"For the last time, I didn't do it!" Victoria exclaimed through the bars of the sheriff's station.

After she'd removed the tube, she realized she had forgotten to turn off the truck first–which was the main source. But at that point, the sheriff had arrived on time to make her look suspicious enough to detain–Which she assumed his quick reaction was from being nearby after suspecting Nevermore for the "animal attacks."

"Sorry, Miss Halliwell, but you're still going to be detained under suspicious activity," Sheriff Galpin said. "And for tampering with evidence at the vandalized crime scene."

She sighed as he disappeared, making her way to sit down on the long bench against the wall. It was about two in the morning and she was still soaked from head to toe with fake blood on her once beautiful dress. At least they allowed her to wash her face a few minutes before getting into the cell. But when she walked in, even one of the officers questioned about allowing such attire on a detainee.

She, herself, wondered who could have done it. Perhaps Bianca or Blaise? But they wouldn't rain on their own parade. It had to have been someone not from Nevermore. Could it possibly be Tyler?

But it didn't make sense to her.

Until she remembered Lucas Walker. The mayor's son.

"Wait, sheriff!" she exclaimed. "I think I know who did it."

"Listen, kid, I know you like to play detective, but let the real ones handle it for now," Sheriff Galpin said, not paying any mind. "I've got other things to worry about and definitely didn't need this tonight."

"You mean like the 'animal' attacks?" Victoria asked.

He eyed her before ignoring her and leaving to go to his office. Something wasn't right.

She was tired and cold. She imagined Weems was too busy trying to figure out who the culprit was, herself, and hadn't paid any mind when Victoria was quietly being detained. It seemed like everyone was having too much of a blast and an unforgettable night to remember she was a part of it as her phone sat on a desk a few feet away from her without a ring.

"Are my parents going to be notified?" Victoria asked Sheriff Galpin once he returned.

"Technically, your forms say that you're of age even though you're only seventeen," Sheriff Galpin said, reading her information. "But you're not getting arrested. I can only detain you for twenty-four hours if I see no foul play involved. So to answer your question, it's up to you if you want them to be contacted."

"No contact," Victoria said immediately.

Sheriff Galpin nodded as someone entered the station abruptly, breaking the silence.

"Dad, I heard someone got-" Tyler paused when he saw Victoria behind the bars in a redden state of fake blood and still in her dance dress. "Victoria? What- Dad, what's going on?"

Tyler was already changed and washed into more comfortable clothes of dark jeans and a brown sweater. He was surprised to see her behind the bars in the cold station, as he had seen her only a couple of hours before–confusing him.

"She's being detained under suspicious activity and for potential tampering of evidence," his dad said calmly. "Now listen, son, it's two in the morning so why don't you-"

"This is ridiculous!" Tyler exclaimed. "She spent the entire evening in my sight, there's no way she'd be able to pull that off."

"Well there's a thing called accomplices, Tyler. She's only here until we get to the bottom of this."

Tyler's face seemed to fume as he looked back and forth between his dad and Victoria.

"You know who else was at the dance?" Tyler asked. "Caleb Walker, the mayor's son. And we both know from what happened last summer just proves that he and his other friends are capable of something like this."

Tyler's dad didn't say anything as he seemed to agree. Though was he willing to challenge the mayor himself?

"Did you even hear her out?" Tyler asked.

He got no response as his dad only shook his head without a word, jingling his keys. He went over to the cell and, to Victoria's surprise, unlocked it, allowing her out.

She also heavily doubted that if Tyler were not his son, she would've been there for the entire twenty-four hours. But she didn't say anything as she hugged herself awkwardly between the father and son and attempted to grab her phone but Tyler had already gotten a hold of it.

She suddenly felt awkward for getting in between the two. It was an uncomfortable feeling as if she'd invaded someone's personal life.

"You should get going," Sheriff Galpin said solemnly to the pair. "Nevermore's gates are closed so she's gotta find a place to stay until the morning."

She and Tyler nodded as they made their way to the little lobby of the station. Removing his zip up, he handed it to Victoria as he helped her put it on–the fake blood on her now dried after three hours.

"It's freezing like December out there," Tyler said and apologetically added, "And sorry about my dad... he kind of has a grudge against... well-"

"Outcasts," Victoria finished for him.

"That or he just hates the school even though it's what keeps the town running," Tyler said. "Besides, you're anything but an outcast."

She didn't get the chance to say anything else as she followed him to the parking lot to his car. The rest of their drive was quiet, despite the void that sat between them

The last time they sat in the car together, there was no void between. But that was because they had just met. But now they knew each other, with much needed to be discussed but left unsaid.

"Where're we going?" Victoria asked.

"My house."

She felt a short rush of excitement and disbelief, but kept it hidden as she nodded. As they pulled up to the driveway, she saw the blue home and tried to wake herself up. All of it was surreal to her. But as she got out of the car and found herself in Tyler's room, she only learned how real it was.

"Shower's just down the hall to the right," Tyler said, handing her a fresh towel with some of his clothes as she stood in his room.

His room was rather small, but not like her dorm. It was just as cozy with a higher ceiling. The color pallet was mainly a light blue and gray until you flicked on the lamp that warmly illuminated his room.

Half an hour later, she was finally cleaned and scrubbed from the fake blood. Her dress was washed and drying in the tub as she saw herself in the mirror. It wasn't until then that she realized how much she'd changed.

Perhaps it just had to take a new environment for her to realize it.

She had borrowed Tyler's navy crewneck, but decided to keep on the shorts she wore underneath her dress as she left the bathroom to join Tyler in his room. She entered his closet to hang his towel when something familiar caught her eye.

It was a leather wallet. Very much like the one Rowan had. It peaked out from under folded clothing as she didn't know whether she had the right to inspect it or not. She was a guest, but any act of searching a wallet would be invading.

"It's gotta be Tyler's," Victoria thought. "He would've given Rowan's to his dad for investigation. Or returned it to Rowan before he died..."

It was still a mystery to her as to how Rowan was known to be alive and well. But that was a month ago when he left school. He hadn't been heard of since. With many thoughts, she left his closet and found Tyler laying a pillow and comforter on the ground.

"I like some of my nights on the ground," Tyler explained. "My dad and I used to camp a lot so I'm used to it."

Victoria was used with the princess treatment, but never from anyone else like Tyler before. But who exactly was Tyler to her? His treatment and presence felt so right, she wasn't sure she wanted to sleep on the bed alone.

"Don't be silly," she said. "It's cold like December in your room."

He grinned at her remark as she added, "Besides, it's not like we've never been in the same bed before anyway."

He nodded and picked up the blanket as she crawled onto his bed, sleeping against the wall. It wasn't what she was used to, but she was comfortab;e where she was as Tyler laid himself next to her welcomely.

None of them said anything as she faced the wall without a peep–Tyler facing her with his eyes wide awake. He had much on his mind.

"I know you're not asleep," Tyler said after a moment. She didn't move. "You snore in your sleep."

She turned back offensively. "I do not."

He smiled at her reaction. "I knew it. You're completely restless."

She faced away from him again and said, "Just not a fan of pillow talk, Tyler."

"Then how about small talk?" Tyler suggested. "It usually helps me sleep."

She didn't answer for a second before she turned around, rethinking what happened at the dance. "Did you have fun?" she asked. "At the Rave'N."

"You made it plenty fun," Tyler said. "I wondered where you went after the entire fake blood incident. Enid suggested you were in your dorm but when I went to go look, it was just a cranky Gomi. Figured he was hungry so I gave him some of the unfinished apple slices on your desk."

Victoria smiled. "Right, thanks for doing that. He's like a baby."

"Well your babies are my babies," Tyler said, intentionally making her turn red. She was suddenly grateful that the lamp was off so he couldn't see her face. But she attempted to hide her wide grin on her face with the blanket.

"I thought you weren't going to the Rave'N?" Victoria asked, remembering that it had been a question on her mind all night.

"I wasn't," Tyler said. "But then I found out Xavier wasn't going with her after all. Which is weird because I thought you were going with him..."

Victoria covered her face sheepishly at the misunderstanding. "I didn't have a date until three hours before the dance. Enid misunderstood the situation at the Weathervane..."

Tyler sighed, putting two-in-two together. "I could've gone with you then."

Victoria, too, realized that as she felt a longing for what they missed out on. A dance together.

But she also wondered if that would have changed anything between them if they went to the Rave'N together. What if they went past the point of friends and found that they were better off as just that?

Tyler suddenly got out of the bed, confusing Victoria who looked at him with a confused grin.

"What're you up to?" she asked as he scrolled through his phone patiently.

He didn't answer her as his phone began to play a melodic tune.

"Oh my god, Tyler," Victoria laughed with realization as she sat up, burying her face in the blanket. "This is too cliche and I look like a mess right now."

Tyler only held out a hand with a smile. "You're lovely. Now get up while we still have the time together."

She stood, taking Tyler's hand as he helped her crawl out of his bed and onto her feet. He took her right hand, holding it out as his other hand pulled her close to his chest. She rested her face against his chest as she kept her free hand on his shoulder, following his movements instead of the steps from Beauxbatons.

The moon lit the room enough to make out the smiles on their faces, but they wouldn't know as they were not looking at each other. They only saw their thoughts as their bodies rested against each other.

They were nearing the point of no return as they danced the night away, reciprocating unsaid feelings.

- - - - - - -

Oh to be loved like this.

Your author, riddlefiqs.