Jay looked around. He wasn't quite sure where he was. He glanced beside him and saw Leigha, she wasn't looking at him, she was staring straight forwards at the pool.

Leigha's eyes darted quickly to see everything. She could see Ram at the other end of the pool, standing there staring at them. In Reality Space, he had no need for his wheelchair.

Jay looked around again. It was the indoor pool section of a gym, sort of like the one his old high school had. There were banners and flags up everywhere, as if it was a swim meet.

She could see Jay out of the corner of her eye and she refused to look at him. She didn't want to screw up the situation even more.

"Ram," Jay yelled across the pool, his voice echoing, "What's going on?!"

Ram smiled. He planned the entire thing and it was going over nicely.

"An experiment, you understand. A series of endurance tests you will both complete. Should one of you fail this, there will be consequences placed up you-"

"You have no authority to do this!"

Ram chuckled. "I have every authority to do whatever I please, you know that as well as I do, Jay."

"What does this prove?"

"Whether or not you are really pushing yourself to your potential. You wouldn't dare let her take an advantage over you so she will escape the consequences and you will not- if either of you fail I know it is because of both of you. If either of you fail, you both will face the costs of it. And your punishment won't be the same, mind you."

He smiled devilishly at Leigha. Jay saw it and he hated the way Ram looked at her. Jay frowned and looked beside him at her in her bathing suit. It brought back high school memories to see her in her swim team bathing suit, looking just like she used to, before the virus, that is. Goggles, resembling those of her long-ago 'lucky goggles', dangled from her hand. He found that he, too, was holding a pair of goggles. He hated goggles.

"Also," Ram said, "There are two tests, this one and another. Each one is a specialty of one of you. One will be comfortable doing it and the other won't be, and vice versa for the second test. Obviously there will be an unfair advantage, but that advantage will be regained in the second test."

That explained a lot.

Jay studied her closer, seeing the way she seemed so relaxed. He knew that beneath her calm exterior, she was feeling something else. He stared at her eyes and face, his gaze slowly slipping from her face down her neck and throat. He smirked slightly as he saw her necklace that he had given her back.

He studied it even closer than anything else. It was a long, taut piece of string covered in small red beads, a cross hanging at the lowest point of the necklace. He remembered how long he had held that necklace, thinking of her, hoping he would be able to see her again.

He turns his gaze from her and back onto the situation at hand.

Jay took a deep breath. Jay doesn't know what the hell swimming has to do with pushing himself to his potential in the city. He's sure Ram is just using some excuse.

Leigha swallowed and waited Ram's orders.

"You will start at the first sound of the whistle, not stopping until I see fit to stop you. Ready?"

Neither of them answered.

"Ready?!" he yelled in a loud, angry way.

Leigha moved only her head as she looked over at Jay. The first instant he saw her move, he turned to face her.

"Don't hold back," she said quietly. There was no set emotion in her voice. Jay stared at her. She turned her head back toward Ram's direction.

"Leigha" he started.

"Jay?" she asked sternly.

"What?"

"Shut up and stop trying to figure everything out. It's just making it worse," she whispered.

"I'm waiting!" Ram yelled across the pool.

"Me, too," Jay mumbled under his breath. He looked over at Leigha as she stepped onto the starting block, slipping on her goggles. He sighed. "I guess I don't know you as well as I used to," he said softly, "Should I stop trying to figure you out, too?"

She didn't answer, she tried to act as if she didn't even hear him. Jay shook his head and stepped onto the starting block near him, preparing himself, sliding the goggles he detested on.

Leigha tried to focus on remembering her swimming lessons. Yes, she had been on the swim team more than once in her life, but you would be surprised how much information one could lose during a crisis such as the virus AND being tested on. She had forgotten most everything before, why should this be different?

She quickly glanced at Jay and just as quickly averted her eyes away. He noticed but didn't react. She waited for Ram's starting whistle. Even though she hated that bastard, she would comply with his rules.

Leigha waited and waited, staring into the water so hard and so intently, she almost was entranced by it, by the clear blue water.

They both heard it at the same time, the whistle, but Jay, not used to competitive swimming, was almost disoriented. Leigha, on the other hand, automatically dived into the water. It felt good to feel the cold-water rush onto her, her eyes almost mechanically closed as she hit the water. Although she had been wearing goggles, she did not trust them, she never did.

Leigha's mind flew from Jay, to swimming front crawl and reaching the other side of the pool. She tried to focus on reaching one arm out in front of the other, propelling herself along at a smooth pace. She didn't want to use all her energy like she would an actual competition, because she wasn't sure how long she would have to swim. 'Damn.'

Jay was soon nearing the other side of the pool, not sure where she was. The feeling he had whilst he swam was like that of riding a bike, he hadn't done either in a long, long time.

For what seemed like hours, they went back and forth, from one side of the pool to the other, pushing themselves to the limit. For Leigha, it was like a standard swim practice; she had often had to swim at least one hundred laps in the pool, courtesy of her swim instructor.

It was different for Jay. Every stroke or so he took, he turned his head to the side to breathe. Every time he took a breath of air, he felt like his lungs were going to explode, as was everything else in his body.

Just as Leigha's fingertips touched the cold, hard surface of the side of the pool, she took a gulp of air and went back under the water, turning so that she came up facing the other side of the pool. All of a sudden, she heard a sharp whistle sound. She took two more strokes and heard a yell. She stopped and her feet found the bottom of the pool; it wasn't too deep, maybe up to her chest.

Leigha gasped for breath as she stood, pulling to goggles off her head. She wasn't sure which end of the pool was the one she had started at. She turned around, she saw Jay just coming up.

Jay stood up, water sliding down his muscular chest to the water that came up to his waist. He took a deep breath and took his goggles off. He then shook his head vigorously, trying to get the water out of his eyes. He was still trying to catch his breath as he turned towards her and shrugged, smiling slightly. They both looked to Ram at the same time.

Ram stood there impatiently. He was frowning. Leigha rolled her eyes and walked to the end of the pool Ram was at. She had to walk the entire length of the pool in the water. Jay was closer to Ram's side than she was. He got there faster.

Jay painfully lifted himself out of the pool, his arms left with little strength. Water cascaded down his well-built body and onto the floor. He looked over as Leigha placed both of her hands on the pool's side, preparing to pull herself out with whatever strength that remained in her arms. Jay walked over to her lane and extending his hand out in front of her, offering to help her out.

She gives him an annoyed look and rolls her eyes; she doesn't need his help. Leigha pulls herself out without his help and she stands up beside him. She gathers her wet hair in her hands and squeezes the water out onto the floor, then tossed it back over her shoulder.

She looked over at Ram and he handed her a towel. She frowned. She wondered where he hand gotten the towel and then she realized. It was reality space.

She grabbed the towel from him and he smiled. As she unfolded it she noticed that it was actually two towels, not one. She sighed and thrust the other at Jay. He wasn't paying attention and didn't grab it, making her shove it into his chest. He took it and smiled. She rolled her eyes. She kept telling herself that the faster things went to sooner she'd get out of there; with or without Jay's, or anyone's, help this time.

Leigha draped the towel over her form and looked at Ram. He smirked at her and raised his eyebrow like he was impressed. She didn't respond in any way. Jay stared at Ram angrily. Jay knew that even if Leigha never knew he was there, she was thinking that she should have high-tailed it out of there with Lex and Pride when she had the chance. To her, none of it was worth it anymore.

In her opinion, if Jay hadn't of been there, she wouldn't have been caught. Also, she wouldn't have been caught with him, provoking Ram's thoughts.

"Are we ready for the next challenge?" Ram asked them, well, rather her, with a smile. He clasped his hands behind his back She didn't respond, she just stared at him coldly and tiredly.

Ram nodded his head, still smiling. For him, this was entertaining. It was almost as much fun as watching Siva, Java, and Ebony at each other's throats like they did way back when.

"Jay, I'm not entirely convinced you are worth all the trouble of keeping you around. I'll give you one last chance to prove that you're worth it"

Jay didn't respond.

Ram turned to her. "And, Leigha, while pushing yourself to the limit, you ceased to look beautiful and your performance was lovely."

He smiled and raised his hand in an exaggerated flourish so close that he almost reached out and touched her cheek. Jay watched helplessly, almost thinking that she would let him touch her.

Leigha swiped his hand away quickly. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. If she could help it, she was not about to let herself be added to Ram's list of wives. She wasn't awed with those who were already on the list anyways. He had obviously picked up on her name and had probably practiced that line while pondering when he should blow the whistle. She wasn't impressed.

Also, who knows what germs reside on his hand??

'Ram germs...BLECK!'

Jay smiled. Leigha almost laughed at her own comment. Ram didn't let her actions bring him down.

"Well," he said, unusually cheerful, "We must be ready for the next challenge by now."

He snapped his fingers and all went dark. All just before Jay reached over to Leigha, taking her hand. She pulled her hand back. After everything, she wasn't about to let that happen. Even though she had resisted Ram, she wasn't Jay's either. She also reminded her self of 'Jay germs'. She softly giggled at herself.

'I wonder what Ram has in mind next...'