The two faces smiled in delight, living in the moment of that day. But April paid no attention to the older of the two young women. Her eyes focused solely on the younger sister-Astoria. Astoria Leonard was April's younger sister, right up till a few years ago. The two where the best of friends, they did everything together, as close as sisters could be.

"Idiot." April told the picture, scornfully.

But the picture did not respond. Nor did it even acknowledge she was there. A lone tear made its way slowly down her cheek. It was her fault. She had been the one that started the argument that caused them to go in opposite directions. If she had just been the adult of that situation, like she was supposed to, it all could have been avoided. How radically different her life would have been.

She'd be staying her sister right now, she'd be the one caring for her, not Connor. In fact, if Astoria's death hadn't had been what caused April to dive into her studies, she probably would have never even ended up getting involved with Prospero in the first place. Imagining her life without Prospero, with Philip… she just couldn't do it. But it was the fate that had awaited her, the fate she was supposed to have. Until she messed it all up. She sniffed, and gently touched her sister's face.

A sharp knock on her door ripped her out of her thoughts.

She hid the picture beneath her pillow. "Come in!"

"April, I was hoping we could discuss something." Connor said entering the room.

Connor paused briefly to take a quick glimpse around the bedroom. It had been transformed from the blank, plan bedroom, into quite a cute little set up. In one corner of the room by the Television stand, Christy's tank had been set up on a spare table, and just across from it was April's stone Doberman. Her Laptop was charging peacefully on the floor by her bedside via cable, and a small collection of DVD's where placed on top of her television set. It was a cute but simple look.

"Well?" She asked.

"Oh yeah." Connor sat down cross-legged at the end of her bed.

"I was-Have you been crying?" He asked, noticing the state she was in.

"No, I'm fine." She said blanky.

Connor sighed. "Do you want to talk it?"

"Connor if I wanted to talk about it we would be talking about it." She said plainly, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

That was the one time whenever she slipped back into the ice queen persona he had gotten to meet when they first met; whenever she got emotional. He didn't know if it was her way of coping with the problems herself, or if that was her trying to not show weakness, but it was her problem to overcome. And he respected that.

"Okay, cool, I get that." He tried to change topic. "I think today I'm gonna have that talk with Jess."

"What?!" April snapped.

"Well, like you said yourself, I can't exactly hide somebody from her, in her own house. And I am sure she will be fine with it, she took me and Abby in without any trouble. And if anything it'll be me that she's mad at, you have nothing to worry about." Connor gave her a smile.

"Connor, when I said you can't hide me from Jess, I meant I shouldn't be here at all!" She snapped.

"Yeah, but you are. Oh come on, think of how much easier it would be if Jess knew. You wouldn't be stuck in here with the door locked and the lights out every time she comes home. I could even take you out of the house sometimes, like to the park across the street. Think of how much better it would be!" Connor said.

He did make a lot of sense.

"And, Jess likes snakes too." He added.

April took a glance over at Christy's tank and then back at Connor. "Fine. I'll think about it, just don't tell her until I decide if I want you to or not."

"That's great." Connor smiled.

"Why's it great?" She asked.

"She just rang; she's on her way home."

April sighed. "Connor, how old are you?" She asked.

"Twenty Nine." He said.

"Then act it!" She snapped. "You don't tell ask somebody if you can do something, after you have already done it!"

"I haven't told her yet!" Connor defended.


Connor sat alone in the living room, with the television set on Jess's favourite channel, and two lovely big steaming cups of hot chocolate on the table. He checked his watch.

"Shouldn't be long now." He thought.

His plan was fool proof. First, make Jess extremely comfortable, which shouldn't be hard. Second, make Jess extremely happy, which he knew wasn't hard. Third, tell her.

Okay, maybe it wasn't the best plan ever created. Jess was by no means pushover, more, understanding. Connor just hoped, he really hoped, that she would 'understand' this.

Right on cue, Jess threw open the living room door and launched herself onto the sofa, getting comfortable. She let out a long hard sigh, before even acknowledging that she had company. She rolled over, facing him and groaned. He laughed lightly. "Hard day?" Connor asked.

"Horrible." She sighed.

Then, she spotted her cup, and her eyes light up. She instantly snatched it off the table and took a quick drink.

"Ah, ah, ah, it's hot." Jess said, sticking her tongue out.

"So, what happened today exactly?" Connor asked, clearly amused by Jess.

"Stegosaurus at a Wildlife Preserve… stupid thing ate some of the poisonous plants there and passed out. Too heavy to drag back through, so we had to spend about four hours trying to wake it up. Once it did wake up it was that bloody frightened it went on a rampage. In the end Becker had to shoot it back through."

"That doesn't sound that bad." Connor shrugged

"Well, there were other things too." Jess said quietly.

"Like?" Connor asked.

"I fell." Jess said sheepishly.

He laughed. "That it?"

"I fell …into something."

"Into what?"

"…The Stegosaurus was very ill, okay?" She said blushing.

Connor attempted to hide a smirk, but failed, badly.

"It's not funny! I had to get changed, I've had three showers Connor! Two full bottles of Air freshener on my hair! Not hair spray, air freshener!" She snapped, hitting his arm.

Connor started laughing out loud.

"Stop it!" She hit him again.

He kept laughing.

"Connor stop it!" Jess laughed.

"Oh Jess. Jessica, Jessica, Jessica." He shook his head laughing.

"I'm gonna stay in the ARC from now own." She said, folding her legs. "You guys will have to put up with one less field member."

"Actually, that is kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh, go on then."

"Well." He started. "You know how I couldn't walk? And I've had to have the week off work? And I've been getting better over the past few days?"

"Yes...?" Jess asked cautiously.

"Well. What would you do if I told you I was faking?" Connor asked.

Her face dropped.

"Are you serious?" She asked.

Connor shrugged, and gave her an awkward smile.

"For the past five days," She began calmly. "I have been trying to balance out doing yours, Abby's, and my own shifts. I've fallen in poo today, Connor, yesterday I was nearly crushed to death by a giant freaky tortoise and the day before that… oooohhhh Connor don't even get me started on that. Did I mention, I don't get paid anything more by doing your shifts? I've spent the last five days in what only can be described as hell… but I kept thinking oh no it's all right, Connor's Ill, he would have done the same thing for me."

Connor was silent.

"I have a good reason." He tried.

Jess slapped him across the face.

"I deserved that." He said.

Jess sighed. "You're an absolute tool, I swear to god! What was your reason?" She asked calmly.

He was silent.

"Well?" Jess asked.

Jess sighed in annoyance. "Connor, I think I have the right to know why."

Connor sighed.

"Jess…" He began. "I've been hiding something from you. I didn't want to hide it but hear me out…"

"Oh, is this about those magazines? I threw those out."

"What?!"

"Er- nevermind. What have you been hiding?"

Connor looked down. He didn't respond.

"Oh my god is it a dog?" She asked, turning giddy.

He shook his head.

"A Cat?"

He shook his head.

"Oh god it's not another creature is it? You know if you had asked me first I would have been fine with it staying here, you don't need to hide them from me." Jess said.

"No, No, no. It's nothing like that. Or, she's nothing like that." Connor began.

"Connor…?" Jess asked cautiously. "What did you do…?"