Lexi moaned as she tossed and turned in the bed. Her once restful sleep had been suddenly disturbed by hastening thoughts. Worrying whether her rough movements would wake up Anthony only made it worse. Getting more and more irritated by the second, she decided to quit struggling and just lay still. For a moment, she tried to figure out a way to quell whatever was troubling her.

She slowly and sorely opened her dark brown eyes. Since the room had very little lighting in it, she focused on the closet nearby. It may not have been visible, but she knew it and the bathroom were viewable on her side of the bed. While staring, she worked on determining why her mind had become antsy all of a sudden. She worked through all of the possibilities, but none appeared to fit. From what she could gather, she was pretty content with the ways things were going in her life.

Groaning softly, Lexi laid on her back. The ceiling held just as much interest as the darkened closet and bathroom. She covered her face with her hands, and let out an aggravated-filled sigh. Once the last remnants of the breath left her, a gentle, yet deep sound coming from Anthony grabbed her attention. While her hands slid away, she turned her head to see the outline of his figure in the dark. Smiling, she carefully shifted her body to the side in order to face him. Then she sat up a bit and rested her head on her knuckle, using her upper and forearm as support.

To her, it was funny. Being a marine and surrounded by hundreds, sometimes thousands, of other marines, she believed that if she had been destined to fall in love with anyone, it would have been a marine counterpart. Instead, she had found herself falling for a strong-hearted, inquisitive medic. Those were certainly two of the qualities that made him stand out from men she had met or knew. From the time she had spent with him so far, whenever something caught his interest, he always got a little spark in his round, gray eyes. It was those instances that had her convinced a part of him was still a kid at heart.

She smiled as she began to remember moments, such as the night she met him to his introduction to Isabel…The blissfulness she was experiencing gradually dissolved away at the notion of her friend. Lowering her gaze down to the bed sheets, she continued to reminisce.

Oh, Izzie…she thought, recalling the day she had introduced him to Isabel.

Her friend had been friendly and polite. However, something told her Isabel had not been completely comfortable with him initially. The feeling had worsened when she had informed her friend of the premade plans with Anthony. Guilt had surfaced after she had seen the look on Isabel's face and the tone of her voice. Of course, it had been Lexi's fault for not mentioning it until the very last minute.

But…despite all of that, her friend had remained selfless, calm, and supportive.

Flashback.

"Well, okay. That's all right."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. You two go and have fun."

"Izzie?"

"I'm serious, Lex. Don't let me stop you."

Walking over and hugging her tightly, Lex said, "I couldn't ask for a better friend. Thanks."

"It's no trouble, really."

"Thanks again, Izzie. Later."

End of flashback.

The guilt had slowly faded away as the day had gone by, but it had not disappeared entirely. In a strange way, she was glad it didn't. It had acted as some sort of unseen and untouchable guide, keeping her heart connections accessible and not obscured by hormones or embellished emotions. But…

I was not there for you that day, but someone was, she thought.

As she had walked away, she had peeked back and spotted Arbiter making his way over to Isabel. They had exchanged a few words before moving together toward the opposite end of the room. Needless to say, she had been shocked.

It was odd seeing her with him. No surprise since were enemies with his kind for almost thirty years. But, at a weird angle, they seemed…compatible together. How strange.

One day, Lexi had asked her friend if she was becoming captivated with the Sangheili or vice versa. Isabel had merely laughed and responded they were just friends. She had believed her friend…to a point. It was the Sangheili himself that had brought on speculation for her. He had been like a humble, ghostly guardian for Isabel. He appeared to materialize at the right place and time. A good example was the bar incident.

Flashback.

As the man prepared to strike, an energy sword sizzled to life and blocked his path.

"I think you have done quite enough, human."

"Who said that?" the man asked furiously. "Show yourself!"

Just then, Arbiter revealed himself in front of the human male. He held his blade in a firm grip. His stature solid and guarded. The dim lighting did not hinder the display of his decorative, ornate armor, which differentiated him among the ranks of his species. He was a daunting sight to behold.

Unfortunately, everything about the Sangheili meant little to nothing to the man. Scoffing, he demanded, "Who the hell are you?"

"Who I am is none of your concern," Arbiter replied with a composed, yet resolute tone.

"Really?" the human male snickered. "Well, I hate to break it to you split-lip, but I have some unfinished business to take care of." When he tried to reach his intended target, the Sangheili impeded his progress once more by not moving from his spot.

"What is your problem?" the man asked, getting angrier.

"You," Arbiter growled, glaring down at the male. "I will not allow you lay another hand on her."

"Is that so? What are you going to do about it?" The man arrogantly pushed the Sangheili to emphasize his point of not being afraid.

After the human's weak and pitiful assault, Arbiter's expression darkened before he snatched the male's neck with his free hand and lifted the guy off the ground.

"Do not tempt me, human," he hissed.

End of flashback.

Arbiter coming to the rescue had been…unexpected, to say the least. His efforts had not stopped at the bar. He had gone so far as to pay a visit to Isabel while she was in the medical bay. She was not sure what happened between them, but the next time she had seen her friend, Isabel's mood and spirit had perked up. She had asked her friend about it, but Isabel had simply shrugged and changed topics. Lexi really did not like it when Isabel did that.

Stubborn Izzie, she cursed, but felt laughter begin to simmer within her chest.

Stirred by the faint giggles and subtle movements of the bed, Anthony's eyes sluggishly opened. He blinked a few times before he was able to make out a shifting figure in the darkness.

"Lexi?" he wondered softly.

He turned over in order to turn on a light that was on the nightstand. He heard a gentle, yet surprised squeal coming from behind him. He chuckled while sweeping his short, normally straight chestnut hair with his hand. Then he curved back around to face the source of the sound. He thought he was going to see his girlfriend. Instead, he saw a sizeable, horizontal lump of blankets.

"What are you doing?" he asked, tender laughter coating his question. When he tried to pull the blankets away, she tugged them back toward her. "Oh, come on, Lex…"

"Turn that damn thing off."

"What?" he asked, chuckling. "Why?"

"Because I don't want it on, that's why."

His laughter grew slightly louder as he said teasingly, "Okay. Now, you are just being plain stubborn."

"Oh! Bite me!"

A mischievous idea popped into his head as the chuckling died down. As soon as things quieted down, his sinful gaze zeroed in on the figure underneath the covers. Leaning down as far as he could, he whispered seductively, "I think that can be arranged."

A deep, red blush flooded Lexi's cheeks. She stiffened briefly when his hand rested on her shoulder. Not long after, her body relaxed and shivered with sexual tension as his hand gradually glided down her body. The area around her grew warmer by the second, while her heart raced faster and faster. She pressed her legs tightly together in a feeble effort to lessen the pulsing.

Taking note of the subtle, yet visible movement of his bedmate's struggle, he continued his teasing, tempting gesture. He did stop, however, when he reached her firm, yet deliciously curved rear. In small movements, he stroked it.

Oh what an ass! she thought, a bit outraged at his devilish antic. All of a sudden, he ceased. Oh, what is he planning now?

Squeeze.

Gasping, Lexi flung the covers away. With a light scowl on her face, she lunged at him. Unfortunately for her, he beat her to the punch. Before she could blink, he was on top of her, pinning her arms to the bed. Panting due to the erotic effects of Anthony's touch, she looked up at her captor. She expected him to have some kind of ravishing glint in his eyes. Instead, they were lit with a friendly, strong quality that had softened his expression.

Her recovery drawing to a close, she said with supple, flushed smile, "You really suck sometimes, you know that?"

Chuckling, he bent down and gave her a kiss on the lips. Then he said, "I do that to makes things interesting for you, keeps you guessing."

It took her a second to figure out what he meant. A smile still plastered on her face, she narrowed her eyes before closing them and shaking her head.

"You can be such a pervert sometimes too," she said with a giggle.

"You know you love it."

Rolling her eyes while they were still shut, she said, "You keep telling yourself that."

He laughed once more and then asked, "So, tell me what's wrong?"

Lexi slowly opened her eyes. The appearance on his face had changed. It now was filled with concern. Confused, she asked, "What do you mean?"

Shrugging, Anthony replied, "Well, something must be bothering you if it woke you up."

"Are you sure it wasn't your snoring?" she joked.

He stared at her for a second, and then said, "Huh? Well, I must've been snoring pretty loudly to wake up such a heavy sleeper like you." Then he winked. The two shared a laugh before he chose to get serious again. "But, honestly, what's bothering you?"

As her giggling neared its end, her mind settled down and suddenly felt heavy. It went from her present situation to what she had been thinking about earlier.

Izzie…, she thought.

Anthony did not mind that Lexi had teased him in order to avoid answering his question. However, he would not drop it until he was sure she was all right. Judging by the look on her face and the way her line of sight seemed to go beyond him, he knew something caused the wheels in her head to turn.

"Lex," he said to get her attention, "talk to me."

She gazed at him and then his arms which fastened hers to the bed. "Release me and I will tell you, Mr. Persistent."

Satisfied with her response, he nodded and let go. Once he was back on his side of the bed, he got comfortable and waited for her to continue.

Lexi let loose a considerable sigh while sitting up and leaning against the back of the bed.

"I was just thinking about Izzie," she began.

"She was the first person you introduced me to, right?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, she was."

"Okay. And…?" he asked a little confused.

Shrugging, she said, "I don't know. I am just worried about her, I guess. It has been awhile since I've seen her."

"You did mention you and her were assigned to the same mission. Why didn't she come back with you?"

"She had been given another assignment not long after we finished."

"I see. Have any idea on where it lead her, or what the objective was?"

"No." Lexi then gave Anthony a sly grin before lightly hitting his arm with the back of her hand. "And shame on you, mister. You know we are not supposed to know or share details about fellow marine missions."

Putting his hands up in mock hurtfulness, he said, "Excuse me for trying to help."

She shook her head and giggled. "Yeah, I know. Just keep that in mind next time." Wink.

Taking her hand in his and giving it a small kiss, he said, "In any case, you shouldn't be troubled over your friend. From what you have told me, she sounds like she can take care of herself."

She had no doubt Isabel could handle herself. She had seen it happen in the past. However, there always appeared to be…something that made her question how well she knew her friend. She was not sure whether it was Isabel's kryptonite or simply a missing puzzle piece of her life. Things had become more complex when Arbiter had come into the picture. That is where her concern truly lied, but she did not know if she should mention it.

Would Anthony even understand where she was coming from? If he did, what kind of reaction would he have? Knowing him and his curious personality, he probably would find the idea of her dismay fascinating.

Well, Lex, you won't find out until you speak up, the rational part of her mind said.

…Damn it! she thought.

After taking a deep breath to prepare herself, she said, "You would be partly right."

"Why 'partly'?"

"The reason is because my concern is leaning more towards her emotional than physical welfare."

"Ah, I see."

Nodding, she said, "For as long as I have known her, Isabel has been strong on the outside. That I am sure of. Emotional-wise, I do not think I can say the same."

"Why's that?" he asked, one eyebrow risen.

"I don't what it is exactly, but there was always that little…incentive about her. It never showed itself unless certain triggers caused it to appear."

"'Certain triggers'? Like what?" he asked, devising examples of his own as he kept an open-ear.

Lexi paused to think. She could be vague and say, "specific words or actions," but she knew her point would not be made if she did. Plus, she already felt like she was doing an unnecessary dance around the topic anyway. She would have to pick an actual incident. It did not take her long to figure one out.

Directing her gaze toward him, she said, "Well, this one event happened while you had been assigned on a mission in Voi." She continued after he nodded his head to indicate he was listening. "Since I had not been socializing with Isabel for a while, I decided we should have a ladies' night. I found her working in one of the tech rooms. When I talked to her, she seemed kind of...distracted. Her mood worsened at the sight and sound of two workers displaying a little PDA."

"By 'little', I am assuming they were not doing anything too serious."

"Pretty much. They were just acting like two high school students in love."

"Okay…? I can sort of understand why she would dislike it if they were making out or something, but all they were doing was flirting, right?"

"Yeah, but maybe seeing them brought up some kind of negative memory for her. I don't know if I told you this, but she had a boyfriend named Donovan once."

"She did? When?"

"During her military training."

"Ah, so witnessing the lovebirds must have reminded her of him and the times they spent together."

"Had to," she said, shrugging and guiding her eyesight forward.

"Did their relationship end on a bad note?"

"I'm not sure. She has never told me what went wrong between her and Donovan."

"How come?" he asked, a bit surprised.

"Can't say. Though, it doesn't bother me too much. I can understand her not wanting to remember bad or painful memories."

"Reasonable, but it's not good to keep things like that bottled up inside."

Lexi wanted to snap at him in defense of Isabel, but a part of her told not to take his comment on face value. After taking a moment to reflect on what he said, she realized he had a good point.

"…Yeah, you're right," she said, crossing her arms. "Still, I suppose that is part of the reason why I am concerned for her. I don't know if keeping those memories contained will hold her back from moving on, or coax her into doing something crazy…," She muttered the next part, "or weird."

"'Weird'?" he asked, sitting up. "What do you mean?"

Damn it! she cursed. He was not supposed to hear that last part. Ugh! Now, I am going to have to tell him…or make up a crappy lie. Sigh. I might as well tell the truth. Deep breath. Here goes…

"Well, it is not fair for Isabel if I say this but…" she said, allowing the sentence to drag on in a futile attempt to avoid what she was about to say.

"'But…'?" he said, leaning toward her in controlled anticipation.

"IthinkshemaybefallingforArbiter," she said in one, quick breath. She shut her eyes tightly and waited. She figured it would be better to hear his response than see it. Also, she hoped she would feel less awkward. The temptation to open her eyes nudged her when all remained quiet.

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and looked at Anthony. His facial expression was shaped with vacant confusion.

Oh…you have got to be kidding me, she thought with irritation.

Shaking his head to clear it, he chuckled, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

Lexi's head sagged. Forcing the words out, she said, "I said, I think she might be falling for Arbiter."

He titled his head to the side in curiosity. There was a pause before he spoke up again. "You think your friend is infatuated with a Sangheili? Why's that?"

She didn't know whether to stare wide-eyed at him or smile and laugh. A part of her was not surprised by his calm, inquiring response. Another part of her was. She half-expected him to scoff at such an idea. Hell, Isabel had giggled at the suggestion when she had mentioned it to her.

Pfft, just goes to show everyone's mentality is different, she thought.

Bringing her attention forward, she replied, "To be honest, it is just an assumption. I don't know if it is true or not. It just seems to me, ever since she met him, they have been spending a good amount of time together."

"And that is a problem?"

"No, not really…per say," she said, moaning and running her hands down her face in meager frustration. "It's just…Hypothetically speaking, if something did end up developing between her and him, I don't want her to end up getting hurt again."

"Oh, all right," he said, crossing his arms and nodding. "Now, I am starting to understand why you are worried about her. You believe, because she is keeping her feelings and possible resentment toward Donovan to herself, she is mingling with Arbiter as some kind of…filler."

"In a sense…"

"And the fact she chose a Sangheili is what you meant by 'weird', right?"

"Yeah. I mean, I guess I would understand if it was a human, but…"

"It would seem Isabel's tastes had broadened over time," he joked.

Lexi turned her head and gave him a mild, yet dark glare. Then she hit him in his chest.

"Ow!" Anthony said, coughing out a chuckle. "Geez, Lex, take it easy. I was just teasing."

"You are not helping."

Rubbing the now sore spot on his chest, he said, "I know, I'm sorry. But, I do have to ask you this, was there ever any indication Arbiter's intentions were not good? From what I've heard, he is one of the top Sangheili leaders. And, I guess, he also was the one of the heads that encouraged the alliance between ours species in the first place. Maybe associating with her was his way of extending peace and compromising between races."

The glare on Lexi's face had softened as he spoke. She could not argue against his words. They did hold some truth to them. Plus, she had noticed her friend's spirit had enlivened. It was almost like being with the Sangheili had brought some life back into Isabel.

It had been that way, at first. However, as time progressed and the gatherings increased, her friend became partly spacey. She was there physically, but her mind was somewhere else. Lexi had asked a couple of times if everything was okay. Isabel's responses did little to help her figure out where her friend's thoughts were. Every now and then, Lexi still thinks about what could have possibly been running through Isabel's head.

Knowing Anthony was waiting for an answer, she started to open her mouth when she suddenly remembered something Arbiter said to her.

Flashback.

She kept her mouth shut for a second. She was unsure if she could trust the Sangheili with Isabel. She had seen him interact with her, but that did not mean she fully trusted him.

Before she could speak, Arbiter said in a gentle, stable voice, "Sergeant, I only want to know if she is unharmed. You have my word I have her best interests at heart."

End of flashback.

His tone had been full of sincere concern.

Maybe…maybe he does care about Isabel, she thought. And…perhaps I am looking at their growing relationship the wrong way.

Taking in and releasing a deep breath, she said, "His intentions were good. The evidence was Isabel's contentment and renewed sense of life." The thought of her and Arbiter as a couple or simply being together brought on a simple giggle. "Though, if those two ever did become more than just friends, it would be…interesting, to say the least. It would be a challenge to register her reasoning for going steady with a Sangheili."

Finding the possibility strange, yet intriguing, Anthony laughed and said, "It would certainly be a wonder." He paused as he quickly pondered an outrageous, yet entertaining idea. "If they did get serious to the point where they mated, I wonder – "

Before he could finish his sentence, he was hit in the face with a pillow.

"Stop. Right. There. Mister," Lexi said with a light serious voice. "I will not have you thinking about stuff like that." Then she muttered. "Pervert."