There was a party next door. A thin vein of bass and loud talking pulsed through the otherwise quiet atmosphere of Hanna's room, where the girl herself laid curled against her girlfriend's chest. A textbook laid propped open on her lap as she gazed with wonder up at the brunette, who was silently mouthing French vocabulary. Lost in her work, as her dark eyes scanned the sheet of vocabulary with eerie speed and efficiency, it was only as Hanna began to not-so-innocently play with the hem of Spencer's skirt that she even noticed something was going on.

"Hanna…" Spencer finally tore her eyes away from the textbook, looking down at the blonde. "You're supposed to be helping me study for my speaking test." She tried to let warning lapse into her tone, but as Hanna's fingertips traveled further up her thigh, it was hard to sound anything less than breathless.

"You've been fluent in French since you came out of the womb, Spencer." Hanna pushed the book off the bed, ignoring Spencer's noise of protest as she climbed into the brunette's lap. She placed one hand to her chest as she gently and yet persuasively pushed her down against the mattress. "You don't need my help. I took Spanish. For one year. If you really wanted help, you'd ask Aria. Or your sister. Not me. Which leads me to believe…" She trailed off as she suddenly dropped down on top of her. "…Homework is actually the last thing on your mind."

Spencer arched an eyebrow as she looked up at her girlfriend, freeing one of her pinned arms to tuck back some of the blonde hair that hung around them in a curtain. "Are you sure you're not getting you and me confused again?" She asked. "Teaching someone helps me learn better, that's why I asked you. Plus, it's a good excuse to just…sit here and look at you." She punctuated her sentence with a smile.

"Teach me something…dirty." Hanna closed the distance briefly to kiss her before pulling away, playfully biting at her lower lip as she did do. "In French, or otherwise…"

Spencer gasped, shifting beneath Hanna, displeased with her position of submission, poised to push her away before she simply leaned up, lips lightly brushing Hanna's ear. "J'ai envie de toi…desesperement." She breathed, smirking as she felt Hanna go slack against her. "Permettez-moi de te faire l'amour…" At the signals of Hanna's gasps, and the trembles that sparked through her body, Spencer gripped her shoulders hard and brought her in for a kiss, instantly slipping her tongue past the barrier of her lips. For once in her life, she found it oh so easy to abandon her work and lose herself.

Spencer could feel the magic of Hanna's kiss working its way through her, the sweet poison of it spreading its way through her veins until she was all but consumed by it. The taste of her lipgloss sparking across her tongue, the sensation of nails being dragged along her spine ever so lightly as she shifted them upright…she cupped Hanna's cheeks to keep her close, honestly fearing the moment they broke apart. She dreaded losing it, losing the connection, losing the magic.

She smirked into the kiss as she felt Hanna's hands dip beneath the fabric of her shirt, running along her lithe body before resting on her stomach. Liquid warmth pooled through her, originating from wherever on her skin that Hanna touched. Her lungs were burning for air, and – loving every second of it – she slipped her hands away from her face and down to the collar of her shirt, seizing it and dragging her tighter against her. She deftly worked the buttons undone one by one until she was slipping the slim fabric off her shoulders, finally breaking the kiss only to almost immediately press her lips to the flushed skin of Hanna's shoulder, smirking yet again as she felt the blonde practically melt at her attention.

Very slowly, she slid a light two fingers up the line of Hanna's spine, beginning at the apex of her lower back. With that hand slipped underneath her bra clip, Spencer moved her lips to Hanna's neck, using her teeth in a precise way, avoiding marking her physically, but biting down just hard enough to leave an imagined mark, a mental mark. 'You're mine, Hanna.' That was what it said. Simple, and yet meaning so much more than that, and Spencer knew she understood simply by the way she clung to her, digging her perfectly manicured nails into her shoulders.

The thing about Spencer, however, was that she had a sixth sense, stemming from the many times her parents had gotten in between her and Toby when they were still dating. So she knew before the knock even sounded on the door, and had her free hand covering Hanna's mouth just as she let out a soft moan, muffling the sound enough to hear the knock over it. Hanna turned away from her hand for a second, catching her breath before getting out a hoarse "We're studying, mom, go away!"
"It's me." A slightly gruff male voice answered, a voice that Spencer knew belonged to Hanna's semi-absent father. "Hanna, we need to talk, could you come out here, please?" He didn't sound at all pleasant. In fact, it didn't sound like Hanna had a choice.


Spencer always swore up and down, the best sleep she'd ever had was the night they returned from a week at the lake house when she was eight years old. That morning, she and her sister had gone for one last thrash in the lake, which had turned into an epic race to the dock. (Surprise, surprise, Melissa returned triumphant.) By the time they were back on shore and safely buckled into the car, Spencer was damp and cold and her limbs felt like lead – but she was determined to stay awake. Melissa conked out during the first ten minutes of the rife, having clearly given her all in the impromptu race, but Spencer…well, she still needed to beat Melissa somehow, right? (Even if it was small and petty, it would still mean something.)

So she struggled with burning eyes and painstakingly read about three pages of 'Great Expectations' – a fitting choice – before the car glided smoothly into the driveway, the equivalent of a victory cheer in her eyes. Even though it now seemed so small, in that moment, as she watched her father gingerly lift her thirteen year old sister out of the car, she felt like she'd won a gold medal. And it only got better as she tripped up the stairs, slipped between her sheets and finally let herself succumb to slumber, the satisfaction finally moving into just bliss and worry-free dreams for the first time since she had started school and had been entered into unwilling competition against her sister. She had never slept better, and up until now, she swore she never would.

But this was better. Even that cherished childhood memory, one of the few peaceful ones she had, could not stand up to being in Hanna Marin's bed the morning after their reconciliation. The sheets were warm against her mostly bare skin, and the pillow top mattress cradled her expertly, and sunlight dappled across the bedspread, over Hanna's hair as she slept under Spencer's watchful eye. With a gentle brush of her fingertips, she brushed the blonde locks away from Hanna's cheek, leaning down to press a feather light kiss against her soft skin, savoring the feel of it under her lips once again. Now this was perfection, with her arm wrapped securely around the smaller girl's waist, the warmth of her body bleeding through the thin layer of the bedsheet. It had been magic to sleep next to her like that again after everything that had transpired between them, pure magic, enough to make Spencer wonder if her sleep had, in fact, been her dream.

"Hey." Spencer whispered as she kissed her again, just beneath her ear, dragging her fingertips along the line of her jaw. "We do have school, you know."

"Mmm, why did you remind me?" Hanna mumbled, turning against her touch before she finally rolled over, opening her eyes, her gaze glazed over and vacant as she obviously struggled against the impulse to go back to sleep. "Can't we just stay in bed all day? Make up for lost time…?" Hanna buried her face in Spencer's neck, kissing a line across her skin, down her shoulder.
Spencer laughed a little, breathless, moving a hand to Hanna's shoulder, gripping her. "Yeah, I don't think so." She said, trying to avoid the obvious catch in her voice as Hanna persistently kissed her. "Two weeks, even if it was spent in agony, is not enough to validate missing a day of school for…other activities."

"I don't know if I should be impressed by your strength of will or insulted." Hanna said, her voice still muzzy with sleep, as she snuggled in closer against her, fingers curling into the thin fabric of her tank top. "Guess I'll just have to change your mind." Without giving Spencer the time to react, she kissed her, sliding her arms around her neck.

Magic. It was the only word strong enough, and the only word strange enough to really begin to describe how Hanna made her felt, what Hanna could do. Not even ten seconds after their lips met, school was a distant memory, instead replaced by much more recent ones. Her fingertips feeling the warmth of Hanna's skin beneath the thin fabric of her pajamas, the scent of sunlight and the gardenias blooming just below Hanna's window wafting through the room, the lips on hers, the hands and the pathways they traced through her dark hair…every second of it was magic. Done in secret, things she couldn't explain, things she had never thought possible. It could only be some sort of magic.

A faint knock on the door barely broke through the barrier of her thoughts – in fact, it wasn't until she felt Hanna react that she realized what was happening. "I changed my mind." She whispered, dragging Hanna back across the bed, burying her face in her shoulder, kissing along the juncture of her neck. "Fuck school."

Hanna laughed a little, the sound barely audible, digging her nails into Spencer's shoulders slightly, ignoring the next knock as it came. "I knew I could change your mind." She whispered, her breath catching a little as Spencer nipped at her skin.


With a sigh of resign, Spencer slipped her hand out from under Hanna's bra, carefully watching Hanna's expression quickly change to something that suggested she'd been kicked. "Hey." Spencer whispered, her heart wrenching slightly to see her girlfriend so upset. "Look at me." She reached out, tipping her chin upward with the gentle pressure of her fingertips. "Do not put him in the position to break you." She continued to speak softly. "He hasn't done enough for you, he hasn't earned that right. Got it?"

Hanna's nod was timid, but immediate, and as she grasped a t-shirt in her hands, she leaned forward and kissed Spencer. "I wish you'd listen to your own advice sometimes." She said softly, before slipping the fabric over her head. "You should go wait down in the kitchen or something…this could get kind of messy." She sighed heavily. "Plus, you'll need stamina for later…" She added, her demeanor shifting as she placed one more kiss on Spencer's cheek. "Go on."

"If you insist." Spencer said, reluctantly moving towards the door. With one last glance at Hanna, she carefully opened it, smoothing her hair as she went, moving past Tom with little more than a glowering look, heading down the stairs to the kitchen, food the very last thing on her mind. Still, she ended up in front of the microwave with a bored expression weighing on her features as she watched a bag of popcorn slowly inflate, glancing up every so often as she checked for the signs of raised voices.

"Oh, Spencer, I didn't know you were here." Spencer jumped, turning as she heard Ashley speak. "Is Hanna upstairs?"

"Uh, yeah." Spencer replied, ignoring the microwave as it went off. "She's with Tom – er, Mr. Marin, he…stopped by to speak with her."

Ashley dropped the keys on the counter, staring at Spencer for a moment, before her expression clearly showed her contempt for her ex-husband. "I told him to stay away, dammit." She instantly moved towards the stairs. "Spencer, you stay here."

The order went unheeded, and Spencer was at her heels, the two of them halfway up the stairs before all hell broke loose. Raised voices suddenly echoed through the walls, and before they knew it, Hanna was practically tripping down the stairs in tears, brushing past them without a word, headed straight for the door. Tom was thundering down after her only a second later, stopping only as Ashley grabbed his arm, Spencer trying to go after Hanna, stopped short by the front door slamming in her face. She should have gone after her immediately, but something in her made her turn around, facing Tom, her features set in anger against his own, set in disbelief. "See what you've done?" Spencer snapped. "All she's ever wanted is to be a daughter you can be proud of! She tries so hard, and sure, she makes mistakes, but God, she tries, and who are you to judge her for her slip ups? You've certainly made enough of them, and yet everyone you love comes rushing to forgive you, your daughter included. So whatever you have left to say to Hanna doesn't matter, you are done. Because someone as special and as loving as she is doesn't deserve to be torn down for every tiny mistake." The tirade came flowing out of her with no resistance, every word spoken with acid in her tone. Shocked at herself for a second, Spencer took a step back, before she realized that everything she had said was true and she stood her ground, meeting Tom's vacant and stunned expression with little difficulty.

It was Ashley who spoke first after the air, still thick with Spencer's charged words, finally began to settle. "Tom, get out." She said, stepping off the stairs, taking Spencer's arm. "We're going to go find Hanna. And I don't want to see you around here when we get back, or any time soon."


The door opened with barely any warning, the sound causing Spencer to jerk way from Hanna, falling onto the floor in a tangle of sheets and pillows. Hanna was still buried under the comforter, looking beyond scandalized. "Dad!" She gasped, and it was only then that Spencer realized that it was none other than Tom Marin standing at the door. "You could knock!"

Spencer drew the sheet to her chest, glowering at Tom. (While silently thankful that his sudden entrance had caused her to fall onto the floor and therefore look like she had been there all night, rather than in bed with Hanna.) Tom glanced at her for a second, before looking away, expression almost fearful, which made Spencer laugh a little internally. "I'm, ah, here to drive you to school, Hanna…Spencer too, I suppose…your mom said it might be a good idea."

"I find that hard to believe." Hanna grumbled. "Can you go? Neither of us are really ready, and I'd prefer not to go to school looking like a half-naked Bride of Frankenstein."

"Alright, just…be ready soon, alright?" Tom said, to his credit, trying to be gentle. (Not that Spencer afforded him much credit.) "Don't want to be late. Although I guess Spencer will keep you on schedule." The joke was feeble, and it earned him a glare from both girls that sent him back through the door without another word.

"This is just fucking great." Hanna snapped ripping the sheets off of herself, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "I can't do this, again, Spencer. I can't." Hanna moved straight over to her vanity, sitting down, eyes growing increasingly red by the second as she fumbled with her makeup, eventually just flinging it off the table, burying her head in her hands. "I can't survive this again." She gasped, her shoulders beginning to shake. Spencer watched on helplessly, trying to untangle herself from the sheets as quickly as possible, her heart breaking for her girlfriend. "He's just going to leave again, or I'll fuck up again, and he'll hate me again, and I just…I can't!"

"Hanna…" Spencer said softly, making her way over to the blonde, laying hands on her shoulders, leaning in close, pressing her face against the blonde's. "Hanna, listen to me. You don't have to give him a chance. He doesn't deserve a chance, not after the way he's treated you. Not after all of the times that he's made you feel like you're less than perfect the way you are."

"I'm not perfect." Hanna murmured, closing her eyes as she leaned against Spencer more heavily. Tears had begun to roll down her cheeks, and Spencer was torn between heartbreak, and being so angry at Tom that her blood boiled. "God, I'm not."

"Who is?" Spencer asked. "You've seen me exhibit all of my neuroses – and a few I didn't know I had – in the past few weeks. Your father? Is the most flawed person I've ever met, outside of my own family. No one is perfect, Hanna. No one can be what society says they should. The ones that are? They're illusions, and they have their moments of imperfection behind closed doors. Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. You are the person you are supposed to be. You always were."

Hanna hiccupped, turning in her seat to face Spencer, gazing up at her with red-rimmed eyes, face wet with tears. "I wish I could believe you." She whispered, and suddenly, all of Spencer's previous heartbreak seemed so trivial and small compared to this.

"One day, you will." Spencer leaned in, pressing a feather light kiss to nose. "I promise. I am done telling you things that are untrue and uncalled for. You can trust me." She didn't know she was going to say it until a split second before, as she was exhaling a shaky deep breath she'd just taken. But she realized, for once, she didn't want to stop it. "Hanna…I love you."

Hanna gasped a little, her eyes getting slightly larger as she gazed up at Spencer, reaching up and tracing her jawline. Her expression was hesitant, searching, as if she wanted to believe it, but was afraid to, looking for something to assure her, one way or another. Spencer held her gaze, steady and strong, her breath hitching slightly as Hanna's fingertips brushed along her skin. She leaned in slightly, covering Hanna's hand with her own. "You mean it." Hanna finally said softly. "You really mean it, don't you?"

"I do." Spencer promised, lacing their fingers and pulling her hands down. "I do, I do mean it. I've known it since…since you left me, really, I guess. That night, after we hooked up in the car, it just hit me. I love you, Hanna Marin…I love you."

Hanna hiccupped again, leaning in and pressing her forehead to Spencer's. "Since that night we were kicked out of the restaurant." She said softly, her voice still shaking as she recovered from her crying jag. "I wanted to say it, I was…I was going to tell you, but that jackass waiter got in the way, and then you were so upset, I didn't want to pile more crap on you, and then everything went to hell."

"Hanna…you loving me isn't crap." Spencer said softly. "It's wonderful...I've never felt anything like it. I would give up being loved by anyone else, if you promised you'd love me for the rest of our lives."

"I promise." Hanna whispered after a long moment, leaning in and kissing her, taking her face in both hands. "It was soft, and it was sweet, but it was strong, as if sealing the promise. "…but we have school." Hanna said, as she pulled away. "We should probably get ready."

"Wow, I really am rubbing off on you." Spencer laughed, faltering a little bit at the loss of Hanna's lips on hers.

"Not yet." Hanna said, with a suggestive glance and a peck on the lips before she slid off the chair. "We could shower together…save time. Save water. Everyone wins…"


"Hanna!" Spencer cupped her hands around her mouth, calling for her, beginning to grow more and more panicked as the seconds ticked by. "Hanna?!" She had moved past the anger at Tom, and was now fully preoccupied with finding her very distraught girlfriend, admittedly terrified of what could happen to her, or what she might do if left to her own devices for so long.

"You're not going to get anywhere like that, Spencer." Ashley said, lifting a large, heavy looking flashlight into the car. "Come on, we're going on a Hanna hunt."

"Has she done this before?" Spencer asked, hesitating. It wasn't that Ashley intimidated her – well, actually, it was exactly that. Ashley was an intimidating woman, and while Spencer was good at lying to her family, she got the distinct impression that Ashley didn't take any shit. Even with the strict secrecy of her relationship at stake, Spencer wasn't sure she could keep any secret from Ashley if directly asked.

"A couple of times." Ashley said, sighing as she got into the car, turning the engine over. "Not enough to establish a pattern though, sadly." She glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "Are you coming?"

Spencer scrambled to get out of her gaze and up into the car. "I, uh, of course. Should we call the other girls? I mean, they might know where she is, or they could help look."

"No…this isn't your normal Hanna freak-out. She won't want to be crowded." Ashley said, suddenly reminding Spencer that there was still so little she knew about Hanna, from her childhood, from the year of Alison's disappearance, even beyond. Hanna was not an open book, worse than she was, and each time something like this happened, Spencer felt just a little bit inadequate. "Besides, I…I've seen how well you two are getting along recently, and…well, you're really good for her, Spencer. So good. I know your situation isn't always ideal, and I'm sure she helps you with that, but…I don't think you realize how much you've done for Hanna."

Spencer couldn't help but smile, thankful that it was dark out, the lack of sunlight concealing the faint blush she knew was appearing on her cheeks. "I…well, thank you, Mrs. Marin." Spencer said. "That means a lot."

"Please, dear God, Spencer, call me Ashley." Ashley sighed heavily. "I know your parents taught you to be polite or die, but…Ashley is just fine."

"Ashley…" Spencer said slowly, taking a deep breath, leaning back in her seat. "Well, with all due respect…you don't know what Hanna's done for me either." Perhaps getting as close to the subject as possible without actually mentioning it would help keep Ashley off the trail. As far as she knew, Ashley knew nothing about Hanna's apparent bisexuality, and as far as anyone knew, she was on the straight and narrow in every possible way. "I mean…you know what my parents are like. I mean, I love them, and I understand they want what's best for me, but…it has the potential to be a little much. Being around Hanna…it reminds me that life isn't all about winning. And it's not about making my parents happy. Because…trying to do the impossible like that has devastating consequences…not that I haven't suffered any of those already or anything."

Ashley sighed. "Spencer…if I had a child that was half as good as you, I would be thrilled." The redhead glanced over at her. "Don't get me wrong, I love Hanna., and I'm proud of her, and I'd do…just about anything for her, but you're…you're worth a lot more than the way your parents treat you, and if I could have a few words with them, I'd tell them that. They already have a perfect daughter. They don't need to keep pushing you."

Spencer looked away as tears began to form in her eyes, ashamed at the outpouring of emotion that she was experiencing. "I…thank you, Ashley." She said softly, taking a deep breath, hating that she was getting emotional in front of her like this, especially about a subject as touchy as her family. "But I am far from actually being perfect."

"The fact that you can admit that?" Spencer wasn't looking at her, but she could feel Ashley's expression, arched eyebrow and all. "It's a pretty damn good start."


Spencer's beauty routine took significantly less time than Hanna's. (Meaning it was only a swipe of mascara, some lipgloss, and dragging a brush through her hair to let it remain wavy, and that was that.) So after their shared shower, Spencer bounded downstairs, in a much better mood than…well, better than anything she'd felt in a long time. "Morning, Ashley." She said pleasantly to the redhead, who was pouring over the paper at the counter.

"Spencer!" Ashley sounded surprised – but, after all, she hadn't returned home until long after Hanna and Spencer had retreated to Hanna's bedroom. (Thankfully so. They didn't make quite make it up the stairs in their first attempt.) "I didn't know you were here…it's been awhile since you've hung around, I'm happy to see you back…especially today."

Spencer took pause to pour herself a mug of coffee, leaning back against the counter. She didn't have any extra clothes with her, so she was in a Rosewood Sharks t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants Hanna had bought with the hope that they'd shrink to her height. (They didn't.) "Why is he here anyway?"

"Well, they ended up expelling Kate." Ashley said finally, an implied but unsaid 'good riddance' at the end of her sentence. "And Tom wanted to have a talk with Hanna about what this all means. So, it should go better than last time, but in case it doesn't…" Ashley glanced up at Spencer over the top edge of the newspaper. "I'm glad you're here."

Spencer took a second, inhaling the scent of her coffee deeply, before she nodded. "I'm glad I'm here too." She said honestly, feeling completely relaxed for the first time in weeks. Except for any action from A, or family drama, (and even that was debatable,) Spencer knew nothing could shake her from this. There weren't many times where she remembered feeling like everything was right with the world, or right with her life. She still knew that these things weren't true. The world was a messed up, scary place, and her life was even worse. But because Hanna was hers again, none of these things mattered. Not one bit.

"Hi mom." Hanna sounded significantly more cheery than she had before the shower as she strode into the kitchen, heels making hollow sounds on the tiled floor. "Give me some." She leaned over Spencer's coffee cup, taking a sip, before making a face. "I forgot. The only thing you mix into your coffee is ambition and the tears of children."

Spencer scoffed, as Ashley simultaneously snickered behind her paper. "Uncalled for." Spencer said, even though she was smiling.

"Well, I'm sorry we don't bleed caffeine like you do." Hanna teased, opening the fridge, leaning over slightly with a sly glance back at Spencer. "Some of us like a little bit of flavored creamer in our bloodstream."

Spencer couldn't help but smile, taking another large sip of her coffee. "Okay, okay, I concede." She said. "I like my coffee a little too strong. So what?"

Hanna glanced over as Ashley got up from the table, leaving the room momentarily before she moved over, swiftly kissing Spencer full on the mouth. "I'm kidding! You taste like coffee when I kiss you, and I love it." She whispered, quickly pulling back as her mother's footsteps approached.

"You're going to be late, and Hanna, your father is waiting." Ashley said, giving Hanna a quick hug. "Have a good day at school, girls." She said, pausing for a second before she hugged Spencer too, surprising her completely. She froze for a second before she hugged her back, completely unused to this sort of affection.

"Ah…thanks, Ashley." Spencer said, smiling after a moment. "I'm sure we will." She added, as Hanna linked arms with her, pulling her out the door.

"So when did you get so buddy buddy with my mom?" Hanna asked, glancing up at her.

Spencer shrugged, knowing Hanna wouldn't want to be reminded of that night. "I…a little while ago. She thinks I'm good for you or something."

Hanna smiled a little. "Well, you are." She said softly, reaching out, lightly brushing the back of her hand. "My mom is actually right about a lot of things, I'm lucky."

Spencer gazed down at her for a minute as they approached the car. "No…I am." She said, a smile instantly pulled from her at the way Hanna giggled and lit up before getting into the car with a glance back at her. This was the way things were supposed to be. Even with all of the tension in her family and the looming threats from A, and the uncertainty of the future to come…with Hanna, it almost like none of that mattered.

"I'm sorry…" Tom began, and when it wasn't followed by a 'but,' Spencer tuned out to the tune of her French book, going over that week's vocabulary, uninterested in what a blowhard like he had to say, even if it was atoning for his mistakes. She hadn't wanted to admit it to Hanna, but this would happen again, if she knew better. (And Spencer always knew better.) She could only hope she'd always be there to help pick up the pieces. The thought of Hanna being as broken as she was last time…well, it was frightening, at the very least.

Still, the thought of always kept her preoccupied enough, and she was grinning like an idiot by the time they were on the sidewalk, and Tom was driving away. "What are you so happy about?" Hanna asked, looking up at her.

"…I'll tell you later." Spencer said, leaning down and kissing the top of her head, an innocent enough gesture. "Hey, go on ahead and find the girls, I have to ask Mrs. Montgomery about some make-up work." She grabbed into her hand for a brief moment. "I'll be right there, I promise."

Hanna nodded. "Alright." With a squeeze of her hand and a sly tint to her eyes as she gazed at her, she let go of her hand, leaving Spencer behind at the foot of the steps, watching her walk up. It was that moment that the desire to run up and kiss her occurred to her, with no regards to who was there or who would find out or who would be watching. Along with the desire came the thought…would it really be so bad?

But by the time she had come to her senses, books clutched innocently to her chest, Hanna was gone, disappeared into the school. Spencer glanced down at her folder, looking for the make-up essay she had to turn in, jumping when it was suddenly ripped out of her hands. "Hey!" She glanced up, and froze, feeling all the color drain from her face as she laid eyes on who had taken her paper.

"She's cute." Sage said, with a sly look in her eye. "No wonder she broke your heart."