Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon: Jake Long (insert DUH here).

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The next morning Thorn awoke stiff from lying on the stone floor. She slowly arose from the ground and saw a small amount of sunlight streaming through a tiny window high and on the other side of the room. She sighed. She looked at the platter of food Jake had left the night before. Little rodent mouths had horribly maimed everything. She shuddered when she thought of hoards of mice and rats nibbling away at food when she was a few feet away sleeping.

Suddenly she heard a couple of voices descending the stairs. The dragon guards from the previous night appeared. She groaned inwardly at the sight of them. They didn't look pleased to see her either. One of them entered the cell with chains and shackles in his hands. Quickly he cuffed her hands and led her like a dog on a leash out of the cell. With one dragon in front and the other behind, they made their way up the stairs and back to the main room. Thorn was glad to leave the dungeon and stretch her legs.

The whole Dragon Council was seated on majestic chairs with Jake, Lao Shi and Fu Dog off to the side. Jake smiled at Thorn as she was led before the Council. She chose to ignore him.

"Hunts Girl," Councilor Andam said, "we've given you an entire night to reconsider our previous offer…"

"My answer stands firm," Thorn cut him off.

The Councilors collectively glared at her apparent lack of manners. Councilor Andam continued, coolly as before.

He said, "You've been charged with crimes associated with the Hunts Clan. How do you plead?"

"If I say 'innocent' will you let me go?" Thorn asked doubtfully.

"Not a chance," he responded frankly.

"So, hypothetically, if I were innocent you'd still treat the situation as if I were guilty?" Thorn asked.

"You're twisting what I said," Andam said, looking at her reproachfully. "Is that something you learned in the Hunts Clan?"

"No," Thorn snapped indignantly. "Did your dragon masters teach kidnapping as a basic skill or does it file under 'Dragon Councilors Only'?"

Had this battle of wits been between less grudging opponents and under different conditions, Fu Dog would have given his congratulations to Thorn for a good comeback.

"Quite the spunky one, isn't she?" Andam muttered to his colleagues.

"I'd wager she needs it, living with the Hunts Clan," Kulde supposed.

Andam returned his attention to Thorn.

"Have it your way. This meeting will be adjourned until we have decided your sentence," Councilor Andam said. "Until then you will work to earn your stay here."

Councilor Kulde added, "Since fighting is your strength, I think we have just the job for you. You will serve as sparring partner for all dragons who request your services."

Thorn's mouth fell open and she stared at them in shock.

"You can't be serious!" she cried.

"I assure you, we are," another Councilor chimed in.

"With all due respect, Councilors," Jake cut in. "Don't you think that is a bit much?"

"American Dragon," a female Council member said gently, "you of all people know what she is capable of."

Jake looked at Thorn, who was trembling despite her efforts to control herself.

"Yes I do know, and that's why I'm saying you're going to far," he said. "Endangering her safety is…just not dragon-like. I'm sorry Councilors, but I can't allow you to put her in harm's way."

Thorn stared at him awestruck. He was standing up for her against the Dragon Council. The American Dragon was protecting Hunts Girl. The rest of the room was just as surprised as she was. The Councilors began to discuss something amongst them. Then, after a few moments of debate, turned to face Thorn and Jake.

"American Dragon," Councilor Andam said, "we are offering your guardianship over Hunts Girl. If you accept this, then you must escort her at all times and watch her every move. This is a great responsibility, young dragon, so choose wisely."

Jake looked to Thorn. The dragon guards stood unforgiving by her side, and he'd seen their rough treatment. He gazed into Thorn's eyes. Those two pools of the purest blue locked on to his. He could sense the fear in her of being surrounded by hostile dragons. This brought out his most protective male instincts. He looked back to the Dragon Council.

"I'll do it," he said decisively.

He saw the looks Fu Dog and Lao Shi shot him, but he ignored them.

"Very well," Andam said nodding. "You are responsible for the prisoner until her sentence can be given. Hunts Girl, you are relieved of your previous duties."

Jake walked over to Thorn, and glared angrily at the dragons holding her.

"Let her go," he ordered sternly.

Immediately, they did so and watched as Jake gently took Thorn's hands.

"You okay?" he asked, voice full of concern.

Thorn jerked her hands out of his and crossed her arms. Jake was put off by her spiteful reaction to what he'd done for her. Had she any idea what kind of risk he'd taken out there for her? Thorn arched one slender eyebrow at him as if to say 'What did you expect me to do?' Jake was determined, though. Even the coolest ice queen could be melted, and never was there a better person for the job than Jake. He liked a challenge, and Thorn was the undisputed champ of the impossible catches.

"How about a bath?" he asked, quickly changing topics.

"Excuse me?" Thorn snapped indignantly, glaring at him in disgust.

Jake smacked his forehead.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, woman!" he grumbled. "I meant by yourself."

Thorn looked down at herself. Her golden hair was dingy, her clothes looked absolutely filthy and her skin was a tint of brown. She felt positively grimy and hot soapy water was just the thing she needed.

"Wouldn't hurt," she acknowledged.

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Jake led her up to one of the castle's suites where she could take a bath. She entered the room and was taken aback by what she saw. The stone floor was covered in a beautiful oriental rug, a huge bed on one side of the room looked soft and definitely more inviting than the dungeon floor. The walls were bare except for a large window.

"Bathroom's through that door over there," Jake said, pointing across. "I'll leave you now."

Thorn turned and placed her hands on her hips.

"You mean you're not going to stand outside the door and make sure I don't run off?" she asked cynically.

Jake shook his head wearily and blew out a frustrated breath. He wished she'd lay this bad girl defense aside and be the girl he fell for. He knew that it would take a lot more than twenty-four hours to get through to her. He silently turned from her and shut the door behind him as he left.

Thorn stood stock-still and listened, waiting until Jake's steps faded. Then she ran to the window and looked out. Roughly ten floors below was the ground.

"Figures," she muttered scowling.

She turned away from the window and made for the bathroom. If she was going to be stuck here with a bunch of dragons, she might as well show some dignity and clean herself up. Besides, an hour-long soak in the hot water would help her clear her head. She had to think of a plan to get out of here, but she knew absolutely nothing about the Isle of Draco.

Thorn found the bathroom was proportioned to comfortably fit a dragon, which made her remember how incredibly small and frail she was in comparison. She shuddered at the thought as she ran the bathwater in the tub—also fitted for a dragon's body—thinking only of dagger claws and fireballs burning flesh. Finally the tub was full and she sank into the water, sighing contentedly.

The water soothed her sore muscles and calmed her. As she scrubbed herself, her worries washed away with the dirt. As predicted, her mind cleared and she was able to think about things. The first thing that came to mind dealt with the American Dragon. She reflected on her battles with him leading up to that unfortunate night. One particular battle came to mind: the fight on the snowy slopes at the ski lodge. Jake—or the American Dragon as she knew him then—had pulled off her glove and looked pained by the sight of her birthmark. She hadn't thought much about it at the time, even after she'd gotten back home. It just didn't seem important enough to go to the trouble to investigate. Thorn traced a finger over the dragon's figure as the mark wound around her wrist and into her palm.

Slowly things began to replay in her mind of that significant encounter. Suddenly, another detail she'd overlooked caught her attention.

The Memory:

As the avalanche carried Hunts Girl over the side of the cliff, she heard someone yell, "ROSE!"

She was expecting to plummet to her death, but her fall was cut short as two clawed hands grasped her arms. Powerful wings carried her to safety and she was dropped rather unceremoniously on the ground.

"Why did you save me?" she snapped. "We're mortal enemies. Or did you forget?"

"I wish I could…" Jake murmured sadly, turning away.

Those words he'd said. She hadn't understood them then, but now it all made sense. The reaction to the birthmark, the rescue, his strange behavior after the trip all pinpointed the time in which Jake had discovered her identity. That's why he took such careful precautions to avoid her. It wasn't because she'd practically ditched him throughout the trip, but because he found out who she was. Now the score was even, and they were still enemies. Or at least in Thorn's eyes they were. She wasn't so sure about Jake's perspective. That boy kept her in a constant state of confusion and always left her with unanswered questions that plagued her every waking moment.

Thorn knew she should hate him, but she was finding it difficult to wish him ill. He wasn't bad like her uncle had said he was. Or at least if he was, he was an excellent actor. Then again, she'd turned out to have a split personality, so why couldn't he? Maybe both of their magic counterparts were bad, but the humans weren't. Jake had never done a thing to offend her, but the American Dragon had.

Jake and his dragon counterpart were no longer separate. She had to accept both or neither, all or nothing. Another decision she had to make that would alter her life. She really liked Jake, more than she'd ever liked anyone else, but that didn't change the fact he was a dragon. She'd already seen the indecision he had when handling her, even after she went in for the kill again.

Thorn had hurt him in both her alter egos. Rose was always ditching him because of the Hunts Clan, or—in a more recent incident—because of another boy. Thorn, or Hunts Girl as she was usually called in that role, had fought him and made his life rougher than it should've been. So what really baffled her was, as much as she hurt him, Jake still came back for more. That was the great thing about him. No matter what she did, he came back.

'I just don't understand why he'd go to such lengths to protect me,' she thought. 'He went against his own kind for my sake, and I…'

Suddenly she felt terrible. Jake had narrowly missed being in deep trouble with the Dragon Council, and risked a lot to help her. What did she repay such kindness with? She sighed heavily and prepared to go in search of Jake. She pulled on a bathrobe, since her Hunts Clan uniform was filthy, and went into the adjacent bedroom. She noticed something was folded up neatly on the bed, and she was certain it hadn't been there before. She inspected it and realized a change of clothes had been left for her. Thorn suspected it had been Jake's doing. She smiled to herself at the thought.

A few minutes later she emerged from the room clad in jeans and a black tank top. She was surprised to find the door unlocked and the corridor empty. She walked softly and quietly as possible, shivering as her bare feet made contact with the cold stone floor. This castle was huge and she could easily get turned around, so she stayed on a straight path. She found herself thinking of Jake again, and burdened with the want of seeing him. She owed him an apology and her guilty conscience would not give her peace until she repaid her debt.

She was surprised that there seemed to be a complete lack of dragons, but then it occurred to her what time it was. They were all probably eating breakfast right now. She was hungry herself and tried to think of where so many dragons could eat at once. The big room she'd been in before she went up for a bath—it was called the Common Room by the dragon guards—seemed like a likely place. Thanking God for giving her a good sense of direction, she retraced her steps and found what she was looking for.

Upon arrival she discovered that most of the dragons had already finished their meal. Some of the maids were busily clearing away vacated plates. She noticed a couple of them were young, about her age. Thorn concluded that they had been the clothing donors.

She searched the room for Jake, and, after a minute or two, she found he wasn't there. She turned, a bit crest-fallen, and found him standing behind her wearing a lopsided smile.

"Looking for me?" he asked.

She wasn't sure what the reason was, but the sight of him stirred strange feelings deep within her. She couldn't identify them, but she knew it was a dangerous line she had her toe upon. She shoved them away and looked as stony as ever. But it was too late, Jake had seen that tiny flicker of emotion and the damage had been done.

"Your Dragon Council would have fried me if they found me wandering around alone," Thorn said, placing her hands on her hips.

Jake chuckled.

"You don't have much trust in dragons, do you?" he asked lightly.

Thorn was about to respond with her sharp wit, but she stopped immediately. She'd come on a mission to relieve herself of her guilty conscience. She sighed and hugged her waist, a self-conscious gesture.

"Look Dragon, I know you stuck your neck out for me earlier and I was really…rude," she said. "I finally realized that the only thing standing between me and the fires of fury is you."

Jake's cocky smile faded and he became serious. It kind of made him nervous to hear all of this spouting out of Hunts Girl's mouth.

"So I'll cooperate with you as long as you keep them at bay," Thorn said.

She held out her hand to him and asked, "Deal?"

Jake chuckled at her formality and took her hand. He squeezed it lightly and then released it.

"If you don't like dragons, then how come you trust me—a dragon—to protect you?" he asked.

"Because I know for a fact that you don't have it in you to hurt me," Thorn responded, her tone softer than she'd expected.

Jake thought he was imagining things when he saw the blue-eyed girl's countenance sadden slightly. There was so much more to her than anyone else would ever realize. The rest of the dragons saw Hunts Girl, not a living-breathing person with a heart like everyone else. That brief glimpse of sadness in those azure eyes plucked his heartstrings.

"I'd never dream of hurting you, and as long as there's a breath left in me, no one else will either," Jake murmured huskily.

He took her hands in his and stroked the soft skin of her palms with his thumbs. Thorn looked away from him, trying desperately to squash the feeling swelling in her stomach. If she looked into those dark eyes now, she knew she'd lose what remained of her composure.

"That's unrealistic," she stated, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Maybe," Jake said, lowering his voice. "But that doesn't mean I won't try to live up to it."

Thorn closed her eyes, secretly enjoying the gentle touch of his hands. A tiny smile formed at the corners of her lips. Barely noticeable, but Jake caught it. A big grin lit up his face as he released her hands and offered his arm to her.

"Allow me to escort you to breakfast," he said, turning up the charm a notch.

Thorn missed the warmth of his hands, and was tempted to reach out and take his arm. Dragons were naturally warm and the castle was cold…

'Snap out of it!' her mind screamed furiously.

Thorn cursed herself for weakness, cursed Jake for his charm and cursed the world for making her life difficult. Deciding it would be for the best, she put some distance between herself and Jake by walking towards a table. The young dragon wasn't foolish enough not to notice his tactics were working. Better yet, he was elated to have had the privilege to touch her. The dragons sitting at the table she was approaching acknowledged her with frightened looks or burning glares. She halted, unsure of what to do. Jake, however, stepped up and took charge of the situation.

"Yeah, I know she's gorgeous, but can you guys make the lady feel a little less uncomfortable?" he said, tossing a wink at Thorn.

It didn't surprise Thorn when the dragons arose to their feet and left. Some of them were glancing at her apprehensively, as if she were a three-headed rattlesnake ready to strike.

"My reputation precedes me," she muttered.

She sat down at the now vacant table and began picking at the untouched morsels. Jake sat opposite her.

"I wouldn't encourage that reputation if I were you," he cautioned. "That's just asking for trouble."

Thorn stopped eating and looked at him exasperatedly.

"I can't help it. The label 'Hunts Girl' is quite literally branded on me," she said, displaying the hand that bore the infamous birthmark.

Jake flinched at the sight of it. It was a cruel reminder to both that the world itself appeared set against their happiness. To go against it would be to challenge the alliances they were born into and overcome obstacles that could result in the destruction of lives.

Thorn lowered her hand and went back to her food. Depression was slowly closing around her and it was a crushing feeling. She had been so sure that she was going to remain in the Hunts Clan—regardless to Jake—and she was sure her future was set in stone. Now here she was, having breakfast with the enemy and doubting how ethical the Hunts Clan was.

How did Jake always manage to make her question things? He always stirred rebellious feelings within her—before she knew about his secret—and she began to lose the want to be Hunts Girl for the promise of something better. She had it back for a brief blink in time, but the minute he was back in her life, the uncertainties came knocking on her doorstep.

'It would be nice if I could make up my mind about something for once,' she thought as she nibbled on a bit of egg.

Thorn's eyes traveled around the room. A table away was a group of about twenty large, muscular men. They were all wearing a uniform that reminded her of security guards. They were in fact guards and Thorn remembered the two she'd encountered. Some of the guards caught her looking and glared at her. She quickly looked away, and found her eyes settling on Jake. He looked preoccupied and was staring absently out the window. He must've been thinking hard about whatever was on his mind, because he didn't notice her. She decided to leave him to his thoughts and focused on her meal.

Finally, Jake seemed to come to a conclusion on what he was thinking about and turned his attentions to Thorn. He reached into his jeans pocket and placed a small vile on the table in front of her.

"Recognize this?" he asked, a cool anger coming out in his tone.

Thorn stopped eating and froze, staring dumbly at the vile.

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