Hey guys! You guys have been super quite lately….. I don't know if you still like my story or not. Please, won't you tell me?

Also, for this chapter, I act like this with my friends A LOT. Do you? What trouble have you cause them? Or are you the one causing the mischief like me? Honestly, my best friend puts up with so much spastic behavior, and yet she still talks to me, and lets me explore stores while dragging her along behind. I'm the taller one of the two of us, so it can get pretty comical when she actually does lose her patience and pull me into a headlock. Especially since I'm about 6 inches taller.

ST

When I got back to the house, I was completely dry, and my hair was curling madly in every direction. My injury still ached, but it wasn't the pain it had been before. Little things.

I walked inside and Trish's voice wafted from the kitchen, "Over here, Kiles!"

Athos immediately padded into the kitchen and I followed after him asking, "Are we alone?"

Trish came into view from where she was pulling something that smelled delicious out of the oven. "Yep. Just us two bachelorettes. Oh, and Athos too I guess."

I leaned my hip against the island and snorted, "Please. What was the waiter's name? And has he called you yet?"

Trish blushed again and she murmured quietly, "I called him before we left. Agreed to meet him once we got back. His name is John Chase."

I smirked, "Trisha Chase. Kind of has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

She smacked my shoulder and I laughed.

"Hey. Don't knock me if you haven't even gone on a date before." She growled as she put a pan of mozzarella chicken alfredo onto the counter to cool.

I shrugged, "Freak here, remember? No one was really lining up to dance with me."

She glared at me. "You aren't a freak. You're a genius."

I gave her an impish smile. "Nice to know you like my brain."

She huffed, wisely choosing not to be baited. I pouted; until she pulled chocolate fudge out of the freezer and I grinned. "Oh. Now you're just spoiling me."

She smiled sweetly at me, which made me instantly nervous.

I backed away from the fudge warily, "What did you put into it?"

She batted her eyelashes at me and cut a piece out, holding it out to me. "Nothing." She said in a tone that suggested that she had done something.

When I didn't move, her eyes started to get frosty, like mint, and she asked, "Are you going to insult me by not trying my cooking? I thought you were a better friend, darling."

I swallowed thickly. I survived an icy cold dip in the river, a psychopath with knives, and a mad bomber, yet here I was, about to get taken out by my best friend.

I reached out for the fudge, took it from her, and raised it to my lips. I got a wiff of it before it touched my lips. It smelled like mint, chocolate, and raspberry. Not bad at all.

I narrowed my eyes at Trish, "This doesn't have laxatives in it, does it?"

She rolled her eyes, and popped another piece of fudge into her mouth. "Happy?" She asked around the fudge.

I took a deep breath, and popped it into my mouth. I chewed slowly with my eyes closed, waiting for mischief. Instead, I got a strong flavor or raspberry and chocolate, with the hint of mint and some other taste that I couldn't place. If I had to describe it, I'd describe it as pink bubbles. Like carnation scent bubbles. It tasted good, and I finally settled on pink grapefruit.

I opened my eyes to see Trish smirking at me. "So?"

I nodded to her, "I like it. Why were you acting so falsely innocent a minute ago?"

She smiled at me, "Because tonight, I'm going to teach you how to make it."

My mouth fell open. "Wait, what? No. Rossi says I could be a decent cook, but I'm too spastic. What if I wind up burning it or something?"

She rolled her eyes, "You'll be fine. And it's very difficult to burn fudge. Besides, I've eaten your pizzas. You are a good cook."

"Some days." I stressed. "Other days I burn toast and turn microwave meals into charcoal."

She smirked, "Nobody's perfect. Now, we're going to eat my delicious alfredo, you're going to take a shower," She wrinkled her nose at me, "You smell like seaweed. So actually, I still have to make the garlic bread. Go get that shower now."

I bowed, throwing my arm out dramatically, ignoring the pain in my back. "As you wish, my queen."

She threw her head back, sweeping her long red over her shoulder. She stood straighter, with a regal air about her, and said royally, "Indeed. I am royal, aren't I?"

I grinned impishly, inching out of the kitchen, "Yep. A royal prat."

She gasped, reached for a spatula, and chucked it at me. I ducked out of the kitchen as it crashed into the wall where I had been standing.

Her yelling followed me up the stairs, and my laughter probably carried down to her.

Scorpions

When I walked back into the kitchen, a spatula predictably sailed towards me the moment my head was in range. I reached up for it, but it still smacked me square in the forehead.

I collapsed to the ground, clutching my head and moaning in pain. I heard a gasp, followed by a stifled laugh, and then, "Oh. I didn't mean to hit you there. Are you okay?"

I didn't reply, only hunching over more.

I heard her walk over to me and kneel down, "You walked into it though."

I looked up at her, blinking stars out of my eyes, and grinned at her, "So did you, your royal prattiness."

She brought her hand up, and I flinched, expecting a hit on the back of the head. Instead, her hand ruffled my hair, and pulled my head to her shoulder. I was surprised on the contact, and froze.

She sighed, "You're an idiot. You can welcome an embrace that isn't your brother you know."

My arms came up and hugged her back. "I do." I defended lightly.

She smacked my shoulder. "Sure you do. But it's always reserved. Everything you do around people is. No matter how free you act, you are always reserved. I wasn't lying earlier. You are my family, so get used to it. And actually fold into the contact, yeah?"

I nodded against her shoulder. "Okay." My stomach growled and she laughed, "But can we eat now?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Come on."

She stood up, tugging me with her. I rubbed my head ruefully, "You're mean with spatulas."

She put me in a half headlock as we walked over to the table, which was already set up. "Be thankful it wasn't the frying pan."

I shuddered dramatically, and she cuffed my head affectionately. "Sit down, before you hurt yourself."

I huffed. "I don't hurt myself. Other people do." I reproached as I sat down.

She picked up a serving knife and pointed it at me with a smirk, "Only because you have a big mouth, and don't hold back your comments." She fired back.

I pouted at her, giving her the best puppy dog eyes I could give. She rolled her eyes, but I saw the corners of her lips twist up fondly. She put some of the chicken alfredo onto my plate, then two pieces of garlic bread.

I grinned at her, "Grazie, sorella."

She pointed her fork at me threateningly, "That better not have been an insult."

I held up my hands innocently. "If I told you, you'd hit me."

She scowled, pulling out her phone. My mouth fell open. "Are you seriously going to call Eric?"

She nodded, putting the phone up to her ear. "Why?! Its two words, Trish." I moaned, hiding my eyes. I was a goner.

Then she started to laugh, putting the phone down. "Oh! Your face was priceless! Did you really think I was going to call Eric. Please. I'm not that paranoid."

She shook her head, cutting her chicken open. I moaned again, banging my head onto the table. "I. Hate. You."

"No you don't. Now please, don't make the injury I gave you more prominent." Came a chiding reply.

I looked up, glared at her, before cutting into the delicious chicken.

Scorpions

After dinner was eaten and leftovers put away, I found myself bent over the stove, stirring what was supposed to become fudge.

I stared at the delicious smelling, boiling, mess, and wondered how on earth this would turn into the edible squares.

Trish was walking around, making a chocolate base for the fudge so make it extra chocolaty. And she was adding mint and vanilla to it now. I got caught up in how fast she was moving, that I stopped paying attention to the boiling pot on the stove.

Trish looked up, and gasped. "Kiley! Watch the-" While she was speaking, I had turned back to the pot and gasped, just as the biggest bubble yet rose up, and popped in my face. "Pot." Trish finished weakly as I quickly rubbed the burning liquid off of my nose and jaw. Thankfully, it hadn't burned me, just stung. So I guess I was lucky.

I looked up at Trish when I was done to find her stirring the pot, before pouring it into the base she had made earlier. She popped it into the freezer before turning to me.

"Are you okay?" She asked, approaching the sink and wetting a cloth with cold water.

I looked down at the chocolate mess on my hands and licked my lips. "Well, I'm covered in chocolate. I've been worse I suppose."

She laughed lightly, before taking my hands and getting the chocolate off. She moved to my face and I jerked backwards. She clicked her tongue, grabbed my jaw, and wiped the chocolate off with gentle swipes.

She checked her handiwork, ignoring my wide eyes. Spencer had been the only one to actually do something like that, in ever. Sure, Ziva had grabbed my jaw to make me look at something from time to time. But never that. And Spencer stopped doing it when I got into teenhood.

"There. I think I got it all. You still smell like raspberry chocolate though." She murmured, before throwing the cloth into the sink.

"Uh…. Thanks?" I said, still stunned at what had happened.

She nodded and looked at the stove, which surprisingly didn't have much chocolate on it.

"No problem. But, it's getting late. So we should go to bed." She replied before stretching.

We walked out of the kitchen with Athos behind us, and I grabbed her wrist hesitantly. "So, how did meeting with your family go?"

She smiled fondly, and a soft look bloomed on her face. "It was great. Gran is weak, but she seems to have gotten over the worst of it. Her voice was stronger than it had been over the phone, and she was laughing just like I remember her doing when I was a lass. My cousins were still their annoying, funny selves. Tomorrow Gran wants us all to go fishing." She frowned, "But most of my family made it clear that it was just for us. I don't know how they'll react to you being there."

I shrugged carelessly, releasing her wrist and trying to fight the hurt feeling. It was her family, not mine. I shouldn't have expected they'd want to meet me. "It's fine. Like I said earlier, I ran into Walter and his friends. They invited me out tomorrow to tour the town with them if I wasn't busy."

Her frown deepened, "But I promised you I would."

I threw an arm over her shoulder, giving her an easy going grin, "I'll be okay, Trish. Spend time with your family. That's what you came to do, right? We can just have friend time after you're done."

She bit her lip, looking up at me with serious green eyes, "You'll be okay?"

I smirked, "Obviously. I'll have Athos. He'll eat anyone who tries to hurt me."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Alright. I don't like it. But alright. Just be careful, okay?"

I nodded, grinning. "Of course. Now, get some sleep. You look like you need all the beauty rest you can get."

She smacked my side, and I laughed, ignoring the flare of pain from my back. Hopefully that would go away soon.

"Well, you do intelligence sleep." She mused thoughtfully.

My mouth fell open. "Intelligence sleep? Wh-"

She patted my cheek with a sickly sweet smile. "Well duh. You're a moron who hasn't been blessed with good schooling."

She waltzed into her room, and when the door closed I realized just what she had said. I whistled lightly, shaking my head. "Dang. That was a low blow."

But I walked up the stairs with a grin on my face.

Scorpion

I was under water. I swam upwards, towards where the moon was, but before I broke the surface, my shoulders slammed into something hard. I thrust my hand out, smacking into something very hard.

Ice.

I was trapped underneath the ice.

I began struggling madly, hitting the ice repeatedly, trying to get out, to get air. My lungs burned from holding my breath so long; I heard yelling, a harsh ringing sound, and something barking. But it was through a haze. I was going to die under the ice.

I saw Peter's face in the water next to me, his expression frozen in fear and shock. A knife. My knife. Was sticking out of his chest. His expression turned to blaming.

I was going to die, just like he was dead.

Then something hard connected with my face, making me jerk backwards. Then I was being shaken, and I heard someone scream, "BREATH DAMMIT!"

I opened my eyes, gasping for breath. Then I was being rocked back and forth, my head in the crook of someone's shoulder, and light murmuring was near my ear. "Just breathe. You're okay. Just breathe. There you go. You're fine. You're fine. You utter moron. Why didn't you tell me your panic attacks were still a problem?"

"I didn't…. Think it….. was bad…" I choked out against her collarbone.

Her hand began running through my hair. "What triggered it? I know you have to have a trigger." She asked lightly, in a soothing tone that reminded me of my mom on her good days.

She was still rocking me back and forth, and I registered that a warm furry thing was on my legs. Athos was offering support too.

I swallowed thickly. "I don't know. I don't know." I muttered pathetically. "I've gotten better. The normal triggers don't work anymore. I can push past them. I don't know what brought it on."

But, maybe it was the dip in the cold water earlier. No. If it was that, I would have had the panic attack right after, or even in the water. The window was closed. Maybe the chocolate explosion earlier? That happened right before I went to sleep. But I wouldn't say that. Or Trish would feel stupidly guilty.

Trish bent over me, swinging her legs into the bed next to me. "Well, I'm not leaving now. So scoot over."

I straightened, trying to pull away from her. "You don't have to. I'm okay now."

She smacked me, tightening her hold. "Did you bring your violin with you?"

"Wh-"

"Did you bring your violin with you?" She pressed.

I shook my head, "No. Why?"

"Then you can't deal with this on your own. So shut up, and scoot over." She ordered.

I complied, and she laid down, pulling me with her. She turned my face into her shoulder gently, making me feel like I was hidden and protected from the rest of the world. She ran her fingers gently through my hair and began humming. It was soothing, and my erratic heartbeat calmed down. Soon I recognized the song and smirked.

"Are you humming smoke on the water?" I asked.

"Shush. Yes, I am. Now, get some sleep, sorellina." She chided.

I was shocked for a second, before laughing. "You called Eric."

She rubbed my shoulder, "Yes. Now shut up. The feeling is mutual, just so you know. Eric was quite smitten by it. Said it was cute."

She began humming 'Smoke on the Water' again, and I soon fell asleep on her shoulder.

I know. I'm talking to you again. I just wanted to clarify. Sorella means big sister in Italian, and Sorellina means little sister. I figured that since Trish was an only child, she might have asked her parents for a baby sister, someone she could play with and teach all of her tricks to. Since that couldn't happen (All of her cousin's were older than here by the way), she would latch onto Kiley. And Kiley, who only ever had Spencer (even that was rare for a good portion of her life), would latch onto Trish, the person who promised a family. Much like the relationship between Ziva and Kiley. Hope you like it…

Also, Smoke on the Water is an awesome song.

ST