Me: I love my brother. He's an awesome person. Nuff said. Enjoy the chapter!

Jasper sighed. "It's not as bad as I thought," she told Shadow, who was nervously awaiting her evaluation. "Still, it's going to need stitches."

Shadow raised an eyebrow as she dug around in her kit for a needle and thread designed specifically for such a thing. "Stitches?" he repeated. He'd never heard of such a method.

"Yep," the wolf confirmed, her eyes on the two instruments. "I need to stitch the skin back together so it'll heal properly."

Shadow winced as he realized the needle she was holding would pierce his already throbbing skin. "Is that…absolutely necessary?" he asked, his voice sounding small as he stared at his wound.

Jasper smiled slightly at the silent plea in his expression. Reaching into her kit, she produced a small bottle and a Q-tip. Dabbing the Q-tip into the bottle, she said, "This is going to hurt a lot at first, but it should dull most of the pain." Then, she gently dabbed the ointment on his wound.

She heard him hiss as his body went rigid, but after a moment, he seemed to relax slightly. "How does it feel?" she asked him.

He carefully tested his hand for a moment before replying. "It's sort of…buzzing."

"Does it still hurt?"

"No…Not really."

Jasper smiled. "Good. Now hold still."

Tensing, Shadow did as he was told. He was surprised, though, to find that he could barely feel the needle as it pierced his skin. "What…is that stuff?" he asked, peering inquisitively at the small bottle lying in the kit.

"I don't remember what it's called," Jasper replied, not looking up from her work, "Only that it's designed to numb your skin." She kept stitching as she continued. "My brother got some of it for me when I told him I was going to live out here."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "You have a brother?"

Jasper smiled. "Two. Marco, my older brother, was the one who gave me the ointment. He actually got a couple of other things: this couch, the clock, some of the lights…He's always worrying about me, poor thing.

"My little brother, Ashes, got me a couple of things too, but I think he only did it because Marco did. He actually helped me pay for some of the house's materials, like the tiles for the counters and the sink."

"The sink?" Shadow repeated.

"Yeah." She looked up at him, surprised. "Where did you think it came from? I may have built this house, but I had to buy most of the materials, wood not included."

Shadow shook his head. "I didn't know you built this house."

"Well, I did. I had to pay a load of money to the nearest town for the running water. I get electricity from my own generator, but those things cost a heck of a lot of money, so I prefer not to use it when I can."

Shadow was quiet for a moment as he watched her work. She was stitching up his wound with the utmost care, her soft fingers brushing against his hand as she worked with supreme gentleness, almost tenderness.

He swallowed slightly and looked away, searching for a topic of conversation. "Why did you come out here, anyway?" he asked.

Jasper paused in her work to look up at him. She smiled slightly before replying. "That's none of your business."

Shadow frowned slightly, a little disappointed. He knew she was just being difficult, but she was right all the same. Even so, he had been curious about the answer to that question for some time now. Besides, it would've kept his mind off of her stitching.

Then, she laughed and said, "Just kidding."

"You're right, though," he insisted, stopping her from continuing. "It's got nothing to do with me."

Jasper shrugged. "That doesn't matter. I honestly don't mind."

"But why should you tell me about your life?"

"Why shouldn't I?" she challenged, raising her eyebrows. He had no answer. "My life's an open book; I've got nothing worth hiding." She grinned. "I thought you'd know that by now."

Shadow humph-ed and returned his ruby gaze to the ceiling.

Jasper shrugged, sighing slightly. "But…I won't bore you with the story."

"I don't mind," Shadow said, a little too quickly.

Jasper noticed this and concealed a smirk. "Alrighty then." The wolf returned to her work, humming in thought. "To be honest, I couldn't stand the city. It was too crowded, and it's people were always in a hurry. Everyone had somewhere to be and something to do. Their worlds revolved around schedules and meetings and time: hurry, hurry, hurry.

"Now, some people like that sort of thing, but the city life just wasn't for me. I never really liked spending time around people; I preferred to be on my own. Out here, I'm completely isolated and concealed from the outside world. I've got almost no visitors, no telephone calls, no bother of any kind. I think it's pretty much perfect for me."

She trailed off, lost in thought until Shadow broke the silence. "So I suppose I'm a bother, then?"

Surprised, she studied him, seeming almost confused. "No…I don't think so. For some reason, having you here hasn't bothered me in the slightest." Then she grinned. "In fact, I think I rather enjoy it."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Of course. Because if I wasn't here, you'd have no one to torment."

"Exactly!" she confirmed, her tone joking, and she was thrilled when Shadow smiled slightly. His smile almost completely transformed his appearance, and it's rarity made it all the more treasured. The fact that she was the reason for his smile made her feel like floating.

"Look at us," she murmured, smiling. "Were such an odd pair. One moment we're arguing, and the next we're talking like friends."

There was a pause as they stared at each other, both caught off guard by Jasper's choice of vocabulary. Friends, huh? Jasper's smile widened. "You should get your hand cut more often."

Silence descended as Jasper cut the remaining thread from the wound. Then, she took a bit of cloth and gently wrapped it around his hand before pinning it in place. Her small hands lingered on his large one as a phrase she once said echoed through both their heads. "I really do care."

Jasper shook her head slightly, shaking away the foreign, yet rather pleasant feeling that'd momentarily settled on her shoulders. "Well, that should do it." She gathered up her scattered supplies and stood. Flashing him a smile, she stepped over a small pile of wood to return the materials to the bathroom.

After washing her hands, she returned toward the kitchen where the dinner materials were spread out before her. "Have you ever had rabbit?" she asked him. "It's pretty good."

Shadow, who'd been staring at the fire, deep in thought, looked up at the wolf in surprise. "But, I don't have a plate," he protested.

"That's okay," Jasper replied, waving it off, "You can use one of mine." At his perplexed silence, she turned toward him to explain.

"You've been trying your hardest since this morning and you didn't complain to me once. That, and you were completely cooperative when I tended to your wound, not glaring at me once the entire time." She smiled. "I think you've earned it. Tomorrow, I'll give you a few tips to get you started in the right direction."

"I don't need your help," Shadow insisted automatically, frowning slightly.

Jasper smiled sweetly at him. "Tough." Then, she turned around and lighted the stove.

Shadow stared at the fire, confused. Normally, when she insisted on helping him, he'd be irritated and indignant. Now, though, he couldn't be more content as a pleasant feeling rested on his shoulders.

XXxxXXxxXXxxXX

Shadow quietly fiddled with the food on his plate, deep in thought. It was his second meal since discovering the sleeping pills dissolved in his food, a fact he was slowly coming to terms with. A large part of him was automatically wary of any substance designed to effect his body in a specific way, yet a larger part silently agreed with Jasper's decision.

He already had to suffer through enough boredom during the day; sleep was a welcomed escape. The fact that she kept the medication a secret no longer bothered him; she had already admitted fault, and her excuse was understandable enough. With these thoughts, and the meal's enticing aroma, in mind, Shadow started eating.

Jasper soon joined him with her own plate, plopping herself on the couch at his feet, her eyes on the fire. Ever since invading his personal space the night before, the wolf seemed much more comfortable around him. Whereas before she'd have eaten at the counter, she was now practically sitting on his legs, her folded knee resting on his bare foot.

Shadow wondered moodily if she planned on once again taking advantage of his drugged state to cuddle him like an oversized teddy bear. He already hated how helpless he was; it was even worse when he could hardly keep his eyes open, much less ward off her arms as they pulled him against her. It wasn't so much that he minded it, more as his inability to react other than a sleepy protest.

Shadow blinked in surprise and retraced his thoughts. He didn't mind it? The hedgehog double-checked this statement and was stunned to find it true. Other than his complete helplessness, he had no objection to being used as a personal stuffed animal. In fact, it was quite comfortable, especially when she ran her fingers through his quills.

He felt his face heat up at the thought, but it was undeniably true. It was also a secret he was taking to the grave.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Startled, Shadow glanced over at his caretaker. The wolf, having noticed his blush, was looking at him with a sort of curious amusement. She half-expected him to scowl in response, or just flat out ignore her, but was surprised when his eyes darted nervously back to the fire, completely avoiding her own. She watched him shift uncomfortably under her gaze, his features portraying a sort of awkward embarrassment.

After giving it some thought, she decided not to press him about it. "No comment, huh? And here I was trying to make idle conversation."

Shadow glanced at her, eyebrow raised. "Since when do we have 'idle conversation'?" he queried.

The wolf shrugged, her shadow mimicking her movement. "We seemed to have no trouble while I was mending your hand," she pointed out, then glanced questioningly at him, "Or was that just a one-time thing?" The pair mulled over this for a moment or two, then silently agreed that conversation wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

The two still hadn't quite worked out where they stood. As Jasper had pointed out earlier, they were always grating each other's nerves, yet at times, they seemed to tolerate, even enjoy, each other's company. The lines drawn between personal and free information had begun to blur, even more so with Jasper's 'open book' declaration.

The silver wolf made it increasingly difficult for Shadow to know where to set up his boundaries; one moment he was a stranger, the next a close friend. As a result, his half-formed walls were littered with holes, and personal information tended to slip out, like that bit about his fall from space.

Said wolf had just gulped down the last of her supper and was getting up to clear her plate. She glanced toward Shadow and, finding his plate also empty, turned to take his as well. The hedgehog was inspecting the smooth, flat surface of the expertly-carved dish with a resentful bewilderment. As she took it and headed toward the kitchen, he quietly admitted that he might be able to learn a thing or two from her.

Shadow turned toward the fire while Jasper started the dishes, letting his limp, useless legs dangle over the edge of the couch as he rested his elbows on his knees. Sitting up was now as effortless as it once had been, and it was no longer difficult for him to pull himself into a sitting position. The challenge came with getting his legs to keep him in that position. If he didn't lean against his elbows, he would end up eating carpet.

On the brighter side, he was no longer stuck laying down. Little did he know that Jasper had noticed this as well, and wasn't about to keep his new-found strength idle.

As the noise in the kitchen died, Shadow felt the sleeping pill beginning to take effect, and leaned back against the middle of the couch in preparation. His head was just beginning to droop when Jasper returned, dropping down heavily beside him. She studied him for a moment and then, grinning at his sleepy expression, she reached out and pulled him against her.

Shadow grumbled out a half-protest, too tired to really care. Annoyed with his own acceptance of the situation, he muttered an insult to satisfy his wounded pride. Then, feeling his rational thought process begin to shut down, the ebony hedgehog subconsciously buried his head in the crook of Jasper's neck, listening to the wolf's slow heartbeat and steady breathing. Her demeanor radiated a calmness that soothed his nerves, coaxing him to completely relax into her embrace.

Shadow only remained conscious for a few more minutes, feeling the Jasper's breath tickling his ear and her fingers combing his quills as they watched the fire crackle and curl up the chimney, casting dancing shadows along the wall behind them. Then, he peacefully drifted to sleep, his dreams pleasant memories of things past.

Me: Wow. Shadow was really cooperative. The reason? This counts as the absolute first time he willingly accepted Jasper's help.

Did I mention I love my brother? Cause I do. And I hate Chemistry.

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