As the sun began to sink out of the spring sky, Jason reluctantly led Chloe Lane into his house. The afternoon research session at the library had seemed endless, but both teens had not only endured each other's company but worked together to better their project.

After dropping the keys to his car onto the counter in the foyer, Jason entered the living room. Following a few feet behind him was Chloe. Each of the two inwardly groaned when they saw Devon sitting on the couch.

Jason was most certainly not in the mood to endure his brother's smug comments, and Chloe would rather do almost anything than listen to Devon spew empty words of admiration. She'd had enough hollow compliments to last a lifetime. All she really wanted was a few genuine statements.

Sitting down in the recliner, Jason watched curiously as Chloe chose to sit on the end of the couch closest to him - and farthest from Devon.

Without looking away from the magazine he was reading, Devon stated, "I don't bite."

"No one said you did," retorted Chloe as her cheeks reddened just slightly.

"Oh, I get it."

"What do you get?" Chloe asked Devon.

"You just want to be closer to Jase. Well, that's cool. I can handle you wanting the goldfish rather than the trout. You're the one fishing - not me."

Jason and Chloe both stared at Devon with apparent indignation. After spending the entire afternoon together, the two were most certainly feeling a great deal of stress.

"Goldfish?" Jason questioned, his eyebrows raised with offense. "Who are you calling a goldfish?"

"And, what do you mean I would rather sit by Jason because I'm the one fishing?"

Closing the magazine and tossing it onto the coffee table, Devon smiled and said, "Gee, you two are so defensive. Just chill - we're gonna have some fun tonight."

Sharing a rare look of mutual understanding, Jason and Chloe wondered just what it was that Devon was thinking. Whatever he had in mind, Jason and Chloe each had a feeling that it would be anything but pleasant.

"Devon," Jason hesitantly began with a glance around the room. "Where's Mom?"

The wicked smile that Devon displayed was more than enough to make his companions cringe. Whether you knew Devon Masters for ten minutes or ten years, you could easily understand that the mischievous glare in his eyes was anything but good.

"Mom won't be able to make it to dinner after all. Apparently, Aunt Margie had a fall and had to be taken to the hospital. The doctor said it wasn't anything serious, but Mom wanted to stay with her tonight just to make sure she's okay."

Rising to her feet, Chloe looked at Jason and said, "Well, I guess that's my cue to leave. I would say that I'm sorry to be going, but well, you know I'm not."

"Wait!" Devon exclaimed as he also jumped to his feet. "You don't really want to leave just yet, do you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

"But, you sorta can't."

Rubbing his face with his hands, Jason grumbled, "Devon, what have you done now?"

"Okay, it all started when I met this babe at the Java Cafe." Winking at his younger brother, Devon commented, "And, let me tell you, she is hot."

Her level of annoyance beginning to rise, Chloe demanded, "What does this have to do with me?"

"Well, Mom had already told me about Aunt Margie, so I was thinking that I could invite this girl over to the house. But, it turns out that she is really modest and shy. So, she pretty much said that she wouldn't feel comfortable with just the two of us in the house."

"Once again, what does this have to do with me?"

Giving a forced laugh, Devon attempted to smile brightly at Chloe and Jason as he responded, "Well, that's actually where the story starts to get funny. You see, I sorta told her that it wouldn't be a problem because we would be double dating with my brother and his new girlfriend." Before Jason or Chloe could even begin to protest, Devon added, "So, you guys just act like you did the first time I saw you together - except move upstairs instead of just getting it on while laying on the living room floor."

"No intelligent person would ever believe that we're a couple," stated Jason.

"I thought you guys were."

"Exactly."

A thought suddenly occurring to her, Chloe questioned, "Wait, why did you think that I was Jason's girlfriend? Haven't you met Jan?"

Before Jason could find a way to keep his brother from opening his big mouth, Devon answered, "Sure, I've met Jan. But, after hearing that she and Jason were broken up and then seeing you two rolling around on the floor together on Saturday, I just assumed that you had stolen him from that frizzy-haired control freak."

Jason waited for Chloe to make some snide comment concerning his break up with Jan, some slight that would instantly wound him. He found that he was waiting in vain.

Breaking through the silence that had befallen the room, Devon continued the explanation of his supposedly ingenious plan. "Listen, all you guys have to do is pretend for a couple of hours that you're dating. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Chloe exclaimed.

"No way, bro. There is no way on this earth that I'm going to pretend to be dating Ghoul Girl. And, why should I? It really doesn't make any difference to me whether or not you impress some girl."

Flashing his wicked smile once more, Devon questioned, "What if I made it worth your while?"

Interrupting the conversation between the brothers, Chloe stated, "You couldn't pay us enough to pretend to be a couple. There's not enough money in all the world."

"Who said anything about money?" Devon rebuffed. "From personal experience, I can tell you that the thing most people dream of isn't really money. It's something that they long for but believe they can't have. And, I have a feeling that I could give both of you something that would definitely make it worth a few hours of your time."

"I thought he said she was shy," whispered Chloe as she sat on the couch beside Jason as Devon and his date sat in the nearby chairs.

"Yeah, and I thought he said she was hot," Jason commented as he forced himself to look away from his brother and the girl who was going on and on about every possible detail of her life.

Tearing herself away from the oldest of the handsome Masters brothers, Gwen McDaniel stared curiously at Jason and Chloe. Turning to face Devon once more, she accusingly stated, "I thought you said that they were a couple. Hmm, Devsie? I agreed to come over here because you told me that we wouldn't be the only couple madly in love. Don't tell me that you were lying to me."

"No, pumpkin, I wasn't lying. Jase and Chloe are usually all over each other. In fact, the first time I saw those crazy kids, they were rolling around right here in the living room floor - honest to God."

Jason turned his face away from Devon and Gwen and whispered to his supposed enemy, "What the hell is going on around here? I thought Devon said that he just met this wacko."

"Well, Sherlock, obviously your brother was telling us lies."

Noticing the quarrel that was about to break out between Jason and Chloe, Devon gently placed a kiss on Gwen's hand and said, "Jase, Chloe, why don't you lovebirds help me in the kitchen - now."

Rolling his eyes in his most grumpy manner, Jason forcefully grabbed Chloe's hand and muttered, "Come along, dear."

Of course, the moment the trio was in the safety of the kitchen, Chloe and Jason immediately relinquished their hold on each other. Purposely putting several feet between themselves, Jason and Chloe gave Devon a nearly identical death glare while simply avoiding each other's gaze and wishing that they couldn't still feel the warmth of the other's hand.

Taking an almost menacing step toward his conniving brother, Jason warned, "You'd better tell me what is going on - and I mean now."

Devon took a step away from his brother, but the look upon his face was enough to assure that he was not backing away from Jason in any sense other than the physical. In the mental sense, he was right up in Jason's face ready to do battle.

Smirking just slightly, Devon replied, "You're not getting an explanation so just forget about it. Now, you two already promised that you would make Gwen believe you were a real couple. Don't forget what's at stake here for each of you."

"How could we if you keep throwing it in our face?" Jason growled as he and his brother continued to share an almost cruel lock of the eyes.

Finally looking away from his baby brother, Devon quickly glanced at Chloe and her miserable expression. "If you two want what I promised you, then you'd better go out there, act like a real couple, then just disappear so Gwen and I can be alone."

As Devon disappeared into the living room, Chloe gave Jason a quizzical look and asked, "Did he just turn from Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde? Because, he is acting completely different from how he acted the other times I was around him."

"That's just the way Devon is. One minute he's a total charmer, and the next thing you know, he's biting your head off over nothing. But, as much as I hate to admit it, he's a pretty good guy. Something big must be going on if he's acting like this much of a jerk to get his way."

"Well, at least now I know where you got it from."

"Did I ever tell you how much of a b-"

Interrupting his brother mid-sentence, Devon stuck his head in the kitchen and lowly hissed, "Would the two of you just shut-up and get out here?"

As Devon disappeared once more, Chloe turned to Jason and questioned, "Are you sure that your brother can give us what he promised? Because, I'm not willing to waste my night with you if he was just telling more lies."

"First, I don't exactly like the idea of spending my evening with you, either. Second, yeah, Devon will come through for us. If I had any doubts, I would have already kicked you out of the house." Taking hold of Chloe's hand once more, Jason grumbled, "Let's get this show started - so we can get it over with."

Chloe pulled away from Jason and said, "I really don't want to do this. This is going to be such a miserable night."

"Miserable? Face the facts, Chloe. If you weren't such an ice princess, you would be jumping up and down at the mere thought of getting to pretend to be my girlfriend. After all, I'm athletic, charming, handsome, sexy . . ."

"Full of yourself."

"Whatever, Vampira. I'm willing to bet that you wouldn't be able to resist my charm if I ever stooped down to a level so low that I would hit on you."

"Jason, you make me want to vomit every meal I've ever eaten. Resisting you would be a piece of cake."

As Chloe walked away from Jason and back into the living room, Jason whispered to himself, "Wanna bet?"

Exiting the kitchen only seconds after Chloe, Jason followed his sworn nemesis to the couch. He smiled almost gleefully as he decided that the best way to torture Chloe would be to prove her wrong. After all, he was Jason Masters - no woman could resist him, right?

Collapsing beside Chloe on the couch, Jason casually flung his arm around Chloe's arm, smiling as he drew her closer to him. Placing his mouth just a whisper away from Chloe's ear, Jason quietly said, "I just want to kiss and make up, pookie. You know how I feel about you."

"That's for sure," grumbled Chloe as she wondered whether or not it would take more will power to not move away from Jason and go along with the charade or to force herself to place some distance between her own face and Jason's.

Bringing his lips to Chloe's temple, Jason gently pressed his lips against her skin. Pulling away just enough to speak, Jason said, "Don't you want to kiss and make up, pookie?"

"Ah," commented Gwen from her place in the chair beside Devon. "Don't they make a cute couple? And, it's so sweet how he has that nickname for her."

Dropping his voice so low that only Chloe could hear him, Jason whispered, "Face it, freak. It would be child's play for me to seduce you - if I actually wanted you. Of course, the idea of actually touching you for any other purpose than to get what I want makes me want to puke."

As she forced herself to smile and run her right hand over Jason's surprisingly firm chest, Chloe whispered in return, "Trust me, I hate this more than you ever could. But, if Devon can come through for me, it'll almost be worth it."

"Almost?" Jason quietly questioned as he shocked Chloe by grasping her waist and pulling her up against him. "I'm one of the most popular guys at Salem High. Any girl there would kill to be in your position."

Glancing over Jason's shoulder to where Devon and Gwen were staring and attempting to hear the whispered comments, Chloe envisioned what Devon had promised and moved her hands from where they were pressed against Jason's chest to his back. There, she forced herself to forget that he was her enemy as she ran her hands up his back. After all, Chloe not only wanted what Devon had to offer, but she wanted to prove to Jason that he was wrong - he was the one that couldn't resist her.

Jason barely restrained from groaning as Chloe allowed her hands to drop down to the bottom of his shirt and began to massage the skin just above the top of his jeans. Since they had first met, Jason and Chloe had played a lot of dangerous and unusual games. From spicing each other's food to vicious public pranks to merely doing whatever it took to humiliate the other, Jason and Chloe had never backed down from each other. And, as he unconsciously began to slip his own hands just under Chloe's shirt, Jason knew that he and Chloe had never played a game quite so dangerous . . . or tempting.

Pressing her face against Jason's, Chloe whispered in his ear, "Your brother and Gwen look like they're about to have a heart attack. So, we should just stop. After all, I've already proven that you're the weak one."

"Am not," denied Jason, his hands still moving along the soft skin just under the bottom of Chloe's shirt.

Loudly clearing his throat, Devon commented, "Gee, I guess we should all get ready to watch the movie." Seeing that Jason and Chloe were still wrapped up in each other, Devon added, "Yep, it sure would be a good time to start the movie."

Jason barely kept from laughing as his older brother spoke. Devon seemed to have finally learned that you should be careful what you wish for. After all, he had wanted Jason and Chloe to act like a couple. Of course, he had probably doubted that they would be so very convincing.

His patience lost, Devon yelled, "Yo! Why don't you two just book a room?"

Their eyes meeting, Jason and Chloe shared yet another rare look of mutual understanding. In that moment, they were thinking the exact same thing.

Jason stood and reached down for Chloe's hand, pulling her up as well. Holding his foe close to him, Jason commented, "Devon, that's a great idea. I mean, we would just go upstairs, but Chloe tends to get a little loud when she starts screaming."

In a uncommon moment, Devon almost blushed as he sent Gwen what he hoped would be a comforting smile.

Fueling the fire of Devon's embarrassment, Chloe added, "Besides, my sweetkims likes to have privacy for the role playing. Huh, sweetkims?"

"That's right, pookie." Smiling one last time to his brother as he began to lead Chloe out of the living room, Jason said, "Don't wait up, Dev."

By the time Jason and Chloe were outside the house, they were each about to burst out laughing. Not even realizing that he was still holding Chloe's hand, Jason asked with a grin, "Did you see the shocked look on his face? Oh, God, that was freakin' hilarious."

"Well," responded Chloe with a grin of her own. "He deserved to be thrown off for lying to us. It was so obvious that more was going on with him and that girl than he told us."

Jason's laughter was suddenly stopped when he looked down and noticed that his hand still clasped Chloe's smaller one. Almost jumping away from Chloe as he let go of her hand, Jason mumbled, "Um, I should probably just give you a ride home."

"No!" Chloe exclaimed with more force than necessary. "Um, you know, I think that I would honestly rather walk."

His usual exasperation returning, Jason forcefully stated, "Look, it's not exactly eighty degrees out here - not too mention that it's too late at night for a girl to be walking home alone. I'll give you a ride to your house, then we won't even have to see each other again until school starts."

"Fine," huffed Chloe without even really knowing where her anger originated. "Let's just hurry up so I don't have to spend any more time with you than necessary."

"Sounds great to me. After all, I would rather be stranded on some desert island with Gigantor than spend any of my free time with you!"

As they walked toward Jason's newly repaired car, Jason and Chloe each muttered under their breath, "I hate you."