It was nearly six in the morning when Emma snuck out of her father's apartment to go on the roof. The day had been pure insanity. She had been trapped in the apartment with her father, step-mother and two half-siblings. Both of the latter were under ten and had been antsy all day. Her step-mother had made her stay inside with everyone else, which meant she hadn't been able to smoke. So, cigarettes, lighter, cell phone and iPod in her pockets, she pressed the UP button on the elevator.

"Hey." Much to her surprise, she was greeted by Wendell Bray. "Emma, right?"

"If you're Wendell," she replied and got in the elevator. "Haven't seen you around here."

"I just moved in last month," he said.

"Cool," Emma began to fiddle with the packet of Virginia Slims in her pocket. As she was about to ask what he had been up to, the elevator suddenly stopped, throwing Emma to the floor and causing Wendell to grab the bar.

"What the hell just happened?" Wendell asked.

"The power went out," Emma breathed and Wendell grabbed her by the arm to haul her to her feet. "Happens all the time. From what I have observed, 17% of the time the elevator doesn't work and 8% of riders end up trapped inside for an average period of six hours. It may be even longer, because of the storm." Wendell just stared at her. "I get bored easily."

"Ah," Wendell said and leaned against the wall. "So, what's up?" The statement was delivered so calmly and it just so normal, that Emma couldn't help but laugh. Wendell gave her another funny look.

"Sorry. I don't know what came over me." Emma took off her hat and coat. She held her cell phone in the air. "Do you have any bars?"

"Nope," Wendell said a moment later. Emma sighed and sat on the floor. A moment later, Wendell joined her. "Why were you up so early?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Emma said as she raked her bangs with her fingers.

"I was at a friend's house when the storm hit. The roads were finally clear enough this morning so I walked. What about you?"

"I wanted to go on the roof. And why were you walking this early?"

"My friend and his girlfriend…well let's just say they have a lot of energy," Wendell took a while to delicately form his sentence. "So I just wanted out as soon as possible."

"Dude, that sucks," Emma laughed.

"There was cable. As it turns out, I would rather watch Lifetime than have to hear them." Wendell noticed the quizzical look on Emma's face. "They took the remote batteries. I did not ask why."

"Did you see the one at four, with the people trapped on the mountain?" Emma asked.

"The one that kept showing the little girl on the swing? Yeah. That was stupid. How can a blind doctor deliver a baby?" Wendell said.

"I know!" Emma giggled. "Well, we better start getting used to each other. Knowing the super, we'll be here at least until after lunch."

"Luckily, I have some junk food," Wendell declared and held up a plastic bag. In response, Emma mock-squealed.

Xxx

A light smack to the face woke Zach. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Next to him was Starbuck, but her body was twisted and her face was screwed up in what had to be terror.

"No, no," she whimpered. "Stop. No!"

"Starbuck, wake up," Zach shook her. Nothing. She continued to twist and cry, sounding like a scared child. "Wake up, wake up. It's only a dream."

"Hurts. Mommy stop it! It hurts!" By now, her cries were a bit louder and tears were starting to leak from her eyes. Zach grabbed her shoulders and pulled her upwards. Her head was flopping around as he shook her. Finally, her eyes snapped open. "What's happening?" she asked. "You look a bit freaked out."

"You had what appeared to be a nightmare." Zach let her go. "And it unsettled me to see you thrashing around." He wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "Are you okay?" Starbuck nodded and wrapped her arms around her knees. Zach pulled her into his arms, cradling her as if she was a baby. Gathering what he had picked up from the media and real life, Zach attempted to comfort her, rubbing her back and rocking her gently until her body stopped shaking. The feeling in his chest was strange. It felt like someone was sitting on him. This is some form of empathy, he realized. In a way, he was sharing whatever she was feeling. It only confirmed what Zach had blurted out the night before.

Later that morning, both couples were crammed in the kitchen. Angela was teaching Zach how to arrange food to make it look fun while Hodgins and Starbuck made pancakes.

"Hey, you're well versed other languages besides English, right?" Starbuck asked.

"Yeah," Hodgins asked.

"Okay, so what does 'EGO diligo vos' mean then?"

"Where did you hear that?" Hodgins almost dropped the bowl.

"I have no flipping idea. It just popped in my head a second ago," Starbuck said as she dropped a square of butter into the frying pan. "So do you know what it means?"

"Yeah," Hodgins said. "It means 'I love you' in Latin."

"Oh," Starbuck shrugged and began to slide the pan to spread the butter. "Okay. Does anyone want their pancakes in a shape?"

"I want a circle!" Angela joked. Starbuck made a face and took the bowl from Hodgins, who was amazed that her reaction hadn't been stronger. So, rather than press her for more, he decided to go to the likely source of the phrase. Zach sat at the counter, attempting to arrange bacon and sunny side up eggs into a smiley face.

"Dude, what did you do last night?" Hodgins asked.

"I thought you said you didn't want any details," Zach muttered.

"Not that. Did you tell Starbuck 'I love you' in Latin?"

"Yes," Zach looked up from his project. "Did she hear me? What was her response?"

"She thinks she heard it somewhere else. So, you're in the clear in case it was a slip of the tongue. Though you're probably the only person who says that stuff in Latin." Zach turned red. "Oh my god. It wasn't an accident. You meant to say it."

"My declaration was hindered by her falling asleep." Zach pretended to be completely focused on the eggs and bacon. "So, I have to come up with another plan."

"Did telling her to her face ever occur to you?" Hodgins asked.

"Not really."

After breakfast, everyone bundled up and went outside. There were no hills big enough for sledding, so they settled for making snow people, snow forts, etc. While Angela and Hodgins worked on a snow family, Starbuck was trying to explain the concept of snow angels to Zach. The snow had stopped falling sometime yesterday and it would only be a few hours until the trucks came by and dug them out.

"You lay down and flap your arms," Starbuck said slowly.

"How is that anything angelic?" Zach asked.

"The snow angel was named for its supposed shape, not because of any religious background." Starbuck lay on her back in the snow, sinking a few inches in. "See?" She began to go through the motions of snow angels. "The full angel affect is marred by footprints though."

"I do not see the appeal of just laying there and waving your limbs."

"That is the appeal." Starbuck stuck out her tongue and her foot. Zach fell, landing right on her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she breathed. "You're so stubborn sometimes." She gazed up at him and their mouths met for a moment. "But, I love you anyway."

It took them a moment to realize what she had said. She turned red and he began to stutter. "Oh shit." Starbuck whispered and rolled out from under him, running for the house. Angela followed her, and Hodgins turned to Zach.

"What did you do?"

Xxx

By noon, the power hadn't been restored, which meant that Wendell and Emma were still inside the elevator. Neither of them had no sense of time by then. The past six hours had been filled with random conversation and now there was a lull. Emma lay on her back, sucking on an unlit cigarette while Wendell played a game on his phone.

"Those things will kill you," Wendell said when he saw what she was doing.

"I know," Emma muttered. "I know the rates. 440,000 per year, 36,666 per month, 8,461 per week, 1,205 per day, 50 per hour in the US alone. And it cuts twelve years off your life. I know, I know. You sound like Star."

"How are you two friends anyway?" Wendell asked. "No offense, but you're kinda…"

"Mean, hard, bitchy? And she's quiet, kinda sweet? Well, we met my freshman year. I was hanging out in Smoker's Corner, trying to fit in. These punk-ass upperclassmen were giving me crap, grabbing my lady parts. I was starting to cry and Lisey and Star were coming back from the 7-11 and Star just punches this one guy, knocks him out. They kinda adopted me after that."

"That's nice," Wendell said. "So, it's similar to what we have at the Jeff. We're one big, crazy smart family."

"A surrogate family," Emma smiled. "Which are about to become one."

"What do you mean?"

"Please. Zach and Starbuck are crazy in love, although they won't admit it yet because she's scared and he's a squint. No offense."

"None taken." Wendell said. Emma moved over to lay closer to him, a light in her eyes.

"Yeah. You can't deny that they're going to end up together. It's one of those inevitable things. And Lisey and Fisher, well, you said it yourself. Lotta energy. So they may go 20, 30 years on sex and laughter alone. So, we're going to end up family in way." A small quiet came over them as her words sunk in. "What's your real family like?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm curious. You created a surrogate family. The scary lady and Booth are the parents, Cam, Hodgins and Angela are like their siblings, and the rest of y'all are the kids."

"My dad died when I was 12. Lung cancer." Wendell stared pointedly at her cigarette. "And my mom and I are really close, since we're all we have."

"Sorry about your dad." Emma patted his cheek.

"Thanks Emme." Wendell pulled her into a half hug.

Little did they know, that they had started another cycle. The length of the cycle was left up to fate, not them. All they knew was that they were with someone semi-tolerable.

Xxx

Author's Note: Sorry there wasn't a lot Zach/Starbuck. The Wendell/Emma bits just poured out of me like crazy. Next chapter, there will a lot of Stach. Or else you can set me on fire.

And because Lisey is RIGHT BEHIND ME (she needs to go home. I think her mom has forgotten she has a kid) insert plug for 'Feeling Strangely Fine', our story. Formerly titled 'Halo 8'. CAN YOU READ THIS LISEY! GO HOME!