Author's Note: I'm trying a different take on this chapter Fritz Kriete Fritz Kriete 2 267 2001-11-10T17:49:00Z 2001-11-10T17:49:00Z 3 716 4085 34 8 5016 9.3821 6 pt 6 pt 0 Author's Note: I'm trying a different take on this chapter. I'm trying to make it a little more dramatic and a little more suspenseful and a little less… um… sappy. Yeah. That's the word. Um, so, read, review, and be happy!

Disclaimer: I don't own IaHb, or anything IaHb related, or "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm- they're pretty cool.

This is dedicated to Scarlet182, who reviewed chapter 14 and was one of the only people who did, and to Arcadia, who was the only other person who reviewed chapter 14, and who also took the time to review each chapter. Thank you so much. I LIVE for reviews.

Special thanks to Montana Magic who reviewed about a month ago, and wrote really at LEAST fifty times (that's what it looked like- you expect me to COUNT?)!!! I'm writing this because of one thing in that review-"why didn't you finish yet?" Thank you so much for getting me to come back to this… This will probably be the end.  

Winter Break

Chapter 15- Dates and Val's 'Punk Side'

The next few days passed as normal. Tyler worried about Val, Val improved, Brooke did paperwork, Jamie worried about the date, Tyler worried about the date, Caitie worried about the date, Val worried about the date, and Hank… well, Hank just stayed pretty much oblivious.

And so Sunday snuck up on our favorite teens (and pre-teen).

* * *

By Sunday morning, Val was completely better.

A uniformed Val strolled into the kitchen around nine. "Hey Mom, I'm going to the station," she said.

She was halfway out the door when, "Oh no you are not! Back to bed!" Val's mom said.

"But Mom! I'm all better!" Val insisted.

"Back to bed. Tomorrow you can go to the station."

Val went back to her room and changed out of her uniform into regular clothes. She sat down and turned on the TV- they had moved into Val's room- onto MTV and watched.

"…You okay, you okay, you okay, you've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooth criminal..."

And that was how Tyler found Val about an hour later. Sitting on her bed in normal clothes, singing along to Alien Ant Farm's "Smooth Criminal" and shaking her head to the rhythm. Who knew Val had a punk side?

"Hi Val," Tyler said quietly. Val's head snapped up and she blushed, embarrassed. "I didn't know you had a punk side." Tyler said, motioning to the TV screen showing guys in a wrestling ring thing with guitars and drums.

"I don't really," she said, "I enjoy it sometimes- like when I'm really really really really bored. And I'm all better, and my mother won't let me out of the house. "

"Oh, okay," said Tyler, sounding relieved. Probably for more reasons than one, Val thought. "So you're all better." he repeated, sounding slightly ecstatic. "Are you sure?" He then asked suspiciously. "Let me feel your forehead."

Val was touched that he was being so caring. After he felt her forehead, he gave her a huge hug.

Sunday afternoon found Caitie in the Lanier house- specifically the girls' bedroom, with Val, who now felt much better.

"It's, 'Do you feel okay?" and 'Are you sure you're okay' and 'Can I come see you?" like all the time and he knows I'm perfectly fine because he came earlier and… Gosh, Caitie, it's like he's stalking me!" Val ranted.

The young brunette snorted softly. "And you call me a drama queen." She muttered under her breath.

"What?" Val asked. When Caitie shook her head, Val continued ranting. "He calls like every fifteen or twenty minutes, and it's driving me nuts! I mean, I like him and all, I love him even, but gosh, he's just getting annoying!"

"Maybe I'm just totally ignorant in overachiever society matters, but isn't that what happens when you've been sick for the past, what, like, week?" Caitie said.

"Well, yeah but…"

"Why don't you just tell him to bug off?"

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

"I just can't!"

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Because why?"

"Because I just, I just can't!" Val exploded. Then, changing the subject, "What do you think of this skirt?"

* * *

***After winter break, in school***

"Well, that was certainly an… interesting… winter break, wasn't it?" Caitie asked Val on the way to class.

"Yup… as this character said in this one book I read a long time ago, 'That was fun. Let's never, ever do it again.' "

* * *

Author's note: Thanks again to Montana Magic. It needed closure. I wasn't going to go into mushy details because I think I've forgotten how to write mushy sap. Val's quote was Marco from Animorphs.

I let the fic drag on to long, as I'm letting this author's note. I want to apologize for not ending it sooner. A quality of a good author, at least as I see it, is that they end a story while it's still in demand, but without leaving anything out; they still allow the reader to make up a further ending. If necessary, the author can provide a sequel. I still haven't mastered that technique yet, as it is shown right here in this fic. Please forgive me.

Writing this fic was fun. I'm never going to let a story drag on this long again.