a/n: in class. i think i'm happy. yes. i am. i finally decided how to get out of my house. i am just going to get married this summer, to josh. hoorah! ok, well enough of that. please leave me notes. i would like the encouragement. thank you.

Bear and Sandy dragged Legolas out of the apartment like a couple dragging a child to Sunday School. But before they could get to Sandy's Kia, they heard a voice.

"Young man!" the little voice said. They all three looked. An ancient woman in a pink terrycloth bathrobe looked down from the apartment porch above Bear's. She smiled, her face exploding into a puddle of wrinkles. "Is this the same Stone boy that lives under me? Well, I'll be! Look at you! You look like such a nice young man, today."

"Thanks, Mrs. Gumbleton, you're lookin pretty marvelous yourself!" Bear called up.

She threw her hands up to her face in mock embarrassment. "Bear, you rascal! You'll make me blush like a school girl. You get on out of here with your pretty little friends!" she warbled, then rushed back into her apartment. Sandy looked at Bear. Bear looked at Sandy. Sandy looked at Bear. They smiled and shrugged simultaneously, then laughed.

They put Legolas in the backseat, strapping him in. He stared out the window at them when the door was shut. Bear and Sandy just stood there for a moment looking back at him. "Is kinda like how Shawn is when he's just messin around," Bear said, and then looked Sandy in the eyes. "But for real you know?"

Sandy nodded. Bear looked so worried. So they got in the Kia and drove away. It was quiet for a moment, and then Bear asked, "Can we have some music? How bout some punk rawk!" he laughed. Sandy started to turn on her Dropkick Murpheys cd, then paused. "What?" Bear asked.

Sandy motioned to the backseat. Bear still looked confused. "I don't think he needs to hear anything like that."

"It'll make em happy!" Bear argued, smiling.

"It'll give em a migraine," Sandy said firmly, still smiling at Bear. He knotted his eyebrows. Sandy glanced at the small red holes above and below his left eyebrow where the bar usually sat. She smiled. I like this kid a lot but he might just be sort of stupid, she thought. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "I don't really think he listens to that kind of stuff."

Bear remembered the Dashboard Confessional comment. His face brightened. "Ohh! Shit! Yeah, you're right!" he bursted. "Holy fuck! That would be bad!" he whispered.

Sandy smiled and nodded knowingly. Bear mirrored her nod and smiled off into the window beside him. Sandy kept her smile and shook her head. A little daft? she thought.

At last they arrived at the Olive Garden. Much to their dismay, they saw that the waiting line was out the door, and onto the porch. "Oh, shit! What're we gonna do!" Bear yelped.

"I dunno..." Sandy looked around, and parked next door at a biking goods store. "I dunno," she repeated, shrugging at Bear.

Bear squinted out the window. "Hey, there's Lu!" He rolled down the window and waved wildly to his sister. Sandy saw a woman jump back in a Lexus and drive up next to them on Bear's side. She put the car into park and rolled down the window. Sandy thought she actually was very pretty for someone who shared so many features with Bear. Looking again at Bear, she noticed that perhaps if you didn't know him, he might not be so obnoxious looking. Sandy smiled to herself, and then Lu and Bear started talking at the same time.

"Look at this place, Bear, was this your idea--"

"Hey look at all the people, no! You were the one who--"

"We will just have to go somewhere else: do you--"

"We're gonna have to, yeah! Let's go to ummm--"

"How about the Pasta Company?"

"Dude, I dunno, OHH! Yeah, the Pasta Company!"

Then suddenly they cried in unison, "OK!" and rolled up the windows. Bear looked at Sandy, who was staring at him, taken aback, eyes wide. "What?" he laughed. He then threw a hand forwards and shouted, "Forth to the Pasta Company!" Sandy giggled and shrugged, backed the car out of the space, put it in drive and took off on 1960 to the Pasta Company.

Fifteen minutes and three frustrating traffic ridden miles later, they arrived at the Pasta Company. Bear pointed out his sister's Lexus, and Sandy parked her Kia next to it. They all got out. Subconsciously, Sandy and Lu looked each other over.

Sandy thought Lu looked very professional in her black dress pants and white blouse, with her shiny, healthy looking brown hair pulled tight into a french twist. It made her face look taut, but still lovely. Her eyes were large and brown, but her lips were pursed--she was not a nonsensical person like her little brother, dear Bear.

To Lu, Sandy looked very young. She could only be about 17. What does Bear think he's doing? Lu thought nervously. I hope this is not supposed to be his girlfriend. To her immediate dismay, Bear leapt up to Sandy and took her little hand, cooing over her and acting like a certified idiot. Her long blue jean skirt had slits that showed of her of course perfect little legs and she wore pink sandals to match her pink shirt. Wrinkles, hm? Lu thought, surveying the slight creases in the starched shirt. She tipped her chin up. Hm, she thought. Probably just another skinny little brat.

Sandy might have well just been able to read this off her face. She was terrified of her! She looks like she wants to wring my neck! Sandy thought, frightened. Bear must have sensed something, for once, and put her hand in his. "Don't be afraid of her, she's just a little weird." Sandy giggled nervously, a tight little smile on her face. Bear knew that he ... had not helped. "Really, I mean, yeah, don't get too close to her or she'll fuckin diagnose ya with a phobia or anxiety disorder, but really, it's OK!" Sandy did laugh this time, and her smile eased a little. Bear smiled too, and patted her on the small of her back. But then Sandy saw Lu still staring at her, and shivered a little.

"Acute ophthalmophobia," Lu said, walking up to Sandy. "Fear of being stared at." Sandy's tight smile returned. Lu smiled though. "I have that, too," she remarked, grinning--a grin that was dangerously close to Bear's. "I'm Dr. Stone," she said holding out her hand to Sandy. While they shook hands, Bear poked her in the side. "Ow! What? Oh, yeah, Lu, my first name is Lu," Bear poked her again, "ow! Stop that! OK! You can call me Lu, sure," she said, then turned to her brother. "Bear you litte -- ughhhhh!" She clenched her hands, shut her eyes, and counted to five silently. She then opened her eyes and smiled, turning to Legolas. "Hi," she started. She looked closely at him.

Legolas' eyes were blank, and there were black circles already starting to spawn beneath them. "I--" she started, "I'm Bear's sister, Lu." She put her hand out and he stared at it, his eyebrows knotted. Lu retracted her hand instinctively, then felt bad. She patted his arm. "Hey, are you alright?" She waited, and realized he was breathing through his mouth, not his nose. "Do you need to lie down?" She patted his arm again. He stared at her face. She looked away a little, but managed to make herself look him in his hollow eyes. She patted his arm. Pat, pat. "Hey-" pat pat, "Can you hear me?" Pat, pat. "You---" pat "hey--".

"Can you get your frickin hands offa him and us go eat?" Bear yelled at the sun, arms in the air.

Lu whirled around, eyes narrowed.

Sandy had to suppress a smile. She wandered inside the building to book a table for four. The brother and sister began to bicker.

"Could you please not patronize me like that, Beren?"

"Why dontcha patimrize my ass, sis!"

Lu gasped. "Why you little heathen!" She made a swipe at him, and hit his arm.

Bear threw back his head and laughed. "You and your weenie self defense. You couldn't fight your way out of a Goddamn paper bag!"

Lu stepped up to him, hands on hips and fumed, "At least I don't have to try, with my friends." Bear's eyebrows raised in amusement. "And would you please not take the Lord's name in vain?"

Legolas looked from one to the other, then quietly stepped between the two to follow Sandy. Bear and Lu looked after him. "We better follow him, he's a real trip," Bear whispered hoarsely to Lu. She rolled her eyes, but followed Bear into the Pasta Company building. Sandy and Legolas were walking after a waitress, so Bear ran after them. (Lu walked briskly.) When they were seated they all gazed up at the overly cheerful waitress.

"Hallo, my name is Jennifer and I'm not your waitress to day unfortunatly!" (a quick giggle) "but I will be taking your drink orders so if you will just look on your menus in front of you and pick a drink out and then you just tell me and I'll bring it right out! So! Do you know already what you want or do I need to give you a minute??" Her mouth was frozen open in a freeze frame smile, with perfect white teeth and pink sparkly lips. They all stared at her blankly.

"No?" Sandy said.

Legolas put his head on his arms on the table.

"Come back in a minute can -" Lu started.

"Jesus Christ, can I get an ashtray?" Bear bellowed.

Lu put her hands in her face, and Sandy covered a giggle with her mouth. A few people turned around, and "Jennifer's" smile dripped off her face. "Can I please get an ashtray?" he repeated. "You're steppin on all my nerves today uh who are ya ... Jen ... and I'm really gonna need a cigarette to fix the damage done." He emphasized the last two words by banging his hands on the table.

"Oh, my God..." Lu said, sliding her hands down her face. "This is why I don't go anywhere with him!" she hissed to Sandy, on her left. Sandy smiled, and shrugged. She still thought this was pretty funny.

Jennifer looked around, blushing nervously, and bent down to whisper, "Sir, this is the non smoking section!" hoping to encourage him to lower his voice.

"Well by all means sister, let's get up!" He stood up. "Tally ho! Where's the smoking!" Jennifer looked as though she would cry, then bustled off. Bear traipsed after her, and left the girls to drag Legolas along as well.

When they were finally settled, Lu just held up her hand while Bear was lighting a cigarette and whispered, "Four waters please?" Jennifer nodded, her lower lip wavering, and dashed off. With his cigarette lit, Bear slumped back into the chair, kicking his feet out under the table, purposely upsetting Sandy's properly crossed legs, (causing her to giggle) and sighed. "SO!" he started.

"You! my little brother, will now shut up!" Lu instructed pointing at him. "You know I hate sitting in smoking, I hate the smell of smoke," (by now Sandy had stopped digging in her purse for her Camels) "and I hate hate hate! when you make a scene like that!"

Bear looked a little guilty, but it didn't look like it was getting him down too bad. He decided it would be better not to say anything else. He rolled his eyes, and smoked in silence.

Lu once again turned her attention to the boy before her. From a quick survey, she guessed uni-polar depression and perhaps some sort of anxiety disorder. She noted the fake glasses, wondered briefly and made a mental note. Perhaps a sign of telophobia, fear of perfection. Shaved head, sometimes a sign of boldness, but perhaps in this case a sign of insecurity or self humiliation. Obviously dressed in Bear's clothes, the sweater she had given Bear last Christmas, so maybe eremophobia, fear of being oneself. She had noticed the disgusting shoes, old and horrible. He might have an inibility to throw things away, a packrat, sometimes meaning that they get attached too easily to material things because of a lack of attachment to a human. So he was probably lonely, and needed someone, but had philophobia, fear of falling in love. So! he therefore must have been burnt by love. Girl problems! she chirped to herself.

She patted his arm to get him to look up at her. "What's your name?"

Legolas stared at her. He did not want to tell her his name. He looked at Bear, then back at Lu. "Legolas," he sighed. This was just like a nightmare. He wondered what would have happened if the orcs had killed him and he had never come here.

Lu smiled. "Hey!" she said cheerfully. "Bear and I are named after Tolkein characters too, did he tell you that?" Legolas looked at her, confused. He knew about Bear's name. "Yeah, his name is Beren and my name is Luthien. You know who they are right?" Legolas stared at her, and she felt herself blushing. She sort of wished she had not brought it up.

Just then, there was an interruption. "Hey hey hey!" Bear called, forgetting to be quiet. There stood the guy who lived with him, the "DeeDee Ramone" character. He bowed, and Bear and Sandy clapped, with Sandy laughing. Lu rolled her eyes.

"OK, who's this," she sighed.

"Hey sis, this is the guy that lives with me!"

"OK, who is he?"

"I just said!" Bear said, happily.

"What is his name, I mean," she asked, desparately wishing Bear had even half a brain.

"Oh, uh, his name is, uh...." Bear paused and looked to the ceiling for help. Lu followed his eyes and stared back at him. What a numbskull! "Well, I don't know his name."

"You're joking."

"No, he really doesn't know," Sandy informed her.

Lu looked hopeless. "Well the kid's standing right there! Ask him!"

They all looked to the slim figure standing at their table, holding a platter of ice waters. He smiled, and began to give them their drinks. "Excuse me, but what's you're name?" Lu asked. With the four drinks down, he moved the platter, to reveal a name tag on his left pocket christianing him "BETTY."

They all mouthed the name, "Betty."

"Betty? THAT'S your NAME?" Lu hissed, tossing her arms up, like a hidden characteristic of Bear.

"Oh, OK," Bear shrugged, and buried his face in his menu. "Betty......" he murmured. He glanced up for a second, marvelling that the infamous unlit cigaratte was gone, but then just realized it was behind his ear, in place of a pen or pencil. Lu and Sandy just stared at their strange waiter.

"Betty" moved the platter again to show Lu his right pocket, which proclaimed him both "MYKEL" and "JEAN." He gave the girls a sly grin.

Lu looked straight ahead. "Huh!" she said, shaking her head, then looking at her menu. Sandy just giggled, then also turned to her menu. "Betty Mykel Jean" wandered away disinterestedly.

Bear glanced up. "Lu, what're you getting?"

"Why."

"Because I just wanna know!"

"I'm not telling you."

"But you always get something good!"

"I know, and even if I tell you, you won't get it, and you'll still try to eat off my plate," Lu answered, never taking her eyes off her menu. Sandy covered up a smile.

"But-"

"Beren, the answer is no," Lu said firmly. Bear "hmph-ed" and rested his cigarette between his lips.

Sandy looked from one to the other. "I'm getting lasagna," she offered.

"That's good here," Lu commented, smiling at Sandy.

Bear's head snapped up, and ashes from his cigarette flew about him. He plucked the cigarette out of his mouth and cried, "Well that's what I'm getting then!"

Lu smiled at him. "Well good for you. I'm getting something else."

Bear threw up his arms.

a/n: ok, sorry it has been a while, but i have been very busy with my jailed up boyfriend. i love him very much though. so i hope this isn't too crappy, mostly it's just small chitter chatter. oh well. i will get things moving. i have kind of thought of an ending. wow, huh! i hope i will remember it when i get there. wooo, i'm scatter brained. well by. kisses! love, sarah.