As soon as Anya walked through the door, she threw her bag on the floor and ran into the kitchen. "Stefan, I need the phone!" she said, grabbing her brother's arm.

"I need the phone," he snapped, shaking free of her grip.

"Dial-A-Whore can wait!"

He scoffed. "It so happens I am having a civilized conversation with my girlfriend so piss off, you runt."

"Chris wasn't at school today and I'm worried about him and I am not kidding about wanting the goddamn phone, Stefan."

"Growl," he said. "Sorry, Mike, but I have to go. My sister is about to gnaw my limbs off. You've met her. You know how big those beaver teeth are. Alright? I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"I thought you said you were talking to your girlfriend," Anya said grumpily.

"Yeah. Well. I don't value honesty around you."

After she had flipped him the finger, she took the phone from him. Her fingers felt thick as she dialed Chris' phone number. She prayed silently for someone to answer.

"Hello?"

Anya felt a wave of nausea flood her stomach when she heard Chris' voice in her ear. "Hey," she said, somewhat eagerly.

"Hey," he said back, sounding amused at her enthusiasm.

"…Hi."

"Yeah, hi. We've established the hello part, Anya."

"Why weren't you at school today?" she asked abruptly.

"I'm okay, Ann."

"Your dad didn't…?"

"Not me. My mom. That's why I missed today. I was making sure she was going to be all right."

"And she is, right?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine with some heavy makeup."

There was a long dead-weight silence. Anya just didn't understand the abuse in the Chambers home.

Chris knew that, so he changed the subject. "Anything exciting happen today that I unfortunately missed out on?"

"Actually, yes!"

"I'm listening."

"Teddy and Lorelei have started going out."

"Reeeally?"

"Reeeally!"

"I need your gossip, Anya, tell me all about it."

Anya jumped up on the kitchen counter, making herself comfortable. "Well, so Lorelei was sitting in French class--okay, she told me all this after everything happened, but yeah, okay, yes. So she keeps hearing the word armure which she thought meant love, but it actually means armour and amour means love but anyway, I explained this to her afterwards. It made her think about Teddy so she went outside to light matches--"

"Why matches?"

"The smell reminds her of him. Don't ask me, I don't know."

"Continue."

"Happily," she giggled. "So when she goes outside, lo and behold, there's Teddy!"

"Ooh!" Chris laughed.

"However, Teddy is not alone."

"Gasp!"

"He was with Ginny Fallon."
"Who?"

"A girl."

"Oh."

"And they apparently looked very cozy."

"I find it very cute that you keep changing tenses in this story," Chris interrupted.

"Quiet, you." She paused to laugh. "Anyway, so Lorelei is all angry and hurt and sad, as well she should be. But then Teddy's like 'Ginny, this is the girl that I can't stop thinking about' or some sappy thing like that, which I can totally not imagine coming from Teddy's mouth. But then Ginny left and Teddy and Lorelei fought and then they reconciled."

"You mean they reconciled with their lips?"

"That's what I mean."

"That was a good story," Chris said. "I'll have to make fun of both of them tomorrow."

"I've already taken care of teasing Lorelei."

"Damn you."

"Thanks, I'm sure." She brushed some crumbs off the counter while she thought of what to say. "Not to be blunt or rude or anything, but now that Lorelei's moved on…"

"What's going to happen to us, you mean?" he asked.

"That's what I mean."

"I'm very comfortable with you, Anya," he told her softly. "I can see myself taking care of you, and I know you already try to take care of me. But I think we should stay the way we are now. We're both happy in each other's company and I don't think we should try and complicate that."

"Don't fix what isn't broken," she murmured.
He sensed her quietness. "Anya, is that okay?"

"So you have no feelings for me then?"

"That's not it," he insisted. "You're just too good to lose."

She smiled. "You wouldn't lose me. I, like…you're like…I mean, I…you know…"

He laughed. "I love you too, Anya."

"That's what I mean!"

"Hello?"

"Hi, is Vern there?"

"Vern?"

"Sorry, do I have the wrong number?"

"No, no…it's just…Wow. I'll go get him."

Cassie heard some scuffling as the person who had answered over at the Tessio house put the phone down. She tried to breathe deeply and evenly, all the while wondering just why she had picked up the phone and dialed his number.

"VERN!"

"HUH?"

"Some girl's on the phone for you!"

"That's not funny, Billy!"

"I'm SERIOUS!"

Cassie listened. There was a loud sigh heard, as footsteps became more audible. "Um…hello?" Vern's voice answered cautiously.

"Hi, Vern? This is Cassie Grey…"

Vern seemed to choke and cough at the same time. "Pardon?"

"Cassie. From school, you know?" She panicked. He didn't even know who she was. That was a bad sign.

"I thought I had a hearing problem! Um, h-hi…hello Cassie. How are you?"

"I'm good," she replied. "Um…I was just calling to let you know that I can come to that party your brother's having, if the offer still stands."

"Oh, it stands!"

"Good. What time is it?"

"As soon as possible."

Cassie laughed. Then she gave a happy little sigh.

"Cats or dogs?"

"That's a stupid question. How the hell is that going to help you get to know me better?"

"Answer the goddamn question, Teddy."

Teddy grinned at Lorelei's teasing hostility, then shifted the phone to his other ear. His right ear was sore. They'd been talking on the phone for three and a half hours and going strong. "Dogs. Cats suck. Although I have a cat. But I hate it. Dogs are good."

"Dogs bite my ass."

"On a regular basis?"

"No. Only once."

"This is a stupid conversation, Lorelei."

"You come up with something then!"

"I will. What are you wearing?"

"Hehehehe," Gordie giggled, teasing Cat with a piece of string as he sat on Brooke's bedroom floor.

Brooke looked at him and laughed delightedly at his giggle. "Here, try the ribbon."

Gordie accepted the red ribbon that Brooke pulled out of her desk drawer. He dangled it in the air above Cat and the two of them laughed their asses at her futile attempts to catch the ribbon.

"Brooke," Mrs. Aarons called from deep in the house. "The phone's for you."

Brooke breathed deeply as if she were in labour, placing a hand over her chest. "Must…calm down…"

"Go answer the phone," Gordie giggled. "I bet it's your booooyfrieeend."

She smacked him, and then walked to her bedroom door. "I would appreciate it if you did not snoop through my room while I'm taking this important phone call, Gordie."

"I would appreciate it if you would not suspect such things of me, Brooke," he retorted and burst out into violent laughter as Cat pounced into the wall.

Brooke grinned, then left.

"Did you see that smile?" Gordie whispered, picking Cat up. Cat immediately snatched up the ribbon, chewing on it. "I really wish she'd stop doing that to me. I don't know why I'm talking to you, exactly. Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you, Kitty. Do you think it's healthy that I feel sick whenever she's around? But whenever I'm not around her, I feel even worse…Holy fuck. Do I like her?"

Cat suddenly struck him, her claws retracted.

"I think I do. Oh my. This is bad. But very good. But bad. Goddammit, she's so pretty and great…" Gordie started to giggle.

Brooke walked in the room.

Gordie jumped. "I was not talking!"

"No, I know, you were laughing like a hyena. It was very attractive."

"Who was on the phone?"

"Cassie. She wanted to know if I would go to Billy Tessio's party with her because she wants moral support for when she like faints or something upon seeing Vern, AKA the love of her life. I said yes." She sat down on the floor beside him. "Do you want to be my moral support when she abandons me for the love of her life AKA Vern?"

"Are we talking about a date?"

"I don't know, should we be?"

"I don't know." He whined. "I was just talking to Cat before you came in the room. Did you hear any of my conversation? If so, I was temporarily crazy. And by 'pretty' I meant…'pretty BAD' and by 'I like her' I meant 'I DON'T' and--"

"I heard nothing. Stop talking. I think you're embarrassing yourself and that makes me feel bad for you. Hand over Cat before you make her retarded like you."

[Author's Note: Gordie confessing his feelings to Cat was Britt's idea, so all credit goes to her for that :) She's my genius, so thank you for your ideas and your beta-reading skills!! I love you!]