A/N: Okay, I was in a slump. So, I took a very long, much needed break. But now I'm back on track and piled high with end of the year projects. This chapter really disappointed me, but I had to rush it. So sorry about its crappiness, but I promise to make it up.

WARNING: Stinkie's dirty mind will be showing up more and more (hee hee).

Disclaimer: Don't own, so don't sue.

"Where's everyone else?" Jane asked Fatso after swallowing a mouth full of Raison Brand.

Stinkie and Stretch, who sat across from her, both shrugged and continued eating their breakfast junk. Fatso also came up with a blank, turning to Casper as he set down another pitcher of orange juice.

"Dr. Harvey left earlier for another out of town session and Kat was picked up by a friend for a camping trip."

"Shouldn't she be at school?" Jane asked quietly, but more openly. Now that she and Stretch had sort of confronted each other, they were on better terms, and Jane did not feel the need to slip into her actor's front. Slowly but surely she was able to bring out her inner shyness, the slight awkwardness that was the real her. But since she still hadn't had any sort of breakthrough of such with Stinkie, there was still a distinct edge in her demeanor whenever he was around. Somewhere along the line she had gotten the impression that he hadn't liked her very much. However now that feeling was gone, replaced with indifference. He kept his distance, and though it dampened Jane's ego a bit she let it be. After all, not everyone's gonna like you…

"Oh, the trip is for school."

"In the middle of the week? Why not wait for the weekend?"

"I don't know. Her school is really weird about scheduling trips and days off."

The conversation ended then as Jane smiled, her curiosity sated. Sitting opposite her, Stinkie had listened intently. It had been the first time he had heard Jane speak so freely and relaxed. Around him, she always seemed off, guarded. He couldn't blame her though. They hardly knew each other, excluding the persistent tug of familiarity he always felt when she was around. He wondered how his brothers did it. Fatso had become instant friends with her the first day they talked, and now her best friend (or so he says) only a couple days later. Whatever happened between her and Stretch had changed his brothers mind about hating her. When Stinkie had awoke late last night, he noticed Stretch's absence. Suspicious he had checked Jane's room. She was also missing. Those two had gone off somewhere together, and Stinkie didn't want to think of what they could've been doing. It probably wasn't as extreme as he thought since Stretch wasn't stealing wolfish glances at her, but something had changed in his brother.

Now that he thought about it, everything was changing.

But what about me?

The question alone made him cease eating. What about him? Was he going to be left behind? Was he going to be ignored? Was he going to be forgotten?

…Again?

His eyes clouded over, and Stinkie began to feel the creeping of depression settling in. But of course, Jane being the angel she was, did something that stopped everyone dead in their tracks.

"So Casper…whatever happened to that cake that was here earlier?"

Casper froze in his seat at the head of the table. His wide eyes shifted quickly to the right and then back to Jane's.

"What cake?" he said quickly, like he was about to deny it.

"The one that looked like a forest," Jane continued, her confidence faltering due to the suddenly intense atmosphere.

"Oh, um…I dropped it," he said nervously as his eyes once again shifted to the right.

Jane was unconvinced, but not about to call him on it.

"Really? What a shame."

And that was it. Jane picked up her bowl, washed it, said a quick 'thank you for breakfast' and left for her room.

She was completely and utterly oblivious to what she was about to start.

XxXxXxXxX

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. God I'm out of shape!

Jane groaned as she continued to try and focus on her breathing.

It's only been a couple weeks since my last run. It shouldn't be this hard!

It took the last of her strength to make the five mile marker before she slowed to a brisk walk and then finally a normal pace. Her legs burned, feeling a bit like jello as she turned around to walk the rest of the way back. After her heart rate slowed, Jane sighed in bliss as the endorphins rushed through her body, making her feel light and airy. It felt nice to get out and running again, especially after being cooped up for so long. She looked down then, noting her shirt slightly soaked from her exertion.

Maybe I'll walk this mile, run three, and then walk the last. It's so pretty out here.

Nodding to herself Jane smiled contently and admired the beauty of Maine's back roads while mentally calculating the distance to Whipstaff.

XxXxXxXxX

Back at the mansion, Jane walked through the front doors and debated whether or not to clean up before getting some water. The scratchiness of her throat decided for her and she quickly made her way to the kitchen. Shuffling alerted her that she was not alone.

Stinkie jerked violently away from the cupboards when she walked in. His wide eyes and slack jaw almost made her laugh. She quickly squashed the urge and made her way to the fridge. She offered a smile and a small 'hi' as she pulled out the almost-empty pitcher, not really expecting him to answer but figured it polite anyway.

"Hi," he said quietly, hesitantly.

He startled her enough to catch her off guard. She simply stared in slight disbelief before giving him an even broader smile. Her eyes were warm and inviting, but Stinkie looked away. Jane just shrugged and pulled out a glass.

"It's too bad about that cake," she began, a sudden confidence bubbling to the surface. "Did you see it?"

She glanced up at him as she made her way over to the sink. She waited for him to answer, her eyes diverting back to her task as she turned on the tap. A few moments passed in silence, so she glanced back again.

And that was when she caught him.

It was brief, but for a split second, she could see his eyes looking her over. But not in a casual, or accidental way, but in an up and down sweep of judgment.

He had been checking her out.

She didn't know how to feel about that.

XxXxXxXxX

He wasn't about to lie. Jane had scared the crap out of him. She was the last person he had been expecting to walk in. Fatso had said in passing that she was going out for a ten mile run as he and Stretch went off to do whatever. So he figured he had time.

Apparently she was faster than he gave her credit for.

She came in with little hesitation, her mouth moving in a slight smile. Had she said something? Oh yeah…

"Hi."

It was almost a whisper. Shy.

Lame.

She turned back in obvious surprise. Then smiled again, bigger this time, and it was too much. Too nice. He couldn't help but feel belittled by her straight pearly whites. Compared to his buck and slightly yellowed teeth, her smile was a little more than intimidating. Though he didn't really understand why it was intimidating, but that was just the best way he could describe it.

She spoke again, her voice stronger than earlier. He hadn't heard her though, mossy eyes darker from physical exertion capturing his own. When she looked away, his eyes wandered down her profile. He was floating at just the right angle to see her slightly upturned nose, lips a bit swollen from biting them. They then moved to the graceful sweep of her chin, over the muscles in her neck and down to her collar bone.

It was then that he pulled back his vision and took in her state of dress. She was scarcely covered, as was the fashion nowadays. She wore plain sneakers with socks low enough for him to see her ankles. Her calves were strong, toned muscle that went all the way up to her thighs. Her shorts cut off a couple inches below her butt, and he wondered how on earth she didn't fall out of them. But of course she wouldn't, everything about her was tight, and upon closer inspection a bit thinner than what would seem normal. Yet, she looked soft, naturally feminine in all ways. It was a strange mix.

He then wandered up her torso, gulping when he realized the tank top wasn't much better than the shorts. Sweat still glistened slightly between the valley of her breasts. Breasts that weren't overly large, but big enough to spill slightly from between his fingers should he grab them…

He looked back up quickly, trying to stop himself from being obvious. But it was too late. Jane was already staring at him.

Her eyes were vacant for a moment, and the air around them tensed.

Then she smirked.

It was slow. Knowing. Sexy.

Terrifying.

XxXxXxXxX

Jane watched him audibly gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

She hadn't known what to think about the thought of Stinkie checking her out. She wasn't insulted, that was for sure. Usually she would have been repulsed if someone was slimy enough (which was more often then not) to openly judge her body. But this man (ghost really) was shy, and to do something like that did not seem part of his character.

Maybe I can bring him out of his shell a bit…

As soon as she thought it, she liked the idea, and suddenly his crude action made her ego inflate. Now was finally the right time to develop a relationship with the last ghost. With a plan forming in the back of her mind, she did what she always did when she felt devious.

She gave him a slow smirk, but he must of taken it the wrong way. That made her smile more, because she knew if someone didn't know her, it would come off as a come-hither look. She couldn't help but think how adorable he was while he squirmed under her attentions.

Yes, she finally admitted it to herself. He was very cute to her, like a little brother. But she wasn't about to tell him that.

"Did you see it?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.

"What?" was his hoarse reply.

"The cake. Did you see it?" she repeated patiently. He looked completely embarrassed.

Aww.

"No."

Jane inwardly rolled her eyes. They really needed to get past the one word replies.

"Really? Too bad, it really was beautiful."

Her eyes said it all. She really meant it when she said the cake was beautiful. That seemed to have gotten Stinkie's attention, for his eyes shot to hers with a mix of emotions.

"Yeah? Ya tink so?"

Jane noticed his voice cracked an octave higher as he said this. But he coughed to cover it up.

Smooth.

"Yeah," she said, her smiling growing wider. "It was really amazing. I mean, I've seen plenty of cakes from my…um, friends…but nothing like that."

She had caught herself from saying 'chief' just in time. Ever since her acting career had took off, there had been hardly anything that wasn't done for her. Fortune skyrocketing, her mother had taken advantage of the money and started hiring unneeded help. Soon the house was always spotless, cleaned just about 24/7. The cooking was gourmet, laundry stainless, and Jane wasn't allowed to dress herself until she was ten. Even up until she was eighteen, designer clothes were laid out and expected to wear. Of course the maids did not wish to force these things on her but did so none the less, and Jane completely understood why. The last time she had refused, someone had lost their job. So she had put up with it until she moved out, and continued afterwards as well. With the threat of firing more people if she didn't look presentable in public hanging over her head, Jane reluctantly kept up with fashion.

The life of luxury, she then realized, had begun to be necessary. Acting was tougher than most would think. All the traveling and late nights had really caught up to her, and she soon found herself hiring a small staff to help with the housework. They had all become a strange sort of family. Her chief was like a father, her maid like a mother, and her gardener like a brother. Yes, a brother. Certainly not the relationship she had with her mother's gardener…

Jane blinked, realizing she had gone off in her own little world. Stinkie had said something and she had completely missed it.

Hmm, looks like they both had something in common.

"Hmm?" she questioned, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Do ya want Caspa ta make anoda one?"

She finally realized he meant the cake and was quick to become shy. It wasn't often someone asked what she wanted.

"What? O-oh no, that would be asking too much. I'm sure he doesn't have the time."

She was about to make a hasty escape when Casper came floating in. Surprise lit up his face when he saw it was Jane and Stinkie.

"Hey guys, what's going on?"

Before Jane could say anything, Stinkie floated towards him and ruffled his bald head.

"Nuth'n dat concerns you, short sheet."

And then he was gone, leaving a confused Casper and slightly flushed Jane behind.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" Casper asked after a few moments.

Jane blinked, caught off guard once more.

"Well, um, we were talking about that cake. Stinkie asked if I wanted you to make another one. But you don't have to!"

The last part had come out in a rush, and Casper could tell she was getting more embarrassed by the minute.

"I'll think about it," he said with a strained smile, backing away towards the door.

Jane didn't stop him, confused by the sudden strange shift in demeanor. When he left she simply just turned around and wandered what the hell she had been doing before all that had happened.

XxXxXxXxX

Jane had just stumbled back from another late night piano session with Stretch. Flopping onto the bed she briefly looked at the clock before snuggling gratefully into her feather pillows.

And then there was a knock.

Jane bolted upright, confused and more than slightly annoyed. She had already been with Stretch for the night, and Fatso knew her enough to know that she actually enjoyed eight hours of sleep. So who the hell was at her door at 2:00 in the morning?

Disgruntled but more awake, Jane all but stomped across the room. Not even hesitating, Jane flung open the door and was met with…

Nobody.

She stepped out from the doorway, looking down the hallway both ways. When there was still no one, her annoyance flared. She was just about to slam the door shut when she looked down.

And if she hadn't, she would have missed it.

There, settled against the wall opposite her room, was a cupcake.

And not just a regular cupcake, she realized after picking it up, but a miniature, less detailed version of the forest cake.

All Jane could do was stare, completely dumbstruck. Then, with much hesitation, Jane stuck out her tongue and licked some of the icing.

Later that early morning, Jane laid in bed, pondering on how to thank Casper as the taste of heaven still lingered on her taste buds.