I silently curse at myself for not wearing a watch. I know I saw it sitting right on my night stand as I was about to head out the door this morning, but for some reason I had decided that I didn't need it today. I don't know how long I have been down here for, and I have no way to know how much time had passed upstairs. Was it still daylight? Night time? Was it Sunday already? At one point, I had started a little fire in front of me, but now it had all but burnt out and I didn't have the magical energy to keep it burning. I keep hearing things crawl around me in the shadows, but I'm still not sure if they are really there, or if they are just illusions. I hope it's the latter, because I honestly don't know how I am going to defend myself if something tries to attack me.

I sit with my back against the wall, hunched over, my face buried in my knees. How long is he going to keep me down here? Judging by at least the growling in my stomach that has gotten progressively louder as time passed, I have been here for a decent amount of time. I had decided to skip breakfast this morning, and so the last time I've even eaten anything is probably over twenty-four hours ago. The dungeon is cold, really cold, and I can feel goosebumps prickling up all over my skin; my robes are nowhere near thick enough to keep me warm. I try rubbing my hands together to keep me warm, but the friction is more painful than anything, and I soon stop.

Why did he even leave me down here? To learn my lesson? I had summoned magic without thinking, sure, but was that really punishable? Was it because he thought I was going to hurt Minnie? Surely he knew that I wouldn't do that. I was angry, sure, but I would never actually hurt anyone, unless it was out of self-defense. Surely he had to know that.

Was this about Tommy? He told me he didn't want me to talk to Tommy anymore; was he going to keep me down here until I agreed to that? It didn't make any sense. He had never liked me hanging out with Tommy, but I couldn't see why he always seemed so jealous. Surely it was more than obvious that Tommy had a thing for me, but Professor Grabiner was a teacher, my teacher. There couldn't be a thing between us, there just couldn't be, and although he had hinted at things many times, through his actions, he had never told me how he really felt about me. If he really wanted me, why didn't he just say so? Because it was inappropriate? Because he had a wife? Maybe if he would be honest with me, we could figure things out together.

I shake my head and laugh quietly at myself. Work things out together? He had just thrown me in a dungeon, probably left me here to die, and yet I was still thinking about working things out with him? I honestly couldn't tell which of us was more screwed up. For some reason, I knew he wouldn't leave me down here forever, although I couldn't tell if that part of me was just wishful thinking. He had seemed really angry when he left me down here, but that was because I had blown him off to spend time with Tommy. He was just jealous. Maybe if I apologized-

I cross my arms across my chest. I have nothing to apologize for, not really. There was so much that was going on that he refused to tell me. How could I possibly trust him? Meanwhile, he had never even asked for my apology, never given me a chance to explain myself. Instead he had just thrown me down here, slammed the door shut behind him, and threw away the key. I had already tried to teleport myself out once, but it was no good. He did not want me getting out. I put my head in my hands and sulk. How could he do this to me? Or worse, how could he do this to me and how could I still harbor secret feelings for him after what he did? It was like there was a part of me that trusted him blindly, implicitly, and had a sense of unwavering confidence in him. I had no idea where that part of me was coming from, but it was resolute, unyielding, and it wouldn't go away, no matter how much common sense I threw in its direction. Part of me wanted to slap him and lock him away in a dungeon forever. Part of me wanted him to hold me and never let go. It was the most confusing thing I had ever experienced; it was like I was literally tearing myself in half.

I hear something growl from out in the darkness, and it quickly brings me back to the present reality of my situation. I could think about him secretly caring about me all I wanted, but I had to face the facts. The last time he saw me, he was extremely angry with me. What if he felt that seeing me holding hands with Tommy right in front of him was the final rejection? I had taunted him and called him jealous, right to his face. What if he felt that there was no going back after this? What if he really did decide to lock me down here forever? Hadn't he even threatened that once before? Didn't he say that? I close my eyes and I can hear his voice in my head, sharp as a bell. Push me again, mock me again, little girl. I will keep you so very safe. I will protect you in the depths of the darkest dungeon, until your giggling chums have forgotten your very name. I can make you disappear.

I can feel the burning sensation in the back of my head, but it doesn't hurt as much as it usually does right now. Instead, it's a welcome distraction from the paralyzing cold that has taken over my body. I let my eyelids flutter shut as I try to follow the memory back, but I suddenly stop, overcome with a haunting sense of fear. I don't want to see it. I don't want to go back there. I don't want to see that.

My fingers struggle frantically with my robes until I can fish out the dark blue stone. I don't even know why I'm still wearing it. "Please Hieronymous," I whisper, rocking back and forth on my knees. I have the stone clasped in both hands, holding it in front of my face like a prayer. The burning, itching sensation is getting stronger now, trying to coax me into it, but I can hear Professor Grabiner yelling at me, far back in my head, and I can taste the fear, the panic, feel the tears welling up behind my eyes. I am scared of him. I am scared of Professor Grabiner…

…but I'm not scared of Hieronymous. I still can't fathom how they're the same person, but I clutch the stone and think about the last week of Christmas break that we had spent together. I think about how he held me. I don't care about the feelings that are bubbling up inside of me or how wrong it seems right now, especially if that will get me out of here.

"Please, Hieronymous, please, if you can hear me, please get me out of here. I'm not mad at you. I know I messed up and this is my punishment but I'm scared, Hieronymous, I'm scared. Please don't keep me locked in here forever." I sound like a little child, whiny and afraid, but I can feel tears starting to sting on my cheeks. "Please let me out, please."

Suddenly the stone in my hand starts to throb. I feel a beat, so faint I'm barely sure I felt it, then one, then another. I close my eyes and breathe in and out to the steady drum of his heartbeat, concentrating on nothing else but that, letting the burning sensation slip back and away. I can feel the permeating sense of cold, the hunger nipping at my belly, but I try to ignore it, all of it. I just feel his heart beat, alive in my hands, and focus on nothing but his heartbeat and positive thoughts, letting my unrelenting confidence in him finally serve its purpose. He cares about me. I matter to him. He will get me out of here. He will. Ba-dum, Ba-dum, Ba-dum, Ba-dum… "Tori?"

I look up to see Hieronymous kneeling down in front of me, and I can't help myself. I jump up and hug him tightly, burying my face in his chest. "Shh, shh, silly girl," he says as I cry into his chest, my hands trembling as I grasp onto his robes. I can feel him run his hand through my hair, and at one point I think he kisses the top of my head, but I'm not sure. I know he's the one who put me down there, but it just feels so warm and comfortable with his arms around me, and I don't want him to ever pull away. He did come through for me. I knew he would.

"How long did you leave me in there?" I mumble into his robes.

"Longer than I should have," he admits, and I feel a sinking sense of disappointment.

"Will you do that again?" I tremble. "If I disobey you?"

He sighs, and pulls me away from him so he can look at me. "No, sweet girl, you don't have to obey me. I'm trying to protect you." He glances away. "Unfortunately I seem to have a strange way of showing it."

"Will you please tell me what's happening to me?" I mumble. "I'm not sure if I know what's real or not anymore." Had he really threatened to lock me in the dungeons before, or was it just something my mind made up under the stress? I honestly can't be sure right now.

He brushes a strand of hair from my cheek, and I try not to lean into his touch. "Unfortunately, I can't," he says softly. "Believe me, I want to. But I can't." I sigh and look away from him, but he forces my eyes back to meet his face, his fingers tilting my chin up towards him. "But please believe that I'm doing everything in my power to protect you. Do you trust me?"

I take advantage of our closeness to reach up and put my hand on his chest. He stiffens at my touch, but doesn't pull away. I move my fingers up, slowly, searching, until I feel it. A small bump under his robes, a small hard stone. He is wearing it. I look back up and meet his eyes. "I trust you."

Our lips are only inches apart. I feel as though a current was flowing between us, pulling us closer together. He puts his hands on both my shoulders, running them down my arms. I shudder under his touch, inching a bit closer, moving my body closer to his. I can feel his breath on my face, warm and intoxicating.

"I can't do this," he whispers as his lips move closer to mine.

"You can." His bottom lip brushes against my upper lip.

"I shouldn't." Our lips are touching.

"You should."

Suddenly he puts a hand on either side of my head and pulls me in, kissing me deeply. Our tongues intertwine as I throw my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as I run my hands through his hair and along his upper back. His arms wrap around me and for a minute it feels so familiar, an itching sense of familiar, but I focus on his heartbeat, although I can't tell if it's coming from the stone or from his chest or from where but we're kissing, really kissing, and I can feel the warm skin of his neck under my hands as I let out a small moan-

-and that's when he pulls away.

Dammit.

"We can't," he breathes, his eyes still shut. "Not here."

I let out another small moan as my body brushes against his, desperate for more contact, and he pulls away. My breath is heavy in my chest and my lips are tingling with the sensation. For a first kiss, that wasn't too bad.

He lets out a breath and looks at me, and for a moment I think he's angry as he stands up. "Don't pull away from me," I whisper, and he blinks before his gaze softens. Suddenly, a thought runs through my head. An idea. It feels like a lightbulb had suddenly been switched on in my brain as I rapidly formulate a plan in my head. I'm excited, and I'm not sure if it's because it's the first step on the path to getting the answers that I need, or if it's doing what is required to get those answers that thrills me more.

"Do you want me, Hieronymous?" I ask. I take a step towards him, and for a moment he looks unbalanced as he takes a step back.

"Tori-"

"Do you want me?" I take another step towards him, and he stumbles backwards into a chair that's behind him. Perfect. I sit down on top of him, straddling him, crossing my arms behind his neck.

"Tori, stop," he says as firmly as he can, but I pretend not to hear as I start to kiss his neck, slowly, tenderly, grinding my hips into his.

"Do you want me?" I ask. "Hieronymous, do you want me?" I keep asking him, in between kisses, in between the gentle, sensual roll of my hips. He has one hand buried in the back of my hair now, and I can feel his resolve weakening beneath me as he sits with his eyes shut, focusing on the sensation.

"Yes," he grows suddenly, as if he literally cannot take anymore, and I almost gasp in surprise as he pulls my mouth onto his, kissing me intensely. I can feel his hands under my robes, running against the soft, bare skin of my back. I moan as he kisses me frantically, desperately, pulling me closer to him. It feels so, so good and for a moment I forget that this was supposed to be step one of my big master plan to figuring everything out. Because this doesn't feel like step one. This doesn't feel like a plan. This feels like something else entirely. I remember how much I wanted him in my dream. I remember how I felt about him when he had hugged me. How I had felt so safe and comfortable with him over Christmas break. How, even in the dungeons, I refused to give up my blind faith in him. I think about what Virginia had said about the stone, that it could only be activated by my love for him. Was that just a story, or do I really, actually love him?

I think I might, but right now I'm not sure if this is love or lust or some delicious combination of the two. It's not just the final admission that I want him; it's the confirmation that he wants me just as badly. He doesn't have to use words. I can tell by how tightly he grips me, how fervent and passionate his kisses are, how desperate he seems to taste every inch of me…

I make small noises of pleasure as I kiss the length of his jawline, kissing the tender area between his jaw and his neck, and he makes a noise that I could never have imagined him making. It was a stifled groan, almost a whine, weak and vulnerable. I pause, trying to register it, and that's when he says the words that I had been dreading to hear since he had first kissed me. "Tori, we should stop."

"No." I kiss him again, sealing his mouth with my own to prevent him from talking as I bury my hands in his hair, holding him to me, pressing my chest against his. I can feel him wanting me, and I want him back, terribly, and I can feel the sharp ache of desire that I felt in my dream come rushing back to me. No, he's right, we need to stop, because things can't go any further here, in the middle of the detention room. Even if I want to. Even if he wants to.

I pull away from him slowly, my forehead resting against his, as we rake in rapid, shallow breaths. He looks at me as he cups my cheek in one hand, rubbing the length of my lower lip with the pad of his thumb. We look at each other, each daring the other to speak first.

"I don't want to stop," I say softly, puckering my lips to kiss the tip of his finger.

He chuckles and looks away, but only for a second. "I know. I don't either."

"Then," I say softly. "We don't have to. You have a room…" Honestly, I didn't know if I needed to push my plan that far, but I said it more to gauge his reaction than anything else. I think. I'm pretty sure. Truthfully, I didn't even really want to take it any further than it was right here. Right now I feel like I could just lie in his bed and kiss him all night and I would be happy.

"Tori," he warns, and I laugh.

"Yeah, I know," I say. He's running his fingertips down my cheek now, like he almost can't believe I'm real, and for a moment I dare myself to believe that he really is in love with me, even if he probably wouldn't admit that to himself. There's just something in the way he's looking at me, a strange sense of awe that I had never seen anyone look at me with, ever.

Suddenly, I feel a sharp pang of guilt inside of me. I didn't kiss him simply because I liked him. I had other motives too, secret motives, and it hurt to know that I was taking advantage of his feelings for me, but I couldn't help it. I didn't have a choice. Something was going on here, something was happening to me, and I needed to figure out was it was. And, considering his predisposition to keeping things from me, it would have to be done without his help. But he was also the only one who knew any real answers, and so I would have to be prepared to do whatever it took to draw them out of him.

"Hieronymous, talk to me," I say quietly. I pout and run my fingers under his chin. I can see the effect it has on him as he bites his lip and lets out a long breath.

"I think you may be in grave danger," he says eventually. "I think I might be too, for that matter."

"All the more reason we should stick together."

He just shakes his head. "It may be dangerous for us to be together." He looks away uncertainly.

"Tell me," I say softly. "Maybe I can help." He doesn't look at me. "Or will telling me put me in more danger?" He sighs and looks at me again, nodding his head slowly. "Okay," I say softly, running my lips against his cheek. "So I'm just supposed to trust you to save the day and protect us both?"

He smiles softly. "Something like that."

"Guess I just have to trust you then." I try to give him one last kiss, but I can feel him flinch involuntarily beneath me. I put my hand on his cheek, looking into his eyes, down to his lips, before my eyes flick up towards his again, asking for permission. He leans in slowly, and I kiss him, softly, deeply, pulling his lower lip out gently as I pull away. "Have a good night, Hieronymous."

He breathes out my name slowly, his eyes flicking back to mine, as I step up and away from him. Neither of us makes a move to leave the room, but we can't stay in here forever. As I'm about to head for the door, Hieronymous grabs my hand suddenly and lifts it to his mouth, kissing the back of my fingers the way Tommy had before. Our eyes meet and I smirk at him, enjoying the little bubble of excitement that rises in my chest. Okay, I give in. I'm his. I want to be his.

The hall outside the room is dark, but as I open the door, I can see the shadow of a person slumped against the wall. "Tommy?" I ask in confusion. I can hear Professor Grabiner breathe out a long exasperated sigh from behind me.

Tommy stirs as I say his name, then sits up suddenly. "Tori!" he exclaims. "You've been in there forever. What did that monster do to you?"

I blush as I realize that Professor Grabiner is standing directly behind me now. "Come on," I say quickly, grabbing Tommy's hand and pulling him to his feet. Tommy doesn't let go of my hand, just tangles his fingers with mine until our palms are flat against each other. I want to push him away, I want him to tell him to let go, but I can't. If I do, then he might suspect something. It's better to just play it cool, pretend nothing's changed. He turns around to glare at Professor Grabiner, who looks way more composed than I feel right now.

"You seem out of breath," Tommy says as we walk down the hallway, back to the dorms. "You okay?"

"Oh yeah, you know, tons of fun running around a dungeon for hours," I say. Just as we're about to turn the corner, I turn around and wink back at Hieronymous. We're far enough away that I can't really make out his expression as he stares after us, but the important thing is that Tommy doesn't see it. As we're walking back to the room, Tommy is talking to me, but I don't listen to a word he's saying. I'm too caught up in what had just happened. Had I really just kissed Hieronymous? Had I really just made out with a teacher? Or snogged, as he would say? It fills me with a rush of giddy excitement, and I try not to let it show.

As we get back to my room, Tommy turns to me. "You sure you're okay?"

"Just tired," I say, squeezing his hand again. "But thanks for looking out for me, Tommy."

I make my way quietly back to my bed, past a sleeping Virginia and Ellen. Despite everything that happened today, I grin into my pillow like a silly schoolgirl. Something big had just happened, the first step on the path to answers had been revealed, and yet, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. Had I been kissing him because I wanted to, or was I simply playing him so that I could get answers? It was both, I didn't have to think long and hard to figure that out, but that didn't mean I didn't feel bad about it. What was so terrible that he couldn't tell me about it, if both of our lives were in such mortal peril?

I close my eyes and focus on his heartbeat as I drift off to sleep, unsurprised by how quickly it comes to me. If he wanted to play the big hero and try to save the day, that was fine by me. I was going to save both him and myself in half the time. I snuggle down into my pillow. Hopefully Virginia wouldn't oversleep too much tomorrow morning. I had ammunition, now I just needed to be sure that I was pointing it in the right direction.