There wasn't much dinner after that. The twins shut themselves in Randy's room and Nathan packed up a serving of the casserole before leaving. He said he suddenly remembered a thing at work that had to be done before morning. It was a retreat if Mary ever saw one. Just like him; drop a bomb and then leave. Why was he so sure of himself? Did he even listen to a thing they said?

Mary remained at the table, slowly eating dinner. She honestly wasn't feeling hungry after all of that, but it gave her an excuse to stay where she was. She kept an ear out for the twins but they needed some time to themselves. Her plate sat empty for about 10 minutes before she finally went up to check on them.

Randy's door was closed but she could still hear a bit of their conversation.

"Maybe we could run away," Randy said. Mary's throat constricted. What?

"No," Suzy said firmly.

"But if we run away, he can't make us move away. We could hide out at Warren's or maybe Will's. Zach or Ethan could take us in, too, right?"

"And then we'd be in even more trouble and make things worse. Besides, would you really do that to Mary? Scare her like that?"

"We'll bring Mary with us. Then we'd all be together and–"

"They'd think she kidnapped us and ran away. Then she'd be locked up like Mom and we'd be alone with Dad. We'd never see her again."

There was sniffling and Mary wanted to burst through the door to hold her siblings close. But she stayed where she was. How long had they been thinking of this? How had she failed them so much?

"Okay, this all sucks. Dad…Nathan can do what he likes but we have Mary and as long as we have her and she has us, we'll be fine."

Tears burned the corners of Mary's eyes. So much faith in her and she couldn't stop the move. But she'd be damned if she didn't stick by her siblings forever. She scrubbed her eyes, swallowed down the knot in her throat, and raised her voice a bit. "Hey, guys? Do you still want dinner?"

There was silence on the other side of the door before it opened. The twins looked up at her. Then latched onto her waist. Mary sank to her knees and pulled them close. No one said a thing but they didn't need to. Guess the Lamb children just knew what to say without saying it.

Randy's stomach growled, making them all laugh. "Come on," Mary said, standing up and taking their hands. "The foods a bit cold, but we can heat it back up."

The mood may not have been as energetic as it usually was, but it was still nice. They pushed away the earlier events and Mary asked a lot of questions about their extra curricular activities. The twins were more than happy to answer and even went off on unchecked tangents about kids in the class or funny things that had happened. Mary understood maybe a third of it all, but was just glad to see them smiling again.

The nightly routine of getting ready for bed felt a bit more important and Mary didn't say anything when Suzy and Randy climbed into Randy's bed that night. She read them a light story with a sappy happy ending and kissed them goodnight. The twins curled into one another as Mary flipped the light off and gently closed the door. She retreated to her room after making sure the rest of the house was locked up. Her homework was still laying out on her desk. She sat down, ready to start again, but noticed her phone buzzing. She flipped the top open and smiled as Warren's name greeted her. Her thumb pushed the answer button and she pressed it to her ear.

"Hey."

"Hi." God, she loved his voice. "Rehearsals went well?"

"As can be expected. Ethan's improving and Zach's a mess. Pretty sure he's going to improv his lines for every show."

Mary chuckled. "Sounds like him."

There was a pause. "What happened?"

Her smile lost some of its brightness. "We're still moving." She waited for his response, taking the receiver away from her mouth but keeping the top against her ear. He didn't need to hear her trying to keep calm and forcing herself not to cry.

There was silence on the other end. Had he hung up? Had they become disconnected?

"Warren?" she finally said.

"I'm still here. I'm just trying to keep myself from hunting your dad down and punching him."

A weak laugh escaped her and she shook her head. "That wouldn't do you any favors."

"But it would make me feel better." He sighed. "How can I help, Pics?"

Mary licked her lips, the tears burning again in her eyes. "I don't know. I…just feel useless. I can't stop it, Nathan's not budging, and I fear I can't be the strong one for my siblings right now when I need to be." She rubbed her eyes. "Would it be selfish of me if I said I wanted you to hold me right now?"

"I can if you open the window."

Mary frowned. "What?"

She turned at the tapping on her bedroom window. Pushing the curtains aside, she jumped slightly at Warren on her roof. She flipped her cell closed, tossed it on the desk, and unlocked the window. A bit of evening chill followed Warren in before she closed it.

"What are you doing here?"

He dropped his backpack and pulled her in for a tight hug. "You ordered a hug?"

Mary laughed softly, clinging to him and letting his natural body heat chase away the evening chill. "You seriously couldn't have knocked on the front door?"

"Thought you might like direct delivery tonight." His fingers came up to cradle the back of her head. "I'm sorry I can't do much."

Mary buried her face into his shoulder. "This is good for now."

Warren nodded and shifted them to lay on her bed. She had a brief thought that this wasn't exactly what she had in mind when thinking of having a boy over in her room for the first time, but that was chased away as Warren started to stroke and comb through her hair. The repetitive moment soothed her and she relaxed into his chest. There was nothing but comfort in their silence.

She felt his head move next to hers. "Getting homework done?" He was using that low timber that she enjoyed so much.

"Nathan was here when I got home. The twins were at after school hockey and I didn't want to be near him. Homework was a good enough excuse."

Warren hummed, still playing with her hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Mary fingered a button on Warren's jacket. "We stated what we were feeling and called him out on his treatment of us. He said we were moving anyway. Then the twins ran away from the table, Nathan left for work, and then the twins talked about running away. They won't but what kind of sister am I that I can't even–"

"Stop," Warren said gently. Mary closed her mouth. "Your dad is supposed to be taking care of you and that's a tough job, but he's failing and then it falls on you. You've had to grow up quickly but you are not their parent. Don't try to be. Just love them."

"How," Mary asked, her hand slipping from the button and resting on his chest, "are you so good at knowing what to say?"

He took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across the knuckles. "My dad and mom have always tried to make sure we talked openly about things. I may be a broody teenager, but I've picked up more than a few things over the years. It's honestly just practice."

"Except when it came to Will and me the first time we met and talked."

Warren's lips twitched against her temple. "Like I said; broody teenager. I still have work to do on my anger management."

"Well you've done really well since I've met you."

His fingers tightened around hers slightly. "It helps to have a reason to do better."

Her breath hitched slightly. Did he mean her? No, don't give yourself hope. And he probably meant it in the friendship way; not as in he had feelings for her. She turned her face further into his chest. "Having a reason is good."

"Yes. It is."

Warren continued to play with Mary's hair. It was still soothing but now Mary was a little bit more aware of his touch. It was far too easy for her thoughts to travel into more inappropriate areas about what she could to do him or he to her. She yanked them back; now was not the time. Not when she was still emotional. She wanted comfort but mixing that kind with her compromised feelings wasn't the smart thing to do. But it was so tempting. Unfortunately, she was saved by Warren's phone going off.

He flipped it open and she felt his voice through his chest.

"Yes?"

"Warren, honey, where are you?"

"At Mary's, Mom."

"Ok. Tell her I say hi. But could you come home? It's getting late."

Mary raised her head and looked at the alarm clock next to the bed. 11:30. She hadn't realized it was so late.

"I'll be home soon," Warren said.

"Be safe, honey."

"Will do." He flipped the phone closed. Mary turned to him, surprised to find him so close. He slid his phone into his pocket and sat up. Mary leaned back, crossing her legs under her as she watched him pick up his bag. He turned to her, adjusting the strap. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." She nodded. He pulled her into a one arm hug. "You have people you can lean on, Mary. We care about you." He pulled away slightly, brushing his lips against her cheek. She fought to keep the blush from traveling past her cheeks. Warren gave one last smile and opened the window, slipping out effortlessly. He vanish from sight, leaving Mary to close and lock up after him. She saw his shadow round the house and pulled the curtains together before flopping down onto her bed. She was a goner.

The next morning, Mary and the twins got ready for school and left the house earlier than usual. They didn't know if Nathan was back yet, but weren't willing to stick around in case he woke up and wanted to start another round of 'having family moments when your kids are not happy with you'. So they stayed at the bus stop a while longer, munching on their breakfast sandwiches and chatting with the other kids when they started to show up.

Taylor was happy to see them and was accompanied by a tall young man who ignored them for his phone. That must be Timothy; Mary hadn't paid a lot of attention to him when the auditions had been going on and he'd never dropped his sister off at the bus stop before. But the two shared the same nose and silky hair.

"Mom and Dad had to go to work early," Taylor explained. "Timothy's friends are also busy, so he can't ride with them to school and has to take the bus."

Mary nodded. Made sense. Taylor looked behind Mary and grinned. "Warren!" She, Randy, and Suzy ran off, making Mary turn around to keep them in her line of sight.

The pyro smiled at the kids and staggered slightly when they barreled into him. He centered himself and listened to them chatter while guiding them back to the bus stop. The other kids noticed him and waved, but went back to their games. Even a few parents chuckled at the attention he was getting.

He stopped next to Mary, looking up and meeting her eye. She hid a blush, her mind briefly reliving the cheek kiss he'd given her last night, but smiled back. "Good morning."

"Morning." He raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she was ok. She nodded, brushing some hair behind her ear. She was better this morning, no doubt. His gaze left her for a moment, brows furrowing in confusion at the other teenager at the bus stop.

"What's he doing here?"

It didn't sound mean but there was a slight tension in Warren's voice.

"Dropping off Taylor and riding the bus. Seems his usual ride didn't come through."

Warren nodded but didn't look away. Timothy frowned at the pyro, gave a small dismissive tilt of his chin, and returned his attention to his phone. Mary looked between the two them. Warren hadn't mentioned any tension with his fellow cast mates, but it should be expected. Warren wasn't the kind of person to just suddenly get along with everyone. The bus pulled up and the kids climbed on, breaking Mary from her thoughts. She and Warren waved as it drove away. The parents left as Will and Layla arrived.

"Hey, Warren," Will said. They bumped fists. When had they started to do that?

Layla smiled at Mary. "Any news?"

Mary sighed. "No change. He's still going through with it."

"I'm sorry." Layla pulled Mary into a hug. The redhead's earthy scent made Mary smile. She'd miss this when she left.

"I guess we're going to be spending as much time as possible from now until you leave, then," Will said.

Mary nodded. "I hope so. The twins and I will miss all of you." Warren's hand slipped into hers, fingers squeezing gently. She was proud that she hadn't started blushing too much.

"Hey, let's not be too sad," Layla said, grinning widely. "You're not gone yet. We still have time to make some great memories."

The bus pulled up and they climbed on board. Their small group walked to the back, joining Ethan, Zach, and Magenta. One look at Mary confirmed their thoughts.

"I can always do a correspondence teaching thing," Zach said. "You know, make sure you don't become too French. Let you keep some of that coolness I've worked on you."

"What's wrong with being French?" Mary said, giving a smirk. "Maybe it'll make me cooler."

"But it won't be as cool as 'Zach standard' cool, ya dig?"

Mary laughed as Magenta just simply rolled her eyes. Warren took the spot next to her as the bus started to move again. The bus went over a bump, jostling Mary against Warren's side. He reached out and took her hand. She was glad they'd stepped over the physical touching mile mark in their friendship. Was Warren as touch starved as her?

"Is everyone free this weekend?" Layla asked. "We could go to the mall and see a movie or something."

"I have something on Saturday morning," Mary said. "But I'm free after that."

"Great! Then we'll meet up at the food court around noon, get something to eat, and check out a movie. Anything interesting playing?"

"I think the new Harry Potter movie is playing. The Goblet of Fire," Ethan said.

"Or we could see the Corpse Bride," Magenta said. "It's done by Tim Burton."

"What about Son of the Mask?" Zach said. "It's like that Jim Carrey movie."

"Why not just see what's playing when we get there and pick something we can all sit through?" Warren said. "If there's multiple choices, we can catch another movie some other weekend."

"Sounds like a plan, then," Will said. Layla smiled and the conversation changed to something else.

"Any movies you would watch?" Mary asked. "I don't think I actually know your movie taste."

Warren shrugged. "It varies. I can watch almost anything."

"Cheesy Rom-Coms?"

He frowned. "I can, but I'd rather not. Hallmark movies are my limit. I expect cheesy from those but Rom-Coms are a different level." He turned to her. "You?"

"I'm not a fan of horror but I do like a good thriller or mystery. Of course, I get a healthy dose of fiction and animated movies because of the twins, but a good story helps."

Warren nodded slowly. After a moment, he lowered his voice slightly so the others didn't hear him over their conversation. "Would you like to go see the new Pride and Prejudice movie with me sometime? Kierra Knightly's in it."

Mary's heart stuttered for a moment. He wasn't asking her out on a date…was he? No, he couldn't be. This was just something friends did. Together, though? Just the two of them? Because he didn't say anything about the others joining them. Don't think too much about it or you'll work yourself up, Mary. She grinned and nodded. "Sure. I'd love to."

Warren smiled and gave a slightly firm nod before turning back to the others' conversation, which had somehow turned into a discussion of whether or not Mr. Boy's last name really was Boy or just left over from his sidekick name. Mary tuned into the conversation, as well, but not before she noticed Timothy staring at her for a brief moment. He turned away when he noticed her looking, but the set in his shoulders seemed odd.

They were gathered for lunch and were just digging into their food when Mary's cell phone rang. Her heart froze for a moment, thinking that there might be more trouble at the twins' school. But Kimmy's name and number were flashing on the screen. Mary flipped her phone open and hit the answer button.

"Hey, Kimmy."

"Is it true you're moving to France?"

Mary blinked. "How did you know?"

"Mr. Boyle overheard it at your school and told my uncle who told me because he's really bummed you're not coming to M.A.T.S. and now I'm bummed, too. Why are you moving?"

"My dad took a job in France and we're moving in a few months. Seems M.A.T.S. is off the table. Sorry."

"Ugh! That sucks! I was looking forward to creating things with you when you got here." Kimmy sighed on the other end. "Well, at least you'll get to go to E.T.I.F.D."

"I'm sorry, what did you say? Was that a name or something?"

"E.T.I.F.D. Europe's Technology Institute, French Division. Surely you know about them."

Mary shook her head. "No. What are they?"

"Oh, right. You didn't grow up in the support field. Sorry, I forgot. Well, anyway, the E.T.I.F.D. is like M.A.T.S. but in Europe. Duh. The curriculum is similar and we all talk to one another to keep up with new developments and stuff. So if you still wanted to do M.A.T.S. but can't come to M.A.T.S., then E.T.I.F.D. is the next best thing. You follow?"

"You lost me a bit on all the letters, but yeah." Mary pressed her fingers to her lips. "Are you saying that I can still do what I want even in France?"

"Bingo, kiddo."

Her fingers trembled slightly. Warren's hand found hers, his fingers curling around hers. Mary grinned. "Kimmy, you don't know how much you've just made my day."

"Glad I could help. Let Mr. Boyle know. He'll be able to get you in. It's like he knows everyone."

"Thank you so much. Bye."

Mary flipped her phone closed. She turned to her friends, mouth open in surprise. "I can't believe it." They were grinning and Layla rounded the table to pull her into a firm hug.

"Yo, you can still do your techy stuff," Zach said. "That's awesome!"

"A bit of silver lining," Layla said, pulling Mary into a tight hug.

Mary grinned and hugged back. It wasn't much, but it was a win. Man, did a win feel great right now.