Raxsah:

Hello lovely readers, we have returned and we are still as fabulous as ever… well, except for a small cold and some other shit. Ugh, Fall sucks.
Jeck: My gallbladder sucks… anyway, we're back to the regular updating schedule of every Sunday. Be happy!
Raxsah: How long that will last is still up in the air. We're still very busy people… like right now. I'm sitting here watching Get Him to the Greek… very important stuff right here.
Jeck: I'm preparing myself to go to the hospital tomorrow. Obviously slightly less important than what Raxsah is doing.
Raxsah: Nonsense, the only thing that could be more important than this is your health… and watch Star Trek. I would hug you, but you're five hours away! You need to come home, I miss you too much.
Jeck: I know, I miss you too! If we're lucky (or not in my case), my mom might bring me home so I can get checked out back at home. But enough about me, let's move our focus back to the story. I can't be the center of attention all the time. ;D
Raxsah: Well if you insist. I think this chapter is fun… well the beginning is. I had almost as much fun writing it as the valentines day one… almost… ish.
Jeck: That was me in the last chapter. I don't think we can beat the Valentine's Day chapter.
Raxsah: No, that was just way too fun to write. And believe it or not, I think we held back in that chapter. Imagine what would have happened if we just let ourselves go. O.o
Jeck: I'm not allowed to let myself go anymore. I scare children.
Raxsah: Yeah… we don't talk about that anymore. Anyway, we should probably let our readers continue on with the story, so they can review. Remember, reviewer number 100 get's another one shot! Also, the person with the most reviews gets a multi-chapter mini story. Not as long as this one, but still. Go for it dude!
Jeck: I went through all the reviews and we're counting them from here on out. SO REVIEW, MY PRETTIES! MAWHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!
Raxsah: Poor thing, she's so sick she's turning into the wicked witch of the east… or was it west? I don't remember. Enjoy peeps!

Chapter 22; More Than a Feeling

"Claire." Claire felt herself coming out of her deep comforting sleep. She could have sworn that she heard someone call her name. After a moment of hearing nothing, she let herself slowly drift back to sleep.

"Claire." There it was again, but she couldn't recognize the voice.

"Claire. Claire. Claire." Finally, Claire opened her eyes and turned her head in the direction the voice was coming from.

"Jim… did you hear that?" She asked, shaking him awake.

"Hm? What?" He asked, jolted from his sleep.

"That voice…" She trailed off, waiting for the voice to speak again. Jim looked around with groggy eyes before turning over.

"Come on, babe. Let's go back to sleep," he suggested. Claire was about to settle back down, but a loud thump caused her to jump.

"Claire." she opened her eyes just to see a naked man sitting at the end of her bed. A man who was not her boyfriend, and someone she had never seen.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" she screamed, jumping and falling out of the bed. Jim sat up and looked over at her, before his gaze moved back over to the guy at the end of the bed.

"HOLY SHIT!" he hissed, jumping out of the bed. Claire sat up and tried to shield her eyes away from the naked man.

"Claire, feed me!" the man demanded. Claire stood and backed up against the wall. The man had dark tan skin, and black hair. His eyes were a dark brown, and full of emotion. He also had a bit of scruff on him as well.

"Uh…" she glanced around the room, wondering where he dog had gone, but couldn't find him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Jim hissed. The man just turned toward him and growled, like actually growled.

"Be quiet, human. I was speaking to my master, not you!" he snapped. Claire shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

"I've got to still be dreaming," she muttered.

"Claire, I'm hungry… feed me! Please?" the man asked. There was a high pitched whining and Claire looked up, realizing that there was a red collar on the mans neck. After a second later, she realized that he was wearing the same collar as her dog was.

"Rocky!" she called. The minute his name left her lips the man on the bed sat up straighter, and she was sure that if he was a dog, his ears would have perked up. Only then did it click.

"Oh shit…" she whispered. Jim looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked. She covered her mouth with her hands and turned back to Jim.

"He's the dog!" she practically screamed. Jim gave her an incredulous look.

"Uh… Claire…" she shook her head and walked over to Jim, completely ignoring the man on the bed.

"No, he's the dog. Watch," she said. She then turned to the man and took a deep breath. "Rocky, lay down!" she commanded.

"Yes, Claire…" the man said, laying down on the bed like a dog would. Jim's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline and turned to his girlfriend.

"This guy's the dog…" he told her. She rolled her eyes.

"I just said that." Jim looked back at the man and ran a hand over his face.

"Holy shit…" Rocky looked up at her with his big brown eyes.

"Please master, feed me. I'm hungry," Rocky said, giving Claire the most pathetic look ever. Claire sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Alright… Jim, can you lend Rocky some clothes? Then we can all go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat," Claire suggested. Jim sighed and nodded. He rose from the bed, causing Rocky to jump up and growl at him.

"Claire… the strange man is moving!" Rocky called out. Jim jumped back and stood next to Claire as Rocky glared at him.

"It's okay, Rocky. Jim is a good man," Claire reassured him. Rocky didn't respond, but he took a few steps back.

"I don't like him. He makes you scream a lot at night," Rocky stated. Claire felt her cheeks go red as Jim puffed his chest out a little bit.

"Yeah, I do, don't I?" He asked with a cocky grin. Claire lightly slapped him across the chest.

"Not now, Jim," she snapped. Jim smiled at her and pulled her in for a hug before turned to look back at Rocky.

"Um, Claire?"

"Yeah?" She asked, letting her cheek rest against Jim's chest.

"I think perhaps it would be a good idea to teach the dog how to use a toilet," he suggested.

"Why?" She asked as she turned around to look at Rocky. The man who was supposed to be her dog was letting a yellow stream of urine flow out all over her bed.

"That would be why," Jim said, pointing to the man.

"BAD DOG!" Rocky jumped off the bed and dropped his head in shame. Claire gave a frustrated groan as she turned back to Jim, burying her face in his chest. After a minute she pulled away and took a deep breath.

"I'm going to take a shower. Can you find him some clothes, we need to figure this out…" He nodded and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll… try and help him. Just tell him to listen to me," he said. She turned toward her 'dog' and gave him a stern look.

"Rocky, listen to Jim, and do as he says, no mater what…" Rocky nodded his head vigorously and let his tongue stick out. Jim watched as she grabbed a few clothes and walked into the bathroom, leaving him to tend to the 'dog.'

"Oh… this should be fun…"

"You couldn't teach him to walk?" she whispered. Jim shot her a look.

"Are you kidding? It took me thirty minutes to put the damn pants on. By the time the clothes were on you were out of the shower and it seemed pointless to try and teach him." Claire sighed and watched as Rocky walked down the hallway, his ass in the air, and his nose sniffing the ground. They stopped at the lift and Rocky sat while they waited.

"Claire, can you scratch my belly? Please?" Claire paused and looked at Jim, who was trying not to laugh.

"Maybe later, Rocky…" All of a sudden, he practically lunged at her and warped his arms around her middle. The impact almost made her fall over if it wasn't for Jim holding her up.

"Please! Please Claire! I really want you to scratch my belly!" he cried. Claire sighed.

"Fine Rocky," Claire said in defeat. Rocky smiled and let his tongue hang out as he flipped himself onto his back.

"Yay!" Claire carefully lowered herself onto her knees and leaned over to rub her human dog's belly. Rocky giggled as her fingertips danced against his stomach. Jim tried to hold back his smile, but was failing utterly.

"Jim, wipe that grin off your face," she demanded. Jim chuckled.

"You're not even looking at me," he replied. Claire turned to look at him while she continued to rub Rocky's belly.

"I don't have to be looking at you to know you're grinning at me. Stop it!" She said with a small smile. Jim said nothing as the lift door opened up to Ryan and Anna looking down at them. Claire's hand was still on Rocky's belly and Jim had a confident smile on his face.

"Well… good morning. Who's this?" Anna asked, gesturing to Rocky. Rocky jumped up from the ground and tackled Anna to the floor. Before Claire or Jim could say anything, Ryan pulled his phaser out from his belt and stunned the dog trapped in a human's body.

"Ryan! That was Rocky!" Claire snapped as she ran to her fallen dog. Rocky was laying unconscious on top of Anna. Jim and Ryan lifted the man off her and rested him up against the wall.

"Claire, Rocky is a dog. This is a strange man," Ryan said, looking down at the limp man. True, he did look similar to the dog, but he was obviously very human.

"Look, I don't know what happened, but my dog is now that human. And you just zapped him!" Claire declared, slapping her brother on the arm. Ryan shrugged.

"How was I supposed to know?" He countered. Anna sighed and pointed to Rocky.

"Perhaps you should have potty trained him first…" She said, gesturing to the puddle forming on the floor.

"Aw man, I liked those pants too!" Jim snapped, furrowing his eyebrows.

"BAD DOG!" Claire snapped. Ryan placed an arm on her shoulder.

"It's not like he can hear you or anything…" Ryan reminded her. Claire sighed and ran both hands through her hair.

"I know, but it makes me feel better!"

"Morning," Ryan said as they took a seat next to Rupert and Oliver. Claire and Anna followed him, both of them carrying two trays. Finally, Jim sat down next to them with Rocky cradled in his arms.

"Why do you have your dog with you?" Oliver asked. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Oliver, you know that's a human right?" Rupert asked. Ryan shook his head.

"No, actually Oliver was correct. That would be Rocky in human form. I'm just shocked that Oliver guessed," Ryan explained. Rupert nodded and turned back to Oliver.

"How did you know?" Oliver shrugged.

"Mr. Ruffles told me. Besides, it's kind of obvious," he stated before digging into his oatmeal. Jim shrugged and sat Rocky down in between him and Claire. Claire passed him a tray while Anna put a tray in front of Rocky.

"Dogs never say no to food," Anna stated. Just as the words left her mouth, Rocky woke up.

"FOOD!" He cried out, shoving his face into his plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. Claire sighed and she turned back to her own tray.

"I think I just lost my appetite," she mumbled. Jim nodded as he began to cut up his waffle. Before anything else could be said, McCoy approached their table.

"Who on Earth is that?" McCoy asked, pointing to Rocky as he continued to inhale his food.

"That would be Rocky, Claire's dog," Jim stated. McCoy raised one of his eyebrows.

"That's not Claire's mutt. That's a human, Jim." Jim shrugged.

"Call him what you will, but that is definitely Rocky." No one said anything as Rocky finished licking at his plate. He looked up at Claire, food smeared all over his face and looked down at her barely touched food.

"Mine?" He asked. Claire shrugged.

"Go for it," she told him, shoving the tray towards him. Rocky wasted no time in repeating his actions of diving into the plate of food. Claire really didn't want her pancakes anyway.

"So why is your dog a human now, Dr. Conaway?" McCoy asked, taking a seat next to Jim. Claire shrugged.

"No idea. Jim and I woke up this morning and he was just there. We have no idea what happened," she explained. Ryan shrugged.

"We're not having much luck this year, are we? It's just one thing right after another. Last night, things that kill you in your sleep. Today, your dog is now a person. Tomorrow? Well… I'm kind of afraid to see what might happen," he said. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Ryan. No one thinks you're funny," she snapped. Ryan pulled her into a sideways hug.

"You think I'm hilarious, babe. Don't deny it," he said in a seductive tone. Anna smiled, but shook her head.

"Only in your wildest dreams," she countered.

"Okay lovebirds, you can stop flirting now. We've kind of got a situation here," McCoy said pointedly. The two pulled away from each other and turned back to the rest of the table.

"Sorry."

"Anyway, bring the dog down to sickbay after you all eat and we'll run some tests on him. I'm by no means a veterinarian, but it'll get me out of tending to all the injured people from last night. Good day," McCoy said as he rose from the table and left. Jim chuckled.

"And he calls me lazy!"

"That's because you are lazy, Jim," Claire told him. Jim folded his arms and turned to Rocky.

"Rocky, do you think I'm lazy?" Rocky looked up from his food and growled at Jim.

"I believe that answers your question," Oliver told him. Jim shot Oliver a glare.

"No one asked you!" Rocky growled at Jim once more before turning back to his food.

"He really doesn't like you… does he?" Anna asked. Ryan just smile and ruffled Rocky's hair.

"I'm pretty sure he hates my guts…" Jim said.

"Now would probably be a good time to ask him why," Ryan said. Anna nodded and leaned toward the man.

"Rocky," she said softly. The man looked up from his food, and the whole table needed to repress the urge to laugh at the syrup and pancakes stuck to his face.

"Yes?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Why do you hate Jim?" she asked. Rocky turned toward Jim and growled, then looked back to Anna.

"He hurt my master, I hate him for hurting my master. First, he made her upset and toss in her sleep time, then he made her cry non-stop, then he made her unhappy for a long time, and then yesterday he makes her scream. He hurts my master, and I don't like that." He snapped. Claire frowned and realized Rocky was there to witness when she was at her lowest, after being on Riley's ship. She recalled many nights where he would jump on her bed and snuggle close to her, making her feel a bit safer. He was the shoulder to cry on when she had no one. Claire placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"Rocky…" she said tenderly. Jim looked at Claire, and sighed. The mans- or dogs- words made him remember those long couple of months where they were apart, and he left her to fend for herself. He knew damn well that he had practically broken her, but he just ignored that and tried to make up for it now. He was going to try his damn hardest not to hurt him again, even if that meant making best friends with her dog.

"Hey, we should probably get him to McCoy," Claire said. Jim nodded and stuffed a piece of waffle in his mouth.

"Yeah, come on… let's go see Bones," he told the dog. Rocky instantly jumped up, knocking a few things off the table, and causing a few people's breakfast to fall on them.

"Bones?" Rocky asked, eyes wide and a large smile on his face. Claire rolled her eyes and lightly tugged on his collar.

"You had to say bones…" she muttered. Jim frowned and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go."

Claire stood next to Jim as they watched McCoy examine Rocky. She was slightly curious as to why he hadn't gone to the bridge to do captain work, but didn't ask. She was glad she had him around. Jim wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"Well, what's the diagnosis Bones?" Jim asked. McCoy sighed an walked over to them.

"I think I know what caused it… after some help from Spock," McCoy told them.

"Is he going to be alright? Or is he going to stay a human forever?" she asked. McCoy shook his head and looked back at the man, who was trying to scratch his ear with his foot.

"No… when that dream alien was destroyed, it released a wave of energy that traveled through the ship. Strangely, the energy seemed to consume itself in Rocky, who apparently wanted to be a human. It should only last for forty-eight hours," McCoy told him. Claire gave a small sigh of relief, but frowned upon seeing her 'dog' try and lick under his leg.

"Two days… of this?" She asked softly.

"Sorry, best to try and just deal with it until it's over…" She nodded and moved so she was in his line of vision. Upon seeing her he jumped off the bed and tackled her to the ground.

"Master! I missed you! You left me forever ago! I'm so glad you're back!" he cried. He then leaned down and licked her face, from her jaw up to her hair line.

"EWWW!" she screeched. Jim walked over and pulled the man off of her and glared at him.

"Sit!" he hissed, his tone commanding. Claire recognized that voice, that was his captain's voice. Rocky paused before sitting down on the ground and hanging his head in shame. Jim turned back to Claire and helped her off the ground.

"Jesus… this is going to be a long couple of days," she muttered. Jim nodded and turned back to the dog.

"You're telling me. This is so going to effect our sex life…"

"So… why aren't you doing your captain thing?" Claire asked, sitting on the couch and watching Rocky watch TV with amazement.

"I took the day off. Originally, I planned something else to do today," he confessed. Claire frowned and patted his arm.

"I'm sorry," she said. He shrugged and pulled her closer on the couch.

"It's all good…" he told her. She sighed and intertwined her fingers with his.

"Still…" Jim simply watched as Claire began to watch the screen as well. The moment reminded him of when they had their second, maybe third date here. They had been so comfortable, it was almost scary. Now, as they sat here once more, he realized how much he loved just laying around with her in his arms. They were comfortable together no matter what situation. Jim pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

"Hey… I was wondering…" he started. Claire looked up at him, her grey eyes curious.

"You were wondering what?" she asked.

"I was… I was wondering if you would uh… if you would consider moving in with me," he asked. Claire paused before turning back to the TV.

"Move in…?" she asked. He nodded.

"As in, you take your stuff from your room, and put it in here. Every night you come here to sleep, and hang out…" he said. She pressed her lips together and looked down at their intertwined hands.

"Are you sure? I mean… that's a big step…" he nodded and pulled her closer, as if to say he didn't want her to go anywhere.

"I am completely sure." Claire nodded and thought it over for a long moment before turning toward him.

"Okay, I'll move in with you." He smiled and looked her over.

"Really? You don't think it's too soon?" he asked. She shrugged and turned back to Rocky.

"No… I mean, we've been through a lot. Even in the short time we've known each other. I wouldn't agree if I wasn't sure." He smiled and pulled her toward him, placing his lips to her and giving her a small, yet sensual kiss. Just as he did, Rocky growled, causing Jim to break away and give a small sigh.

"Damn…" Claire pulled away and grabbed her data pad.

"Listen, I need to go make sure he has enough clothes, I know he said he can use yours, but Liam said his dad sent him a bunch of clothes he's never going to wear. I'm going to pick those up." He nodded and gave her hand a squeeze.

"I'll see you when you get back," he told her. She smiled and gave a quick peck on the lips. She stood up and began walking out of the door, only to have Rocky come up and wrap his arms around her wait. Jim felt a pang of jealousy run through him, but pushed it away when he reminded himself that he was still a dog.

"Rocky, I'll be right back. I need to get you more clothes! It's only going to take a few seconds," she said, prying his arms off him.

"I'll miss you!" she turned toward him and gave a small smile before heading out and leaving him alone with Jim. Jim sighed and looked at the man.

"Rocky… come here," he called. Rocky paused before bounding over and sitting on the couch.

"Yes?" he asked. Jim sighed and looked at him.

"We need to talk, about Claire…" Rocky tilted his head to the side.

"About master? What about her?" he asked.

"I want you to know, that what happened a while ago… was my fault. She was sad because of me," Jim told him. Rocky growled at him.

"You made Claire sad!" he hissed. Jim nodded.

"I did… but I'm making her happy now. Doesn't she seem much happier now?" Rocky paused before nodding.

"Yes, she seems so…" Jim nodded and smiled at the dog.

"I'm going to try and make her the happiest woman out there… if you let me," he said. Rocky nodded vigorously.

"Yes, make her happy. I like it when master is happy!" Jim laughed and was about to say something, when the door opened and Claire walked in.

"I got the- Holy shit!" She cried when Rocky jumped on her.

"You're back! You're back! I missed you! Why were you gone for forever? Don't leave me!" Rocky said, practically pinning her to the ground and licking her face.

"Rocky! You're too heavy!" she mumbled, trying to push him off of her. Rocky backed off and sat right next to her, a large smile on his face.

"You alright?" Jim asked, walking over and helping her up. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I can't wait till he's a dog again," she muttered. Jim chuckled and nodded.

"And what are we doing again? Unlike you, I don't have the day off," Ryan snapped as he walked through the halls with Jim and Rocky.

"We can't just keep Rocky cooped up in Claire's room all day. He needs some exercise," Jim explained as they paused in front of a door.

"And we are?" Ryan asked as he raised an eyebrow. Jim motioned for him to follow as the door opened and Rocky took off inside.

"A holodeck. I programmed a little something for Rocky earlier today," Jim explained as they followed the man/dog. Rocky was busy sniffing around.

"An open field? Quite original. Program any toys for him?" Ryan asked as he glanced over the beautiful hilly landscape. Jim nodded and picked up a Frisbee.

"I came prepared," Jim said. He turned to Rocky and whistled. The man's head shot up and he caught sight of the red round Frisbee.

"MINE!" he cried, running after the Frisbee. Ryan just shook his head as he watched a grown man run on all fours to catch a Frisbee.

"I'm pretty sure this is beyond pathetic," Ryan muttered. Jim shrugged and watched as he caught in in his mouth and began to run back.

"Well, keeps him entertained, and Claire worry free. I have to actually work tomorrow so I can't help her with him," he said. Ryan pressed his lips together and gave a strained nod as he grabbed the Frisbee from Rocky.

"Good plan. Fetch!" Ryan shouted, throwing the Frisbee as far as he could. Rocky smiled and took off, leaving the two men alone.

"How are you and Anna?" Jim asked. Ryan gave him a look, showing he was uncomfortable, but gave a small shrug.

"Just fine. You know how new love is, exciting and romantic."

"Yeah, I guess it is," he agreed. Rocky came back and Jim went to grab the Frisbee, but sighed when Rocky jumped out of reach. He tried again but achieved the same result.

"Having trouble?" Ryan asked. Jim rolled his eyes and finally took a hold of the toy and threw it once more. The two men stood in silence and Jim shifted uncomfortably. He wanted to keep the conversation going, but he was unsure how to do it. He figured talking about his girlfriend would work, but that only seemed to make the tension between them worse. He was running out of things to talk about. It seemed like the only thing the two men really did have in common was Claire.

"So…" Ryan said, his arms crossed against his buff chest.

"So," Jim replied. Ryan sighed.

"I'm not going to bite, I swear. You're not my favorite person in the world, but it doesn't mean that I'm going to slash your throat or anything," Ryan told him, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Er, thanks. That was a bit much though," Jim scratched the back of his head as Rocky brought the Frisbee back once more. Without a word, Ryan snatched it out of his mouth, made to throw the Frisbee, and quick put it behind his back before Rocky realized what had happened. Rocky took off to where he thought the Frisbee landed.

"Just making a point," Ryan stated.

"That was kind of mean, don't you think?" Jim asked, gesturing to Rocky. Ryan shrugged.

"I did it to him all the time when he was a dog. He doesn't know the difference," Ryan explained. Jim nodded and they stood in silence once more.

"I don't really know what to talk about it," Jim finally said, causing Ryan to jump a bit at the sound of his voice.

"Silence doesn't have to be a bad thing," Ryan told him. Jim nodded as Rocky returned.

"I could not find the Circle of Fun!" Rocky told them. Ryan pulled the Frisbee back out and actually threw it back out into the open meadow.

"Our silences just seem to be of the awkward variety," Jim offered as they watched Rocky run.

"They don't have to be. We don't have a lot in common. You talking about my sister makes me want to punch you, so the only thing connecting us is a taboo topic. Just enjoy the company with the silence," Ryan told him. They turned back to watching Rocky, this time without interrupting the silence.

"Where were you?" Anna asked as Ryan returned to their room at the end of the day. Jim had showed up in the security office earlier that day and demanded Ryan join him on a secret mission. That's all Anna had heard as Ryan disappeared with the captain who was supposed to have the day off.

"Holodeck 11. Jim needed help taking care of Rocky," Ryan admitted as he striped his shirt off. Anna was already comfortable in her dark blue sweatpants with a white wife beater, spread across the bed with a book in her hands.

"So he pulled you away from a busy day at work to play with Claire's dog?" Anna asked, though Ryan was surprised to hear no hostility in her voice. Normally she'd be swearing at him in Spanish, but tonight she was not.

"Yeah… are you okay, babe?" Ryan asked as he pulled off his boots and unbuckled his black belt. Anna nodded and turned back to her boot.

"I'm getting used to all the crazy things that comes along with being your girlfriend," Anna said as she flipped another page in her book. Ryan pulled his pants off and sat on the edge of bed where Anna was.

"You sure that's it?" He asked. Anna nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry. If there was something, I'd tell you," Anna explained without looking up from her book. Ryan nodded.

"If you're sure." She gave another nod and closed her book, turning to smile at him.

"I'm just tired. Work is tough when you aren't there to supervise," she confessed. He gave a small smile and moved so he was leaning against the head board. She moved so she was laying on her back and let her head rest on his stomach. He smiled down at her and let his hand rest on her legs.

"I'm sorry, if I would have known it was just going to be him and I playing fetch, I would have said no," he muttered. She chuckled and closed her eyes, letting her fingers tap on his chest.

"Well, not much you can do about it," she told him. He nodded and ran a hand through her thick hair. She smiled and enjoyed the feeling of his fingers messaging her scalp. Ryan paused and looked down at her.

"I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you," he whispered. Anna paused and looked up at him, her chocolate brown eyes meeting his bright grey.

"Wow…" she breathed. He continued to look at her, hoping that she was say something other than 'wow.'

"Uh… that's not the reaction I was expecting," he said. She blushed and sat up, looking him in the eye.

"I love you too, it's just… weird saying it, or hearing it, for the first time," she told him. He smiled and pulled her close to him, pressing his lips onto hers. She chuckled and kissed him back.

"Man, I'm exhausted," Ryan mumbled as he readjusted himself on the bed and let himself lay back on the pillow. Anna chuckled.

"You played fetch with a dog all day," Anna said with a chuckle. Ryan smiled.

"Rocky's a human now and he's full of energy. It's ridiculous," Ryan explained. Anna nodded and laid down next to her boyfriend.

"You're just out of shape, Ryan Conaway," Anna told him as she yawned and closed her eyes.

"I am not!"

Claire rose from her bed as a knock fell upon the door.

"Who is it?" She called out.

"It's Rupert!" Claire crossed the room and opened the door to find Rupert standing sheepishly at the door.

"What's up?" She asked. Rupert didn't respond. Instead, he thrust a plastic bag into her arms. "What's this?"

"Diapers," he stated. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Um, I'm been potty trained for over twenty-one years now," she told him. Rupert blushed and nodded.

"They're not for you, they're for Rocky. So he doesn't pee everywhere and you don't have to go through the hassle of potty training him for only two days," Rupert explained. Claire nodded.

"Thanks… wait, why do you even have diapers?" Claire asked again. Rupert rubbed the back of his head.

"I get them for Oliver," he told her. Claire wanted to push the subject, but at the same time, she didn't think she really wanted to know. Instead, she left it at that.

"Well, thanks anyway Rupert. This will sure help," she said, trying to seem as sincere as possible. She was grateful, but the whole thing just seemed weird. He gave a nod and shifted his weight awkwardly.

"Yeah, well… I best be going. I hope your shoulder feels better," he said. She gave a puzzled look and realized she had a ice pack tied onto her shoulder. She took if off and gave a small smile.

"Thanks, I guess I'll see you around," she suggested. Rupert nodded and walked away, leaving Claire alone in her room once more. She placed the diapers on her desk and threw the ice pack out right before the doors opened and she was tackled to the ground.

"Master, master! I found the Circle of Fun!" he told her, licking her face a few times. She groaned and shoved the man off of her.

"Really?" she asked, trying not to snap at him. It wasn't his fault that he was a human. Jim gently pushed the man to the side and helped her to her feet.

"I thought I tired him out, I'm sorry," he said. She shrugged and handed him the diapers.

"I hate to throw this on you, but I potty trained him the first time," she said. Jim pressed his lips together before a smile came to his lips.

"I'll get someone to do it… maybe a doctor from sickbay… how about the Giles guy?" he asked. Claire chuckled and shrugged.

"Go for it, it's your ship… isn't it?" she asked. He smirked and pulled her closer.

"It is, and you are one of my doctors," he said, his hands on her waist. She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? And what does that entail?" she asked. An sly smirk came to his lips and he leaned down.

"Well, lieutenant, I'm thinking we can start with you following some of my orders," he whispered. She chuckled and tilted her head.

"Oh, well, doctors orders trump captains orders, just remember that, Captain," she whispered. He gave a small groan and gave her a slow sensual kiss.

"Then why don't we play doctor instead?" before she could reply, Rocky tackled Jim to the ground, and Claire fell on top of him.

"I'm hungry! Feed me!" Rocky cried. Claire sighed and shot a look at her dog.

"I think I'm going to call Spike before this dog does another thing to ruin the mood."

"Alex?" Alex's eyes snapped open. Was it really him?

"Liam?" Alex asked in a weak voice. Just as the name rolled off of his lips, said man appeared in the doorway.

"Hey," Liam said nervously, taking a few insecure steps into the room. Alex smiled.

"Hey." Not knowing what else to say, Liam took seat next to his former lover.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. Alex reached out and grabbed the man's hand.

"A lot better now that you're here. Ever since I woke up, I wanted to see the real you," Alex explained.

"The real me? As opposed to the fake me?" Liam asked with a small smile. Alex returned the smile.

"As opposed to the dream you," he explained. Liam nodded, understanding what Alex meant.

"Is that where the boner came from then?" Liam asked before his brain could stop him. He covered his mouth, realizing what he just said. Alex's face turned a deep red as he looked down in shame.

"Can I not answer that one?" He asked in a weak voice.

"I'd prefer you not anyway," Liam replied, already knowing the answer. Alex nodded.

"Anyway, I really wanted to thank you for helping me get out of that dream world. I probably wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you," Alex admitted. Liam shook his head.

"It wasn't just me, it was everyone. Even Spike helped out some. We all care about you…" At first, Alex's face lit up at his words. However, the look lasted for a moment.

"But you don't care about me the way you used too…" He trailed off. Liam sighed as his heart fell at the sad look Alex was giving him.

"Alex, I can't. Not yet, anyway. But I'm prepared to be your friend. After what happened… I don't want to fight anymore," Liam explained. Alex nodded, he was a fool to think that they could just go back.

"I understand…" he said. Liam just watched him for a moment before he took a deep breath.

"I just…" he stopped and Alex turned back to him.

"You just… what? You can ask me anything… I promise I'll answer," Alex told him. Liam took a moment to collect himself before her took a step toward him.

"Why did you do it? And why with Claire of all people?" Alex sighed and looked to the ceiling, his thoughts trying to collect themselves.

"There is no excuse. But I guess, at the time, I just missed… being with a woman. I mean, I love you, Liam… but… I don't like men. When I saw Claire that night… well, you know what she sleeps in. It's not like she's wearing sweaters and sweatpants. I just… I saw everything that I used to love. Back when we first got on the ship, I really did like her. So that night, after she woke up from that nightmare, I just held her… and every thought and feeling from the beginning awoke and I made a bad judgment call." Liam sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Bad judgment call indeed…" he agreed. Alex sighed and looked at his former lover.

"I regret it every damn day," he whispered. Liam pressed his lips together and looked back at him. After a minute of silence Liam cleared his throat.

"I guess I should be going," he said. Alex nodded and looked down in shame. Liam rose from his seat and headed for the door.

"Good-bye," Alex whispered sadly. Liam paused.

"I'm glad you were honest. Thank you. I'll come visit again later," Liam told him, silently promising to Alex that it wasn't completely the end. Alex gave him a weak smiled as Liam left. Once he was out of the room, Liam paused and placed his face in his hands.

"Where did it all go wrong…" He mumbled.

"It's been forty-five hours since Rocky's transformation," McCoy stated as he gave the dog turned human a check up. Rocky sat patiently, staring intently at Claire. Claire wrapped her arms around herself, a little unnerved by his stare.

"I hated it when he did that as a dog too," she whispered to Liam. He nodded as McCoy straightened up and turned to them.

"Rocky should return to himself later tonight, probably when you're asleep. I recommend not feeding him any more people food. It might upset his stomach when he returns to a dog," McCoy explained. Claire nodded.

"Thank you so much, Dr. McCoy. Rocky, come," Claire instructed. Rocky jumped off the table and gracefully landed on all fours.

"Want me to stop by later?" Liam asked, but Claire shook her head.

"Nah, I think I'm good. Hopefully it's just a chill day with watching movies and packing stuff," she confessed. Liam raised an eyebrow and walked with her as they headed toward the sickbay exit.

"Packing?" he asked. She nodded and blushed lightly.

"Jim asked me to move in with him," she confessed. Liam chuckled and nudged her lightly.

"Ah, this way it's a lot easier to get away with the nitty gritty when you both share a bed. You naughty girl. I bet you guys spend hours playing doctor, or better yet, Captain and his ensign-"

"I'm a lieutenant!" Claire defended, but stopped when she realized her words hurt her rather than defend her.

"Have you gotten to play prisoner yet?" he asked. He paused and looked at her wrists. "Since you don't have any rope burns, you must be tying him up. How wonderfully kinky!" Claire's face was apple red when they reached the doors.

"I'm ending this conversation now. Bye Liam, come on Rocky," she said. Liam giggled like a school girl and walked back into sickbay, while Claire began to make her way to the lift.

"Claire, will you play doctor with me?" he asked. Claire turned deathly pale and saw a few crew members give her a funny look as she made her way down the hall.

"No, now keep quiet and keep up!" Claire hissed, walking to the lift. She'd have to kill Liam later for teaching the damn dog that particular vernacular.

"You ready?" Claire looked up from her suitcase to see none other than Ryan in her doorway.

"Ready for what?"

"Jim is in a meeting with some of his other senior members and sent me to help move in with him," Ryan explained. Claire sighed.

"How romantic and helpful of him," she muttered under her breath. Ryan chuckled and walked farther into her room.

"Anything I can help with then?" He asked. Claire shook her head.

"I was actually just going to put Rocky to work and help me carry this stuff," she told him as she turned around, searching for her dog turned human. When she found nothing, she began to feel an icy panic take over.

"Where is Rocky?" Ryan asked, also searching around the room.

"I don't know…" she confessed. She dropped the rest of her things on top of her suitcase and headed towards the bathroom. Perhaps he was trying to drink out of the toilet again.

"I found him, Claire!" Ryan called out from inside her room. Claire whirled around and returned to her room to find Ryan stroking a dog nose sticking out from under the bed.

"Rocky?" Claire asked. Hearing his name, Rocky darted out from under the bed and dashed towards his master, tackling her to the ground. Claire was relieved to see that Rocky had successfully transformed back into his old self and began to scratch him behind his ears.

"I'm glad to see he finally switched back," Ryan stated, pulling Rocky off to the side, allowing Claire to rise to her feet.

"Me too. Though I suppose I will be needing your help after all," she admitted as Ryan nodded, grabbing a bag by the door and slinging it over his shoulders. Claire went to move back to her suitcase, but was stopped when Ryan grabbed onto her arm.

"It seems like some things don't change," Ryan pointed out, gesturing to the corner. Claire thought her jaw was going to drop when she noticed Rocky peeing against the wall in the corner.

"BAD DOG!"

Ryan sighed as he ran a shaky hand through his blonde hair. Because of how busy his schedule had been lately, he'd been neglecting to get a haircut. So now, his blonde locks had grown out to slightly longer than mid-length.

"Planning on getting a cut anytime soon?" Rupert asked as he entered the room. Ryan jumped slightly, but relaxed when he realized it was just his best friend.

"I just haven't found the time. Between work and trying to keep this ship from going crazy…" Ryan trailed off, looking over his record of the last month. Rupert looked over the man's shoulder.

"Things have been pretty chill since the whole episode with Rocky last week and we haven't had much of a need for security, so what the hell could you be up to?" He asked. Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.

"I don't know… files, reports, and all the other boring things my job entails," he explained. Rupert nodded, but grabbed the edge of the man's seat.

"Come with me.

Claire practically squealed in joy as the words left McCoy's mouth.

"You can come back to work."

"THANK YOU!" Claire cried out, throwing her arms around her boss' neck. McCoy froze up at the touch before gently patting her on the back.

"Yeah, right. Uh, so get to work," he instructed, almost jumping out of her grip. Claire released him and he fled to the safety of his office.

"Did you just hug McCoy?" Liam asked from his patient charts. Claire smiled and shrugged.

"I'm just happy that I get to come back to work!" She exclaimed. Before Liam could reply, Anna entered sickbay.

"Hey Claire!" She said, seeing the smile spread wide across her best female friend's face.

"Yo Anna! Check it out, I'm back at work!" Claire said, gesturing to her doctor's uniform. Anna chuckled as she approached the doctor and the gay doctor next to her.

"Congratulations. So hey, I kind of wanted to talk to you about your hair…" Claire raised an eyebrow at Anna's words.

"What about it?"

"It's gotten kind of long. Were you thinking about getting it cut anytime soon?" Anna asked, with a sly look in her eyes. Claire was slightly hesitant in answering,

"I don't know, I don't really have the time now that I'm working again and I was so absorbed with moving in with Jim that I haven't really thought about it," Claire mused, realizing how long her hair really had gotten, it now reached just above her waist and had a bit too many split ends.

"Tell me about it. Claire, you hair hasn't been cut almost since before you got on the Enterprise. You need a haircut like real bad. Let's go get one now," Anna suggest.

"I can't, Anna. Hello, job again. I can't just leave," Claire snapped. Anna sighed.

"Come with me."

Ryan gave a heavy sigh as he turned toward the mirror, and froze with horror.

"What the hell did you do to my head?" he snapped. Rupert just watched in horror as his friend grabbed a hold of his new curly locks. The hairdresser looked down at him in shock.

"I'm sorry… I read the order, Conaway, curled and trimmed," she said. Ryan turned toward her and glared.

"I didn't ask for a curl, I asked for it cut short," he snapped. The woman paused before glancing at her data pad and frowning.

"I'm sorry… I have you mixed up with someone else," she confessed.

"Who could you possibly have me mixed up with?" he asked. There was a pause before a high pitched scream echoed through the deck, causing both men to exchange a look.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR?" Someone cried. Both men walked into the other section and froze. There sat Claire in the salon chair, her eyes wide, and tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Next to her, the hair stylist with what looked to be more then half her hair in his hand. It seemed that he just pulled it in a pony tail and cut it all off.

"I'm sorry, you asked for it to be cut short!" he said.

"I asked for a damn trim and for it to be curled!" she snapped.

"Like Ryan's hair?" Rupert asked. Claire turned around and caught a glimpse of her brother before turning to Anna, who was trying her hardest not to laugh at her boyfriend. He looked like poodle, a primed and oversized poodle, but a poodle none the less.

"What the hell happened to you?" Anna asked.

"The hair dresser got me and Claire mixed up. She curled my hair and trimmed it. It looks like yours just cut all off, Claire." Claire paused before frowning and beginning to cry.

"I'm so sorry! I will make it up to you! I promise!" the hair stylist said. Claire shot him a look.

"And how are you going to do that?" she snapped.

"Oh come on… it's not that bad," Anna said. Claire gave a frustrate groan as she attempted to cover her hair within the confines of her hat. Not that it was hard to stuff under there, she only had maybe a fourth of the amount of hair she had before.

"It is that bad! I wanted a trim!" she whined. Anna rolled her eyes and took a bite of her lunch.

"Claire, don't worry about it. Your hair will grow back, and the dye is only going to last for a couple of days," Anna pointed out. Claire sighed and moved her tray aside so she could bang her head once on the table. Just as Anna was about to say something, a tray slammed down and she looked to see her newly groomed boyfriend sit across from her. She pressed her lips together and willed herself not to laugh as she tried to talk to him.

"So… what did the lady say?" she asked. Ryan gave an awkward cough and took a bite out of his hamburger.

"It's going to stay like this for the rest of the day, but by tomorrow the curls will be out and she'll cut my hair for real this time," he said. Alex took the opportunity to sit down across from Claire and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Alex asked.

"I'm having a bad day," she muttered.

"Oh please, how bad can it be? You're allowed back at work, aren't you?" he asked. Claire sighed and sat up, pressing her lips together.

"You want to see how bad it is?" she asked. Alex nodded and Claire pulled off her hat, letting her new, short hair fall out. It was layered and reached about her shoulders, and was a deep red color.

"Holy shit!" Alex said. Claire frowned and went to cover her head once more, but didn't hide it before Liam saw the damage.

"What the fuck did you do to your hair?" he snapped. Claire sighed and pulled the baseball cap forward, as to hide her face.

"I'm not talking about it. I'm going to mope during lunch and then go to work," she muttered.

"Can't be worse than Ryan, poor bloke has to go to the security office looking like… that," Rupert muttered. Claire looked at her brother and then broke into a fit of laughter. Ryan rolled his eyes and tried to ran a hand through his hair, only to get his fingers tangled in the many curls.

"God damnit…" he muttered.

"Ah… I feel a bit better," Claire said. Ryan shot her a look.

"Oh yeah, have you shown Jim your new hair?" he asked. Claire stopped laughing before glaring at her brother and throwing her pudding at him, much to the disappointment of Alex.

"Why would you waste perfectly good pudding like that?" He snapped. Claire rolled her eyes at his comment.

"Alex, you can't even eat pudding!" She reminded him. He sighed and rose from the table, a bandage still wrapped around his leg.

"I'm going to go pudding hunting with Spock," he informed them. Ryan coughed.

"Hello, you're allergic to the stuff," he said, restating Claire's words. Alex pulled a hypo-spray canister out of his back pocket and glared at Ryan.

"And you look like a fro-fro dog at a competition, but you still show your face in public," he snapped before wandering over to Spock's table.

"Anna, do I look like a fro-fro dog?" Ryan asked, giving her the saddest look he could muster up. Despite his pathetic look, Anna burst out into laughter.

"Sorry babe, but yeah, you kind of do," she told him, trying to be completely sincere. Her words caused the whole table to burst out laughing.

"Hey Claire, you look like a red headed boy!" Ryan shot back, causing his sister to stop laughing.

"Shut up, Mr. Fro-Fro!" She countered, feeling herself reverting back to her childhood self.

"No way that can be my girlfriend…" Everyone at the table stopped laughing and turned to Jim.

"Hello, Captain," Rupert said, being the first to speak. Jim gave him a nod and looked down at Claire, who was, once again, trying to hide the hair under the hat. Jim simply reached out and pulled it off her head, exposing her new red hair to the world.

"Wow…" Jim said at first. Claire shot him a look, her grey eyes appearing to be stone cold.

"What?" she asked. He was silent for a moment before he burst out laughing, causing Claire to frown. "You're laughing at me?" she snapped.

"I'm sorry babe! It's just, you're… oh my god," he continued to laugh, causing Claire to reach out and smack his shoulder hard.

"Jerk," she snapped. He let out a few more chuckles and bent down, letting his arms wrap around her waist and pull her closer.

"I'm sorry, I was just… surprised," he said, letting out a few more low chuckles. Claire tried to break away from him, but he held her in his grip.

"Jim," she whined. Ryan rolled his eyes and focused on his food before he threw it up. Anna simply rolled her eyes at her boyfriends behavior.

"You look beautiful, and sexy. I can't wait to run my hands through that fire red hair as I heat up the rest of your body," he whispered for just her to hear. A deep blush spread across her face and she awkwardly looked down.

"Don't you have your own friends?" she asked, her voice was flustered, and she seemed as though she were suddenly quite awkward. Jim rolled his eyes and kissed her temple quickly before lightly messing up her new hair.

"I love you," he told her. She sighed and nodded.

"I love you too." Jim smiled and walked away from the table to his own, leaving the group alone.

"See, I told you I wasn't that bad," Anna said. Claire just rolled her eyes and went back to lunch.

Ryan shot a look at one of his junior lieutenants as they cautiously peered into his office in inspect their bosses new doo. He was trying to ignore them, but it was getting harder and harder. One more day, he thought, one more day.

"Rough day?" Anna asked as she peered into his office.

"The worst…" He mumbled. Anna nodded knowingly and left the office without another word.

"The next person to peek into Lt. Commander Conaway's office gets to baby-sit Oliver in engineering for a week. Understand?" She snapped. Her voice echoed all the way into Ryan's office, causing him to smile.

"I have the best girlfriend ever," he said to himself with a grin.

Claire turned her head sideways in the mirror as she surveyed her hair. It had been almost a month and she had just gotten used to having her new hair. Ryan came up next to her and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing? You invite me over to hang out and then stare at your hair?" he asked. She sighed and turned toward him.

"I'm not used to it… you think it's okay like this?" she asked. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"It's fine, I promise you… come on, I thought we were watching a movie?" he asked. Claire sighed and nodded before making her way to the couch and sitting down next to him. He turned on the TV and they attempted to watch it, though Claire's mind seemed to be somewhere else.

"You alright?" Ryan asked. Claire shrugged, ignoring the very small sting in her shoulder.

"I don't know… I just have this feeling like something going on… something big," she muttered. Ryan furrowed his eyebrows.

"Like what?" he asked. She paused to think it over before shrugging and turning back to the TV.

"I can't remember, must not have been important."

Griffin glanced over at the ships first officer as they looked over the crew of the Enterprise. He knew the man was not quite interested in the preparing portion of the plan, but he could at least pay attention.

"So… who do you think will be the hardest opponent in security?" Tre'gok asked.

"I shall destroy them all, it won't matter," Nuhir snapped. Griffin just rolled his eyes and looked back to the screen. The files suddenly changed to doctors, and he paused on the main three. One he recognized as Claire, and the other he recognized as his old friend. Or at least, they used to be friends.

"Ah yes, the three doctors, I forgot about them," Harry muttered. Griffin looked over his shoulder to his shipmate them back at the screen.

"You know them?" Tre'gok asked.

"I know the faggot," Harry snapped. Griffin shot him a look.

"That was uncalled for," he hissed. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Please, don't tell me you're still defending him, even after he betrayed us and went to the enemy," he snapped. Griffin continued to glare at him before turning back to the screen.

"Would you like us to leave him for last?" Nuhir asked, a evil smile on his lips. Griffin glared at the Romulan before turning back to the screen.

"I don't care what happens to them, to any of them," he snapped.

"Good, then the woman is mine. I have unfinished business to attend to," Nuhir stated. Griffin just grimaced and turned to the next picture. He really didn't give a damn.

Jim gave a sigh as he read over the message once more before leaning back on his bed. He knew it would be only a matter of time before he got a message demanding he visit, and bring his girlfriend with them. It was understandable; Claire was his first steady girlfriend, even after all the things they had been through. Eventually he would get the message from home, telling him that he was required to bring this young lady to meet the family. The doors opened and he looked up from his data pad to see Claire walking into his- their- room.

"Ugh, I honestly don't know how or why someone would be so stupid as to drink warp core oil. It only means I have to clean up after them afterwards," Claire said. Almost immediately she pulled off her dress, giving him a glimpse at her blue lace underwear. He quickly had to look away from the sight, since they had both agreed they needed to cut back on the sex.

"Well… you know how people can be," he said. She nodded and slipped a tee shirt over her head and un clasped her bra from under the shirt. Soon she slipped off her boots and was putting on a pair of sweat pants.

"I guess I should be used to it," she muttered, sitting on the bed next to him. He nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. After a moment he looked down at her.

"So… what are your plans for shore leave?" he asked. She paused and shrugged.

"Not much, hang out with my friends, my brother. You obviously… and avoid getting drunk," She said. He nodded and pulled her closer to him. She smelled chemical clean, just like sickbay, but her shampoo still stood out against the chemicals. Her body was warm against his, and he felt extremely comfortable.

"Why? What are your plans?" Claire asked. Jim looked down at her and smiled shyly.

"Well… I was wondering if you would go to Iowa with me…" Claire pulled away slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you going to Iowa?" Claire asked.

"I promised I would visit the family. Sam is back home and my mom said she wants me to visit. Not to mention she really wants to meet you," he said. She froze and kept her grey eyes locked with his blue.

"You… you want me to meet your mom?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Yeah. You'd have to meet her eventually. Will you go with me?" he asked. She paused then nodded.

"Sure, it'd be nice to meet your mom." He smiled and pulled her onto his lap, causing her to smile.

"I'm glad, but I don't want to talk about my mom right now," he whispered, his lips brushing against hers. She smiled and pulled away, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I love you," she whispered. He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too…"

"So Jim and I are going to Iowa during shore leave," Claire told Liam as they began cleaning up sickbay for the day. A goofy small was plastered all over the gay man's face.

"So he's taking you home to meet momma Kirk then?" Liam inquired, the sly smile still spread wide across his face.

"I suppose. It was bound to happen eventually, especially since he's already met my parents…" Claire trailed off, remembering their meeting not too long ago. Liam shrugged.

"Yeah, that was a lot of fun. But your parents hate everyone you and Ryan date, unless you're dating someone rich or famous. I doubt meeting Jim's family will be nearly as bad as meeting your parents," Liam said, trying to reassure the nervous butterflies in her stomach.

"I really hope so," Claire said, letting her mind wonder to the possible outcomes. A few made her smile, while others made her cringe. Liam moved to the sink and began washing his hands.

"Calm down, Claire. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"I don't know, what if she thinks I'm a whore or something?" Claire asked.

"Well… you are a whore, that's not the point. Maybe she's a whore too!" Liam said. Claire's eyes went wide and she lightly smacked him.

"Liam Joseph Peterson! I cannot believe you just said that!" she snapped.

"Claire Adrienne-" She put a hand over his mouth as her eyes turned cold.

"Who told you my middle name?" she asked, her eyes narrow.

"Your dog," he answered through her hand. A confused look crossed her face before she remembered the incident a few weeks ago.

"Oh… he would… wouldn't he," she muttered. She took he hand away and began working on charts.

"He can't keep his mouth shut. It's a good thing he's not a human anymore." Claire nodded and gave a small sigh of relief, thankfully her dog had returned to normal, and it was if nothing ever happened. Though, she did notice that he didn't bark at Jim as much. After a minute, she turned back to Liam, who began going through the computer.

"Liam… you think she'll like me? I mean… McCoy already told me that Jim places his mother on a pedestal, what if she doesn't like me?" Claire asked, running a hand through her now shoulder length blonde hair.

"Claire, you're going to be fine… if she doesn't like you, she doesn't like you. I seriously doubt she's not going to like you. And, when did you have time to talk to McCoy about this?" Liam asked.

"Oh, Ensign Jones needed a appendectomy and McCoy was assisting me. I mentioned it and we just got talking." Liam nodded and shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, just breathe and take a chill pill. God… you're annoying when you're worried." Claire glared at him.

"Shut up, Liam."

Anna gave a small sigh as she went through her e-mail. Work was slow, and she had nothing better to do. She went to go through her paper work when something popped up on her screen, causing her to jump.

"Hola princesa," a voice said. A large smile came to Anna's face as she saw the familiar face of her father.

"Hola papi," She replied. He smiled widely and leaned toward the screen.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"I'm good, busy, but good. And you? How are the boys?" she asked.

"Fine, fine… you know how work on the ranch is," he said. She nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Yes, I know… I'm coming home within the next week or so, I'll be sure to stop by and visit for a few days," she told him.

"Good, good… everyone will be happy to see you," he said to her with a smile not so different from her own.

"So any reason you're calling in the middle of the week? You normally wait until Sunday to call," Anna said, double-checking the calendar on the side of her computer screen. It was then her father's smile disappeared and was replaced with a troubled look.

"We need to talk. It's about Horatio… and you…"

"LIAM!" Liam shot up in his bed to see the worried faces of Ryan and Rupert looking down at him. Ryan wore nothing more than a pair of boxers and a sleeve-less shirt while Rupert was adorn in green striped pajamas.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" He asked, pulling his bed sheet closer to his body. He had nothing to hide, he was wearing a t-shirt and an old pair of Alex's basketball shorts, but he was so startled to see the two men in his room.

"We heard you screaming from my room," Ryan explained, we obviously meaning his girlfriend and not Rupert. The mental image of Ryan and Rupert cuddling in bed briefly crossed his mind, but he shook his head to rid himself of the thought. He'd save that for a dirty fantasy later.

"I was getting a cup of tea when I ran into Ryan. What were you dreaming about?" Rupert inquired, his tea cup still in his hands. Liam blinked, trying to remember the details of his dream.

"I have no idea…" he trailed off, still racking his brain for any hints to the contents of his dream.

"None? Dude, you were screaming bloody murder. I'm surprised you didn't wake yourself up," Ryan stated, crouching down to be eyelevel with Liam. Liam sighed.

"I don't remember a thing." Both men exchanged looks and glanced back at Liam.

"Uh… maybe you should get that checked out. McCoy might have something for you," Ryan said.

"No… no, I should be fine. I just… I need to take a deep breath," Liam assured them. Ryan nodded and Rupert gave him a nod.

"Alright, well… as lovely as this is, I'd rather not be caught in a gay mans room with nothing but my pajamas. No offense, but Randy would never let me hear the end of it," Rupert said.

"I understand, go back to what you guys were doing," Liam told them.

"Okay… night Liam," Ryan said, following Rupert out of the mans room.

"Night."

"So I'm not going to see my own baby sister at all during shore leave?" Ryan asked. Claire rolled her eyes and hoisted the duffel bag onto her shoulder.

"I see you everyday on this ship. Not to mention, you'll be hanging out with your lovely girlfriend all break," she reminded him.

"I know, but it would nice to go out and hang with my sister every now and then," he told her. She chuckled and nudged him.

"You would get sick of me," she chuckled.

"I've lasted close to twenty-four years, haven't I?" Claire shrugged as Ryan draped an arm over her shoulder.

"I guess so… I'll call you. I'm sure they have computers in Iowa," she assured him. He sighed and looked down at her.

"Be careful, alright? Don't come back married, or pregnant." Claire laughed and stopped walking and turned toward him.

"I'll be fine. Have fun with your girl, but spare me the details." He laughed and pulled her into a hug.

"I love you, call me when you get the chance," he told her. She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Have fun, don't get too drunk!" she warned. He ruffled her short hair and smiled.

"Have fun with the parents." Claire didn't have a chance to reply as he walked off and left her alone in the shuttle bay. She gave a small huff before turning around and heading toward the shuttle that Jim had suggested.

"Claire! There you are," she heard him say. She smiled and turned around, smiling as her boyfriend engulfed her into a hug.

"Hey, I was just saying goodbye to Ryan." He nodded and wrapped and arm around her waist and walked with her to the shuttle.

"I know, I figured I'd wait till you said goodbye to come in," he told her.

"How thoughtful of you. Though, you sure you weren't just avoiding my brother?" she asked. He turned a very light pink and shrugged.

"Well… he's a scary," he defended. Claire chuckled and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, but you need to grow a pair," she told him. He rolled his eyes and guided her to the shuttle.

"Yeah, yeah, just get on the shuttle, I'll show you tonight my pair," he whispered in her ear. She blushed but got onto the shuttle.

"So… what's your mothers last name?" she asked.

"Kirk-Sanders. She refused to loose the Kirk, so she added Carl's name at the end," he told her. She nodded and sat in her seat. Jim sat next to her and draped and arm around her shoulders and yawned.

"Tired babe?" she asked. He shrugged and leaned against the chair.

"Mmm… wake me up when we get to Iowa." Claire nodded and pulled out her data pad.

"Okay."

"You cannot be serious," Claire said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I am serious, isn't it awesome?" Claire looked over the bike and put a hand over her mouth, as if that would stop her from saying anything.

"Jim, I love you… I really do… but this… can you even drive a motorcycle?" she asked. He rolled his eyes and walked up to her, a small smile on his face.

"Yes I can drive a motorcycle, I told you I used to," he said. She frowned and gripped her duffel bag. She was glad it was pretty small, since they only planned to spend a couple days.

"I know but… can you still drive one? It's been a while…" she said.

"Of course I can, don't worry so much. Let's go, my mom will be waiting," he said. She sighed and still eyeing the bike warily.

"What if I fall off?" she asked. He pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh.

"You won't fall off, I promise," he said.

"Liar. You're in the front, how will you know?" she asked.

"I'll know."

"Can't we just get a car?"

"Claire…"

"That thing can't possibly hold both of us and our bags."

"It will."

"I mean, what if you make a sharp turn and I fall off?"

"You won't fall."

"What if the wind blows me away?"

"The wind won't blow you away."

"You don't know that, I'm pretty light. I'll be like paper and float away." Jim sighed and took her hand, dragging her to the bike.

"Claire, come on. If you get on the bike, I'll give you a shiny gift," he said. She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you bribing me?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Is it working?" She shot him a look.

"I still don't want to get on the bike," she said. He sighed and practically dragged her on the bike.

"This is the only way we're getting there, whether you like it or not," he said. She gave a small pout and begrudgingly sat behind him. He found a way to strap their bags to the back, and handed her a helmet. After a minute of staring at it, she slipped it on and waited for him to get situated. Once he had his helmet on, he turned toward her and smiled.

"Ready?" he asked. She leaned forward and pressed herself against his back, grasping tightly onto his leather jacket.

"No, but let's go anyway," she muttered. He laughed and started up the bike, causing her to jump. He laughed once more and they took off down the road. Jim couldn't help but enjoy the way her arms tightened around him, and she way she practically buried her face in his back. The warm wind hit them at a rapid pace.

Claire suddenly wished she had worn a jacket, since she was only in a tee-shirt and jeans. Her arms could feel the warmth of the sun, mixed with the cool of the wind. A part of her was excited, the thrill of the two of them rushing through the wind. A larger part of her, was very afraid. She knew it was stupid, she had been in far worse situations, but for some reason, the thought of speeding at 80 mph scared the crap out of her. She was sure to keep her eyes closed shut the entire time.

After what felt like forever, she felt Jim slow down, and came to a stop. She slowly opened her eyes and was met with a large field, filled with some plant life. She felt Jim shift in front of her, and pulled away from him, taking a moment to get used to being stable. Jim chuckled lightly and got off the bike, taking off his helmet and running a hand through his perfect dirty blonde hair. Claire gave him a look as she took her own helmet off and sighed at how messy her hair was.

"Have fun?" he asked, his Kirk-smirk taunting her. She rolled her eyes and slid so she was sitting sideways on the bike.

"No, I have helmet hair," she muttered. Jim moved forward and ruffled her hair a bit more, causing her to give a small groan of protest. "Jim!"

"I like this look. It looks like rough sex hair," he said. Claire turned red and smacked his shoulder and stood up. Jim refused to move back, so they were only inches away from each other. Claire simply tried to smooth her hair out, and sighed.

"Great, now I look like I got down and dirty before coming here," she mumbled. Jim laughed and moved forward to capture her lips with his. Right before they touched, the front door opened, and the both of them heard someone walk out.

"James Tiberius Kirk!" Jim practically jumped back and turned toward the house. Claire also did and took notice of the house. It looked like and old country house, a big front porch and wide. It looked to have two stories, with an attic, and the front was lined with flowers. A woman was making her way toward them, her slightly graying blonde hair pulled back into a bun. Her face was lined with a few wrinkles, but overall, she was quite pretty. She wore a pair of kaki pants and a white blouse. It was quite conservative, but flattered her all the same.

"Hi mom," Jim said, moving away from Claire and walking up to his mother. He had to bend over slightly to wrap her into a hug. He woman chuckled lightly and pulled back, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Jim… gosh you've gotten so handsome. You being careful on that ship?" she asked.

"As careful as I can be, you know how it is." The woman's face suddenly fell, but she looked past him and her pale blue eyes locked with Claire's stony grey.

"Who is this?" she asked. Jim walked away from her and took a hold of Claire's hand, pulling her toward the older woman.

"Mom, this is Claire Conaway, my girlfriend." Claire smiled and stuck her hand out.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Kirk…"

"It's Winona, dear. Jim has told me a lot about you," she said. Claire turned a little red but smiled.

"Really, nothing bad I hope," Claire said, looking at Jim. Jim shrugged and draped an arm over her shoulders.

"Always the best," Jim said. Winona smiled and took Claire's hand, dragging her out of Jim's grasp and toward the house.

"Come, we'll sit and talk. Jimmy, go get your bags, you know where your old room is. Claire's is the one across from yours," Winona said.

"We're not sharing a room?" Jim asked, pouting slightly.

"Of course not! What you do on the ship is your own business, but here is a different story." Jim rolled his eyes, and Winona continued to drag her into the house. Upon entering the front door, she found herself standing in a foyer. On her left, she saw what looked to be a dinning room, on the right, a living room with the centerpiece being a fireplace.

"Your house is beautiful," she muttered. Winona smiled.

"I'm glad you like it. I saw it and couldn't stop myself from getting it." Claire smiled and felt Winona push her into the living room. Claire noticed that all the furniture was bit older, but seemed to suit the house just fine.

"Her, sit… I'll get you something to drink. Would you like some lemonade, iced tea, a soda? I think I have some coffee as well," Winona said.

"Coffee would be lovely," Claire said. Winona gave her a peculiar look, but nodded and went to the dinning room, then what she assumed to be the kitchen. Claire was left alone to study the living room. The colors were bright, made to accent the amount of light in the room, and almost every surface was filled with pictures. A few of them of people she didn't know, a good amount of two boys, one she knew as Jim, the other she had yet to meet. There was a handful of pictures of Winona and her new husband, and one of George Kirk.

Claire stood up and got a better look at the picture. She had heard so much about him from the past, and a bit from Jim, but she had never seen him. By far, he was handsome. His features seemed a little harsher than Jim's, but his blue eyes seemed to cut through the glass of the frame, and she felt a sense of familiarity in her heart. Jim had definitely gotten his eyes from his father, something she was grateful for.

"Hey." Claire jumped a bit and turned around.

"Jim, don't scare me like that," she scolded lightly.

"Why? Snooping?" he asked, chuckling lightly. Claire rolled her eyes and turned back to the picture. Jim simply wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

"You look a lot like him," Claire said. Jim was silent, but his thumb lightly caressed her own hand.

"Hmm… I'm surprised she still has this picture," he said softly.

"Of course I have it. Now, come Claire… I've brought you your coffee," Winona said. Claire turned bright red and pulled away from Jim.

"Thank you," Claire said, taking the cup from Winona.

"Of course, now, sit! Make yourself comfortable. Jim, why don't you go check the barn, give us women some alone time," Winona said. Jim rolled his eyes.

"I know when I'm not wanted." He walked over and placed a kiss on Claire's forehead. "Have fun," he whispered.

"Of course," Claire replied. Jim then walked over and gave his mother a kiss on her cheek.

"Be nice," he muttered. Winona simply smacked his arm lightly and took a sip of her own cup of coffee. Claire took a large sip, her mouth already used to the burning sensation of the liquid. Jim was soon out of the room and Claire looked down at her cup. She was more than intimidated by his mothers presence. According to Dr. McCoy, Jim held his mother in high regard. Despite the fact she was often off planet when he was a child, she was an excellent mother, Jim cherished her dearly.

"So, you are a member of Starfleet?" Winona asked. Claire nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am," Claire said.

"You can cal me Winona, dear…" Claire pressed her lips together.

"I'm sorry, I'm just… not used to being so informal with…"

"Strangers," Winona finished. Claire didn't say anything as she took another sip of her coffee. "I was the same way with George's mother. I didn't even meet her until I was engaged." Claire noticed that her eyes strayed down to her ring finger, where she found no ring.

"I'm sorry. I just… I'm nervous," Claire said. Winona chuckled.

"No need to be, my dear. Jim has told me so much about you, I guess I am just excited to see the woman my son has fallen so hard for," she said quietly. Claire turned red and let her fingers trace over her coffee cup. After a minute she looked back up and smiled shyly at the woman.

"Jim's a great guy. I'm very lucky to have him," Claire said. Winona smiled.

"Yes, he is. Though, that's not usually the sort of things I hear from his women friends," Winona admitted. Claire chuckled and nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. After a minute, Winona spoke once more. "I'm glad Jim found you, you look like you might be the type of girl to reel him in a bit."

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"I'm sorry dear, that sounded wrong. Jim can be a little… impulsive. My husband thinks that he needs a strong woman to actually tell him no," Winona said. Claire shrugged.

"I don't know about that," Claire said softly. Winona just watched her as Claire looked into the coffee cup. "I mean… I love Jim. I love everything about him. Yeah, he is impulsive, but sometimes that's the not really all that bad. His whole 'leap before you look' is what has made him the wonderful captain that he is. He's cut back on the partying, and has stopped picking up random chicks, but I think that's just part of him getting older. Honestly ma'am, I don't want to change a thing about him, good or bad."

Winona was silent for a moment, before a smile came to her lips.

"I'm glad…" Claire blushed a deep red and took a large gulp of her coffee.

"So, you are a member of Starfleet. What is you're rank?" she asked.

"Lieutenant," Claire answered.

"What field?" Winona inquired.

"I'm a doctor, a surgeon actually." Winona smiled and put her cup on the table.

"A doctor, so you're not just a pretty face. I didn't think that they still had surgeons, on starships," Winona told her.

"Most medicines take away the need for surgery, there are a few exceptions. Sometimes the person doesn't have enough time to let the medicine work, or their body rejects it. That's where I come in," Claire explained. Winona smiled, but before she could speak, Jim walked back in.

"Hey, when did you get the new horse?" he asked, sitting down next to Claire and draping an arm around her shoulders.

"Not too long ago. Carl found the poor thing in an abandoned barn," Winona said. Jim nodded and pulled Claire closer to him, as if by instinct.

"Sounds horrible," he muttered. There was a long pause before the front door opened and a man walked in.

"Winona, whose bike is in front of the house?" a voice asked. Winona stood up, and walked into the foyer. Jim stood up, and Claire followed his example.

"Damn…" Jim muttered.

"What is it?" Claire asked. He didn't answer at first, only pressed his lips together.

"Carl…" he answered. Claire looked toward the door as an older man walked into the house and looked over.

"Ah… Jim," he said. Though there was no insult in his voice, his tone spoke for itself. He was clearly not happy that Jim was here.

"I'll be back, I see you have groceries in the car," Winona said, walking out the door. The moment they did, Carl turned toward Jim, his eyes cold.

"So, your ass is back, you brought a whore along too… just great. Just don't fuck in my house," Carl said, walking into the kitchen. Claire was stunned into silence as she looked at Jim, who was clenching his fists and closing his eyes. Claire turned back to the foyer and sighed. This was going to be an interesting trip.

"I hope Claire's trip to meet Jim's family is going well," Ryan stated as he and Anna entered their temporary room for shore leave. Anna sighed.

"For like the seventh time, she's probably having a great time. Let's stop worrying about your sister and start worrying about us. Hombre estúpido, a veces me siento como si estuviera nada en comparación con Claire…" Anna snapped, dropping her bags on the beds. After all the time they'd been spending together, Ryan was starting to pick up a little bit of Spanish. Most of the time, it was because she was yelling at him, but there were a few rare occasions that it wasn't.

"Hey, don't be like that. Besides, we don't have anything to worry about, right?" Anna bit her lip at her boyfriend's comment, but forced a small smile.

"Oh course not. I was just trying to make a point…" She said in a soft voice, debating whether or not she should come clean. With a reluctant sigh, she opted not to say anything. They still had all of shore leave and she wanted to spend all the time she had with him without any worries. Ryan could see the conflict on Anna's face, but he said nothing. If she wanted to tell him something, he would just have to wait until she was ready. Though hopefully she wasn't going to pull a Colleen and just not tell him at all while living a lie with your boyfriend's best friend's baby.

"No worries. Now let's enjoy our little vacation," Ryan suggested, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her close into a hug. Anna smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth and security that being in Ryan's arms provided.

"Sounds like a plan."

Liam walked into sickbay as he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. In total, he only slept for about three hours. Between the nightmares and just not being able to fall asleep, Liam was exhausted. As he dragged his tired feet into McCoy's office, McCoy lifted his head up off his desk and glared at Liam with bloodshot red eyes.

"What?" He snapped, picking up his empty bottle of whiskey and throwing it into the corner. Of course, just when he needed a drink the most, the alcohol was gone.

"You look like shit. Are you hung-over?" Liam asked as he raised his eyebrow. McCoy scoffed.

"That I am. What's your excuse?" He snapped back. Liam folded his arms.

"The reason I came in to see you, actually. I could not sleep at all last night," he explained. McCoy began to rub his temples as he continued to glared at his doctor.

"You had a bad night's sleep. What do you want from me?" He snapped. Liam furrowed his eyebrows.

"You're a mean drunk, you know that? Jeez… see if I ever come for your help again," Liam retorted and turned to leave. McCoy rested his head back down on his desk.

"Like I was going to help you anyway…"

"So, what would you like for dinner, dear?" Winona asked. Claire shrugged and took a sip of her water as she glanced out the window.

"It doesn't matter. I'll eat whatever you make," she replied. Winona sighed and walked up to the window, where they saw Jim and Carl arguing. With a shake of her head, Winona looked to the younger woman.

"They haven't gotten along in years… they think I don't know that they argue… but I know. They aren't exactly quiet about it." Claire shot the woman a sympathetic look.

"Jim really isn't quiet about anything, I see he doesn't get that from you though," Claire pointed out. Winona chuckled and moved her away from the window and to the sink.

"Here, how about some pasta, would that be good?" she asked. Claire gave a nod and glanced out the window once more.

"Maybe we should leave, I don't want us to cause trouble," she said. Winona shook her head and handed her some vegetables to cut for a salad.

"It's a normal thing around here, just be thankful Sam isn't here. Then the fight would really start." she told her. Before Claire could ask who Sam was, the front door opened and someone walked through the kitchen. He was fairly tall, around 6'2", and he was a bit buff. His blonde hair matched his mothers, but his blue eyes were very similar to Jim's.

"Hey, I'm home. Who brought the bike?" the man asked. Winona put down the pot she was holding and walked over to him. She pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek

"Hello, honey. Where were you?" she asked.

"Stopped at a bar last night, woke up in some woman's house. It's all good though," he told her. He then looked up and his eyes met Claire's, and she almost jumped at how similar they were to Jim's. However, they seemed to have a different glint in them that Jim's did.

"Hello," he said, a slick smile on his lips.

"Hi…" Claire replied.

"Sam, this is Claire, Jim's girlfriend," Winona said, introducing them. Claire held out her hand, but Sam walked forward with his arms open and pulled her into a hug.

"Jim's got a girlfriend, wow. That pretty much makes you family," he told her with a chuckle. Claire felt her cheeks turn red as Winona lightly slapped her son.

"Go pull Jim and Carl off each other. I want tonight to be a nice family dinner," she order. Sam nodded and released Claire.

"Mom, that's not going to happen with this family," he told her before exiting the kitchen and heading outside to where the other two men were fighting.

"Do you expect him to break them up?" Claire asked, watching Sam approach them from out a window. Winona shrugged and turned back to the pasta she was preparing.

"No, but it gets him out of the kitchen. Jim isn't a bad cook at all, but his brother is like a fire in the middle of a forest when he's in the kitchen," she explained. Claire giggled as she turned her focus back to chopping up vegetables for the salad.

Shall we review? I think we shall.

SWfangirl21
Jeck: It's all good. I'm just happy to hear from you again! We love getting your reviews! :3 See, we kept telling you guys to be patient! We wouldn't do that to our Claire and Jim lovers. Besides, we wanted them back together too. We kept throwing in McCoy's soft side every once in awhile. People have issues with what a hardass we make him, but he's like that for a reason. I'm really glad you like Anna and Ryan as much as we do. Honestly, we were kind of worried people actually would miss Ryan and Colleen. lol Yeah, I felt pretty bad for Alex too. We kind of wanted him to earn some respect back from people, but seeing as you read our side story, you know why Liam has such a problem taking him back. If you love Rocky, then you probably really loved this chapter. We had a great time writing this one too. THANKS FOR THE LOVE! :3
Raxsah: Don't worry, people get busy. We do appreciate your reviews, they make us happy. I do like the way we brought them together in this chapter. It is very nice, if I might say. Now that you mention it, there is a lot of talk of people being pregnant. Do I detect foreshadowing? Hmm. Sucks Cow Nipples is a new one. I have to remember that. Rocky is adorable. He's a mixture of my dog and Jeck's dog. Together, we have made the awesomeness which is Rocky. Lol, he reminds me of my dog Zoe, and she is awesome. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter, can't wait to read your next review.

chaoticmom
Raxsah: I'd just like to say that A. This is the alternate timeline, and we took advantage of that. B. This is before the five year mission, so I figured it would be okay for McCoy to be OOC, since we're not following the series plot. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Sorry about that. We know he is not in character, but at this point, we can't do much about it. Also, you're seeing Bones through Claire's eyes most of the time, and she is a spoiled rich city girl, who is not used to someone being so tough on her, not even her brother. We tried to explain that in the last chapter, but I guess it didn't go over so well.
Jeck: We can't really do requests at this point, since the story is already written. And we'll try to comb through the story more thoroughly to catch all the errors. A lot of people say we've made Bones a huge grouch, but he really kind of was in the movie. We're basing the story off of the movie and not the actual series. And we really needed a character to be that hardass kind of person. Bones was the most likely and therefore became Mr. Hardass the Grouch.

(For some reason, the name of the next reviewer did not show up. But we shall answer regardless.)
Jeck: Just putting this out there, I'm not a psych major. I'm an English/English Education major. I just have to take general psych. AND SPANK YOU VERY UCH MAY! :D
Raxsah: Yeah, I think it's required that freshman take psych. I actually like my psych class. It is very nice.

amberhathaway
Raxsah: Welcome back! Sorry about the length, we're trying to finish the story, and I think we're on track. We're almost done! I'd say two more chapters and we're in sight of the end… maybe? Hmm.
Jeck: Oh look! A familiar face! Yeah, we tried to make them longer since we have a longer separation period in which we post. Glad to have you back up to speed with us. :3

Raxsah: Well, now that we're back on track, we're probably going to have to go back to doing homework. Ugh, homework.
Jeck: Blah… but before we get off track, we'd just like to say thank you to SWfangirl21 and Hse Hissie for reviewing our side story, If You Only Knew. Haven't read it? Check it out. Do you enjoy our shameless promoting?
Raxsah: Yes, we are very good at doing that. But seriously, you should. Helps you understand Liam's POV, especially with the whole cheating thing.
Jeck: Last chapter will make shit tons more sense after reading it. And while you're at it, check out our newest poll too. More shameless promoting? Yes. I'm gonna go change my socks… RANDOM! :3
Raxsah: I'll give you random. The back of my car is full of dog hair. Oh, and I got my license, and have been doing nothing but chauffeuring everyone around since. Like seriously, my car is not big enough to fit six people. No matter how hard we try. I'm pretty sure Lexie was bigger than S.A.M.V.
Jeck: Lexi was the shit! I miss my Lexi… some random man who doesn't even live near us bought my car and I'm sad… we had some good times in that piece of shit! At least you still have your multi-colored car! Lol
Raxsah: Yes, my multi-colored piece of shit. Oh well, it get's me from one place to another.
Jeck: Indeed. Perhaps it can get you from home to Bumblefuck. Lol
Raxsah: It could. But I have to wait for Band season to be over for David. And I apparently need someone to go with me. O.o
Jeck: Awwww…
Raxsah: I know… anyway. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, hopefully we'll be around next week for the new one… hopefully. That seems to be the key word in every chapter.
Jeck: Until next week!