Disclaimer: No! I still don't own anything. I forgot this in the previous chapter. Oops. I don't know if it really matters, though.

I'm on a roll. I feel so write-ish. Thanks for the reviews! I feel special! Woo! (looks embarassed at the hyperness)

I'm still contemplating on that Fillmore/Teen Titans crossover. I figured maybe I'd have X be where Terra went way back when, before she took off. Hmm. I like this idea forming in me head. I will probably have to write it eventually.

But, I digress. So, here is the 7th chapter. It will probably be fairly short, I'm sorry.

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Ingrid didn't head back to her desk when she and Fillmore returned to HQ. She couldn't stand the paperwork. Not with this much on her mind. She needed to talk to someone. But it certainly couldn't be to Fillmore. This was girl talk.

Tehama wasn't at her desk when Ingrid went over, so she sat down in Tehama's chair to wait for her to return. She fiddled with her sash absentmindedly, staring off into space.

She really wanted to deny what was going on here, but the truth was she couldn't. It was far too obvious. She sighed loudly. If someone had told her this was going to develop before it had, nothing would have been able to prepare her for it. And it really was a shock. She knew these things happened, but why to her? Why did it have to be Fillmore? Things would be much less complicated if it were someone else. Pretty much anyone else. She hoped Tehama would be able to help her sort things out. God, she couldn't handle it herself. She had so many other things to worry about at the moment. She really didn't need this. But Ingrid was a sensible person, and she knew that ignoring something rarely just made it go away.

"Hi Ingrid," said a voice, jolting her out of her thoughts. She jumped and looked around. Tehama stood over her, holding a steaming mug. "Is there a particular reason you're in my desk?"

"Yes, actually. You see, I kind of need some help," Ingrid said, standing up and giving Tehama her chair back. Tehama sat down and Ingrid leaned on the edge of the desk.

"Ah, I see. You need me to give you another lesson in fingerprinting? If that's the case, you better cough up the chocolate beforehand," Tehama said.

"No, it isn't about fingerprinting. This is a little more...personal," Ingrid said. Tehama nodded.

"I see. The machine is on the wall in the bathroom and you just-"

"No, it's not that," Ingrid said, shaking her head. "It's something else."

"Well, I can't help you if you don't tell me what it is," Tehama said.

"Alright then. You see, lately I've been feeling some things around Fillmore, and this is completely unnatural," Ingrid said. "I mean, this is Fillmore we're talking about."

"So you got the hots for Fillmore, eh? I was wondering when that was going to happen," Tehama said, grinning.

"What do you mean?" Ingrid asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Apparently you haven't noticed, but word is you guys would make quite the couple," Tehama said.

"What word? Who says that?" Ingrid asked.

"Oh, people. I hear quite a bit of talking, you know," Tehama said.

Ingrid shrugged. "OK, I'll let that go and pretend I never heard."

"So, exactly what about this issue requires you to ask for help? You sound like you know what's going on," Tehama said.

"I don't know what to do. This kind of thing isn't normal for me," Ingrid said.

"So, you tell him, that's what you do. Unless of course you'd rather keep it bottled inside and keep stressing over it," Tehama said.

"I know what you're thinking. I'll get around to telling him eventually. But he's got enough hassle going on right now with the whole Hasseney thing. I'll wait," Ingrid said.

"That is assuming you tell him at all," Tehama said, grinning. Ingrid sighed.

"Yeah," she muttered. "You're probably right." she paused. "This is just confusing, that's all."

"I never thought I'd see Ingrid Third confused. This must be bad," Tehama said. Ingrid shrugged.

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I apologize for the shortness. I couldn't think of a better stopping place for this. I'll get chapter eight up as soon as possible!