AN: I wasn't quite sure whether I had put this under the right theme, but it seems the best to me, since there's not exactly a trust theme. This takes place between Fireheart and Stranger Within 1. I always wondered why the producers keep making Vida go with Nick and not Madison... but that idea will come up later in the series. This one is on why Madison doesn't go with Nick. Enjoy.

Quest

He attempted to make sense of the torn map, turning it to the side and then back, wondering what could possibly lie on the other half. He found himself staring at the lines without really registering them, his thoughts already jumping to an incident that had been plaguing him ever since yesterday's little quest.

"Hey," the subject of his thoughts plopped down next to him, "Still working on that map?"

He shrugged, "Trying to. It's not going so well."

"Why not?"

"Just you know, got a lot on my mind..."

"Like what?" He concealed a smile at that. Madison was always curious.

"Like where your sister is when she's supposed to be here." He swore he saw her expression drop a little bit.

"That's what's been bugging you?"

"Among other things..." Other things that he was extremely ashamed of, and felt almost childish for thinking of them. "And before you ask what those are—" he said as she opened her mouth again, "—they're not important."

She smiled shyly at his correct assumption, "Don't want to share, huh?"

He shrugged again, shifting his eyes to the map again. His mind still focused on the girl next to him, wondering what she had been thinking, what was going through her head.

"Madison?" He asked suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I'm a good leader?"

"Sure Nick," she said immediately.

"No, I mean, you, I mean, completely personally, without thinking of the team, would you be willing to follow me? As in, you know, like the quest we went on yesterday, like that?"

She nodded. He cast his gaze across Rootcore to where Chip and Xander were dozing, having exhausted their mental prowess on the map long ago. What he was about to say was so ridiculously childish, he didn't want Xander and Chip, friends though they were, to hear it.

"Why didn't you then?"

"Why didn't I what?"

"You know, come with me instead of Xander?" He felt his face heat up and averted his gaze to anything but her surprised look.

"Is that what you've been moody about since yesterday?" She said laughingly.

"Well... yes," he said almost defiantly, he didn't particularly think it was a laughing matter. He liked her, as if believing another guy's word over his was going to make him feel like she returned his feelings.

"Does it matter?" She asked. Oh, right. Madison didn't have any idea about his feeling for her.

'And whose fault is that?' asked that little voice in his head. Obviously his own. Nick felt like he was blaming himself for a lot of things lately.

"Sort of, yeah," he heard himself saying, "I mean, it's not exactly reassuring that you trust Xander more than me."

"It's not that I don't trust you Nick, it's just that... well, I've known Xander since middle school... and you're—"

"—the new guy?" That hurt, coming from her, "I see how it is." He absolutely refused to meet her gaze, staring pensively into another direction.

"Nick..." He didn't respond. He was close enough to feel her hesitate, before her arms wrapped around his shoulders, "I do trust you Nick. Just as much as I trust Xander. You know I don't quite go with new things right? Xander leading is familiar, but being led by Phineas? Someone I barely knew? I couldn't quite wrap my head around that. And Xander's offer of three shifts kind of sealed the deal," she admitted guiltily.

He was mollified by the end of her little speech, winding an arm around her waist, "I'm sorry I was so childish, but, your opinion does matter to me Maddie."

She smiled at him, "It's fine, I understand. And next time, I promise, I will stick with you."

"Is there going to be a next time?"

She grinned, "Well once we solve the map we have to follow it don't we?"

"I suppose we do... even though this whole quest business is more of Chip's thing."

"What are you guys doing?" Xander's already accented voice made thicker with sleep came from across the room.

"Solving the map," said Nick, his arm remaining secure around Madison, preventing her from pulling away, "You can go back to sleep." Xander was only too happy to take the suggestion.

And as Madison leaned back against him, warm and soft, and as they both examined the map together, Nick didn't think that the quest had been so fruitless after all.

AN: So what do you think? Tell me in a REVIEW!!!

Love,

Blue