i find myself trapped in a room. alan walks in, coming onto me. i try to fend him off, but my hands and legs are tied. when i try and scream, i hear him pull out a knife. he is frustrated that i'm not cooperating. he runs it across my chest, eventually breaking the skin. i look down at the sight of blood pouring out of my chest. the pain is unbearable. i scream as he pushes deeper and deeper into my skin....

"stella! STELLA!" i wake up to morgan shaking me. i flinch at the sight of him at my side. i quickly look down at my chest for blood, and all i see is sweat. "you were screaming." morgan exclaims, calmly.

"i-i'm sorry. i had a nightmare. alan was there, and he was cutting my chest, and-" i break down crying. morgan gets on the bed and sits next to me, pulling me into a hug. i am so small compared to him. i may be 5'7 and fit, but he was something else.

"shhhh, shhhh, it's okay stella. it wasn't real." he strokes my hair, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. my cries soften as i become comfortable wrapped in his arms. i begin to doze off, as my crying eventually comes to a stop.

-

i wake up to the light pouring in through the windows. i feel someone's arms around me, and then, after checking my surroundings, i realize. i am in derek morgan's arms, in derek morgan's bed, in derek morgan's apartment.

i try to remember back to last night and how i got here. i remember the nightmare vividly, and then wake up to derek trying to calm me down. i broke down crying and he pulled me into a hug. i think i eventually fell asleep in his arms, and he didn't want to leave me alone, so that's probably why i'm here. i still had my clothes on, so that was a good sign.

"stella? you awake?" i hear a raspy voice come from behind me, vibrating in my ear.

"yeah." i respond quietly. once realization set in, morgan unwrapped his arms from around me. "i uh, i didn't mean to spoon you all night. you fell asleep in my arms and i didn't want to wake you up."

i cut him off. "derek, it's fine. i understand. no need to apologize." i whisper with a chuckle. he grins, and heads to the bathroom to get ready.

i lay back down and check my phone. 2 voicemails from spencer? i press the listen button and pull my phone to my ear.

hey stella, it's spencer. just checking to make sure you got home safely. call me when you get this.

i smile at the message, and then press listen on the other one.

hey, i have donuts. i'm on my way to your apartment. i'll be there in 20 minutes.

my eyes go wide at the message. i am 20 minutes away from my apartment. i am laying in derek's bed. i need to call him back and tell him what's going on.

i press the call button, praying that he will answer, and that he won't take what i'm about to tell him the wrong way.

spencer: hello?

stella: hey, it's me. listen, i'm not actually at my apartment right now.

spencer: really? where are you?

stella: i'm at derek's.

spencer: oh, uh, w-why are you at derek's?

stella: i couldn't stay at my apartment last night. the memory was too fresh. i just woke up and derek is in the bathroom right now. once he's out i'll have him take me back to my apartment. is that okay?

spencer: um, yeah. i guess so. do you want me to just wait outside?

stella: you can go inside. there's a key hidden under a rock in the garden outside of my door. use that and make yourself at home. i'll be there shortly.

spencer: okay. see you soon stella.

stella: alright, bye spencer.

i toss my phone on derek's nightstand and put my head between my knees as i groan, morgan coming out of the bathroom almost instantly.

"you okay?" he asks, walking over to me. i unbury my head and look up at him.

"yeah. can you take me home? i have to clean up, and i want to change." i answer, slowly getting myself out of his bed.

"yeah. i'll be out in a second, you can wait in the living room." he smiles, and walks back into the bathroom.

derek is nice. he's funny. he's cute. i just don't feel the same way towards him as i feel about spencer. the way i feel around spencer is just... different.

i grab my phone and slide on my shoes and head to derek's living room, taking a seat on the chair across from his couch, which had a pillow and a blanket strewn across it. the blanket was jumbled, probably from when he came to his room.

my thoughts are cut off by derek walking into the room, adjusting his shirt and tie. "ready?" he asks me, and i nod and stand up. "what are you dressed up so nice for?" i question, flicking his tie.

"i'm going into work for a short time today. i have some things to finish up." he answers while grabbing his keys and opening the door for me.

i nod at his answer and he guides me to his car, and before i know it, i am outside of my apartment. i turn to derek, and my eyes meet his. "thank you for everything derek. you've been so nice, i definitely owe you."

he grins with a chuckle. "nah, don't worry about it stella. you know what, i need to find a nickname for you."

"good luck. i'm pretty ordinary, nothing special about me." i answer, opening his car door.

"i'll figure something out, don't worry." derek says with a smirk, and i wave at him, then i turn up and walk to my apartment.

i turn the lock with my key and open the door to spencer picking up the books off my floor and putting them back on the shelves. i lean on the door frame and admire him for a second. eventually, he looks over to me. "i thought i would try and clean up a little bit before you got here. i called a guy to come over and replace the window, he should be here in about 2 hours. i checked all around for bugs as well, but i didn't see any." he mutters, meeting my eyes.

"spencer, that is so nice of you. you didn't have to do all of that." i shut my door and set my things down, and pull my hair into a low ponytail, and letting out a few baby hairs.

he sets the books down that he is holding, and walks over to me, and pulls me into a hug. he places his chin on the top of my head, and mumbles, "i do this for the people that i care about."

my heart begins to beat faster, and i know he can feel it on his chest. he pulls away from the hug and looks me in the eyes.

he grabs my hips and pulls me closer to him once again. he tilts my chin up, and attaches his lips to mine. i am caught off guard by his kiss, but eventually, our lips are moving in rhythm. i feel his tongue press against my lips, asking for entry.

i part my lips slightly, just enough to let his tongue in. he explores my mouth, and i feel his hands run up the back of my shirt. i move and focus on his bottom lip, tugging at it slightly, causing a groan to escape from his lips.

after a few minutes, i slowly pull away and look him in the eyes. he pressed his forehead to mine. "donuts?" he asks, his eyes shifting towards my counter.

i lick my lips. "of course." i respond, a smile tugging at my mouth.