Chapter 24: Forbidden Fruit

Sleep did not come peacefully for Chase in the nights following her encounter with her father. The nightmares that had started before her adopted father's death had now increased tenfold, making for nights of utter terror. The lack of sleep led to irritability, and gave her near-violent mood swings. While the Chase everyone knew and loved was still around, albeit a bit subdued most days, the violent, near-demonic side of her that she held in common with her birth father was showing.

Her mask of normalcy was cracking like ice in the sun.

November neared its end. The rigors of class work coupled with basketball practice had not done wonders for the Neeanyahn's health, either. She had an almost unnatural glow about her already pale skin, and was becoming sullen when alone.

They worried for her. Spader, try as he might, did not know how to relate to her. When faced with adversity, he met it with anger – sorrow was something he could not truly understand. Sadness, yes – depression, no. He loved her. But he did not know what to say or do. And the way she was acting towards him did nothing to inspire romantic feelings.

Lonely, frustrated, and unsure of himself, Spader felt his own confidence slowly draining from him. It was as though the sunlight could not reach any of them any longer.

On the final Friday of the month, Spader had gotten out of water polo practice early. He said goodbye to his teammates as he departed the locker room in his team practice gear, towel over his shoulder as he made his way to the gym to wait for Bobby and Chase.

"Spader! What are you doing here?" Courtney cheerfully greeted the Cloran teen as she walked towards the girl's locker room from the track.

Happy to see a familiar face, Spader waved. "Waiting for these two." He replied, jerking a thumb towards the gym doors. "Practice let out early for me today. You?"

She crossed to the railing by the doors where he sat, and perched on the bar beside him. "Getting ready for a few new routines. The younger girls are having trouble picking it up. Coach let me leave early, since I have all of them memorized already."

"So cheer's working out for ya, eh?"

Courtney smiled brightly. "It is. I wasn't too sure I was going to like it. I mean, I've never been a very girly girl. But I wanted something different, so I went for it. And it's actually been pretty fun so far.'

"Good to hear." Spader clapped a hand on her shoulder.

Courtney was silent a moment, choosing her next words. "So…how's it going with Chase?" she asked in a neutral tone. "You guys still going strong?"

Spader's cheerful smile fell. "I'm not too sure…she's been having trouble sleeping and nightmares and…the whole thing with her da…that's got her all messed up. I'm not really sure she likes anyone all that much right now, including me."

"That's too bad…I hope she realizes what a great guy you are. I know some girls that would love to have a good looking, cheerful guy like you around." Courtney glanced over at him coyly, sliding an arm around his shoulders.

"Cozy?" came a growl from behind the pair.

Chase, drenched in sweat from a hard practice, folded her arms over her chest and glared directly at Courtney. Behind her, Bobby bit his lip. This could be ugly.

"She just stopped by to say hello when she saw me waiting for you, that's all love." Spader explained, standing and crossing to his girlfriend. He tried to reach for her and enfold her in his arms, only to be brushed off.

"Let's go." Chase grunted, turning on her heel and walking off.

The other three watched her make her way to the gate.

"That's what I mean, mate." Spader whispered to Courtney.

She smiled apologetically at him. "Sorry. I hope it gets better for you. If you ever need to talk, you can call my cell phone. Bobby's got the number." She pecked his cheek and left.

Bobby blinked. "Dude…don't let Chase see that. She'll break you in half." He scolded Spader as they went off after Chase towards the school gates.

Spader merely shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think she really cares one way or another. She's lost in her own head, mate. And I don't know what to think anymore…"

In the back of his mind, he thought of the softness of Courtney's lips on his skin.


That night, the Sherwood house was silent. It was late, close to midnight, and Chase was having trouble falling asleep once more. Yawning, she pulled back the blankets and stepped out of bed, deciding to walk around the house for a bit.

She quietly made her way out of her bedroom and down the stairs. As she passed through the living room, a small light in the library caught her eye. Curious as to the source, she walked up to the door and nudged it gently.

Sitting on one of the large, cozy couches beside the unlit fireplace was Patrick, reading by lamp light. He looked up upon hearing the door, and smiled when he saw who it was.

"Hey there, night owl. Trouble sleeping again?" he marked his place in his book.

"Yeah…" she stepped into the room and closed the door back behind her. "It's been rough ever since those nightmares about Youran started, just before I went to Aravil."

Patrick looked sympathetically at her. "Sorry to hear that. Wanna talk about it?" he offered, patting the couch beside him and opening his arms.

She nodded with a gentle smile and came to sit beside him. "I dunno what it is. I can't really fall asleep. And when I do fall asleep, I have nightmares about losing my dad, and about my real father causing chaos, dying, all sorts of nasty shit."

He closed his eyes, feeling her pain. "Poor girl…" he whispered, taking her into his arms and stroking her hair comfortingly.

Chase closed her eyes like a contented kitten and nuzzled into his chest. She felt so at ease with the Third Earth traveler, and had never known why. They hadn't known each other very long, just since the end of the Eelong affair – but he was able to understand her and reach past the layers of hurt and confusion, finding the happy girl beneath.

Smiling, he held her tightly, and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I know it isn't easy. You have so much pressure on you, and you're scared – I would be too. But know that you have friends who love you – and you have me. You'll always have me."

She clung to him fiercely, feeling safe for the first time in days. "Thank you, Pat. You're the only one who can understand that, it seems…"

Patrick said nothing to this, merely continued to stroke her hair and hold her. After what felt like an eternity, Chase managed to drift to sleep in his arms.

He held her through the remainder of the night. And for once, she did not stir, enjoying her first truly peaceful sleep in a very long time.


Days later, Spader sat alone, reading for history. He couldn't focus. Ideas had been plaguing him, toying with his emotions and making him wonder. Binding ties – how fragile were they truly? Trust was such a hard thing to give. It was killing him in inches.

He looked to the telephone, mind drifting back to Courtney's words. She would listen if he called her. His hand hesitated as he reached for the receiver. Chase wouldn't like it.

He closed his eyes. "Sorry, love."

He picked up the receiver, and dialed the number.