Jorg rang the doorbell to the little white apartment house once more, waiting for the residents to open the door. Finally, after about five more rings, the door slowly opened to reveal a shirtless teen with a mass of blonde dreads.

"You rang, Jorg?" He asked, leaning against the door frame.

"About 50 times."

"I heard. It woke me up."

"Tom, it's past noon."

"Exactly." Tom said, starting to play with his lip ring. "Anyway, what are you and Valyntine doing here?"

"Can you get your brother please." Jorg said somberly.

Tom looked puzzled. "Sure…Oi, Bill, come here for a minute!"

"What do you want?" The dark haired teen mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Jorg wants us. So…?" Tom said, turning to Jorg at the last part.

"This is Valyntine, her parents just died in a car crash and I need you two to take care of her for a bit." Jorg vaguely explained.

"Why, she looks old enough to take care of herself." Tom voiced, turning around and heading into the kitchen. "Well, since we're up now. Who wants waffles?"

"I guess that means come in." Bill gestured them into the house. "Are you okay?" He questioned Valyntine, who was looking anywhere but at the boxer-clad German.

"Pants." She whispered.

"What was that?"

"Pants." She said a little louder.

"I'm sorry, but I can't hear you."

"You aren't wearing any pants!" Valyntine practically screamed.

"Oh yeah." Bill blushed scarlet. "Let me just go get them real quick. You two make yourselves at home." And he ran off to the other end of the house.

"So Jorg, why can't you take her in?" Tom leaned against the counter, munching on a freshly cooked waffle.

"Because as manager, I have more pressing matters then babysitting a traumatized girl."

"Georg, Gustav?"

"Both visiting with family for a bit. Before you guys get started on the new album. And you two are closer to her age. Could connect more."

"In other words, you couldn't find anyone who wanted her so you figured you'd drop her on the younger kid's doorstep? Because we both know, Georg and Gustav are in Hamburg with us and managers don't exactly work all to much when the band isn't on tour, about to go on tour, just coming off tour, or releasing a new cd."

"Basically, yes. And if you must know, she's my daughter. Her mother had a warrant against me, but seeing as I'm her only living relative, I get her." Jorg sat down heavily and took a waffle for himself.

Meanwhile, Valyntine, standing just inside the door of the kitchen, turned around and ran to the nearest room she could find.

Lying there, crying, Valyntine hardly noticed the time, but she did notice it took an awful while for anyone to come looking for her. Or indeed notice she was gone. It wasn't until it was dark outside that Bill came into the room to find her in a ball in the corner.

"Valyntine? Valyntine, Jorg wants to say goodbye. Will you come out?" He asked.

"No. Tell him to go away. He doesn't want me anyway, so who cares." She mumbled through her hair.

"Okay…" He left again. But soon after Jorg entered anyway.

"What do you want?" She snapped.

"I just wanted to say bye Val, I kn-"

"NO! Don't call me Val! Only my father can call me that!" She screamed. "Just leave me alone! You don't care anyway!" Valyntine pushed past the stunned Jorg and ran from the room. Past the two brothers, one standing open mouthed and the other smirking.


Over the next few weeks, things stayed the same. Bill was being highly caring, and Tom being his arrogant self, not caring about anything that wasn't directly related to him. Not that any of it mattered to the girl who spent a lot of her time either locked up in her room or up the single tree in the back yard.

Today happened to be one of the tree days.

"You know, as if sharing our house and caring for you isn't enough, you could make it a lot easier by actually showing up when we cook or maybe coming down to civilization every once in a while." Tom yelled up, blocking his eyes from the bright sun.

"Who cares anymore." Valyntine replied.

"I don't know," Tom said after a slight hesitation, "but starving yourself won't find the answer."

"Doesn't matter anyway. I'll be gone soon."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what it means."

"Fine don't tell me. I'll be inside." Tom turned back around and headed towards the open door at the back of the house.

"Whatever."

Valyntine stood up on the tree branch before slowly climbing down on the side hidden from Tom and snuck around to the front of the house to leave a note carefully placed under a rock, so as to not blow away. Then she left.

Bill came home shortly after to find said note. He let out a gasp of surprise before running into the house.

"Tom! Tom, where are you!" Bill yelled checking his room and Tom's before heading to the kitchen.

"What do you want?"

"What does this mean?!"

"What does what mean?"

"This!" Bill exclaimed, shoving the note into Tom's face. Tom took it from his little brother to read and went still when he finished.

'Dear Bill,

I'm leaving this here for you to find. I've decided to put everyone out of the burden of caring for me, and jumping seems the easiest way. Thanks for the help and I know you tried, but I don't care whether I live or not. And no one cares about me, so why not. Don't bother to search for me. And tell Jorg that no matter his fathering skills, he was a great manager. I hope you get big.

Fair wishes, Valyntine'

"We have to stop her!" Bill was going into hysterics while Tom slowly sank into the nearest chair. "There has to be some way to find her. We'll call the police, the army, the fire department, anyone! We have to find her before it's too late."

While Bill snatched up the phone and started calling every task force in Germany, Tom headed off to his car. He started it up and drove off before Bill even got a hold of the police. He knew where to go.


"Valyntine?" Tom whispered to the girl perched perilously on the bridge edge.

"How'd you know where to find me?" She asked, emotionless.

"There are tons of pictures of this place in your room. I remember seeing them one day when Bill sent me to find you.

"So why'd you come? Out of all the people who don't care, you seem to me the leader of the group."

"I can't let you do this Valyntine. It'd kill Bill, Jorg,…and me too." Tom said, nearly whispering the last part.

"Maybe Bill, but not you two."

"Yes it would. Jorg might not have been the best of fathers, but he still cares for you. And so do I."

"You hate me." Valyntine's tears could be heard through her words now. Tom took a few steps forward.

"It may have seemed that way, but the truth of the matter is…I care deeply for you. I might even love you."

She snorted, "Yeah right. You loving someone is the biggest prank ever. Besides, if you loved me, why have you never showed it."

"I was scared. I didn't want anything to change in my life. And falling in love is the biggest change of all. I didn't know what was going to happen so I hid my feelings away and acted like the jerk I am.

"You're not a jerk."

Now it was Tom's turn to snort. "I'm the biggest jerk ever. I'm the one who drove you here."

"No, a lot of things did. After my parents died, it seemed as if no one cared. I heard Jorg and your's conversation the day I met you and from their it just got worse. I didn't feel the need to live anymore."

"And how about now?"

"Now I don't know."

"Please Valyntine. And if, through it all I can't hold you back, I'll jump for you." Tom pleaded, holding out his hand. And Valyntine took it.