Disclaimer: I own nothing you may or may not recognize. J

Rating: PG13, just in case

Pairing: Travis/Lily eventually

A/N: Can you believe I'm already revising this? Well, tut-tut, I am. A big shout out to Eyes of a Child (Rini) for catching a plot snafu, the worst kind in my humble opinion. As a small treat, she gets my impersonation of Randy Jackson from American Idol, "Yo, yo, yo, girl! Gotta give you your props, YEAH! You brought it doownnn, tonite!" Thanks again.

Because I Know You

Chapter Two: A Shove in the Right Direction

Ray couldn't remember feeling any happier than he did at this very moment. Robbie had told him that Lily liked him. Not just a "Gosh Ray, you're my best friend"-Like but quite possibly a "We-could-date-and-kiss-for-real-this-time"-Like. He had lied somewhat to Robbie about not wanting to confess his undying love. But maybe Robbie was right, no need to rush things. Even as he was trying to act casual and walk calmly back to the station, his feet acted on their own and picked up speed as he caught sight of the door.

Ray ran over Lily in his excitement, knocking her to the ground. He grabbed her hands to pull her up. "Lily! I'm so sorry! I was moving so fast. I should have been looking where…" He stopped short when he noticed that her eyes were wet and she seemed pale and shaky. He held onto her hands, concerned suddenly for her. "Man! Did I hurt you?"

Her eyes flew to his and she barely got out the words, "It wasn't you, Ray." She seemed to be deciding something crucial before she stuttered out, "I …I've gotta go." She pulled her hands from his tight grasp and left so quickly that Ray stood a moment, stunned. He was beginning to think Robbie was an idiot or at least just as clueless about reading women as he was.

He noticed the station door was still open. Immediately, his anger rose, he just knew that Travis had stirred things up again. He wasn't going to sit by and watch him hurt Lily like this. She may not want to be his girl, but she was still his best friend, and no one hurts his friends.

He came through the door hoping he looked as menacing as he felt. "Swami, you can't even go 24 hours without leaving a trail of despair! You know how I feel about Lily! I won't sit by and watch you…"

He was quickly interrupted by Travis, "That's good, Ray." His voice was eerily calm and soft. He was sitting in Lily's chair idly twirling her headphones.

"What are you talking about? Speak English this time, Swami."

Travis' stare was just as calm and eerie as his voice. "Exactly what I said. It's good. Don't sit back this time, Ray."

"What exactly did you say to her, Travis? Why is she so upset?"

Travis hadn't moved from his spot. It didn't look like he was going to for quite some time. "We came to an understanding about all of this," he said while waving his hand in the air.

"If that's a look of understanding, then I'd rather be clueless, Swami."

Travis' anger flashed like lightning at the repeated use of the hated nickname. His voice hardened, "Ray, that's just it. You've been clueless. I'm telling you now that you are right. Now is not the time for you to sit idly by, as you said. Tell her how you feel. Show her."

Ray physically stepped back from the verbal reproach. He didn't really want to fight with Travis. "I've been trying."

Travis' expression turned slightly more neutral but still left Ray feeling uncomfortable under its scrutiny. "Ray, let me put it in terms you can understand."

"What? Small words?"

"No. Baseball."

"Baseball?"

Travis smirked, "Yeah. Ray, you're the pitcher, bases are loaded, two outs, and the count is 3 and 2. You are either going to let some guy walk in a score or you are going to throw a strike. The perfect pitch."

Ray shuffled his feet, suddenly shy of what he was about to admit, and to Travis of all people. "What if I can't?"

Travis suddenly got up and grabbed his bag, heading for the door. Ray thought his question was going to go unanswered when Travis stopped at the threshold. He had only thought Travis looked intense earlier, now he looked like he could take on the world. "Then you can bet I'll be sliding for home."

***

To be continued…. Will Ray convince Lily? Can Travis really step away? And more importantly did you like it, did you love it, want me to trash it?