Chloe was really easy to talk to…a little too easy. I let a lot slip around her.

Chloe and Jim sat on the soggy ground, talking and eating the purps Mrs. Hawkins had sent down. They talked for what felt like hours, and yet also felt like only minutes. Jim didn't want it to end; it had been a while since he had just…talked.

"Okay, so you were a juvenile delinquent?" Chloe asked while licking purp juice off her fingers lightly. She found it hard to believe that a well respected military man like Jim had ever been in trouble with the law. But then, as she looked at him, she could see how. Deep in his blue eyes was a mischievous glint, one that made Chloe smile. She didn't know why, but she could identify with it.

Jim laughed a little as he bit into the purp he had been holding. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." He chewed for a moment before continuing. "But I like to think I was more of a rebel without a cause."

Chloe laughed and began reaching for another purp; there was only one left. "Oh," she said, picking up the bowl and holding it out to Jim. "You have it."

Jim took the last purp from the bowl, looking at it before he wrapped his hands around it and pulled it into two equal pieces. "We'll share it," he said, handing one dripping half to Chloe before taking a bite from his. "So…" he chewed as he thought. "What all do you know about yourself?"

Chloe wiped some juice away from her lips with the back of her hand before lowering her hands into her lap. "Not much. I know I'm eighteen – or at least, I'm pretty sure I am – and um…well, I like kids." She shrugged before taking a bite out of her half a purp. "The Dopplers are really nice; the spoke highly of you."

Jim choked a little as he ate the last bit of his purp. He hated being talked about behind his back. "Really? W-what did they say?"

Chloe smiled at his stutter. "Amelia said you were…what was it? Oh, extremely intelligent and resourceful. She wouldn't go into detail…" she trailed off to finish her purp. "Delbert said that you were an overall good guy. And your mom brags on you a lot too."

Jim groaned and scratched the back of his neck. Sure, what everyone said was nice enough, but he hated being conversed about. He stood from his place beside Chloe on the damp ground and walked over to the surfer they had just repaired together. He hit the release button on the back and the sail popped up, a little wrinkled, but in relatively good shape.

Chloe stood up as well, rubbing mud off her back side as she walked over to Jim. "So, solar surfers, huh?"

Jim nodded as he gently pulled the surfer off of the boxes and had it rest on the ground. He stepped up onto it, sliding his feet into the holds. It had been years since he had ridden. "Yeah; I got into a whole lot of trouble on this thing when I was younger."

Chloe watched as Jim started the machine up and shot off into the darkening sky. There was another storm on the way. Chloe watched as Jim maneuvered the board through the air, performing flips and barrels. She smiled. Fun. The answer voice. She suddenly realized that she knew what it was like to fly, to feel free. "Why did I want to feel free?" She wondered as she heard Jim laugh from the air over her head. "Wasn't I free?"

Chloe shook her head as Jim came in and landed about five feet away from her. He retook the sail into the machine before leaning against a steep portion of the hill that had a bit of an overhanging above it. "That should keep it dry," Jim said quietly, almost to himself.

"Why did you want to be free?"

Jim turned to see Chloe standing behind him, her hands behind her back. Jim was confused by her question and gave her a look that reflected that. Chloe sighed before walking to stand beside him, skimming her fingers across the surface of the surfer. "You rode this when you were young because you wanted to be free; how come?"

Jim shook his head before letting it hang as he looked down at her. "I'm not sure; supposedly I have abandonment issues."

Chloe gave him a curious look. "Want to talk about it?"

Jim shook his head, but he began speaking anyway. "My dad left us when I was ten…" from there, Jim's entire life story dribbled out of his mouth all on its own. Chloe listened to everything, nodding slightly, twisting her ring around her finger. Whether he talked for a few minutes or a couple of hours, he wasn't sure. But Chloe listened until the very end.

When Jim had finished he released a breathy laugh. "Sorry; I didn't mean to talk your ear off. You've got enough to worry about without me playing emotional dumpster."

Jim turned and began walking up the hill when Chloe's voice followed him. "You're going to be ok, you know."

Jim turned back toward her; Chloe had turned to face him. "It almost sounds to me like you're worried about being like your father. You'll be fine; you're already a better man than he could have ever hoped to be."

Jim shook his head and put his hands on his hips, looking frighteningly similar to his mother. "How do you even know?"

Chloe shook her head as well before limping her way up to him on the hill. She stood before him and gazed up into his eyes. "Your dad ran away; he wasn't man enough to face his problems so he went on some grand adventure trying to forget. You came back. You've stuck through things that I'm pretty most people would turn into a puddle at. You're going to be just fine. At least, that my opinion."

Jim gave her a half amazed half disbelieving look. Chloe smiled up at him before she spoke again. "Thanks for letting me…sit and bother you all afternoon," she said, stretching up onto her toes and gently kissing his cheek. "It was fun."

Jim smiled back, his hand going up to rub the spot on his cheek that she had just kissed. "No problem; it was fun."

Chloe laughed a little and then turned to go back down the hill to retrieve the purp bowl. Jim watched as she limped; it looked as if her right leg was the one bothering her.

As Jim watched her, rain began to fall from the sky in big fat drops. Jim turned and began quickly walking up the hill in an attempt to get out of the rain, but he stopped when he heard a curse from the bottom of the hill. He turned back to see Chloe attempting to limp her way up the hill without out much success. Jim smiled a little as he made his way back down the hill.

Just as the drops began to fall faster, Jim reached Chloe. "C'mere," he said, stooping over in front of her. "I'll carry you."

Chloe gave him a bewildered look for a moment before gently climbing onto his back. "Hang on tight," he said as he reached his arms around and hooked them behind her knees. Chloe wrapped her arms around his shoulder, careful to keep the purp bowl out of Jim's face.

Jim noted that Chloe was remarkably light; he hadn't really paid much attention to it the previous night. He trudged his way up the hill, trying to hurry so that he and Chloe wouldn't end up soaked to the bone, but it appeared that he would have no such luck. He shook his head, trying to get the water out of his face so he could better watch where he was going.

Chloe noticed this and was struck by an idea. She kept her left arm wrapped around Jim's shoulders, but held the empty bowl over his head like an umbrella with her right hand. Jim laughed a little. "Thanks," he said as they finally got to the top of the hill and he began walking through the back door into the kitchen.

"Don't mention it," she said as Jim set her down on her feet in the kitchen. They were both soaked, but smiling.

B.E.N. and Sarah were hard at work, preparing dinner. Chloe glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. She and Jim had been outside for the majority of the day. "There you two are," Sarah sighed, moving away from the vegetables she was chopping. "I was starting to get worried."

"Sorry Mom," Jim said automatically, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to take some of the water out of it.

"Oh!" Sarah had just noticed that both Chloe and Jim were completely soaked. "Chloe, why don't you go up to your room and change into some dry clothes? Amelia left the clothes you picked up this morning up there for you."

Chloe nodded, giving Jim one last look. "Alright Mrs. Hawkins; I'll be back down to help out in a minute."

Sarah nodded as the young woman walked away through the swinging door; Jim began to walk away but was stopped by his mother's hand on his arm. "Jim, I need to talk to you about something."

Jim nodded as his mother glanced toward B.E.N. "B.E.N., why don't you…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," the robot said, slightly hurt that he was asked to leave the room whenever something important was being discussed. Sure, he was hyperactive and slightly annoying, wasn't he also trustworthy? He pulled off his chef's hat and tossed it on the counter before he left.

Once he was gone, Sarah turned back to her son. "Delbert went to the police to see if there were any missing person's reports in the area."

Jim nodded and his mother continued. "Until someone comes forward looking for her or until Chloe remembers something, I'm going to ask her to stay with us."

Jim nodded again. "Yeah, okay."

Sarah nodded. "I just wanted to make sure it was alright with you," she said, pushing her son's bangs out of his face. Jim was a good seven inches taller than his mother now, but he was still her son, so she still mothered him to death. "I know you've got some things to figure out for yourself, and I just wanted to be sure that having her around wouldn't hinder that."

Jim shook his head. "I'll be alright," he said, beginning to walk toward the swinging door so that he could go and get changed into dry, warm clothes.

Sarah watched her son go, a smile spreading across her face. She was glad to see that their new resident was occupying Jim's mind. As Sarah turned back to the vegetables she had been chopping, she chuckled a little, wondering how things would have turned out if she had been a matchmaker instead of an inn keeper.

Meanwhile, Jim had made his way up to his room, his gaze lingering on Chloe's door as he opened his own. His thoughts were interrupted when Morph flew out of Jim's room like a bat out of hell, colliding with Jim's forehead. "Ow! Morph!"

The pink blob of a creature chattered angrily at Jim, scolding him for leaving the door closed all day. He had been about to verbally retaliate when a soft giggle caught his attention. Jim turned toward Chloe's door and sat her poking her head out. Her hair was hanging down, wavy from having been wetted while pulled back into a braid. She gave Jim a smile and a small wave, which he returned before she disappeared back into her room.

Morph chattered to Jim, confused as to who Chloe was. "That's Chloe, Morph," Jim explained as he stepped into his room. "She's a new friend."

Yippie! I think I'm back from my semi hiatus! I really hope you enjoyed this one! I wanted to write the piggy back scene for a long time, so I really hope it turned out well.

I'm also so very happy to be receiving reviews! Seriously, I did a happy jig! Keep them coming!

Also, I've got a request: I'm looking for anyone who is on Deviantart who would be willing to collaborate with me on character sketches. I'm not very good at drawing, see, and so if anyone is willing to lend a helping hand involving any of my stories, it would be greatly appreciated.

So, yeah, R&R check out my other stuff, and I'll see you next time!

XXOO~BBTM