"Bubbles, I still don't understand why you haven't been able to call. I mean, you're senior friends are asleep have the time, you said so yourself, so I don't see how a phone call was totally impossible to fit in."

"I sorry," my blue eyed, falsely guiltless sounding sister said. "Boomer and I have been busy . . ." Something in her words, the way her sentence hung in the air, it practically screamed that she was holding something back.

"Bubbles, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Nothing, nothing. I've just been busy," she said, attempting to conceal her lies with innocence. "Should we call Buttercup, this would be a good chance to fit a three way call in. First one all summer."

"But that's not of our choosing," I muttered to myself. And then, as if an electric current had run through me, the little light bulb in my head went off. "Actually, that's definitely a good idea."

I quickly put in Buttercup's cell number, tapping my fingers against my thigh rhythmically to pass the time.

"Hey, what's up, B.?" A faint giggle was heard from Buttercup's side of the phone.

"Did we interrupt something, BC?"

Bubbles giggled. "I think we did, Blossom. BC, how does Butch feel about you shacking up with someone on his time? Has me met your new bed buddy?"

"Bubbles! Bitch, do you not know how to drop in and say hi?"

"Ah, I can feel the love already," I said sarcastically over the bitter bickering between my sisters on the phone. "Will you two stop fighting already? Blossom, Bubbles was busy, she didn't mean to not make contact."

"Yeah! So", we heart the muffled sound of what could only be assumed was her sticking her tongue out.

"Bubbles, I don't think they can tell you're sticking your tongue out," Boomer remarked in the background.

"Hey Boomer," I greeted him.

"Blossom, Buttercup," he greeted casually in return. "I hope my brothers aren't entirely on the brink of death yet."

"Actually, surprisingly no. Er, well, Brick isn't. Is Butch even still alive Buttercup?"

There was a silent moment before Butch called, "Yo," into the phone. "What's good Blossy, Blue."

"Butch? Is that you man?" Boomer said, evidently now holding the phone as if he had been part of the conversation all along.

"Boom! It's good to hear from ya man! I missed you bro. Hey, Pinky, is my boy there? Mind if we talk to him?"

I hadn't been really listening, staring up at Brick as he lay beside me, his arm under my head as a pillow on the bed. His eyes twinkled as they stared at the skin of my shoulder, his fingers tracing little designs on from my tank top strap to my elbow. A small smile formed on his face as I watched him take the phone from my outstretched hand, seeming almost hesitant I noticed. "Hey, Butch, Boomer. How have you been?"


Brick's POV:

"Brick!" my brothers greeted happily through the phone. "What's good, man?"

And without effort, the two had jumped into a conversation of welcomes and reconnections. I hadn't heard their cheerful banter, too distracted by Blossom's having pulled away from my hold on her, mouthing that she would leave me to chat with my brothers. Without thinking, I quickly reached out and pulled her back by the waist, her giggling filling her cabin as she struggled not to fall. And, like nothing, she sighed defeated and curled up into my embrace.

"Brick? Was that Blossom giggling?" Boomer asked, his voice bringing me back to reality.

"What? NO-I mean yes. She's with some counselor guy from the camp. I'm stuck watching her play happy couple." No need to clarify that the "some counselor" had been me, and I was doing a lot more than watch her play happy couple.

There was a nervous silence from my brothers before Boomer replied once more. "Brick, is there something you wanna share with your little brothers?" I was too stunned to hear him identify Butch and himself as my "little" brothers. I was all too aware they hated that, and enjoyed using it quite often.

"I knew there was something fishy about our last phone call! There's something going on with you two isn't there?"

"Enough!" I snapped unintentionally. "I am still your leader. Do not question me or what I say."

"Yes, Brick," they harmonized quickly.

I stared down at Blossom, my heart aching at the somber, almost hurt look in her eyes as she stared at the hem of my shirt she had been wrapping her fingers in and out of mindlessly. She didn't meet my eyes, but I could tell she was upset. And that is when my remark had hit me. I had, in fact, denied having any relationship with her when she was right beside me. Oh how that must have made her feel, to know I didn't want my brothers to know about us being together, like she were an embarrassment or something of the sorts.

"Brick? He-lloooo?" Butch called, bringing my attention back to the phone.

"Sorry, guys. I have to go. I hope I talk to you soon. Peace," and I hung up the phone, despite the objections of my brothers.

Blossom didn't meet my eyes as she asked gravely. "Why did you do that? You don't know when you'll be able to talk to them again."

"I've made it two and a half months since seeing them, I can wait until the follow up court date to see them again. It's only three more weeks." As I did the math in my head, I began to realize that it had been nearly three weeks as well since Blossom and myself having given us a chance, and so far, neither have us had yet to tell our families. What did that say? "You're what's important right now. I'm-"

"You're hesitant about telling your brothers," she said plainly. "That's why you haven't told them yet. Don't worry," she met my eyes. "I'm just as nervous. This isn't exactly a relationship that comes with a How-To book. I think our type of situation is one best suited to be announced face to face. And you're right, it's less than three weeks away, we've hidden it just as long, we can keep it a secret a little longer."

I wasn't blind to the hurt in her voice, but she was right. She had been just as silent to her sisters as I had been to my brothers. This wasn't an exact science. We were messing with the balance and, well, "Good and Evil" when you get to the bare facts. But, what I couldn't understand about her was whether it was her sister's reaction to us was what frightened her, or societies. No one outside the damn near isolated camp knew of our relationship, or that we were even no longer enemies. Was that what scared her? What society would think of her "sleeping with the enemy", for lack of better terms? Though, we were certainly not quite that far into the relationship, despite my hormonal and pride's protests.

A naughty grin spread across my face, only bringing a calmer one to hers. "Well, let me show you something I'm not hesitant about doing," and without warning, I propped myself into my elbows on top of her, our faces now inches apart. Her giggles blew the sweet smell of her mint and bubble gum breath into my face, sending my thoughts and hormones into a frenzy.

As if by gravitational pull, our lips found their way to each other without ease, and we lost ourselves in the intensity of the kiss. Lips warm and sweet, her warm breath slipped into my mouth and I could practically taste her minty tooth paste, the overworked senses only adding to the carnal of the kiss. My hands found their way under the hem of her shirt, though I was smart enough to not play the role of Hormonal Jackass and pull it up. I allowed my fingers to trace little circles on her smooth skin, the tickling sensation only making her laugh against my lips.

And, cutting off mid laugh, her eyes went huge and a strangled gasp escaped her lips before they were followed by a blood curdling scream. I was quick to get off her, and she fell from the bed as she gripped at her head. "My head!" she cried in agony. "It hurts!"

"Blossom? Baby, what's wrong?"

She screamed again, curling into the fetal position as she clung to her head. "It hurts, the voices!"

At that moment, the door swung open with a bang, and Rowan, Kyle, and Seraphina (the middle aged owner of the camp) all stared between me and the shrieking Blossom on the floor.

"What the hell did you do?" Rowan asked, going to kneel beside her.

"I didn't do shit! Back off, kid." I nudged him aside and scooped Blossom into my arms, her hands never leaving her ears. "I'm taking her to the infirmary."

"What happened, Brick?" Seraphina asked.

"I don't know. We were kissing and she suddenly started screaming. 'It hurts, the voices!' she said."

"Brick, make it stop! Make it stop!" Blossom cried again, tears streaking down her face. "The voices won't go away!"

"Get out of the fucking way, I'm taking her to the infirmary!" I snapped, pushing past Seraphina and the two counselors.

We stepped through the threshold of the door, and as if by magic, her eyes opened, tears slowly subsiding. "Wait," she said breathless. "It stopped."

I froze in my tracks, watching her with bewildered eyes. "The voices? Or the pain?"

"Both," she clarified. With a heavy sigh, she collapsed into my arms, gripping my shirt with relief apparent on her face. "Thank god."

"What the hell was that?" I asked the three that had been following me, all their eyes staring between the door of the cabin and her.

"It just stopped," Kyle said bluntly.

"No shit, Sherlock," Rowan retorted with heavy sarcasm.

"Someone tell me what the fuck is going on!" I snapped, silencing the bickering counselors. I stared down at the panting, faintly moist Blossom. "What happened?"

"Put me down," she said, her voice almost ominous.

"What-"

"Put me down," she repeated, her eyes hazed over. Everyone exchanged glances as I set her back on her feet. And without a word, she walked back into her cabin, and sat to read some magazine she grabbed without looking.

"What the fuck was that?"

They all gave me equally perplexed shrugs, giving Blossom a brief glance before walked back to the main building.

"Brick? Where did you go?" she called, her voice back to that feminine, rather perky tone I had grown accustomed to.

I quickly made my way back into the cabin, staring at her as she lie in the bed staring between the opened magazine and me, her brows furrowed in incomprehension. To be honest, my mind was lost at how surprisingly adorable her expression was, like a little girl staring at multiplication for the first time.

"Brick, how did you get outside? We're we just . . ." her voice trailed as she tried to wrap her mind around what was transpiring. "I could have sworn."

"We were," I started, settling myself on the edge of the bed beside her. "You started screaming and crying about voices and your head hurting."

As if she suddenly realized the headache, her hand went to her temple. "Is that why my head hurts? God, I thought it was just me going crazy. I've never had headaches."

"Blossom, what the fuck just happened? Do you seriously not remember any of it?" I sure as hell did. My mind's eye couldn't shake the image of a scared, crying Blossom in my arms, or the sound of that scream. It was a cross between demonic and a frightened little girl. The moment it reached my ears, I felt it shake my very soul, the sound frightening me more than anything in my entire life. And, here she was, absolutely fine, as if it never happened. Could she really not remember the screaming or the pain?

"No," she replied with a soft headshake. "I can't remember anything. I don't understand."

What on earth had just happened? That was certainly something unnatural, even for us. "Yeah, that makes two of us . . ."