Author's Note: I'm so glad I'm not the only one who appreciates Andy's cuteness. =;-)

Without a Paddle

            Andrew's eyes widened at Gina's words.  And to think, twenty minutes ago she was curled up in my lap in a peaceful slumber.  But he change in Gina ran deeper than it seemed.  It was like suddenly she was a completely different person from the one he had met earlier that evening.  Now she was scary.  "Listen, Gina—"

            "There's nothing you can say, Andrew.  I have to do what she tells me.  It's the only way that Trina will be at peace after what you did to her.  You have to pay.  You killed her—you killed my sister!"  She lunged at him, her eyes wild.  Her fingers tightened around his throat until he was gasping.

            "I didn't do it," he wheezed.  "It was Warren!"

            "Tattletale," Warren muttered.

            Dalton, the cat, entered the room, and hissed.  Gina glared at him, and he ran away.

            Andrew was panicking.  Black and white spots were beginning to form around the edges of his vision.  He tried to gaze pleadingly at Warren, but the spectre did not appear to be eager to offer any assistance.  Andrew's eyes fell on the TV screen, reflecting the fear in his eyes, and he thought of Jonathan, and the look permanently etched into his features at the time of his death:  Pain, fear, hopelessness, helplessness…Obi-Wan Kenobi's voice reminded him that a Jedi knew none of these things.  Or was it Saruman talking to the Uruks?

            "Gina, please—"

            Warren was laughing now, that cruel laugh that always made Andrew feel insignificant.  And then he saw Katrina—or thought he had—and he realized something important, but lost it almost as quickly. 

"Gina, STOP!"  He grabbed her wrists, and shoved her off of him.  He rolled onto his side, filling his lungs.  By the time he had righted himself, Warren was gone, and Gina lay unconscious on the floor.  Fear tore through him as he crawled to her side.  He hadn't meant to hurt her, he'd just wanted to breathe again.  "Gina?"  Andrew rolled her onto her back.  "Gina, are you okay?"  The girl moaned in response, but her eyes stayed closed.  He looked back to where Warren had been standing, saw nothing, then tried again to rouse his attacker.  "Come on, I have a bad feeling about this.  We should leave."

"Andy?  How did we get upstairs?"

"Nevermind that.  Can you walk?"

She regarded him quizzically, saying, "Yeah."

"Good.  Come on.  We gotta talk to Buffy."

"Buffy?  Buffy whose roof you were atop when I rescued you?"

Andrew grinned.  She seemed to be back to normal now.  "The very same."

"Alright, just let me feed Dalton first."

To be continued…BAH BAH BUMMMM!

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Thanks for reading!