New one! Alright guys, I really hope you like this, even though it might get at bit confusing at the end. Sorry about that.

...

Okay Charlene, time to finish this thing. You can do this.

I dismounted from the balance beam with a backflip, preparing myself to stick the landing. The slight sensation of falling wasn't unfamiliar to me; I'd got so accustomed to it during the multiple hours of training. However, what I wasn't used to, was the abnormally bright overhead lights in this room, and I made the mistake of glancing up at them during the flip.

White spots filled my vision, and I knew I wasn't going to stick the landing perfectly.

The mat came sooner than I expected, throwing me off balance the slightest bit. Somehow, I managed to catch my footing with only the tiniest malfunction. The landing had been stuck, but with a blemish. The best I could get now was a silver.

All around me, my friends were cheering, giant smiles on their faces as they clapped.

Yet, the only thing I could focus on was the flicker of a scowl on one judge; the minuscule shake of another's head as they scribbled frantically on the sleek clipboards grasped inside their free hands. The third one was clearly inexperienced when it came to gymnastics - she was applauding with an impressed manner like everyone else - so the fault at the end of my routine seemed nothing, when in reality, it was a horrible mistake.

In the front row sat my mother, a disappointed look laced through her flawless features. I felt my stomach drop down to my shoes. Her head shook side to side almost imperceptibly, averting her eyes down onto the phone that was now ringing.

Biting my lip harshly, I stumbled down the steps leading off the mat, clearing it for the next gymnast. The school's coach, an overly perky stubby woman, ushered me away the second both feet were on the ground. "Oh, hun, you did great! Don't mind that last little stumble, everyone makes mistakes."

I've never wanted to hit anyone harder.

Anger flared up, and it took all my energy to not scream at the woman. Scream to her that I couldn't afford to make mistakes, couldn't afford disappointing my mother in this area of my life.

On the outside, I smiled weakly.

As I stepped up to accept the silver medal from the three judges, I thanked them each in turn. I congratulated the girl who'd won first place, and smiled broadly for requested pictures.

On the outside, I smiled.

Inside, disappointment was eating me alive.

"Charlene, stay after a minute, would you?"

I froze briefly, surprised at my science teacher's request, before waving a few friends from cheer leading to go ahead. Clutching today's homework in one hand, the rest of my supplies in the other, I stepped up to her desk. "Yes, ma'am?"

In her hand was a stapled piece of paper that I recognized immediately as the most recent test - taken just yesterday - with several red x's on the back side alone. "Charlene, I wanted to ask you about your test."

I sighed. "I wasn't feeling the greatest yesterday, and I guess my test kinda shows it." Shrugging half-heartedly, I broke the eye contact between the two of us.

"Charlene," she said, and the stern tone in her voice made me flinch. When I looked back up at her, the stern gleam softened. "You and I both know you're a better student than this. I'm going to let it slide this time, but if you fail the next test as well, I'll have no choice but to contact your parents."

I nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Charlene! You coming?"

"Where?"

"Where?" Macy, a cheerleader in the grade below me, asked bewilderedly. "The team sleepover is tonight!"

Another girl piped up, weakly, "You are coming, aren't you?"

Finn's warning from the night before flashed through my mind; Don't go out alone.

I hesitated. "Um... Sorry guys, I can't make it today."

Annabeth, a blonde cheerleader I didn't know too well, scoffed. I faintly remembered an actual friend of mine on the squad telling me about how she wanted to take over my position as captain. I tensed slightly as I turned to face her. "Yes, Annabeth?" I asked, attempting to make my voice as sweet as possible.

"As our captain," she snarled the word, "shouldn't you be the first one to go? After all, this sleepover is tradition."

"I can't make every single event we plan. None of us can."

"I have."

I practically growled at the smirk on her face. "Okay, none of us with actual social lives can."

I knew as soon as the words were out of my mouth, they were a mistake.

Right then the squad sort of split. The girls who seemed to agree with my words laughed, whereas the others looked as if they'd been slapped. I immediately tried to backtrack, but it was too late.

They left, leaving me feeling worse than ever.

"Charlie! Wait!"

I instantly stopped at Amanda's words, and she didn't hesitate to yank me down with her in a squatting position behind a bush. "Mandy? What's wrong?"

As far as I could see, there was nothing to prevent us from continuing patrol for the night. So why did she look so on edge?

She pointed off somewhere to the right. Hidden just beside the Country Bear Jamboree were three Overtakers; two CTD's and a pirate. Had she not seen them, we would've walked right into their trap.

"Amanda, what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know yet," she muttered. She looked around, more than likely trying to form a plan in her head. "Okay, I think I know something we-"

"Leaving so soon?" A new voice said. Next thing I knew, Amanda was gone.

I turned around quickly, only to be faced with a pirate holding Amanda captive, a long knife at her throat. A second pirate stood at their side, brandishing a pistol in his right hand. With a strangled intake, I noticed that it was pointed straight at my heart.

A figure emerged from the shadows off to the left. Based by the shape of the figure, I could tell it was human; female to be exact.

"Hmm. Not who we were expecting, but you'll do." The person stepped fully into the light, and I recognized her as Shego, the sarcastic villain from Kim Possible. She clucked her tongue. "You two might not want to move. I'm pretty sure these two won't take it easy on you."

I tried to reply, but found that my throat had gone dry. It would be almost impossible to speak now. "What do you want us to do with 'em boss?" the pirate holding Amanda grunted.

"Boss?" Amanda laughed harshly. "Wow Shego, I never took you as one to be around these type."

The pirate pressed the blade a bit harder against her neck, but it seemed as if she didn't mind it.

Shego snarled. Her gloved hands began to glow, and I knew that it wasn't a good thing to get her mad. "I didn't want to do this job, but I was forced to. No one wants to be shoved into working with these idiots."

Whether or not the pirates understood was a mystery, I'm not even sure they heard her.

Amanda's eyes locked on mine. Follow my lead, she said.

"Oh, I'm sure you didn't." Amanda said, changing the tone of her voice entirely to be sweet. "Why would someone as smart as you have to work with pirates?"

Shego smirked, and the glow went out. "Exactly my point. Why Maleficent thinks of me as low as them-"

The pirates grip loosened on Amanda, just enough for her to reach up, take ahold of the wrist around her throat, and twist it to where it was folded behind him.

The second pirate glanced over to the first. I charged, swiftly knocking the pistol across the courtyard. A second later, he was unconscious, due to the punch to the temple I had delivered.

Shego's look of shock made me grin, but it soon evaporated. Her hands began glowing once more, and with a move too quick for me to do anything about, she sent a blast straight at me.

I tried to move, but it was as if I was paralyzed. I was rooted in my place with fear, and no matter how hard I tried, my body just wouldn't react.

So, I closed my eyes and waited.

It never came.

Slowly, I opened my eyes to see a crumpled Amanda at my feet. She laid on her back, unconscious, one hand on the freshly made burn on her stomach, the other laying limply at her side.

"NO!"

Shego grinned as if she'd won a prize, a obscene, horrifying prize. "Come on boys, I think that'll do for tonight."

In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

I fell to my knees at her side. Tears began gathering in my eyes, and I made no move to stop them as they moved down my cheeks. "No!" I gripped her wrist, searching almost desperately for a pulse. It was weak, but still there. Thank God. "Amanda, please!"

"Charlie? What's- MANDY!"

Suddenly, Jess was at my side, then Finn, then the entire group.

I stood reluctantly, taking tiny steps back, never moving my eyes away from Amanda's body. She's not dead, she's not dead..

Calloused hands pried at mine, and I became aware that I was sobbing into my hands, crouched a small distance from everyone else. "Charlie, Charlene, please." A deep voice murmured, and I finally allowed for the person to pull them away.

Maybeck squatted in front of me. His eyes bore nothing but concern, and a little confusion. "Charlie, what happened."

It wasn't a question, but a statement, a gentle, undemanding statement. With a stifled sob, I poured out the story.

He nodded as I finished, a solemn look on his face.

Jess had finally stopped crying, and whirled around to me, an expression of pure fury covering her features. "You. It's your fault this happened!" She was now screeching, and fresh tears had gathered in my eyes. "If she dies, it's entirely your fault!"

Philby, ever the rational one, said, "Jess, calm down. She's got a pulse, and it's getting stronger by the minute. She's going to be fine."

"I don't care! If she'd done something about it, this wouldn't have happened!"

With that, she stomped off.

"I'll go calm her down," said Willa, and she too left.

Finn's look of anger tipped the iceberg once more, and I broke down.

He too left, and after a mumbled phrase from Philby, he ran after him.

I'd never been so upset in my life.

A Week Later

"Alright guys, it's patrol night," said Finn, shooting a look to each of us in turn. "Phil, you and Mandy have both Fantasylands, and the Castle. Willa, Jess and I'll patrol Adventureland and Frontierland, so Charlie, you and Maybeck have Main Street and Tomorrowland." He smiled. "Everyone alright? Meet back here in two hours." Then, the three of them were gone.

Not too long afterwards, Amanda and Philby were on their way. The two of them were laughing and smiling, but I could easily see the slight limp in her step. It made me flinch every time.

"Ready to go?" Maybeck asked. He stood five feet away, looking at me expectantly.

I shook the thoughts out of my head and followed him as he walked along towards the entrance to Tomorrowland.

I had tuned out entirely, that is until a not-so-gentle nudge almost knocked me completely over. "Sorry." He apologized quickly, helping me regain my balance. "I didn't exactly mean to do that. I was just going to ask you if you're alright, you seem sort of.. Distant, I guess."

I sighed and kicked a stone laying at my feet. "I'm fine."

He stopped instantly. His eyes skimmed the area before tugging me into the nearest door, which happened to be the entrance to the Starlight Cafe.

"You know," he mused, grabbing two glasses from inside the kitchen. I sat in the main dining area, listening for him to continue. He came back, clutching the two cups, now filled with water. "Living with a woman my entire life has taught me that when a girl says 'I'm fine', they're usually not fine." He sat next to me. "What's up."

I opened my mouth to disagree, but snapped my mouth shut at his look. Dang, I'm not getting out of this.

I sighed. "How am I a Keeper?"

Maybeck choked on the water. "What?"

"How am I a Keeper?" I repeated, and at his questioning glare, continued, "I mean, all I do is disappoint. I can't do anything without someone being mad at me!" I stood, dragging a hand through my hair, and paced.

"Charlie," he muttered, standing as well, "where is this coming from?"

"This entire week!" I growled. "I disappoint my mother at a competition, my teammates on the squad are mad at me, even my teacher thinks I'm horrible!" I finally moved my gaze over to him, to see disbelief evident on his features. "And then Amanda goes and takes a fireball for me!"

He came over to stand in front of me. "She took that because you're her friend. She took it because she knew you would've done it for her. Right?"

"Absolutely."

"See? If this is about Finn and Jess, they got over it. That night, they were just speaking out of fear. They were terrified, and took it out on you."

"It should've been me." I responded weakly.

He let out a groan of frustration. "Dang it, Charlie!" His hand flew out and connected with the wall a few feet away. I gasped, bringing both hands up to my mouth in shock. He's never done anything like that before.

In the next moment, all frustration was gone and his gaze was soft. "Charlie, listen to me. What occurred that night was not your fault. It was nobody's. You two just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It happens to everyone."

He now stood mere inches away. With the gentleness as though he were caring for a wounded bird, he wiped away a stray tear on my cheek. "As for everyone else, screw them. It doesn't matter what they think."

We were nose to nose. "But-"

"No buts, Charlie." And in the next moment, his lips were on mine in the softest kiss I've ever experienced. It was like I was his wounded bird, and he was terrified of the mere thought of breaking me.

My hands found their own way, wrapping around his neck, as his went around my waist. I shivered as his calloused fingers brushed against a sliver of exposed skin at my hip.

"Charlie," he mumbled after he pulled away. "You'll always be more than enough for me."

I smiled, the first real one in a long time.

This wasn't happiness, no, it was a moment of pure bliss.

In that moment, I knew that it doesn't matter who likes me, or who's proud. As long as Terry was at my side, nothing would matter.

...

Okay, to those who reviewed on Masquerade, thanks! It made my day reading those! And thanks to the two who followed me afterwards as well.

R&R! Rate, Review, anything! Tell me how I did, good or bad. And this time, can you guys leave requests so that I won't be clueless on what to write? Please, and thanks! Thanks for reading!