A/N: This chapter was written by my friend. So… I can't take credit for it apart from the editing. And once again I'm sorry for that last chapter (although I should warn you it may or may not get a lot worse).

Jane

I knew the moment I had locked the door that Dirk wasn't going to sleep. Still, I had hoped that he would at least rest a little, what with being in an empty room and all, but noooo, he just had to keep being stubborn at the expense of his own health like the idiot he so obviously was.

I had been organizing my bag and looking through the cabinets in the kitchen (even though I knew they'd be empty anyways), when I heard a shout and a loud noise from upstairs that sounded eerily similar to a breaking window. I jumped and yelled, "Dirk!" There was no response.

I growled in aggravation, running up the stairs and calling out to him again as I went. No response again. I was getting a bit concerned at this point. There was no limit to the bad things that could have happened to him. I unlocked the door quickly and barged in, not even bothering to knock. What I saw only made me angrier. The window had a jagged crack running from the center outward in spindly lines like a splintered sheet of ice. What was it with this boy and breaking glass?!

The room, though in slight disarray, seemed relatively fine. And then there was Dirk, draped haphazardly across the bed in a way which told me quite clearly that he had thrown himself into that position just moments before, with his face stuffed in a pillow. His head only lifted when, after spending a few moments in awkward silence, I cleared my throat in a way which clearly meant 'If you don't explain this right now your life will be in jeopardy' He looked shaken for some reason which sparked a bit of apprehension in the back of my mind. The feeling unfortunately was ignored and consumed entirely by my annoyed take on the present situation.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I asked, "What exactly have you even been doing in here? And how did you break the window like that?"

Dirk paused for a moment in hesitation as though he were trying to come up with a valid response, finally saying, "I, ummm, tried to break the window, because… I was mad... and, ummm, it… didn't quite work all the way."

"Oh no," I said, "that is a total lie. You broke the window at the safehouse just fine!"

Now I was getting extremely annoyed. He rolled off of the bed and the light coming from the bedside lamp was reflecting on his glasses for a moment before he turned his head, almost imperceptibly, and suddenly I could see just an outline of his eyes. They looked troubled and conflicted. I took a deep breath to calm myself. The rational part of my brain finally began to emerge.

Just give him another chance to answer; don't lose your head Jane.

"What really happened Dirk?"

He looked like he was so close to telling me, and his mouth opened slightly in anticipation. Suddenly he closed it and his face went neutral again as he shrugged noncommittally.

"I already to-"

I lost it.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!"

Dirk took a step back in shock, and to preserve his own safety as I snapped and screamed at the top of my lungs in absolute rage. Breathing deeply now and seeing red I yelled,

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST TRUST ME!? I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T DIE!"

He looked at least a little ashamed at this and his mouth opened again as if to say something, but I didn't let him.

"I SWEAR! YOU'LL JUST BE A LIABILITY LIKE THIS!"

His mouth snapped closed and the shadow of his eyes looked conflicted and hurt. I paused, still breathing hard and clenching my fists now. We stood in silence for a moment, the only sound being my labored breathing. I stared intensely at his face and tried to get a better look at his eyes, which only made me more aggravated because it was practically impossible. Suddenly an insane thought drifted across my subconscious causing me to freeze completely and stare downwards. Breaking the silence, I muttered,

"I'll leave."

His eyes shot up to meet mine, now blazing behind his shades, and his face paled.

"W-what?" he stuttered out breathlessly.

"I will leave you here and go hunting on my own. Without sleep you won't be able to do anything. You'll just get us both killed."

I turned to leave, feeling a buzzing in my head. What did I just say? Even delirious he's a better fighter than you! I thought. My self-doubt was shadowed, however, by the strong urge to slap him and the rage that was now burning a cool fire inside my chest. But what surprised me most was... I had truly meant it. And Dirk knew it too.

"You can't!" he shouted from behind me.

I whirled around, glaring at him, and shot back,

"Why not!?"

He faltered, turning his head away so that he was presumably looking at the wall. Not that I could tell anymore since his eyes were now covered by his near-impenetrable shades once again. Just as quickly, he turned back to me and looked me straight in the eyes. In that moment my anger drained away and I knew I had gone too far. His eyes looked haunted.

"I….I can't lose another friend…." he choked, gritting his teeth in pain. "I can't lose you too."

My heart dropped to my feet and in its place was only cold. I am such an idiot, I thought. Before he could say anything else, I ran forward and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry Dirk. I didn't mean it, I was just mad. I know you've been through a lot and I wasn't thinking and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…."

I was just babbling at this point. I could tell he was surprised at first, but slowly, tentatively, he hugged back. I pulled back quickly a moment later and attempted to hold him in front of me by the shoulders, but he was taller than me so I ended up just looking up at him. I tried looking him in the eyes once more to make sure he was okay, but once again the shades blocked my view. I sighed, trying my best to make some sort of eye contact.

"I really am sorry you know." I said.

He smirked a little which I took as a good sign.

"Well you only told me about fifty times."

I glanced away and muttered, "yeah, well I am." I paused. "I did mean what I said about you getting some sleep though. I know it must be hard for you. Heck, even I have nightmares, though I'm sure they're nowhere near as bad as yours. I just….. I need you too you know: We might be all that's left and I don't want to lose another friend either. So…..could you please try to fall asleep?"

He still looked like a part of him wanted to argue, but he eventually nodded, walking over to the bed and lying down.

After I had made sure that he was in bed and had turned off the lamp I turned to head out. I hesitated by the door with my hand on the knob, debating whether to say one last thing. Before I could though, he did it for me.

"Goodnight Jane." He called hesitantly.

I jumped a little, then looked back. He was sitting up slightly and looked uncomfortable with the fact that he had said anything at all. But I smiled at him thinking, I'm not going to lose anyone else. Not if I can help it. All I did though was close the door, calling out as I left,

"Goodnight Dirk."