Without question, Scott took her in his arms and held her.

"Oh yea, definitely feel safe with you."

"Is that good or bad?"

"I dunno yet. It's never happened except with my sisters."

As they got back to the hotel Lisa looked at him and he could read the questions on her face.

"We're going to my room. No I don't expect anything to happen, but given the time of night there's not that many choices."

"Okay."

"Just okay?"

"Just okay."

They walked into Scott's room and he was immediately trying to straighten up.

"My room's worse. We're females remember."

"Don't take this the wrong way but I definitely remember."

He noticed her blush.

"I definitely notice you're beautiful but that's not what's drawing me to you Lisa. It helps, but it's not the only thing."

They sat on the bed, side by side backs against the headboard. Lisa had her knees pulled up to her chest. Scott didn't speak, waiting for her to feel comfortable enough to speak on her own.

"The three of us were runaways. We all have our different reasons, but we all left hell very early. Ericka and I met first and we ran into Nicole and we've been together ever since. I don't care to remember the things we did in order to survive back then. I don't even know how we managed to deliver Xavier, but we did. I could pick George H. W. Bush's pocket and he'd never know it. That's how we took care of the four of us. Most of the money went to Playboy but none of us complained. Then he got sick. A nice man gave us a ride to the hospital after we fed him the story that he was Ericka's brother and her mother wasn't caring for him like she was supposed to. That's when we got entered into the system. Thank God for Mags adopting us. Children's services knew we had to all go together. When she died, Ericka was old enough to get a job and we watched Playboy while she worked. We survived is the only way I know to explain it. Don't ask me how because I don't know. By the time I was old enough to work, we were all making enough money to put a roof over our heads and generally care for ourselves. We've managed well from where we came from."

"Now I know where I remember you from."

"Excuse me?"

"I came here for spring break to see what it was about. These three girls came up to me with a baby asking for a ride to the hospital. Well only two of them asked because one wasn't so sure about me. I always wondered what happened to you guys. Are you still as afraid of me now as you were then?"

"In certain aspects, yes. At least you can touch me now and I don't flinch."

"You would barely let me near you before."

"Now I know…"

"What?"

"I know why I felt safe in your arms earlier. You had to pick us up to get us in and out of your car. As much as I didn't want you to touch me I knew I was going with Playboy no matter what. You've been…"

"It's okay. You tell me what you want to."

"You've been the only guy in my life that touched me yet never hurt me both then and now. Most guys I wouldn't even let near me. Ericka and Nicole would stand guard in front of me at the center until a female worker came in. As the center began to understand things, they would automatically send in a female worker and I was completely fine with it. However if someone forgot, it was near world war three."

"Then you got Mags."

"Then we got Mags. She tried to help but she understood. She never forced it on me. Once Mags was gone, it was back to Ericka and Nicole protecting me. Its an accepted fact around us that if either one of the others date, they do not come past the front door. The only man I've trusted in my life until now is Playboy."

Silence echoed throughout the room for a few minutes.

"What a way to ruin a date, huh?"

"You didn't ruin it."

"How could I not? Here I am telling you all this and all you asked me to do is go to a movie with you."

Scott brought his hand to trail the back of it down her face.

"You didn't ruin it Lisa. My intentions haven't changed one bit."

"They haven't?"

"Absolutely not. Of course you do realize you're going to hear my boring life story now."

"I'm sure it's not boring Scott."

"Compared to yours it is."

"No, it's just probably more stable is all."

"I guess you could say that."

Scott gave her the short version promising more details later.

"You're lucky."

"How do you figure that?"

You had your family like every kid is supposed to. Granted I have my sisters, but it's not the same."

"I know you three are making sure that Xavier has the best life possible and teaching him wrong and right."

"We want to make sure he doesn't make the same mistakes our families did."

Suddenly Lisa let out a yawn.

"OK I guess it's time to call it a night."

"Does it end here?"

"I don't want it to. I meant what I said Lisa. I'd like to get to know you better. We'll see each other at the meet and greet tomorrow, right?"

"Oh of course."

"Let me walk you to the elevators."

They got to the elevator lobby and just looked at each other.

"Can you hold me again?"

"Without question."

Scott held her until the elevator dinged. He sighed heavily and let her go.

"Until tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow."

He watched as the doors closed and for the first time in a while felt content on where his life was heading. Meanwhile in Lisa and Ericka's room, Ericka was pacing the room when she heard the door.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"I went to the movies. Remember? Date?"

"It's nearly 4 in the morning Lisa!"

"Oh wow, time did fly."

"You think?"

"I found out something tonight. Scott knows all of us. He met us years ago."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember us talking about Playboy's trip to the hospital the other day?"

"Yea, what about it?"

"Scott drove us there. He was in for spring break. He remembers too much to be lying."

"You're shitting me."

"Nope."

"God it's a small world in Florida."

"Tell me about it. I felt safe with him Ericka. He was able to hold me."

"No wonder you were in no hurry to give that up."

"He didn't kiss me but I can live with that. When it happens, I'll deal. He knows I have an uneasiness towards men but he doesn't know why."

"What did he say when you two realized it?"

"He said he'd always wondered what had happened to us. He asked me was I still afraid of him as I was then. I told him in certain aspects. So tell me about you and Brandon."