A/N: Hey, people. I didn't forget about the story, I've just been really really busy. Sorry for taking so long to update, I haven't had much time to write. Anyway, this was supposed to be a Palex-y chapter, but it ended up a little different than what I planned. Paige and Alex are still in it, they just fill a kind of different roll. This is more of a set-up chapter for the next one than a big event chapter. So I'm going to shut up now and let you read it.

Tuesday

The rest of Monday night passed without consequence. Well, unless you count my father beating Dylan and I in every game. That wasn't too fun. The only event of slight significance was when I'd followed Dylan into our room when we'd all decided to call it quits and get some sleep. It wasn't nearly as big a catastrophe as it could have been, however, owing to the fact that my dad had been in the bathroom at the time, giving me plenty of opportunity to abandon the now empty drawer I'd been searching for a pair of pants in our room and slip back into my own room unnoticed.

I tossed and turned restlessly that night, waking every few hours and taking at least another half an hour to fall back asleep each time. I had never before realized just how small and uncomfortable my bed was. Not to mention the thermostat in my room seemed to be broken. It had to be about forty degrees. I had goose bumps running up my arms and my shivered almost constantly. Usually, when I was cold, I just snuggled up next to Dylan, who always seemed to radiate heat like a furnace. But Dylan wasn't here now and I had no way to get warm.

I woke surprisingly early, considering how little sleep I had gotten. I trudged downstairs, lured by the scent of pancakes wafting up to me. Having been expecting to see Dylan standing over the stove, as Ellie never cooked breakfast, I was surprised to see my father instead. There was a plate of hot-off-the-stove pancakes on the table, and as I watched, he flipped another one from the spatula onto another plate on the counter beside him. Hmm, maybe having him here wasn't so bad after all.

"Hey, Pa," I yawned, collapsing into a chair.

"Morning," he said cheerfully. "Here, blueberry pancakes. Try some." He handed me a fork and plate, (well, technically it was Dylan's plate, it had a hockey logo on it) and a glass of orange juice. Yeah, I could see this working out.

"Thanks," I said gratefully. Snatching up the fork, I dug in. My father's blueberry pancakes were one of the things I had missed the most about living at home. No matter how hard I tried, I could never get them just the way he did.

"Morning, Del Rossi's," came Ellie's voice, accompanied by a yawn, from the doorway as she strode in clad in a fuzzy black robe and slippers. Immediately grabbing a plate from the pile my dad had set on the counter, she took a seat across from me and eagerly stabbed a pancake with her fork.

"Wow. Ellie, you actually look alive. In the morning," I said incredulously, as she began pouring syrup on her breakfast.

"Shut up," she said between bites. I stared at her plate in disgust.

"How can you drown your pancakes like that?" I asked. Every last bite was positively dripping in syrup. It was just a little too much sweet for me.

"How can you hardly have any syrup at all on yours? You might as well be eating them plain," she countered, scrunching up her nose at my own plate.

"How can you guys even eat syrup? The only way to eat pancakes is with jelly." I glanced up, Dylan had joined us, and to my disappointment, he was wearing the damn robe again. I really needed to do something about that. Yes, it was about time that the robe met Mr. Dump Truck. My dad's sudden exclamation jolted me out of my daze, in which brilliant schemes for the immediate removal of the robe from our household were quickly being formed.

"I knew someone else like jelly on pancakes! And you and your mama said I was only one," he said, grinning triumphantly.

"All right, so Dylan's as weird as you are," I conceded, waving a hand dismissively. At least they had something in common. Somehow, I couldn't quite see them bonding over preferred pancake toppings, though.

After breakfast, my dad left for work and Ellie, Dylan, and I departed for our separate classes. By the time I got home, I was thoroughly exhausted. All I wanted to do was take a shower, grab something quick to eat, and sleep for the next three weeks. Unfortunately, what I found when I made my way into the living room that afternoon would ensure that those things remained an impossibility.

"Paige? Alex? What are you doing here?" I hadn't meant it to sound so rude, it had just sort of slipped out.

"Nice to see you too," said Paige sarcastically. She and Alex were stretched out on the couch, Paige leaning heavily on her girlfriend, appearing quite content.

"Didn't you miss us?" asked Alex, throwing her arms open for a hug around Paige's head on her shoulder.

"Sorry. Of course I missed you guys," I said truthfully, striding across the room to hug my two friends. I sat down on the arm of the couch, as the rest of it was mostly being taken up by the single entity that was Palex.

"How did you get in here, anyway?" I asked. I knew Alex was pretty street smart, but she wasn't that good. At least I hoped not. The fact that Alex could have access to any room in the house anytime she wanted was unsettling, to say the least.

"Dylan let us in," answered Paige.

"Oh. So where is he?" I asked eagerly.

"Right here," said a voice from right behind me. I spun around in surprise and nearly fell of the couch in the process. Dylan smirked down at me, an amused glint in his eye.

"Oh, shut up," I muttered, though he hadn't said a word. He laughed, before turning his attention to Paige and Alex's sock-clad feet, which were taking up most of the end cushion next to me.

"Scoot," he ordered gruffly, dragging their feet from the cushion and taking their place.

"You know, I think I'm more comfortable than that block of wood you're sitting on, Del Rossi. Come down here," he said, smiling that frustratingly charming smile of his. He put an arm around my waist and tugged gently, but I didn't budge.

"My dad's going to be home soon," I protested.

"So? 'Soon' is enough time. Let's enjoy it while we can, before we have to back to pretending we only talk to each other on the odd Saturday morning," he pouted. Oh no.

"No, Dylan…I'm not taking any chances," I held my ground. I was starting to slip, though. Why did he have to be so adorable? Aw, and there was the protruding bottom lip. And the big sad eyes. Jerk. He knew I couldn't resist them. Besides, the puppy pout look was supposed to be mine. Not only was he a jerk, he was a thief, too.

"But we'll hear him come in," reasoned Dylan. "Please? Just sit here with me? Come on, you owe me for making me go through all this in the first place."

I sighed. Oh forget it. I surrender. The adorable jerk/thief had won this round. "Fine." Though I pretended to do so only reluctantly, I was actually quite happy to slide down off the arm of the couch into Dylan's lap, where he immediately wrapped his arms around me. I had to admit, if only to myself, that it relaxed me considerably more than the shower and nap I'd originally been planning on could have. Dylan was just like that. He could make everything around you freeze for a minute so you could breathe. Sometimes I didn't know what I'd do without him.

I felt his lips peck my cheek, and the corners of my mouth twitch upward grudgingly. This was all going to have to vanish soon. My dad would be back, and my comfort would be gone. For now, though, I allowed myself to relax into my boyfriend. He had been right, he was more comfortable than the arm of the couch.

"So, what brings you guys here out of the blue? We haven't seen you in forever," I addressed my two friends, suddenly remembering that they were still in the room.

"Well, we were at Spinner and Jimmy's shop… Alex was helping out today, too…and we decided to stop by here to see you guys," said Paige brightly. Something in the Squatch Designs manager's voice caught my suspicion. Call me paranoid if you will, but I was sure there was something not quite right.

"Really? So how are Spin and Jimmy?" I asked. I hadn't seen my other two best friends in a while, either.

"They're good," said Paige, she hesitated for a moment, and I nearly rolled my eyes. Here it comes…

"There was a little incident in the back of the shop, though, the place where the T-shirts are actually made."

"What happened?"

"Well, I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but apparently there was a fire," said Paige.

"What? Are you serious?!" I demanded, my jaw dropping.

"She is, we had to help clean up yesterday. All that work and we didn't even get to see the fire. From what Jimmy said, it was pretty impressive," complained Alex. This time I did roll my eyes.

"So is everyone okay?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah, no one was hurt, thank God, but it's going to take some time and money to repair the damages. It was pretty secluded, but they're not going to be able to work back there until it's all fixed up."

"Wow. So what are they going to do in the meantime?" I asked, noticing how Paige's eyes suddenly seemed to dance around mine.

"Well, there was supposed to be a sale this weekend. You know, for the holidays? They don't want to cancel it, but the part of the shop where they do all the background stuff is ruined. Half the stuff back there was burnt to ashes, and the other half looks like someone threw it on a barbecue pit. It's all black and it smells like smoke. They need to replace their merchandise, figure out costs, get everything together for the sale...and they need a place to do it."

"And that place would be?" I said, starting to get an idea of what this whole thing was about, including the impromptu visit.

"I was kind of hoping it might be here," she said, wincing.

"Here?" I repeated. Why was it always here?

Paige had obviously planned on having to convince me, because she immediately launched into excuses.

"Jimmy can't do it at his house, his parents are having relatives stay from out of town, and they don't want the chaos. Spinner's mom is doing some important work thing, and she doesn't want anyone around to disturb her― she practically kicked Spinner out…And none of the other employees can do it either. The sale starts Saturday, and if they don't find someplace to work…well, they don't know what they're going to do."

So when in doubt, you call Marco? A weird sound escaped me somewhere between a sigh and a groan.

"Dylan?" I consulted my boyfriend.

He shrugged. "I don't mind, if you don't." I wanted to hit him.

"Yeah, all right. They can do it here," I agreed, against my better judgment.

"Great! I'll tell Jimmy and Spinner," squealed Paige.

"Wait, shouldn't we ask Ellie first?" Right on cue, we heard the door bang open and Ellie's voice ring through the house.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

"In here, El," I called back to her. She was in an unusually good mood, I observed. Her smile didn't even falter when she saw Paige stretched out on the couch. I was about to ask her what had her so atypically cheerful, when I remembered that today was Tuesday. The Core writers had gotten their new assignments today, which meant that she had been in their classroom office. Which meant that the editor of the paper had been there as well. Which, in turn, meant a very happy Ellie Nash.

"So, how was your day?" I asked, her infectious grin starting to spread to me.

She shrugged, perching herself on the arm I had vacated. This surprised me: normally she would have made some biting remark and shoved Paige (along with Alex, they were so tangled together) the rest of the way off the couch. She must have really had fun with Jesse. "Fine. Just a typical day."

"And by a typical day you mean classes, homework, and secret steamy make out sessions with one Jesse Stefonovic?"

She glared at me, flushing a rosy pink. "Shut up."

"Are you going to ask her? Alex and I have to get going, and we need something to tell Spinner," interjected Paige. I was pleased that she had forwent her usual icy insult, as well.

"Ask me what?" asked Ellie, glancing from me to Paige uncertainly.

"Spinner and Jimmy need a place to get everything ready for a sale this weekend. That includes replacing the merchandise that was lost in the fire they had at the shop," I said.

Ellie's eyes widened. "There was a fire?"

"A small one. No one was hurt. But they need a place to work. And by a place I mean this place."

Ellie nodded. "Okay, when?"

"Tomorrow, if possible. Around…three o'clock?" answered Paige.

"Okay. Whatevski," Ellie shrugged again. Right then I had a feeling she was lost so deeply within the mazes of cloud nine that she would have said yes if Paige had requested a place to train a circus elephant.

My dad got back not long after Paige and Alex left. I was slightly relieved that he wasn't going to walk in and see the two of them curled up on the couch together. The thought shouldn't have made me so nervous, but I was still unaccountably glad that they'd left when they did.

My father had brought Chinese home with him, and over the thankfully comfortable meal, I explained to him what was taking place tomorrow.

"So you might want to clear out for a few hours. Escape the chaos," I advised. I half-wished I could do the same, but figured I should stay and help out my friends.

"Or, I could stay and give you all a hand, if you need an extra pair of hands," my dad offered, shoveling chicken chow mein into his mouth.

"I think we're all right. You don't have to help," I assured him hurriedly. The less time he spent in the presence of my friends, the better. There were too many things that could go wrong. He just shrugged.

Sighing, I reached for a fortune cookie across the table. Unfortunately, it was closer to the other side than my side, and my fingers fell just short of the desired object. Dylan, who was sitting opposite me tonight, spotted me reaching for it and came to my aid.

"Here." When he handed it to me, I felt his fingers brush mine a bit more than was strictly necessary, and glanced reflexively at my dad. Ellie had conveniently chosen that moment to engage him in a conversation about some article she'd written recently. He seemed genuinely interested, and I made a mental note to thank her later.

The small, simple touch may not have been much, but every little indication, every gesture, sent off warning bells in my head. I shouldn't have been so paranoid, I suppose; it wasn't as though my dad was actively looking for the signs. I recalled a movie I had seen a few weeks prior with Spinner. It had been an action movie, concerning some assassin and the FBI, and during one scene, the assassin had discreetly passed a gun to his accomplice in the presence of several FBI agents. The camera had zoomed right in so we couldn't miss the small transaction. Now, it felt like the camera was pointed at Dylan and I, always watching, never missing a move. Who wouldn't be a bit paranoid under the circumstances?

I cracked open the fortune cookie Dylan had handed me and shoved a fragment into my mouth. I glanced down at the little slip of paper that supposedly foretold my future.

All will be revealed in due time.

All will be revealed. I had never set much store in things such as astrology, horoscopes, predicting the future… but this particular time I couldn't help but wonder about the accuracy of the little slip of paper.

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A/N: Okay, next chapter was originally supposed to be more of a Darco-based one, but that doesn't seem likely to happen now. But there will be a very Darco-ish Darco-based chapter soon :) Reviewing will get it here faster (maybe) and come on, Marco and Dylan are dying here, don't you want to put them out of their misery and let them have a moment?