Author's Note: I hope you are enjoying this story. Thank you for the reviews and your readership. I hope everyone is enjoying the B-Plot of Steven and Taylor.

Chapter 10

Steven found himself heading to the art room after school instead of meeting up with his friends and finding a way to kill the rest of the afternoon for a third day. He reached the door and found that Taylor was sitting in front of an easel as she did the first day he had shown up only this time wearing a blue bandana instead of a purple one. He briefly wondered how many bandanas she possessed and when she'd start repeating colors. He held back a laugh as he noticed that a stool was placed beside her as if she was expecting him.

She was painting on a larger canvas this time and appeared to just to be getting started on her painting. She had not only water colors set out, but various other pastels ready to add to her canvas.

"Hey," he whispered from the door.

She turned slightly to look at him and a smile instantly formed on her face.

The long haired boy laughed at her response and shook his head. "You know, I just keep finding myself back here after school. You don't mind do you?"

She shook her head and kept her smile. The brunette motioned with her head to stool on her right.

He walked over and around her to take a seat and looked at the just started painting. He looked to her with a raised eyebrow and asked, "So you're back to painting. What happen to the swan?"

She pointed with the end of her paintbrush to the table behind them. Steven turned and saw that the once brown clay swan was now painted white and apparently painstaking detailed.

He turned his head back and looked at her. "It's beautiful, but I shouldn't be surprised. It is a reflection of the artist that created it after all."

Taylor blushed and looked down.

Steven patted her knee for a moment. "Now you don't have to be embarrassed, it's only the truth and I'm someone that has very little use for bull."

She looked up at him with a bashful look.

He bumped his shoulder with her shoulder. "So what are you working on today? Another surprise?"

She smiled wide enough for the first time to see her teeth.

Steven chuckled and stated, "You can smile a lot easier now."

She nodded then kissed him on the cheek.

Steven cleared his throat and replied, "You're going to spoil me with your kisses."

The bandana wearing girl giggled for a moment before turning back and continued to paint. The artist started painting in a light blue color paint a line then over it slightly to widen it on the right side of the canvas. After a few moments she switched to using pastels. As she started coloring she wiped the side of her left cheek and smearing excess black pastel on her cheek. She started coloring and painting faster and seemed to tune out even his presence as she worked on her project.

After about an hour of painting and using pastels on the canvas, Taylor sat down her paintbrush and pastels and took a deep breath.

Steven just blinked at the image and looked at it in awe for a moment. The left side of the painting was filled with Christian imagery of Hell: fire and brimstone with vivid colors of red, orange and yellows made with watercolors with the stark contrasts of the pastel dark blacks to simulate soot and ash. On the right side of the painting, was made up of bright and vibrant white fluffy clouds and light colored blue paint that formed a river going off into infinity. At the bottom there was dirt road out of a sandy color that led up towards the top of the painting, but split off to either side of the painting.

He just looked at it and after a few moments or minutes, he really couldn't tell, he whispered, "Choices?"

She gave him a half smile and a surprisingly serious look in her eyes.

"You're saying we make choices? Heaven or Hell? Are you sure it is that simple? Have you ever heard the expression that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions?"

Taylor gave him a slight nod, but from reading her eyes told him her thoughts on the matter.

Steven shook his head, "But you don't believe that do you?"

She shook her head no.

He narrowed his look towards her and the corner of his lips turned downward. "It's really that simple for you, isn't it? People do good or people do bad? What about people like me who just don't care to make a choice?"

She then did something that surprised the long haired boy: she smirked at him then laughed as in a way that he took to be as if she was laughing at an ignorant child's musing.

It took him a moment to process what that meant. He quickly brushed away the idea that she was insulting him, but after taking a few moments he realized something, "Even if I don't make a choice, I'm still making a choice aren't I?"

She nodded her head and lost the smirk to continue back to her original serious look towards him.

"I assume you're a fan of Rush and their song Free Will?"

She gave him a perplex look that just furled her eyebrows and made her bottom lip just barely past her top lip. He found it absolutely adorable. He didn't even realize he was doing it, but he lifted his hand up and tapped her nose. "Oh, my dear we are going to have to correct that. I think that you would love that song."

She just giggled and swatted away his hand playfully.

He joined her in the laughter a moment later.

Shay Apartment

"Hey, we're home from school!" Carly shouted out as she dropped her book bag beside the door and headed for the kitchen.

Colonel Shay and his father were at the kitchen table when the trio entered the apartment followed by Spencer.

Granddad Shay was first from his seat and approached the troop entering. "So how was school?"

"Great, Freddie asked me out on a date," Carly babbled out quickly.

"He did? Where to and when?" The eldest Shay then looked to Freddie, who in turned looked embarrassed and found the need to clear his throat from the sudden attention. Sam tried her best not to smirk from Freddie's discomfort and realized some habits die hard.

In an excited tone, Carly replied, "Friday after iCarly, he's taking me out to dinner, but I don't know where; it's a surprise."

Granddad Shay turned and gave his son a look of disapproval.

Shay chuckled then replied, "Sounds intriguing kiddo."

Carly smiled as she looked to Freddie for a moment. "I can't wait."

Freddie cleared is throat and slightly blushed from the attention.

Sam sighed heavily and with a lot of excess noise before asking Carly, "You're not going to be like this for the next three days are you?"

Carly eyed her playfully and gave her a half smirk. "I can be this excited because my boyfriend is taking me out. It's a girl's right. I've had to watch you get all excited about previous boys little miss daffodil girl."

Sam narrowed her look towards Carly and frowned.

Shay laughed. "Daffodil? That would have been interesting to see."

"Oh, no we are not talking about that," Sam stated firmly then headed for the kitchen. "I just want to eat."

Carly shook her head and snorted out a soft laugh. "Fine, but hurry up we've got to go out."

"Why?" Freddie and Sam asked simultaneous.

Carly smiled at the brunette boy. "No, it's just me and Sam. I have to go shopping."

Freddie furled his brow for a moment then realized what she meant before replying, "Oh… oh, okay."

Sam groaned, "Fine, I'll eat fast."

"'kay," Carly replied happily.

"Great, now I got to pay for more clothing," Shay replied with a sigh. He then looked to Freddie and pointed with a smile on his face, "I should bill you for that."

"Dad?"

Shay raised his hands up in surrender. "I'm kidding."

Carly then headed to the kitchen to grab a quick snake before heading out with her blonde friend. Shay then approached Freddie and pulled him off to the side, hopefully away from the ears of the girls and his father. "So where are you taking her?"

"It's a surprise," Freddie responded with a grin.

Shay smile and nodded his head. "Yeah, to her, not me." The Colonel then pointed to himself. "I'm the father and I need to know where you are taking my little girl."

"Oh right," Freddie replied hesitantly and as if he was in trouble.

Shay chuckled, "Oh right indeed, so spill."

"Okay, I'm taking Carly to…"

Shay Residence
May 1980

Steven headed up to his room and scratched the back of his he reached the door of his room. He stopped immediately when he found that his room door was slightly jarred open. He clenched his jaw tight as the thought that his father was searching through his room.

He shoved open the door and began shouting, "Alright old man get—" He stopped when he saw a raven haired girl sitting on his bed propped up with his pillow against the headboard with her legs crossed and up with a sock covered heel digging into the mattress. She was reading one of his automotive magazines and had his headphones on and listening to his record player.

The brunette teenager blinked for a moment before asking, "What are you doing?" He doubted she actually heard him, but saw the movement of him entering the room.

Ruby looked over the top of the magazine and asked, "You really enjoy reading this?"

He spoke a little louder in hopes of speaking over the music that was playing. "It's a necessity. Why are you here?"

She pulled off the headphones down to wrap around the back of her neck and sat the magazine down beside her. "What?"

Steven let out a breath and asked, "What are you doing here?"

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I need a reason to come over and see my friend now?"

Steven closed his eyes and shook his head for a moment. He opened his eyes to look at her. "When you make yourself right at home in my bed, I think I deserve a little explanation."

In a flippant tone, she replied, "I got bored. Where have you been?"

"I was out and you're dodging my questions."

She chuckled and shook her head. "And you haven't been doing that for the last two days? But never mind that, you were just out?"

Steven took a seat on the edge of the bed and turned to look at her. "Yes that's right."

She gave him a smug look. "Okay, and here I thought you were coming back from seeing your little artist."

Steven snorted out a laugh. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Ruby lifted one leg off the other so she could sit up and sit cross-legged facing him. She still held that grin on her face as she replied, "Because I saw you leave yesterday with her on the back of your motorcycle."

"And how could you have possibly seen that? If it happened of course," Steven replied with a nod of his head, a narrowed look directed towards her and a half smirk.

"I gave Glenn some excuse that I needed to stay after school yesterday and that he should come back for me later. About an hour later I saw you and little Miss Dorfman ride off together."

"Maybe I was just giving the nice girl a ride home? I didn't know I needed your permission to give someone a ride."

Ruby lost her grin to falter into a thinned line of pursed lips and slightly focused eyes that he took to be accusing him of something. He was familiar with that look and knew it wasn't just her being mad and annoyed.

Steven sighed and shook his head. "I know that look Ruby. What is it?"

"Why are you giving me the run around?" She brought a hand up and poked the center of her own chest. "Me Steven, you're giving me the run around. I'm not Glenn or Bobby or Andréa, but me. Why can't you just talk to me?"

Steven released a breath and looked down at the bed. He closed his eyes a barely shook his head.

Ruby watched him for a moment before whispering, "I talked to her today at lunch."

His head immediately shot up and stared at her with none too sympathetic eyes. "Don't bother her. She's not one of those that deserve whatever you dish out on them. There are plenty of other people that deserve you sinking your claws into."

Ruby rolled her eyes and took a calming breath. "I wasn't bothering her. I just wanted to find out why she grabbed your attention and finally made you give a damn about something."

He blinked at her in surprise as she continued, "She seems like this sweet, innocent thing; you know, nothing like us."

"Don't put yourself down Ruby; don't ever do that."

She gave him a genuine smile as she replied, "You're still sweet Stevie, but I'm not putting myself down, just pointing out the difference."

He gave her a small smile. "She is different, but she's very nice."

"She seems that way," Ruby replied softly. She rubbed the side of one of her arms as she continued, "Is that why you're trying to date her?"

He laughed out dismissively, "I'm not trying to get with her."

Ruby laughed for a moment. "Then what have you been trying to do for the last three days?" She then shook her head and whispered softly, "The truth, please?"

He whispered in the most defeated tone she hadn't heard since his mother had died, "I don't know what I'm trying to do."

She blinked in surprise then reached out and placed a hand softly on his shoulder. She licked her lips for a moment before asking, "Why did you really fight Evan?"

"I saw him hit her and I just… I cared that it was wrong. I realized I couldn't just stand there and watch him get away with what he had just done. You're right: she's this sweet, innocent thing that didn't deserve that happening to her and knew she couldn't fight back. I think that's the reason I did it. You know that I don't care what Evan or the people like him do to others at school. If they don't want to be bullied, then they just need to grow a damn pair and fight back. If they don't care enough to protect themselves, why should I? It's not my place to fight their battles, but with her…"

He ran hand through his hair and just looked at the opposite wall.

She nodded her head sympathetically. "Why do you keep seeing her then?"

"I was hoping to figure out why she invoked that feeling the first day I saw her. If I got to know her, maybe I can figure out why, but now…"

"What?" she gently prodded.

He continued to stare at the wall as he answered, "I just want to see her."

She got up from her sitting position on the bed and rested her right forearm on his shoulder and wrapped her left arm around his other shoulder. She then rested her chin on her right forearm. The raven haired girl gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek and whispered in his ear. "I think this is your chance to be happy again my dear friend. Just accept it and give it a chance. You don't give a damn about others opinions now, don't in regards to what they would say about her now."

He replied in a cold and distant whisper to Ruby's ears, "What if she realizes how fucked up I really am?"

She couldn't help but smile. "I think she loves you anyway."

He turned his head slightly to look at her dark blue eyes and raised one of his eyebrows in confusion.

She gave him a smirk. "Call it a woman's intuition."