

"STOP!" she yells at me again. "You deserve so much more Mr.Blackbourne. I love you. I love you with everything I am, with my whole heart and more. I need you in my life! Please, can't you see this? I know you put up that wall around you to keep people away, but as soon as you knocked down some of those bricks I wanted to barge in. You are a special man Owen, and I want to get to know everything about you, and have you in my life for the rest of my life."

"Sang, I..." I try to tell her how I feel, but something gets stuck in my throat, and I'm having a hard time finding the right words.

"You don't have to tell me you love me back, you do it when and if you feel it. But know this, I will dedicate my life to show you how much you deserve from me."

I place my right hand under her chin and lift her face up to me. I can see the love shining in her eyes.

"Sang, I may be called a man without a heart, cold as ice, but I have been trying to let you in. I am trying to let you in, and I will be trying harder to get you to understand how much you mean to me. I love you too Sang Sorenson, I always will. I may not be one who will show it to you in the best possible way, or tell you in the most romantic way, but I will try."

"Don't compete with the others, do it your own way. That means so much more." She says before going up on her toes and giving me a kiss, so deep that I am having problems breathing.

This girl means so much to me that I'm terrified.