Lydia sat at her piano and placed her fingers on the keys just as her mother taught her. She loved the sound of the piano. It calmed her when she was angry or sad, and it drowned out the sound of her parents arguing. Her personal favorite was Claire de Lune, which was what she was about to play now. Her fingers hit the first few notes, but a tap on the living room window caught her attention. She turned to see a blonde haired, blue eyed boy looking back at her. She giggled as he made a goofy face and waved. It was her best friend, Jackson.

As he disappeared from the window, she rose from her seat and raced to the front door. She opened it even before he got a chance to ring the doorbell, and he jumped with a fright.

"Hi Jackson," Lydia smiled. "Come on in. I was just about to play piano. Wanna listen?"

Jackson shook his head. "Come to the lake with me! I wanna skip rocks and look for frogs-" He frowned at her expression. "Aw, come on Lydia! It's too nice out to be stuck inside all day. Come with me to the lake. You don't have to look for frogs like me. You can just sit there and watch."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "That sounds like fun...fine. I'll come with you. But you have to promise me not to let me fall on the rocks, okay?"

Jackson beamed. "I promise. Come on!" He took her hand and they both raced down through the woods and to the lake. It was a beautiful day in Beacon Hills, the sun shining down on the water and making it look as if it was covered in crystals. The earth seemed almost alive as they settled down by the water's edge, listening to the birds and the call of nearby critters.

"This place gives me the creeps sometimes..." Lydia wrapped her arms around her legs and shivered.

"Don't be such a girl, Liddy. There's nothing to be scared of in the woods...except the evil bunny rabbits that want to suck out your brain in your sleep!" Jackson roared like a lion and slurped, pretending to suck on Lydia's head.

Lydia giggled. "Cut it out, Jackson! I'm serious. This place creeps me out..."

Jackson frowned and got to his feet. "Don't worry, Liddy. I'll keep you safe. I mean, just look at me. I'm like Superman," he flexed his biceps, which made Lydia laugh. "What? What are you laughing at?"

"You're more like a spaghetti noodle than Superman, Jackson," she laughed and felt his arms. "You're practically skin and bones."

Jackson stuck out his tongue. "I'm only 10, Lydia. My dad says I'll fill out and grow up to be big and strong. Strong enough to protect you from anything."

Lydia picked a flower from the ground and twirled it around in her fingers. "Like Superman strong?"

Jackson shrugged. "Maybe not exactly like him, but I could be your Superman," he grinned as she turned away and blushed. "I'm gonna go skip some stones on the dock. You coming?"

"No, I'll stay here and watch you. Be careful on the rocks, okay? I heard Danny fell the other day and hurt his knee."

Jackson nodded. "I'll be careful. Be back in a few!" Jackson raced off down the shoreline, nearly slipping once or twice, and this made Lydia roll her eyes. Of course he wasn't going to listen. Jackson was stubborn like that.

While he searched for rocks on the ground, Lydia closed her eyes and laid back on the grass. The wind had died down a bit and the air was getting warmer. She also noticed how quiet the birds had gotten. Curious, she sat up and looked around. Jackson was on the dock skipping stones, oblivious to the world around him. She listened carefully, and she swore she could hear something in the bushes behind her. She turned around just in time to see a pair of blue eyes staring out at her, and her panic level rose.

"J-Jackson! Jackson!" She got to her feet and raced down the shoreline. "Jackson! Jack-" She felt her foot slip from underneath her and she fell to the ground, her shin scraping against a sharp rock as she fell. She immediately began to cry as she held her leg in pain, rocking back and forth on the ground.

Jackson threw a rock and watched it skip six times in the water. He laughed and picked up another rock to throw, but a cry caught his attention. He turned, dropping the rock he had in his hand and it fell onto the dock and plopped into the water.

"Lydia? Lydia!" He ran down the dock as fast as his feet could take him and he jumped over the small fence that blocked his way to Lydia. She was sobbing and holding her shin in pain, the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Lydia! What happened?" He fell to the ground next to her and looked at her leg. It was bleeding and was already bruised.

"I-I fell. I heard something in the bushes and when I turned, there was a pair of eyes looking at me and I got scared...so I ran to you. But I fell and now..." She began to cry again.

"Are you okay? Ugh, that was a stupid question..." Jackson leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on her knee. She stared at him, astonished by this simple act. "Is that better? I kissed it better for you."

Lydia sniffed, wiping her nose in her sleeve. "A little. It still hurts, though..."

Jackson frowned. "Here. Come on. Let's get you home so your mom and dad can have a look at your leg. It looks pretty bad..." He helped her to her feet, and she winced and fell against his chest, nearly knocking him down to the ground. "You okay? Does it hurt a lot?"

Lydia sniffled. "Not as much, Jackson...but I don't think I can walk on it. Maybe you should run back to my house and get my mom and dad? They can pick us up in the car."

Jackson shook his head. "No. You're hurt, Liddy. I'll carry you back home if I have to."

Lydia almost laughed at him, but she bit back her laughter. "Jackson...you can't carry me. I'm too heavy for you."

Jackson scoffed. "You're as light as a feather. Hop into my arms. I'll prove just how strong I am to you." He gazed at her and smiled. "Come on, Lydia. Didn't I make a promise to you never to let you fall?"

Lydia cocked her head to one side. "But I already fell...and you didn't catch me."

Jackson shook his head and lift her up in his arms, struggling to hold onto her. "Well...now I am. If you fall, I fall, okay?"

Lydia smiled into his shoulder. "Okay. So you'll be my Superman?"

Jackson smiled crookedly. "Maybe not Superman, but I'll be your hero."

Lydia blushed. "You're on, Whittemore. But if you can't, you have to have afternoon tea with my mom and I next Wednesday."

Jackson gagged. "Afternoon tea? Are you serious, Lydia? But that's for girls!" Her glare made him shut his mouth. "Fine. I'll carry you all the way home. Maybe with the five dollars you owe me, I'll buy you an ice cream?"

"I'd...love that. Make it chocolate with sprinkles and it's a done deal," she smirked as he adjusted her in his arms and began to walk. "You know what? I could get used to this. You should carry me more often, Jacky."

Jackson grunted. "Don't count on it, Liddy. I'm not your boyfriend. I'm too young for one-" She hit him on the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"I never said anything about you being my boyfriend, you moron! Boys are stupid, anyway. I'm going to be forever single and perfect."

"Well, you have the perfect part right..." It was Jackson's turn to blush as Lydia stared into his eyes. He cleared his throat. "Um, yeah. Have you noticed that we're already at your house?" He smiled as Lydia's mouth dropped open slightly. "See? Told you I could carry you all the way home. You never listen, do you Liddy?" He set her down on the bench on her front porch and chuckled.

Lydia stuck out her tongue. "You're still a moron. That will never change-mom!" Lydia was embraced by her mother. "I fell down. Scraped my shin on some rocks. Jackson carried me home," she glanced up at him and smiled.

"Goodness, Lydia, it's deep. And Jackson carried you home?" Mrs. Martin turned to face Jackson. "Thank you, Jackson. I'll take it from here. Your parents called not long ago, asking if you were here. You should go home and let them know you're okay."

Jackson nodded and looked at Lydia. "Hope you feel better soon, Liddy." He went over and hugged her tightly, and was delighted to feel her return the hug.

"Thanks, Jacky..." She hobbled over to the door, her mother holding onto her hand to balance her. "Oh! Jackson!" She called out to him as he was walking down the walkway.

He turned. "Yeah?"

She smiled. "Don't forget. You owe me an ice cream."

Jackson smiled as brilliant smile. "I won't forget, Liddy." He waved as he opened the front gate and stepped through it, smiling all the while as he listened to Lydia's giggled and wondered how big of an ice cream could five dollars buy that beautiful girl.