Disclaimer: Slayers, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun and its characters are owned by very talented people who make all the money. Please don't sue.

Warning: This chapter is going to be an "R" rating for content and language: underage drug and alcohol use and profanity. If you are offended by any of these, please do not read this chapter. Also, there will be major OOC-ness in this chapter. You have been warned.

Chapter 21

There, and Back Again

Amelia sat on the bus, extremely nervous and fidgety, and though she had been closely scrutinized at home, the only way she had been able to sleep the night before was by taking a big swig of nighttime cold syrup (though she was hardly sick.) Her father had dropped her off at the Juvenile Hall to be bussed to the Center, a minimum-security facility. She had imagined that she would be yelled at and called all sorts of names by several scary-looking people, but that was not the case. Although the next several hours were a blur of commands and answers of "Yes, sir" or "Yes, ma'am," no one really raised their voice. They had given her standard uniforms: five sets of pants and shirts and five sets of shorts and t-shirts. They also gave her boots and a toiletry set before directing her onto a bus.

There were four other kids on the bus with her, and each one appeared as unsavory as the next. They eyed her with curiosity, the way she watched them, but otherwise they did nothing to her. One in particular, however, observed her with an unnerving gaze. He had light green hair and a scarred face, but she felt as if his golden eyes were boring a hole into her skull. Either that, or she was going through alcohol withdrawals again.

Halfway between Saillune and Atlas City, in the middle of a scrub desert, the bus stopped at the Youth Center Campus, a series of ten long one-story buildings behind a tall fence with a security kiosk and gate as the only point of entry. The vehicle pulled up to the first building and parked, opening its door with a hiss, and allowing a woman with a clipboard to step onto the bus.

She wasn't beautiful, but she was very pretty, with long straight black hair and deep chocolate brown eyes. Dressed simply in a white t-shirt and jeans, she had a kind, yet no-nonsense air about her. When she opened her mouth to speak, Amelia was instantly taken in by her gentle voice.

"I'm Officer Saverem, and I'm one of the directors here at the Center. When I call your name, please step forward with your belongings and wait outside in a line. It's hot today, so we'll try to get you inside before you all melt." Everyone sat up and began scooping up their meager items when she called out, "Let's start with the girls: Donohoe, Rebecca."

A skinny girl with stringy black hair who was sitting in the front, stood up and pushed past the woman without a word, but Officer Saverem only smiled and looked back at her clipboard. Amelia knew she was next since there were only two girls on the bus to begin with. She was already standing when the woman said, "Seyruun, Amelia."

Amelia took two steps down the aisle when one of the boys who she passed stuck a foot out, and she tripped, falling forward until two wiry arms caught her. She looked up, and to her dismay, found herself looking into a pair of golden eyes. His hands were gripping her arms tightly, and she was about to back away from him when he did something quick and unexpected.

He smelled her.

Or sniffed, to be more exact. She was about to push him back, punch him, anything, when a strong hand tightened around his wrist, forcing him to let go.

"Val, this is your second time here. You know the rules. I could give you an hour for that," officer Saverem whispered to him.

He released Amelia's arms and then shrugged his shoulders. "What? I was just making sure she didn't fall down. Besides, we're not out of the bus yet."

His smirk was self-assured and had a degree of conceit to it, and the woman frowned. "Just because people think I'm easy doesn't mean that I am, Gaav. Seyruun, outside. Line up next to Donohoe. Gaav, you'll be standing with the girls today since you enjoy their company. On your feet now!"

This sudden change in character took the rest of the bus by surprise, and when she called the other two kids, they jumped to attention and were off the bus in a second.

The sun was high overhead, beating down on the five kids and one woman as the bus drove away. Sweat began to bead down their temples and down their backs at the stifling heat, and Amelia's eyes sought out any shade in the area. Nothing. The taller green-haired kid, Val, slouched next to her, and she silently wished that the officer wouldn't make him stand with her. He smelled bad and he was still eyeballing her. Of course, Rebecca smelled bad as well, so she guessed it was because he was staring at her that made her so irritated.

"Alright, listen up," the woman said in a clear and forceful voice. "Welcome to Anderson Junior Correctional Facility. Each of you is here because you got into a bit of trouble, and it is up to us to 'retrain' or 'rehabilitate' you, whichever one of those words applies to your situation. If you're here, then count yourselves lucky. You could be over there."

She pointed to their right. Through the tall fence, they could see another set of buildings farther down the road, but those were behind a huge concrete and chain-link enclosure topped with barbed wire. Several armed guards were posted in the watchtowers and along the walls.

"That, ladies and gentlemen, is what you probably know as 'The Big House.' We like to think of it here as 'inspiration.' That is where we don't want you to end up. Now, I wanted this to be a relatively quiet day, but we're going straight to work this afternoon, thanks to Val, here, who so enjoys the girls' company that he'll be in their group for the week. I'm going to bring you inside, where you will be matriculated into Anderson, and shown your room, the lavatories, the classrooms, the lunchroom, and the common areas. Then we will meet in the center courtyard at three o'clock."

The drastic drop in temperature when they all stepped into the building was a relief to the overheated teens, and after several minutes, their sour moods returned to their complacent natures. After filling out and signing some more papers, the girls followed one of the women, and the boys followed one of the men to their respective buildings. Since there weren't many girls at the center at that time, each girl was able to have her own room. Amelia stepped into the sparse room with a bunk bed on one wall and two desks on the other. Two thin closets separated the desks, and Amelia set her clothes inside the right-hand closet, and placed her lone book on the desk closer to the barred window.

Mansfield Park was not her favorite book, by any means, but it hit a chord with her as she was pouring through the books available for purchase in the library. It was well worn, and the pages were dog-eared, but it appeared as if many people enjoyed it. She had read it earlier that year, but it hadn't struck her as extraordinary. The moment her father had told her that she was going away for a time, her mind went back to how Fanny must have felt when her mother told her she was going away for a time, but she refused to give that feeling a word just yet.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the woman brought her back to the group, and the teens were given a tour of the facility. After eating with the other inmates, they waited in the common room for Officer Saverem's return. Each kid sat in a different chair, not wanting to speak with one another. Amelia stared out of the window and tried to wrap her head around the fact that this would be her home for the next year.

True to her word, when Officer Saverem returned, she made everyone begin work outside. After a warning to everyone of dehydration and sunburn, each kid was forced to wear sunscreen and a large floppy hat, which made them look absolutely absurd, and they were forced to take breaks every fifteen minutes to drink lukewarm water. The five kids learned how to till a patch of dirt in the garden area, and they learned that the scorching desert heat really did dry a person out in less than half an hour while they were working. Rebecca and Cory, the boy who tripped Amelia on the bus, were stupid enough not to take the advice; Cory passed out from heat exhaustion, and Rebecca got bad sunburn. And the whole time, Val silently worked and watched Amelia.

They returned to the safety of the buildings when they brought the two 'victims' to the infirmary, and Amelia returned to her wing exhausted and irritated. When she met her wing mates, she was not in a particularly good mood. That woman was a taskmaster, and if it hadn't been for Val's grossness, they wouldn't have had to work so hard so soon. The other girls regarded her with either contempt or pity or apathy, and Amelia couldn't wait to escape to her room at the end of the day. After eating apart from the others in the dining room, Amelia joined the girls in the community showers, and then finally all the kids were ordered back to their rooms at the end of the day.

Amelia sat at the edge of her bed in her t-shirt and shorts, staring at the book in her hands. That all-too-familiar tightening in her skull was making reading unbearable; the words seemed to merge into each other before blurring and then sharpening drastically, sending a stabbing pain into her brain. Closing her book, she curled up around it on the bed and squeezed her eyes shut. Someone closed a door down the hall, and she jumped at the sudden noise; it sounded as if it was slamming inside of her head. Laying her head on her pillow, she finally let the tears run. She was shaking, her head was in such intense pain, and she was hundreds of miles away from home. Alone.

What she would give for a drink right now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Amelia soon discovered that life at Anderson was not as scary as she thought, but it was definitely more difficult than she could imagine. The other girls kept to themselves as much as they could; Amelia defended herself well against the one or two who bothered her. They were immediately sent to the floor and rapped a couple of times on the back of the head for good measure. A black eye here and there was well worth it to Amelia to put those girls in the infirmary, but in doing so, she found herself in solitary confinement as a result.

The first time she had been sent to solitary, it had been a day after she had arrived at the Center. She got into a fight over something stupid; she had sat in someone else's seat. Being alone in that locked room brought back too many bad memories, and that, coupled with her alcohol withdrawals, was too much to handle. Her nightmares were not to be subdued, and the terror that she had so long suppressed began to push its way to the surface. Amelia did not sleep; she could not eat. After being awake for seventy-two hours straight, she finally succumbed to fatigue and fell asleep, only to awaken an hour later, screaming and being held down by two officers before she was sedated.

The management then contacted her father and with his approval, put Amelia on Valium. It helped her to calm down and relax, but she still suffered the nightmares, and she soon slipped into depression. Her thirteenth birthday came and went with nothing more than a card from her father, Miss Beth, and Jordan, wishing her a happy birthday, and promising to visit her by the end of the month.

That was the worst time for her. If it wasn't bad enough that a whole month had passed with no calls or visits from her father, or anyone for that matter, being further separated from other people while in solitary confinement was unbearable. Her depression increased to the point where she was given anti-depressants as well, and that, coupled with the Valium, made for some interesting mood swings.

By the end of July, she decided that she could finally give a name to the vast chasm of emptiness she felt all about her. Abandonment. Had she done something so horrible that her own beloved father didn't want anything to do with her? What about Beth? What about Gracia?

What about me?

"You're the one who sent Paul to the infirmary, huh?"

Amelia, startled out of her reverie, glowered up at the boy who had settled in beside her at the lunch table. She had been pushing her food around her plate with her fork, not paying much attention to anything else around her. Grunting an affirmative, she turned her eyes back to her plate. All the carrots on one side of the plate, all the peas on the other with mashed potatoes down the middle.

"And got into a fight with Cory and Wendy?"

Another grunt.

"I heard that you knocked out Officer Perez when you were in solitary."

Amelia turned her lazy gaze back to the boy and his striking green eyes. Her meds made her complacent, not stupid. "Who the hell are you, and why do I suddenly interest you? You want to get into a fight?"

"No. I've had plenty of that before. I just wanted to thank you for putting those guys back in their place. A bunch of them thought that they could pick on smaller or younger people until they met you. Now, they don't bother us as much."

"So I'm supposed to be your effin' guardian, then?"

"If you're going to swear, then swear. What are they going to do to you? Lock you up? Oh, wait, they already have." She shot him a glare, but it fizzled out. She just didn't have the strength for this today. The boy continued, "I just figured you'd appreciate the company, Amelia. Especially since I noticed that no one's come to visit you yet."

He stood to leave, but Amelia caught his sleeve before he could take a step. Still staring at the plate, she mumbled, "I appreciate the thought… what's your name?"

"It's Wen."

"Good to know you, Wen. Have a seat," she muttered half-heartedly, and he sat down while she continued to zone out. Now the peas were forming up into a pyramid, held in place with mashed potato mortar. After several minutes of silence, Amelia finally looked over at him. He was eating his food very quietly and not imposing on her personal space. He seemed a nice enough kid to have approached an unstable girl like her, so she figured she'd give him a chance.

"So who picked on you?" she asked, squashing the pea pyramid with the back of her fork.

Without missing a beat, he answered, "Paul and Wendy. You know how much it sucks for a guy to get beaten up by a girl?"

"I don't know. What do you say we ask Paul?" For the first time that day, she smiled, and Wen returned her smirk.

They began to talk about silly and small things of no consequence, and Amelia found that having someone around whom she could pass the time with helped to improve her outlook on her current situation. Having a friend helped her to endure this whole thing.

After a couple more weeks, she began to try her hardest to stay out of solitary, knowing that it had been the source of much of her angst. The withdrawal symptoms and the depression became bearable, and Amelia slowly began to adjust to her environment. Rules and structure seemed to do much for her morale, and she attended classes and was able to pay attention and participate. With Wen's help, she was able to interact with some of the other kids there, and even found another that she enjoyed talking with: Rebecca.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Wen had been clean for three months, and was one of my first 'friends' there. Rebecca stuck with me because we came on the same bus and because she saw that I could stick up for myself if I could. Wen was always by himself when I first saw him, and after sitting and talking with him, we found out that we had a lot in common, except he lost both of his parents when he was little."

Zelgadiss and Amelia were sitting on his couch, lounging comfortably. Hearing about Amelia's problems in the past made him re-think all the things he had discussed with Naga and all the things he remembered about Amelia. It was a tragic past, he knew, but it was also a fascinating story for him to discover. How did she rise up above all of this to be the perky and sociable young woman that he knew today?

The mention of the boy he couldn't save today brought Zel back to reality, though, and the events of the day bubbled back to the front of his thoughts. Not knowing what to say, he sought to divert the conversation and the intense feeling of guilt that was welling up within him.

"Do you want more tea?"

"Oh. No, I think I've drunk enough tonight. Um, may I use your bathroom, Mister Zelgadiss?"

"Of course," he nodded, and she found her own way to the bathroom down the hall.

While she was gone, he busied himself with clearing up their mugs and throwing away the trash before returning to the living room. He had just put away his duffel bag and was about to sit back down on the couch when his eyes caught the clock on the mantel. Eleven o'clock? It couldn't be that late already. Zel sighed. It had been one hell of a day. Two days, actually. He stretched, and was contented when his ribs no longer complained. Had it been just yesterday when Xelloss smacked him around? It felt like a lifetime had passed since then.

"Are you hurting again, Mister Zelgadiss?" Amelia asked, entering the room.

"No, actually. I was just thinking that it's a wonder that I'm feeling as good as I do."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," she said hollowly, taking her seat at the other end of the couch and nestling herself between the arm and the seat back. She appeared so comfortable, that he didn't want to bring up her going home to that big empty house so she could be alone again. Phil was out of town yet again for the whole weekend, and Beth was still staying at her sister's house while Jordan was recovering. No, he couldn't put her into a solitary confinement after knowing what it did to her.

"Didn't anyone visit you there?" he wondered aloud, and was actually surprised that he had voiced his concern. It did not seem like something Phil would do: leave his youngest daughter in a place like that without seeing her for over a month.

"No. Daddy was busy trying to keep everything under wraps. He sealed my records so no one would know where I was sent, and when anyone asked, he'd tell them I was out of town. Everyone just assumed that he shipped me off to boarding school, so he couldn't really come out there until a lot of the pressure died down. There was an investigation, and they found out that all of the alcohol that night was brought in from the outside, and Daddy was off the hook, but it took a couple of months before he was able to see me."

Her face softened, and she continued, "But someone came out to see me right after my birthday, and I'll never forget how happy I was to see her."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Lina!"

Amelia was so overjoyed to see a familiar face that she tackled the redhead with a tight hug, and if it weren't for Lina's quick reflexes, the two girls would have ended up horizontal and sliding backwards across the highly polished floors. Instead, Lina caught her and patted her awkwardly on the back.

"Wow! What are you doing here? Oh, I know you're here to see me, but why?" Amelia gushed.

Lina pried Amelia's arms from her neck and led the younger girl to a couch that looked out on the garden outside. They sat down, and Lina cast a nervous glance back over shoulder.

"Look," she began in a hushed tone, "I'll be honest with you. Luna made me come here to show me what could happen to me if she didn't 'care' so much." The look of utter devastation on Amelia's face must have touched something vulnerable in Lina's heart, because she melted. "I'm sorry, but that's the truth. But now that I'm here, I'm glad I came! You get many visitors here? I'm sure your dad's here every other weekend…"

"You're the first person who's come." Amelia said so softly that Lina almost kept rambling on. Instead, her jaw dropped open. "Daddy sent a card on my birthday saying they'll come at the end of the month, but I haven't seen them yet."

"They waited a month and a half?" Amelia shrugged, trying to hide the hurt behind a tough exterior. It didn't work. "You've been alone this whole time, and no one's come to see you?"

Oh, just saying it made it difficult to handle. She suddenly threw her arms around Lina's neck again, but this time, the girl was bawling into her hair. They were making a bit of a scene, and one boy seemed to take a keen interest in what was transpiring. Lina glared back at the green-haired kid as she patted Amelia's back, but he merely returned her stare. Sure enough, he wandered over and sat in a nearby chair.

"What's your problem, buddy?" Lina snarled.

"I just love watching two girls comforting each other, especially ones who smell as good as this one."

"What's that supposed to mean, you creep?"

"It means what you think it means, Lina," Amelia said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She sat forward between the two and glared daggers at the boy. "Val here just loves to spend as much time with girls as possible. I think he's hoping to become one through osmosis."

That earned a grunt of laughter from Lina, but Val sat forward and, to both girls' surprise, placed a hand on Amelia's. With a smirk that Lina wanted to smack off of his mug, he murmured, "If that's right, then shouldn't we have membrane to membrane contact?"

Lina locked his wrist and had him on the ground in a submission hold before Amelia could raise her hand to hit him, and they were suddenly swarmed by officers and… Luna. Lina was dragged away by her sister, still threatening Val with bodily harm if he laid another finger on her friend. Val went into solitary for his actions, and although Amelia got extra chores that night, it was worth it. Lina had visited her, but more importantly, she had called her a friend.

Visitors became more frequent after that, and the girl couldn't help but think that Lina had something to do with it. Her father was encouraged by how well she was doing, even though she had gotten into trouble, and he apologized for not coming to see her earlier. He even asked her to help him do research for an upcoming case once she was released. Amelia looked forward to being useful again. Beth always told her to keep her head up high, and brought word of Jordan's progress, something the girl worried about more than she had before. After feeling the loss of her sister's presence, it had made her sensitive to how Jordan must have felt when she was sent away.

Even several months later, her sister appeared and apologized for getting her into that mess in the first place. After a session with Gracia and her counselor, they were able to work some of their problems out, and Amelia's nightmares began to lessen in their strength over her. Lina was banned from visiting for six weeks, but she wrote to Amelia constantly, and when she was allowed, she began to visit her once, sometimes twice a month. The two girls were becoming fast friends.

Amelia began to heal, and under the supervision and counseling of Rem Saverem, the officer who had transitioned them from the bus to the Center, she was making remarkable progress, as were several other kids. Rem didn't yell, but she didn't allow anyone to hurt another. She believed in respect for all living things. She taught them that they could learn from their mistakes and live new lives, without the influences that had landed them in the Center in the first place.

Only one person in Amelia's class didn't seem to care for her kind words, and he was just as annoying as ever. At first, it had seemed that her words had an effect on Val, but this was his second time in three years to Anderson, and it hadn't seemed to work the first time. He was sent up for the exact same thing as last time: drugs and assault. He scared most of the other kids, but not Amelia, and she was the one he messed with the most.

Shortly before winter break, where, if the families applied for special furloughs, they could spend two weeks at home, Amelia stayed behind in her math class to finish copying down the formula on the board. She was finally off meds, was sleeping at night, wasn't getting into trouble, and had a renewed sense of purpose. The thought of being a better person after all of this drove her forward, and she took Rem's advice to heart. She was going to learn from her mistakes and make her life better than it was.

Closing her notebook with a relieved sigh, she got up from her seat in the front of the class and turned to leave, when she was met with the same irritating stare that had plagued her for the past six months. Annoyed, she stormed past Val, and shot at him, "Why don't you draw a picture, asshole? It'll last longer."

Oh, nice put-down, Amelia, she thought wryly. Okay, so maybe she wasn't as calm and forgiving a person as she had thought. But the next day, when she repeated her actions and stayed late in class, just so she could finally chew Val out, she marched up to him and caught sight of something before he flipped his notebook closed. He had apparently taken her previous words to heart.

"That was really good," she said simply, her honesty coming out before a scathing remark could. She watched his face for any sign of superiority or challenge, but there was none. For the first time since she had met Val Gaav, he looked embarrassed. Knowing how to be sensitive to people's quirks, she left him alone.

The rest of the week, she found that he no longer stared at her, and he kept to himself during their meals and at free times. He would cast a furtive glance now and again, as if he were gauging her actions, but she only smiled a little when he did. She knew a secret about him that he apparently didn't want anyone to know about. The knowledge was making her giddy, but the part of her that strove to be a 'good girl' kept her from announcing to everyone that the hard-nosed punk was an artist.

A week before Amelia was scheduled to go home, she approached Val at free time, as he sat on the floor with his back against a wall, and she sat down next to him. Several pairs of eyes glanced at the two while the other kids pretended to read or play cards or doze off. The tension between these two was finally coming to a head.

"Whaddya want?" he grumbled under his breath, once again closing his notebook.

"Are you going back home for the holidays?" she asked conversationally, trying to keep her voice low as well.

He was silent for a moment before answering, "No. I'm staying in this shit hole to welcome the fat man and the creepy baby."

Despite herself, Amelia giggled. "Well, if that's your take on Christmas and New Year's, I guess you wouldn't be interested in coming home with me, then." His mouth fell open and stayed that way for several seconds before Amelia reached over and touched his chin. With a smirk, she whispered, "You'll catch flies."

He closed his mouth, but it immediately opened again as he stuttered, "Wh… what… what are you after?"

"Nothing, Val. If it were up to me, I wouldn't be in this 'shit hole' right now, but I am, and I can't think of anyone having to spend the holidays alone in a place like this…"

"I don't need your pity…"

"If it was pity, I'd stay here with you, not give you an invitation to a friend's house." She glanced sideways to see if he noticed the moniker. He was looking at her straight on now, so she continued. "Rebecca's going home, and Wen doesn't celebrate the holidays. I'm not that close with any of the others here. You're the only other one I interact with almost every single day, so I figured it's about time to set aside the gloves and try to be friends. Rem said, 'Sometimes, it takes more effort to fight than to be friends.'"

"That's such a load of bullshit."

"Yeah, but at least I'm trying." She pushed herself to her feet and looked down at him. "I was telling you the truth, Val. About your notebook and the offer. The deadline for the request is the day after tomorrow, so let me know before then so I can tell my father."

At the end of the week, the bus was full of kids who were returning home for the holidays. Amelia stared out of the window until it fogged up with her breath, and then she turned her attention to the boy sitting next to her. Val did not appear happy at all, but by the way he was holding his notebook, she figured it was because she insisted that he bring it… without tearing out any pages.

He looked at her, the smug expression still on her face, and he shook his head. What the hell was he thinking?

When the bus let off its passengers, Amelia bade farewell to Rebecca, and she led Val to her father who scooped her up in a powerful hug, which she returned in kind. Val regarded the huge man with a degree of reservation, and it turned out to be well founded. He almost crushed the boy's hand as he challenged him with a glare to put so much as a toe out of line. Val understood immediately what kind of madness he had been dropped into.

The drive to her home took longer than he expected, and just when he believed they were nearing their destination, twenty more minutes passed as they wound their way through the maze of this hilly neighborhood. When they finally pulled into the driveway, Val was sure his mouth was hanging open again.

The house was extraordinary, compared to what he was used to, decorated outside and inside with pine, holly, tinsel, ribbon, gold, glitter and a million lights. An enormous tree sat in the foyer beside the stairs, adorned with twinkling lights, silver and blue ribbons, and ornaments; dozens of gorgeously wrapped gifts were piled beneath it. If the decorations were out of a storybook, the meals were from a five star restaurant (not that he'd know what one was like). The house smelled of cinnamon and candy canes, and there was always a fresh plate of cookies and a fresh crock-pot of hot-spiced cider in the kitchen.

He wondered how the little 'princess' had ended up in Anderson. He only partially paid attention to the classes and the counseling sessions, and knew that it had somehow involved alcohol, but beyond that, he didn't know a thing about this girl. He made a silent vow to himself to pay more attention and to try to get to know her better. He followed them up the stairs and was given the guest bedroom. Phil warned him about wandering around at night, especially with the security system they had on the house. Used to such treatment, Val didn't think twice about it, but Amelia privately admonished her father over such treatment of a guest. If he didn't trust Val, did that mean that he didn't trust her either? Phil eased up on the boy the next day.

Holidays at the Seyruun house were nothing like Val had experienced, or rather, allowed himself to experience. Amelia babbled incessantly about the normal things they did during winter break. There were all sorts of festivities planned, and to his dismay, he found out that his name was included in every single one, including singing carols around the neighborhood. He was never forced to participate in family functions with his foster family, and this new expectation was something he soon found intoxicating. Always having disappeared into the background and having avoided these events, he enjoyed the attention and the sense that this was a taste of what he had lost…

Val tried his best to enjoy himself by immersing himself in all of Amelia's activities, and even surprised her with his singing voice when they went caroling, but in the back of his mind was the dark thought that his foster family hadn't even asked him to come home. He was in for a surprise, though, when Amelia checked with him if it would be okay if the Ul Copts could join them for Christmas dinner. Apparently, they hadn't wanted to make him come home if he still hated them, but when they discovered that Amelia knew Val and that she had convinced him to stay with her, they wanted to try to spend time with him.

At first angry and irritated at the family, he calmed down when Amelia explained everything to him, and Christmas turned out to be a healing experience for both families. Gracia came home as well, and Lina's family was invited, much to Val's dismay, but everything turned out fairly well. The girls met Filia, Val's foster sister, and became fast friends with her. Amelia promised to help her to do research in the coming summer for their court case regarding an ancient manuscript, and Filia agreed to visit them both when she could.

Gracia (or Naga as she liked to be called), Amelia's big sister, wowed him; Luna, Lina's big sister, gave him chills; and Lina just plain wore him out. She was so unpredictable that she could have been someone he'd get along with had he met her on his own, but that first impression seemed to control her view of him. He shrugged her off until Amelia assured him that she would have a 'talk' with her, and sure enough, Lina seemed to come around, albeit reluctantly. To show there were no hard feelings, all the kids became engrossed in a board game, even the boy who seemed to lurk about: Jordan, he thought the name was. Val, despite the mix of personalities and the whole dizzying experience, found that he was enjoying himself.

"Here. This is for you," Val told her later, after everyone had turned in for the night. He handed her a couple of sheets of paper.

Just like a kid, Amelia was sitting on the floor of her room, playing with her brand new mini stereo system that her father had given her. She looked up from her spot and accepted the papers with a confused look.

"What's this?" she wondered.

"Well, I didn't really get a chance to get you anything for Christmas, you know, and you gave me that nice sketch pad and all…" His face was turning a rather fetching shade of red, and Amelia fought the giggle that was tickling her throat. "Well… It's not much, but… Merry Christmas," he finished pathetically.

Her gaze drifted down to the papers in her hands. His 'meager' gift to her was a cleaner sketch of the one he had done in math class. It was of her left profile, a pensive pose with her chin in her hand, as she contemplated the problem on the chalkboard. Looking at the next page, her breath caught in her throat. It was a drawing of her sitting on the floor in front of the Christmas tree, ripping the wrapping paper off a large present. Hastily sketched and further refined with darker strokes, it was well detailed and very thoughtful. To Amelia, it was as if he had given her a diamond necklace. She clutched the two pages to her chest and swore to keep his talent a secret if he wanted her to.

When he shook his head 'no,' he knew that he had passed a turning point. No longer was he going to deny who he was, although remembering the tragic events of his life was still a sore issue with him. He would take Amelia's advice. His New Year's resolution would be to try. As for Amelia, she made a new friend in Val, so her resolution was to remain on the right path and make at least one new friend this year. He rang in the New Year with Amelia and her family, and he actually looked forward to seeing his foster family the next day. He may as well start with them.

Vacation was over before they knew it, and Amelia found herself becoming anxious. She thrived on the people around her, and the thought of returning to a place where people who weren't her friends or family surrounded her was highly disheartening. Though she and Val were becoming friends, she still was loath to be away from her home again. One thought that kept her going was that she would be able to see Rebecca and Wen once again.

So it came as a shock to her when Wen told her bluntly upon their return that Rebecca had overdosed two days before, and died on New Year's Day.

Amelia wanted to make another friend, not lose one. They discussed their feelings in Group that day, but it still left them all feeling at a loss. They were no longer the 'Crap Pack' that Val had nicknamed them when he was on the outside, and Amelia began to slowly slip into another depression. Val and Wen remained by her side, silently supporting her, but they knew that they couldn't give her the female companionship that she so needed.

At the beginning of February, five more kids were due in on the bus, and when Rem approached her later that day to ask if she could take on a roommate, Amelia initially bristled at the thought. However, at the sight of short reddish-orange-brown hair peeking out from behind the tall woman, she changed her mind. The girl was like nobody else she had ever met. First thing, she looked nothing like a girl. She was rail thin, flatter than Lina, and her limbs appeared to be made of jelly. Just watching her crawl around and do flips over the furniture was giving her a headache, and Amelia wondered if she had made a mistake in agreeing to this.

"Amelia, I'd like to introduce you to Francoise," Rem said with a smile. "Francoise, this is Amelia."

"Amelia, I smell ya," she said as she rolled across the floor and then uncurled herself before Amelia. "Mel-Mel, swell bell fell."

"Hello, Francoise." She stuck out her hand, but the girl hugged Amelia instead.

"Not 'Francoise' silly Mel-Mel. My name is Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky the Fourth. But you can call me Ed."

Amelia blinked several times before a smile broke through her frown, and she patted the girl on the head. "Alright, Ed, it is!"

At first, Amelia believed Rem had asked Amelia to room with Ed because Rebecca had died, but she found that was not the case. The woman did not want to detract from the friendship she and Rebecca had. Amelia discovered that none of the other girls had the correct temperament to put up with Ed for very long, and even Val and Wen took some time to become adjusted to the girl who was so completely opposite from their last friend.

Soon, Amelia and Ed were joined at the hip, and Ed was very vocal about the fact that she was not pleased to be imprisoned in this place without her Tomato. It took several weeks before Amelia discovered that 'Tomato' was actually a computer of Ed's design, and that she had been caught hacking into several high-security systems. She was the famous 'Radical Edward' who had been in all the papers.

"They should have just suggested a work furlough for you, Ed," Wen commented to her as they were tending to the garden outside. It was March, but the heat of the day was still stifling. The group had constructed a makeshift canopy above the garden to shield it from the worst of the sun's rays, and the 'Crap Pack' had taken shelter in its shade.

"Nobody wanted to let Ed work for them," the strange girl said clearly, and not in her usual bubbly tone. The others glanced at each other at this gloomy disposition.

Wen continued to push the issue. "That's because they're afraid of you, you know."

"Wen!"

"Well, it's true, Amelia. They don't want to hire someone who's smarter than them, and they certainly fear what she can do if unsupervised. I bet if someone's watching you, they still wouldn't be able to figure out what you're doing, right Ed?"

"Radical Edward knows all, hacks all, but only Tomato understands Ed, and only Ed understands Tomato."

"See Amelia? They're all afraid of us out there. You're an intelligent girl. Hell, even Val here's smart, too…"

"Hey!"

"…and they don't like feeling like they're not in control. So they stick us in places like this, medicate us so they feel better about abandoning us, and try to come up with reasons to hold us back from attaining as much as we can."

Amelia inwardly frowned at his words, but plastered a smile on her face and nodded with him. Ed had not heard much of his little speech, having rolled out from under the shade, and was now walking on her hands. Wen continued to grumble about the unfairness of the system and the inadequacies of the staff while he planted the tiny seedlings. Val eyed Amelia as he continued his work. The afternoon flew by in silence.

"What happened?" Val asked her after dinner. She was reading her book on the couch in the common room when he flopped down next to her.

"With what?"

"That stuff this afternoon. What the hell happened to the outspoken tough girl who didn't put up with stupid shit, no matter who said it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You can't lie to me, Amelia. I've watched you since you got on that bus. I probably know you better than you know yourself, especially since winter break. What was up with faking that smile? You didn't like what Wen said."

"Stop it." Her brows were furrowed, and she appeared close to tears. "What he said had a lot of truth to it, even if I didn't agree with it."

"Since when do you let something like that go?"

"Since Rebecca died, dammit!" she cried, storming off, leaving her book behind on the couch.

Val felt like shit. He picked up the book and leafed though it, skimming the pages, but not seeing the words. Amelia was always reading and re-reading this thing. How could someone read the same thing over and over, already knowing what happens in the book? He realized that it was just the way she was. He was sure that even in the most familiar of things, she would be able to find something new. How much more so in life, which was constantly something new? He shouldn't try to stop her from changing.

A whole day passed before she was free enough for him to approach her, and he handed her back her book.

"I'm sorry."

She looked up at him with surprise. "I thought you said that 'sorry' wasn't part of your vocabulary."

He rubbed the back of his head and sat down beside her. "Yeah, I guess Rem's words are getting through to me, too."

"I shouldn't have taken it out on you, Val. You're right, of course. It's just easier to let idle words go than to take exception to every single thing that annoys me. I figured that Wen enjoys talking and feeling like he's in control. He needs that, just like you need to feel like you can make a difference in the world." She smiled at his surprised expression, and then tapped his forehead. "You're not the only one who knows what goes on inside here."

"And you? I think that you need to feel that no matter what happens, you'll be okay."

Val draped an arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled into his embrace.

"I think that we'll both make a difference in the world, and no matter what happens, we'll both be okay."

Nine months had elapsed since they first arrived, angry and bitter, and in that time, Amelia had made friends in an unlikely place. She lost one to drugs, helplessly watched another begin to spiral away, learned tolerance and patience from one more, and finally discovered that a caring soul could exist beneath a gruff exterior. In three months, they would go their separate ways, and Amelia wished they would always remain close friends.

"Pinky promise that we'll always be friends?" she asked, offering her little finger.

Val joined his with hers. "This is stupid, you know."

She grinned. "I know, but you're still doing it."

He sighed and growled playfully. "Yeah, yeah. I pinky promise…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The remaining three months at Anderson passed quickly, and before Amelia knew it, she and Val were boarding the bus to return home. She had given Ed her book to keep her company and to remember her by. Wen had left shortly after his tirade in the garden. He bade them farewell, and never looked back. Amelia had never once heard from him in the five years since, until one fateful day when she discovered that he had fallen back into addiction and violence and had threatened the lives of two of her closest friends. She felt the loss of her old friend, but was ever thankful that somehow, her new friends had survived such a trying ordeal.

Although she knew it was difficult for Zelgadiss to hear about a kid who had threatened to kill Gourry, those events just were. Wen had been her friend a lifetime ago, it seemed, but if anything had happened to Zelgadiss or Gourry, she didn't know how she would have handled it. Gourry was like a protective older brother whom she adored, and she believed her best friend belonged with him. What would have happened to Lina if Gourry had been hurt?

As for Zelgadiss… Amelia had only really known him for a little over a month and a half, but she had found in him a kindred spirit. He offered her comfort when it was sorely needed, and she found that he was a rock in a turbulent sea. She greatly enjoyed his company and wanted to learn more about him. Hoping that he would one day open up to her, she decided to make more of an effort to get to know him better.

For her sister's sake, of course, she told herself. Gracia was coming home soon, so maybe by then, she could be able to fill her in on Zel…

Amelia tried to ignore the twinge of jealousy that struck her heart when she thought about hooking up her sister and her friend, but it was getting more difficult to pass off the feeling as anxiety. Only one thing held her mind back from acknowledging that she found Zelgadiss attractive and charming: Amelia did not want to betray her sister.

But she settled on giving Zelgadiss a gentle kiss on the cheek as she hugged him goodbye.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zelgadiss watched Amelia run up to the motorcycle that had pulled up to the house and give Val a tight and lingering hug. She tugged on her helmet and hopped onto the bike behind him. Val turned back and gave him a half-hearted salute, which Zel returned. Amelia waved at him, and then they zoomed away. He didn't notice that she watched him for as long as she could.

He closed the front door and sat down on the couch, lowering his head into his hands. It was past one in the morning, and Amelia had been able to tell him all about her past and her time at Anderson. Discovering a little more about Wen, he found that the system was flawed if that kid had been able to fall so readily back into trouble, but as evidenced by Amelia and Val, the system did work as well. Although the guilt was still there, amidst the swirl of emotions bumping around in his heart, it was not the one clamoring to be heard.

Zel picked up his empty mug and stared at the dregs staining the bottom of the cup. Amelia and Val. They had shared so much, even more than she had with Wen, and they had helped each other through such bad times. "…she thinks you're something special…"

He couldn't explain it. Zelgadiss did not like how Val's call to her cel phone was what cut their time together short. He did not like how tightly she hugged Val, either. But he especially did not like how Val would be the one to offer comfort to Amelia tonight.

Zel could no longer deny it. He was jealous.

The mug flew across the room and hit the fireplace, shattering into dozens of pieces. Without a thought of cleaning up, he wandered into his room and sat on his bed, burying his head in his hands once again. Taking several deep breaths and trying to remember what his life was like before Amelia, Zelgadiss tried to shut out the feeling of her comforting presence in his arms. He tried to forget the feeling of needing someone.

But the feel of her lips on his right cheek still lingered, and the last words she whispered into his ear as she hugged him goodbye still echoed in his mind as he fell asleep: "No matter what happens, Mister Zelgadiss, we'll get through this together. We'll both be okay…"

*****************************

A/N: Oho-ho-ho-ho-ho!!! I think my angst tank's full and I need to move on to something a little lighter. Something fluffy. Hmm… ^_^

[Again, this in no way advocates underage drinking or drug use. In researching, I found the following sites extremely helpful: www.probation.saccounty.net, www.udetc.org, and www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.]

*Hugs* to you all! Special thanks to those who've reviewed: Scatter (Thanks! I hope this chapter cleared up a little bit more about Amelia's and Val's past, as well as giving more insight into how the two main characters feel about each other. How will they handle it? That's a secret! ^_^), Phizzy-chan (Sometimes, the important chapters come out a little bit darker than the others, simply because I end up doing a lot of delving into character's reasons and reasoning. These last three chapters especially, not only because of the Amelia backstory, but also because of the effects on the characters. Hope this chapter answered some more questions.), Ichiban Victory (Thank you! It's always a sad thing to deal with, but as you said, even the bad things can make a person better. I'm glad your relationship with your sister is better now. I think Amelia and Naga are due for some sisterly interaction soon! – And about the contest, thank you so much! ^_^), Aisha C (Thanks! If I can say one thing about migraines, it gives my angst meter a boost! With relationships, especially budding ones, there will always be room for angst, but we'll take a break for a while and see what else I can cook up for you! ^_^), Valk (After I write a chapter, and revise and rewrite several times, I tend to lose the impact of the content. Thanks for reminding me that the events really were sad. It's become rote to me, so I wonder sometimes if it's got the right effect. I'll keep my eye on repetition as well – one of my many foes… ~_^), Kaeru Shisho (As always, you pick up on those breadcrumbs I toss in between the huge cakes of the storyline. Both he and Amelia share tragedy in their pasts. I haven't gotten to his full story yet, but in listening to hers, he's realizing that things could have ended up so differently for him. He's dealt with his tragedy in a different way, but underneath it all, they are very similar to each other after all. Now, the question remains: How is Zel going to handle all this new information? Heh heh… That's a secret! ~_^), jesphoenix05 (No torture, please! I hope this chapter sated your appetite for a while. I think I need something sweet for the next chapter. Not so heavy this time… ^_^), eedoe (Amelia's tragic past is something that she's been able to rise above, though it still affects her in little ways. Sometimes when I'm talking to myself – yes it happens often – I find myself quipping those little one-liner putdowns. I figured Zel could do it as well. ^_^ And both Amelia and Zel are beginning to realize something that they don't want to admit to themselves… Heh heh heh… We'll see how they handle it.)

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