Disclaimer – I DON'T OWN IT BUT I WISH I FRICKING DID! PLEASE BRING IT BACK ON AIR! EVEN IF IT'S JUST RE-RUNS OR SOMETHING! C'MON!

* ~ Unloved ~ *

(5)

Jack and I were buzzing from all the excitement. What an absolute thrill! Going on a secret mission and almost getting caught by a giant green dragon! It was amazing! What a night! I felt like a super hero or a secret agent of some sort. Wow. Riley had also been hyped about it but that was when we had just got back. Now she was extremely tired and falling asleep on Jack's living room sofa.

"After two or three years, to strike back at them like this..." Jack said shaking his head with a broad smile on his face. He sighed and looked at me, "It feels brilliant!"

"Tonight was the most fun I've had in...well, I think it's the most fun I've ever had!" I laughed and loudly too. I even twirled around on one foot and then collapsed in to one of the armchairs in the room, turning to hug the cushion I was half sat on. Jack smiled and laughed at me as he too sat down but on the armchair beside mine.

"Thanks Deina," he said still smiling but looking at the coffee table now. As I stared at him he seemed to look much older than he really was. He then looked over to Riley who was quietly purring in her sleep, "You and Riley have really made my night."

I'm sure it's pretty obvious from what I've told you about myself that I don't like too much contact with others, but for some reason in that moment I felt the need to reach over and hold his hand. When he stared over at me with surprise in his expression I smiled warmly at him and with a slight squeeze on his hand replied, "Same here, Jack."

He looked at our linked hands for a second and then a smile lit up his face as he moved his gaze back on mine.

All of a sudden a blast of music sounded – so loud and sudden that it made both me and Jack jump. Jack actually jumped up and out of his seat. As Riley stirred and slowly came up to a sitting position, looking around the room momentarily disorientated, we realised the sound was coming from her pocket. She realised then too and quickly pulled out her mobile, bringing it up to her ear. She clicked 'Answer', "Hello?"

There was a pause as the person on the other end spoke.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm fine. I left the party a few hours ago actually. I guess I forgot to call and let you know – sorry, Uncle." Another pause, "Well, no, I wasn't with her." Pause. "Uncle, she wandered off with Milo and left me alone. I didn't know where she went, to be honest. I was basically alone until Jack and Deina came out of nowhere." Another pause. "N-...Uncle-..." she sighed and looked over to us and rolled her eyes. She was obviously being scolded for something. "Uncle! Deina's a girl -," that made me laugh, "and Jack's cool alright! He's no bad boy or anything!" That also made me laugh and Jack just turned red in the face. "We're at his house," she said this quietly in a nervous kind of manner, "Not far actually. I could probably walk. It would maybe take me only...fifteen minutes." After a moment she sighed and replied, "Okay. Alright, I'm sorry, Uncle. See you soon. Bye."

With that she hung up, sighed heavily and smiled a sad kind of smile at us.

"Well," she said getting up and placing the mobile phone back in her pocket, "Alice must have started looking for me after a few hours and phoned home to see if I'd left early. My uncle's not too happy though. More so that I left with a boy," she laughed with me, and Jack laughed along but awkwardly, "Anyway, I've got to get home now otherwise I'm dead and I won't be allowed to hang out with you guys for a while."

"Hang out with us?" Jack repeated, and then glanced at me for a moment. When he realised me and Riley were looking at him he asked, "You actually wanna hang out some more...with me?"

"Psh!" I laughed.

"Yeah!" Riley cried with a now happy smile on her face, "Tonight was epic!"

"Amazing! So much fun!" I agreed, "Plus, we all seem to get along great, eh?"

His grin was slowly growing and growing. He nodded, "Yeah. I...I suppose we do. Yeah! Awesome!"

"Wicked!" Riley jumped in joy.

"Agreed!" I added.

"Oh!" Riley then dug out her mobile again and held her hand out in front of her, "One of you gimme yours, please!"

"Huh?" Jack didn't seem to understand.

I just rolled my eyes and pulled out my own mobile from the waist band/belt of my dress, "Here. I'll swap numbers with Jack and tell him to text you his as well later."

"Right, thanks," she replied as she keyed in her number on my mobile, "There!" she handed it back to me, "I'll see you soon guys. I'll see myself out, Jack, okay? Bye!"

With that she ran out of the room and few seconds later we heard the front door open and shut.

"So..." Jack said with a red face and his eyes on the ground. Slowly he trailed his eyes up to my face to find me holding back a laugh, "What?"

"Nothing!" I sniggered and turned away.

"Hey! Hey! You can't say its nothing when you clearly find something funny!" he exclaimed, chuckling along with me, with a poke at my side which just made me laugh all the more, "What's so funny, Dei?"

I froze, "Dei?"

"Huh?" he stopped, "What's wrong?"

"Um..." I shook my head and forced a smile, "Nothing, Jack. It's fine. Haha! Just surprised by the nickname is all. Haha!" I moved around him – more like edged around him – and moved toward the door, laughing awkwardly all the way, "Well, it's quite late you know and, even though there's no one waiting for me, I really should be getting home."

"Wai- but if there's no one waiting that's more of a reason to stay, isn't it?" he asked. The look on his face was actually quite adorable in a sense. He looked like a lost, lonely little boy. He seemed to have many faces and ages on this night. I really didn't want to refuse the offer that he was basically giving me, but then...well, I guess I just didn't want anymore little encounters giving me anymore memories of the past – which I vowed would stay in the past where it belonged. But that was the only reason and it really couldn't hurt...could it?

"Um..." I heaved a sigh and shook my head, "I don't know, Jack. I mean we're still in fancy dress and I don't have a change of clothes with me. Infact all I do have with me is my mobile phone. All my stuff is back at mine. And what about your parents?"

He pulled a face at the last comment, "Yeah, well they're never home. I'm practically living alone these days. Dad's work makes him travel around a lot and Mom's usually with him. I mean she comes home to check on me...for two days...every six months. Oh, how she cares about her darling son," He scoffed glaring a family photo on the coffee table. It had a young smiley twelve-year old Jack in-between a small smiling blonde woman and a tall man with dark red hair and a winning grin.

He then realised I was still there staring between him and the photograph. He continued in a whiny tone but it was also playful and I could see the hint of a smile on his lips, "Oh, come on, Deina! I'm sure you could borrow something of my Mom's. She's very small and slim – has to be, for her "image" as she says." I laughed, "If you really want your own stuff I'll have one of the Jackbots go collect some of your things for you."

I contemplated this for a moment staring in to his hopeful red eyes and with a sigh of defeat smiled as I answered, "Fine!"

Jack fist pumped the air, "WOO!"

"Next time, you can puppy-dog Riley in to staying," I chuckled. Jack smiled and nodded agreeing, "And if that don't work then we'll tie her down and make her stay."

"You know what, you do sound quite evil sometimes," Jack pointed out.

I just winked at him, as I made my way out of the room Jack following close behind. Soon he was in front and leading me up stairs to what I presume was a guest bedroom or maybe he was going to show me to his Mother's wardrobe, I'm not sure. We didn't get that far. Our arrival to the first floor of the house came to a pause as we came face to face with the witch and...I'm guessing this was BeanBoy.

"Deina or Riley?" the man purred.

I couldn't believe it. My voice actually caught in my throat. I cleared my throat quickly and as best I could tried to reply sounding as strong as I always was, "Deina...and you are?"

He smirked at my courage at trying to sound as confident and cocky as I was normally, "Deina. How nice it is to meet you. Wuya has told me all about Spicer's new female friends. I'm really quite impressed, Jack. Did she find out your rich?"

"What?" Jack asked not realising that he was being made fun of.

"I'm not interested in money," I pointed out. I didn't know if the guy was being serious or just genuinely taking the piss out of Jack but either way, I wasn't the type of girl he was implying and Jack was my friend. In any other situation with anyone, I would have said something. Just because this man has some sort of intimidating effect on me doesn't make an exception! "I couldn't care less how much Jack's got. I'm pretty well off myself. Yes, I didn't earn it – well, the most of it – I inherited it from my parents. But to be frank, money is material that doesn't actually woo me in the slightest. He's my friend and that's because he's hung out with me and made me smile. I enjoy his company! That's why I'm here, you...you frickin' Bean Boy!"

Wuya's eyes went wide before she burst out laughing. I heard Jack gasp but he didn't move away. I just glared on at the man as his smirk remained on his face. His eyes though flickered from Jack to me.

"I see," he finally replied. He took three long strides stopping in front of me. He was taller than me so I had to glare up at him. He looked me up and down and picked at my hair that fell over my shoulders, "I really am impressed, Spicer...Deina."

I felt that I regained some of my confidence back as I continued to glare at him while he played with the ends of my hair. But I was unable to push his hand away, "Chase."

He let out a quiet sigh of a laugh and turned to Wuya, who was holding her side from all the laughing. I suppose maybe I had scored some points there.

"Come along, Wuya, I have a few things I would like to discuss with you, witch," he announced walking over to join her side. He then looked back at us, "See you again soon, Deina."

Deina met BeanB- I mean, err, Chase :o Ooh! And she's staying at Jack's for the night! Ooh! Surely nothing else can happen tonight? ;) Hehe!

Lv Lv Hazzard ^_^ x x