Teenagers

Annie

"I feel fine. I'm not going to work now anyways, there wouldn't be a point," I promised, "But I need to go shopping."

"I'll go for you."

"I'm not going to get sick going to the store."

"You arleady are sick."

"All the more reason to go to the store medicine."

He sighed and let me climb out of bed.


Phil

I smiled at her and led her out to the truck, "how about lunch tomorrow then?"

"Don't you have to work tomrorow?"

I shook my head, "Not until seven."

"Ah."

"So its a date?"

She smiled and nodded, "yes it's a date."



Sybyla

"Why did you go?" he asked a while later.

"I had to let my dad know about Rosie, I took the pictures and the first flight out."

"An Email or a phone call wouldn't have worked?"

"Probably would have been the wiser corse yes, it just felt like something I had to do in person." His grip on me tightened and I groaned in pain as he put pressure on one of my new bruises. He looked at me apologicly and lifted my shirt so he could see the bruise, he scowled.

"I'm going to kill him."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

I clung to him, "no you're not leaving me and I am never going back there."

Kaleb:

Kaleb gritted his teeth. "Fine, but if I EVER see him I'm gonna kill him." He said through gritted teeth. She kissed him.

"No, you won't." She smiled and he couldn't help but relax. "He won't come, he isn't that stupid."

"I hoep he isn't. I don't want him near our daughter, and I deffinatly don't want him near you." He took a deep breath and forced his muscles to relax. "Sorry." He muttered.

"It's ok," She smiled, her perfect little smile. The smile that made his heart pump faster.

"No, I shouldn't blow liek that. I already feel sorry for Rosie when she starts dating if I ever let her." He smield.


Senra:

Senra yawned, "I need to get back to Annie's, I really need to get some sleep." She said her eyes fluttering closed for a second.

"Ok." He said ina soft whisper. She didn't know they were at Annie's until he opened her door and started to pick her up.

"I can walk." She yawned. He just picked her up and closed the door.

"Your too tired, don't wnat you to fall down the stairs or anything." He smiled. She didn't have the energy to argue.

"Are you going home after we get up there?" She asked watching his face through half closed eyes.


Colt:

"I"m driving you though." He replied.

"Why do you care so much?" She demanded.

"Is it against the law?" He asked kicking himself for not having the guts to admit to her that he thought he was starting to love her.

Annie

"Against the laws of my sanity," I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"I need a drink," I said first.

"Have anything here?"

I shook my head, "I never drink really. I just need one right now."

"We'll stop at a bar before we go shopping."


Phil

I carried Senra up the stairs until we encountered Annie and Colt. "Hi guys."

"Jesus! Is she okay?"

I looked down at Senra who was sleeping already. "She's fine, just tired. Is your apartment unlocked?"

Annie took the key out, "no just take her in and lay her on the couch."

"Alright, should I lock the door behind me?"

"No, stay until we get back I don't have another key."

"Okay."



Sybyla

"Good thing her mother's more understanding then," I chuckled kissing his chin. My stomach growled, "food sounds good."

Kaleb thought and nodded, "that it does."

I wandered to the kitchen, "what do we have?"

"Um..hotdogs."

Sybyla:

"That's it?" She laughed.

"Well, I didn't feel like shoping, and I had everything for her." He sighed. She frowned at him.

"You wouldn't survive without me, woudl you?"

"I'm glad you figured that out, it'll keep you from leaving again." He smiled kissing her. "I can go to the store tomorrow if you give me a list.

"What about your wor?"

"I've managed to when enough card games to not have to go for a while." He smiled.

"YOU TOOK ROSIE INTO THE CASINO?" She yelled in a whisper.

"No, well in the staff room only. But Ms. Black, from next door took her for a while saying I needed to get away. I didn't have anything else to do with myself and she wouldn't let me have Rosie back until I was gone for an hour." He shrugged.


Colt:

"I think he likes her alot." Colt smiled as he drove her to the bar and she ordered a drink. He just got a virgin pina colda. He sipped on it and looked at her. "Am I annoying?" He smiled.


Senra:

Senra fought the nightmares that started to surface, but it was just as usless as fighting the attacker had been. She knew she would scream, but there was nothing she could do about it. Images of the faceless man haugnted her. Following her everywhere, she wasn't just in her aparment anymore. She was running from her house, he was following. The numberous times he woudl hurt her while she tried to get away was unnerving. He would catch her, hurt her by beating her or worse. THen some how she would get away. No matter how far or fast she ran he was always right behind her.

Phil

I flipped the light on and tried to gently wake Senra up.

"Senra, wake up you're dreaming."

She screamed.

"Senra! You're dreaming!"

She opened her eyes and in the light managed to register quickly that it was me. She started sobbing. I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry softly whispering "it's okay" in her ear.


Annie

I took another sip of my Long Island Ice Tea, "far from actually."

"What did you get?" he questioned randomly.

"Long Island ice tea." He took it away from me. "Hey," I said reaching for my half empty glass."

"This is about three coctails," he explained, "you've had enough."

I sighed and slid off of the chair, stumbling a little bit. "Fine. Lets shop."



Sybyla

I smiled, "we'll survive with hotdogs tonight then eh?"

He grinned and we set to work with the hotdogs.

Kaleb:

Kaleb was so happy to be with her again. He didn't want this time to end, having her close to him and knowing that she wasn't going to leave. When they finished the hotdogs they sat on the couch. "I love you." He breathed into her hair. Rosie started to cry and he jumped up to get her.


Senra:

Senra clung to him not really carring that he would think her crazy, this was the first time she had woken up before the man had killed her. She clung to him letting the tears fall trying to believe his words. She pulled away wiping the tears from her face and forced a smile.

"You ok now?" He asked gently.

"I think so, this is normal." She whispered.


Colt:

Colt jumped up and put a steadying arm around her waist. "I think that can wait, you can barely walk." He said helping her to his car.

Annie

"I need to eat something that's all," I said.

"What was the last thing you ate?"

"You gave it to me."

He sighed and continued to tow me to the car, "you need a keeper."

"I don't." I stumbled over a rock. He steadied me.

"Yes you do," he insisted, "you're going to-"

"Oh sush," I said, "feed me and I'll be fine."

Colt:

Colt took a deep breath. He put her in the car. "If I didn't like you so much I don't think I'd do this." He whispered not thinking she could hear. He shut the door and clibed int eh driver seat and started the engine heading towards the closest fast food place.


Senra:

Senra's stomach curled and she leaped up. "This is to early." She moaned barely making it to the bathroom empting her stomach contents. Tears streamed down her face as her stomach settled and she leaned against the wall. "Something has to be wrong." She cried.

Phil

Quite easily I picked her off the floor and into my arms, "lets go see then shall we?"

She nodded.

I walked her down the stairs and into my truck, "go back to sleep," I urged, "I'll wake you when we get there."


Annie

"I wouldn't ask it of you if I could drive," I said groggily, "I probably could drive now."

"Not safely."

"Of course not safely but you know."

"Yeah."

Colt:

Colt smiled, she was tough, but she still needed protecting, mostly from herself.


*Tears*


Senra:

Senra felt him lift her up and she opened her eyes grogerly. She didn't try to get down as they stepped into the doctors office and signed in. After the doctor did several tests he came back.

"Well, not much is wrong other then you need to start eating more and drinking more. You'll kill yourself along with the baby if you go with how you are now. Your way underweight for how far along you are." He said. Phil glared at her and she just looked down. "What have you been eating, a sandwhich a day?" She shrugged.

"Senra?" Phil prodded.

"A lil' more then that." She whispered. Phil's disgust showed in the grunt he made.

Phil

"You need to take better care of yourself," I said gently squeezing her arms.

"I guess so," she said blushing.

"I'll help," I offered. "I'll take you out to lunch or dinner every night."

"That/s too sweet."


Annie

We stopped at the store and I wobbled out. Colt kept an arm tight around my waist keeping me upright.

"Alchohol on an empty stomach is bad," I said idly before the blackness enveloped my vision.

Colt:

Colt caught Annie and carried her to the car driving back to her place. He lifted her up and carried her into the house. Phil and Senra were sitting on the couch Senra's eyes fluttering closed hten open again.

"She ok?" Phil asked in a quite voice.

"Ya, just a tad bit queesy." Colt said. Phil chuckled and Senra jumped her eyes fluttering all the way open.

"Rest." Phil commanded her. SHe ofught it, Colt could tell she was, but her eyes driffted back to closed and her breathing evened out. Colt laid Annie on her bed and walked back out. Phil moved softly off the couch and to the kitchen with Colt.

"She ok?" Colt asked getting some tea to drink.

"Ya, she hasn't been eating enough and she got sick, we went to the doctor, he said she was fine, just needed to eat more." PHil shrugged.

"Was it that bad?"


Kaleb:

Kaleb woke up in the middle of the night to Rosie's crying, he hurried to her before SYb would wake up. He sang to her softly as she slept. "Aren't you a pretty little girl?" He asked her eyes fluttering open. "Sorry." He started singing again as he heard Syb start to move around. He walked over to her and started singing to her and Rosie. He loved the two girls in his life, well the girl and the woman in his life.

Annie

My alarm went off and I woke up like usual, I felt well rested. Time to go to work.

I stood up and quickly got dressed, I waited until I was in the living room before I wrote the note. The two boys and Senra were still sleeping.

Went to work, I'll go shopping before I go home.

I slipped out the door down the stairs and caught a cab.

Senra:

Senra woke up on Annie's bed. Her head was on a well stuffed pillow and she was covered wtih a warm blanket. SHe jumped up as her stomach started to turn. Running to the bathroom she tripped over Phil's legs as he was to big for the chair he had slept on. She jumped back up and barely got to the bathroom in time to empty her stomach. "Just a few more days." She told herself before continuing to throw up.


Colt:

Colt woke up when Phil grunted. He watched Senra run to the bathroom Phil grogerly following her. He shrugged and walked to the kitchen finding the note. He growled, "Annie, your impossible." He sighed. He made breakfast then ate some leaving the rest for Phil and Senra. He had to get to work too. He would talk to Annie then.

Annie

"Oi vey," I sighed and sat down on the bench. I had forgotten how tiring my work could be.

"You should still be sleeping or resting or something besides working," Colt growled. I nearly jumpped out of my skin.

"Jesus Colt!" I said pressing my hand to my chest, "you scared the bejesus out of me!"

He grunted. "Annie you're impossible you know that?"

I shrugged, "I felt fine this morning."

"Do you feel fine now?"

"No, that's just because I haven't eaten yet today, I woke up too late."

"Annie!"

"Why do you care so much?" I challenged.

"Because I think I love you damnit!"

I scoffed to save face, but really my heart was pounding against my chest. "You barely know me," I attempted to say with conviction. It came out as a paniced stuggle of sound.

"I know enough."

I tried to walk away but he pulled me back and set me on the counter. "Hey," I complaned.

"You're not getting off that easy," he said, "I've wanted to say this for two days now: You're beautiful, you are independent and at the same time completely helpless."

"I am not helpless."

"You need to be protected."

"I can take care of myself."

"You can but you'll only survive, you need to be shown how to live."

I glared at him, "so what? Am I just like one of your projects?"

He shook his head, "no. I just want you to be happy and safe."

My resistance melted. "I-I-I think I have to get back to work."

"Not until you tell me how you feel."

"I'm pretty damn sure I love you," I said snarkily, "and I don't know what to do."

"How about this?" He lowered his mouth to mine.


Sybyla

Rosie wouldn't stop crying. "Maybe she wants mommy," I suggested and took her into my arms. She quieted down and after a minute she fell back asleep. "Sometimes mommies just have the magic touch."

I walked her back into the nursery and set her down in her crib, I switched on the night light music box and walked back into the livingroom on my way to the bathroom and then back to bed.

Kaleb intercepted me pulling me into his arms and hugging me tight. "I felt dead when you were gone," he whispered, "I never want to feel like that again."

"I'll never make you."

"I'd never let you."

*Sorry lightning off now!*