Tarragon City was the largest they had been to yet, even bigger than Sage City. It was the up-and-coming city, full of suave restaurants and formal venues. Numerous parks adorned it, each boasting a marble fountain and winding paths, where benches were situated artistically amongst the fragrant flowers. The Police Station was on the street behind the Pokémon Centre, and Rose and Tripp made their way there after having had lunch and showered in the Trainer's Lodge.

"How can I help you?" Officer Jenny asked as Rose and Tripp approached the information desk.

"Er – we have some information for you I think," Tripp started.

Officer Jenny frowned.

"Information regarding what?"

"Cristine told us to come," Rose said.

"Ah, indeed. Come this way."

Officer Jenny led them to a back room where an Inspector was waiting.

"Hello," she said shaking their hands warmly, "my name is Inspector Jane; we've been waiting for you two – Rose and Tripp is it? Cristine says you may have valuable information…?"

"We think so," Tripp said, "we believe that the case of Elliot and the missing Dewgong, Spheal and Shellder are all linked."

"Cristine did tell us something of the sort, can you please elaborate?"

Rose explained the conversation they witnessed between Elliot and the men at the lake, and how she realised that all the Pokémon that went missing were either ice-type or evolved into them.

Officer Jane looked impressed.

"Your information is very interesting. We will most certainly investigate. As it was Cristine who alerted us to these incidences, we will report back to her, although I'm sure she will keep you updated."

"Thank you very much," Tripp grinned, as they shook hands with the Inspector once more, before leaving the Police Station to explore the city.

-o-

"Do we really have to visit the Professor?" Tripp groaned, staring straight in front of him.

"Of course we do, stop complaining," Rose answered. She too kept her gaze ahead. She knew if her eyes met Tripp's she would most definitely blush – and she was finding it hard enough to act normally as it was.

Likewise, Tripp was almost afraid to meet Rose's eyes. There had been no mention of the night before all day, and he couldn't help wondering what she thought of all of it.

Considering she said she thinks of me as a brother…

He shook his head. That thought he could definitely disregard. If she did consider him a brother, she wouldn't have kissed him like that…she couldn't have. He was at the same time desperate to talk about it, and desperate not to. It was therefore both a relief and a grievance that Rose had no intention of bringing it up.

Rose shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around her body. The howling winds were bitter, and Rose realised with a shudder of both excitement and terror that it was only going to get colder come nightfall.

Of course it's nowhere near as cold as the mountain…but suppose it's too cold to sleep again…?

She remembered with a gasp the electricity between them the night before, and how rapidly the heat had built between their bodies, her own desperation and fear to be closer to him. She gulped quietly. If she was once again placed in the same situation, she didn't think she would have the self-restraint to pull away again…

Tripp stopped walking abruptly.

"What're you -?"

"It's the Gym," he interrupted, "I know you don't want to see the Professor any more than I do…so what do you say?"

Rose unthinkingly looked up at him, and her stomach swooped once more. Tripp's blue eyes bored into hers, she could feel her blood heating her skin, could feel a faint flush creeping up her neck…

Her look terrified Tripp. He wanted nothing more than to take her face in his hands and kiss her again. But he couldn't. They weren't meant to be, and he wasn't going to hurt himself further. He looked away, breaking their eye contact as he held open the door of the Gym for her.

Rose looked down, disappointed, and began to chew her bottom lip nervously. Had he not felt what she felt?

He couldn't have, she thought feeling sick, if he did he wouldn't have hesitated to kiss me, just as I wouldn't have done if he'd waited one second longer…

Her train of thought was cut off as the Gym door closed behind them, and a voice spoke.

"Only one of you may enter at a time," said a man. He was dressed impeccably smartly, in a tail-coat with a black bow-tie, his hair slicked back with wax.

"Oh…okay," Tripp managed, staring at the butler-like figure in confusion.

"Do you want to go first?" Rose muttered, very interested in her Pokéball belt.

"Sure," he shrugged, and hitching his rucksack further up his back, he made his way through the heavy wooden door, into the Gym beyond.

As soon as the door closed, Rose sank to the ground and cradled her head in her hands, ignoring the strange looks that the butler-like man was giving her.

"Are you nervous?" he asked, after she had sighed for the fourth time.

Rose smiled humourlessly.

"No, I'm not," she hadn't given the Gym battle a thought.

"Well you have a right to be," the man said, sounding affronted, "Callisto hasn't lost a battle since she became Gym Leader."

Rose's interest was sparked against her will.

"Really? What type does she train?"

"Ghost," the butler-figure replied simply.

Rose considered this. Ghost type. No normal type moves would affect Ghost Pokémon. She frowned slightly to herself. That didn't pose too much of a problem, it must be Callisto herself, and the way she trained her Pokémon, that made her so unbeatable.

-o-

Tripp gasped as Geodude fell to the floor – he was his last hope. Callisto smiled serenely from the other end of her battle chamber, before returning Shuppet to its Pokéball.

"You battled bravely," she said, her clear voice reverberating off the stone walls, "but it was not enough. You may leave."

Tripp closed his eyes in horror and humiliation, and turned to leave the way he had come in; the sooner the better.

"No," Callisto said quietly, gesturing to a door to the left of her, "you will leave this way."

Frowning, Tripp made his way across the chamber and out into a back-street, gulping gratefully at the fresh air as it hit his face.

-o-

There was a faint click, and the butler tested the handle of the heavy wooden door.

"Callisto is ready, if you are?"

"Ready? You mean Tripp has finished? So soon? Where is he?"

"Are you ready to battle or not, young lady?"

"Yes, I am," Rose said, glaring insolently at the man, before making her way haughtily through the door.

The first thing she noticed was the smell. The room, or chamber was perhaps a better word, was stiflingly warm and reeked of sickly incense that was burning in brackets set in the stone walls. At the far end of the chamber, standing against a wall inscribed with hieroglyphics, was a young woman of about twenty-three. Her ash blond hair waved gently down her back, and her unusual, violet eyes were framed with inky, black lashes. She was clothed in dark, floating material which seemed to ripple slightly as though made of liquid.

"Hello, my name is Callisto," she smiled quietly.

"I'm Rose – where's Tripp?"

"Your friend has finished his battle, and gone."

"Did he win?"

"That is not for me to say."

Rose glowered.

"Are you ready?" Callisto asked.

Rose nodded. Her head felt heavy, the incense was making her feel drowsy. She removed her coat and jumper.

"We will each use three Pokémon – is that agreed?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll start with Shuppet."

"Go Seadra!"

"Use Confusion, Shuppet."

Seadra reeled in pain, his eyes closing.

"Use Water Gun!"

The attack missed – Seadra's eyes were still tightly shut from pain.

"Shuppet, use Shadowball."

Rose gasped and shielded her face from the force of the attack. Inevitably, as she looked up, she saw that Seadra had fainted. After only two attacks.

It was with a shaking hand that Rose selected her second Pokéball. Pikachu's electric attacks were sure to be helpful here.

"Come on Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

The attack hit, and critically, but still Shuppet returned to battle determinedly.

"Use Shadowball."

Pikachu fell to the floor, but rose again, adamant not to be beaten.

"Shockwave Pikachu!"

"Show it your Confusion, Shuppet."

Pikachu yelped in pain, barely able to stand anymore.

Rose began to sweat freely; Pikachu was her strongest Pokémon, and this Shuppet was almost playing with him. Rose had a sickening suspicion that Callisto was merely warming up.

"Nightshade, now."

With a final yelp, Pikachu fell to the floor, defeated.

Rose felt sick as she registered that she was going to lose. She only had one Pokémon left against three of Callisto's, seeing as she hadn't had a chance to train her Phanpy yet. Neither Seadra nor Pikachu had left a substantial mark on Shuppet.

"I choose Vulpix," Rose's voice was hollow, flat.

"Use Confusion."

Vulpix squealed and flinched.

"Flamethrower Vulpix!"

But Vulpix in her confusion attacked herself and, like her friends before her, fainted.

Rose returned her Pokémon to her Pokéball lifelessly, and lifted her eyes to those of Callisto.

"Don't give up. Like your friend before you, you are a strong trainer, you are merely undisciplined. You will not be able to beat me with physical strength alone, however. You must have strength of mind."

Rose nodded, unable to speak. Blood was roaring in her head. She had lost. She had failed. She realised that she was wrong in believing she wasn't competitive. It was only that she had never failed in anything that she truly cared about.

She wasn't aware that she had stepped outside until she was hit with a wave of air so cool and fresh compared to the interior of the Gym that it almost made her feel giddy.

"Rose?" Tripp asked, concern evident in his voice, "Are you all right?"

Rose's stony face cracked into a smile as she registered that Tripp's face must have mirrored hers exactly; blank and shocked.

"Well, she's a good trainer…I suppose I'll give her that."

"Did you lose too?" Tripp said, trying and failing to hide his relief.

Rose managed a strangled laugh.

"I didn't lose…I was annihilated."

"So was I," Tripp gushed, pleased that he could talk about it with an empathetic listener, "she literally wiped out three of my Pokémon with one of hers."

"Same, it was humiliating."

Tripp nodded in agreement.

"I suppose that was a sign that we should stop faffing and go and see the Professor…"

Tripp groaned.

"I suppose we can't put it off any longer," he grumbled, back to avoiding her eyes.

-o-

They stood outside the red-brick Laboratory, their mouths slightly agape.

"It looks like…a palace or something," Tripp whispered.

The building was impressive. Standing at five stories high, with an east and west turret and innumerable paned windows, it was easily the most imposing building in the city.

"The Professor lives here?" Rose asked incredulously.

The pair moved forward slightly, towards the black, wrought-iron gates. They eyed the intercom nervously.

"Shall we?" Rose asked, trying to appear nonchalant

"I suppose so," Tripp shrugged as he jabbed the button.

The intercom crackled, before a female voice asked: "Tarragon Pokémon Laboratory, please state your name and business?"

"Er, Rose and Tripp…we have a Pokémon to show the Professor?"

"One moment please."

Rose and Tripp exchanged glances.

"Are you sure he was being literal when he said to come here? It seems a bit…formal?"

"I don't know!" Rose hissed, feeling rather out of place and uncomfortable, "I'm just doing as he asked!"

They started as the intercom crackled once more.

"Rose and Tripp? Please come through."

There was a loud clunk as the gates unlocked, and Rose and Tripp made their way up the colossal driveway before arriving at the still more colossal front door.

-o-

The interior of the Laboratory, at first sight, was no different from an upper class hotel. The expansive entrance hall was covered in plush carpet, and an enormous chandelier hung from the lofty ceiling. Two curving staircases met on a landing on the first floor, their mahogany banisters gleaming. Daylight filtered in gently from ceiling length windows, glinting off the frames of the paintings that hung on the decadently papered walls.

As Rose and Tripp took in their surroundings in awe, Professor Willow appeared on the first floor landing, and made his hobbling way down one of the curving staircases.

"Aha! You have arrived! And rather sooner than I expected…you're both blooming I see!"

Rose smiled at the old man, and surprised herself in that she found his pompous manner rather amusing, when it had in fact been the thing she was dreading most about this visit.

"Hello Professor Willow, it's lovely to see you again", Rose grinned, shaking his hand warmly.

"Are you both well? You're looking rather peaky," the old man exclaimed happily.

"Lovely to see you again," Tripp said through gritted teeth. He wanted to get this over with.

"Now, we need to have a long talk, you two and I, so I presume you will accept my offer of dinner?"

"A long talk?" Tripp asked indignantly, "I thought you just wanted to see what the eggs hatched into?"

The Professor laughed heartily, the sound startling from so small a frame.

"Of course I know what the eggs hatched into! I only appeared not to so as to make it more exciting for you!"

"But Professor," Rose asked, "If you knew that the eggs were in fact Eevees, why did you give them to us? And why do you want to see us now?"

"Questions, questions! My Elliot is the same…sadly he will not put this healthy questioning to research as he should…" the old man sighed, "your questions, and more, will all be answered in due course. But we shall start this evening – if you two care to accept my dinner invitation?"

"Of course," Rose said quickly; anything to find out what the Professor was planning.

"In that case I will see to it that your rooms are prepared."

"Our rooms?" Tripp asked, glancing at Rose worriedly.

"Why of course…all will be explained in due course, as I have said."

"But Professor -"

"Calm yourself child," he chided Rose, "the proposition I will make you this evening is not compulsory, is that understood? If you do not accept it, you are free to go back to sleeping rough."

"We don't sleep –"

"Later Tripp, my dear boy, later. Now, off you go and explore the city, but kindly return by seven o'clock. Dinner will be served at half past."

-o-

"It's not going too badly," Hielo told Ledus as he poured over the figures, "all the Spheal and Shellder have been elevated to level twenty-five so far, which is fine as Spheal will evolve at thirty-three…"

"And Shellder?"

"That's the issue; they need a Water Stone to evolve, else they won't be ice type."

"Where the hell are we supposed to find twenty-one Water Stones?"

"I have sorted that."

Hielo and Ledus jumped as Pascalia entered the cave, closely followed by Chelsea.

"You have?"

"There is no need to sound so incredulous Ledus," Pascalia said icily.

"I-I wasn't, I –"

"Hush, and listen. In Tarragon Laboratory, they are currently conducting experiments on evolution. According to Dragonair they have a large store of Stones, water ones included. I have a blue-print of the Laboratory, it is up to you two to break in, undetected, and steal those Stones."

Chelsea gasped at the enormity of the task, but Hielo and Ledus merely nodded.

"I do not want any stupid blunders made, and for this reason I expect the stones no earlier than in one month."

After giving her order, Pascalia stalked out of the cave, once again followed by Chelsea, who had been building the little courage she possessed for this moment.

"Mistress," she asked, the name slipping off her tongue awkwardly, "I-I wish to speak with you."

Pascalia turned sharply and scrutinized Chelsea with her yellow eyes. Although now used to the colour, Chelsea could not help but be repulsed. But she forced herself to continue.

"I want to know…why…why you're doing…what you're doing?"

Pascalia snarled inwardly. She had regretted recruiting Chelsea from almost the beginning. Hielo and Ledus never questioned her, and that was how she liked it. Chelsea was, however, in too deep to be let out, and therefore the only option left was convincing her.

Letting out an audible sigh, Pascalia perched herself on a mossy boulder on the leafy ground of Dill Woods, and motioned that Chelsea should sit on the floor before her.

"I am doing…what I am doing, to fight injustice."

Chelsea blinked in surprise; she had not expected this answer.

"You, I assume, grew up in Sesame?"

Chelsea nodded in affirmation.

"I did not. I grew up in Blackthorn City in Johto, yet even I know of the case of the Garchomp."

"You mean the Garchomp Rampage?"

"Yes; although it was nearly ten years ago now, the people of Sesame still fear the rage of the Dragon type Pokémon. However, as a Dragon Tamer, I know that the Garchomp herd would not have destroyed Annatto City for no reason - as the press claimed. I am not saying that they are not dangerous creatures. They can be, that is certainly true, but I believe they were provoked."

"Why would they be provoked?"

"My theory is that the trainer who rounded them up and imprisoned them, was trying to create glory for himself, and so enraged the Garchomp secretly before trapping them before the public eye."

"But what has this to do with anything? Surely if they're trapped and everyone is safe -?"

"Is it fair that they should be trapped?"

"They're dangerous, they attack -"

"They will only attack now because they will be furious at being imprisoned in the mountain. I however plan to reason with the Garchomp…"

Chelsea gasped.

"But how ?"

"I am a Dragon Tamer. It's what I do."

"But humans can't understand Dragons like they can other Pokémon…that's why we can barely train them…"

"I can speak to them," Pascalia said softly.

Chelsea pondered this, and attempted not to look awed.

"…And you're sure they're safe?"

"Of course they are…they will be when I tame them and set them free."

"And…that's all you're doing?"

"Yes," Pascalia lied.

"But then why didn't you just tell me? Tell everyone? Why is it secret?"

"People are petrified of the Garchomp. If they knew what I was doing they would attempt to stop me."

"So the Garchomp…aren't crazed?"

"Not in that way. They will be now, confined as they are, but more than anything they are sad and hopeless."

Chelsea nodded as she looked into the sinister, yet earnest eyes of the beautiful young woman.

"I understand now," she said, "and I will do all I can to help you."

Chelsea made her way back to the cave to discuss tactics with Hielo and Ledus, determined to be an asset.

Pascalia threw back her head and laughed.

-o-

"Please, leave your rucksacks in the hall," Professor Willow's housekeeper insisted, "they will be taken to your rooms whilst you have dinner."

Tripp glared at the housekeeper, and tried to catch Rose's eye. Even in their current strange state he needed to communicate how unimpressed he was with this arrangement. As they made their way into the vast dining hall, complete with mahogany table and solid silver candelabras, he hissed, "What the hell are we doing here? If he tries to take my Eevee…and what the hell makes him think we're going to stay the night?!"

Rose shushed him as she realised that there were already people seated at the dinner table. Two teenagers in fact, who looked to be about the same age as them.

As they neared the table they realised that they had been allocated seats. Tripp was to be sat opposite Rose and beside the girl whose name setting read 'Amy'. Rose was sat next to 'Jay', who in turn was opposite Amy.

They sat awkwardly in silence for a few moments before Professor Willow came unsteadily into the room and took his place at the head of the table.

"Good evening youngsters! As you all know, I am Professor Willow, and although you do not yet know one another, you are all here at my invitation. Jay and Amy, may I introduce Rose and Tripp? Jay and Amy are twins you know," the Professor added conversationally.

Before any of the stunned teenagers could say a word, the first course was brought in.

"Our first starter is the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup," the old Professor said with relish. All four teenagers picked up their spoons tentatively and began to eat. Rose could tell that the twins too had no real idea why they were here. They meal was a rather quiet, awkward affair, the only noises being made by the Professor as he slurped, chewed and crunched his way through the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup, the Blood Orange, Radicchio and Pomegranate Salad, the Beef Wellington with Potatoes Dauphinoise, the Chicken with Grapes, Goat's Cheese and Pine Nuts, the Twice Baked Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Soufflé, and finally the Mango and Raspberry Sorbet.

Only Professor Willow managed to finish more than three courses. Much of the meal, for the teenagers, was spent sat in silence and trying not to make awkward eye contact. In a bid to avoid Tripp's eyes in particular, Rose couldn't help but notice the way that Amy, the girl he was sat next to, kept throwing him hopeful looks. Had Rose not been so preoccupied and strangely sickened by this sight, she would undoubtedly have felt the eyes of Jay - which were constantly upon her face.

When he had finally finished, Professor Willow addressed the group for the second time. Tripp turned to face the Professor and thus caught the eye of Amy who had been staring at him. She turned red and snapped her head around to face the Professor. Rose noticed that Tripp looked very much confused, but also quietly pleased at the exchange. Rose's stomach felt strangely hot and sick. She felt furious at Tripp and contemptuous of the girl, although she wasn't entirely sure why. Jay she didn't give a second glance to.

"Now, I hope you all enjoyed your dinner! I certainly did!"

The old man belched richly, his tiny frame seeming to reverberate with the sound. Tripp felt momentarily astonished that such a small man could have put away such a vast quantity of food, and with such apparent ease.

"We have much to discuss in the morning, you four and I. But for now it's off to bed with you. You will all need an early night. Breakfast will be served at eight o'clock. Now, boys, you will find your bedrooms in the West Wing, and girls, yours are in the East. Toodlepip!"

With that, he hobbled out of the vast doorway, and further into the Laboratory.

After a few moments silence, Tripp turned to face Rose.

"What on earth was that?" he asked. She felt that all too familiar jolt in her stomach as their eyes locked. Still angry with him however, she looked away and could not bring herself to reply.

"It was weird wasn't it?" Amy simpered, looking at Tripp for attention. Tripp tore his eyes away from Rose angrily. He had no idea why she was suddenly acting like a stuck-up bitch.

He looked at Amy whose grey eyes were staring into his face earnestly. She was quite pretty, he thought, but he couldn't help but be reminded of a small and very insistent dog.

"Very weird," Tripp replied, ignoring Rose, whose blood had begun to boil at Amy's forwardness.

"Y-you're Rose, right?" she heard somewhere from her right, and turning around came face to face with Jay for the first time. Like Amy he had soft grey eyes, and like Amy he was staring into her face so earnestly it seemed to border on desperation.

"Yes," she said shortly, aware that Tripp and Amy were now in conversation together.

"Oh, cool," Jay said, softly.

Rose felt guilty, and tried to engage him in conversation whilst simultaneously trying to listen to what Amy had to say to Tripp.

"So where're you two from?" she asked through gritted teeth as she heard Amy laugh shrilly at Tripp's description of how boring Chicory Town was and how his whole life he had wanted nothing more to get away from there. He was acting very differently to how she had ever seen him - almost arrogantly. She realised that she had never really seen him interact with any other girl their own age.

"Annatto City," Jay said, excited that he had finally gotten Rose to talk to him.

"What?" she snapped, turning back and glaring at him, her bright brown eyes blazing.

"You…asked where we were from?" he said apologetically.

Rose breathed deeply and tried to compose herself. She couldn't help but be irritated by the timid Jay.

"Oh right. Lovely," she said sarcastically.

Tripp recognised her tone of voice and looked across the table to see Rose with that dangerous light in her eyes, glaring at Amy's brother. He wondered what on earth Jay might have said to make her so angry.

"To bed I said!" shrieked Professor Willow, popping his head around the door in astonishment, "I meant what I said - chop chop!" he clapped. So shocked at being told what to do, the four teenagers simply rose and made their way to their bedrooms, Rose and Amy taking the left staircase, and Tripp and Jay the right.

"Well, goodnight!" Amy said breathily to Trip, after hugging her brother.

"Goodnight," Tripp said pleasantly. He noticed that Rose was staring determinedly in the other direction, "goodnight Rose," he said deliberately loudly, his eyes narrowed in both confusion and annoyance.

"Sleep tight," she snapped scathingly, before stormily making her way up the staircase.

Her attitude infuriated Tripp, who couldn't think what on earth he had done to deserve such treatment from her. He was hurt, but more so he was angry. He didn't want her to get the last word.

"Thank God it's not cold tonight," he shouted after her, "I couldn't bear another night like the last."

She turned back, open mouthed, and the shock in her wide brown eyes gave him the satisfaction he had been looking for. She turned away from his own cold, blue eyes and ran up the remaining stairs, hurt and fury rolling in her stomach.

Tripp watched her go with satisfaction. He didn't really know why he said what he did, but he hoped he had hurt her more than she hurt him.

Jay and Amy stood on the landing between the two staircases, unsure what to make of the situation.

"Goodnight!" he called pleasantly to them, before making his own unhurried way to his bedroom.

"Are they brother and sister?" Jay asked, as soon as Tripp was out of sight.

"No…" Amy said frowning, "Tripp said they were just friends…" she nibbled her fingernails in thought.

"You like him, don't you?" Jay probed.

Amy turned to her brother in shock.

"Was I that obvious?" she whispered in mortification.

"No," Jay lied kindly, "I just know you well."

"You don't think he likes her do you?" Amy asked, nervously.

"No…no I don't think so…" Jay frowned. He did think, however, that they had a very strange friendship, "do you think she likes him?

Amy scrutinised her brother, her grey eyes searching his identical ones.

"You like herdon't you?"

He blushed deeply.

"Why Jay?" Amy asked incredulously, "She's horrible! I mean, if that's how she treats her friend…she's so…so rude and bitchy!"

Jay nodded slowly, he couldn't deny that.

"I – I know, but she's -" he blushed, if possible, even more deeply.

"You think she's hot, don't you?" Amy asked, horrified.

Jay nodded apologetically.

Amy wrung her hands together nervously. She was worried about Tripp liking his friend, for there was no denying she was very pretty, but she was so mean…surely he couldn't like a girl like her?

-o-

Rose lay fully dressed under the covers of her plush, four poster bed. All the muscles in her body were rigid, and she couldn't seem to make any sense of what had happened that evening. When she tried to puzzle it out, her exhausted, despairing mind simply repeated over and over, "I don't know what happened. I don't know what happened."

She felt hot all over and her mouth was dry. She wanted to talk to Tripp, and she wanted never to talk to him again. His last comment had scalded her. It made her prickle with shame and humiliation. To use it against her…he must know. Did he? Could he really know what she felt for him? She had been so careful…

Rose drew a deep shuddering breath, and attempted once again to shut down both her mind and body, to no avail.

-o-

Tripp lay fully dressed on top of his covers, his hands behind his head. He felt oddly calm and empty, and yet he knew that if he dared to think over anything too deeply, he wouldn't be able to shut his mind down.

He couldn't help but mull over the evening, however, and started again to feel the boiling annoyance that Rose had arisen in him. He hadn't done anything. What was her problem? It was her idea to come to this stupid place…

He huffed angrily. He wanted to sleep and yet couldn't. He was so physically exhausted from the last couple of nights. He felt his face burn, and his body react, as he remembered the second night on the mountain. He closed his eyes tightly. This was what he wanted to avoid – thinking. He wanted to avoid it because he knew he would not be able to make sense of anything… Rose telling him he would only ever be a brother to her, Rose kissing him desperately in the tent, pulling him closer to her. Rose looking up at him with misty eyes outside the Tarragon Gym, her lips parted as though waiting to be kissed, Rose ignoring him after dinner, snapping at him and the innocent Jay, Rose running to her room, her eyes wide with…hurt?

If his comment had hurt her…that would mean she must like him. It couldn't have been embarrassment, because neither Jay nor Amy could know what had happened between them the previous night... Not in the mood to be overly analytical, Tripp rolled over and sighed tiredly.

It's probably just her 'time of the month', he thought savagely, that's probably why she's been so crazy the last few days…explains the kissing, he thought darkly. He was stupid to think that he would ever mean more to her than a brother, and perhaps simply someone to take her raging hormones out on. He snorted cynically to himself.

And that Tripp, is why you decided that nothing good would come of you trying to be more than friends.

With that, he fell into a deep and largely untroubled sleep.

AN: Oh dear. Did you think it was all going to work out once they finally got over themselves and kissed? I'm afraid not, and things are only going to become more complicated for these two in the next chapter.

I hope you enjoyed it (: please let me hear your thoughts on the way out! It only takes you a second compared to all the hours I spend writing (;

Love A xx