The Courage to Live

by camillexelisabeth

Seven minor gods had seven children. No one expected the prophecy to be about them. But yet, in the face of death, they realize their true reasons for existance. Have the courage to live, anyone can die. On hiatus for a good while.

8. Chapter Eight: Abby

A/N: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Chapter Eight- Stryker

I slept for the first hour, and when I woke up, I was leaning on Channing's sleeping form.

Chase had pulled over and was rubbing his temples. Dakota was out of the car pointing to a sign. No one else was in the car and I woke Channing up. We climbed out and looked at the sign. It took me a while to read, but I eventually figured it out. It said, "Beaver Creek Nudist Ranch."

Channing and Tanner tried to walk down the street into the ranch, but Hayden caught them both.

Chase kept driving until we got to a gas station. "Does anyone have to go to the bathroom?" he asked.

None of us did at the time, but five minutes later Aidan said, "Chase! I have to pee!"

Chase pulled over at the grossest place he could find and Aidan got out.

When he got back, he looked terrified. "Somethings you can never unsee," he said when Dakota asked him.

Two hours later, I called Abby. "Stryker!" she cried when the line connected. She was sitting in a dorm room, writing. She paused and gave me a funny look. "When you get here, I'm brushing your hair."

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Go for it." Abby and I argreed to meet on the UCLA campus. She gave me her dorm number, and attempted to hug me through the connection. It failed, but I was still touched. Metaphorically of course.

When I waved my hand through the mist and my bracelet returned, Channing smirked. "You guys look alike," he said. "Except your eyes. Hers are a lovely poop color."

I wacked his arm. "She's really pretty. And her eyes aren't just brown, they're chocolate brown. Duh, big difference," I said.

"You would be the one to get mad about colors," Hayden said and I shrugged.

"It's not blue, it's periwinkle!" Channing squeaked in a high voice.

"Exactly. Glad you see it my way," I said and he smiled a little.

Tanner offered to take the wheel by the fourth hour, but Chase glared back at him. "Are you questioning my mad skills?" he asked.

Tanner shrugged. "Eyes on the road, victory boy," he said just as Chase swerved to avoid an oncoming eighteen wheeler.

Chase did a good job, but his driving scared me. He never went below eighty miles per hour. Channing got bored, and resorted to begging for music. Aidan hurridly agreed and Tanner passed up his iPod. Unfortunately the only thing Dakota would listen to was

Ke$ha. Even more unfortunately, Aidan and Channing knew all of Ke$ha's songs by heart. Aidan's accent made Ke$ha's songs sound like Irish folk songs.

Aidan was an amazing singer, but mixed with Channing's voice in the background, it was bad.

Channing took a solo in the middle of Your Love is my Drug, and sang it to Tanner. "Do you wanna have a slumber party in my basement?" he sang, and Tanner gave him a grin.

"Why, yes, yes I do." Tanner winked and Channing made a suggestive face.

I scooted away and Aidan threw his hands up in frustration. "And you call me gay!" he cried.

Chase nodded. "You just scream gay."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't!"

"No you don't."

"Yes I do!"

Chase smirked at what he had done as Aidan groaned.

By the time Blah Blah Blah came on, Channing was in a full fledged singing mode. "Stryker, do you honestly think you'll be gettin' this in the back of my car?" he said, puffing out his chest.

I raised an eyebrow and said, "Too bad you don't have a car."

Channing shrugged. "You still wouldn't be getting this."

Tanner turned around. "Yeah she would," he said under his breath. Channing blushed bright red and I punched Tanner's arm.

Another hour passed and Dakota woke up from her nap. I didn't see how she could sleep through our concert, but she managed.

She tugged out the road map and sighed. "Five more hours," she said.

Hayden groaned. "Drive faster," she demanded.

I fell asleep again, and when I woke up, Tanner was driving. He was pretty bad, but thankfully no one else was on the road. I looked at the clock. We had left Park City at around nine in the morning. It was about three thirty, two and a half more hours.

I was staring out the window when I felt Channing lean against me in his sleep. He mumbled something that sounded like Shakespeare.

His bag had turned over and a book was on the floor. I picked it up and read the cover. It was pretty thick, and it took me a minute to figure out the words. "The Best of Shakespeare" was printed on the cover and I smiled a little. I opened the book to the marked page. Channing was in the middle of reading Romeo and Juliet.

I smiled even wider and turned to look at the sleeping boy next to me. His eyes were closed and he muttered something again.

Certain lines were highlighted.

But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!

I smiled and ran my fingers over the page. We hit a bump in the road and Channing woke up.

"Hmmm?" he said as his eyes fluttered open. He saw what I was reading and snatched it away. "Summer reading," he mumbled.

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure."

Channing slipped the book back in his bag. He scooted away from me but kept his hand next to mine. He looked around to make sure no one else was awake. "I like Shakespeare, okay," he said quietly so that Tanner wouldn't hear him.

"Shakespeare is a classic. You shouldn't be upset about it," I said.

Channing shook his head. "I'm not. But if the other guys see me reading it, they'd torment me to no end. And if Hayden found out..." He shuddered and gave me a pleading look. "Just don't tell anyone, please?"

I nodded. "Don't worry, I won't. But can I ask why you love Shakespeare so much?"

Channing blushed but he shrugged. "It's…romantic," he said slowly.

A smile spread across my lips. "You're a secret romantic!" I whispered.

His blush deepened but he nodded. "Stryker please don't tell anyone," he begged.

"Channing, I already said I won't. I pinkie swear," I said and held out my pinkie. Channing locked his around mine and stared at me.

Channing's eyes had never really stood out, but now they fascinated me. They were deep blue and had little flecks of silver in them. His shaggy dark hair was uncombed, but somehow still managed to fall in just the right way. I felt the butterflies again and pressed them back.

Channing just stared back at me, probably thinking that my hair was out of control.

Finally Tanner cleared his throat. "You guys gonna stare at each other for an hour?" he asked from the driver's seat.

I blinked and released his pinkie, but Channing pulled my hand into his. I blushed, and he said, "Nah, we're done."

Tanner shrugged and turned back to the road.

Channing kept my hand in his for a while, but I fell asleep again. Whatever Hemera did to me was making me exhausted.

When I woke up, we were driving slowly onto the UCLA campus. Channing still had my hand. Chase had taken the wheel again and Dakota was reading a map upside down.

She smiled proudly and said, "See, I told you we'd get here!"

Aidan was looking out the window. "Look!" he exclaimed and pointed to a group of girls. "They're so hot!"

"You're trying to hard to be straight, man," Tanner said.

Aidan sighed. "I do think they're pretty," he said softly. I glanced at the girls and realized one was Abby.

"Stop!" I yelled and Chase slammed on the brakes. I climbed over the seats and pushed the door open. "Abby!" I yelled as I ran to her.

Abby's friends all looked at me with wide eyes. "She's like a mini Abby!" one of them whispered.

Abby turned around. "Nah, she looks more like her mum," she said and winked at me.

My eyes widened. "You saw Iris?" I gasped.

Abby got a nervous look on her face. "Er, no, but I've seen pictures," she lied. We didn't have any pictures of Iris.

Abby waved goodbye to her friends and I led her to the car. Tanner and Aidan had moved to the backseat and Abby and I squeazed in next to Hayden. Abby looked at Chase and arched her eyebrow.

"Aren't you a little young to be driving?" she asked.

Chase shrugged. "Isn't it a little summery to be at school?"

Abby nodded. "I take summer courses so I can graduate early," she said. "David wants to get married."

I caught my breath. "Who the bloody hell is David?" I asked.

"My, er, boyfriend. I didn't tell you or Dad because I was afraid about how you'd react," Abby said nervously.

"What's he like?" Dakota asked from the front seat.

Abby frowned. "He's protective."

I didn't like this. Abby couldn't keep a secret to save her life, and she would have told us about David. Unless he told her not to.

Abby let the subject drop and looked around at my friends. Channing leaned forward as Abby directed Chase to her dorm. "So you got a date to prom?" he asked and wiggled his eyebrows.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Prom was last year, kiddo."

"How old are you?" Aidan asked. Abby smiled at him, most likely because of his accent.

"Aww! You're Irish!" she exclaimed and pinched his cheek.

Aidan smiled. "And you're British," he said.

Abby obviously thought he was awesome and Channing groaned. "Why do girls like you so much?"

Aidan smirked. "Because my accent is ridiculously awesome."

Channing wacked him upside the head and Aidan punched his arm. "Anyway, Abby. Are you a freshman?" Aidan asked.

Abby nodded and smiled again. "Stryker you really should go to college out here," she said. "It's amazing."

Within five minutes Chase pulled in front of the dorms. He parallel parked, just to show Abby who was boss, and jumped out.

Abby led us up to her dorm and unlocked the door. She turned around once we were all in. "Now spill," she commanded.

As I explained our story, Abby ran a brush through my hair. When I told her how I'd been hurt pretty bad from the Hydra, her brown eyes widened. She hit my arm lightly with the brush. "Be more careful!" she cried.

I stood by Channing when Abby finished detangling my hair. Channing was leaning against Abby's desk and he put his arm behind me casually.

Abby smiled at this, but didn't say anything. "So tell me about David," I said.

Her pretty face got dark. "He's a senior. He was actually supposed to come over today, but I told him I needed to meet up with you. He wasn't too happy about that, but he'll get over it."

I started to get worried and stood up straight. "Abby, I don't like how this guy―"

I was interupted by a loud knock on the door. A man's voice yelled, "Abby, open the door!"

Abby crindged and gingerly opened the door. The man stepped in and glared at us. He had a buzz cut and his hair was a dirty blonde color. He wore a stained white shirt and ripped jeans. "Who are you?" he asked.

I stepped toward him and glared up. "I'm Stryker. And who are you?"

The man snorted. "At least you didn't tell 'em, Abby. I'm David."

I wanted to run him through, but Abby pulled me back. "I told you I had to see my sister today," she said.

David rolled his eyes. "You do what I say, not what you want," he said sourly.

My blood boiled. "Don't you dare tell my sister what to do!" I yelled. Abby put herself between David and me.

"David, she didn't mean that!" Abby cried, but it was too late. David shoved her tiny body out of the way and stood over me.

"Say that again punk," he growled. His breath smelled like whiskey and I snarled.

"Back off, you little twit! My sister deserves better than you!" I yelled. The room was silent until Channing tried to pull me back. I shook his hand off and David laughed.

"I deserve better than your sister," David said.

I got so mad that I screamed. I felt my fist flying through the air, but I was to mad to see anything. When my fist hit David, he stumbled backwards. I had managed to punch him in the nose and it began to bleed. "Screw you!" I yelled.

David grabbed at me and took hold of my hair. "I'm gonna kill you, brat," he growled.

Abby slapped him as hard as she could. "Let go!" she commanded when he grabbed her arm.

David hit her across the face. Channing and Aidan tackled him and I rushed over to Abby.

She sat on the ground in shock. "He never hits that hard," she mumbled. I wrapped my arms around her and she started to cry.

"Abby, it's okay," I whispered. She whimpered as Chase kicked David in the stomach.

David got up and glared at me. "Touch my sister again, and I'll kill you," I growled. David spat at us, but missed.

He stalked away and mumbled something about meddling kids.

"Call the police," Hayden said.

Abby shook my head. "I'll do that after you leave," she said. She seemed more in control.

"Abby," Aidan said, "has he hit you before?"

Abby got an ashamed look on her face. She nodded miserably and stood. "Thanks, guys." She made an excuse about class and left us in her dorm.

About an hour passed and I realized everyone was asleep. I curled up next to the desk, but I'd slept so much today that it was impossible for me to be tired. Chase woke up and yawned. He nodded at me and scooted over to sit next to me.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I thought she was stronger than that," I whispered.

Chase shook his head. "She was. He just had her in a state of fear. She'll be okay."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, bud. I think we just need to get there and back. It's seriously freaking me out. I don't want to do this anymore," I said and felt like crying, but I'm really not a crier.

Chase sighed. "Look, you have to. Thanatos probably has some horrible plan to unleash zombies upon the world. We're all doomed if you don't succeed. No pressure or anything." He winked and lightly punched my arm.

I smiled a tiny bit and bit my lip. "Do you think we can do it?" I asked.

Chase shrugged. "You've got me. I can do anything," he said proudly.

I laughed, which of course woke Aidan. "Hmmm?" he mumbled and sat up.

"Nothing, go back to sleep," Chase said.

Aidan shook his head. "Can we do something until Abby gets back? Like maybe watch a movie or something?" he asked.

I shrugged. Hayden was lying next to the TV and she woke up when I tripped over her and landed gracefully on my face. The thump woke up Tanner and Channing, whose complaints woke Dakota. Now we had seven grumpy demigods who were sick of each others company. The only cure? An inaccurate Disney movie about our parents.

Channing finally got the DVD player working and Hercules started. We watched it, sort of. Most of the time we were talking about the mistakes in it. For instance, I'm fairly sure Hades doesn't have flaming blue hair, but we were about to find out. Channing asked if all the gods were funny colors and if Hera was really his mother. Tanner glanced nervously out the window.

"Let's not talk about Lady Hera," he suggested.

Aidan knew all the songs, of course, and he adored the Muses. "They've got such personality and pizzaz!" he gushed. "Just look at those jazz hands!"

Tanner shot him a look. "Seriously, man? You're only proving us more right," he said and Aidan blushed.

Channing was sitting in between Tanner and Hayden, and let me tell you, Hayden was not happy about that. Everytime Channing said something, Hayden would shoot him down. I knew what he did to her wasn't cool, but she was seriously taking it too far.

I grabbed Channing and pulled him outside. The bright sun blinded me after being in that dark dorm for so long.

"Okay, what else did you do to her?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

Channing sighed. "She had a crush on me," he said with defeat.

I just laughed. "I knew I was right!"

"No, you weren't right. I didn't like her back, and I wanted her to leave me alone. What was I supposed to do? Let her confess her love to me and expect me to be happy? No way. So I was a total jerk to her. But she still wouldn't leave me alone, so I told her that I thought she was ugly and that she was weird," Channing said and crossed his arms.

I slapped his arm as hard as I could.

"Ow!" he cried. "What was that for?"

"For being a total tool!" I yelled.

"Oh, I'm not just a tool. I'm the hammer," Channing said and poked my arm.

I rolled my eyes. "Channing, no wonder she hates you so much!"

"She got over me! She's obviously obsessed with Tanner now," Channing said with disgust.

"Do I detect jealousy?" I said, and he shrugged.

"Why would I be jealous?" he asked, stepping closer.

I backed up, but he grabbed my arm. I took a breath as the butterflies returned. "Because you like being the center of attention," I said.

"Do not. You want attention more than I do!" he yelled.

I stomped my foot. "What makes you think that?"

Channing picked up a strand of green hair. "You dye your hair these crazy colors, and it just screams 'wannabe rebel' and you act like it works for you. It totally does, but still!"

"What the Hades are you talking about?" I yelled.

Channing shrugged. "I just complimented you," he said.

"I don't want your compliments," I said, trying to break free of his grasp.

Channing shook his head. "Yes you do. I know you feel something, Stryker. I know I do," he said slowly.

I glared at him. "If I told you I did, you would call me ugly and weird and then pay the Hermes cabin to prank me!" I screamed.

"Nah, you're not ugly. And just because you're a little weird doesn't mean I don't feel something too," Channing said and pulled me closer.

"Channing stop! You wanna know why I'm so mad at you?" I said, lowering my voice since people were starting to stare.

Channing shrugged. "Couldn't hurt."

I sighed. "All this time, you had me believing that Hayden was the bad guy, and you were the innocent one. Turns out you were a jerk to her!" I said.

Channing smiled. "I was saving up for someone else."

I shook my head. "Keep looking, Channing. I'm not her," I said softly, even though it killed me to say it.

Channing's face dropped. I cursed myself for saying that. His sad face looked more like a beaten puppy than anything. "Look, Channing, it's just that we're on a quest to save the world right now, and romance would be a distraction," I said quickly.

Channing nodded. "No, I get it. I'm not good enough for you," he said and sighed. He looked at me through his lashes.

My heart almost broke in half and I shook my head rapidly. "No! Channing really, I would but, honestly, it's pretty bad timing."

Channing brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "We could die tomorrow," he whispered.

"Someone's optimistic," I muttered.

Channing smiled a little, but continued talking. "There's no time like the present."

I shook my head. "Channing―"

He put his hand over my mouth. "You might ruin this moment if you talk. I promise I would never hurt you."

I couldn't really speak, but Channing was having the time of his life.

Channing pulled me closer and leaned his forehead on mine. We were so close, I could feel his warm breath on my face. I tried to keep my breathing even, but my heart was beating too fast. Channing looked nervous, but my slow mind couldn't figure out why. Channing took a deep breath and closed his eyes. I felt his lips brush mine, but just as he was about to kiss me, Chase ran out of the dorm.

He raised an eyebrow and shifted awkwardly. Channing cursed softly and put two hands on either side of my face. He pulled closer, but then decided against it. He sighed then turned to Chase.

"What? What could you possibly want that's more important than what I'm doing right now?" Channing asked harshly.

Chase cleared his throat. "Um, the movie's done," he said. "And, er, Dakota said she's hungry, so I'm thinking we should―" I held up a hand and cut him off.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's just wait for Abby. I think she should be back soon," I said hopefully.

Chase nodded and looked at Channing funny. Channing glared at him and stalked off.

I wanted to follow him, but just then Abby walked up. She almost seemed to pop out of nowhere, but then again, I was in my own little world. She raised an eyebrow at me and I blushed.

"You'll tell me later," she said confidently and Chase shrugged.

"You probably don't want to know," Chase said and smirked.

Abby shuddered. "Stryker, what did you do?" she asked carefully.

I shook my head. "Nothing!"

Abby raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Chase and I followed Abby back to her dorm and found Tanner, Dakota, and Hayden sitting quietly in a corner. Aidan was on another side, cursing at the DVD player in some langauge I didn't recognize. His accent was becoming much more thick, and his face was flushed.

Hayden nodded at me and Dakota flashed a bright smile. However, Tanner didn't look so great. He was paler than usual and had a strange look on his face.

I asked him about it, but he shrugged it off. Tanner sucked in a sharp breath and put a hand to his head. "So many people," he muttered.

I shook the bad feeling away, and went to find Channing while everyone else followed Abby to some resturaunt.

I walked around the college grounds for about an hour before I saw him. Channing was sitting under a willow tree staring up into the branches. I approached him, but he didn't notice me.

I heard a feminine voice came from the branches above him. "Well, you see, she seems to like you, but she seems confused," the girl said.

Channing sighed. "She acts like she doesn't care and when I almost kissed her, she didn't follow me when I walked off."

The voice giggled. A small girl dropped out of the trees and landing gracefully next to Channing. She was wearing a green dress and had long auburn hair. It was extremely curly and she had it pulled back into a long braid. Her skin was darkly tanned and she had freckles across her face and shoulders.

Her face was elfish and her smile was mischievous. Channing looked at her miserably and frowned.

I hid behind the tree and listened to their voices. Channing said, "Willow, why is this becoming a habit for me?"

The girl giggled again. "Because you're a player?" she suggested.

Channing sat in silence for a moment and then I heard him getting up. I tried to keep out of his sight, but the girl saw me.

"Stryker!" she cried and threw her arms around me. I tried to push her off, but she wouldn't let go.

"Um, who are you?" I asked.

She mumbled something into my hair and I finally broke her death grip on me.

"Come again?" I said.

She gave me a toothy grin and said, "I'm Willow! Don't you recognize me?" Her face grew disapointed when I shook my head. "Oh. I guess not. We dryads aren't very important at camp," she said sadly.

"I, uh, don't know. And how did you get here?" I asked.

Willow's face brightened. "My friend's letting me borrow her tree while she's off with some satyr for the day. So I got myself here," she said happily.

I shrugged and Willow hugged me again. "I kept seeing you around camp and I just knew we would be best friends!" she cried.

"Channing!" I gasped, trying to breath with a dryad attached to me. "Get her off!"

Channing rested a hand on Willow's shoulder and she let go. She let out a giggle and stepped back.

I glanced awkwardly at Channing and he was blushing deep red. He was looking at his feet and Willow poked him.

"Well I can see I'm now a third wheel, so back to camp! Peace out, girl scout!" she said and smiled brightly before melting in the the willow tree.

"Interesting girl," I mumbled.

Channing nodded. "She's extremely happy," he said slowly. "Willow also has it in her head that you two are going to be best friends one day. She says she can just tell."

I raised an eyebrow and Channing smiled. He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously. "So about earlier," he began. I blushed deeply and his smile widened. "I'm sorry we didn't get to finish," he whispered and took a step closer.

I bit my lip. The butterflies were having a party inside me and it was hard to keep from shaking. "Uh, me too," I said.

Channing smiled at my nervousness as he wrapped an arm around my waist. He pulled me close to him and rested his head in my neck.

"I can feel you shaking," he whispered into my hair.

"I'm just cold," I lied.

Channing had moved his head to my neck again and I felt him smile against my skin. "It's summer," he mumbled.

I gasped lightly when I felt his lips press against my collarbone. Channing slowly moved his head upward and pressed his forehead against mine.

"The sun is going down," I managed. "It's getting cold."

Channing laughed and his warm breath spread across my face. "You're nervous," he whispered and closed his eyes.

I bit my lip as he ran his hand through my hair. He leaned in and brushed his lips quickly over mine.

I tangled my hands in his hair and my breathing became ragged.

Channing opened his eyes and smiled at me. "Still think you're not the one?" he whispered.

My head was spinning and he pulled my body even closer to him. I shook my head slightly and Channing's smile grew. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my cheek and his fingers laced in mine.

"What are you doing?" I asked breathlessly as he traced patterns on my back with his fingers.

Channing shrugged and smiled. "Driving you crazy," he whispered.

He leaned in painfully slow but just as our lips touched, something growled from the shadow of the tree. Channing sighed and lingering for a split second against my lips. He turned and faced the shadow, pulling out his pocket knife. I let his hand drop as he opened it and it became a gleaming black sword. I reached for my knife, but it wasn't there.

A huge dog crawled out of the shadow and barked fiercly. It was pure black and had fangs the size of my hand and glowing red eyes. The thing was the size of a rhino and its dense black fur was caked with blood.

I looked around desperately for my purse, but I had left it sitting in the dorm. The dog's gaze zeroed in on Channing and it pounced. Channing stabbed at it, but missed. As he wrestled with the dog, I tried to find anything that could help.

I felt my bracelet get warmer, then hot. It started to burn my skin and I took it off. It grew into a dagger and I cocked an eyebrow. A rainbow knife wasn't that intimidating, but it was a weapon.

I whistled and the dog turned it's gaze on me. I gulped down my fear and charged it. I needed to get in close enough so that I could get my knife back. I didn't know if this knife would return to me, but I was desperate.

At the last minute, I tuck and rolled under the dogs belly and stabbed upward. The dog howled in pain. Unfortunately, I was still under it when it layed down. The weight of it should have crushed me, but for some reason it didn't. Then I realized it was dissolving. Black sand fell on me and I shook it off. My dagger was sparking under a pile of dust. Channing picked it up by the blade and yelped. He threw it down and shook his hand out.

"It burned me," he said and crindged.

I picked it up cautiously by the hilt and it felt warm, but not hot. It was still sparking, and I touched the tip. It was scalding hot. I hissed in pain and put my finger in my mouth.

Channing folded the tip of his sword down like a knife. It returned to the tiny pocket knife.

I searched my knife for some way to turn it back into my bracelet. I pressed the bottom of the hilt and it shrank down into a solid rainbow again. I tied it off around my wrist and it began to cool down.

There was an awkward silence as I stared at the ground. When I glanced up, Channing was staring at me.

"That was fun," he finally said after a long silence.

I shrugged. "I've been more entertained."

Channing smiled a little and kicked the remaining dust up.

I sat under the tree and leaned my head back against the rough bark. Channing sat across from me and bit his lip.

"What now?" he asked.

I shrugged. "We should go back to the dorm and wait for everyone else."

Channing sighed and stood up. He offered me his hand and pulled me up. He wrapped an arm around my waist and we walked back to the dorm in silence.

When we got back, Channing flipped on the light and I went to sit on Abby's bed. He decided he desperately needed a shower, and shuffled into the bathroom.

I layed back and closed my eyes. I wasn't tired, but I needed to relax.

Five minutes later, Channing came out with wet hair. He shook it out, sending water droplets everywhere. He had pulled on a new T-shirt and actually looked nice. I was surprised to see him so clean and he cocked an eyebrow at me when he caught me staring.

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

I shook my head. "Nothing."

Channing shrugged and sat down next to me. I suddenly decided a shower would be a lovely idea. Channing looked a little disapointed but I got up anyway.

I took a fast shower, only five minutes, but the hot water was enough to relax me. I got out and ran a comb through my hair. I put the one other T-shirt I had on and pulled my shorts on as well.

I sat back down next to Channing. Abby's bed was pressed against the wall, so I leaned on it. Channing laced his fingers through mine.

"Where are we?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "California."

Channing shook his head. "No, where are we in terms of our relationship?"

I blushed. "Oh, uh―"

Before I could finish, Aidan burst in the dorm. He was soon followed by everyone else.

Abby was carrying a pizza box. "We got a take out," she said. "The resturaunt was so crowded."

I nodded and got up. We all ate and talked. Channing told them about the dog, but he called it a hellhound.

Abby glanced at me with a concerned look, but didn't say anything. Channing left out the part about almost kissing.

We soon spread out to do our own things. Channing sat in a corner with a notebook and began writing. Abby sat at her desk and worked on homework, I guess. Aidan and Dakota sat on the bed and talked. Tanner and Hayden listened to Tanner's iPod. Chase pulled a random book off the shelf and began reading.

I sat in a corner and rested my head on my knees. I let my mind wander. I thought a lot about Channing. I thought about the way we'd almost kissed twice and how he kept throwing glances at me.

Eventually I must have dosed off. I woke up to a completely dark room. A blanket and pillow had been layed next to me and I layed down. My hand touched something soft and I looked over. Channing was sleeping peacefully next to me. He was breathing lightly and had one hand extended towards me.

I scooted closer to him and rested my head on my pillow. Channing was a light sleeper, apparently, and his eyes fluttered open when my hand touched his.

"Hmm?" he mumbled.

"Shh. Go back to sleep," I whispered. Channing smiled and scooted closer to me.

"You should sleep too," he whispered.

I stifled a yawn and smiled. "I was trying to until you woke up."

Channing smiled. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Goodnight," I whispered and closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, Britain," I heard him whisper.

It took me a short time to fall asleep, but my dreams took me far away.

A/N: Dang, that was long.

I thought I'd throw in some romance.

Awww! Channing likes Shakespeare! How adorable.

What do you think of Stryker and Channing as a couple? See any other pairings? Let me know by reviewing!

I'd like to say I have the next five or so chapters written out, but you guys have sucked me dry. I'm working on chapter nine, but it's gonna be awhile.

Thanks so much for all your reviews and for all of those who have favorited this story or followed it or, Olympus forbid, followed me as an author. I really appreciate that, but for those who liked this story and haven't reviewed, please review. I'd really appreciate that even more.

Thanks so much!

ψcamille elisabethψ