MATTHEW

Matthew stared at his father, refusing to speak first.

He had taken his time getting ready, distractedly trying out a couple new pieces of clothing, and determinedly trying to miss meeting his sister before she left for her military training program. The latter effort had met with success, but in the interim, unfortunately, the morning news had been delivered. When he had entered the casual dining room at the back of their house, he had been surprised to see Adam still there. His father was going to the vineyard today, and normally left in the early morning for that trip. Then Matthew had spotted the magazine lying at his place at the table.

He and Eleni were featured prominently on the front, and he recognized the captured moment immediately: that morning after they had discovered the bond. He remembered reaching out to her like that; he hadn't meant to, it had just happened, and he had only touched her arms. In the picture, however, it looked like he was about to embrace her.

I don't want extra attention, Matthew. Now it was too late. That was the thought that had gone through his head as he had locked eyes with his father.

"Who is she?"

"A girl I met DownMountain."

"In the Sewers," Adam clarified. It did make a difference. "Matthew, please don't be evasive. It appears that you care about her. And if you do, you need to tread with caution."

Matthew looked away. He hadn't meant to be evasive, but he had to be careful about what he revealed. They weren't his secrets he was trying to keep.

"We are just friends. Honestly." Adam looked doubtful. Matthew glanced at the picture again. The way he was looking at her did suggest something more than friendship. He gave a small, hopeless laugh at the lie the world now believed. "She's a ballet dancer," he added. "That is why we connected." That was true, and not giving anything too private away.

He stopped there and waited for Adam to speak. The man still looked dubious. He probably didn't believe Matthew's comment about dancing either: there were only two dance schools DownMountain, but they were unlikely to take anyone from the Sewers. He had looked the information up after Eleni had asked. The remaining schools were all UpMountain, totaling 4. One was very small.

"Does she understand the position you've put her in?" Matthew reluctantly shook his head. Eleni had been somewhat familiar with tabloids, but he didn't think she understood what it was really like when you were the story they wanted, or what her supposedly being from the Sewers would mean to the rest of the Montagne.

He hoped he had been right about her sleeping somewhere in the Towers. She would be inaccessible there. Yesterday she had made sure not to leave the Towers with him, today she probably wouldn't be leaving them at all.

"I'll talk to her today. See if she wants me to keep my distance." His stomach twisted at the thought.

"Good. If you two are just friends," again the dubious look, "that would be for the best. Get this to blow over a quickly as possible." Adam took the opportunity to introduce another topic. "Mattie, school's starting again in a few weeks. You've been doing so much better the past couple of months. I was really worried about you after you left Jenna, but you've worked your way through it. I think it is time to get the rest of your life back on track." He meant, transfer back UpMountain, finish secondary school and start university courses. Matthew sighed. It made sense. All of it. That didn't mean he wanted to do it.

"I'll think about it, Dad. I've got to go talk to Eleni now." Adam nodded sagely, and let his son go.

Matthew tried to pass the train ride not thinking about anything. Especially not about purposely putting Eleni out of his life in order to keep her out of the spotlight. And it would be lurid. He wondered at her comment. Who had she been in the Citadel, other than a hidden mutant? Hadn't that been enough?

A couple minutes into the ride, he felt a spike of horror from the bond and he knew she had seen the tabloid. He looked sadly at the bag he had placed on the seat next to him. At least he could give that to her. Maybe it would make her final impression of him better.

Getting off the train, Matthew walked purposely through the DownMountain. The tabloid photographers were obvious now, waiting as he had known they would be. Many immediately started pressing buttons on their message motes, devices that could send short typed notes. He ignored them. They knew where he was going, and the truth was he had absolutely nothing to hide. That made the scrutiny a bit easier to bear, although he also knew the sentiment was meaningless. They would make it what they wanted to make it, no matter the truth.

A group of photographers were clustered near the Tower entrance he always used. Matthew suspected the other entrances were covered as well. Feeling angry and annoyed at the intrusion into not just his life, but that of Eleni's and the kids who used the Towers, he strode the last few feet and stepped into the safety the buildings provided.

Of course, he was then grabbed by his collar and shoved up against the wall. He had expected that, too.

"G, really, I haven't done anything new. Put me down." His friend glared for a minute, but did release him.

"Doesn't mean I have to pass up a chance to make you shake in your boots, Summers." Matthew just rolled his eyes. "I'm not so sure about the not doing anything new part, by the way. Exactly what were you and Elle doing the other day at that DownMountain teahouse." Matthew winced. He hadn't thought about that. There would be more pictures – those hadn't made it into today's article.

"We just had tea and talked, honestly, but it was the two of us sitting at a small table…" It was G's turn to roll his eyes.

"Mattie, I don't know if you are worth the trouble, man."

"Hey, as I recall, you were the one who came looking for my help." G acted as if Matthew hadn't spoken.

"I gave her a copy of the magazine. You have fun up there." The last was said in a tone that suggested fun was the last thing Matthew was going to have. Matthew wished G had let him fill Eleni in in his own way. Sighing, he mounted the stairs.

As he approached the room, he was suddenly hit by a wave of feeling from Eleni. Longing, wistfulness, desire, tinged with sadness and guilt. It was another burst of emotion that took his breath away. He paused. The feeling lingered for a minute before it subsided and Eleni's emotions were once again opaque. Discontentment was the only thing that shone through in the aftermath.

He found her sitting at the edge of the room across from the windows, staring at the magazine cover. When she saw him, a look of exhausted annoyance crossed her face.

"Matthew." The resigned statement made him feel terrible.

"Are you angry that I came?" He could have turned around, he realized. After knowing how she felt, he could have gotten back on the train home and left her in peace. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. Maybe that is what he should have done.

"No. I'm not angry," she said, almost regretfully. "It's just that…everything is working against me. First the bond, and now this." She gave a small helpless laugh. "I just wanted to dance, was that so wrong?"

Her question didn't make any sense to Matthew, however he was relieved her anger wasn't directed at him. He went over and sat next to her. She handed him the magazine.

"I couldn't bring myself to read the article. What's the damage?" He tried to be as forthcoming as possible.

"Worse for you than for me. They think you're a fling I've picked up in the Sewer. It makes me seem scandalously degraded." He paused, then added an explanation before continuing. "UpMountain, they always assume the worst about the Sewers." Eleni nodded. "Well, even if we were a couple, which we're not of course," he quickly added. Eleni widened her eyes at him, willing him to get to the point, "they wouldn't see it as a relationship. Not a real relationship, at least."

"They think I'm some kind of," she paused, apparently looking for a word "…sex worker." Matthew started at her bluntness, but then nodded. A look of pained humor crossed Eleni's face.

"Give me the word," she demanded. Language-based abilities needed to hear the words before they could use them. He didn't want to do that. "They are going to be using it. I'd like to be prepared rather than ignorant."

"Whore." He whispered it. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Maybe fate's trying to tell me something," she mumbled to herself.

"What?" She shook her head.

"Nothing. So, they know about me. That I'm here at least."

"They'll probably forget you pretty quickly, so long as…" He tipped his head to the side, as if that somehow made the rest of his sentence clear. Nonetheless, Eleni had already reached the same conclusion.

"…so long as you stay away. It's you they are really after." He nodded. She fell silent.

Given her reaction to the bond and her desire for privacy, he had been preparing himself against her immediately sending him away. However, she didn't.

She sat for a long moment looking at the magazine he held. Her control was on her emotions, but he sensed distant resistance; she was torn.

"There is still the bond," she murmured. They had to be together to find a way to remove it. Matthew reluctantly worked that out.

"I could contact you through G if I find anything helpful." Her head moved slightly but she didn't look at him.

"That's what we should do," she whispered. It didn't sound definitive, however, and Matthew took advantage of her indecisiveness.

"Eleni," he spoke gently. "I'm really sorry about this situation. That it is so distressing to you." She tried to shake her head and made to get up, but he went on. "Look, I'm here now, so the damage is done for today. Let's dance for a bit, and then figure out what you want to do about this."

"What I want to do? This doesn't bother you at all? Everyone thinks you've got your own private Sewer whore, when before you were some kind of golden boy." He stiffened at her bluntness. He shook his head.

"Any golden boy was an illusion. And all of this is a lie." He snapped his hand at the magazine in disgust. "As long as the truth is between us, I don't really care what they think. And," he took a deep breath, "I consider you a friend. I like dancing with you. I'd rather not lose that."

She tipped her head back so it was resting on the wall, and observed him.

"I like dancing with you, too." He looked into her blue, blue eyes for a moment. He wished she had said he was a friend as well but took what he could get. And her comment reminded him of the package he had brought.

"Here," he said, pushing the soft bag at her. She picked her head up, looking at him in confusion. "Jenna left this at my house over a year ago. Long before we broke up. She's not going to come looking for it at this point. And she has tons of this stuff anyway. Her family owns fields of hydroponics. Another top earner, right up there with vineyards." This last part was mumbled, with a self-deprecating tone to it. Eleni just looked at him, and he placed the bag in her hands. "The clothes might fit, too, but I was really hoping you would be able to use the shoes."

Finally understanding, she opened the bag. She took out a couple of leotards and tights, then two pairs of toe shoes along with extra ribbon and elastic. There were some other accessories in the bag, but she ignored them, focusing only on the shoes. One of the pairs of shoes had seen some light use, the other was new.

Tabloids forgotten Eleni immediately tried the used pair on. She flexed her feet a few times, but then paused and fell into some sort of trance as she stared at her feet. Guilt started to leak through the bond. Did she feel bad about the shoes?

"Don't worry about using them. Jenna has completely forgotten, so best that they are used by someone who appreciates them." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and her feelings once again fell opaque. "Do they feel ok? Can you use them?" He couldn't hide his excitement, and Eleni smiled a little as she replied.

"I'll just need to break them in a bit more, and adjust the ribbons and elastic, but I have everything I need here." She looked at him and felt decisive. "Give me a half hour, and we can dance."

They danced the whole morning and ate snack bars for lunch. Eleni had no stomach for the public trip to the cafeteria. She did agree to head downstairs for a time in the afternoon, though Matthew noticed some of the kids giving them looks. G and his gang were for the most part unfazed, with the exception of Patches.

"I knew it, Summers," he sneered under his breath, as Elle was talking to G. "You're bad news for her. Why are you still here, you selfish bastard?"

Matthew gritted his teeth and didn't dignify the young man's comments with an answer. Scarlet noticed the exchange, and for once was helpful.

"Hey, Patchy, you asking god's-gift-to-all-who-appreciate-the-male-form there how you, too, can end up as front page news? Not that hard, you know. Get him outside and kiss him. Here, I'll show you." Somewhat helpful.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Scar. Keep your hormones in check; we don't need any more attention here." As G pulled both Scarlet and Patches away, Matthew saw Eleni slip back up the stairs. He followed.

"That was a close one," he said as he caught up with her. She gave him an unsympathetic look.

"From what I hear, you always need help to get yourself out of those situations. Which suggests you don't really want to get out of them."

"Hey now, that's not fair!"

"Oh? How so? You can just walk away."

"I don't want to be rude."

Eleni looked at him strangely as they entered the room they danced in.

"You'll put up with harassment to keep up appearances?"

"Well, no, but…that's all just for fun. I know that." Except for Patches, but Matthew didn't think Eleni realized what was going on there, and he preferred it that way.

"It really doesn't bother you?"

"No. It doesn't." Eleni wrapped her arms around herself.

"It would bother me," she said. Then, "I've decided." It took Matthew a moment to understand to what she was referring.

"And…," he said slowly, "am I banned?" She eyed him but gave a small smile.

"No. But we really have to make sure we are never out together, or near any windows they could see in." The tabloids weren't supposed to do such things, but Matthew didn't argue with Eleni's caution.

"Deal," he said firmly. He couldn't help but grin broadly. "Then let's dance."

A couple hours later, as he walked home from the UpMountain station, Matthew recalled the day and found himself smiling in relief. He really hadn't wanted to stop seeing Eleni. Considering her situation, he started contemplating other ways to help her, beyond slowly coaxing her into life in the Sewers.

"Is this some kind of sick joke, Mattie?" The familiar voice dripped with disgust, and Matthew's stomach sank with the realization his sister had just caught up with him.

"It's not, Jae. She's a friend."

"A friend," came the sneered reply, suggesting that Eleni was anything but a friend. "If all you wanted was a roll in the dirt, you could have done the Birth Proxy Program. Or is that it? You're trying to get her to sign up? I know there are people up here, even a Baron, who have regulars down there."

"No! I'd never do that!" Matthew nearly yelled his denial of his sister's disgusting suggestion. When his eyes met Jae's, he saw the same disgust mirrored there.

"Well, it would probably be better that way, though Jenna would never take you back then!"

"Maybe I don't want Jenna to 'take me back.'"

"Then you are even more of an idiot than I thought possible," his sister snapped back snapped. Then she laughed in disbelief. "You know, I looked up to you so much. I thought you had the perfect life; good-looking, popular, well-connected, in spite of all Adam has done to jinx our chances and keep our legacy buried. Anyone who wanted a man, wanted you, but you had a hot item on your arm and were loyal to her. So, flirt all you would, maybe even mess around a bit at a party, everyone knew it was you and Jenna going home together, and that was cool. And, to me, that was right. You were right."

She shook her head. They had just reached the house, but instead of rounding to the back, Matthew, teeth clenched, stalked up the front steps hoping to get away from his sister, and at the least get them out of the public eye as quickly as possible. Jae followed him. "I could not comprehend why you wouldn't go back to that. I thought you were doing the stupidest thing possible. But now, this? It turns out your stupidity is infinite."

By her tone, Matthew understood that his supposed affair with Eleni had truly shocked his sister. She almost sounded hurt. He didn't care and tried to block her words out as they entered the door. "You realize you are turning yourself into some kind of lecher, drooling over a girl who can't even afford decent clothing? She looks like she hasn't taken a bath in ages. Maybe never. You like getting that grime on your-?"

Having passed through the doorway, he rounded on his sister, and cut off the rest of her comment.

"Don't you talk about her like that!"

"What other way is there to talk about her?!" his sister yelled back, as she pushed him back. "How long have you been having her up against the concrete walls of that decrepit building?! Does it turn you on to screw her on top of the trash heap?"

"That is not what is happening, and if anything, you are just proving yourself to be filth by saying such things!" He pushed her back, but quickly stepped away as she reached out to grab his arm.

They continued yelling at each other, Jae's comments getting increasingly revolting, and their interactions increasingly physical, until Adam walked in 10 minutes later.

"STOP THIS!" he roared at his children. "I could hear you out in the street." Matthew felt justified when Adam fixed Jae with a horrified look. "Jae, how can you say such things?"

She looked back defiantly. "I'm just stating the truth," she hissed, before she stormed up the stairs.

Adam stood where he was, breathing deeply for a moment. When Matthew turned to go into the dining area, his father stopped him.

"Matthew, next time, just walk away."

"I tried to," his father looked at him.

"You weren't trying that hard," he sighed. "Matthew, are you going to stay away like we talked about this morning?" Matthew didn't answer. "Jae was wrong to say those things out loud, but we both know everyone is going to be thinking them." In the face of his father's plea, Matthew felt himself crash back to reality.

"I know," Matthew said, resignedly. Then, "Look, dad, we aren't going to out in public together again. We do want to dance, and I help out at the center, with the kids. We're going to keep doing that and see how that goes for now."

Adam looked doubtful and tried to talk him out of that meager concession as they went to prepare dinner together.

CITADEL 3020.08.07

DAVE

Dave looked out onto infinity again. Tonight, not long from now, he would get the information he needed from Dr. Wagner to start his crusade. There was time yet, however, and Dave was back in the large conference room that held so many memories for him.

He looked to his left, but this time his eyes didn't avoid the alcove to the side or the door found within. Taking a deep breath, he turned and approached. His teeth clenched as he tried to manage the emotions that rose up in him. He couldn't let these feelings control him. He couldn't afford that. The best way he knew to deal with them, was to meet them head on.

He opened the door and entered.

The small room held a couch and a table. There was a door across from where he had entered and one on the wall to the left. To the right was a large window looking out over the city.

He crossed the short distance and sat on the couch. Tears pressed against his eyes, but he held himself rigid to hold them back. He wouldn't go meet Dr. Wagner with his face ruined from crying. This was a sort of test for himself, to see if he could manage the emotions enough so that he outwardly appeared composed. It was a highly useful skill to have.

He succeeded. The tears remained at bay, and his face slowly relaxed. The memories of this room remained, however, and his sifted through them at random. He had so many, but his mind groped back to the first.

"I wish, I don't know, that we could do more." Dave threw the dissatisfied comment out into a pause in the conversation. Eleni, sitting next to him in her leotard and tights, looked over, her face still.

They were sitting in the conference room as they nearly always did when they met at his father's office. Sometimes they did homework together at the table found out among the desks, but this was where they had their conversations and spent most of their free time together. It was very public. Dave sighed in frustration.

School was over for the summer and they had just passed Dave's 14th birthday. Eleni had given him a mix of songs on a disc for the small music playing device he had. He listened to it every chance he got and was spending more time at the office building. Time when he could be with her, and at the same time couldn't.

"We can't," she finally replied.

"I know," he didn't know why he had made the comment to begin with.

A couple of Dave's other friends had girlfriends, and he saw them at the occasional youth gatherings, sitting together in public and holding hands as they walked down the street. It made him aware of the things he couldn't do with Eleni.

"Dave, we can stop." When he looked at Eleni, her eyes were trained on the floor.

"No. I don't want to," he said. "Do you?" He didn't like how this conversation was making him feel and wanted it to stop. Their time together was limited as it was, and he wanted it to be good.

She hesitated, then shook her head, not daring to speak the words. They sat in silence.

"There is something…" Eleni started. She sounded nervous, unusual for her. "These nights, there's almost no one here…they never check on us."

She was right. The nights when their parents disappeared together were the best because he could relax and talk to Eleni about nearly anything so long as they were quiet. Or they could sneak some extra kisses as the hallway was usually deserted. But he didn't think they could risk anything more than that.

"There's another conference room off of the small room I use to change," she continued. He knew that, too, but again didn't understand how it was significant. "That small room can be locked."

Her voice had gotten quieter as she spoke, and she whispered these last words. Dave froze as he finally understood.

To the left of where he sat there was a door in an alcove that led to a small lounge. It had a small bathroom off it, and Eleni went in there to change her clothes when she danced at the office. The lounge didn't exit to the hall because there was another conference room on the other side that wrapped in front of it. So, both the doors of the lounge opened to another conference room, and, apparently, they could both be locked.

Eleni cleared her throat.

"To be safe, you could put your bags in the other conference room, like you're doing your homework in there…" They could be alone, with next to no worry of someone overhearing them or seeing them. He started to feel excited. Why hadn't he thought of this?

"I'll go put my bag in there now!" Eleni's head snapped up at his sudden exclamation. In spite of the fact that she had put the suggestion out there, she looked hesitant, almost guilty.

"Now?"

"Yeah! We have at least another hour. Um, we should probably set an alarm." Now his brain was working out the details. Eleni was quiet. "You do want to, right?" After a moment, she nodded.

"I do." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"I'll be in in a few minutes." And he left. After pacing the adjacent conference room for minutes that seemed like hours, he went over to the lounge door and knocked. Eleni's voice responded from within. He entered and locked the door behind him.

Back in her school uniform, she stood looking out the one window in the room. The scarf on her head was a deep blue that day. She turned when he entered. They walked towards each other, meeting in the middle of the room.

Suddenly awkward, they stood there looking at each other for a minute. Eleni's hesitancy had tempered his excitement but having her there in front of him with no worry of who might see, he did something he had wanted to do for a long time.

He hugged her. Not one of the quick embraces they had always shared. A lingering enjoyment of simply being close to her, of holding her. Her hands came up to rest on his back, and he felt her head relax onto his shoulder. They stood like that for a long time.

Dave felt wetness on his cheeks and realized his control had slipped. He pushed the memories away.

Wiping the tears from his face, he stood and paced, breathing deeply. After regaining his calm, he checked his face in the bathroom mirror, then left the small lounge.

A minute later, he was again entering the stairwell behind his father's office. This time, however, he let the door lock behind him, and descended the stairs.

At the bottom, he stepped out into the alley outside and a hooded figure quickly approached him in the dark.

"Here are three contacts. They will be expecting your call." Dave took the piece of paper Kurt Wagner shoved towards him, barely believing that his ploy had worked. He didn't let his feelings show on his face.

"This would be a lot quicker if you could just message me the information."

"No. I won't risk having it on any computer system." Looking down at the piece of paper in his hand, Dave didn't press the issue. "And you need to destroy that piece of paper when you are done. You said you just wanted to talk to them, not endanger them."

"I do. I'll need more. Meet me here again in three weeks. Thursday again." Kurt looked at him, then sighed in defeat.

"I'll be here."