Authors Note - Howdy peoples. Here's your next chapter. I really hope you like it cause im actually quite proud of it. Teddy is my favourite character even though he's a bitch to write cause of how eccentric he is. So yeah I really hope I've gotten his character right. Oh and just so you know. Teddy and Lee's thoughts are in italics. sorry if they're a bit confusing. enjoy!

Teddy Duchamp is no loony!

It was like walking into a cave. There was only a dim light being cast over the room from a small window. By standards Lee's room had always been messy, but this room was something else. The floor was covered in all kinds of junk. Lee thought there might be a desk in one corner but she couldn't quite tell due to it being covered in assorted underwear and other clothes. The walls were bare and made of concrete with a few pictures stuck to them which had obviously been cut out of the newspaper. Lee was very much reminded of a dungeon or maybe a jail cell.

And there in one corner lying face down on his bed, the covers hardly covering him was Teddy.

Oh boy, now I gotta wake him up.

'Er, Teddy… wake up!' she called across the room, rathering to keep her distance. Teddy remained completely immobile continuing to snore loudly to himself.

Lee picked her way across the room till she was standing over the sleeping figure.

'Teddy?' she prodded him harshly on the back of the shoulder, 'Teddy!'

Right. No signs of life except for that disgusting sound he's making. What is wrong with this kid? Why won't he wake up?

And then she saw it. Lying on the floor just out of reach of the hand that was drooping over the side of the bed. An empty bottle of Johnny Walker.

'Oh Teddy. What have you been doing to yourself!' Lee gasped.

Well I'll deal with that later. First I gotta get the sod awake.

She smiled at the thought of Mrs Duchamp's earlier suggestion of kicking him awake.

Now any normal person probably would have just shaken him awake. But this of course was not the way of Lee. Her eyes wandered around the room looking for something that she could use.

Across the room she found a pair of folded socks. She eyed them for awhile then looked at Teddy.

'Oh well. He can thank me later', and with that she picked them up and hurled them in his direction. They bounced right of his head but all Teddy did was continue to snore louder.

Arghh you frustrating pile of shit!

She continued shuffling though the junk on Teddy's floor looking for something else to throw at him.

Baseball... ? No too hard. Boardgame... No. Playboy... ? Oh God I don't wanna know!

Lee dropped the dirty magazine in disgust and kept sifting though the junk. She was so caught up in her task that at first she didn't hear the voice from behind her.

'What are you doing?'

'Looking for stuff to throw at you.' she replied distractedly, then froze. She turned around to see Teddy leaning up on his elbows smiling impishly at her. He hadn't got around to putting on his glasses yet.

'Should I run for cover then?'

Hmm. It's interesting how he almost looks normal without those glasses. Must remember to sketch him one time. Oh right! He's just caught me going through his stuff.

As if on cue Lee went a brilliant shade of scarlet, not that Teddy could see that, and said nothing.

'So are you dream Lee? Or ordinary Lee?'

'What are you talking about numbnuts. Of course I'm real.'

'Thought so. Dream Lee would have probably been in my bed by now,' Teddy mumbled to himself.

'What was that?' Lee asked suspiciously.

'Nothing,' Teddy grinned cheerily, 'So, um, yeah, what the fuck are you doing in my room?' he said casually.

Lee found herself a patch of floor near the bed and sat down cross-legged.

'I, wanted to talk to you.'

'Well that's great. So how's the family? Wife and kids? C'mon Lee, get to the fucking point!'

'Well are you ready to explain yourself?' What Lee didn't know was that across town Chris was asking Gordie the very same thing.

'Explain what!' Teddy said defensively.

'Maybe why you and Chris were fighting yesterday? And why your drowing yourself in whiskey?'

At this point Teddy lost his cheery expression and his eyes narrowed. He finally put on his glasses.

'Don't wanna talk about it', he mumbled like a sulky child.

Lee sat up on her knees so she was leaning her arms and chin on the edge of the bed.

'I think you do,' she said carefully, 'I think you want to, have always wanted to, but nobody would listen.'

'And maybe somebody should tell you that people who don't mind their own business go to hell cause there ain't nothing to talk about!' Teddy said his voice raising considerably.

Lee didn't flinch, even though her insides were screaming for her to run from this room, she forced herself to stay put. Teddy had swung around so that he was faced defiantly towards her.

'Is it because of your father', she continued quietly.

'Don't you bring my father into this! He's a war hero godammit! He stormed the fucking beach at fucking Normandy!'

Lee seemed unfaltered by this statement as she continued with quiet fear in her voice, 'is it because he…… hurt you?'

'You shut your mouth you little slag!' Teddy rounded on her his eyes alight with rage. 'Don't you mouth off bout my father like that! We are not crazy you hear! I am not fucking crazy!'

He swiftly raised his arm, intent on backhanding the impotent girl hard across the face. But he stopped. She was not an impotent girl, she was Lee, and she was just sitting there, a look of fear and longing trembling in her eyes. Teddy was suddenly reminded of the first time he had talked to her. Back when she had cringed and shied away, even from a simple handshake. And now she was here, not even flinching, prepared to take whatever it was a brute like him could dish out to her, and it was in that precise moment that he realized how very brave this girl, no, woman was.

He lowered his hand slowly. Then, without warning he swung his clenched fist around wildly, deliberately missing Lee and slamming it into the wall behind him.

Letting out a scream of frustration he started nursing his bleeding knuckles. He heard a noise and looked up to see Lee's retreating back heading towards the stairs.

'Wait Lee! Don't go! I'm sorry! Oh fuck am I sorry! I couldn't help it I promise it wont happen again!'

Lee stopped, still not turning around she lowered her head, 'I'm sorry Teddy but promises like that are empty to me now', she said in a shaky voiced. She mounted the stairs and started climbing.

She would not turn around, she would be numb to all his pleading, she would just leave. She heard a crash from behind her. Abandoning her plan she turned around to see Teddy sprawled at the bottom of the stairs. He had obviously tripped. On closer inspection Lee was horrified to realize that Teddy was crying! Not really bawling, just sniffles really, but crying nonetheless.

'Please Leslie', he choked looking up at her pathetically, 'please don't leave me.'

Oh c'mon how am I sposed to resist that?!

Lee sighed and started walking down the stairs again. 'Fine! I'll stay for a bit. We gotta go meet the others anyway.'

The change in Teddy was so radical that if you had blinked you would have missed it. The big puppy dog eyes were gone and sniffling subsided.

'Eeeheeheeee Oh I am so good. The Duchamps sure do know how to pull the ladies!'

'Hesh up Duchamp or I'll tell everyone I saw you crying!'

Teddy just shrugged, 'hey, I do what I have to.'

'This is not funny Teddy. You nearly hit me!'

For a split second all humour disappeared from the boys face and he looked defeated. Not able to look at Lee he stared at his feet.

'You know I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean for it to happen.'

'I know… But you have to understand; I…I just cant have something like that happening again. I just cant.

'Okay' Teddy replied simply.

Without a word Lee went and sat herself down in the same spot she had before. Teddy followed her and lay down on his bed staring at the ceiling.

'I don't know why I do stupid things like that... I do 'em all the time... I just don't think. Technically I should have died several over the last 4 years... I'm always doing things that could get me killed. That's why people call me a loony. That… and my dad.'

He looked at her fleetingly maybe looking for a reaction of some sort. But she just sat there unblinkingly.

'Do you hate him?'

Teddy's hands clenched and then he relaxed them, 'sometimes…… I wish I could, I mean it would be the normal thing to do. It would definitely be easier to hate him. Do you know he used to sometimes use me for his shooting practice? You would think I would hate him for that. But I can't!'

'It's like living a lie isn't it. You want to love someone so desperately that you actually kid yourself into thinking they're a decent person.'

Teddy looked up, surprised at the girls insightfulness.

'Yes that's it. That's exactly it. Ever since I was 10 I've been using that stupid Normandy story! I mean how fucked up is that? But it's the only noble thing my dad has ever done and so I've……'

'been unconsciously clinging to it', Lee finished for him.

Teddy sighed and nodded.

'I mean, that fucker nearly burnt my ear off. He's the reason I am half deaf. He seriously fucked me and my mother over. And… and now…'

'You're afraid you're turning out just like him?'

Teddy looked at her, this time with real tears in his eyes.

How is it that she can keep reading my mind like that?

'It scares me sometimes... how much I act on impulse. I never think, just act on impulse. My father was like that... He would impulsively think it was a good idea to break bottles over my head… or beat up my mother for giving him lip.'

Wasn't that the same reason you were going to hit Lee smartguy? She was giving you 'lip'?

Teddy felt another pang of shame in his heart as he recollected this.

'… and to top off this happy self-evaluation… I drink away my problems… just like my old man', he said suddenly grabbing the empty bottle and throwing it against the opposite wall where it smashed into a million glass shards.

'Cheers', he mumbled sarcastically before flopping back down on his bed refusing to look at the girl sitting infront of him.

Lee, once again was unaffected by this sudden outburst of violence.

'Do you ever see him?' she asked simply.

'Once a month. In a shirt and tie getup', he replied amusedly as if it was a personal joke.

'And…?'

'And what? What does he do? Sometimes he's glad to see me, sometimes, he doesn't even know who the fuck I am. Oh its grand! You should come some time. Maybe pick apart his brain too! You seem to be quite good at analysing loonies!' he finished harshly and turned on his side so his back was to her.

'I don't think you're a loony'.

Liar. He thought whilst still not acknowledging her.

'I think your one of the most interesting people I've ever met.'

Double liar!

'You don't seem to care what anyone thinks of you. You march to the beat of your own drum. You're so unique and damn confident in showing it! I wish I could be like that...'

Ok you can stop bullshitting to try and get me to talk to you now.

He still wouldn't move. Lee knew what she must do. She used to do it all the time when it came to stubborn kids. She reached forward and started gently tickling Teddy's exposed neck. When he immediately reacted with a harsh 'Quit it!' she just tickled harder. Teddy started wiggling around but would still not face her.

'Quit it! How am I sposed to stay mad at you if you keep making me laugh.'

'I guess you can't', Lee stated evilly now using both hands to perform her torturous actions.'

Suddenly hands were clasped around her wrists and Teddy was facing her.

'I said… Quit it!', he said in a husky, breathless voice.

Lee suddenly felt uncomfortable with this close proximity and the look he was giving her. She knew that look, it had been cast her way countless times before not just by Teddy. There was something scarily animalistic about it.

She slowly tried to pull her hands away, 'Let me go Teddy', she said calmly.

'Aww c'mon. It's unfair that you should be allowed to touch, no, tickle me and yet I'm not allowed to do the same', he tightened his grip.

'Don't make me slap you!' Lee said trying to hide her nervousness.

'How are you going to do that when I have your hands,' he waved them around as if to emphasize his point.

'Please Teddy, c'mon. Stop messing around.'

'I'm just having fun' he replied distractedly transferring both of Lee's hands to one of his so that he could reach out play with a tendril of Lee's hair.

'Was your father just having fun too?'

Teddy stopped playing with her hair and looked at her. He dropped her hands.

'You really know how to aim between the legs don't you!' he said in an annoyed but not angry voice.

He stood up off the bed and stretched.

'Well c'mon. We gotta go meet these losers!', he helped Lee up who just stood there looking dumbly at him as he started pulling of the shirt he was wearing.

'Well turn around woman. I gotta change!'

'Oh… right.' Lee cringed as she quickly turned around, covering her burning face with her hands.

'Eeeheeheehee, geez and people call me a pervert.'

A.N. I would just like to add that WOOHOO MY REVIEWS HIT THE 50 MARK! Thanks once again for all those beaut people who reviewed. I would just be ecstatic if i made it to 100. So if you would like to contribute in this endeavour by all means just click that lil submit review button. fairy kisses to you all. fairykisses laura.