The next morning, once she had finally managed to tear herself away from Schuyler after an admittedly nauseating round of 'I love you more' 'No, I love you more' and making love one more time, Starr was walking up the pathway to her house, practically bouncing with every step she took, but suddenly slowed down as she heard two familiar voices near the door.

"I don't want to leave you, like, ever. But I don't think I can deal if Dorian starts trying to get the details. How do I say, it was amazing, mad-crazy great?"

"Just like that."

Starr quickly cleared her throat as loudly as possible when she heard the sounds of kissing, warning them about her presence, and they'd already pulled apart by the time she walked up. Markko looked slightly mortified to realize Starr had just overheard them, but Langston was still smiling shamelessly.

"Hey, Starr," she greeted her, keeping her arms wound around Markko's neck. "So, was I right, or was I right?"

"You were right," Starr laughed happily.

Langston managed to tear her eyes away from Markko for just a moment, and she glanced to Starr with a very clear, questioning look. Starr couldn't have helped herself even if she wanted to and grinned brightly, nodding. Langston squealed slightly, bouncing on the balls of her feet, and Starr laughed again- Markko watched the exchange in complete confusion.

"Am I missing something?"

"It's a girl thing, sweetie. I'll see you inside in two minutes, Starr, and you better be ready to spill!" Langston ordered.

"Hey, you too!" Starr said with another wide smile, darting around them and opening the door to the house as Markko gaped at Langston.

"Wait, she knows?!"

"Oh, please, like you didn't tell Cole."

Starr giggled as she shut the door behind her, drowning them out, and felt a quick rush of relief that nobody else seemed to be downstairs yet- she needed to get her giddiness out with Langston first, no way her mom would believe she'd just been with Erin last night if she walked in now and saw her practically glowing.

Langston stepped inside several minutes later, and wasted no time, promptly tossing her bag on the floor and rushing over to her best friend's side, both girls already grinning like idiots.

"Oh my God, you and Schuyler…?"

"And you and Markko…?"

They simultaneously nodded, and there was a moment of silence before both girls squealed loudly, jumping up and down and generally spastically flailing with joy, too happy to care that they looked crazy.

"Tell me about it!" Langston ordered giddily. "I mean, I'm not saying we need to exchange, like details details, because that'd be weird, and I don't want to know that much, but you have to tell me- was it totally amazing?"

Starr pressed her hands to her mouth, but it couldn't hide her smile, and she just nodded eagerly.

"Better than with…?" Langston had to ask out of curiosity.

"Oh my God, yes, so much better," Starr admitted, blushing furiously.

"And he didn't, like, freak in the morning, right? Get all 'Oh no, I slept with a student, I must go flog myself now!' "

"Uh, no," Starr laughed, smiling as she thought about the morning. "I was actually a little worried about that too, but he seemed just as content as I did. Actually, he was worried about me regretting it or feeling weird or something." Langston snorted, and Starr looked amused. "I know, right? But it was really nice, actually- he was so sweet, Langston. You know, um, he woke up before I did, and I realized when I got up that he was watching me sleep," Starr told her quietly, blushing.

"Awww, that is so cute!" Langston cooed, grinning as she nudged her friend. "Does that boy loooove you or what?"

"I know," Starr giggled nervously, pressing her hands to her face. "But, ah, enough about me, your turn. What about you? Did it live up to your fantasy?"

"It kicked my fantasy's ass," Langston laughed. "I have the best boyfriend ever- hey, don't you argue with me, I'm sorry, it's true. It was, um…"

"Wow?" Starr guessed, knowing that was the only accurate word she could think of to describe her night with Schuyler.

"Yeah, it was wow," Langston giggled. "Pretty much the closest thing I could image to perfect- oh, except…" she trailed off, frowning darkly.

"What?" Starr asked in concern. Langston hesitated, wondering if she should just forget about it so as not to taint the happiness of this morning, but eventually decided Starr should know what was going on.

"Except for the fact that Lola poked holes in my condoms," Langston snapped.

"What?" Starr gasped in shock. "How did that even…how?!"

"When Dorian had that big talk with me after Lola called, she…she gave me this like, French condom case, and yes it was already filled, and yes, I wanted to die. I showed it to Markko at school, because it's a French condom case, that's hilarious and creepy all at once, I had to show him; and anyway, I guess Lola saw us. She must have grabbed them from my bag during lunch or gym or when I was the bathroom or something."

"Wait!" Starr cried, looking truly panicked. "Oh my God, so you guys had unprotected-"

"No!" Langston said quickly. "There will be no repeats of the past, don't worry. I don't know how Dorian found out, but somehow she did and she called to warn me. No way we could have used anything given to us by Dorian anyway, you know? That's just weird and gross. Markko had his own condoms," she assured her.

"God, I'm sorry, Lang- I bet you anything I was the inspiration for that idea," Starr sighed, as she unconsciously pressed a hand to her stomach for just a moment.

"Come on, Starr, don't you even apologize for the psycho bitch- this is happy time, remember?"

"Of course, I know, it's just…geez, she is even more insane than I thought."

"Yeah, she…do you realize you're still smiling?"

"I'm sorry, I can't help it," Starr said with another giddy laugh, aware of how ridiculous she must look talking about how evil and crazy Lola was with this grin still plastered to her face.

"Man, did you have a good night or what?" Langston asked, amused.

"Good night…and morning," Starr confessed in a near squeak, biting her lip. Langston's eyes widened in surprise, and then she smirked.

"I should have known- it's always the quiet ones. You're going to turn into a total sex fiend now or something, aren't you?"

Starr burst out laughing and was quickly joined by Langston, and the laughter set off another round of squealing and flailing. The girls were both so caught up that neither even heard the living room doors open or noticed their mothers walking into the room, staring at them in surprise and confusion.

"Starr?" Blair blurted out in confusion; last time she'd seen her daughter, she'd been miserably lying in bed, barely able to talk or eat she was so broken hearted- the complete opposite of how she was acting now.

The two girls whipped around in surprise and looked at their mothers nervously, quickly calming down.

"Oh, hey, mom!" Starr greeted her brightly. "We didn't hear you come in, sorry."

"What's going on?" Blair asked slowly, glancing between them. Starr and Langston exchanged a grin.

"We just had a really fun night at Erin's," Starr laughed, in a manner that was not the least bit convincing.

"Uh-huh," Blair replied flatly, raising an eyebrow. "We'll talk about it later."

Langston glanced to Dorian, knowing full well her mother had to realize she'd been with Markko, but to her surprise, Dorian was still stone faced, and seemed incredibly distracted by something.

"Yes," Dorian sighed. "We have more important things to discuss right now." She paused, glancing around the room, and frowned. "Where's Markko? I assumed he'd be here."

"He's avoiding the house right now in fear of you wanting to have another talk." Blair threw a pointed look to Starr, considering Langston had more or less just admitted she definitely hadn't been with Erin, and Starr just smiled sheepishly. "And by the way, about that? You are so not getting a play by play, so don't even-"

"No, no, this has nothing to do with that. I'm afraid it's far more serious than that," Dorian said grimly.

All that lingering energy and joy quickly disappeared from the girls as they realized something serious had happened. Blair suggested they all take a seat, and they nervously followed the older women back to the living room, anxiously waiting for the news.

"Langston…your cousin Lola is a very, very disturbed girl," Dorian began gravely.

"Is this about last night?" Langston asked slowly, furrowing her brow.

"Yes. The reason I became aware of Lola's plan and was able to warn you is because Lola dropped acid last night."

"Let me guess, supplied by Asher?" Starr spat.

"We're assuming," Blair said with a nod. Starr scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Geez, that's pretty serious. Is she, like, okay?" Langston asked, sighing; she hated that even after everything, she still cared enough to ask.

"I'm afraid not, no. You see, after she told us about the condoms, she…oh, this is going to be so hard to believe."

"Just tell me," Langston pleaded.

"Lola confessed that she killed her own mother."

There was a moment of stunned silence as Starr's jaw dropped and Langston's eyes widened, the two girls exchanging a shocked look.

"That's…way beyond disturbed," Langston choked out, shuddering. Starr supportively squeezed her friend's arm.

"Are you sure it wasn't something she was just saying because of the acid?" Starr asked hopefully.

"No, I'm afraid she was obviously telling the truth," Dorian sighed.

"God, I just thought she was just really bitchy, just another Britney or something- but she killed her own mother?" Langston repeated weakly as she rose to her feet, starting to pace the room. "What's wrong with her?"

"They haven't made a definite diagnosis yet, but it's obvious to me that she has no conception of other people's feelings." Langston flinched, hating that she just might have hit the nail on the head with her 'sociopath' comment.

"I guess not- I mean, she let her dad take the rap for the murder all this time," Starr chimed in, shaking her head.

"Mm-hmm, and then she tried to blame it on her stepmother."

"Lola's going to jail, isn't she?" Langston asked softly.

"At the moment, she's at St. Anne's for evaluation- your Uncle Ray is with her. What's going to happen to her… nobody is sure."

"I just…I can't believe this," Langston spluttered, shaking her head. "I need to go call Markko, he has to hear about this."

Langston spun on her heel, abruptly rushing from the room, and Dorian quickly jumped up to follow her.

"I'm just going to make sure she's alright."

Starr and Blair were left alone in the living room, and Blair shifted closer to Starr on the couch, gently stroking her daughter's hair.

"You okay, sweetie?"

"Yeah, it's just really surprising. Sad, too," she added, her tone downcast. "I feel so bad for Ray."

"I can't even imagine what he must be going through," Blair agreed. Starr nodded, her eyes heavy, and Blair gently nudged her, smiling. "Hey, I'm certainly not saying you should just forget about this, but don't let it overshadow whatever you were so happy about when we walked in, okay? It was really good to see you that way again."

"Trust me, I won't," Starr assured her with a smile; she knew nothing could keep her down for too long right now.

"Can I ask what that was about, by the way?"

"Uh, um…" Starr hesitated, wondering how to tell this story.

"Wait, no, let me guess- you and Schuyler got back together," Blair said confidently.

Starr's head shot up and she looked to her now grinning mother with wide, astonished eyes.

"How did you-"

"When your daughter goes from acting completely miserable and out of it, twenty-four seven, like a zombie, to laughing and dancing in the living room, it's not that hard to figure out. I'm really happy for you sweetie, I'm so glad everything worked out- I was getting really worried there."

"I'm sorry I worried you. And, thank you for being happy for me," she added softly, relieved at least one of her parents could put her feelings first. Blair just smiled.

"Of course. So, I have to ask- was I right? This whole break-up mess was just about him trying to protect you?"

"You got it exactly right," Starr confirmed. "How'd you know?" Blair shrugged.

"I just know how stupid boys can be when they love someone." Starr laughed slightly.

"True that."

"So, remember, I am truly happy for you, but I'm afraid this raises a few questions," Blair began seriously; Starr looked at her nervously. "I'm going to start with- where were you last night?"

"I…was with Erin," Starr said, the grin that appeared on her lips at the thought of last night completely giving her away. "Schuyler and I worked things out, and then I went to her place."

"Yeah, uh-huh, sure- you little liar," Blair scoffed playfully. "Look, I didn't get into this when you first told me about you and Schuyler because you were so heartbroken that it hardly seemed like the time, but I really do want some answers now. Just how many of those nights you claimed to be a sleeping over at a friend's house were you really with Schuyler?"

"Um…like, all but one of them," Starr admitted hesitantly, biting her lip. Blair looked stunned, and took a deep breath.

"Wow. And how many of the outings with Langston and Markko or supposed school activities were covers for spending time with Schuyler?"

"Most of them," she confessed meekly. Blair sighed weakly, cradling her head.

"I really didn't think that was going to be your answer; I just can't believe this. So, you snuck around with Schuyler to the extent of practically living with him, for months, right under my nose?"

"…yes," she answered reluctantly, seeing there was no good way out of that one."

"Wow. Well, that's…actually kind of impressive," Blair muttered. "But it has to stop now. I don't want you getting too serious too fast, especially in this kind of situation."

Starr's instinctual reaction was to argue, fight with her over that comment, but she swallowed the urge.

"Okay," she agreed simply, unable to hide her smile. Blair cocked an eyebrow.

"You just took that as a challenge to be even sneakier, didn't you?"

"Am I my mother's daughter?" Starr asked coyly, batting her eyes innocently. Blair grinned in spite of herself.

"I guess you are. Look, Starr, I'm certainly not trying to tell you that you can't see Schuyler, I'm just asking that you sometimes actually spend the night in your own bed."

"Okay, fair enough."

"Speaking of…I think there's another big issue that we should really discuss," Blair began, taking another deep breath. Starr froze with widened eyes, really hoping that didn't mean what she thought it did. "Look, I won't get mad, but I just want to know how long you and Schuyler have been…"

"Dating?" Starr asked hopefully. Oh, God, please let her say dating.

"No, um, how long you've been…expressing your love."

"Oh, God!" Starr shouted in completely mortification, covering her face with her hands as she jumped to her feet. "I don't wanna talk about this, mom!"

"But we should be able to!" Blair cried, also rising. "I don't know, sometimes I just feel like what happened with you and Cole may not have if you and I had just talked more, and I don't want to make the same mistakes twice. We can talk about something important as this- Dorian and Langston can!"

"We're not Dorian and Langston," Starr argued weakly. Blair sighed.

"Look, Starr, if you're old enough to be dating your teacher and practically living with the man, you are old enough to have this discussion- it won't kill you, I promise. I just…don't like being in the dark where my children are concerned."

"Oh boy, okay," Starr mumbled, feeling sick with nerves; she averted her eyes. "Um, only since…last night."

"Oh. Oh. Okay, well, um, how do you feel about what happened?" Blair asked cautiously, her expression heavy. Starr squirmed.

"Really really good. No regrets or anything, if that's where you're going with this. And before you have to ask, yes, we were safe," she told her uncomfortably.

"And he didn't…pressure you?"

"Uh, no. Trust me, mom, if anyone has done any pressuring throughout this relationship, it's me," Starr muttered, blushing.

"Oh, God," Blair sighed. "And you don't, uh, expect anything now, right?"

"Like…what, exactly?"

"Like, an A on your final assignment, or-"

"What?!" Starr shrieked. "No, of course not! Oh my God, mom! You actually think I'd-"

"No, I don't!" Blair assured her quickly. "But I don't know, I just thought I had to cover all the bases and ask. You're going to have to cut me some slack here, Starr, I have no idea what I'm doing- they don't make pamphlets explaining how to handle your daughter dating her teacher. When your kid dates another kid, you can talk to other parents about that, go off your own experience, get advice from those who came before you, but we're blazing a new trail here. So can we just…promise to be patient with each other while we figure all of this out?"

"Yeah, of course, mom," Starr agreed, softer now. "And you have no idea how much it means to me that you're trying so hard to understand- any other parent- my other parent, actually- would have locked me in my room and called the school board by now, so it means the world to me that you're actually considering me in all of this. And I don't know if this helps to hear, but honestly mom, Schuyler and I pretty much have all of this 'figured out'. We've been together for a long time now and with the exception of this whole horrible 'trying to protect me' thing, it's been…perfect," Starr said, her face lighting up with a smile. She glanced back up and saw her mother watching her with an expression that was somehow sad, wistful, and happy all at once.

"That smile right there is why I could never keep you from him," Blair admitted quietly. "Since you've been with him, you've been happier than I've seen you in…ever, actually," she admitted. "And that's what every parent wants- for their child to be really, truly, completely happy. I guess you know that yourself now, don't you?" Blair asked tenderly. Starr nodded, surprised to feel tears stinging her eyes; she wanted that for Hope so, so much. "And you are that happy now, aren't you?"

"Yes- truly, completely happy mom, I promise."

"Then I almost feel like I should be thanking him. This is probably going to be a little hard for me to adjust to," Blair admitted. "But as long as he continues to make you that happy, I promise we'll make it work."

"Thank you, mom," Starr said sincerely, closing the distance between them and hugging her tightly. Blair smiled, returning the embrace.

"Thank you for being honest with me."

"So, is that all for the uncomfortable questions today?" Starr asked playfully as they pulled apart. "I should probably go check on Langston now."

"Yes, yes, that's all," Blair laughed. "You can go." Starr turned to leave, but Blair quickly remembered something and called after her to stop. "Wait, sorry, there is one more thing. Does Schuyler have plans tonight?"

"Nope, why?"

"Tell him he's coming to dinner."

"What?" Starr cried. "Here?"

"Yes, where else?"

"But…why?!"

"I want to meet him properly, as your boyfriend, and I'm sure the rest of the family does too!"

"But…mom!" Starr spluttered, actually stamping her foot before she could help herself.

"What is Starr freaking out about?" Starr glanced behind her and saw it was Jack who'd voiced the question, apparently having seen her little fit as he walked by.

"We're having Starr's boyfriend over tonight so we can meet him. You want to, right, Jack?"

"Yeah!" he said quickly, looking far too much like he was plotting something for Starr's comfort.

"Mom, we are just so not a 'come to dinner' kind of family! This is going to be so awkward and weird, and we just got back-"

"Starr," Blair interrupted firmly. "This is not a debate. I'm allowing you to date your teacher, for God's sake. I'm not grounding you even though I realize now you've been sneaking around for months, and thus, lying to me. The least the boy can do is come to dinner. Clear?"

"Okay, fine," Starr groaned, nodding. "You guys aren't gonna like, hurt him, right?"

"Wait, you don't want us to?" Jack asked, suddenly looking disappointed. Starr furrowed her brow.

"Jack, why would I want you to hurt my boyfriend?"

"Well, he's the guy who dumped you, right? Isn't he the one who's been making you act all miserable and cry all the time?"

"Oh, Jack," Starr said with a grin, oddly touched that her brother had wanted to beat Schuyler up or something for her. "Yeah, that was him, but he didn't mean to do any of that. Sometimes things like that just happen when you fall in love- I definitely don't want you being rude to him or trying to hurt him because of it, okay?"

Jack stared at her in confusion, then just shook his head as he shrugged.

"I'm never gonna fall in love- you guys all make it sound terrible."

He walked off as Blair and Starr laughed, and Starr turned back to her mother with a hopeful look.

"So, mom, after I talk with Langston and go shower and stuff, may I have permission to go to Schuyler's and warn him- oh, oops, sorry, I mean tell him- in person?"

"Yes, that's fine. I want you here for dinner at 7, okay?"

"Okay," Starr replied as she left the room, still strongly considering telling him to run.

"We need to talk!" Starr announced her presence loudly as she came storming into Schuyler's room. There was no response, and she frowned. "Schuyler?"

"Starr? Is that you?" he called a second later as she heard the bathroom door open.

"Uh, is there another female who lets herself into your room?" she asked pointedly as she wandered in his direction. "If the answer to that isn't no, I'm kicking your ass."

"I think we both learned yesterday that's an empty threat."

"Oh, ha-ha. Fine then, I'll make Langston kick your ass, and then kick the girl's twice."

"Well then, good thing there is no girl- trust me, even someone who's been in this town as short a time as I have knows better than to screw around on a Manning."

"Good answer," she laughed.

Starr walked into the back room and found Schuyler, tugging a shirt over his head, hair still wet from the shower; she instantly grinned at just the sight of him, a warm feeling of complete happiness and contentment spreading throughout her. She wordlessly closed the distance between them, enveloping herself in his embrace. Schuyler returned her hug for a moment, running his fingers through her hair, then tilted her head back as he cradled it, swooping down and capturing her lips in a brief, soft kiss.

"I missed you," she murmured, resting her forehead against his.

"I missed you too."

"Oh, God, we are sickening, do you realize that?" Starr laughed a moment later, breaking the moment. Schuyler chuckled.

"I do; I always swore I was not going to be one of 'those' couples, with the constant I love yous and missing each other after an hour- one of many things you've made me do that I never thought I would."

"What, you didn't expect to fall in love with a student, or encourage her to commit perjury, or beat a convicted rapist unconscious?"

"For the record, I didn't really encourage you to commit perjury, I just suggested that you shouldn't rule out the option if that was what you wanted to do."

"Oh, that's not my version of the story," Starr informed him playfully. "If that ever comes back to haunt me, you're going down with me- just to give you fair warning." Schuyler shrugged, grinning.

"We're already partners in crime," he reminded her, gesturing between them. "I see no reason for that to change."

"Partners in crime, I like the sound of that," Starr said with a smile, winding her arms around Schuyler's neck and rising up on her toes to kiss him again.

He held her body to his tightly, deepening the kiss, and Starr reluctantly pulled away with a frustrated groan as she felt his hand creeping up her shirt, placing her own hands on his chest as she shook her head.

"Wait, we really do have to talk."

"We have to talk? Four words nobody ever wants to hear," Schuyler remarked, brow furrowed with worry. She flashed a quick smile, attempting to be reassuring.

"No, it's okay, it's nothing bad. Well, kind of. Well, no, it's not now, but it could be. It probably won't be. But I don't know for sure, so I just wanted to-"

"Starr," Schuyler interrupted her, appearing nervous now. "Just tell me."

"Okay, um kind of a long story here. Uh, back on that first day you broke up with me, when I went home, my mom was waiting for me and she said that Marty told her about you and me- Cole told her everything that night at my dad's house. She asked me if it was true, and I was so miserable that I didn't have the energy to lie anymore, so I told her about us. She didn't really say anything about it then because I was so heartbroken that she didn't want to make it worse…"

Schuyler flinched and turned his head, looking incredibly guilty and shamed, and Starr cupped his cheek, turning him back to her and tenderly kissing him.

"Hey, no guilt. We're so far past that, remember? Things are great now, we're happy, keep the focus there." She waited for him to nod, then continued. "Anyway, she could tell this morning we had gotten back together because of how happy I was again, and she jumped right on that. We talked about everything, annnd…she wants you to come to dinner tonight," she finished in a rush, anxiously waiting for his reaction.

"Oh, that's it? I thought it was something more serious," he chuckled, sounding relieved. Starr gaped.

"Excuse me? That's not serious enough for you? My insane and insanely overprotective family wants to meet you and have the 'What are your intentions with our Starr?' talk- you don't find that a tad worrisome?"

"Well, yeah, sure, but Starr, when you said you told your mom everything about us, I was expecting the story to end with 'And she's on her way over here with a gun' not 'And she wants to have dinner with you.' So, it's already going better than I expected. And keep in mind, I've already 'met' your father, so the worst of your family is already out of the way- way I see it, it's all uphill from here."

"I like your newfound optimism," Starr laughed. "And I'm sure you're right. I'm just protective of you, I know I'm overreacting- my mom said she almost feels like she should thank you, actually."

"Thank me? For what?" Schuyler asked, confused and startled by that.

"For making me so happy," Starr answered, nudging him pointedly. "See, it's not just me, she knows it too. She said when I'm with you, it's the happiest she's ever seen me, and that as long as you continue to make me that way, she'll make sure this all works." Schuyler smiled warmly at her, deeply touched he could for Starr even half of what she did for him. "You're not planning on stopping that anytime soon, are you?"

"Nope," he chuckled, wrapping his arms around Starr and kissing the top of her head.

"Then we shouldn't have a problem. You know, I complained a lot, but I'm actually kind of glad you're meeting my family," Starr confessed. "It's sort of nice that the people all I love the most are all going to be together. And like I said, my mom seems pretty cool about this."

"I still can't believe that," Schuyler remarked, sounding amazed as he shook his head. Starr shrugged.

"I'm guessing that it's because she's like 'Well, she's already gotten pregnant, parent's worst fear already realized, what else could possibly happen?'" Starr remarked with a dark laugh. "Other than getting pregnant again, I guess, but, uh, no way in hell," she said with a shudder. "I mean, everyone knows how much I love Hope and how grateful I am for her, but…no, not for a very long time. So she knows she's got nothing to worry about there, she knows how much I love you and how happy you make me, and you won major points from her when you saved me from Zach. I don't think we'll have any problems with her- just like I told you," she reminded him with a smug smile. Schuyler laughed. "I should warn you, though, I think it's going to be a different story with Jack."

"Uh-oh, really?" Schuyler asked, chuckling.

"Yeah; he felt really bad about his part in the Zach incident and has actually become sort of…protective of me as a result; it's really weird, I'm still getting used to him smiling at me instead of glaring like he wishes I was dead," she laughed. "He sounded just a little too eager when my mom told him you were coming over, I think he's plotting to ambush you. If he does, do me a favor and just let him- he's too small to do any real damage and it'll be good for his self-esteem."

"Okay," he agreed, grinning in amusement. "That's the least I can do. You know, if you had asked me which of your family members I was worried about trying to attack me, your little brother would not have been high on the list."

"Life apparently has a way of surprising you this year. How would you say that's working out for you?" Starr asked playfully. Schuyler gave an over the top shrug, making a so/so motion.

"Eh, not bad."

"Not bad?" Starr demanded, just a hint of a smile on her face.

She grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down to her, crushing his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss, dragging her lips across his slowly and warmly.

"You wanna reconsider that answer?" she murmured against his lips.

"Mmm, I don't know, I think I need more persuasion," he told her with a smirk, grasping her hips as he kissed her hotly.

Starr moaned, that familiar weak kneed feeling returning, and hooked her arms under Schuyler's, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she hopped up and wound her legs around his waist; Schuyler's hands slid underneath her thighs, holding her up with ease as he kissed her eagerly.

"Do we have to be there anytime soon?" he asked her breathlessly minutes later. Starr grinned wickedly, quickly shaking her head.

"Nope; we have all day."

After several hours, which had been divided between activities that definitely did not include talking, Starr telling him the shocking news about Lola and the two of them discussing that at length, Schuyler attempting to approach the subject of Starr possibly talking to her father (much as he hated to- he knew Starr wanted to reconcile with Todd, deep down, but was far too stubborn to admit it) only to be met with a dirty look, catching up on things they'd missed during their break-up, and Starr trying to help coach him for the night with her family, the duo were finally getting ready to leave. Starr grabbed her phone, calling home to let them know they were on their way.

"Hello?" Jack answered after several rings, his voice sounding oddly strained. Starr furrowed her brow; Jack never answered the phone at home.

"Hey, Jack, it's Starr. Where's mom?"

"She's, uh, in the kitchen with dad."

"She's what?" Starr repeated sharply in disbelief. Schuyler looked over at her curiously, and Starr just shook her head, shooting him a confused look. "Jack, what are you talking about? Why is dad there?"

"He came over to argue with mom some more about the custody trial."

"Oh my God, I didn't even know he was still going through with that," Starr scoffed. "What happened, is everything alright? Are they fighting?"

"They were at first, but, um, I think they worked it out."

"They…worked it out?" Starr repeated dubiously. "Dad comes over to yell at mom, and after weeks of fighting like cats and dogs about this, they just work it out?"

"I guess they just finally actually listened to each other, y'know? Probably doesn't hurt that McPain's out of the way now, right?" he remarked with an oddly nervous sounding laugh.

"Um, okay. What are they doing in the kitchen, exactly?"

"…making popcorn."

"You're kidding, right?" she snorted.

"Well, we're all going to the movies together, and dad says theater popcorn is lousy."

"Jack, wait, I don't understand. Why are you going to the movies? Mom's the one who was so insistent that she had to meet Schuyler properly tonight."

"I think she just wants to let me and Sam see dad while things are still good and they're sort of getting along, and she doesn't have to actually talk to him if we go to a movie, right?"

"Um, I guess. Hey, Jack, let me talk to mom, okay?"

"What? Oh, sorry Starr, mom was just saying she wants me to go put Sam in the car."

"No, Jack, wait a sec, give mom the-"

"No time; we've gotta get going if we want to make the show. I'll talk to you later Starr. I…I love you," he added hesitantly. Starr's eyebrows nearly shot up into her hairline, unable to believe she'd just heard that.

"Jack, I-"

He abruptly hung up, and Starr's frown slowly deepened as she stared at her phone.

"What is going on over there?"

"Starr? What is it?" Schuyler asked in concern, walking up behind the couch where she was sitting.

"I don't really know- hold on a sec, okay?" she asked, punching in her dad's number.

It rang until the voicemail picked up, and Starr sighed, trying Langston next- same thing. A cold feeling starting to spread throughout her stomach, she dialed her mom and Dorian's cell phones as well, and still received no answer.

"Why is nobody picking up?" she asked Schuyler anxiously after repeating what Jack had told her. He quickly walked around the couch and took a seat next to her, winding a comforting arm around her shoulders. Starr sighed, leaning into him.

"Hey, calm down, okay? I'm sure you're getting worked up over nothing," he told her gently. "It's not so strange for your parents to suddenly call a truce, is it? You've told me about how hot and cold they are."

"Yeah, that's true."

"And, if your mom really doesn't have a problem with me, then it actually makes sense for her to want to get your dad out of the house; she couldn't exactly call you and tell you not to come home if he was already there and would overhear, and it was pretty close to the time we'd be showing up- I think we all know how well it would have gone over with your dad if I had walked in with you."

"Good point, I didn't think of that," she muttered, mulling that possibility over. She frowned, cocking her head. "But why aren't Dorian and Langston answering either?"

"They probably just left to go do something else when your dad showed up- he seems like he knows how to clear a room." Starr almost broke a smile at that.

"Another good point," she admitted, relaxing slightly. "Okay, you're probably right, I'm once again freaking out unnecessarily. I'm just gonna call the house again and speak to someone on the staff real quick, it'll ease my nerves."

Starr dialed home once more, patiently waiting for Shaun or someone to answer the phone, but yet again, there was no answer. She took a deep breath, repeating to herself that she was overreacting- they were probably just busy cleaning up the kitchen, packing away the food they'd prepared for the dinner that was no longer happening or something. She waited a few minutes, giving them time to finish whatever they were doing, and called again. This time, when nobody picked up, Starr could feel her heart drop and all thoughts of remaining calm instantly flew out the window.

"Okay, something is wrong!" she cried anxiously, jumping to her feet as she began digging at her wrist and launched into a frantic ramble. "I'm sorry, Schuyler, I know I probably sound like this insane freak or something right now, and I probably am turning something into nothing and my family is going to make fun of me forever when they hear I was so worried while they were all just at the theater watching Monsters versus Aliens or whatever, but I can't help it, I have this bad feeling, and I would just feel better if we could go to my house and check out what's going on ourselves, and it's fine if you think I'm sort of crazy now, but-"

"Starr," Schuyler cut her off firmly as he stood to his feet as well, prying her hand away from her wrist, holding it in his tightly. "I don't think you're crazy, and you don't have to apologize to me, okay? We can leave right now."

"Thank you," Starr replied softly in relief, releasing a tense, shaky breath. She quickly threw her arms around Schuyler in a brief, grateful hug. "For what it's worth, I'm really hoping that I actually am just crazy."