Take away the sensation inside

Bittersweet migraine in my head

It's like a throbbing toothache of the mind

I can't take this feeling anymore

Drain the pressure from the swelling,

This sensation's overwhelming,

Give me a long kiss goodnight

And everything will be alright

Tell me that I won't feel a thing

So give me Novacaine

Give me Novacaine – Green Day


I don't know how I found myself in a car with Allison and Lydia. All I remembered was Allison showing up at my house the day after the fight – the day after Derek died – and telling me that Stiles and Scott would need me, and that I should go with her and her red-haired friend. There were also some puppy-dog eyes thrown in there somewhere – which she obviously learned from Scott – and next thing I knew I was thrown haphazardly across the backseat of her car, legs on the seat beside me, jacket under my head as I idly flipped through a magazine she'd had lying on the floor in the back.

I didn't necessarily want to be there. But she was right, Stiles and Scott might need me. And that was enough for me. So I lounged in the back, ignoring them as they chatted mindlessly, thinking over the last few days.

It'd been a bad idea from the start, I don't know why I even agreed to storm the bad guys' lair. It had seemed feasible at first, I didn't realise how wrong we all were until I had a shard of glass shoved through my unbeating heart by that Kali bitch. Luckily it wasn't wood, so I was able to walk away. Stiles had practically had a fucking heart attack when he saw the wound. He fussed for hours and didn't even sleep for a moment, too deep in 'pack-mother' mode to worry about himself.

It wasn't a wound inflicted by an alpha's physical person, so it healed rather quickly. Only an hour and a few bags of blood later my still heart was back in one piece and the jagged wound on my chest had smoothed back into unblemished pale skin. That hadn't stopped Stiles from smothering me, however. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't adore the extra attention.

I felt bad about Derek, angry at Kol, worried about Scott and Stiles and irritated at myself. It was a lot to feel at once, especially for someone who went over a century feeling nothing at all.

Derek was my friend – kind of. I wouldn't say he wasn't my friend, but I also probably wouldn't invite him to a party I was having. I suppose you could say I was mourning. He was a good guy ultimately, and he didn't deserve to die the way he did. That was the biggest tragedy: the way he died. It was needless. If we hadn't attacked, maybe he'd still be alive.

He'd probably also still be alive if Kol had actually shown up. I hadn't been so pissed at someone in a long time. He would have been a huge help. Bringing an Original to an alpha fight? Talk about an advantage. Of course though, he was 'too busy' to make an appearance, resulting in our ally's death. It was going to take me a while to get over that one.

Scott was injured, and Stiles was still raw from the whole thing. I was concerned (but then again, when wasn't I concerned?) and more than a little worried. I couldn't have left them even if I'd wanted to. If Allison hadn't invited me in the car, I probably would have followed the bus on foot, that's how ridiculously loyal I was to those two misfits.

"Am I getting way too close?" the girl herself spoke up nervously, eyeing the bus in front of us warily. "I'm getting way too close, aren't I?"

"That depends, are you just following the bus or are you planning on mounting it at some point?"

I snorted loudly, the sound turning into an unattractive cackle. Lydia threw me a surprised look over her shoulder, and I instantly sobered, clearing my throat and pretending to be completely focused on the magazine in my lap.

"Yeah, I should back off," the brunette muttered with a wince.

"Well that also depends," Lydia continued. "Do you mean the bus or the ex-boyfriend you're currently stalking?"

She had a point. It was acceptable for me to be there, I was actually dating someone on the Godforsaken bus. Allison's only connection was an ex-boyfriend, so it was more than a little sad. "Well after what happened I'm not letting him out of my sight," she retorted, eyes focused on the back of the yellow bus. "And, by the way," she added for good measure, "this all started when he came knocking at my door."

"For what?"


"So what're your ideas?" I called conversationally from my place in the kitchen.

Stiles took a deep breath, apparently preparing for a speech. "Well, there's Cora, of course. I mean, mysterious Hale shows up without warning, just happens to be part of a plan against us with the alpha back? More than slightly suspicious. Then there's Deaton. I mean, that guy just knows too much, y'know? And, I hate to say it, but Lydia isn't looking too innocent these days either-"

"I meant for dinner," I interrupted with an exasperated sigh, rolling my eyes at my human boyfriend.

"Oh."

I chuckled, appearing in the doorway and gazing over at him sincerely."Tell me more about your theories," I insisted, blinking as I halfheartedly blew a strand of ebony hair from my eyes.

"Nah, it's fine," he shrugged, reaching forwards to pluck two DVD cases from the coffee table. "Battlestar Galactica or Firefly?"

I looked up, raising an eyebrow at Stiles, who was lounged on the couch, bare feet kicked up on the table as he surveyed the discs in his hands. "I don't care," I replied honestly, looking back at the report in my hands, wondering if the storm was over or if it was going to come back any time soon.

"You're useless," he responded over his shoulder, and a mischievous smirk lit up on my face. I silently put the paper down on the table, tiptoeing over to where he was.

I jumped, faster than he could see, straddling his waist in nothing but my underwear and his lacrosse jersey. "That's not what you were saying an hour ago," I murmured into his ear playfully, and his breath hitched, heart stuttering as he looked up at me with wide, attentive eyes.

"I mean, maybe you are good for something," he told me coyly, clearing his throat and wincing as he repeated the words to himself silently, probably hoping they were as smooth as he meant them to be.

"Yeah?" I purred with an impish grin, he nodded wordlessly and I couldn't help but lean into him, slanting my lips against his firmly, sighing in bliss at the contact.

I was distracted by Stiles, as usual, so I didn't hear the footsteps on the porch until the door was already thrown wide open and everyone's favourite teen wolf was rushing into the room. "Jules! Something's happening, we need you and-"

Scott stopped dead, staring at us; me, pants-less and straddling his best friend, and Stiles, red faced and wearing an opened button down.

"Oh, my God," the wolf muttered in absolute shock, blinking at us, completely flabbergasted.

"Dude!" Stiles snapped, hands instantly moving to the hem of his jersey, tugging it further down my legs so it was properly covering everything. Scott cleared his throat, seeming to snap out of his surprise and spun on the spot, facing the wall, heart hammering in his chest.

"Right, yeah – sorry," he mumbled awkwardly, hand rubbing the back of his neck. I smirked at his back, rolling my eyes and winking at Stiles playfully before swinging off of him, crossing my arms over my chest and raising an eyebrow at the embarrassed wolf.

"What'd you need, boy wonder?"

He turned back around, instantly covering his eyes when he saw I was still half-naked.

"Prude," I teased him, and he cleared his throat a second time, wincing before turning back to me, eyes focused on my face, and only my face.

"Derek and the others, they found out where the alpha pack are staying," he told me in a rush, frowning as he spoke. "They're attacking tomorrow, calling it a pre-emptive strive."

"...and you want me to stop them?" I asked confusedly.

"What?" he responded perplexedly. "No, I need you to come with us, help us fight them."

That made more sense.

"Oh," I nodded, clicking my tongue and frowning like I was thinking about it, making Scott shift awkwardly. "Of course," I scoffed, rolling my eyes at his gullibility. "Tell me the plan, and Kol and I will be there."

"Whoa!" Stiles interjected, jumping to his feet as he hastily buttoned his top. "Aren't you going to consult me on any of this?"

I raised a warning eyebrow, "Last I checked I didn't have to run my every move through you."

"Uh, no," he bit back. "But I'd like to be involved in the decision making process if the decision involves potential bodily harm."

"I'll be fine," I told him easily, lifting one shoulder in a half hearted shrug.

"That's what you always say," he responded with a heavy frown. "And you rarely are."


I was pulled from my thoughts by a phone ringing, and I glanced out the windshield, realising I must have missed something when I saw we were suddenly in a long line of traffic.

"Hey Stiles," Lydia answered the call awkwardly, not very good at acting like nothing was wrong. "Yeah, just about to walk into a movie..."

"I know you guys are right behind us, put me on speaker." Lydia muttered uncomfortably, doing as she was told. "Okay look, Scott's still hurt," my boyfriend said, sounding as concerned as I felt.

"What do you mean still, he's not healing?" Allison asked with a worried frown.

"No, he's not healing. I think he's actually getting worse, the blood's turning like a black colour."

"Oh, that's bad," I commented, Stiles hearing it immediately.

"Jules?" he asked, sounding surprised. "They roped you into going with them? You willingly agreed to get into a car with Lydia?"

Lydia's head rolled back to shoot me an exasperated look, and I wasn't sure if it was meant for me or my boyfriend, so I merely clicked my tongue in response. "What's wrong with Scott?" I prompted him pointedly, leaning further out of my seat so I was closer to the phone.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked incredulously, voice melting into the usual sarcasm. "Do I have a PhD in lycanthropy? How am I supposed to know that?"

"We need to get him off the bus," Allison said expressly, pressing her fingers to her temple.

"And take him where?" Lydia countered smartly. "The hospital?"

"If he's dying...yeah."

"Not an option," I shook my head, and the hunter swung around to stare at me sharply. "Containment of the secret is our top priority. If they find animal DNA in his system, do you really think they'll let him go without questions? Without tests or experiments?"

Allison closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she collected her thoughts. "Stiles, there's a rest area about a mile up. Tell the Coach to pull over," she finally decided, speaking firmly, tone leaving no room for argument.

"I've been trying."

"Reason with him."

"Reason? Have you met this guy?"

"Just try something."

He muttered a cuss under his breath before violently hanging up the phone. "Think he'll be able to do it?" Lydia asked gently, eyeing the back of the yellow school bus warily.

"I know he'll be able to do it," I corrected honestly, and she nodded distractedly, twisting her hands together in her lap. The traffic started up again not too long after, and to everyone's surprise but mine the bus pulled in to the rest stop, people all but diving from the vehicle in their haste to get off.

Allison pulled into a spot behind the bus, and the second the vehicle had come to a stop I was out the door, feet barely making a sound on the pavement as I rushed (at a human pace) to the door of the bus. Inhaling, I got a face full of the smell of vomit, and my nose scrunched in distaste.

A moment later Stiles was hobbling down the steps, struggling to hold a vacant looking Scott upright. I stepped forwards, wrapping an arm around the other side of the wolf, lifting him with ease, taking the weight off of a puffing Stiles. "What did you do?" I asked my boyfriend with a disgusted cough, quickly joined by Allison and Lydia as they scrambled from the car, following behind us worriedly.

"Not important," he grunted back as Allison slipped in front of us, pushing the door to the public restroom open and allowing us to slip inside.

"Put him down here," I instructed quietly, frowning when the werewolf groaned in pain as we (I) lowered him to the dirty floor.

I crouched beside Scott once he was settled, gently lifting his shirt to peer at his wound. "Oh God," Allison gagged, looking over my shoulder at the open wound, black blood pouring from the slashes in the tan skin. "Why didn't you tell us?" she asked distraughtly, covering her mouth with her hand. I softly prodded the lacerations, frowning deeply when he flinched at the touch.

"Sorry," the wolf mumbled halfheartedly.

"Juliet," Allison said from behind me. I winced in worry as I peered at my friend's sweat-covered face. Reaching up, I gently ran my thumb down his cheek, the action layered with friendly affection. I attempted to smile for him, and he attempted it back, neither of us doing very well. With a sigh I pushed myself to my feet, turning around to face the three teenagers in the disgusting restroom. "This shouldn't be happening," the brunette continued in distress. "I've seen him heal from worse than this."

"Okay, what do we do? Do we call an ambulance?" Stiles asked, clearly at a loss.

"Not an option," I shook my head sombrely.

"And what if it's too late? What if they can't help?" Allison asked, eyes watering, lips pinched tightly as she struggled to hold it together.

"We've gotta do something," Stiles hissed back. "Jules, are you sure there's nothing you can do?"

My arms crossed, hating that I couldn't be more help. "I haven't exactly run with wolves at any point before this year," I murmured back, hoping I didn't sound too defensive. "The extent of my werewolf-medical knowledge is to trigger the healing process."

"Well, why don't we do that now?" he asked eagerly. "Break his arm or something?"

My eyebrows pulled together unhappily. "I do know that black blood isn't a good sign," I told him forlornly. "The same thing happens to vampires when we get badly injured. A broken arm isn't going to be enough."

"Well how do you deal with it?"

I levelled him a blank but honest stare, "blood."

"You know, it could be psychological," Lydia spoke up, and I probably shouldn't have been surprised by how much sense it made.

"What do you mean? Like psycho-somatic?" he questioned with a heavy frown.

"Yes, it's all in his head," she said simply with an irritated frown.

"Because of Derek," Stiles spoke up with wide eyes, staring down at his pained best friend. "He's not letting himself heal because Derek died."

I winced, scratching the back of my neck uncomfortably. Guilt ate at my insides, tumbling around in my gut painfully. The feeling was so sickening I had a sudden urge to flick the switch and make it all go away. Instantly, more out of desperation than anything, my hand snapped out to curl around Stiles'. He leaned into me, probably thinking it was for his benefit, when really it was out of a severe need for my own comfort.

Stiles was the reason I'd lasted this long with emotions. And he would never see me with the switch flipped. Not if I could help it.

"So what do we do?" Allison asked, bringing me back to the moment.

"Stitch him up?" Lydia suggested unsurely. Allison shot her a dubious look, and I pursed my lips, considering the suggestion. "I'm serious. Maybe all he needs to do is just believe it's healing."

I heard footsteps on the ground outside. Somebody was coming in. Reluctantly letting go of Stiles' hand, I slipped from the room, moving to the mouth of the bathroom and blocking the entry.

"Uh, can I help you?" the kid asked with a frown, oily hair slicked back.

"Bathroom's occupied," I drawled slowly.

He raised incredulous eyebrows. "All of them?"

"Yes."

He sighed, actually having the audacity to roll his eyes at me. "Look, I just-"

I caught his chocolate gaze, staring at him unblinkingly. Instantly his expression flattened, and his pupils dilated with mine. "You don't need to use the restroom," I told him melodiously.

"I don't need to use the restroom," he echoed unthinkingly, heart beating calmly in his chest.

"Now go away."

I blinked and without further fanfare he spun around, marching back out into the sun without a second thought.

I stayed where I was, looming in the doorway threateningly, death-staring anyone who dared come within my general vicinity. Eventually Stiles approached me from behind, coming to a stop beside me and turning to face me as Lydia slid around us politely, dead leaves crunching under her footsteps. "Are you okay?" I asked him gently, leaning into him inconspicuously.

"I will be when my best friend isn't on the brink of death," he responded with a heavy frown. I didn't reply, not knowing what to say. He sighed, running a hand down his face tiredly. "You never told me what happened."

I looked up at him confusedly. "Yes we did. We told you everything."

"Yeah, like it was a tenth grade book report," he retorted, clearly trying to maintain his snark while weighed down with worry. "You didn't tell me what really happened."


"Where the hell are you?" I hissed into the phone. There was no answer, but that was probably because it was his voicemail. "You said you'd be here, and without you we may as well be lambs to the slaughter." I huffed, brushing my raven hair from my face. "Just, please show up Kol."

I hung up the phone, sliding it into my pocket and eyeing the warehouse warily. "You're a two hundred year old vampire, right?" Boyd asked softly as we approached.

"At last count, yeah," I responded, my eyes bloody as I scanned the shadows.

"Well, shouldn't that make you, like, super strong?"

My gaze slid to him, irritation clearly spread across my face, not appreciating the suggestion in his voice. I bared my teeth at him in a sneer, prepared to tear him a new asshole. "She's not as strong as an alpha," Derek spoke up softly before I had a chance to say anything. "We're stronger, but they're a hell of a lot faster."

"Why?"

It was a stupid question. What the hell did I know about the way the universe and the supernatural worked things out?"Balance," I responded nonetheless, sending the larger boy one last glare before focusing my attention on the building, familiar scents floating out from the smashed windows lining the walls.

We all fell silent, Boyd and Cora's footsteps making minimal sounds on the concrete, Derek and I completely soundless.

"You didn't come alone." Deucalion's voice was drawling, almost lazy as he spoke. The mere sound irritated me. My gums tingled as my fangs slid from their hiding place, pressing firmly into my lower lip.

"Yeah, this is Isaac," Scott responded, not knowing the backup that waited in the shadows behind him.

"I'm not talking about Isaac."

Derek stepped forwards, feet crunching on bits of broken glass, face fully transformed. "You knew I would do this," Scott said, having the audacity to sound betrayed. "Derek, don't. You can't do this, and no one gets hurt. If someone else dies-"

"Him," the alpha of our ragtag pack growled through bulky fangs, pointing at Ducalion threateningly. "Just him."

"Just me?" the 'alpha-of-alphas' asked with a tiny smirk. "Now, how's a blind man find his way into a place like this, all on his own?"

I felt pathetic for not sensing them sooner. The crazy bitch dropped from a pillar to the side, the large dumb-looking one approached from behind Scott, and the wonder twins peered from over the top of a looming ridge.

Nothing more was said. Things went quiet for a long time, everyone waiting for someone else to make the first move.

Finally, Derek snapped. He ran at Deucalion, only for the psycho bitch who had a serious problem with shoes leapt in front of him. Everyone took that as their cue, running at the opponent closest to them. Cora dove at the biggest one, which I personally thought was a bad move, but didn't have the time to bring up my concerns.

Instead, all I could do was join in, running at the big guy and slipping in front of Derek's sister as he went to hit her. The blow hit me across the face, stunning me long enough for him to sink his claws into my side.

I yelped, flinching to the side and taking a second to recuperate as Cora jumped at him again, a vicious snarl, kicking him uselessly in his side. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself, running at the slab of a wolf, slamming my fist into his face. His head snapped to the side and blood spat from his lips, but he recovered embarrassingly quickly, swinging back around to try and slam his clenched fist into my face.

I ducked the attack easily, seeing it coming from a mile away. In the next moment I was behind him, on his back with one hand on his chin, the other at his temple. I froze just before committing the act.

Sure, he was the bad guy, but did I want to go back to that place? The place where I killed without thought or care?

Unfortunately, my indecision cost me, and he was reaching back, grabbing me by the skull and throwing my clean over his head. My body slammed into the concrete of the floor, the material cracking under the force. I heard the sounds of Cora attacking him again, but if I wasn't getting anywhere, the young girl didn't have a chance in hell.

Boyd, who'd been waiting in the wings for an opportunity, jumped in, throwing himself at the looming wolf. He had a better chance, but I wasn't going to let him do it alone. With the oaf distracted, I slipped in, wrapping my decidedly smaller hands around his forearm and cracking it like it was a twig. He roared but continued to snap his jaws at Boyd, knowing the broken arm would heal eventually.

I stepped back as I felt someone come in behind me, and a moment later I spun around, catching the hand flying towards me. The bitch didn't spare the time to look surprised, merely snapping her jaws at me threateningly.

Derek came up behind her, claws sinking into the flesh at her hip, making her grunt in barely concealed pain. She threw him off with a growl, throwing herself at me, slamming her fists into any part of me she could land a hit on. I hissed, feeling temporary bruises appear on my pale skin. Fleetingly, I thought that I hoped they faded before I saw Stiles again.

I was getting pissed, and my anger made it easy to throw her off. She landed in a pile of broken glass, the scent of her disgusting blood filling the air. I grinned at her victoriously, but she lunged for me. A sharp pang of pain went through my chest, and suddenly I couldn't breathe.

I looked down at my chest, a large piece of broken, jagged glass sticking out from what was no doubt my heart.

It hurt, but at least it wouldn't kill me. I wrapped my fingers around it, slicing my fingers open too, and yanked it from my chest, dropping the bloody shard to the dirty ground with only a pained grunt.

Having had enough, I ducked from her reach, darting across the space, back to the looming guy in the white shirt, figuring I'd leave Derek to deal with the bitch. I wasn't expecting two hands to wrap themselves around my head, and I completely froze, knowing that one wrong move would have me out of action for who knew how long. I couldn't heal a broken neck like a I could a scratch.

Things were silent and tense for a long moment."Kill him," Deucalion drawled lazily, and my eyes swivelled around to peer at where Boyd was incapacitated on the dusty floor, blood dripping from his lips."The others can go. You're beaten," he continued, wandering idly down the unmoving escalators. "Do it Derek." I struggled suddenly in the bitch's grip, realising what was happening. He wanted Derek to kill Boyd, not one of his own minions. "Take the first step."

"Are we serious with this kid?" the harlot holding me hissed incredulously. "Look at him. He's an alpha? To what? A couple of useless teenagers and a vampire?"

"Some have more promise than others," the leader muttered, and even I didn't miss the glance he threw at Scott.

"Let him rise to the occasion then. What will it be Derek? Pack, or family?"

He didn't end up having to make the choice. There was an explosion of light, making everyone duck for cover. The distraction was enough for me to slip from the bitch's grip, saving myself a snapped neck – because those were never fun.

The explosions kept coming, hitting the area in quick succession. Wolves were more sensitive to the light than vampires, so with only a slight wince I managed to make my way over to where the big guy was holding Cora down. I shoved him off of her with surprising ease, reaching down to roughly grasp her arm, dragging her to her feet.

I tried to see where the lights were coming from, but I only saw the outline of a person. They were holding a bow though, so I knew instinctively that it couldn't be anyone other than Allison.

Finally, the exploding arrows stopped, and all was still for a long, peaceful moment before Scott and the big guy were running at each other. They slammed into one another with a mighty thud, both thrown back by the sheer force of it.

The rest of us watched on, our instincts telling us not to step in. Scott steadied himself on the ground, glancing up and making me gasp as I saw the glowing ruby red of his eyes.

He blinked and the colour was gone, eyes back to the usual fiery amber.

That shouldn't have been possible. And seeing the impossible happen left a sinking feeling in my gut. No good would come of that. I knew for sure.

Derek lunged at the larger wolf, stepping into the fight and dragging his attention from Scott. In a way it was heroic, but mostly it was idiotic. I didn't want to get my neck snapped – or worse – so I hung back, fists clenched and ready to step in should the need arise.

I didn't realised they were at the edge until they were flying over it, and they were gone.

Derek was gone.


"Jules?" I looked back at Stiles, his voice bringing me out of the memories. "What is it?"

I wanted to tell him how the guilt was eating at me, but I didn't feel like going into it in that moment. We had more important things to be focusing on. "Go make sure Isaac and Boyd are okay," I told him, jerking my chin in the wolves' direction. "Keep them in the loop."

"What are you going to do?"

I lifted my shoulder in a halfhearted shrug, "Guard the door."

He leaned closer like he was going to kiss me, but for some reason thought better of it, frowning to himself and moving across the lot and over towards the bus where the wolves were leaning against the yellow metal.

I glanced at the sky through the tint of my sunglasses, thinking about how I'd rather be at home in my bath with a glass of wine and/or blood. It seemed like only mere seconds later that I heard the familiar sound of fist hitting face, and I glanced back at the kids to see a crowd formed around what appeared to be Isaac beating the shit out of the present alpha twin.

Deciding nobody would wander into the toilets with that going on, I moved away from the door, carelessly shoving my way through the crowd until I stood against the tree, propped up on the side, watching with a gleeful smirk.

"Jules!" Stiles yelled over the shouts, tripping his way to my side. "You have to do something!"

I shot my human boyfriend a confused look. "Why?" I asked, genuinely not knowing what the problem was.

Stiles gave an irritated sigh then turned to weave his way out of the crowd. I turned back to the scene in front of me, grinning impishly as I watched Isaac beat the other wolf to a bloody pulp. Unappetising blood spilled from his mouth, and he too seemed somewhat amused by the turn of events.

"Isaac!"

I was ashamed to say I jumped, the sheer power in the voice taking me by surprise. The curly-haired wolf instantly stopped what he was doing, pulling away from the alpha and staring at an upright Scott in something like relief. Coach surged forwards, grabbing Isaac by the collar and forcibly yanking him away from the group, probably to tear him a new asshole.

I glanced down at the bleeding alpha with complete apathy. He smirked up at me with blood dripping from his nose and down passed his lips. I considered spitting at him, but decided that, since it wasn't the 1800s, it might have been overkill.

"How's my favourite werewolf?" I asked Scott casually as Allison helped him onto the bus.

"Say it louder, I don't think the people on the freeway heard you," he responded, only half serious as he shot me a slight smile.

"Please," I rolled my eyes back at him amusedly, waving my hand at him nonchalantly. He laughed softly, the sound weak and tired, but I spared him the embarrassment by not mentioning it.

We filed down the isle, Scott in the lead as he led us down to the back of the bus. He slid into the backseat, Allison slipping in beside him. Lydia slid in beside her, crossing one leg over the other and immediately opening her phone.

I moved into the row just in front of the trio, settling myself up against the window, turning to face Stiles as he slipped into the spot next to me. Without thinking, I shuffled away from the window, moving until our hips pressed together. He glanced at me and his lips tipped up into a small smile, and I copied the action, lifting my sunglasses to throw him a wink.

By God I loved the kid, and finally, things seemed to be looking up.