"Mikey! Mikey!" a small British voice squeaked as soon as we stepped out of the car. I chuckled at the sight of a cute girl about Bucky's age running down a strip of concrete sidewalk towards us. Mike was a bit confused for a second but then grinned at the sight of her.

She looked like an average kid, and was wearing some average summer clothes. I found her accent a little funny since she looked more American than European. Despite the fact I thought she would have blonde hair...it was brown (and so were her eyes). I felt something was off by the way Mike was treating her but...I didn't say anything,

"Macy. Whatcha doing here kiddo? Aren't you supposed to be at Mom's house?" he asked while coddling the teenager. Is that how Bucky and I look when we're around each other?

"Yeah, but Dad said that Sis and I are going on a business trip with him. He says we'll be back by Saturday and that you need to pick us up at the airport." she grinned, obviously excited. Mike gave a sad little smile and ruffled her hair before letting go.

"Alright. Don't you have some things to pack?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. She glanced at me, giggled and whispered something in his ear before running off. In that split second Mike's face turned redder than fire itself.

"SIS! SIS! MIKEY HAS A NEW GIRLFRIEND!" Macy shouted, running up the metal staircase as fast as her legs would take her. However, Mike looked like he wanted to throttle her and throw her down the same flight of steps.

"I'm so sorry. Macy and her sister...just want what's best for me. And as soon as they see me with a friend who just happens to be a girl...you get the idea. Please don't take anything the wrong way." he flushed, hiding his red face in his hands.

"Mike." I grinned. "I think you're forgetting the fact that I have two siblings that both do the same thing. I'll be just fine."

"Heh, a-alright." he stammered, obviously bracing for the embarrassment to come. I chuckled, knowing that I could take whatever they threw at me.

"So. Who is this lucky lady?" another British voice mocked, but this one sounded more mature. I felt my cheeks burn at the comment but was otherwise unfazed. Mike slumped over and whimpered in obvious humiliation.

"Ah. There's my new sister-in-law!" It giggled again (although this time it sounded closer). I watched in slight awe as a the girl from the picture, Rachel Knapp, walked to the top of the steps.

"Wow. You're a pretty one aren't you." She giggled, sticking out her hand to pull me up. "There's no need to be shy. If Mike sees something in you, I do too!"

"Rache. Now's really not the time for this." Mike groaned, once again, hiding his cheeks in embarrassment. She just laughed and gave a mischievous glare at me.

"Mike, brother, you wouldn't mind helping Macy with her bags would you?" She asked, giving her sibling an earnest smile. Mike glowered at her and whispered in my ear.

"Be careful. She can be a real handful." He muttered, leaving me alone with Rachel.

"I...uh..." I swallowed, feeling a little uncomfortable. Rachel just grinned and gave a sweet laugh that put me at ease.

"I'm sorry but...I didn't get your name, dear." Rachel said, waiting for a response,

"I'm Eleanor, Eleanor Bates. It's a pleasure to meet you." I said, nibbling my thumbnail in nervous habit.

"Ah, yes. The girl Mike has been fawning over for past few days." she giggled, showing me knowing acknowledgement.

"What? I didn't know about that." I flushed, looking away from her.

"Don't worry. I can tell you don't have any real interest in him." She smirked, nudging me over to the balcony.

"Y-you do?" I flushed, feeling a bit more confused than ever. She just sighed and propped her elbows on the cool metal.

"Yeah." she smiled. "I can tell it's just an attraction of convenience."

"Attraction of convenience? I'm not even attracted to him." I squeaked.

"An 'attraction of convenience' is when you find yourself drawn to someone because they have something you need...and vice versa." she sighed, almost longingly. "I've been in the same position."

"Y-you have?!" I mewled, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Yes." she chuckled. "Oh and one more thing before I leave."

"Uhm...yeah?" I asked, looking at her expectantly.

"I'm sure you're aware how clumsy and forgetful Mike can be." she snickered, pulling a small envelope from her pocket. "Make sure to give this to him when you both get comfortable, or there might be some serious problems in the future."

"Uhm...okay." I grinned sheepishly, taking the tiny package. She patted my shoulder before calling for her sister.

"MACY! It's time to go sweetheart." she called, opening the door to the surprisingly lavish apartment.

"I'm coming. Thanks Mike for helping me." Macy giggled, taking her bags and following her sister down the steps.

"No problem, Mace." he smiled lovingly, waving to the teen as she disappeared from sight. Mike glanced at me and gave an apologetic smile.

"What did she say?" he cringed, waiting for my answer. With a small giggle I pulled the memo from my pocket and placed it in his hand.

"She told me to give you this. I'm not sure what it is but she seemed pretty serious about it." I shrugged, giving him a puzzled chagrin.

"Huh." he frowned, obviously not liking the little gift from his sister. "Did she say anything else?"

"Nah. Just that you can be...'forgetful and clumsy'." I grinned teasingly, elbowing him softly in the side. With a small chuckle, Mike broke the seal of the small envelope and pulled out the contents in his fingers. For a quick second I had no idea what it was, but then I took a closer look.

"Is that what I think it is?" I stammered, flushing in 0bject mortification. Mike nodded and put it back in the small envelope which he slipped into his pocket.

"Of all the embarrassing things she could have done...she chose to give me a condom?" he grumbled, blushing harder than I had ever seen before. To be honest...I found it kind of funny.

"W-why are you laughing?" he stammered, watching as I began to laugh my ass off.

"Are you kidding me? This is the most hilarious thing that's happened to me since I signed up to work at Freddy Fuckboy's." I choked between bouts of extreme laughter. Mike just watched in disorientation and looked like he wanted to puke all over the concrete floor.

"You're not d-disgusted...a-and want to leave?" he stammered in disbelief, while I began to calm down.

"No. Why would I do that?" I huffed, looking up at my worried friend. "It's not like either one of us plans on using it. Right?" I smirked, watching in amusement as he squirmed. Judging by how red his face had gotten, I was surprised he hadn't fainted from all that blood rushing to his head.

"N-n-n-no! I-I w-would n-n-never...!" he squeaked, glaring at me.

"I'm just kidding Mike. Where's your sense of humor, dude?" I snickered, enjoying the murderous glare he was giving me. "C'mon! You're not going to invite me into your apartment?"

Eleanor Bates - 1, Mike Schmidt - 0

You're damn right.

"Nice place you got...Mikey." I snickered, taking a look around his apartment. To my surprise, the whole place was beautifully furnished and felt quite cozy. No wonder he wanted to show me how he lived...the place was gorgeous.

"One, don't call me Mikey ever again. Two, I'm not responsible for any 'death or dismemberment' while you're here. And three, the apartment looks like this because that's what Rachel wanted." he snorted, opening some drapes to let in some of the early morning sun rays.

"One, I kinda like calling you Mikey. Two, you'd better not think about murder while I'm here. And three, why is your sister responsible for this when you live here?" I smirked, unlacing my tennis shoes and kicking them over by the door.

"I'll explain later but...why'd you do that?" Mike asked, glancing over to my lonely shoes. I gave him a small smile and walked over to the window.

"Oh, in my family it's kind of a habit. We take our shoes off at the door because it's deemed disrespectful to the people who own the house. Or the people that live in it." I grinned, placing my hands together and bowing like a Japanese geisha, Mike snickered at the action and shook his head.

"Well. Seeing as though I'm the host here, would you like something to eat or drink?" he asked, bowing like he was some sort of butler. I giggled and shook my head in a thankful gesture.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little tired, and...I'm sure you remember what happened to my shirt." I said flatly, crossing my arms.

"Heh...I forgot about that." he flushed with a sheepish grin. "Er...why don't we go see if there's something you can wear."

As we walked down that hallway that would lead to (what I presumed to be) Mike's room, I noticed one right next to it with a sign on the door. In bold pink letters it read 'Rachel's Room'. Well, if that didn't explain anything I'm not sure what would.

"You live with your sister in an apartment?" I asked as Mike opened the door.

"She's not my sister." he muttered, turning on the light. I wanted to say something but then I took a glance at Mike's room. I'm not saying it was exactly as I had expected it to be but...it was almost exactly what I had expected.

The little room was cozy with a small throw rug and had a bed at least three times bigger than mine. On either side of his bed sat a night table that each held a lamp and a pile of books. An oversized dresser with a mirror lined one wall, and a nice TV was hung on the other. Plugged into the TV was an Xbox along with three controllers and a horde of video game discs.

If it had been a girl's room it probably would have been spotless but Mike's room was more of...organized chaos. On the farthest wall was a computer desk that held a PC and laptop that both seemed to be plugged in. There were piles and piles of books on almost every surface of the huge desk. Binders of paper and notes were scattered along the floor and the table top with a large stack adorned by a dragon paper weight.

The whole room felt warm, snug, and held an atmosphere of airy comfortableness. What really tied the whole thing together was the fact it belonged to Mike and that it had a masculine feel to it.

To be honest, I didn't mind being there and it was no surprise why. Ever since I had been a little girl I had spent most of my time with my dad in his home office. That being the case...it felt like I was in familiar territory.

"Sorry for the mess. I haven't been able to clean since I started working." he chuckled, walking over to a pair of doors.

"No problem. I know how it can be." I said, admiring the dragon paperweight, With that, he disappeared behind one of the doors and the sound of rustling could be heard from inside.

I really had no idea what to expect.

A/N:

Now, before you say anything...yes...I had to do that scene. It may have been a little overboard but it had to be done to show THERE WILL NOT BE ANY SMUT BETWEEN MY BABIES (and Eleanor is not interested in an intimate romance)! I'm not leaving out the possibilities of any relationships, but I do not condone the usage of NSFW in any of my stories. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Comment and like for MUCH more!

Song of the chapter:

The Only Exception (Piano Cover) - Rob Hughes

-Gberryb