"Sarah." Gina's voice whispers from beside me, slowly pulling me out of my deep sleep. "Sarah, wake up this is important." She gently shakes my shoulder, worry etched in her voice.

I groan in response, rolling onto my side and peeking one eye open. Sleepily, I yawn and stretch, then flop back into the pillows. "What is it, Gina?" I mumble quietly, slowly drifting back into dream world of hunters and vampires.

Huehe, eat it twilight.

"Sarah, wake up. This is serious." Her shakes become more violent, her voice trembling and cracking. I open my eyes immediately, worry and panic causing my muscles to tighten.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I whisper back, gently grabbing her arm reassuringly. Her wide panic stricken eyes turn to meet mine, my heart thumping loudly in my chest.

Her lips part, the words so quiet and full of terror. "There's someone in the house."

My eyes widen, "Wh-What?" I stutter nervously, my eyes darting towards the door and back to her face.

She gulps and shakily motions towards the floor, indicating to the living room beneath us. "I was on my way up to see you anyways when I heard the front door start opening, I didn't see who it was because I ran up here as fast as I could."

I nod slowly, "O-Okay where's my phone?" I quickly look around the room, spotting my phone on the windowsill from where Zander and I came back down from the roof.

Wait

Zander!

I quietly move off the bed, stepping onto the floor as not to make a sound. I tip-toe over to my phone and sigh in relief when I grab it. Quickly dialing his number, I look back over to a trembling Gina and give her a shaky nod of encouragement.

"Hello?" His groggy morning voice echoes through the phone, my heart easing slightly in comfort.

"Zander." I whisper shout, "Zander can you hear me?!"

"Sarah? What's going on? Yeah I can hear you, is everything alright?" His voice clears, any sign of sleep gone as worry takes hold.

"No, someone's in the house." My body suddenly starts to shake, fear gripping my bones. I make my way back over to Gina, both of us curling into each other while staring at the door.

"Don't move! I'm on my way, lock your door!" He rushes out as sounds of things opening and doors slamming fill the background. His engine starts, the noise so loud it seems to echo across my room. Gina's eyes widen even more, her hands reaching up to quickly hang up the phone.

"What if they heard that?!" She whispers, tears pooling in her eyes and streaming down her cheeks.

I reach over and pull her into me, cradling her against my chest protectively even though I'm just as scared. "We have to stay calm, Zander is on his way. He sai - "

"Sarah? Sarah, where are you?!" Someone shouts from down the hall, causing both of us to stiffen. I stare at the door, my eyes darting over to the lamp by the door. Weapon.

I whisper softly, my heart jumping into MY throat, "Get behind the bed, Gina." I rush over to the lamp, grabbing it in time before the door swings open. Gina screams loudly, flinging herself to the floor. I blindly swing the lamp, fear and adrenaline pumping through me. The person yelps in pain, falling backwards into the hallway.

"Sarah Michelle Jones, what in the heavens are you doing?!" Arms wrap around me, hands pulling the lamp away from my grip. I scream in fright, tears streaming down my cheeks now.

Oh my gosh, I'm going to die.

"Sweetheart, it's me! It's just me, Dad! Calm down!"

Dad? Dad!

"Daddy?" I open my eyes, my body relaxing in his hold. "What are you doing here?" I question softly, my heart skipping in my chest with happiness. Sure, they may leave all the time and kinda suck at being at home parents but that doesn't mean I don't love and miss them all the time.

He smiles down at me, his grip loosening to a soft hug. "We finished business early, so we decided to come home and stay with you."

My eyes light up with excitement, a grin sprouting across my face. "Really?!" Suddenly, my eyes widen in realization and panic takes over again. I quickly turn and see Mom laying on the floor, amusement lighting up her features while she gently massages her shoulder.

"You hit pretty hard, what'd you think we were? Robbers?" She jests lightly, taking dad's now outstretched hand to get up.

"Yes. That's exactly what we thought you were." Gina's voice interrupts our reunion, surprising the both of them to turn around. My eyes meet hers, relief and humor shining back at me. "I was even about to call the cops when you burst through the door." She laughs awkwardly, her hands clenched beside her. I can tell she's still shaken up about it all.

Dad chuckles from beside me, "Gina! What a surprise. C'mere sweetie." He opens his arms for her, a huge smile spread across his cheeks. Anytime they did stay home with me, they'd treat Gina as if she was their own. They really did try to be there for me, even though some nights we hardly spoke, they still made an effort.

She grins and quickly hops over to us, basically jumping into his embrace. I softly smile, turning towards mom to hug her as well.

She gently pulls away from me, grinning widely. "Let's go downstairs and catch up, We brought home some dinner!" She gently grabs my hand in hers, pulling me down the steps with Dad and Gina following closely behind.

"Dinner is just in the kitchen, we got some pizza and - "

The door bursts open scarring all of us. Zander barrels into the room, his eyes widening when he sees us. I take in his appearance, holding back a giggle by biting my tongue. His hair is in a mess, his hands tightly gripping a baseball bat. His face is red with embarrassment, his clothes looking crumpled up and hastily thrown on and matched.

He's so adorable, awe.

"Who the hell are you and why are you breaking into my home?!" My dad bellows angrily, his voice filling the awkward silence with tension. Zander stumbles back slightly, shock evident on his face. I quickly rush forward, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him from leaping on Zander and beating the snot out of him.

"Daddy, it's okay. This is Zander he uh - came by because we thought you were robbers . . ." I awkwardly smile over at Zander, his hands releasing their death grip on the bat once he realizes what's going on.

"Uh . . . Hi?" He smiles sheepishly, awkwardly waving his hand.

Mom and Dad stare at him in shock, then Dad's face lights up with a huge grin. "Nice to meet you, Son! I surely hope you're treating our Sar-bear well!" He moves forward and claps his hand onto Zander's shoulder, pulling him into a hug. Zander hugs him back, his eyes meeting mine with shock. I giggle softly, my heart warming as I watch the exchange.

"U-Uh yes I um am." Zander clears his throat and smiles at my dad. His eyes roam over to my Mom, widening in surprise again. I frown and turn to look at Mom as well, almost chocking when I see her death glare towards Zander.

Oh no.

~•~

"So, Zander is it?" Mom settles down in her chair, a cup of hot tea cradled in her hands. Zander nods silently, a small hesitant smile on his face. All of us, excluding a giggling Gina who decided to go home early to give us 'family bonding time' as she said, were sat at the kitchen table. Zander and I sitting next to each other while mom and dad sat across from us with Mom sat directly in front of Zander.

"How long have you known our Sarah?" She quizzes. Dad and I share a look, nervousness of what's to come taking over me. I hope he's ready, she'll show no mercy.

He smiles softly, his eyes flickering down to his hands then back up to her. "For about a month or two now."

Mom nods then narrows her eyes slightly, "Interesting. What are your feelings towards my daughter?"

I choke on my water, beating on my chest. "Mom!"

She turns towards me innocently, her eyebrow raised. "What? It's a good question I would like to know."

I blush brightly, avoiding eye contact with everyone. "We're just friends." I mumble quietly in embarrassment. Why would she ask that?! Ah!

"Y-yeah . . . Just friends." Zander mutters the words out bitterly, surprising all of us to look at him. He looks up confused, "What?"

Mom brushes it off easily, quickly jumping into her next question. "What are your intentions with our daughter?" Zander's eyes widen in shock. I cough loudly, causing everyone to look at me concerned. I wave them off, trying to gain control on my coughing fit. Oh my gosh, she can't just ask that, can she?!?!

Zander chuckles softly, his eyes catching mine. "Nothing but good intentions, Mrs. Jones." He turns back towards Mom, his eyes shining with truth and his smile glowing with honesty. My heart melts into a puddle.

Mom's tough facade slips, a small smile threatening to show. "Alright, I suppose that's enough for tonight. Johnny, why don't you show this nice boy to the door?" She turns towards my dad and smiles, then turns back to Zander. "It's was nice meeting you, Hun. I hope to see you around some more." She smiles sweetly, causing me to sigh in relief. It looks like he passed the test!

"C'mon now son, show me what kind of ride you got!" Dad gets up and herds Zander towards the front door. I smile softly and catch his eyes before Dad gets him out of the kitchen, giving him a small wave. He smiles back softly then follows my Dad outside. I sigh softly and lean against the chair, my body tired all over again. And it's only 10 a.m.

"He seems like a sweet boy, honey." Mom smiles over at me then sips her tea, "I approve."

I groan in embarrassment, "Did you really have to ask those last two?" I look up at her and pout, my cheeks burning brightly.

She chuckles softly and nods, "Yes I did. It's best to give you as much parental guidance we can to ensure you don't date a loser." She smiles widely then winks, "He definitely isn't one, he's a keeper."

I groan and bury my head in my hands, my cheeks on fire now. She giggles then gets up and gently pats my back. I watch her leave the room, a small smile pulling on my lips.

He sure is.

~•~

Hey everyone! 9K CELEBRATION WOO!! I'm so excited about this eeeeep!!
And omg!!! We made the rank of #249 in the Teen Fiction section!!! OMG!! *faints*

What do we think of Sarah's parents?!

Valentine's Day is tomorrow, so a little cupcake love for our Zarah ❤️❤️ And lemme just take a second to say: Y'all are lucky who have someone to celebrate with! Awe, love is so...LOVELY ❤️❤️❤️❤️
And to all my singles out there...SAME 😂😂 I'm gonna feast on chocolate though, so it's all good ❤️❤️

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and hopefully more updates will be coming your way!

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Happy Valentine's Day!
~Molly