As he walked towards the young, feminine figure, he saw she was looking down at the ground. He knew what she was feeling deep inside. She felt lonely... and who wouldn't be after what happened. She had just lost one of her best friends... her only friends...

Stuart could never stand loneliness. Even if it wasn't its own, he could still not stand it.

He caressed her hair for a second, brushing it out of her face, and she looked up at him. She swallowed, and let her head rest against the palm of his warm, soft hand.

There they were standing, in the cold, dark hallway... Silent...

Stuart broke the silence after a minute or so.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

She just nodded, and walked with him to his room. He noticed that she was walking on bare feet, and was only wearing an oversized, white shirt and boxers.

"Are you cold?" he asked her, putting his arm around her.

"A bit..." she whispered very softly.

He pulled her even closer against him, hoping that that might warm her up a bit. They reached his room and went inside. Stuart was happy that he'd put the heating system on before he left to the teacher's room. He put the radio on as the girl sat down on the bed. He looked at her. She was staring at nothing, probably thinking of this whole situation, and feeling tired.

"Eden..." he said, sitting down next to her, "It's not your fault, if that's what you're thinking..."

"I just don't want him to be kicked out of school..." she replied.

"He isn't going to be kicked out, I promise..."

Eden looked at him, a tear moving down her cheek.

"Promise?"

Stuart brushed the tear off her cheek with his thumb, and smiled.

"Promise."

They looked into each other's eyes, and Stuart's mind seemed to go blank. His thoughts disappeared, drowning into the deep, dark river of loneliness where her eyes were filled with. A voice was yelling at him from the darkness of his, now empty, mind. Yelling that he didn't have to give in... yelling that this would be wrong... yelling that he shouldn't let go of his standards and merits...

But he didn't listen...

And his lips met hers...

Mushy mushy mushy! Thanks to Forge-D and GhostHelwig for approving this pairing!