Disclaimer: I don't own DC. Clear?

Toan watched his best friend Paige sneak another look at her crush when she thought no-one was looking and smiled to himself. Paige was hardly subtle, but then again, he had known about Paige's crush for well over a year. And although it had hurt at the time (he had been nursing a crush on her at the time.) he had accepted it. (Although it probably helped that he had met Xiao, travelled all over Terra and defeated the Dark Genie.) He walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"You should talk to her, you know." He said, with a slight smirk. Paige blushed deep red and glared at Toan.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she snapped and Toan laughed.

"Paige," he began, "I've known you for as long as I can recall. I can read you like a book." He gave her a little push. "You should talk to her!"

"But what if she turns me down! What if she's disgusted with me, or she tells the village or-or-or…"

"You don't have to propose to the girl." Toan said with a grin. "Just…talk to her." He gave her a smile. "That way, you can find out if she likes you. And if she doesn't, well I'll always be here to support you."

"You might actually be right. For once." She said, with a smile. He simply smirked back and gave her another little push.

"Then go! Before Carl tries try and chat you up again."

Paige winced as she remembered Carl's attempts at flirting with her. To say that they were awkward would be an understatement. They weren't even endearingly sweet, like Toan had been, instead being as crude as a brothel. Paige suspected he had been taking tips from the Macho Brothers.

"Yes, that is a very good reason to talk, isn't it?" she said as she started walking towards her crush.

"Hello Alnet."

"Oh, hi Paige!" Alnet said cheerfully as she turned away from Komacho.

"Umm…I was wondering…"

"Perhaps we ought to talk about this in private." Alnet suggested gently. Paige nodded and they slipped into Alnet's barn. Alnet turned to face Paige once more. "Now, what were you hoping to say?"

"Umm…" She flailed about mentally, trying to find the words to say. "What would you think if someone was to confess that they loved you?"

"Well, I'd be pretty flattered, I suppose." Alnet replied with an amused expression. "I suppose what I'd do next would depend on the person."

"W-w-what if the person was another girl?" Paige blurted out and her face turned crimson.

"Why would you ask…OH!" Alnet exclaimed as she realised what Paige was saying. She leaned over and looked the younger girl in the eyes. "Do you have a crush on me?"

Paige turned away, blushing even redder and Alnet gave her a kindly smile. She leaned over to Paige's ear and whispered gently.

"I didn't want to scare you off." Alnet whispered with a smile and Paige felt her heart start to beat double time. Did this mean what she thought it meant? "And I always thought that you and Toan would end up together, I'm sorry."

"Y-y-you like me?" Paige asked in shock. Alnet nodded with a smile.

"For a while now. But I was scared that you would out me to the village."

Paige laughed. "I was scared that YOU would out ME to the village!"

"We can't ever tell anyone about us though. Not yet." Alnet added sadly. "There are a lot of people who would accuse me of perverting you to an unnatural course."

"I know." Paige said. "But my friend Toan figured me out, so I think we're safe with him."

"Yeah, you two are pretty close." Alnet chuckled. She leaned forward and kissed the younger girl. "Now he's got a girlfriend, I don't even have to worry about being jealous, do I?" Paige made a face.

"Toan is like a brother to me. It would feel…wrong." She said, in a slightly disgusted voice. "It'd kind of be like dating my brother."

"That's good. Now, how about we go upstairs and get a little more comfortable?"

Paige grinned and the two girls went upstairs for a little privacy and as they did, Toan caught Paige's eye and she gave him a smile. He deserved to know that he was right.

"Master was right, wasn't he?" Xiao asked cheerfully. Toan smiled and pulled Xiao into a very deep kiss.

"Yes I was, you beautiful girl. Yes I was." And as Toan and Xiao continued to kiss, they slipped away to somewhere more private as well and Xiao's tail shot up ramrod straight as their kisses became more passionate.

A year ago, Toan figured Paige's crush and felt his heart shatter. If anyone had told him that he would find love in less than a year, he would not have believed them. And if anyone had told Paige that she too, would have a lover, and that girl would be the same girl that she had loved for a long time, they would not have believed you. But then again, nobody had expected the Dark Genie either, which just goes to show that life can be unexpected.

AN: The idea of an Alnet/Paige pairing occurred to me when I thought about one of Paige's comments about Alnet's dress. ;D Please R&R