A/N: Sorry for the wait. I would've had this up sooner, but Doc Manager wouldn't let me login yesterday, and I only just got back on :( Anyways, here is chapter 11! Thank you guys for the reviews & could I maybe have three before the next chapter? Just asking :)

Disclaimer: I've already said 1,00,102,005 times that I don't own CR.

Chapter 11- Love With A 'D'

"Are you kidding me, Shane? You have to be. That just sucks. It simply... sucks. But there has to be something we can do!" Nate's astonished face stared at me as he continued to ramble. To stop his one-mouth stampede (hah, that sounded funny), I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I know, Nate, it sucks." I groaned, sighing loudly. "All because we don't have the stupid note to wave in front of their face, they won't even hear us out, much less believe us. This world sucks." Nate crossed his arms, leaning back into the arm chair. Jason sat beside him, flipping through a magazine about birdhouses.

"You've certainly got a point there." Nate agreed, biting his lip. "I can't believe we can't... what if our manager explained the situation to them?" He asked suddenly, and I hesitated.

"Do you think it would work?" I questioned, highly doubting that it was even worth trying. Nate shrugged.

"Well, it couldn't hurt, that's for sure. We could at least try." He suggested, and I ran my hands through my hair, knowing that, no matter who called, they weren't going to believe us.

"Whatever you think. I don't think it's going to work, but if you want to try... go right ahead." I commented, and Nate nodded, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and dialing our manager's number. I listened in on the conversation for a few seconds before I got bored with the whole scene and, slowly, eased myself out of the bed. Nate's head snapped up at me, and he frowned, shaking his head. I rolled my eyes at him before grabbing a piece of paper and writing Mitchie's room number on it, and handing it to him. He glanced down at it in confusion, but I shrugged, making my way out of the room. I knew he couldn't protest right now because our manager was talking to him on the phone, so I was safe.

"Mitch?" I stepped cautiously into Mitchie's room, hoping that if she was sleeping or something I wouldn't bother her. I saw her head tilt up slightly, and she offered me a smile.

"Hey Shane. Come on in." She motioned to the seat next to her bed, and I moved into the room to take my place beside Mitchie's bed. At that thought, I paused, glancing down at Mitchie in slight confusion.

"Wait... shouldn't your parents be here? I mean, they should have been here yesterday, but... was it that they couldn't get a plane ticket? Because I could send my jet to go pick them up." I offered, and Mitchie hesitated. I could see her forlorn look, and I moved closer to her. She swallowed.

"That's sweet of you, Shane, but... I don't remember my parents. I don't know... with this stupid memory loss deal, and the fact that neither Caitlyn or Mary mentions them... I don't even know if their alive, or what." A stray tear fell down her cheek, and I pulled her into a hug, feeling like crying myself.

"It'll be okay, Mitch. I'll find them, don't worry. It shouldn't be that hard considering you mom's catering business." I suggested, and Mitchie paused.

"You knew them?" She asked, surprised. I nodded, smiling slightly.

"We all went to the same camp, and she was the caterer there. She's really sweet, and kind, and caring. Her name is Connie." Mitchie's eyes lit up gratefully, and she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered into my shirt, and I felt her relax against me. "What about my dad?" She asked a moment later.

"I didn't know him personally, but I do know that his name was Steve and he is a great guy." Mitchie smiled up at my happily.

"Thank you." She repeated, staring up into my eyes.

The rain was pouring as we stood outside of Mitchie's apartment, drenched to the bone. I turned to Mitchie, smirking, a devious look in my eyes.

"Let's dance!" I suggested, and she shook her head 'no', laughing.

"No way, back up mister!" She yelled as I advanced towards her, grabbing hold of her. I pulled her out to the street and stepped back, signalling her to lead. Still laughing, she grinned and agreed, moving her body along with me. Eventually we stopped, grinning from ear to ear, just standing there, staring into each other's eyes.

"Do you love me, Mitchie Torres?" I asked quietly, stepping closer to her as she glanced up into my eyes before moving closer and wrapping her arms around me, hugging me tightly as if she would never let me go.

"I love you, Shane Gray." She whispered.

I jumped at the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, as did Mitchie. One glance at her shocked and flushed face told me she'd seen the same memory I had. I turned to see Nate standing in the doorway, looking at Mitchie and I uncertainly.

"Umm... did I interrupt something?" He asked nervously, and Mitchie shook her head quickly, putting on a smile. Nate visibly relaxed and stepped into the room, Jason close behind. "Phew, I thought I was dead meat for sure! Do you know how Shane gets when I interrupt him?" Mitchie laughed while I shot Nate a nasty look, but seeing as she obviously wasn't bothered by the statement, I decided to blow it off too.

"Look, Shane, look!" Jason exclaimed, shoving a picture towards me. I rolled my eyes at the headlines. 'Biggest bird known to humans spotted in Amazon rainforest'. Seeing my I'm-not-interested expression, Jason's face fell. Mitchie glanced at the situation before taking the magazine out of my hands and looking through it.

"That is neat, Jason!" She smiled encouragingly before handing the magazine back to him. "I never knew birds could be so big!" Jason beamed, looking beyond excited, before randomly jumping up and down, like a five year old does when he's had too much sugar. And then he pounced. In one swoop, he jumped over, pulling Mitchie into a bear hug until she muttered out a choked protest. "Hey, Jase, can't breathe." She pointed out, and Jason immediately let her go. She took a deep, probably thankful, breath and smiled while rolling her eyes in my direction. I relaxed slightly, feeling a little less tense. That was, of course, before Nate got up, mentioning something about needing coffee, and pulling Jason with him, leaving us alone in the room together. The silence that followed was almost unbearable, until Mitchie swallowed loudly and broke it.

"So, did I really love you?" She asked quietly, glancing up at my expression. I hesitated, but then decided that she'd already seen it, so it didn't matter anyway. I nodded stiffly, hoping she wouldn't panic or hate me... wait, why would she hate me just because she remembered that she used to love me? She sighed. "This makes everything more complicated, doesn't it?" It wasn't a question, but I still gave a second nod. "What are we supposed to do now?" I shrugged. I really wish I knew what we should do, but I didn't have a clue where to go from here.

"Play it by ear?" I suggested, and Mitchie laughed softly at my stupidity.

"You're so insane, Shane Gray. How do you play this situation 'by ear'?" And with that, she stopped, leaving me to wonder exactly how to play it by ear - wow, that really was stupid. I probably should have just said, 'by heart'. It wouldn't have sounded as crazy.