Derrick

Twenty-Seven.

I refused to stay in that room. Derrick was still in his office, completely unaware of what happened. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him or not; he seemed to get much more worried over my nightmares than anything else, and something like this could make his head explode with concern.

Instead, I asked to be moved into a different room. His men simply nodded and led me to a room nearby.

As much as I wanted to keep my little fiasco to myself, I knew that Derrick would eventually find out. This was his home, after all. It'd be odd if he didn't know what went on in it.

I took a long shower that night. I was never a fan of showering for longer than necessary, but the warm water was strangely reassuring this time. It felt as if I were washing the sight of the golden room off of me.

It wasn't long before I heard Derrick's signature three knocks on my new door. My heart beat a little faster in my chest when I found that I could sense his intensity. I called for him to come in and the door opened quickly.

He shut it behind him and stared at me for a long moment. I stared back, unsure of what to say.

He seemed to be looking for something in my eyes, and that made me confused.

Then, he gave me a tense smile and walked forward. I suddenly felt very uneasy.

His arms wrapped around me tightly, and he perched his chin on my head. His deep voice rumbled as he spoke.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," He murmured. One of his hands reached up to stroke my hair.

It no longer felt comforting.

His arm tightened around me, as if he could sense my wariness. His hand paused.

Silence filled the room. Something told me to talk, to change the subject to something that made him happy.

"I remember something," I began quietly. His arm tightened a little more, almost painfully keeping me close.

"Do tell," He responded. His voice was monotone.

My wariness quickly turned into suspicion. There was something that he wasn't telling me, and I pulled back to look at him. He let me go with stiff arms.

Regret washed over me as I saw his face.

It didn't look like him anymore. He openly glared at me, threat in his eyes. It was nothing like the gentle, warm gazes I'd gotten used to. It was dark, sinister.

My head began to hurt as it tried to make a connection that was impossible to make. Something in me recognized this look on him, but the logical part of my brain reminded me of all of our interactions. None of them included this expression.

I was suddenly desperate to reassure him, in some way, that I wasn't scared of him. That I didn't remember something that, apparently, he didn't want me to.

What I was legitimately about to tell him was no longer relevant as I watched him watching me.

I pressed my hands against his cheeks, hoping to warm his icy gaze. When he didn't move, I did the only thing I could think of: kiss him.

I started at his chin. Then, I stood on the tips of my toes to kiss his nose and his cheekbones. Meanwhile, he still stood there, as stiff as ever. When I finally reached his lips, I no longer felt scared of him.

This was something that I knew he liked, something that I remembered us enjoying together.

He'd considerably relaxed, and the emotions washing over me were no longer negative.

I peeked up at him and found him looking back at me, his eyes soft again. He leaned down and closed the distance between us.

Electricity shot through me, and my hands drifted to his hair. It was the softest thing I've ever felt, softer than a kitten's fur.

A kitten...something I didn't remember having. How could I make the comparison?

The faintest memory of soft fur and calm purring punched a hole in my chest.

I froze. Derrick didn't notice at first, lifting me up slightly. I instinctively wrapped my legs around him, but my mind was suddenly racing.

An image now. Black fur, sweet eyes. The suddenly all-too-familiar black cat was a vivid picture in my mind; of course I remembered him. I ran through fire for him.

Fire? The only experience I had with fire of any sort was when he was hunting me down, when Derrick saved me.

Except that wasn't correct. Was it?

As Derrick kissed my neck hungrily, it felt like my mind was self-destructing.

Too many fragmented memories, too little connections. The memory of the little feline was the catalyst to my brain's fast descent into madness and confusion.

A strangled sound came from my throat, and Derrick stopped and looked at me.

"Kitten?" He asked huskily, worried. "Is everything okay?"

I slapped my hands over my ears at the term of endearment and nearly fell off of him in the process. He steadied me quickly and set me down.

My eyes screwed shut as I tried to turn everything off. I heard Derrick shout something to someone before I was being laid on the bed. My eyes opened and, in a moment that was eerily similar to when I first woke up, I stared into a set of greener-than-green eyes.

There was only one difference between the two instances.

When I woke up the first time, I was relieved to see him. My hero, always making sure I was safe.

Now, I was terrified.

As my brain righted the memories he'd somehow taken from me, I understood the urgency of the situation.

I tried to stay calm, but it was impossible. Derrick's head tilted to the side as he felt my mood shift. His eyes darkened, and he put his phone to his ear.

"You lied," He growled into it. I could hear the response on the phone, the stuttering sounds of the doctor.

"N-no," He insisted. "I g-got all of them! I swear it!"

"Get the medicine," Derrick snapped. He launched the phone across the room. It shattered against the wall, and I jumped.

Derrick's hand came up to my face. He was still for a long moment, staring at me.

"We'll fix this," He said. "You and I. We're going to fix this."

I felt pressure on my neck, and then the world fell apart.

Approximate word count: 1050

I've adopted a kitten. I have been extremely busy going to work, attending summer classes (online), doing homework/studying, taking care of the kitty (and doing the paperwork to get him certified as an Emotional Support Animal when he's older), preparing to move back into college in August, and also finding time in the midst of everything to eat regularly. I'm sorry for the irregular updates; I'll double update today.

Thank you for reading!