This story is going surprisingly well… I am very pleased with it… It is better than I had planned! Glad you guys are still reading! This story is in fourth place in my stories' popularity list for hits and fifth place for the number of reviews! Thanks again… time skips may happen once or twice during some chapters because it would take too long to make up anything unnecessary to fill in the gaps! Anyway on with the story! Also this chapter will not be as long as the previous one was, at least I hope it won't… they take forever to write…

Disclaimer: All of the characters and storyline mentioned, except for Dale Rasmussem, Nigel's parents, Dr. McKinsey Scott, Janice Thompson, and George these are my original characters, belongs to Vivian Vande Velde but the story idea is mine!

Level 7

Reasonings and Glitches

"Uh… Kenric? I have something I need to tell you…" said Janine quietly. She felt Kenric lift his head and she instantly started to miss the contact. He stared down at her as she lifted her eyes to look at him.

"What is it, my queen?" asked the prince with concern in his voice. She gulped nervously.

"Well, you see, ah ha ha… I am… uhhh… pregnant…" she finally blurted out. The young prince blinked repeatedly. Then Kenric slowly licked his lips and Giannine sighed. The lip licking was one of Nigel's nervous habits; he did it whenever he was unsure or nervous. Giannine could not even begin to imagine which one of the two her boyfriend was at that moment. He hung his head after a moment and sighed. Giannine was about to become worried when he finally looked at her again and asked,

"Are you sure?" She nodded again. Nigel went silent again. After a moment, she saw a small smile make its way onto his face. He looked back at her with love-filled eyes before he murmured, "Wow… that's almost all I can say, just 'Wow'." Giannine finally giggled, mostly out of relief. For a moment, she had been afraid that he did not want the child. That of course meant that more likely than not that Nigel would not want a child in the real world. She laughed again and hugged him. He instantly returned the hug. Giannine sighed as she felt Nigel rub her back affectionately. He buried his head in the side of her neck and sighed softly. He pulled away after a moment and stared at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He shook his head and said,

"Nothing, I am just admiring you, that is all." Giannine automatically turned a soft shade of pink. Nigel just grinned. After a moment, he stood up and went inside, leaving Giannine completely confused. After another minute passed, he returned and gestured for her to stand before asking her if she wanted to take a walk. She smiled and grabbed his hand before standing up. She allowed him to lead her through a path in the trees surrounding the cabin. After walking for a few minutes, Kenric turned and asked,

"Why me?" Giannine blinked in confusion and stopped.

"What?" she blurted out; completely puzzled.

"I mean, why did you fall in love with me?" he asked quietly as a small blush formed on his face. Giannine stared curiously at her boyfriend. "What brought this on?" she thought. "Did Dale say something to him?"

"Well, I don't think that people can completely help who they fall for, ya know." said Giannine. Nigel shook his head and said,

"I don't think so, I have always heard people talk about things that attracts them to the people they love. So-"

"Oh, do you mean, what do I love about you?" said Giannine.

"Yeah, I mean, I am just plain old Nigel…" he said quietly. She smiled and continued to walk as she said,

"Well, I am sure that is true… I mean, after all, you are computer programmer, which just screams nerd, right?" said Giannine as she walked along with a dejected Nigel moving alongside her.

"You got that right…" murmured Nigel.

"You are not that strong of guy and a little on the skinny side…" said Giannine continuing on with this line of talking. Nigel nodded mutely. "You don't like confrontation… which would make you a wimp in some people's eyes… and when it comes to socializing, you are as meek as a mouse…" she stated, "Also, you are a stickler for routine and very predictable. Spontaneity and you parted ways years ago." Nigel was now a noticeable shade of red and starting to feel slightly sick to his stomach as he listened to his girlfriend read off all of his flaws one by one. She glanced over at Nigel and saw his blush.

"And you are as transparent as a window when it comes to emotions…" she said with a shrug. She looked back at Nigel and frowned when she saw how troubled Nigel's eyes looked. She then felt like kicking herself a hundred times as hard as she could. She had only meant to tease Nigel but had ended up putting her foot in her mouth instead. "Nigel," she finally sighed, "but out of all that stuff, do you know what one thing actually bothers me about you?" He looked at her for the first time since the conversation had begun.

"What?" he asked softly although he was slightly intrigued about where this question was headed.

"The fact that you have it goin' on, but do not realize it because you have absolutely no confidence in yourself." said Giannine. Nigel stopped in midstride at her admission. His look of confusion and surprise told her that he did not understand at all. "So what if you are a computer programmer! Do you have any idea how hard it is to do what you do, in a year? I mean, Nigel that so called "hobby" of yours has made you one of the richest teens in the world! You own your own company! You probably have the most secure retirement in the entire U.S.! So what if that makes you a nerd! You are a filthy rich nerd!" Nigel promptly blushed again but out of pride rather than shame this time. But his own low self esteem caused him to still doubt his worth.

"But you said so yourself, I am not that strong and I am a little on the skinny side…" muttered Nigel. Giannine sighed explosively.

"I meant compared to other guys… Nigel that did not mean that you were not strong… I mean, you have some muscles and a nice six pack, might I add," she gushed before a blush appeared. Nigel caught that and grinned. He waved her on. "Plus, your strength comes from within you."

"Within me, huh?" said Nigel skeptically. Giannine nodded as they continued to walk.

"Yeah, you are very brave. I mean, you took on Dale to protect me even if death was a very real option for you. Do you know how many guys I know that are twice as big as you are but would turn and run at the first sign of trouble? I bet you right now, if we were in the real world with no weapons and we got cornered by some muggers, you would still try to protect me with just your fists! Am I right?" she asked looking at him pointedly.

"Sure baby, but…" he started. Giannine cut him off,

"No buts! Plus, I know what you are going to ask about! So you are not the size of a defensive linebacker but who cares, I don't! Wait, do you even know what one of those is?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes Giannine, I know what a defensive linebacker is! I do watch sports…" he sighed explosively. She grimaced and realized that she had stuck her foot in her mouth for the second time that day.

"Sorry, I was only teasing, but as I was saying, you may not be big but look at me! I am not that big either! You stand about an inch taller than me! Think about what would happen to me if you tried to hug me and you were the size of a defensive linebacker?" asked Giannine as she stared at him, although she was also keeping an eye on the path in front of them. Nigel thought about it and started to chuckle at the mental image of tiny Giannine disappearing in the bear hug of a huge and bulky Nigel. Giannine started to giggle but after a few moments she got serious again. "Trust me, Nigel, baby, you are just the right size to give me the best hugs! The only things I like more are your kisses…" she admitted with a smile. Nigel smiled also. "Plus, you are just too cute, so your being skinny does not really concern me."

"Cute?" mimicked Nigel with a grin.

"Yes, cute!" She said. "Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror?"

"Only long enough to check my appearance before work…" he admitted quietly. Giannine stared at Nigel incredulously.

"Oh-kay… Nigel, promise me something." said Giannine after a moment.

"Yes?" he said.

"Tomorrow, you do not have to work. It is Saturday. Take your time to dress and really look at yourself. Trust me, you will not be being conceited. I mean just look at yourself not drool over yourself. Okay?" she said. Nigel nodded but still looked unconvinced.

"Fine but… what about the part about me being a wi—"

"I did not say that you were one. I said that you would seem like one to other people that is not including me. To be honest that makes my life easier. I do not have to worry that you would be ready to kill somebody on a whim, like if they looked at you wrong. DO you know how embarrassing that is?" Giannine rambled. Nigel laughed. "Just because you do not like confrontation does not mean that you will not or cannot fight, does it?"

"Of course not, if I have to fight I will, I just do not like unnecessary conflict." he said. Giannine saw him smile and was relieved to see that he was starting to feel better.

"Most people don't Nigel," She said nodding, "But I really do wish that you open up more a bit in public… you do not have to go crazy on me but you know, get out there and meet people. I would like to see my Nigel with at least one friend… ya know or at least an acquaintance that does not have to do with work. Because you are a great person, once someone gets to know you… I mean, you are smart, funny, and a great conversationalist! But most people would not know that unless you talk…" counseled Giannine.

"I-I know Giannine, I know… but it is kinda hard when most people assume that you either are a complete nerd, which automatically means that you are a dork… or the ever popular 'snobbish rich kid'." huffed Nigel indignantly. Giannine's eyes had widened in surprise at Nigel's admission. She gently reached out and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"You know, I did not think that you were when I first met you." She said.

"No, you thought that I was a middle aged, bald guy with glasses." Nigel said in a matter-of-fact voice. The only thing that gave away the fact that he was joking was the dancing sparkle in his lovely eyes. Giannine saw this and scoffed.

"No that is not what happened, Nigel! I thought that you were Kenric and I thought that your uncle was you! If that makes any sense…" said the queen sheepishly.

"Uh huh…" said Nigel with fake bored tone. Giannine scoffed again before crossing her arms and snapping,

"Well please excuse the poor confused girl, who had just woke up from a near-death experience at that particular point in time!" Nigel finally laughed as he paused and he gathered Giannine into his arms to hug her.

"I am sorry, I was kidding." He said as he released her. She pretended to glare at him but eventually gave in when he gave her a pleading, apologetic look that she could not ignore.

"You better be glad that I love you!" she pretended to grouse before she uncrossed her arms and smiled at him. He grinned.

"Okay, I will admit that I am not that bad of a person… but you cannot refute the fact that I am predictable…" said Nigel as if he were almost challenging her to prove him wrong.

"Well, of course you are when you run a company; your days are usually very structured because you are so busy! So, you would need to come up with a routine that would be most time efficient for you so, of course you would be super predictable. But I do not mind that you can not be spontaneous all the time since you always have time set aside for me in your busy day but a surprise or two here and there would be a nice change." admitted Giannine. Nigel mentally filed that little bit of information away for later.

"Okay, but what about—" started Nigel.

"Nigel, if you say 'but' one more time, I am going to kick you in yours, comprende?"

"Sí," He replied with a smile. Giannine just shook her head. "What about me being a window, though?"

"Oh that! You blush almost as much as I do, but I think it's cute! You have a big heart, my love, so you can't help but show it. I mean, I can see what you are feeling just by looking at the color of your eyes, the shades of gray change with your mood. Secondly, I know all of your little habits! So, see you are transparent to me because you are my love so, I should know you like that." said Giannine while sending him a loving look that was meant only for him and him only. The very same look that made his heart practically dance with joy, if it could. He could not help but grin.

"Giannine, I am your complete opposite but if you love me, who am I to argue with you?" Nigel said before giving a seemingly helpless shrug. Giannine giggled.

"We do complement each other nicely, don't we?" she said thoughtfully as she continued to walk.

"Huh?" asked Nigel. Giannine smiled.

"Yeah, I am spontaneous and you are predictable most of the time, so you remind me to have a little structure in my life so that my busy life does not get of hand because of all my spontaneity." said Giannine. Nigel's eyes widened as the light bulb went on in his mind.

"Oh yeah, and you remind me to take chances in life in order to move forward in life." He said. She nodded. "Also, your diverse and fun ways always brightens my pretty boring day. I mean, technology and computers are a hobby, but there are days that I want to scream because it seems like I have been doing the same thing all day for the past few days. But then you show up and completely rearrange my attitude, my prospective, and sometimes even my entire schedule! But I never mind, because I love excuses to see you and get out of the office. I mean, I am still a teenager…" he admitted. She giggled and moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder as Nigel wrapped his arm around her waist. After a few moments of silence, Giannine spoke up again.

"Hey, I have been wondering, how were you able to hear me? During the last moments of the battle, I mean."

"Oh, all mages can communicate telepathically. You were wishing for me to hear you and since your thoughts were directed to me, I could hear them." He said. "By the way, where did you learn that slingshot trick?"

"I used it to help Dusty fend off foxes and wolves that threatened the livestock." responded Giannine.

"Huh… that is a useful skill to have… so, you are pregnant… this is a challenge, I certainly never saw coming…" he said. Giannine just laughed.

"Most guys never see it coming." teased Giannine. Nigel shot her a look that clearly said, 'Shut up'. Giannine just laughed again. But she instantly stopped as soon as she saw his scowl deepen. She gave a cry and ran off with Nigel following closely behind…

Meanwhile in Dale's hideout…

Dale had just come to a few minutes ago at the ring of his phone. He managed to lift a hand to grab the black device before lifting it from its cradle and putting it to his ear.

"Hello," said a dreary Dale. He was only half awake but his eyes went wide when he recognized the voice on the other end.

"Private, you better have some good news for me…" growled Captain Pythos. Dale was nervous.

"Umm… I have implanted the prototype into a suitable test subject but I am not completely through testing it yet." said Dale.

"Well, you are running out of time, Rasmussem, I need results. You have two years left! I want something tangible to work with by then! Good day!" huffed Pythos. Then the phone went dead. Dale slowly put the receiver back in its cradle and shook his head. So, his little brother had some fight in him after all. This little experiment could prove useful after all. His brother and his little toy proved to be excellent test subjects but he did not realize that his brother and that Giannine chick would catch on to his game so quickly and put up such a tremendous fight. He did not mind the resistance that made it all the more fun for Dale. Dale like challenges and bringing down his little brother and his girlfriend would be a worthwhile challenge. But there was a slight drawback to taking on this particular challenge: His brother's curiosity. Nigel was no fool and Dale knew this, if Dale kept at this experiment for too long his brother would eventually find out what he was up to. But on the other hand, Dale could use them as lab rats and use them to note any side effects other than the usual from the virus. "Alright, you will live little brother, for now…"

A little while later at the Gaming Center…

Nigel was slowly opening his eyes as he woke up from the game. He turned his head slightly to see if Giannine was awake. But he found that she was not just awake but sitting up and facing away from him. He slowly sat up and called to her but she did not answer. She was looking down. He slowly sat up and swung his legs over the side and stood. He walked around to Giannine's side of the bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He sat down next to her and frowned in concern when he heard her try to stifle a sob. "Giannine?" He finally lifted her chin up with his hand. Her pretty face had tears running down them. Then his eyes happened to fall on something pink on her neck. He gasped in shock… the scars that she obtained from Dale's attack had appeared in the real world. Her once flawless skin now had four large claw marks on it, although they were a pale pink color that was easy to conceal. Nigel growled in disdain. He absolutely loathed his brother! No matter what Nigel did, his brother would always have the upper hand! He sighed softly and kissed the top of her head and held her. There was nothing more either of them could do… they were stuck in a game that neither one knew how to win…

About three days later…

Giannine was getting ready to head to work when there came a knock at her door. Her grandma was out and she was the only one there to answer the door. She sighed and laid down the brush that she had been using and walked to the front of the apartment. She looked out of her grandmother's badly colored drapes and gave shout of terror when she saw who was standing outside. She quickly shut the drapes and placed a trembling hand over her mouth. Dale? What did he want with her? Then a small piece of a conversation that she had had with Nigel came back to her.

…"Giannine, I know you think that this is just a crazy spat between two brothers but there are things about Dale you don't know…"

"Like what?"

"He raped two girls and killed a guy at his old university that is why he was sent home. The school said if he left the school, they would convince the families not press charges against Dale!"…

He rapedtwo girls…

He raped

"Ooooohhhh…" she moaned. She was frozen in place by fear, a deep paralyzing panic. Her entire body was shaking. She was so caught up in her fear that she almost did not hear Dale's taunting.

"I know you're in there doll face… I have been watching you since I met you and learned that you and techno freak had hooked up. I know your routine by heart, baby. Oh by the way, nice Victoria Secret Collection, especially that lacy black number, I saw it during my tour yesterday while you hanging out with techno freak." He sneered. She went white and stifled a sob. She remembered that she had gone to Nigel's that night to get help with some computer homework that she had for her computer class that was required for graduation. She had planned on staying over while Nigel's parents were out of town; she had packed everything but her brush, so she had stopped by the apartment to brush her hair and to get something to eat before work. She slowly backed away from the door.

She turned and went to her room. Each step was torture for Giannine, her feet felt like cement and her heart was beating wildly. She opened her bedroom door and looked in. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Her bed was still made and her room was still clean. Then her eyes landed on her dresser. She crept forward slowly. She reached her dresser after what felt like an eternity to her. She reached a shaky hand forward and pulled open the drawer slightly. She peeked inside and saw that her unmentionables had been rummaged through. But she got a really disgusting shock when she went to move one of the garments, her hand fell into something wet and sticky… the bastard! She let out a shriek of horror and disgust… Instantly the tears she had been fighting to hold back were gone. Her quivering body went rigid with indignation. She turned on her heel and practically stomped back through the apartment. She could hear Dale's sadistic laughter through the door. She wretched the door open, raised her sullen hand, and slapped Dale across the face in one fluid motion. She glared at the teen that was sprawled on the ground looking up at her with an angry yet shocked expression.

"How dare you! You are the vilest and most horrid person I have ever met! Leave! Leave now!" she practically hissed. Dale arched an eyebrow in amusement. Once again, Giannine Bellisario had surprised him. He knew that she would scream when she discovered how he had defiled her belongings, but what he had not suspected was that the discovery would anger her and not intimidate her like he had wanted. Well as people say, "There's more than one way to skin a cat…" He waited till she let her guard down and lunged for the girl but she was too quick, he missed by at least a foot and got a door in the nose for his failure. He cursed loudly.

Giannine stood a few inches from the door with her chest heaving up and down. The anger had started to disappear and the fear was starting to reappear. She heard Dale curse and she jumped when he started to bang on the locked door. Then she felt her heart drop into her stomach when she heard what sounded like a key sliding into a lock. He had a key to her apartment! She turned tail and ran to her room and slammed the door shut with a bang. She hurriedly locked it and scurried around to the other side of the bed. She laid her back up against the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest and fought not to cry as she thought, "Nigellll! Oh, if only we were in the game and he could hear me… Nigel… I need you… help me."…

Meanwhile, in the Gaming Center…

Nigel had almost fallen asleep at his computer but he jolted awake when a familiar voice called his name. "Giannine?" he thought. He jumped again when he thought that he had heard her call his name again. Nigel shook his head to try and clear it, thinking that he was just hearing things but a ball of ice had started forming in his stomach due to a feeling of apprehension. He decided to call and see if she was alright. He turned and looked at the digital clock on the wall. It read: 4:08pm. Giannine was probably at home getting ready for work. He picked up the desk phone dialed the apartment number. It rang and rang but only the answering machine picked up. He felt that ice ball get larger and his stomach get tighter. "Okay, Nigel, just calm down… maybe she left for work early… just call her cell phone." He thought trying to calm his nerves. He hung up the phone and dialed another number. He waited. The phone started to ring. It rang a second time and third time. Then there was a click and a scuffling sound before he heard sniffling and whimpering.

"Giannine?" he asked. She did not reply but he could still hear her whimpering. What was going on? Then he heard a banging noise and then a cold voice that sent his heart racing with fear.

"Come on, doll face, open the door…" he heard Dale say. Giannine continued to whimper but it sounded like she had not moved. There was more banging. Nigel could not stand it anymore.

"Giannine, baby, where are you? Giannine answer me!" he cried frantically. He needed to get to her before Dale did something horrible to her. She did not answer him. Then Nigel heard a grotesque splintering sound then a heavy thud. He heard Giannine scream. He listened horrified as a scuffle started. He heard another thud before he heard Giannine scream,

"NO! GET OFF OF ME! LET GO OF ME! NOOOO!" It sounded like they were wrestling on the ground. He heard her grunts and groans of effort as she tried to fight off Dale. Nigel was torn he did not know what to do, he did not want to hang up on Giannine and yet he wanted to get to wherever she was pronto. Then he heard another blood chilling scream from Giannine and a cruel laugh from his brother…

Back with Giannine…

Giannine fought in vain to try and pry Dale off of her but he was way too heavy. She was becoming increasingly frustrated and tears of fear began to run down her face. She started screaming again as Dale started to pull at her clothes. She began to fight even harder, now. She was not going to allow him to rape her, not easily anyway. He laughed at her attempts to escape but continued to pull off her scrub pants. She was growing desperate now as she felt the elastic slide down her hips. Dale practically leered at her with his cold, lustful eyes. Giannine had to do something and soon. So, she acted on instinct and… spit right in Dale's smug face. He hissed and jerked backwards.

Giannine did not waste any time and kneed Dale in his groin. She pushed him off as he double over in pain. She quickly scrambled to her feet as she heard him utter a slur between his groans of agony. She pulled up her pants as she stumbled to her nightstand that was a few inches behind and to the left of where they had been struggling and she quickly snatched the short crème lamp off of it, and then chucked it at the slowly recovering rapist. It hit him in the shoulder, which knocked him on his side again. She turned around quickly, and made a mad dash for the discarded cell phone, a pink razor, and scooped it off of the floor with her left hand. She rushed out of the door to her room and made a bee line for the front door as she placed the phone to her ear.

"Giannine? Giannine? Are you alright?" cried a frantic Nigel. She sped out of the door and to her left as she fled from Dale.

"Dale… somehow… got a key… to… my apartment! Now, he's after me! Nigel! You have help—" she was cut off in midsentence as she turned a corner but was grabbed by Dale, who had her by her auburn hair. He wretched the phone from her grasp, put next to his ear, and hissed,

"See ya soon, techno freak!" He then threw the phone against the nearby wall and grinned in satisfaction as it shattered to pieces. Giannine writhed futilely in his grip. He chuckled darkly before he pivoted on his right foot and slammed Giannine up against the gray-blue colored cement wall that he had just obliterated her phone on. She cried out in pain and then whimpered when he pulled violently on her hair. He forced her to look him in the eyes before he crushed his lips on her lush pink ones. She fell disgust twist and writhe in her stomach. She started flailing her arms in an attempt to try to push Dale away. But he was still too strong for her to take on by herself.

Finally, she managed to raise an arm and punch him right in the jaw. His head whipped to the side and Giannine gasped as she finally took in some much needed air. Her heart was hammering away in her chest and it nearly stopped when he lashed back out at her. He gripped her by the throat and slammed her against the wall again, causing another cry of pain to escape the girl. He then slapped her face, hard. Her head whipped to the side so hard and fast that the untouched side hit the wall and made a dull, hollow thudding sound when it connected. She screamed again and began to whimper pitifully as Dale pulled her hair viciously downwards and forced her to look up at him again. "If I were you, I would not try my patience, little lab rat," he growled dangerously, "because the only reason that you and techno freak are still alive is because I need test subjects… so do not TEST MY PATIENCE!" Giannine was visibly shaking like a leaf but she was still resilient about escaping from the madman with the cold gray eyes.

But then she heard the wind pick up… what was going on? She continued to struggle though, which prompted Dale to pull harder on her hair. Then he let go when the wind began to blow intolerably and he struggled to maintain his balance. Giannine felt an odd sense of déjà vu as she watched him struggle; this looked just like what happened in the game. She remembered what the dragon Dale looked like as he was being blown around by her wind gusts. Could this be the same thing…? After all, the wind had just picked up so suddenly. She decided for some crazy reason to see if she really was the cause of this sudden wind gust. She swept her hand in an upward motion and Dale flew off of his feet and into the ceiling of the balcony they were on. He gave a grunt of pain before he slammed back into the ground when Giannine was startled by his connection with the roof and lost control of the wind. He slowly struggled to his feet with a grunt.

"What the—" he started to mumble before the wind picked up again under Giannine's guidance and he went flying into the roof again. Then he lunged towards her after he came down a second time and she shrieked in fear before she threw up her hands defensively. This time Dale flew out away from Giannine rather than up and flew over the balcony rail. Giannine gasped in horror at what she had just done. She listened as Dale fell screaming to the ground below and then she winced at the soft thump as Dale's body connected with the ground. Then she heard a scream followed by the voices of frantic bystanders as they went to see about Dale. Because Giannine was still up against the wall, no one on the ground three stories below her could see her. She slowly and shakily turned around and retrieved the broken remains of her cell phone from the ground and walked woodenly back to her grandmother's apartment. She slowly wobbled into the living room and shut the door, although she did not lock it, she was too deep in shock.

"I killed him…" she whispered to no one before she lost consciousness and slumped to the floor…

Nigel heaved for air as he flew into the parking lot of the apartment complex. He had driven his car to about a block before the complex when a policeman had stopped him, claiming that no vehicles could enter or exit the apartments. So, he had left his car parked near the curb and ran the rest of the way to the apartments. His heart was working in overdrive as panic screamed inside him. It had been nearly fifteen minutes since he had last heard Giannine's voice before his brother had cut her off and disconnected the call. Was she alright? The sight that greeted him when he got there did nothing to ease his worry. There were people standing around in the parking lot and there were news crews on the scene. There was some police tape around an area near the apartments themselves. He slowly pushed his way to the front of the crowd and saw an ambulance and a few feet away, he saw two paramedics loading someone onto a stretcher. He rushed forward without even thinking and gasped when he realized that his brother was the one being loaded onto the stretcher. Part of him was relieved that it was not Giannine but the other half wanted to know what happened to his brother. But before he could reach the paramedics to ask, two police officers tried to stop him from crossing the barricade.

"Wait, that's my brother!" Nigel blurted out. The officers moved out of his way and he proceeded to the ambulance while another officer followed him. "What happened to him?"

"Apparently, it was a suicide attempt." said the officer with a slight shrug. "According to witnesses, the boy just came flying over the 3rd floor rail and hit the ground. The impact did not kill him but it injured him seriously." Nigel frowned slightly as he thought. This did not sound like his brother at all. Sadistic, yes… Suicidal, no… He furrowed his brows even more.

"Was anyone seen with him?" asked Nigel. The officer shook his head.

"Why? Are you thinking foul play?" asked the officer. Now it was Nigel's turn to shake his head no.

"No, it is just that my girlfriend lives here and I though that she might have seen something." answered Nigel. The officer nodded.

"Well, if you could just leave some information with me and some contact numbers for your folks, I will gladly let you go see your girl, Mr..."

"Oh… Nigel Rasmussem, sir." He said.

"Oh yeah, hey are you related to the guy that owns the gaming centers?." said the officer. Nigel shook his head no, it was a half truth, and gave him contact numbers for his parents and some other basic information before he turned and headed into the apartments. He dashed up the stairs as fast as his legs would carry him. He slid around the corner near Giannine's apartment and ran for the apartment that he knew was hers. He knocked on the door quietly but did not receive an answer. He decided to try the doorknob and was slightly surprised when it opened. He pushed it open slowly and drew in a sharp breath when the light from outside fell on Giannine's unconscious form lying in the middle of her living room floor. He rushed to her side and instantly noted the bruises on her face. He reached down and shook her and she shot up into sitting position with a scream of fright. Nigel instantly dropped to his knees and scooped the frightened woman into his arms and rocked her back and forth.

"Shhh… it's alright… I am here now…" he soothed as he held her. She started to weep softly.

After a few hours and Nigel had called Mackie to inform her that Giannine would not be coming into work that day, he was sitting by Giannine's bedside as she rested in her bed. She was still awake but lying on her side facing away from him. His hand rested on her shoulder. She was just laying there not making a sound unless she was crying. But all of a sudden, she shifted.

"Nigel, could you do me a favor?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he said.

"The top drawer, could you take it out for me?" she whispered.

"Sure…" he said as stood up and walked over to her dresser and pulled out the top drawer before asking, "What do I do with it?"

"Take it outside to the back of the building… and burn it." She said. Nigel started and gasped.

"What? I guess, what I mean is why?" sputtered Nigel with a look of discontent on his face.

"Why, because those clothes are no longer mine. They belong to 'him'…" she answered hollowly. Nigel frowned in confusion.

"I don't—"

"He marked his territory, Nigel. So, I want nothing to do with them any longer." She stated.

"Well, I cannot legally burn these Giannine but I can throw them out for you." he conceded. She nodded her fair head before she finally sat up, rubbing her back in the process. Nigel noticed this and placed the drawer on the floor beside the door before coming to her side again. "Let me see your back." She turned her back to him and pulled up the pale pink scrub to reveal a rather large blue and purple bruise covering most of her back. He growled fiercely as he looked at the result of his brother's violence. He let the thin piece of fabric fall back into place. She finally turned to face him as she asked,

"Did I kill him?" Nigel frowned in confusion.

"What?" asked Nigel.

"I pushed him off, it was an accident," she replied, "My powers, they shocked me when they activated and I couldn't control them."

"What? What powers?" blurted Nigel.

"My wind powers from the game." She said. Nigel was bewildered.

"Giannine, it is highly unlikely that you can have powers outside of the game." said Nigel. He sat down next the auburn haired beauty on the bed. Giannine knew that he would not readily believe her, so she had thought of a plan while she was supposed to be "resting". But first, she had to distract him.

"Nigel, why did you call?" she asked in order to abruptly change the subject.

"I-uh-well, I just started thinking about you for some reason… It was almost like I could hear your voice." He answered softly. Giannine was fighting hard not smile. He had heard part of her call for help. Perfect. She thought for a moment. The she watched as Nigel jumped as if he had been bitten or shocked by something. Nigel had been startled when a soft presence had entered his mind and then he thought that he had heard a voice call his name. Nigel looked at Giannine, but the girl was staring at him curiously but she was not speaking. Then he heard the voice again,

"Nigel…" Nigel nearly jumped again and Giannine started to giggle. He stared at her. Then voice spoke again and this time he recognized the voice.

"It is impolite to stare, Nigel." He frowned at Giannine before he tentatively sent a thought to her.

"How? I mean this is, it should be, impossible but here we are." He reached out and stroked her bruised face. She nodded before she opened her mouth to speak, saying,

"I don't know but why don't you try something out, I already accidentally used my powers and killed your brother…"

"You did not kill him but he is badly injured." said Nigel. Giannine nodded in relief.

"Well," prompted Giannine. Nigel held up his hands in mock defeat before he stood up. He closed his eyes and made a swift and surprising change from man to a beautiful golden retriever. Giannine stared open mouthed at her boyfriend. Even Nigel was in shock, he walked around in circles trying look at himself. Giannine giggled. "Alright, that is enough… I will turn around so that you can change back." She turned her back to him again and he changed back. While Nigel was putting his clothes back on, he thought. "Maybe there is a glitch in the virus that opens the mind and body to every experience rather than just the realistic ones… but why would Dale put the virus there in the first place…? Why did he attack us but let us live? It does not make sense…"

"Ok, I'm done, baby. Did Dale say anything to you about the game?" he asked. Giannine was about to shake her head no, when a piece of Dale's attack floated across her mind:

…"If I were you, I would not try my patience, little lab rat," he growled dangerously, "because the only reason that you and techno freak are still alive is because I need test subjects… so do not TEST MY PATIENCE!"…

She turned around to face her love very slowly and said,

"He mentioned something about a test subject…" Nigel frowned. "He is testing the virus? Why? Doesn't he already know what it is supposed to do? Wait! He might be looking for a glitch or a side-effect before he actually uses it for whatever crazy scheme he has! Therefore, he is using my new game, Giannine, and me as an experiment but now the new questions are: What is the virus really for and could our new found "powers" be the side effect he was looking for?" thought Nigel.

"Come on Giannine, I am sorry to drag you out in your condition but we have a lot of snooping to do before my brother gets out of the hospital… I would say we have two weeks at least." said Nigel as he headed to the door. Giannine pulled back the covers and swung her legs over the side and stuck her feet back into her cross trainers.

"How can you tell?" she asked as she joined him in the doorway as he picked up her soiled clothes.

"It will take about a week and a half for the wounds to heal; then the hospital will want to keep him for 3 days to a week for a psychological evaluation since this is the second time that Dale has "exhibited" suicidal tendencies. Plus, the hospital knows that Dale is crazy but my parents…" Nigel stopped in midsentence as he realized that he had said way too much. He muttered something about needing to leave before he headed out the door.

"Nigel? Wait! What are you talking about!" cried Giannine as she followed her now tight-lipped boyfriend out the door…

Alright that was chappie 7! Thanks again for the support! The next one will be faster hopefully!