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Summary: Noel faced Jenna, anger smeared over his face. "You really think that I don't care about you?" He snapped, eyeing the black-haired girl, incredulously, "I'm serious about you, Jenna. Just because I want to protect Alison, my friend since childhood, doesn't mean I don't want to protect you too."

A Question of Loyalty:

"How could you?!"

The angered, bitter question made Noel feel like he had just been slapped in the face. Jenna was really asking him this? He neared the blind young woman, towering over her and raised his right hand, stroking the palm along her cheek before she pulled away, backing up into the wall. "Don't!" She snapped, pain in her voice, "Don't…how could you? After what I told you about her? About Alison blinding me? Then blackmailing me into staying away from Rosewood? How could you help her? How could you be protecting her?! How, Noel?! How do you sleep at night?"

Noel lifted his head, thin black eyebrow arching. Maybe he shouldn't say it, but the opportunity was too great. As Alison once told him when they were going on their little adventures together when they were kids, if there was a dirty thing someone was walking right into, why stop them? "Quite well with my Jenna on top of me." He said, shrugging, smiling. He wasn't surprised by the result. Beautiful pink rushed to Jenna's usually pale cheeks, then her teeth clenched as her voice cracked in anger and Noel didn't need to see under those Gucci sunglasses to know that her eyes were narrowing in fury.

"Don't give me that," She hissed, "I won't be sleeping next to you or on you much longer. Pack your bags, Noel. Get out of my house." Noel flinched as he walked closer to her. He didn't aim for the door, only for Jenna's small frame that was now backing away. Jenna couldn't see him, but she could hear his footsteps getting closer. Her mouth parted as the sign of a frisson of fear crossed her face.

Noel almost let out a pained laugh. His Jenna was scared of him? One of the two women he adored and loved more than anyone else in the world save only his mother was scared of him? That was hilarious.

He leaned in close, smiling, face inches from Jenna's now panicked one, hands landing on each side of Jenna's dark head. "Jenna," he said evenly, "I need you to figure this out. I would never hurt you. Ever. Yes, I'm helping Alison. Yes, I'm making sure she's safe from harm. Yes, I'm helping her escape all of the A-Team, including you," he smiled again when Jenna gave him an angered look, "But Jenna, I'm not surprised by what you told me. I have no illusions about how Alison is. She's no angel," Noel smirked fondly as he spoke, "No, she's a little devil. And so am I. Which leads me to what I was about to say. Jenna, there's a reason I'm helping Alison. I'm not going to be unfaithful to you. I never have been."

"Right," Jenna sneered sarcastically, "And that slut hasn't gotten to you then? That's not why you're helping her? Because she doesn't open her legs for you?"

Noel bit down on his anger at Jenna talking about Alison like that. "Jenna," He said, voice low, making Jenna freeze at the seriousness in it-a tone that people rarely heard from Noel Kahn, one of the world's biggest jokers, "I love you. But don't, please don't talk about Ali like that. Don't talk about my little sister like that."

Jenna didn't move. Noel knew her eyes were huge now. He knew. "Wha….what?" She sputtered out, shaking her head, not understanding, "Your sister?! Wait….are you…..?"

Noel chuckled, "No, no. It's not like Jason. I'm not half-related or even remotely related to Alison."

Now Jenna was even more startled. "Wait," She said, standing up straighter, and this time Noel could just barely see her eyes narrowing behind the sunglasses, her brilliant, beautiful mind trying to understand what she was hearing, "You know about Jason? You know who his father is?"

Noel grinned, "Yep. Peter Hastings. I know. You know how I know? Ali told me. That's how much she trusts me. You don't just have to be part of the A-Team to know that. Ali trusts her brother. Her real brother."

Again, Jenna was giving him an astounded look that told him she just couldn't figure out what was going on. Finally, Noel exhaled deeply and started, "I met Ali when I was seven. She was six. My brother Eric and I were shooting at each other with water guns, and Ali was in the garden with her mom. She just had a fight with her brother Jason and so was upset. We ran into each other and I shot some water at her," He added, grinning, "You know, stupid kid stuff."

Jenna snorted, "More like stupid Noel stuff. Not that I'm sure she didn't deserve it."

Noel rolled his eyes, "Anyway, she of course got angry and ripped me a new one. I was so surprised by how she reacted that I didn't do anything when Eric hit me with some water. I guess after that I thought Ali was cool and asked if she wanted to play with us. Her mom said no, but I'm sure you know that that wouldn't stop Alison." He grinned and watched as Jenna gave a dry smirk.

Whatever Jenna's disgusted opinion of Alison was, she knew well enough that rules sure as hell wouldn't stop the infamous blonde.

"And so she snuck off and grabbed a water pistol and played with us," Noel continued, pulling himself off the wall and watched, a pang of disappointment surging through him when he saw the relief flood Jenna's face when she didn't feel him as close as before-as if she still expected Noel to hurt her, "After we were all soaked and drying off, we talked and Ali complained about how much she hated having Jason for a brother. So, I offered to be her new big brother. Because I always wanted a little sister. She found it weird but I guess she thought it would be fun and agreed. Then she went home and her mom yelled at her."

Jenna shook her head, "Are you really telling me that because you two promised to be "brother and sister forever" that that's what's going on here?"

Noel shrugged, though he knew Jenna couldn't see it, "Sure. That's why I'm helping her. I'm just protecting my little sister when I know Jason wouldn't. And it doesn't end there. It just happened at the time that Ali and I were in the same neighborhood, but I stopped by her house and told her my address. Ali asked her mom if she could play with us, and well, we're the Kahns, so Jessica really wasn't complaining. And for years Ali and I would hang out together. See, that's why I know that you were telling me the truth about Ali blinding you and then blackmailing you," Noel tasted a bitterness in his mouth at that, though this information hadn't shocked him at all, "See, growing up, Ali and I really were like brother and sister. While Jason was busy taking advantage of young girls with his stupid club that Ian and Garrett were in, Ali and I were mischievous little devils together. Siblings in mischief all those years. It just happens that blinding you was the worst thing she's done as far as I know." The dark-haired teenager's voice became strained as he thought with great affection mixing with the sadness, thinking about his baby sister-not by blood, but by choosing.

His little sister, that he promised he would always protect. Always. No matter what, even with the knowledge of the things they had both done. Things that neither of them were very proud of, but accepted of each other anyway out of love and devotion. He had never been involved with Alison like that. Alison was his younger sister, first and foremost.

Jenna whispered, but Noel heard her anyway, and watched as the dawning realization crossed her angular face, "Is that why…..is that why you're always hanging around those bitches? Is that why you're always near the liars?"

Noel tried to hold back a laugh at Jenna's petty name-calling. "Yes, to a certain extent," He admitted, crossing his arms over his broad chest, "When Mona started sending Ali those texts, Alison told me about the plan to disappear. I begged her to let me come with her. I wanted to protect her no matter what," Noel's face became pained as he thought of his desperate sibling, "but she refused. She said that I had to stay and watch Spencer, Aria, Hanna and Emily. She wanted me to protect them if anything happened to her." He added quietly, "That's why I was there that night when Hanna was hit by the car. I was watching Aria with a goddamn pedophile," Noel's voice became furious for a moment, making Jenna shiver before he softened his tone, "I was supposed to protect all of them, but I was pissed when I saw Aria with a child molester and didn't get to Hanna in time. I just got there in time to see all three of them gathered around Hanna's injured body."

Noel felt his flinch shake him. Dammit. He had promised Ali that they'd be safe. And Hanna had almost died. Boy, he had gotten an earful when he told her.

He was lucky that was all he had gotten given how much she cared about those girls.

Jenna, comprehending all this, let the acid out of her mouth in a rush, "Get out! Get out! Get out! I don't care what you are to Alison! If you care about her at all, then you can leave and stay gone! Traitor."

Noel narrowed his crystal green eyes, Jenna's words stinging him. Jenna-the girl that he loved most. His mother, his sister Ali and Jenna his love, they and his brother and father meant everything to him. If there was one thing he was, it was loyal. Being called a traitor wasn't any small insult.

"Don't ever call me that again," He said darkly, forcing Jenna to turn to him, "Please, Jenna. I'm a lot of things. But a traitor isn't one of them. I'm loyal. Both to you and to Ali." Jenna scowled. "You can't play both sides, Noel. Pick a side. Her, or the A-Team."

Noel sighed, stepping forward again, leaning in and placing a feather light kiss on Jenna's forehead, making a tense gasp leave the blind girl's throat.

"I choose my side," Noel said calmly, "And my side consists of you, and Alison. I love you both. My little sister and I love you too, Jenna. So much." He stepped away, walking towards the door, "I promise," He said, grinning back at the love of his life, "I'll help stop Mona and whoever this new –A is. Then you and me, we can go off somewhere together. You can move on and find something better to do besides think about revenge." His smile widened, "You don't need revenge. You're one of the best, most unique people I know."

At Jenna's befuddled expression, no words leaving her mouth, Noel turned back to the door and started heading out. Before he disappeared, he called back, "I love you Jenna. No matter what you think of me, I love you. I will not betray you. But I will not betray Alison either. Just because I want to protect Alison, my friend since childhood and sister, doesn't mean I don't want to protect you too."

Then he was gone, the sound of his footsteps disappearing into the air. Stunned, shocked, unable to comprehend what just happened, Jenna sank to the floor, stick falling to the floor with her, hands reaching up and covering her face as she felt the tears begin to fall.

Just a possibility of what Noel and Alison's relationship might really be, and why Noel might have helped her. It kind of made sense in my head.