Chloe released a disgruntled sigh as she reluctantly stood outside the front door of Jason Masters' home. Of all the places she could be on a Sunday morning, his house would have to be on the very bottom of the list. However, for the sake of her pride, Chloe was willing to endure a few short minutes of her enemy's company.

After standing in front of the door for several minutes, Chloe finally extended her hand and pressed the doorbell. Part of her almost hoped that Jason was either still in bed asleep or already out of the house. As luck would have it, he was neither.

Flinging open his front door, Jason found himself staring into a pair of annoyingly familiar blue eyes. While Chloe opened her mouth to speak, Jason did nothing more than spare her a brief glance and casually slam the door shut.

Leaving Chloe to stand outside with her mouth agape, Jason walked across the foyer and through the doors leading to the living room. As he dropped his athletic body onto the sofa, Jason could feel both his brother and mother staring at him intently.

"Jason, dear, who was at the door?"

Reluctantly swinging his head to look at his mother, Jason answered, "No one that Terminex can't handle."

Before Melinda Masters, a refined and youthful-looking woman of forty, could voice her questions, the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house once more.

Smirking, Devon curiously watched as his younger brother rolled his green eyes and rose to his feet. As Jason stomped out of the room and to the front door, Devon followed a safe distance behind him.

Throwing the door open for a second time, Jason found himself shocked as Chloe Lane reached out, grabbed his hand, and pulled it to her. Almost fascinated by his nemesis and her angry actions, Jason found himself little more than a spectator as Chloe placed a five-dollar bill and some change into his hand. Using her own petite hands to close Jason's fingers into a fist around the money, Chloe roughly pushed his hand away.

Chloe's eyes sparkled with indignation as she explained to a stunned Jason, "Five-dollars and twenty-nine cents - the price of the breakfast you bought for me yesterday at the Brady Pub. Now, we're even."

Neither Jason nor Chloe had a chance to say another word, because Devon was immediately intruding. Smiling in a manner quite similar to that of the cat that ate the canary, Devon suavely said, "Ah, so we meet again. Don't tell me that my brother has already offended you on this beautiful morning. Of course, being offensive is Jason's specialty, don't you agree?"

Before Chloe had a chance to express her agreement, Jason turned to his older brother and commented unhappily, "If I wanted to listen to some egomaniac try to smooth talk this freak, I'd just call Kiriakis in Florida. So, why don't you try and mind your own business, Devon?"

Overhearing small parts of her sons' unpleasant conversation at the door, Melinda decided it to be her motherly duty to intervene. As she was about to reprimand the two young men for their unnecessary disagreement, Melinda noticed the teenage girl standing awkwardly on the veranda.

Giving Chloe a warm smile, Melinda discreetly elbowed her youngest son. Continuing to smile brightly at the guest, Melinda asked forcefully, "Jason, would you like to introduce me to your friend?"

"I'd love to introduce you to some of my friends, Mom. Unfortunately, none are around. In fact, the only people that seem to be coming around today are the local freaks."

Melinda offered Chloe an apologetic smile as she jabbed Jason with her elbow again, this time much more harshly. Clearing her throat, Melinda requested, "Devon, would you please introduce me to this lovely young lady?"

Grabbing his brother by the shoulders, Devon looked to Chloe and responded, "You're Jason's girlfriend, right?"

"No!" Jason and Chloe simultaneously exclaimed.

Waving a disgusted hand in Chloe's direction, Jason broke free of his brother and finally informed his mother and Devon who the dark-haired beauty really was. "This is Chloe Lane - the psycho that caused me to miss senior trip."

Chloe's face flushed pink, and she couldn't help but wonder if she had ever been so humiliated in her entire life. Her embarrassment only worsened when Devon asked with wide eyes, " This is the chick you always call Ghoul Girl? Why didn't you tell me she was hot?"

"I . . . um, I . . . should be going," stammered Chloe as her face continued to redden. She was beginning to think that it was impossible to spend more than five minutes with Jason without blushing at least once.

"No, wait," interjected Melinda. "I've actually been wanting the chance to meet you. Please, come in."

As Chloe hesitantly entered the house, Jason began to walk in the direction of the stairs, muttering, "That's it. I'm going to my room."

Melinda's voice held a calm forcefulness as she simply stated, "No, Jason, you're going to be joining me and Miss Lane in the living room. I have a feeling that there is a great deal the three of us need to discuss."

Following Mrs. Masters to the couch, Chloe took a moment to actually look at the living room in the light. She had been so intensely flustered after her first encounter with Devon, that she had paid no attention to the room and its decorations once the power had been restored.

As Chloe took in all the details of the lovely room, Jason watched her with an odd sense of interest. He found himself almost amused by the way she absorbed each and every detail as though she were afraid it would vanish right before her eyes.

"So, Chloe," began Melinda. "I was actually wishing to speak to you and Jason about something Mr. Woods mentioned to me Friday afternoon when he called to discuss the two of you missing the class trip."

"Mr. Woods called?" Jason questioned.

"Yes, he did. Even after everything that had happened, he still felt horrible about the two of you missing the class trip and wanted to call and let me know that despite what the two of you have done to each other, you are both wonderful young adults."

Disbelief was written all over Jason's face as he asked, "Mr. Woods said I was a wonderful young adult?"

"Yes, well, I was rather surprised myself," answered Melinda. "However, that wasn't the only reason Mr. Woods was calling. He was curious about how the project was going. And, considering I was never even told about it, I'm quite curious as well."

"Busted," muttered Devon as he sent his brother a smug smile.

Continuing to feel intimidated by the Masters family, Chloe wondered how she and Jason were going to explain the report to Mrs. Masters. Things would have been much simpler if Mr. Woods had allowed the class to choose their own partners for the project. Instead, he had insisted upon pairing the students with whoever he wished. And, in an attempt to help Chloe and Jason get along, Mr. Woods had assigned them to be partners.

Appalled by the mere idea of working together, Jason and Chloe quickly decided to split up the work. Then, before the report was due, Jason could give Chloe his half of the research and she could finish things up. Neither cared how bad the report sounded as long as they were able to finish it with minimum contact.

"I was told that the project was assigned more than a month ago and is due the first day of school following spring break. I find that quite disturbing considering I have not once seen the two of you working on it together, and Mr. Woods told me that you were partners."

"We just split the work. Don't worry about it, Mom. It's not a big deal."

"Considering your grade in that class, I believe it's quite a big deal," reprimanded Melinda. Turning her attention to Chloe, Melinda continued, "Now, Chloe, I was hoping that since you and Jason won't be attending school this week, you would be able to actually work on the project together. Are you free on Monday?"

"Monday?" Chloe mindlessly questioned. Jason's mother was definitely moving at a pace far too fast for Chloe's liking.

"Yes, I was thinking that the two of you could spend the afternoon doing research, then you could join us for dinner."

Jumping to his feet, Jason pointed almost accusingly at Chloe and nearly yelled, "Mom! Don't invite that blood-sucking freak to dinner!"

Melinda's gentle eyes hardened greatly as she looked at her son and replied, "Do not tell me what to do, Jason. I am the parent, and you should remember that. Considering your recent behavior, I seriously doubt that you are mature enough to even contemplate who should be invited to dine with us."

Effectively silencing her youngest born and causing him to flop his body into the empty chair beside his brother's, Melinda once again looked at Chloe. "Now, Chloe, will you please accept my dinner invitation? I am sure that your parents would agree that it would be a good way for you and Jason to learn to get along. In fact, I was planning to call your mother and discuss it."

"Actually, my mother called last night to tell me that she and Craig will be staying in Chicago another day, so they won't even be home until sometime Tuesday."

"Oh, well, in that case, I insist that you have dinner with us. After all, I can't imagine how lonely you must be with your parents in Chicago for such a long period of time."

"Honestly, Mrs. Masters, Jason and I have already completed our separate parts of the report, so we really don't need to spend any time together working on it."

Interrupting, Jason said, "Chloe's right - for once. There's no reason for us to work on something that we've already finished."

Glaring sternly at Jason, Melinda questioned, "Are you saying that the project is completed so well that it cannot possibly be improved? Hmm, Jason?"

Choosing to roll his eyes, Jason ignored his mother and sent his amused older brother a pleading look, silently begging for him to help.

"You know, Chloe," began Devon as he sent his brother an almost evil smirk. "I really do hope that you agree to join us for dinner tomorrow night. Don't I deserve the chance to prove to you that Jason's just a bad example of the family and that not all the Masters men are complete jerks?"

Jason's mouth literally dropped open in displeased shock as his brother spoke to Chloe. He was definitely not liking the way the conversation was going. If he didn't know better, he might believe that Devon was interested in Chloe. And, for some unknown reason, that thought truly bothered Jason.

Tossing Devon a confused glare, Jason asked with great annoyance, "Have you completely lost your mind?"

Devon leaned toward Jason and whispered in return, "Me? You are the crazy fool that sees a gorgeous and lonely babe and starts insulting her."

Jason merely shook his head and looked away from his brother. He was most certainly not in the mood to have such a dispute with Devon. After all, Jason was certain that he had very good reasons for continually insulting Chloe - he just needed a little time to remember what those reasons were.

As Jason silently pondered his motives for his constant rudeness toward Chloe, his mother continued to try and convince the young woman to join the family for dinner the following evening.

After returning to his previous sitting position in the chair, Devon returned his attention to Chloe. His voice smoother than that of any snake charmer, Devon said, "Chloe, I really don't see why you won't agree to have dinner with us - unless you're scared."

"Scared?" Chloe questioned curiously.

"Yeah," responded Devon. "You aren't afraid of Jason are you? Because, that's the only possible reason for you to refuse to dine here tomorrow night."

"I am not afraid of Jason," indignantly retorted Chloe as she waved her hand in Jason's direction. She was slightly surprised when he said nothing but continued to sit silently pondering whatever it was that Devon had previously said to him.

"Then, you'll be here tomorrow night at six," stated Melinda as she took over for Devon. "By then, you and Jason should be done with your project."

Rising from the couch, Chloe muttered a quiet, "Yes, of course." Turning her attention to Jason, Chloe asked, "I guess we can do our work at the library. What time to you want to meet?"

Completely oblivious to the fact that he was being spoken to, Jason continued to wonder why he hated Chloe. He tried to justify his hatred by simply stating that she was a freak and a psycho that practically brainwashed his friend Philip. Still, Jason knew that there really wasn't a good reason to justify his cruel behavior. But, if he didn't have a reason, Jason had to wonder one thing - why did he treat Chloe so badly?

Waving her hand in front of Jason's face, Chloe said, "Hello?!? Jason?"

"What? Huh?" Jason stammered as he blinked at focused his gaze upon Chloe. "What did you say?"

"I was asking what time you wanted to meet at the library tomorrow to work on our project."

"How about half past a monkey's-"

"Jason!" Melinda exclaimed, her motherly disapproval evident in the way she said her son's name.

Barely restraining from rolling his eyes, Jason plastered a fake smile upon his face as answered, "Gee, Chloe, what time is good for you?"

"Two o'clock would be okay."

"Fine," huffed Jason, the fake smile gone from his handsome face.

"Fine."

"I already said that," commented Jason with a smug smirk.

Crossing her arms defensively over her chest, Chloe opted to merely state, "I need to be going home."

She was not halfway to the doors leading to the foyer when Devon jumped to his feet and asked, "Did you drive over here?"

"No, actually, I just walked," answered Chloe as she sent Jason's older brother a suspicious glance.

"In that case, someone should give you a ride home. Don't you agree, Mom?" Not waiting for a response from his mother, Devon continued, "I would actually love to drive you home, but I'm already late meeting some old friends of mine."

Before Devon even began his next sentence, Jason was already shaking his head. He and his brother were definitely needing to have a talk.

"Oh, gee, I just had a great idea. Jason, why don't you drive Chloe home?"

Melinda attempted to not smile at the look upon her baby boy's face. However, all too often, she found Devon and Jason's antics terribly amusing. Doing her best to sound disinterested, Melinda said, "Yes, that's a good idea."

Smirking triumphantly, Jason replied, "You know, I'd love to drive Chloe home, but I can't. My car is still in the shop after breaking down in the rain yesterday. I guess that means she'll just have to walk home."

Her face continuing to mask her amusement, Melinda said, "Oh, since you're so eager to drive Chloe home, you can just borrow the Explorer. The keys are on the counter in the kitchen."

Before Chloe could even begin her protests, Devon was leading her outside to the garage to wait for Jason, not once flirting with her until Jason made his appearance.

Upon seeing his younger brother, Devon reached for Chloe's hand and brought it to his lips. Huskily, he murmured, "Until we meet again."

In response to his brother's romantic gesture, Jason began to make very convincing gagging sounds. Content that he had fully expressed his disgust, Jason stopped the sound effects. Motioning toward the vehicle, he told Chloe, "Just get in so I can get you home - and out of my sight."

While Chloe walked around the vehicle to get in the passenger side, Devon approached his brother who was getting in the driver's seat. With a bemused grin, Devon lowly commented, "Keep sweet talking her like that, and you're bound to win her over, baby bro."