a/n: a lot of you were talking about supernatural in the comments last time and i literally have no idea what you guys are going on about lol. what's the inside joke? i've never seen that show before, but don't kill me for that bc i'm giving you this chapter!! happy new year and happy holidays, i hope things are going marvellously for you all :)

dedicated to for the precious banner she made me :) she made another one as well, and that one was adorable as well!!

I felt my expression twist into shock and a little bit of fear when I realised exactly who it was that Ginny was on a date with.

Ginny looked between me and Rick suspiciously. She had never met Rick, and she didn't know about my experiences with him because I wanted to forget that it ever happened. He never made me feel anything, and I'd never even kissed him! Plus, we were in Year 11 when we dated, so it wasn't even anything serious.

"H-hello Rick," I stuttered. My fingers clenched Ben's arm until I was pretty sure I was cutting off his circulation, but he didn't move. In fact, he had gone completely still.

"Do you know him already?" Ginny asked. I couldn't ever hide anything from her, and I didn't know what to say. I looked at her with wide eyes, pleading with her, and she shook her head in confusion. "Rick, you know Ben and Charlie already?"

"You could say that, sweetcheeks," Rick said, his voice grating on my ears just enough for me to shudder and press myself nearer to Ben. There was literally nothing outwardly wrong him, but the memories and the feeling I got from him were enough to make me want to curl up and cry.

Ginny scowled. She'd never dated even a halfway decent guy, and I always wondered why she did it when she didn't like them. Whenever I asked, she would say she was just having a wee bit of fun. "Shut it," she said severely. "And give us a moment."

She grabbed me by the arm, but since I was already completely attached to Ben and kind of in a daze, it took a good while for her to separate us. "Lottie-" Ben started. I looked at him with wide eyes and furrowed eyebrows, and he frowned at me.

Sorry, I mouthed, and followed Ginny to the back. I felt bad about leaving Ben with Rick, but he could definitely handle himself. Actually, I was more worried that he would knock the lights out of Rick than I was that Rick would try anything with him.

"What was that about?" she asked as soon as we were out of earshot. Her hands came up to grip my shoulders, and her scowl deepened.

I smiled weakly. "What was what about?" I asked, as if I had no idea what she was talking about.

"You are the worst liar, idiot," she snapped. My smile widened, and I was about to laugh when her withering look stopped me. "You and that ugly moth know Rick, don't you?"

"I-I would say..." My heart thumped, and I focused my eyes on a stain on the back wall. "Yes," I finally admitted. "Yes, I know him."

Ginny let go of me and ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head. "That weird energy in there, I don't get what's going on. Did he do something to you?" Her eyes widened as if she had just thought of something, and she took hold of my shoulders again. "Oh god, did he do something to you, Charlie? Just tell me, okay? Say the word and he's dead-"

I ruffled her hair and grinned nervously. I didn't really know what to tell her. "A few years ago, we dated, that's it," I blurted out. "In Year 11."

Her worried scowl smoothed out, and she grinned back at me. "Oh, that's it?" she said brightly. "Thank God, that means it'll be easier for dump him faster."

I chuckled, still nervous. Okay, good, she believed me when I told her that was it. "How'd you even find him? And why are you going out with him if you don't like him?"

"Honestly, he's cute, but kind of creepy. I saw him hanging around outside that pizza place down the corner last night, and he asked me out then."

My lip curled in shock. "Are you serious, Ginny? Why on earth would you agree to a date to some creep in the dark?"

She laughed but I wasn't amused. "Well, you dated him, so how bad could he be?"

"Ginny, come on! I know you like doing this kind of thing. What, is it like a thrill or something? Whatever, whatever it is, that's dangerous!"

"Oh, shut up, Mother," she said, rolling her eyes.

I blinked rapidly, already used to Ginny being like this. But since I actually knew who Rick was and that he was not a good guy, it put it into perspective for me that maybe a lot of the guys she dated weren't either. I breathed in and out, starting to become more and more nervous. I couldn't focus on Ginny's face, and I think I may have swayed a little. Poor Ginny, poor Ginny has a bad friend like me. Did I ever think about her? Her safety?

"Charlie? Charlie! Charlie! Ah, fuck, should I call Hellboy in here?"

"What the fuck is going on?" I recognised the voice, but I still didn't stop shaking.

"I don't know, Needle Dick, I don't know! Can you do something, I don't know, to calm her down? Please!"

I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, and a warm hand pushed my head into a warmer chest. I gripped his shirt and focused on my breathing. "Lottie," said Ben, in a gentle voice that I wasn't accustomed to hearing from him. "You're okay, babe." Fingers brushed through my hair, and as I concentrated on the rising and falling of Ben's chest, I very slowly stopped shaking.

I pulled back and looked up at him with wide eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed worriedly in a rare moment of showing his emotions, and he brought one of his hands up to the side of my head. "Thanks Benny." I looked around for Ginny, and when I couldn't find her, my eyes unconsciously started filling up. "Where's Ginny?" I asked tearfully. I still needed to talk to her.

"She's waiting out front," he said, still in that gentle voice. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, but he looked like he didn't believe me. "I want to talk to her." He stared at me for a moment, unconvinced, but then leant down and kissed my forehead. I breathed deeply, and despite myself, I smiled, my cheeks turning pink. "Thank you," I said again.

He didn't smile, but the wrinkles around his eyes told me that he was happy, and that cheered me up a little. We walked into the front, and Ginny instantly sprang up from beside Rick, who looked annoyed that she'd completely interrupted their conversation.

"Charlie," she said, speeding towards me. She shoved Ben away to hug me, who stumbled back in shock. He opened his mouth to snap, but I shook my head slightly and he just scowled. "Are you okay?" she asked, holding my head and turning it in all directions.

I shook her hands off me. "I'm fine, I'm sorry," I replied softly. "Are you okay?"

"Why are you asking me?" she growled in a low voice. "What happened? Tell me honestly, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm sorry, I just got a little overwhelmed. I...I just want you to be safe. I don't tell you enough, but I need you to be careful when you...date. Not all guys-"

"-are your stupid, ugly raccoon Benjamin, I know," she said. At my surprised look, she added, "The only reason I haven't beaten him up yet is because he's nice to you. And don't worry, Charlie, I know how to handle myself, so don't feel bad, okay? You do enough for me as it is, for God's sakes."

I felt like Ben and Ginny were treating me like a child, and I sighed heavily. I did act like a child a lot of the time, but I wasn't an idiot. "I just need you to tell me you'll be careful. Do you have mace? Or a pocket knife? I'll get you one-"

"Shut up," she said. "I'm on a date, you interrupted me enough. We're going!"

"Ginny-" I started, but she already grabbed Rick's hand and tugged him out, but not before he winked at me. I frowned and threw my head back, my eyes rolling back to stare at the ceiling in annoyance. She would be the death of me.

"She can handle herself," Ben said from behind me. "If she can shove me around and not die, she'll be okay with that twiglet."

I laughed a little. "The only reason you let her shove you around is because of me, isn't it?" He didn't respond, but I knew I was right. "Give me one second, okay?" I ran back into the back room and picked up the sunflowers he'd brought for me.

When he saw what I held in my hand, the tips of his ears turned pink, and I grinned. "Do you like them?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"I already told you I did!" I said, sniffing them again even though they didn't smell like anything. But they were beautiful and bright, and just looking at them perked me up. "You didn't have to get me anything though, Ben!"

He cleared his throat not once, but three times. "Lottie?"

"Yeah?" I said distractedly.

"Do you want to go out with me?"

"What?" I said, not totally comprehending what he just said. "Wait, what?" I turned to look at him, and saw that his expression was tight with worry. I wasn't used to seeing him so nervous, and it made me want to pat his head reassuringly.

"Lottie, do you want to go out with me?" he said again, and this time I understood. My eyes widened and I bit my lip so as to not look like a complete and total fool, but I could feel my cheeks heating up and my hands shaking.

"Are you being serious?" I asked happily. When he nodded, my face split into a wide beam, my eyes crinkling so much that they became slits. "Ben, are you really asking me out?"

He crossed his arms and scowled in embarrassment, turning his face away from me. "For Chrissakes, who else am I asking? The fucking cupcakes?"

I laughed delightedly. "Okay!" He asked me out! This handsome lad just asked me out on a date! I didn't know whether to play it off cool or show just how excited that made me, but when was I ever known for playing it cool? "Yes, I want to go out with you!" I exclaimed.

Ben's entire face turned a bright red that made me want to laugh even harder, but I couldn't tease him more than I already had. "Cool," he said, using the other tactic of playing it cool. But I saw the way his lips twitched up and how his eyes twinkled. I saw how excited he was, too!

"Cool," I repeated. And I couldn't help it. I jumped up on my toes and kissed him right on the mouth.

***

After Ben asked me out, I locked up the bakery, and he walked me back to my flat. The entire time, I was having trouble not bouncing around like the Energiser Bunny, and he strolled along beside me, actually smiling. His smile warmed me from my head to my toes, and I all but forgot about Rick, especially after Ginny texted me to tell me that she'd dumped him.

"Bye Benny!" I said cheerfully, waving at him. I blew him a kiss, and that made him look down to try and hide a smile that I clearly saw.

He waved back without saying anything, and turned around to walk away. I didn't know when or where our date would be, but I didn't care. I just knew that Ben Fisher had asked me out! That definitely meant he liked me at least a little, right? Because he never said he loved me back when I said it any of the times, but he must like me.

My mood refused to damper throughout the rest of the day, even when I realised that there was absolutely no food in the fridge and freezer except ketchup and some ice cream. What did Ginny even eat? I shook my head. She could always get guys, and girls even, to feed her. Her flirting was so useful sometimes.

Ginny hadn't come back yet, and I was hungry, so I texted Ben that I was going to the shops in case he needed something. I grabbed my wallet, keys, and mobile and skipped out the door, heading to the bus stop.

When I reached my stop, I hopped off the bus and started to walk the remaining few minutes to Safeway.

"Hey Charlie," I heard someone say ahead of me. When I saw Rick, my eyes bulged out of my head, and I felt my heartbeat speed up. What was he doing here, loitering around like a creep? He didn't even live here! Right?

"Oh, I have to go," I said slowly, backing away as he walked forward with a confused expression on his face.

"Go? Weren't you just coming? Where are you going?" From the slur of his words, I could tell he was intoxicated, and that made me even more worried.

"Er...not here," I mumbled, turning around to walk away fast. Even if he was nice to me when we dated, which he wasn't really, his eyes didn't have the gentle look that Ben's did.

"Hey, wait!" he called, latching onto my elbow.

I started to panic, my eyes widening in shock at the painful grip he had on me. "Please let go, you're hurting me!"

"Not until you tell me why you're running away from me!" he snapped. "We dated, Charlie! You were my girlfriend, and then you left me? Just because I was sick?" So he knew, he knew all about it? How? Who told him? And what was he doing here? "What kind of girlfriend are you?"

I flinched at his tone. "Not yours," I whispered.

Suddenly, a look of comprehension dawned on his face. "Benjamin told you to stay away from me, didn't he?" he sneered.

I trembled in his grasp, trying to twist away. "Unfortunately, it's not of your business," I replied as nicely as I could.

"He did! Dammit, I knew he would try to spoil my fun."

"Fun?" I repeated. "What fun?"

His eyes snapped to me and he leered, making his pleasant features morph into something ugly. "When did you become Benjamin's little bitch, doing whatever he says, huh? Don't you want to make your own decisions?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but he never said anything about it to me. I think it's best for me to stay away from you," I replied stiffly.

"Oh really?" he said, as though he didn't believe me. "Why don't you figure out if I'm a bad guy yourself? You know me, we fucking dated!"

I tugged on my arm harshly. "I'm sorry, but I trust Ben, and I don't think it's a good idea to stay near you."

"You trust him? You trust him?" he snarled, his voice rising to a shout. "Why the hell do you trust him? He's been nothing but horrible to you! Don't you think that would stretch to lying? Benjamin Fisher isn't a good guy, no matter what you think! He's capable of anything! He doesn't care about you."

Rick's words were like a punch in the stomach. A look of glee enveloped his face, as though he thought he could sway my belief in my best friend with only a few words.

I couldn't believe I ever dated this piece of...

"Excuse me," I said in a very calm and patient voice. "Maybe Ben doesn't care about me, maybe you're right about that. But don't you dare speak of him like that!"

He looked shocked at the words that were flying out of my mouth.

"Ben is a thousand times the man you'll ever be! Maybe he's a little vulgar, but I don't care! Maybe he says hurtful things, but I don't care! Maybe he does bad things sometimes, but I. Don't. Care!"

Rick laughed mockingly, getting over his initial shock of me standing up to him. "You don't care? You're blind, Charlotte. You're blind if you can't see what kind of person he really is!"

My eyes widened as I felt an emotion I haven't felt in a long time. Fury. "I know what kind of person he is!" I shouted angrily my hands curling into fists and my eyes blinking rapidly from the sudden onslaught of tears. "And he's better than you!" Suddenly, my head whipped to the side, making my neck crack.

It took me a few seconds to realise that the stinging pain I felt in my cheek was from the slap Rick had just given me. And from the looks of it, he had more where that came from.

My free hand touched my throbbing cheek gently. "I-I can't believe I ever dated you," I murmured.

"Oh, you better believe it, you stupid whore," he muttered, raising his hand again.

I flinched away, pulling at my arm frantically, but he was too strong. "Leave me be!" I cried. "I never did anything to you!"

He laughed, a crazy glint in his eye. Even when he was drunk, he was stronger than me, and that was absolutely terrifying. I sucked in a breath, astounded at how manic he looked. Just as he was about to slap me, a deep voice made him freeze.

"Don't touch her."

"Benny!" I cried in relief, struggling against Rick again.

Ben's dark, furious face was directed at Rick, his hands clenched tightly. "Let go of her, Dick."

Rick growled, pulling me violently towards him. I yelped in disgust as he wrapped his arm around my neck so tightly that I couldn't breath. "Not until I have my fun with her. I promise, Benjamin, you can have her when I'm through."

I whimpered, making Ben's gaze snap to me. His eyes darkened with concern and he took a confident step forward. "If you don't let her go right now, I can't promise you'll leave here without a few broken bones." I shivered at the sound of his deadly voice, but I knew Ben would never, ever hurt me.

Rick's hold tightened on my neck, getting a shocked gasp from my mouth at the sensation of my eyeballs almost popping out. "You come any closer, and I'll kill her, Fisher," he threatened.

Ben's expression darkened with anguish as he looked at poor, little, defenceless me. What would Jackie Chan do in a situation like this?

He'd probably do a flip and knock Rick out with one little flick to the forehead.

Unfortunately, I wasn't a karate master, so I'd have to deal with my girlish survival instincts.

I glanced at Ben and smiled before slamming my foot up behind me into Rick's little junior, causing him to let go of me as he fell to the ground in pain.

I scrambled away from him to Ben, who was running towards Rick. "No, we have to go," I urged, grabbing onto his steady hand.

Ben took one last, disgusted glance at Rick, before kicking his balls again and taking my hand back up. I laughed as he pulled me away quickly.

"Was that really necessary? I thought I got him pretty good," I complimented myself as we ran.

He glanced back at me, the anger not yet leaving his face. "You have a girlish kick. That would've only kept him down for a little while," he mocked.

"I hope you stopped his ability to have babies," I told him teasingly.

"Lottie, come on," he said. "You were freaking out earlier because your crazy friend Ginny wasn't being careful, but here you are, completely brushing off what happened to you! What if he had done something, Lottie? What if you weren't able to kick him down in time? What would I have done without you?"

I touched his shoulder, almost jogging to keep up with him. "Ben," I said softly. "I-I'm sorry. I just don't know how to...how to deal...with what just happened." I shuddered and started rubbing my eyes to get rid of the tears that started prickling at the corners. I took a deep breath. He was right. What if Rick had gotten to do what he wanted? Where would I be?

"Don't be sorry," he said, sighing. "I'm sorry, I should be taking care of you. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Benny. Thank you for helping me. You saved me."

Ben suddenly stopped, causing me to crash into him. "What you said back there..." he said nervously, scratching the back of his head.

He glanced a look at me, and turned away quickly at the curious smile that I had on my lips. "Yes?" I urged. "What did I say?"

"A-about the trusting me and stuff," he muttered, not looking at me.