A/N: Hello again! I'm back with a new chapter!

Before we get started, I would like to thank everyone that read last chapter! I would also like to give a huge thank you to winterschild11, Side1ways, Guest, and RainbowDiamonds for reviewing!

I hope you all enjoy!

I woke to the ear-splitting screech of a phone ringing.

I lurched toward my phone, twisting off the bed with a loud thump.

Groaning, I felt for the phone and brought it to my ear.

"Logan here." I rubbed my head and sat up, peeling off the blankets that'd twisted around me.

"Dude, it's midday. Are you still asleep?"

A pulse throbbed in my head as I stood up.

"Midday?" No, it couldn't have been more than eight-

A glance at my alarm-clock radio confirmed Kendall's announcement. I closed my eyes and shook my head. So much for my plan to be at the office wrapping up a first draft. Seemed like I might need one of my disgusting hangover remedies first.

Kendall cackled down the line. "Damn. Sounds like you had quite the night. So do you know the news already?"

"What news?" I flung my blankets over the bed and semi-straightened them.

"It's all over Twitter, Facebook, and I caught the gossip on Tumblr. Our vigilante made an appearance again."

I swapped the phone to my other ear and sat at the end of my bed, running my heel down the corner leg to satisfy an itch.

"He did? What happened? When? Where?"

"That's the thing, it happened just a few blocks from the mansion. Our guy might have been there the whole night, right under our noses."

"Who got attacked?"

"No one knows. The victim isn't coming forward."

"So how does everyone know about it?"

"That's the thing." Kendall paused and I stiffened, waiting for the response. Somehow, I was nervous for our vigilante.

"The attacker got hurt. The vigilante broke his collarbone throwing him to the ground. He had to go to the hospital. Now he's telling everyone the assault came out of the blue, that he wasn't hurting anyone."

"What?"

"It's a lie, of course. But if the victim doesn't speak up, it's looking really bad for The Raven."

Grabbing my notebook and pen, I asked, "Do we have any idea what time this happened?"

"Around two in the morning."

I'd been comatose by then. "What's the name of the attacker?"

"It's ridiculous. He's calling himself The Night Warrior."

The Night Warrior? What did the guy think he was, a comic book hero?

"Look," Kendall continued, "I have a feeling this is going to cause some bad press for our vigilante. If we could find the victim and convince him to tell his side of the story, we might be able to derail the activist that want to make him pay for all the black eyes and bloody noses he's doled out."

"I can slip a public plea for information into the opinions page."

We wrapped up the conversation quickly. Kendall needed to get to class, and my bladder felt as if it would burst.

I dashed to the bathroom, relieved myself, took a shower, and popped a couple of painkillers. With my towel wrapped around my waist, I darted back to my room.

James sat on the straightened bedcovers. A tray holding a plate of omelet, toast, and what looked like freshly-squeezed orange juice rested on his lap.

He blinked, shifted quickly, and hurriedly refocused on the food.

"Thought you'd be too hungover to get up."

"It smells delicious." I said. With James' back to me, I made quick work of dropping the towel and slipping into my boxers and a clean but rumpled shirt.

"How are you feeling this morning?" James asked tentatively.

I scrambled over the bed to my pillows and motioned for the tray. "Can I?"

"Sure." He passed it to me and watched me stuff a buttered piece of toast into my mouth.

I chased it with orange juice and, once I'd swallowed, spoke.

"I can honestly say I've felt better."

James smirked. "Was last night worth it?"

I recalled scraps of the night before. I remembered the punch. Dancing. Jett and Beau laughing. James shoving Jett. And then James carrying me into the apartment.

"Yes. Just seeing Jett thrown to the ground was worth every stab of headache I'll have today." Thankfully, my painkillers seemed to be working effectively.

James nabbed a piece of toast and scooped some egg onto it. "Trust me, he deserved it."

"I don't remember it all. What else happened last night?"

That made James grin. With a teasing lilt to his voice, he ripped the crust of my toast off and said, "You wanted to kiss me."

I chewed the bit of toast in my mouth and swallowed. "Did I kiss you?"

He shook his head and waved the crust at me like he was waggling a finger. "No. But you really wanted to."

I leaned forward and bit the crust to just before his fingertip. With my mouth full, I said, "Quite obviously that was a drunken anomaly."

James stared at the remaining pinch of crust between his fingers. "You're kidding, right?"

I shoveled one more forkful of egg into my mouth and rested the tray on the bed. My cell phone was ringing but I couldn't see it. Likely it had fallen behind the drawers when I tossed it and rushed to the bathroom.

I scrambled off the bed and felt for the phone on the carpet as I answered James.

"I've only kissed girls, so...no. Definitely anomaly."

Ah-ha! I lurched upright, triumphant, cell phone in hand. But before I could take the call, James grabbed a fistful of my shirt and tugged me forward, between his legs.

I dropped the phone as James' hand reached up behind my neck and drew me forward.

"James? What on earth-"

He fell backward on the bed, bringing me with him. A roller-coaster thrill zipped through my body as I lost my balance and came crashing against his chest. Both James' arms slipped around me, holding me firmly in place.

James' hazel eyes stared intently at me. He brushed the tip of his nose against mine, tilted his head upwards, and kissed me.

The first sweep of his lips moved warm and softly. I gasped in surprise. James' mouth sealed over mine, and his tongue twisted and pushed. He was an expert. I liked how he took control, led the entire dance of our tongues. All I did was follow along and enjoy the ride.

James pulled back, resting his head against my mattress and grinned wickedly.

"Still an anomaly, Logan?"

He was warm and comfortable to lie on, so I didn't bother moving. I linked my fingers and rested on his chest.

"Technically, since kissing a guy is a deviation from who I normally kiss, the answer is yes."

James roared out with laughter. "God, you're impossible." He slapped me on the ass and rolled me over. We nearly knocked over the breakfast tray, but James steadied it and climbed off me. "I've got to get to my self-defense class. You can think about things, and we can chat over dinner tonight if you want."

I propped myself up on my elbows. "How do I join one of these classes?"

"Lucy and I are starting a beginner's course. Seven o'clock Wednesdays at the Rainbow Rec Center." He stepped slowly toward the door. His face glowed, as if the idea of me learning self-defense pleased him. Perhaps he thought it would free up his weekend evenings, but that seemed fair enough to me. "You can come along then if you like."

I pushed myself into a sitting position. My lips still tingled and tasted James. I ran a tongue over my bottom lip as I watched him slink further toward the door.

"Good call with that kiss, James."

He paused, squinting at me like he wasn't quite sure what to say. He scratched his ear. "You don't need time to think about it? Freak out? Go and pretend it never happened?"

I pushed myself off the bed. The warm carpet under my toes rubbed the soles of my feet nicely. I slid over to the jeans that lay in a heap in the corner of the room.

"Pretend it never happened? Why would I do that?" I pulled on the jeans and found the phone I'd dropped on the bed. "Now I have some investigating to do. I think I'll call Camille and ask her out after all."

James opened his mouth to say something, but shut it immediately. His eyes lost their glimmer, dulling into a dark green. He stormed out of my room, murmuring as he went.

I rang Camille and left a message.

"Camille, hi. Look, about us dating...I'm not sure yet if that's a great idea. Can we have a trial date and see how things go?"

A minute later, the front door clicked shut, and James was gone.

XxX

"A trial date, Logan?" Camille said as I slumped into my chair on Monday morning and opened my laptop.

I looked over at her tapping a red pen to her chin. "I realize it's not the most romantic of propositions. But I feel we are both practical rather than sentimental at heart."

She bit the top of her pen and processed my words. In a soft voice, she replied, "Jo warned me this will likely never go anywhere. If you didn't jump at the first offer, you never will, she said. I'm beginning to think she's right."

I opened my drawer, rummaged through pens and paper clips to the snacks I kept at the back. Pulling out one of the chocolate mints I knew she loved, I sent her a smile and handed one over. A peace offering of sorts.

She laughed as she picked it up and started unwrapping. "What's this?"

"That's me trying to say that I understand if you don't want to go on a date."

Holding the mint to her lips, she paused. "The thing is, Jo rules her life with her heart and so far it's brought nothing but drama and heartache." She said before nibbling at the edge of the mint. "Pragmatism works for me. Let's do dinner and see what happens. How does Friday work for you?"

I brought up my calendar. Friday, the results of the first round of BCA placements. "I might have a party to attend afterward, but I think it could work."

We shared a smile, jotted the date into our calendars, and got to work on our respective columns.

It was midday, after a short meeting with Chief Henderson, when Jett shuffled through the Scribe doors. Normally, I'd see him across the room and duck my head to concentrate on my work, ignoring the guy completely. But today, I stared at him transfixed. Curious.

Suspicious.

He shifted awkwardly toward his desk in the far corner of the room, keeping his gaze cast toward the threadbare carpet and his Converse. But what glued my attention to him most was the way he cradled his left arm.

He glanced up, quickly scouring the room-probably searching for Beau-and our gazes locked. I wanted to pull away and avoid the snarky comment that would likely come during our staff meeting, but the dark-blue bruise around his eye held me there.

What had happened to Jett?

What had Jett done to deserve it?

Kendall's words echoed in my mind. The vigilante broke his collarbone throwing him to the ground. He had to go to the hospital. Now he's telling everyone the assault came out of the blue…

Could it be so simple? Could Jett have earned vigilante payback by attacking some guy for being gay?

Instead of sneering at me like normally would have, Jett tore his gaze from me and sank behind his desk. Across from him, Beau's working space was empty. He stared at his friend's desk and bowed his head, likely wishing he had a confidante that would agree with what he'd done and have his back.

A sudden urge overcame me. I picked up my office-friend stapler and imagined myself leaving it on the empty desk and finding out if Jett was The Night Warrior guy threatening The Raven. Except, even if I found out it was Jett, it wouldn't yield anything helpful if he didn't admit the truth. And why would he do that?

No, I needed to talk to Beau and find out who Jett had been with at two in the morning. If I could convince this victim to acknowledge the vigilante was helping him, maybe The Raven could continue protecting people like Kendall.

People like me.

XxX

Lucy's clear and steady voice filled the gym.

"Be aware of your surroundings." She said, her solemn gaze skimming over me and the ten other students forming a semi-circle around her.

"No walking like you're free lunch." She hunched her shoulders, dropped her gaze to the floor, and slipped her hands into the pockets of her black cargo pants. She took a few steps. "The very first step in self-defense is to carry yourself confidently."

She spun around, this time holding her shoulders back, head up, hands unrestricted at her sides.

The double doors at the back of the room opened with a groan and heavy footsteps padded over the wooden floors before squelching over foam mats.

"James." Lucy said, a grin quirking her lips for the first time since the lesson started. "About time you got your ass in here."

"Got caught up with the professor." Came the voice I hadn't heard in a couple of days. I'd been living in the Scribe offices, late every night, finishing my Halloween special.

I glanced over my shoulder. James strode toward Lucy, the fluorescent lights making his dyed hair and scarred ears more prominent. His gaze scrolled over us, settling on mine. The moment marred his casual grace, and he hesitated mid-step.

I expected a smile or a wink, but after a second of blankly staring, he refocused on Lucy. On automatic, I pushed up my glasses but-thinking logically-I removed them and jogged to the bench at the side of the room.

"...strong body posture and eye contact." Lucy said as I slipped next to a lean fellow named Cheddar who sported an earring and a double-dimpled grin.

James, now up front with Lucy, nodded. "The aim in self-defense is to get out of a situation. It's not about fighting to win; it's about fighting to run." He raised his brows toward Lucy and the rest of us. "We should all be big fans of running here. It can save your life. What we will show you over the next six weeks are techniques that can help you get to the point where you have a chance to run."

Lucy sprung a surprise attack on James, pulling out a plastic knife from her pocket and lunging toward him. James responded quickly, pivoting out from her aim and grabbing control of her knife-wielding arm. He yanked her closer and demonstrating kneeing her in the crotch and applying force to her arm until he could take control of the weapon.

A shiver climbed slowly and steadily up my spin until it released in a shudder. They made it seem so easy, yet when Freddy had attacked me, there hadn't been time to think. I blinked back the image of those sharp, glittering fingers before The Raven appeared, swooping in out of the blue.

I tried to grab a pen but I only brushed a hand over loose, pocketless sweatpants. Instead, I balled my hands and focused my attention on Lucy.

"There are four distances of attack that we will look at: kicking distance, punching distance, grabbing distance, and what to do if you are pinned on the floor."

After James and Lucy demonstrated a few defensive moves, they paired us all up to practice.

My partner Christina, a Hispanic woman with a nervous smile, didn't hesitate to launch herself at me. I fumbled a block. After we righted ourselves, Lucy touched my arm.

"Mind if I give you a few pointers?"

"Go right ahead."

She showed me how to angle my hand so I wouldn't be likely to sprain or break my wrist in an attack. "Keep your fingers angled toward your attacker, you want them to hit their eyes."

Over her shoulder, James and Cheddar were chuckling at something. James drew Cheddar close, showing him how to grab an attacker's neck and bend him forward. I mimicked the move on my partner, getting a cheer from Lucy.

"Good." She said, sincere and...relieved?

How much did teaching these classes remind her of Kendall? I was under no illusion that she taught them for any other reason than wishing her brother had been able to protect himself.

"Keep practicing." She murmured and moved on, freeing my vision of James and Cheddar chatting easily as they blocked and attacked.

James' gaze flickered in my direction for a brief moment, and then he laughed loudly at something Cheddar said.

"All right." Lucy called out. "Swap partners. Get a feel for how someone else attacks and how to respond. Remember, confidence."

I thanked Christina and picked a path to James.

"Okay, let's do this." I said, planting myself in front of him.

He blinked at me, his brow creasing slightly in the middle. For a moment he said nothing, just stared And then a professional, relaxed James said, "Feet shoulder-width apart."

His hand landed on my upper arm and his fingers slid down my sleeve as he coaxed me forward. "Lean slightly inward. Keeping your balance is essential."

"It's been a busy few days." I said, practicing throwing a palm-punch to his face. My fingertips brushed over his nose, cheek, and the side of his eye. His eyelashes scraped over the pad of my thumb as he blinked. "Hope you haven't been making dinner expecting I would come."

No answer.

"If you have, I'm sure it made for good lunches."

James stepped closer, slowly sliding his hand around the back of my neck. His palm was warm where he pushed me down. "Try it." He said.

It was the same move I'd watched him show Cheddar, the one I'd practiced with Christina a few times already. I copied step-by-step, catching the tips of James' hair on the length of my fingers as I steered him down.

When he came back up, I waited for his comment. Again, nothing.

It was my turn to frown. I started to describe how well I executed the maneuver, when he suddenly spoke. His words were puffs of air against my cheek as he locked his arms tightly around me.

"You look different without your glasses on."

Per Lucy's earlier instruction, I shifted into his embrace instead of against it, pressing quickly against him and steering my thigh into his crotch in a would-be kick. I smirked.

"You look different without my glasses on, too."

This was the part where James was supposed to show how my moves affected his balance and stumble backward in submission.

He didn't. He tightened his arms instead until I was cocooned in warmth, the light smell of Cuda mingled with sweat filling my nose. He said quietly into my hair, "Did you ever get that date?"

"Yes." I pushed until our bodies were flush. "Friday."

This time when I lifted my thigh to his groin, I knocked him enough off balance that he didn't have to feign stumbling. He caught himself, straightened quickly, and acknowledged the move by cocking his head.

"I got myself a date, too." He said.

He had? "With who?"

James jerked his thumb toward Cheddar.

"The cheese?"

Lips stretched into a satisfied smile as he crossed his arms. "My favorite."

"To each his own, obviously." I retorted. "Is that his real name?" I asked, because seriously, what kind of name was that?

"I don't know. Why? Do you have a problem with Cheddar?" He asked with a raised brow.

Okay, maybe that question came out with a little more bite than I intended.

"No."

"And it won't bother you? Me and him?"

"We've been over this, James. No freaking out, I promise."

"Not that. I mean-"

"Oh." I said. Was he worried I would take it the wrong way because of our kiss the other day? I quickly shook my head. "I'm not jealous or anything if that's what you're asking. I mean, the kiss was great, James. It opened my eyes to new possibilities that I need to investigate further. But I can promise you, I'm not going to act weird around you or suffer under a pathetic crush."

James' cheeks bloomed with color and he scratched the back of his head. "Right... no pathetic crush. Good."

Lucy's voice sliced through the conversation. "And switch partners again."

"Can I catch a ride home with you after class?" I asked, noting that Cheddar was eyeing us. Guess I knew who my next partner was.

James sighed and motioned for Christina to pair up with him. "Sure, Logan. Sure."

Done! So...yeah. Looks like things are getting interesting.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, as well as if you happened to have a favorite part/moment!

Again, I hope you all enjoyed! It looks like Jett, Beau, and Dylan are on the list of people most of you all don't like. :P The next chapter most likely won't be up until this weekend.

Until then! :D

-Epically Obsessed