AN: yah, I am alive again!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I hate not having writer's block anymore, that sucks, as stated in the previous chapter… ^__^ anywho's I GOT ANOTHER SCHOLARSHIP TO YOUNG HARRIS, wOOt!!!!!!!!! I IS PROUD OF MYSELF!!!!!!!!! Ok, now that I got that out of my system, on to the disclaimer and the STORY!!!!!!!!!

DISCLAIMER: AS STATED SO MANY TIMES BEFORE, I DO NOT OWN TOKIO HOTEL. SADLY. I DO OWN RACHEL SUMMERS, AND, IF REVIEWRS HAVEN'T KILLED THEM PERMANENTLY YET, LARUEN AND REBECCA SUMMERS.

Previously: And, even better, she was wanted. Finally, someone wanted the unwanted. She was loved. (oh, and btw, this chapter starts before the call)

BILL

"Dammit! Why am I so bad at these things!" Tom complained as he got thrown off the edge of the game platform. Bill just sat thee and laughed softly at his twin's misfortune, something that didn't happen often enough for Bill. Tomi's ego needed to be knocked down sometimes, and such misfortunes were what did it. Sadly, though, too few people gave Tom a hard time, therefore his ego remained high as a kite and as big as anything. Bill sighed as Tom dug around in his back pocket, tugging his ringing phone out a second later.

"Hallo?" Tom's eyes widened slightly; apparently, he recognized the voice of whoever he was talking to. Bill sighed, turning away. This was probably one of Tom's "distraction calls". He hadn't, as Georg put it, "had any" in a while, and Bill had been wondering when the aliens had replaced his twin with a non-sex-addict. It was either that or Tom had been affected by Rachel a lot more than any of the others had originally thought. Tom kept talking, and his voice was suddenly softer and far more gentle than any of his band mates had ever heard it, or at least not for a very long time, in Bill's case. "Ja, it's me." At the change in his voice, Bill and Georg exchanged confused looks; as one, they gave Tom the same expression, and were completely ignored as Tom got up and headed towards the front lounge part of the bus, where there was at least the semblance of privacy.

Georg made as if to follow him, but Bill and Gustav dragged him back. "Hobbit, leave him be. If he's talking like that, it's gotta be important," Gustav chastised.

"Exactly!" Georg argued in his nonsensical logic.

"Which is why we leave him alone now and badger him about it later, duh!" Bill interjected with a laugh. After a moment, Georg agreed to this plan. Gustav just sighed and returned to the game, of which a new round had just started. Georg joined him with Bill watching over his shoulder, all of them still trying to listen to Tom at the front.

Suddenly, they heard him yell out a name; it wasn't completely clear, but, based on who he'd been constantly thinking about for the past two days, Bill was willing to be it was Rachel's. A minute later, Tom yelled again. "Wait!" The game was put on mute, by who, Bill had no idea, but it made eavesdropping easier. Not that there was anything to hear: apparently, Tom had either hung up or was listening to someone talk. A minute later, he spoke again, far too quietly to hear, sadly, but it sounded like he was making plans of some kind. This couldn't be good.

Georg, bored, turned back to the game, Gustav following suit shortly after, realizing there was nothing more to hear. Bill considered sneaking up there, just to see what was going on, but decided against that idea, mainly for his own safety. If Tomi found out he'd been eavesdropping, he would find all his "important stuff" missing. And he'd probably get chased around for hours until they both got tired, and then Tom would do something stupid and they would end up in a fight. Again.

"Gustav!" Tom's sudden yell from up front startled all three of them. Confused, Gustav handed his controller to Bill and headed back to where Tom was. They stayed there for a while, talking quietly, then Gustav came back out, yelling for Bill.

"Was?"

"Tom wants you."

"Why?"

"Didn't say."

"Not helping."

"Just go." Gustav yanked the controller back and all but kicked Bill out of his chair.

"OW!"

"You'll be fine. Now get your butt in there before Tom starts yelling again."

"BILL!"

"Too late." Gustav went to smack Bill on the head; Bill, being tall as he was, couldn't duck far enough to dodge it. "OW! I'm going, I'm going. Geez." Rubbing his head, Bill headed to the lounge where Tom was waiting, looking like he was about to explode. "If you're going to blow up, don't do it on me."

"Funny."

"Of course." Bill took the time to study his twin. "You planned something, didn't you." It wasn't a question. He had that look on his face, one similar to Georg's "planning something" face. Apparently, they'd taught each other. Scary.

"Maybe."

"Look, Tom, enough with the dramatics-"

"Look who's talking, Drama King."

"-and just tell me what's going on!"

"Fine. Rachel needs me to come, and… well, after hearing what her mother did, I told her to pack… Bill, she's going to stay with us."

Bill was silent for a moment while he digested this information. "WHAT?!"

"I can't let her stay there!"

"WAS DIE HOELLE, TOM!"

"Dammit, Bill, listen to me!"

"WHY WOULD YOU-" Fed up, Tom smacked Bill upside the head with an annoyed, "Shut the hell up and listen to me!" Since he so rarely took that tone with Bill, the younger twin stopped shouting.

"Remember when I told you about her sister hitting her?" Bill nodded. "Well, apparently, her mother does the same thing. I can't let her stay there, Bill!"

"Tomi, she's old enough to leave on her own, and I'm not sure we can handle having a girl travel with us."

"We'll have to." Bill, still irritated, opened his mouth to argue, but Tom cut him off. "Save it, Bill. I care about her, and I can't leave her there when what she needs is to get away. And that she's not able to pull a stunt like that on her own, otherwise she would have by now, no doubt." After a long moment, Bill nodded.

"All right."

RACHEL

All her stuff was packed. Her clothes had all been shoved into one duffle bag, which could pass as a body bag, and some of her favorite books were stuck in a small backpack of sorts. Her school books, no longer needed, lay sprawled on the floor around her feet. Rachel looked around her room, debating whether there was anything else she wanted to take.

Not a thing, except for her MP3, but… now that she was going to be staying with the band, did she really need the MP3 versions? Probably not, she decided after a moment; that, and her mother wasn't going to be giving that up anytime soon. Rachel sighed, memories from the past stirring, but she shook her head and ignored them.

All that was left now was to wait for Tom to come. She hoped he came soon, preferably before her mother discovered Rachel's stuff was in bags. Then all hell would break loose, and it would not be pretty.

TOM

"Bill! You keep telling me the wrong directions!" Tom yelled at his brother as they came up to yet another dead end. The damn GPS thingy either wasn't working right or Bill couldn't read. Or Tom just couldn't distinguish right from left, but he refused to admit that could be a possibility.

Bill, of course, was not so disillusioned. "You keep turning the wrong way!" he yelled back, laughing. Tom could have happily wrung his baby brother's neck, but then he'd never find Rachel's house. He needed Bill to give him directions, even if Bill kept getting them wrong.

"I am not! You are a horrible direction-giver!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too, times infinity!"

"I hate you!"

"HA! I won!"

"Just because… Oh, by the way, take the next left." Tom but the right blinker on. "I said 'left', Tomi."

"This is left."

"That's your right, O Smart One."

"Oh." Tom switched blinkers and got in the left turn lane. "So, how much farther is it?"

"About ten minutes, according to this thing, but probably longer if you keep mixing up left and right."

"Whatever."

RACHEL

It had been around twenty minutes since she and Tom had talked. Assuming he was at the hotel right off the interstate, he should have been here by now. Unless he wasn't coming. That would be just her luck. Or maybe he was lost. That was possible, and a much happier thought than the idea of him forgetting her. She sat on her bed, her eyes locked on the road, hoping to see Tom's car soon. She couldn't keep hiding much longer.

TOM- 15 MINUES LATER

Finally, Tom and Bill found the right neighborhood. American streets were confusing, non-useful signs sprang up every which way, and the useful ones hidden by branches, bushes, or just plain not visible. However, after what felt like hours of arguing, searching, being blinded by the sun, and staring at signs, they'd found the right one. They thought.

Tom turned into the neighborhood, telling Bill to look for Rachel's house number. Bill did so, searching each house they passed by. Some time later, they came up to a small, white house with a screen door and dark green shutters. Bill announced that it was the right number. Tom pulled up to the curb, taking a deep breath. This was it. He was nervous as hell, but he knew it was right to be here. Rachel needed him, and he was just starting to realize that he needed her. He liked people leaning on him for support, and it was obvious that she needed support. To use Bill's words, they "completed each other." Bill's words, not his. He wasn't that romantic.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he studied the house, seeing a brief flicker in one of the upstairs windows. Rachel, probably, or her mother. Tom felt a sudden rush of nerves at the idea of facing Rachel's mother in person. Phone calls were one thing. Face-to-face was another.

Bill apparently knew his thoughts, as he gave Tom a hard push towards the car door. "Go, on, Tom. She's there; go get her." Tom took a deep, steadying breath, and stepped out of the car.

RACHEL

Finally. There it was. A large black SUV (not Tom's actual car, just a rental) drove slowly down the street. She could almost see Bill's lion mane through the windows as he stared at the mailboxes, trying to find her house. After a few agonizing minutes, the car stopped in front of her house, pulling up close to the curb.

Rachel took a deep breath and moved away from the window. Her mother would be wondering why such an expensive car was idling by their driveway. Trying to calm her nerves, Rachel picked up her duffle and tossed her other bag across her shoulders, heading towards the door. Before she'd gone two paces, though, it burst open, showing a furious Lauren, who, thank Gott, didn't notice the bags her daughter was carrying.

"What the hell is up with the car in the driveway."

"You're asking me like I'm gonna know?" Ever since Tom's return call, Rachel had been a little bit more rebellious. Her mother didn't like it, for obvious reasons, but she wasn't going to be dealing with it much longer. At that precise moment, the doorbell rang.

"Whatever this stunt is, it's not gonna work." Lauren turned sharply and walked quickly to the door, opening it to reveal Tom; then she realized that her daughter wasn't pulling a stunt. She meant to leave. Rachel slowly descended the stairs, waiting for her mother to start yelling. She didn't notice Tom's shock at her appearance. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Even prepared, Rachel still winced slightly at the volume as her mother turned back, her face as red as her shirt.

"Leaving."

"I won't let you."

Tom interjected before things could escalate. "You can't stop her."

Lauren turned on him, spit flying from her mouth as she screamed at him. "I'm her legal guardian; she can't leave without my, hear me, my say-so."

"She's eighteen, woman. Far as I know, that's the legal age of adulthood here." He glanced up at Rachel. "Right?" Rachel barely managed a chin dip, but he saw it. "See? She's allowed to make her own choices."

Lauren glared at him, and if looks could kill, he would have been dead a thousand times over. "I don't care. She's not leaving."

Tom ignored her, stepping around her to go to Rachel. She watched him come closer, noticing the redness in his face and the way his eyes were smoldering. She figured he was just pissed at her mother. She was grateful to him, more so than she could ever say. Not only was he helping her, he was defending her against her own mother. Not even her father had done that, all those years ago.

He was next to her now, and the anger in his face was replaced with such tenderness that it made her want to cry. "Ready to go?" She nodded emphatically, and he swiftly took her duffle from her, swinging it over his shoulder like it was nothing.

"I'm not letting you take her," Rachel's mother snarled.

"I'm not letting you keep her." Tom snapped back, his arm snaking around Rachel's shoulders in support. "She wants to come with me, and I want her to come. And I don't' think either of us," he gave Rachel's shoulders a squeeze at that, "give a damn what you want."

Rachel's mother spluttered as Bill suddenly poked his head through the door. "Sorry. Tom, you were taking a long time. We almost ready to go?" Tom nodded.

"We're ready now." He passed Rachel's mother again, and she could sense the vibes coming off him. Rachel didn't look at her mother as they headed out the door, afraid of what she might see there. Just as they left the house, her mother came out after them.

"Seeing as how you're going to finally get out of my hair, take this back." She threw Rachel's MP3 at her. It bounced off her head and into Bill's palm. "I have no use for it." With that, she let the door slam shut, closing Rachel permanently out of her old life.

TOM

Tom tried to be nice to Rachel as he led her over to their rental, but it was harder than he would have thought. Daniel had said she was bruised, but he hadn't been expecting to see a black eye, bruised cheekbone, and half-healed cuts along her cheek. It was much worse than he'd pictured, and it was pissing him off.

Maybe if he'd been here sooner, she wouldn't have been hurt as bad. He cursed himself, calling himself ten kinds of idiot in as many languages as he knew how, for not being here for her when she'd most needed it. A hand landed on his shoulder: Bill's. Stupid twin telepathy. He probably knew every word that had been going through Tom's head.

"Wasn't your fault," he muttered in German, and for a moment, Tom had to wonder why he was bothering to speak now. Then he remembered: Bill didn't know Rachel was nearly fluent in their first language. Tom had neglected to mention that in their previous talks, and now Bill was embarrassing himself. Or so Tom thought.

Turns out Rachel wasn't really paying attention, having put her earbuds in as soon as Bill had handed it back to her. Now, he could hear their songs blasting through the headphones, and he had to wonder how she wasn't deaf yet.

As it was, he tried to tune everything else out and answer Bill's statement. "Doesn't matter if it was my fault or not. I still should have been here for her."

"And how would you have known she needed you now? She didn't call you till today."

Tom thought about that. It was logical. Logic sucked when one had a pity party going, but Bill was right. He couldn't have known, so it was just sheer bad luck that had caused this. His own bad luck probably, or hers. "Fine, you win." Ignoring Bill's triumphant smile, Tom threw Rachel's bag into the trunk of the rental and helped her into the back seat as Bill had already claimed shotgun. She smiled at him gratefully, and he grinned back.

It felt so right having her with him. He knew, somewhere inside, in a place he hadn't known existed, that she was the one for him. The only one for him. All his searching, all his one-night stands, all his longing, had been for her. And now she was coming home, with him, where she belonged.

AN: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Chappy Ten done, wOOt!!!!!!!!!! *starts doing happy dance* I reached double digits, I reached double digits!!!!!!!!!! Oh, yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *stops dancing* Ok, I'm done being a spaz now…. Ok, so, y'all know the drill by now!!!!!!! Review, kindly!!!!!!!!!! And I may give you cookies…. If I feel like being nice…. Ok, then, I gotta go, so I will see y'all soon, ja?

This is TwinSwords signing off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!