Authors notes: Alright, Chapter six! Chapter seven won't be up until approcimately next Thursay.

Chapter 6: Guarding Love

"Archie?" Atlanta called slightly worried. No reply came. "I'll go check on him Atlanta." Jay murmured, standing up and treading to Archie's tent he moved the flap aside to see Archie sleeping. He grinned. "Guess Archie was too tired to stay awake. After we eat we should be getting to bed." He added, glancing at the sky. The stars winked at them from the sky, small diamonds if you watched them from the earth. "I'm going to stay up as I've got first watch, Theresa, I'll wake you up when mines over then you can wake Herry. Everyone remember who they're waking?" He waited for the assured nods before letting them get to their tents. When he was sure nothing was wrong, and everyone was asleep Jay returned to the fire.

His hour passed by quickly, and he yawned as he stood to wake Theresa. He walked over to her tent, next to his and gently unzipped the door. He let his eyes adjust to the dark before walking inside and kneeling next to Theresa. He smiled slightly to himself, she looked so blissfully peaceful. "Theresa," He whispered in her ear. There were certain ways to wake her without alarm. He knew everyone of them. She rolled over slightly in her sleep. "Theresa" He repeated quietly.

"What?" She replied, sleepily, a slight grogginess evident in her voice. It was obvious she was hardly awake. "Theresa, don't go back to sleep, it's your turn to watch the camp." He replied, his voice still low and calm. Hidden somewhere in it though, was another emotion. Embedded deep in the voice of the leader was love.

She took a few minutes to wake up. It was a lot faster thanks to the coffee Jay had somehow made. "Alright, I'm good now. I'll be better in a few minutes. The camp's safe with me Jay." Theresa said, now awake and conscious. "I know. Now it's my turn to get some sleep. Don't forget to wake Herry after an hour. Here," Jay wrapped a watch around her wrist. "One hour, Got it." She nodded and waited till Jay had disappeared behind the flap of his tent.

When she was sure he was gone she sighed, "You just had to wake me from the dream filled with us. How ironic." She glanced at the corners of the camp, took out a flashlight and investigated the boundaries of the camp thoroughly before sitting down next to the fire. The heat from it chased away the chill the night had brought with it, the flickering light of the fire casting eerie shadows across the camp. However the firelight couldn't disfigure Theresa's face. The fire lit up her emerald eyes; the firelight highlighted her golden red hair and fell across her face. It was at this time she dew her thoughts into focus more on Jay and the ever growing relationship between Archie and Atlanta

Archie and Atlanta aren't nearly as open about liking each other as Jay and I are. Maybe they don't---no. They like each other just as much as Jay and I like each other, if not more. But why is it that they won't admit it openly. I mean they try denying it, where Jay and I just don't reply to cracks or jokes. I wonder how they act when they're alone. Why do I care so much? I guess it's because Atlanta's like a little sister to me. Of course, your protective of her she's younger and you don't want her to get hurt.


She rolled her eyes. Now she was going to be having a battle in her own mind. And now her mind was going to argue everything she'd just stated. She knew this.

But how is it possible for her not to get hurt. Of course Archie loves her, he'd do anything for her. He'd die for her, and she knows this. If he were ever to be harmed, she'd be in pain. You know this. There is no way she won't get hurt. Let her do what she wants, be there for her, you can't protect her from certain things. And why do you need to-

The brown haired leader interrupted her thoughts. She looked questioningly at him. "Couldn't sleep." He explained. "Mind if I sit?" he asked. She smiled, causing the leaders heart to skip a beat. He took a seat next to her, blanket draped around his shoulders. It had been cold in his tent, and he expected it to be cold outside. However, sitting next to Theresa, before the fire, so close he could see the flecks of blue in her eyes; he wasn't all that cold. The light in her eyes, the texture of her hands, the fine strands of gold woven amongst other colors of her hair. These were things only he knew, things only he hoped would ever know.

One thing bothered him though; Theresa had never said 'I love you.' And neither had he. Little did he know Theresa was thinking the same thing. There was a slight crease in her brow and she seemed distracted. "Theresa?" He asked, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder. "Yes Jay?" She asked, accepting the invitation and resting her head on his shoulder. "Are you alright? You seem troubled." He smiled faintly, resting his head on hers, chocolate brown eyes watching the fire dance.

She sighed. "I know. It's no good to watch the camp either. Its just I was thinking about Atlanta. She's like my little sister and-" "And you don't want her to get hurt. I know" Jay finished for her. "Theresa, you can protect her from certain things, but she's capable of doing a lot of things herself. As for her and Archie you know there is nothing that could convince Archie to hurt her in any way." The redhead grinned. "I know. Anyway, they don't exactly hide it… yet they both deny all cracks and jokes directed at them." She sighed. Jay held back a laugh, unwilling to wake the others. "Theresa, you really worry about her too much. Not all people are open about liking each other. Even the two of us get embarrassed when someone walks in on us when we're like this." He stated matter-o-factly.

"Jay? My hours going to be up in about ten minutes. And frankly, I'm not all that tired. Should I just leave Herry and wake Odie after?" She grinned faintly. It was always nice when the group was asleep and they were alone. Camping was even more fun. The stars shone above them, twinkling and winking down at them. Jay nodded. "As long as you want. I know I'll stay up for as long as I can." He replied. They stayed up for another hour, talking quietly, watching the stars, the fire. Finally both were tired and woke up Atlanta. She watched as the two Titans headed toward their tents, however she turned too quickly to notice only one of their tents were being occupied. And she smiled and hearing Jay and Theresa laugh lightly and talk quietly.