A month and a half went by too quickly. Shaw's stitches had come out after only a couple days, and she'd gotten the cast off after two weeks. Control had told her that she'd never seen someone heal so quickly, but Shaw was just happy it meant that she could start her internship at the hospital earlier than expected. It was going really well, and she felt even more confident that she wanted to be a doctor.

The only downside to the internship was that she had less time to spend with Root, but they'd been having sleepovers to make up for it, and they still had all of their classes together. After the shovel incident, Alicia was trying to make Shaw spend less time with Root, calling her a 'bad influence'. Even after Shaw told her that Root had nothing to do with it, Alicia still banned sleepovers. Root just snuck in and out through Shaw's window now, or they slept over at Harold's.

Now, it was the Valentine's Day dance, and Shaw was leaning back against the wall of the decorated gym, watching Root dance with the boys. She'd had to take a break. Root had seemingly endless energy, and Shaw just didn't want to keep up all the time. Root understood that, though, and she was happy to dance with her friends.

Being Root's girlfriend wasn't so bad, Shaw thought, taking a drink of punch from a plastic cup. Root still gave her space when she needed it, and she liked spending time together. It was easy in the way Shaw had thought relationships weren't. They hadn't talked about her 18th birthday.

Root looked amazing. She'd bought a fluffy red dress, courtesy of her parent's bank account. It hugged her waist and flowed around her legs, bringing out the soft pink of her skin. Shaw had gone for a suit. She had lied to Alicia and Mr. Ingram and said she was going with John. The suit was to tease him.

It annoyed her that she had to lie to her foster parents. They were nice, and usually patient, and didn't seem to be homophobic. There was just something about Root that they hated. Shaw couldn't figure it out. Sure, Root could be annoying sometimes, but she wasn't a bad kid. What kind of foster parents want their ward to spend less time with the valedictorian?

Root looked at her from the dance floor and gestured for her to come over. Shaw chugged the last of her punch and set the cup on a table. She jogged over to Root, kissing her quickly, before grabbing her hand and spinning her around. Root laughed, the sound light and happy, and Shaw couldn't help but kiss her again.

The dance was loud and the music obnoxious, so Shaw pushed up onto her toes to talk into Root's ear. "Do you want to go sit on the field and talk?"

Root nodded, and Shaw pulled her off the dance floor toward the coat room. They got their coats quickly, and headed out of the gym, into the cold February air. It was a nice night. Freezing, but not snowing. Shaw wandered out to the middle of the field and dropped to the ground, crossing her legs in front of her.

"It's cold," Root pouted, sitting beside Shaw. She draped her legs over Shaw's lap and leaned close. "Warm me up."

Chuckling, Shaw reached under Root's coat and wrapped her arms around her waist. Root sighed happily, resting her head on Shaw's shoulder. She didn't really have anything to talk about, but she'd wanted to escape the dance, and get some time alone with her girlfriend.

"I still don't know what I'm doing in May."

Root tensed, but she didn't move away. "There's always the option to move in with me."

"I don't know," Shaw said quietly. "I don't know that I want to stay here."

"Do we have to talk about this today?" Root asked. "It's Valentine's Day."

Shaw nodded, tilting her head back to look at the stars. "Yeah. Sorry."

"It's ok."

They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the closeness. Shaw really didn't know what she was going to do. She was attached now, to Root and this place and their friends, but that didn't mean she wanted to stay. She had to finish high school if she wanted to be a doctor, but she could do that anywhere.

Maybe she'd go to a better high school senior year, one where kids got recruited for soccer scholarships. Maybe she'd just get her GED and start college a year early. It would technically be the right year for her age. That would mean leaving Root behind, though, and Shaw was pretty sure she'd lose what dull feelings she had for Root if she wasn't around her.

Maybe not. Maybe Root would stick with her, and she'd like Root forever. Shaw wasn't sure which option was scarier. She was used to thinking of herself as one person, just her and her life. Now she wanted someone else to be in that life. Did that mean she had to compromise her own plans? Maybe Root was right and this wasn't the time to think about it.

"So," Shaw said, breaking the silence, "you like Astronomy, right?"

Root nodded against her shoulder. "Yeah. Why?" She sounded half- asleep.

"I can name all the constellations."

"Really?" Root asked surprised. "I thought Science wasn't your thing."

"I like science; it's math that I'm morally opposed to."

"Oh, right," Root laughed softly, barely awake. She sighed sleepily. "Math bad."

Shaw chuckled. "Do you want to take a nap before we go home?"

Root nodded again. Shaw carefully laid backwards, the grass cold against her back, even through her suit and puffy coat. Root shifted, pulling her legs back toward herself and holding Shaw close. She took a deep breath.

"Keep me warm," Root mumbled.

"I will." Shaw stared up at the sky, willing the snow to stay away from them. "I won't let any snow touch you."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000`

"Sameen? Sameen?"

A voice called to her, pulling her out of her sleep. Sameen woke, disoriented as always. She sat up, shivering. She and Root must have fallen asleep. She looked around them, tensing.

It had snowed while they slept, but around them was a perfect circle of grass, no snow on the ground. She looked up. The falling snow hit an invisible dome around them, sliding down the same way they had slid down Harold's glass walls.

She blinked and a snowflake landed on her nose, more following after. The dome was gone and snow was falling all around them. She leaned down to shake Root awake.

"Sameen!" Alicia's voice snapped. "Get away from her."

Shaw looked around and spotted Alicia and Nathan coming toward then. Alicia was glaring at Root. Root sat up, still half-asleep.

"What?" Root watched Shaw stand up, rubbing her eyes. "What's happening?"

"Shaw. Come here right now." Alicia pointed at the ground beside her. Her boots were sunk into the snow to her ankles.

Shaw shifted, her dress shoes moving easily in their circle of dry grass. "No," she snapped. "I'm staying with Root."

Alicia turned to Nathan. "I told you this would happen. We should never have brought her back here."

Shaw frowned. "I drove us here."

Nathan sighed. "That's not-"

Alica cut him off. "No." She glared at Root. "Go home."

"I drove us here," Shaw repeated, starting to get angry. "What is your problem with Root?"

"She's dangerous," Alicia answered. Her attention shifted back to Shaw. "Look, you just need to come home with us. You can't see her anymore."

Shaw snorted. "Go fuck yourself. I'm turning 18 in three months, and then you'll be rid of me. I'm taking her home."

"Sameen," Root breathed, putting her hand on Shaw's arm. She was looking at the ring of snow around them. "What happened?"

Root's hand felt hot on Shaw's arm, but it helped to calm her down. Shaw hadn't come to this shitty town to be bossed around and controlled. She was an adult, and so was Root. They could do what they wanted and go where they wanted. Alicia took a step toward them and Shaw clenched her fist.

Stumbling backwards, Alicia gasped. "You two have to stop this. It's only going to en poorly. Every moment your with her, you're at risk."

"Enough," Shaw snapped, knocking Root's hand away and stepping forward. She pointed a finger at Alicia, who winced. "You have no say in this relationship. Now, I'm going to take Root home, and spend the night, and maybe I'll come back in a few days, but you need to get over whatever this is."

"It's not-" Alicia took a deep breath, looking at Nathan. "Will you talk to her?"

Nathan spread his hands, shrugging helplessly. "Can't we just tell them?"

"No!" Alicia crossed her arms. She looked at Root. "If anything happens to Shaw, it will be your fault."

Root flinched, moving away. "I'm not going to hurt her."

"Root." Alicia gestured to the ring of snow around them. "You already are." She turned back to Nathan. "I told you this would happen again. They'll always find each other. "

"What are you talking about?" Root asked. "What's happening?"

Alicia clenched her jaw. "Nothing. Just stay away from Shaw. You have no idea what you're messing with."

"Alright, that's enough." Shaw reached out to take Root's hand, noticing that the storm had picked up. "We're leaving." She frowned at her foster parents. "You know, a lot of parents would be glad to see their foster kid making friends and falling in love. I get good grades, so does she, and we're both going to get scholarships and go to college. You could do a lot worse."

Shaw pulled Root out of the grass and into the snow, stomping across the field to the parking lot. Root was quiet behind her as they moved along, only the crunch of snow telling Shaw she was there. They reached the parking lot and Shaw let her go to pull her keys out.

She was so mad at her foster parents that she couldn't think. Jamming the unlock button down, Shaw yanked her door open and climbed in, slamming it behind her. She started the car, tearing her coat off and throwing it into the back seat.

The passenger door opened and Root climbed in. Shaw took a deep breath to calm herself down. She wanted to be able to comfort Root and if she was furious, she wouldn't be able to remember the script. 'Don't listen to them.' 'There's nothing wrong with you.' Shaw tried to remember other phrases that could help Root feel better. 'They don't understand.'

She finally looked over at Root, surprised when she saw Root grinning at her. "What?" Shaw asked, twisting in her seat to face Root fully. "Why aren't you upset?"

Root leaned back against her door. "You said you were falling in love."

"What?" Shaw thought back to what she'd said to Alicia. 'Making friends and falling in love.' She rolled her eyes. "Don't get excited. It's not real."

"It's real, Sameen," Root said quietly. "Just because it's different, doesn't mean it isn't real."

Warmth filled Shaw's chest and she shrugged, uncomfortable. "Well…" She turned the car's headlights on, looking away. "Whatever."

She winced, knowing how lame that sounded and started backing out of the parking lot. Love wasn't something she had ever expected to feel, and she still wasn't sure she was in love with Root, but the prospect didn't seem awful. She liked spending time with Root, and she liked having sex with her. It would be weird to not have Root around anymore. Shaw wanted her there, and she cared about what happened to her. Maybe that was love.

"I'm falling in love with you, too." Root's voice filled the car as they drove down a quiet street. "Just the way you are."

Shaw ignored the comment, not sure how to respond. She stopped at a red light and looked at Root. "I don't know your address."

Root suddenly looked nervous, her face illuminated by the red light. "Oh. Do we really have to go to my house?"

"Yeah," Shaw snorted. "I'm not going to Harold's tonight. God knows what he and John are going to get up to. We can't go back to my place. That leaves your house."

"I don't know…"

"Root," Shaw said quietly, ignoring that the light turned green. "I don't care about whatever is worrying you. I know it's been hard with your parents gone. I'm not gonna judge you for anything."

Root nodded, playing with her skirt. "Yeah. Yeah. Ok. Um, just take this road to the edge of town."

Shaw nodded, driving through the light as it switched to yellow. The drive to Root's house was quiet, neither of them talking much. Shaw thought about how weird Alicia had been to them, especially Root. She couldn't ignore the weird circle of dry grass around them in the middle of the snow storm. Was it connected to the way their lockers had dented themselves?

Shaw didn't believe in magic, or demons, but she wasn't sure what other explanation there would be. She rolled her shoulders back, trying to get rid of the last of her tension. She wondered if her eyes had turned black again. Normally, Root would tell her, but Root had been behind her. She shivered despite the heat in her car.

They were reaching the edge of town now, and Shaw leaned forward over her steering wheel to peer out into the darkness. It felt stupid, but she thought really hard about light, trying to make the night time brighter. Nothing happened, and she sat back, a little disappointed. If weird things were going to happen, it would be cool if she could control it.

Root tapped on her window. "Turn right at the stop sign."

"This is pretty far out," Shaw muttered, turning the car. "You bike all this way?"

"Yeah," she muttered, looking out the window. "I never got my license, so I never bothered buying a car. I should do that."

"Nah," Shaw sighed. "I'll drive you. Your secret is out, so I can pick you up now"

Root smiled, nodding. "I guess that's true. Ok. You'll be my chauffeur and I'll repay you with kisses."

"Gross," Shaw muttered, squinting out the window. Her headlights bounced off a large open gate, and she drove through, slowly rolling towards a huge house. It looked like something out of a gothic novel, large and looming, with vines and cracks running up the walls. "Holy shit."

"It's ridiculous." Root leaned forward in her seat, turning her head as she looked up at the top of the house. "Why do two scientists and their kid need such a big house?"

Shaw followed the driveway as it curved and parked in front of the large double doors. "Can I park here?"

Root shrugged. "Yeah. No one else is coming."

Shaw nodded and turned the car off. The sudden silence was deafening. They were so far from town, and this road ended at Root's house, so no one was going to be driving by. She opened her doors and climbed out, shivering in the chill. She moved to the backseat and opened the door and grabbed her coat, closing it again.

Root was already at the front door, pulling her key out and unlocking it. Shaw hurried around the car, tugging her coat on. The door swung open and she followed Root into the house. She slowed, looking up in amazement.

The foyer, and it was not an entranceway, but a foyer, was giant. Shaw had to tip her head back so far that her ponytail brushed her butt to really look at the ceiling. The house was three stories, but each story was so tall. A grand staircase led to the second floor, and balconies wrapped around the second and third floors, staring down at the two of them in the foyer.

It was dark, the chandelier that hung from the ceiling turned off. A few lamps turned on along the staircase, and Shaw turned to see Root standing by the door, her hand on a set of switches. Root walked past her, starting up the stairs.

Shaw jogged after her, impressed. Root had joked about being rich, but Shaw didn't realize just how rich she was. This house looked like something out of a movie; Shaw was sure it was haunted. They reached the second floor and the hair stood on her arms and neck. A chill wind blew past her. She looked around, but nothing had changed.

Root looked over her shoulder, turning right and starting down a hallway. "I know. I always feel that. I hate this house. It feels like death."

"It does," Shaw muttered. She followed Root down the hallway, looking around. It wasn't any colder in the house than outside, but a sharp chill ran down her back. "Did anyone die here?"

"No," Root answered. She stopped in front of a door. "Not unless my parents were secretly murdered here or something. They had this house built themselves before I was born. They lived here with friends, but then their friends left? I'm not sure. They didn't like talking about it."

Root opened the door and stepped inside, flicking the lights on. Her room was twice as big as Shaw's, but half of the furniture was covered in white sheets, adding to the haunted feeling of the house. Only the bed and one dresser were uncovered.

Root took her coat off, dropping it onto the floor. "This is my parents' room. I stay here because of the master bath."

"This house is amazing," Shaw said. "Expect for the fact that it's haunted."

"I've never seen a ghost here," Root chuckled. "You might have nightmares, though."

Shaw took her coat off and draped it over a cloth-covered chair. "So, that snow thing was weird, right?"

"Yeah," Root agreed. She sat on the edge of the bed, taking her shoes off. "Maybe it's your weird magic."

"Why is it my magic?" Shaw asked. She squatted to untie her shoes. "It could have been your magic. You're the dangerous one, right?"

Root frowned at her, putting her shoes on the floor. "I don't know what Mrs. Corwin meant by that. I mean, I've been hacking my parents' bank accounts, and I change Lambert and Hersch's grades sometimes, but that's it." She thought for a moment. "And there were a few arrests, but honestly, you'd think the government would keep secure files, actually, you know… secure?"

"You're too nosy," Shaw chuckled, thinking about how Root had snooped in her file when they'd first met. She stepped out of her shoes. "I'm surprised you haven't just hunted down your parents."

Root shrugged, scooting back on the bed and crossing her legs. "I've thought about it, but something always holds me back. I think… Finding out they were dead or something, would be bad, but what if I found out that they really just left me? I mean, everyone in my life just leaves."

Shaw wasn't sure what to say to that. She didn't want to promise to stay when she still wasn't sure what her plans were. She never broke a promise, and so she rarely made them. Crossing the room, Shaw stopped in front of the bed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, if you ever look them up, just let me know. I'll help you track them down or something."

Root grinned. "You're so supportive."

Rolling her eyes, Shaw kneeled onto the bed, scooting forward and stopping in front of Root. "Do you think the snow thing has something to do with my black eyes? And the way my stomach always hurts around you?"

Root laughed, reaching out to tug on Shaw's suit jacket. "I think that's just feelings." She pulled Shaw forward until she was straddling Root's lap. "I make you so nervous you feel it."

Shaw snorted, sitting on Root's lap. Her dress pants tight around her knees. "I think you're so annoying, that I have a physical reaction."

Root rolled her eyes, laughing. "Ok, Harry Potter."

"What would you do if I actually did have some magic power?" Shaw asked, raising an eyebrow. "Would you have me smite Lambert? I would do it for you."

Root smiled at her, wrapping her arms around Shaw's waist. "I know. My protector. My magic girlfriend. Keeping me warm, and safe, and happy."

Shaw leaned down to brush her lips over Root's, smiling when Root nipped at her lip. She thought she might actually be happy. Resting her hands on Root's shoulders, Shaw pressed their lips together, kissing her deeply. The urge to run away was still lingering, and Shaw didn't know if she loved Root enough to stay yet. She kissed her harder, trying to lose herself.

Root pulled back just enough to speak. "You know, it's Valentine's Day."

"Yeah?" Shaw mumbled into Root's mouth. She kissed her again. "What about it?"

"We should celebrate."

She started pushing Shaw's jacket off, and Shaw leaned back to help her. The house was still giving her bad vibes, the stale air sticking to her skin and chilling her from the inside. She wanted Root to warm her. Shaw tossed her jacket to the side.

"We don't have to be quiet," Shaw said, grinning. She started undoing her tie. "I'm going to make you scream."

"You'd better," Root mumbled, quickly undoing the buttons on Shaw's dress shirt. "Work your magic."