Author's note: Okay, even I'm sick of having to put an author's note at this point. BUT, I can say with every confidence that I am definitely getting a new laptop in a matter of days, then we will find out if the lost chapters will be recovered, and hopefully I can get a move on with this story. I'm also taking part in NaNoWriMo, so that may hinder my writing a smidge on this story. (But if the chapters are on my old laptop, we'll be fine.) Okay, so I've really been looking forward to posting this chapter. Hope everyone else enjoys. :)

Reaching her hand towards her back pocket, she touched a few buttons blindly on her phone, hoping more than anything she'd just punched in the right numbers for a certain someone on her speed dial.

"What are you doing here, Rowan?" Sarah said through gritted teeth.

"It seems my message didn't quite get through the other night. I told you to tell Benny to stay away."

"What can I say, he's stubborn. Maybe I also didn't really see why I should tell him to stay away when you're not giving me any reason." She lurched forward, placing her arms on Rowan's chest to knock him over, but he was much stronger than she anticipated.

"I could give you plenty reason. That little boyfriend of yours? You don't want to see anything happen to him, now do you?" He held onto her forearms, taking a strand of hair that hung past her face and twirling it between his fingers.

At that, Sarah punched him in the face, causing him to go off balance. Within seconds, Erica appeared, kicking Rowan in the gut. "Looks like you called in the cavalry," Rowan spat, clutching his jaw as he lay across the pavement.

"I have no idea who you are, but I don't really care. You mess with my best friend, and you're going to get hurt," Erica said, swishing her hair out of her face.

"And you will suffer the consequences," Rowan said to Sarah, before he seemed to vanish into thin air.

Erica glanced over at Sarah. "You butt dialed me?"

"Thank goodness it was you and not the pizza place," she said, rubbing her elbow from where Rowan held it. "Thank you. He's much stronger than I thought he'd be."

"Well, if you're okay, I'm gonna get back to my date. Third one this week." Erica stuck her fangs out, and winked. "You will be okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna hurry home, and I'll text you to let you know I've made it home safely."

Erica dashed off at that statement, leaving Sarah to her own devices.

Friday at school passed without anything unusual. Even Rory getting turned down by Erica for the thirtieth time didn't cause quite the laugh from Benny as it usually did.

What everyone seemed to be looking forward to was Friday night at Ethan's house. No matter how much it killed Sarah to admit it to herself, even she couldn't wait until she arrived at the place she'd spent so much time lately, with the boy she'd become so used to being around.

Fayette was actually a bit nervous, never having been around Benny's friends before, let alone humans who knew what she actually was.

"You'll be fine. They'll love you," Benny said reassuringly at Ethan's doorstep that night.

"I feel like I'm meeting the parents," she said, tugging at the hem of her dress. "Is my dress too wrinkled? Should I go home and change?"

"You could always take it off," Benny said, unable to control himself.

Fayette punched him in the arm. "You're not helping. I doubt I'd impress them much if I was naked." Benny opened his mouth, but Fayette punched his arm again."Don't say it."

"Ow! You know, you punch hard for a little thing." Rubbing his arm, he quickly added, "That was a compliment! And I wasn't going to say anything."

Fayette pointed her finger at him, her eyebrows raised. "Don't lie to me, now. And is Ethan ever going to answer his door? We've been out here for like five minutes."

"I didn't ring the doorbell."

"Wha- Seriously?"

"Don't punch me again! We'll just walk in," Benny said, turning the doorknob and side-stepping into the house so as not to be hit.

"I wasn't going to punch you. Gosh, I'm not violent. Great, your friends are gonna think I'm some sort of crazy fairy with a history in boxing. Noodle arms," she said, grabbing Benny's forearm and kissing it where she hit him. "Better?"

"Did my noodle arms taste like noodles?"

Fayette smacked her lips. "Like noodles and chapstick." Benny gave her a weird look, so she added. "My chapstick, Benny Noodles. Are they upstairs?"

Benny saw Jane sitting on the couch by herself, so he said, "I'm assuming. Shall we?" He outstretched his arm for her to take his hand, which she did gladly.

They walked up the stairs together, both very happy with all nerves left at the door. Ethan's bedroom door was closed. Benny opened it, before quickly closing it.

"Um. I probably should've knocked," Benny announced to Fayette, a smile spreading across his face. Fayette knew this look. He was trying to hold back a laugh.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

Suddenly, the door opened and the guilty faces of both Ethan and Sarah appeared at the doorway.

Earlier

Sarah trudged up Ethan's front steps, a tiny bit worried about the night. Lately, she couldn't stop thinking about Ethan in a way she'd never thought about him before. The way he'd no longer looked like the little boy she'd met so long ago, but instead like a young man. How he'd gotten protective of her, like he was scared for her when he should've been scared for himself. How he started saying more how he felt, instead of being a shy, awkward mess.

It felt as if she had, somewhere along the way, developed feelings for Ethan. Something had shifted and changed. She'd reached the conclusion that he'd just grown up a bit, and he no longer felt uncomfortable around her. She liked that. Did that mean she liked him?

She rang the doorbell, and Ethan's parents answered, all dressed up for the night's activities. "Sarah! Right on time. Thank you for babysitting for us tonight. We'll be back around midnight, if that's okay? Have Jane in bed by ten o'clock."

As she walked in, they quickly departed. Sarah looked at the clock in their living room. Seven o'clock on the dot. Jane sat on the couch, eating popcorn and watching a made-for-TV movie. "Hey, Jane, where's Ethan?"

"In his room. Wanna watch this movie with me?"

"I will in a minute. I've just gotta let him know I'm here first."

Sarah made her way upstairs to Ethan's room, where his door was closed. Knocking, she said, "It's Sarah. Can I come in?"

The door opened, revealing Ethan, who beckoned her in.

"Can we talk?" Ethan asked, sitting on his bed.

Sarah nodded, sitting at his desk chair. "What about?

"The other night, you seemed mad at me. And today, at school, you just kinda acted standoffish. Did I do something?"

Sarah sighed. "No, I mean, your whole 'At least one of us is having luck in the love department' business did make me a bit angry-"

"Why?" Ethan looked genuinely concerned.

"I don't know why! I don't know what's going on. It's like one minute, you're Ethan, and the next, you're Ethan."

"Oh, well I'm glad you cleared that up. That potentially could've been confusing," Ethan remarked sarcastically.

"Ugh! No, I mean, something's changed, and I don't know what. And you're different, but you're not. And I don't know! It's frustrating, but I think I might, maybe, kinda, have feelings for you. And I don't know what to do about it-" At about the point where Sarah said she'd liked Ethan, he got up from his bed, strode over to where she was sitting in the chair, and cupped her chin up towards him, kissing her.

Suddenly, they heard the door open behind them and jumped as it closed again abruptly.

"Oh, I think we've been seen," Ethan said, his hand still on Sarah's chin.

Sarah opened her eyes slowly, looking at the face right above hers. "That'll make this easier to explain, then," she laughed, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving her chair and leading Ethan to his door.