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Ana looked through the cab window as it made its way through the tree-lined drive. The University District was beautiful; she had heard from other people about the grandeur of the fraternity houses but had never been there herself. It had been about 20 minutes since leaving the bar and Ana was feeling the alcohol even more now.

She looked over at Ethan and smiled. "So, what does your friend do?"

"He is a grad student here and was a frat a few years ago. He is helping out with the party tonight, since most of the members are underage. From what I can remember, these parties can get a little out of hand, so don't go too far, 'kay Ana?" Ethan had a silly grin on his face and Ana had to smile. Ethan was the best choice when everything else went wrong; his good humor was literally infectious.

"So, you don't think I can take care of myself either, huh?" Ana was teasing , but it hurt to admit to herself that Christian had zero confidence in her abilities. How the hell did he think she had managed for 21 years before he showed up?

This got a rise out of Ethan. "I think you could handle just about anyone, Steele," he laughed. "At least, if you had Kate around you would stand a chance. I just know of about a dozen people who would be lining up to kill me if anything happened to you." Ana nodded: she had to give him that one. A vengeful Ray, Christian or Kate would be enough to put the fear of god into anyone.

The cab pulled to a stop in front of one of the larger houses and Ana could see that the party going strong. There was one girl puking in the bushes and a handful of people sitting on the lawn around a cooler, smoking. Loud music (and several even louder voices) carried beyond the walls of the house. Had she not been drinking, Ana would have felt apprehensive, but given her state of mind, she opened the car door and slide right out onto the sidewalk.

Ethan paid the cabdriver and followed her out, making sure she didn't trip on the uneven pavement. "We'll just hang out for a while and see how things go," he whispered to her. "If you ever want to leave, just let me know."

Ana nodded that she understood and stepped across the threshold. There was so much going on that it was hard to know where to look. Some college boy came forward out of the crowd with a drink ready in his hand.

"Hey. Thirsty?" he smirked and tried to hand her the cup. Ethan pushed him out of the way and led her to the back of the house.

"Don't take drinks from anyone but me, okay?" he rumbled close to her ear. Ana nodded and hugged his arm a little tighter, which helped to steady herself once more. Ethan was a good friend and she was thankful to have him with her tonight.

They made it to the kitchen and Ethan gave a few of the guys a greeting and introduced her. It was hard to hear over the music, so she just smiled. Ethan handed her a drink, which smelled strongly of tequila. He got one for himself, too, and leaned casually against the counter.

One of the taller guys in the group winked at her and she felt herself blush to the roots of her hair. Ethan appeared not to notice, completely consumed with his side conversation. Taking advantage of his distraction, Tall leaned closer to Ana. "So, you and Ethan a thing now?" he whispered.

The alcohol in her system made it hard to respond. Before she could speak, Tall shook his head slightly. "I'll take that as a no, then." He grabbed Ana by her wrist, attempting to lead her away from the group. She managed to protest enough that Ethan finally realized what was happening.

"Jesus, Daniel, leave her alone. She's with me, alright?" Tall/Daniel had enough shame to look a little guilty, but just shrugged his shoulders and wandered off into the living room alone.

Thankfully, the other men in the kitchen seemed to take the hint as well and left Ana alone for the most part after that. Since no one was bothering her, Ana began regaining her confidence in following Ethan to the party. She silently reviewed her intentions for the night, given the fact that it was unlikely that she would be having another free night for a while. Yes, tonight was about having fun and that is what she wanted to do. She gazed back at the foyer and discovered that there were several people playing karaoke. She leaned over to Ethan and he lowered his head so he could hear her. "I want to play a song."

He glanced at the machine and gave her a big grin and a wink. He told the big guy next to him and the three of them headed over to the crowd. Big Guy introduced her and handed her a microphone. Ana felt herself becoming self-conscious, but shoved the feeling away as she took a drink from her cup and handed it to Ethan.

The song started and she realized that it was actually one that she knew. Katy Perry had never sounded so good and she sung every word of I kissed a Girl, stumbling only when she slurred too much. The crowd was growing and everyone seemed to love it. She noted mentally that a few of them had even taken out their phones to capture the moment.

After the song was over, a new guy stepped forward, trying to coax her off the stage, but Ethan was too quick. He helped her down and steadied her once more. "Oh my god, Ana, you were amazing!" he yelled over the crowd. "Where the hell did you learn to sing like that?"

Ana smiled and was about to answer, but she suddenly felt sick. "I think I need to lie down, Ethan."

He looked a little worried, but nodded his head. He drug her over to where Big Guy was standing and whispered something to him. Big Guy nodded and handed Ethan a key from his wallet. Ethan walked her up the stairs and stopped at one of the bedroom doors. He took out the key and opened the door. The room was dark and Ana had to blink several times to adjust her eyes.

"This is the room I was going to stay in tonight. The party will probably go on until morning, but you can stay here, too, if you don't want to go home." Ethan closed the door and locked it again with the key. "Just don't open the door for anyone. I don't need any drunk dudes in here."

Ana giggled at the thought, but solemnly nodded her head when Ethan glared at her. Geez, were all guys this hung up? Ana turned around and spied the huge king sized bed. It looked amazing.

Without thinking, she jumped on it and began bouncing. Ethan watched her, slightly amused. "I get it that you want the bed. I can sleep on the floor."

Ana slowed down and gave him a sheepish nod. "Tanks, Etan," she slurred.

She fell back on the bed and leaned her head against the pillow, without even worrying about getting under the covers. She heard Ethan rustling around, but soon she fell into a restless sleep.