Disclaimed: I don't own any of the characters used within, those belong to Ryan Murphy, Gina Matthews, and the company that owns(owned?) The WB Television Network. I intend to make no profit off of this file.

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Her position at the school gave her the ability to stay later than anyone else, besides faculty members. Thus she found herself looking at a dark hallway, one that had only a few hours earlier been filled with students. Evidence of the approaching holiday tomorrow, was strewn across the rows of metallic gray lockers. Suddenly she was nervous, true that no one was really at school right now, but this was still such a risk. If she were somehow found out, well it would spell the end of her high school career.

Despite this morbid and horrifying thought she steeled herself for what she figured she needed to do, the first step on a long road. A baby step of course, since she wasn't even really sure she was ready to start this little journey, much less finish it out with it's final confession. She wasn't even really sure where the path would go, how long it would take, or the stops along the way.

But, those were worries for another time and place; right now her task was simple. Leave the gifts, gauge the reaction, and that was as far as she got. Really, after this she was lost.

She glanced from side to side, continuing her search for that one locker.

Aha!

There it was, one among hundreds; so seemingly unimportant and yet at this very moment it encompassed her entire world. For a single moment it both terrified and enthralled her, then it passed and she set about her work.

Reaching out tentatively she tested the locker with a gloved hand, because frankly it seemed like a good idea, and she had to admit they looked cool. Finding that it was indeed locked, she began counting off the combination in her head while spinning the dial correctly. As she finished she paused for a moment. Then with a barely perceptible sigh she yanked on the handle.

Click

The locker swung open to reveal its contents; books, notebooks, and several pictures on the inside face of the door. She quietly perused the images for a moment; they were what was to be expected. Her boyfriend appeared enough, then there was one of her family, several of her friends, then she spotted herself. For a second her mind flashed with irrational joy, that is before she realized that she was where she was expected to be. The joy quickly vanished and the truth sunk in, she was not special.

Well, that's what this was about. Making her special, hopefully at least because she fully realized that you could not force someone to feel things that did not exist. Nor would she want to try, no this was just about making the options known.

Letting her bag slip down to the floor, she opened it and pulled out the three things she needed. First came the solid white card, its brief message printed in black ink. She had made sure it would be completely unrecognizable. Next out came a solid black calligraphy pen, a simple clue and finally she lifted out a small jewelry box, inside she had placed a simple silver necklace.

All of this she place in a simple redwood box, slipped it into the locker on top of the books already in there and then closed the locker. Suddenly she was plagued with second thoughts; what if someone saw her leave, what if her clue was too obvious, did she have a believable alibi? Now, she wondered if she should really do this. It wasn't too late; she could still open the locker, take everything out and leave without everyone none the wiser.

The reason for her fear wasn't being outed as a lesbian, or bisexual whichever she was, no she had done that many weeks ago. Not, you know publicly, but the news had undoubtedly already spread like wildfire in less time than it had taken to actually say the words. No, that was not why she was afraid; the main reason for her fear was that she was totally and completely infatuated with someone outside her acceptable social circle. Not only that, but a straight girl, with a boyfriend, who was ironically her stepsister. Compound all that with the fact that this girl had once been the very paragon for everything she despise and you had a deadly situation. This was the source of her fear.

How she'd gotten herself into this situation was a mystery even to her. Though she suspected she'd never had any choice of ability to change the outcome, she even suspected that she'd been infatuated in one way or another for long before she'd recognized her feelings. This meant that her, 'crush', was likely the cause of her antagonistic behavior. Though, now that she'd come to accept her feelings, she didn't really want to change them and now she didn't really want to imagine not having them.

These feelings had become part of her; they made her feel giddy and excited. They made her feel like she was doing something, changing something, they made her feel alive. It wasn't that there were no sad parts; she occasionally felt sudden bouts of despair fearing that she would never have that love returned. But in the end she still held out hope, against all likelihood that she could have what she desired, or more accurately that she would be desired in the same way she desired.

So it was with these thoughts in mind that she smiled, and turned away from the locker. Picking up her bag, she shouldered it then decided to start whistling inexplicably. As she neared the nearest door she looked back across her should down the empty and dark hallway.

"Tomorrow's a new day." She whispered, smiling. Then, adding. "Better get home."

With that final word to the desolate school she pushed open the door, and walked into the slowly coming night. And there sat her gift in the dark.

Tomorrow was Valentines Day.

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A/N: This is my first fic, please review.

But be gentle. This is part of a larger series of fics I have planned in my head, they all take place around or after the season two finale (which is for all intents and purpose the sries finale). If I get enough positive feedback, and am sufficiently motivated you should expect more from me in the future, I'm not exactly sure how happy you shoul be about that. :)