Silvan Arrow: Phew…I'm finally back with a new chappie!

Tammy: You've been lazy lately.

Silvan Arrow: No I haven't! I've been busy getting ready for college!

Amy: Sure…sure, that's what they all say.

Silvan Arrow: Well, if you're gonna be like that, then you can just do the disclaimer!

Amy: Oh FINE! Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs.

Silvan Arrow: Thank you! By the way, this chapter was inspired by ideas from ZorraVixen10187798 and whyamidoingthis01. Thanks a million for the help! While I continue to prepare for college, enjoy reading this next chapter!

Chapter 9: Amusement Park Confessions

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Bit beast mind-chatting with master

Tammy's memories

In Bryan and Tammy's room…

A shaft of warm sunlight streamed through the window and alighted across Tammy's closed eyes, waking her up. She stirred slightly and slowly opened her eyes. 'What is that…and why is therean armaround my waist?' she wondered in a semi-conscious state. As her blurry vision cleared, she came face-to-face with a familiar Russian. 'Bryan!' She bolted upright in bed in surprise, jerking Bryan awake as well. And then…THUD!

"Huh? Tammy?" Bryan asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes. He leaned over the edge of the bed and found her sprawled in a heap on the floor with an angry glare on her face. "Why are you on the floor?"

"What do you think, genius? I fell!" Tammy snapped. 'These beds are SO not meant for two people.' The sheets were tangled around her legs, so she couldn't get up.

Bryan chuckled softly and smirked. "Here, let me help." He got up and walked over to her, extending a hand. She grabbed his hand and tried to pull herself up, but she tripped over the sheets again and fell over, knocking Bryan down in the process. He landed on his back with Tammy on top.

"Oops…sorry," Tammy said sheepishly with a major blush.

"N-no problem," Bryan stammered. Then he started laughing.

"And what is so funny, mister?" Tammy demanded. But Bryan's laughter was positively contagious. This wasn't just a chuckle. This was a full-out belly laugh. Tammy tried to stifle a giggle. "Stop…stop laughing!" But it was no use. She burst out laughing as well until tears were streaming down both of their faces.

At breakfast…

"What was all that noise coming from your room, Tammy?" Tyson asked. "It sounded like you were laughing."

"Huh? Oh, it was nothing," Tammy replied quickly, trying to avoid the knowing looks the girls were giving her. She decided to change the subject before someone else started interrogating her. "So…what's the plan for today?"

"We're going to an amusement park!" Michelle announced cheerfully.

"What? Who goes to an amusement park when there's four feet of snow on the ground?" Bryan asked in bewilderment.

"We're taking a bus down the mountain," Eri explained. "It's actually one of the warmer parts of the year right now in Switzerland, and there's no snow in the lower altitudes. It'll still be a bit nippy, like in the 40s and 50s, so dress warmly."

Twenty minutes later everyone was on a chartered bus heading down the mountain. Unfortunately, Tyson took this as an opportunity to resume his sing-a-long from when he was so rudely interrupted a few days ago.

"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer…"

"TYSON, SHUT UP!" everyone else yelled.

"Fine…ruin my fun again…" Tyson grumbled as he slumped back in his seat and scowled. Hilary gave him a peck on the cheek, and he blushed bright red.

Thirty more minutes later…

"Wow…this is the amusement park?" Ian asked in amazement. The rest of his teammates bore equally dazed expressions. This place was huge! Hundreds of people milled around inside the park waiting to go on dozens of different rides.

"Yup!" Michelle replied with a grin. "We've got the whole day to spend here, so enjoy to your heart's content!" She gave Eri a conspiratorial wink. It was time for the next phase of Operation Match-Making. Objective: Spark some romance between Bryan and Tammy in an amusement park!

"This place is so big. Where should we go first?" Eri asked.

"I say it would be the most time-efficient if we went in smaller groups of two or three. That way we can cover more ground and spend less time waiting in lines," Emily explained logically.

"I guess that makes sense," Mariam mused.

"Ooh! Ooh! I wanna go in the house of mirrors! Come on, Kai!" Michelle exclaimed. She grabbed his arm and started dragging him away. Kai looked indifferent to the whole situation.

"Hey, I wanna go on the ferris wheel! Come on, Rei!" Mariah chirped, dragging Rei off in the opposite direction. He just smiled good-naturedly and went along quietly. One by one each of girls went in a different direction with their boyfriends until only two people remained: Bryan and Tammy.

'Oh great. I'm here in an amusement park…all alone…with Bryan,' Tammy thought miserably as her heart started racing. 'What am I gonna do without making a complete idiot of myself?'

Uh…just play it cool? Umbra suggested.

You're not much help, Umbra, Tammy replied.

Bryan broke into Tammy's mental chat. "So…do you know much about amusement parks?" he asked uncertainly. He had never been to one, so he was more than a little nervous.

"Um…not really. I guess we're both pretty much in the dark," Tammy replied with a shy smile. "Wanna justwalk straight ahead and see where that takes us?"

"Sure. Why not?" Bryan said with a smile. So now that the ice was broken, they headed down the path toward the center of the park. (A/N: My friend Michelle originally came up with that whole "ditch the two reluctant lovebirds and force them to spend time together" prank for one of my earlier fics that I wrote for fun. It's not on this site.)

One hour later…

Bryan and Tammy had been thoroughly enjoying themselves so far. They had played some games in the game area of the park and ridden the bumper cars. They had competed to see who could hit the other the most. "I'm telling you, I hit your car at least six times," Bryan argued, trying to win the argument of who had won.

"No way, you barely grazed me that last time!" Tammy objected, punching him playfully on the arm. "I beat your wimpy car to smithereens!"

"Sure. Fine. Whatever you say," he said, finally giving in.

"What, so you're just gonna give up and let me win? You're such a jerk!" Tammy exclaimed. "You're probably just going easy on me because I'm a girl."

"N-no! It's not that!" Bryan stammered, trying desperately not to blow it with Tammy. Then Falborg gave him a brilliant idea. "How about I say you won if you let me pick the next ride?"

This proposition piqued Tammy's interest. "Okay, sounds good. But you'd better not pick something wimpy just to be nice or I'll kick your butt!"

"Okay, okay!" Bryan said, holding up his hands in surrender. He looked around as they walked and finally found something good. "I pick that ride." Tammy followed Bryan's gaze to a roller coaster that went through a haunted house. "Looks scary enough."

"Fine. Bring it on," Tammy stated confidently. Fortunately, the line wasn't too long, so they got through it pretty quickly. The actual roller coaster consisted of small, connected carts that each seated two people. Both teens sat in a cart near the front, buckled their seat belts, and secured the safety bar over their laps (A/N: The track doesn't go through any loops, so they don't need the harness that goes over their heads.). Soon the wheels started to creak as the coaster lurched forward. The ride inched slowly up the first ramp, paused at the very top, and sped down the first drop at breakneck speed. Tammy whooped and hollered in exhilaration while Bryan stayed silent. After about a minute into the ride, the coaster took them through the haunted house, where those cheesy fake monsters pop out of nooks and crannies in the walls to scare the passengers. Suddenly, the roller coaster jerked hard to one side, and a sharp grinding sound pierced the air as one side of the wheels came off the track. The passengers screamed in terror just before the ride screeched to a stop halfway up another ramp. "W-what just happened?" Tammy asked frantically, her heart still pounding from fright.

Bryan looked over the edge of the cart and assessed the situation. "Some of the wheels slid off the track. It looks like the ride's broken down."

"Oh great…just what we needed," Tammy grumbled as she slumped back in her seat and sighed heavily. 'Can things get any worse?' Then a small boy started crying, and his mother tried unsuccessfully to hush him. 'Yep…it just got worse.'

A voice came on over the loud speakers in the haunted house: "Attention passengers, we are experiencing some minor technical difficulties. A rescue crew is on its way, so please remain calm. We will remove younger children first, followed by parents and then young adults. We apologize for the inconvenience."

"Looks like we're gonna be here for a while," Bryan mused. He looked over at Tammy. "You okay?"

"Uh…yeah, I'm fine," Tammy replied. Her eyes wandered all around the haunted house, which had stopped working since the power failed. It was pitch black, with only a tiny speck of light at the top of the ramp, where the track led back out into the open air. The darkness dredged up old, painful memories for Tammy.

The black walls of the haunted house, leading to a speck of light at the end of a long tunnel…

A hallway made completely of stone, leading to nothing but more darkness…

The fake blood on the haunted house's walls and ceiling…

A punishment chamber that reeked of death and bore the crimson stains of dozens of helpless victims…

The silhouette of a fake vampire hiding around the corner, waiting to jump out and scare the passengers…

The ominous shadow cast on the floor as the drill instructor entered the punishment chamber, whip in hand, her eyes filled with hate and bloodlust.

Bryan snapped out of his light doze at the sound of a familiar whimper. Tammy was hunched over in her seat, gripping her head in her hands while silent tears streamed down her face. "Tammy, what's wrong?" Bryan asked, immediately alarmed.

"I want out of here. Please get me out of here," Tammy begged. Her voice was so quiet that Bryan had to strain his ears to catch her words. "Don't let her get me."

Bryan was confused. What was she so scared of? "Don't let who get you? Tammy, all the monsters in here are fake. There's nothing that can get you."

"You don't understand… She could come back anytime. She'll kill me!" Tammy said fearfully. Sobs racked her slender frame.

"Wait…are you talking about your past?" Bryan prodded gently. "Does this place bring back bad memories?" Tammy nodded slightly, and Bryan reached over and pulled her into his arms. "You should have told me. I never would have forced you into this. I'm so sorry." Tammy buried her head in his chest and cried bitterly while he held her close. When she finally stopped crying, Bryan placed his hands on her shoulders and held out at arms' length. "Tammy, look at me." She reluctantly raised her tear-stained face to meet his gentle gaze. "Look, I know you went through a miserable past, but I can't help you if you won't tell me about it. If you keep all that pain inside, it could destroy you physically and emotionally, and I couldn't stand to see you suffer like that. Won't you please talk to me? You can trust me."

Tammy was silent for several long moments. She finally replied softly, "You're right, and I do trust you, but it's just…so painful for me to remember. I can't talk about it without breaking down completely."

Bryan pulled her close again. "Well, my shoulder's here if you need to cry some more," he whispered in her ear. (A/N: Awww! Bryan's so sweet!)

Tammy felt safe in his arms, and his words had comforted her immensely. Maybe…just maybe…she could tell him. She managed a small smile and said the words Bryan had desperately wanted to hear: "Okay…I'll tell you."

Over the next hour, Tammy poured her heart out explaining her past life in the U.S. Abbey. She started from when she and Tala were separated and talked about all the torture she went through, from the cruel experiments to the constant, brutal training to the abuse she had endured at the hands of her team's heartless drill instructor. At some especially painful parts she just had to stop and let out her pent-up emotions before she could find the voice to keep talking. Bryan's jacket was thoroughly soaked with her tears by the time she finished.

Bryan was in total shock from Tammy's story. He had no idea she had gone through so much. "I…can't believe you had to endure all of that torture," he muttered. "You drill instructor makes Boris look like an angel."

"Yeah…but at least she's in jail now," Tammy replied. She paused for a moment and then added. "You were right, Bryan. I do feel better now that I've gotten all of that off my chest."

"Yeah, and onto my jacket," Bryan joked, indicating the wet spots where she had cried. Both teens laughed softly at that comment. Just then the rescue crew pulled up to their cart. The rescue people had gotten all the children and adults out, so now it was finally their turn. "Ah, what great timing. Looks like we're finally getting out of here."

Meanwhile…

"What's taking them so long?" Tala asked impatiently as he paced back and forth in front of the exit of the ride that Bryan and Tammy had gone on. "They should have gotten out already."

"Tala, you heard what the park officials said. They wanted to get the parents and children out first, so we'll just have to wait," Eri replied calmly, trying to reassure Tala, who's brotherly instincts had kicked into overdrive. The rest of the group was sitting down on some benches, wisely keeping quiet and giving Tala some space. Eri laid a hand on Tala's shoulder, stopping his frantic pacing. "Why don't you go sit down? Walking around in circles is not going to help matters."

"I swear, if anything happens to Tammy, I'll…"

"Hey! There they are!" Rei suddenly exclaimed. Tala whirled around, and, sure enough, Bryan and Tammy came walking out of the ride's exit. Bryan had an arm around Tammy's shoulders, and Tammy looked exhausted.

Tala and Eri rushed up to greet the duo. "What happened in there? I was worried sick!" Tala exclaimed.

"Aw, it was nothing. The ride broke down, we waited and waited, and we finally got rescued!" Tammy chirped. "So stop worrying so much, bro!" She gave him a playful smack on the arm and tried to look cheerful at least for her brother's sake.

"Well…all right. Just so long as you're not hurt," Tala conceded, finally allowing his blood pressure to drop for the first time in the past hour.

"Now that you're here, we can head back to the lodge. It's getting late," Eri interjected.

On the way back home, Umbra explained what had happened between Bryan and Tammy to Pyrix, who in turn relayed the message to the rest of the bladers. Everyone was a little disappointed that they hadn't confessed their undying love for each other, but this was definitely progress. Tala was shocked that Tammy had finally opened up to someone, but a small doubt still kept nagging at his heart. She had poured out every excruciating detail to Bryan instead of her own twin brother. Did she just not trust him? Had he really failed his job as a brother? He glanced back at Bryan and Tammy, who were sitting near the back of the bus. His sister was sound asleep, snuggled up next to Bryan, who had an arm around her waist, with her head on his shoulder. The day's events had completely drained her physically and emotionally. Bryan, on the other hand, was feeling happier now than he had felt in a long time. He had achieved something that he had wanted for a long time.

He had earned Tammy's trust.

End chapter 9

Author's Note: Whew…I'm finally finished with the chappie! Sorry if it took me so long to update. I've been preoccupied with college stuff, like meeting my roommate and working on some summer reading, but at least you get to read this nice long chapter to make up for it! This was probably the most BryanTammy-centric chapter so far, so I hoped you enjoyed it! As always, I greatly appreciate all the feedback from you wonderful reviewers! PLEASE REVIEW!