A.N.: Well, here we go… for better or worse. Let me know if you think anything sounds iffy. Tell me what you think ^_^. Chapter 1 was edited VERY slightly. I might do more edits later, but work and school are really cramping my free time.

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"Because I care, Derek," She told him. And she did. She really did. It bothered her to see him so upset. He was so obviously troubled that it made her heart clench. He clearly wanted to say something, but instead he was just keeping it all bottled up. She wanted to reach out and give him a hug, but they weren't exactly the touchy-feely kind of friends. And for some reason, the idea of hugging Derek made her nervous…

Probably because I'm afraid he'd blow up at me for trying. Right, wouldn't want to invoke his wrath anymore than I already do on a daily basis.

But this was getting a little ridiculous. If he didn't get all this negative energy out, his head might just explode. Chloe needed to do something.

"Well then, if you're not going to talk to me I'm just going to sit here." She plopped down Indian-style on the floor in front of him. Ever since they'd arrived back at the safe house, he had been acting more agitated than he was while they were on the run. Something was wrong, but he was being stubborn. She really couldn't understand why he wouldn't talk to her, or to Simon, or to someone. Derek wasn't exactly what you'd call a people person, but this was taking his status as an introvert to a whole new level. It almost made her as angry as it worried her.

While they'd been alone it had seemed like he was opening up. There was a kind, caring, and loyal guy hidden under all of those rude outbursts. She found herself missing it at times. Chloe wasn't about to let him completely clam up on himself again. If he wasn't just going to volunteer for a therapeutic psych session, maybe she needed to try a different angle. Maybe if she talked first, he'd feel more comfortable. Or something.

"Fine then, I'll talk. Let's see…I haven't watched a movie in ages, so the fact that the T.V. here only gets crappy reception to local channels seems like some sort of cruel and unusual torture. This place isn't exactly my idea of a vacation getaway. It smells like moth balls and stale old people, but at least we have showers. I will never take shampoo for granted again," she provided helpfully.

"Yeah," he grunted through clenched teeth. And now he looked like he wanted nothing more than to run away or bite her head off. Oooookay… she was starting to think that maybe she'd done something to make him angry. Had she missed something?

"Is it me? You keep glaring at me. Well, more than usuall. Did I piss you off somehow? Because if you don't tell me what it is, I can't do anything about it, and if it's something…"
"No. I'm fine," he snapped, cutting her off, and with that stood abruptly, stepped past her, and headed toward the stairs.

"Hey!" Chloe scrambled to get up and follow him. "Don't just walk off on me. We were having a conversation!" Sort of.

He didn't stop until he'd reached the door of the bedroom he had been sharing with Simon. Then, he turned abruptly, surprising her, glaring with an intensity she'd only seen him express once before.

"Chloe!" He grabbed her shoulders roughly. Her eyes went wide, and for a brief moment she was actually scared that he might hurt her. Immediately, his expression softened into dismay.

"I…I'm sorry I snapped like that. I'm an idiot. I didn't mean to scare you Chloe. It's…it's not you okay? Please don't be scared of me. I…I wouldn't hurt you. Ever. I promise." He looked completely miserable, and he was babbling which was completely out of character.

"Okay! It's not me then. And hey, don't worry, you don't scare me. You just...surprised me there for a second. But whatever it is, you really need to get it off of your chest because I think it's starting to make you a little crazy." He sighed, staring blankly past her right shoulder at the wall. She wondered if he noticed that he hadn't taken his hands away yet. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it quickly. Silence again. He shifted his gaze from the wall to her face.

He has really nice eyes, Chloe found herself thinking, right before her cheeks blazed crimson. She suddenly became hyper-aware of his hands on her shoulders, how large and warm they were, and how close he was standing. Her stomach fluttered, her heart felt like it was getting to large for her chest…and she started to panic.

"I sh—sh should pro—pro—pro…It's kind of late. We sh—should probably go to sleep. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning." He immediately dropped his hands as if he'd been burned and looked toward the wall again.

"Right," he mumbled, looking completely embarrassed, and retreated hastily into his room without another word. She stood for a moment, staring at the closed door, mind blank. What had just happened? Why did she panic? It was just Derek. She walked down the hallway and entered her own bedroom, then, in a daze, changed into the pajamas Andrew had purchased at the thrift store. She collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

This house must be making her as nuts as it was making Derek. Maybe there was just something wrong with her right now. Her feelings were all messed up. She shouldn't have panic attacks from looking at Derek; he was her friend. She should be relieved to be here at the safe house, relatively out of harm's way for once, but all she could think about was just how fragile and false that safety really was. It would all come crashing down eventually. And Simon...What about Simon?

She closed her eyes and pictured him in her mind's eye: blonde hair, athletic build, kind smile. She thought about the times that they'd laughed together over his comics, or talked about movies. Simon was, quite frankly, the kind of guy you're supposed to fall for. Simon was the kind of guy you'd be expected to fall for.

She should have been getting all girly and giddy about things like holding Simon's hand. She should just let herself feel the things that she should so obviously be feeling and stop spazzing while she still had the chance.

She was excited before, wasn't she? About the inevitability of ending up with Simon? She hadn't had a lot of time to gush about boys lately, what with constantly running for her life and all, but there had been the clichéd stomach butterflies once or twice, right? When the girl finally gets the guy, everything's supposed to be romantic, or dramatic, or powerful and passionate, or something…cue the cheesy musical montage, skipping hand in hand on the beach, and a sense of "together forever"… Not that she and Simon were technically "together" or anything. They sure had seemed to be getting closer every day, though.

I like Simon, she reminded herself. He's kind and funny, and creative, and totally hot. He is sweet to me. He makes me feel better when I'm upset...

But it was just like telling herself she should seize the opportunity to relax and feel like a normal teenage girl, cooped up in a safe house, hiding from murderous scientists. She couldn't force herself to feel something that she just wasn't feeling. Emotions don't work that way, unfortunately.

So, if she was involved with Simon, holding hands and easing toward a steady relationship, but got excited when his brother got too close, excited in a way that she'd never experienced before, what did that mean? What did that say about her? Why had Derek looked so embarrassed when she'd gotten all flustered? And most importantly, what should she do about it all?

Chloe pulled the covers over her head.

She didn't know that she wanted to think about it.