This update is about half of what I intended the length to be. I just figured this was a good stop for now. I'm sure when you see the next chapter you'll see how they went together, but if you don't that's fine too. I hope you enjoy. :)

Courtney was flustered as she finally settled down on her bed after what felt like the longest day ever. It didn't help that she could not get herself to forget about Duncan. Even though she knew he had been at school, he didn't show up in sixth period. She'd almost say that he did it on purpose to remain in her mind over the weekend. It was ridiculous!

She sighed heavily, banging her head against her pillow. At least this was softer and safer than a wall. Although it didn't reprimand her like the wall would. Honestly, her mother would be the best for that, but she didn't want to deal with her right now. She'd gotten a text from her mother ranting about the awful day she had, so she almost didn't know if she would go to dinner. Pop-tarts would do just fine.

However, in all seriousness she just wanted to lay here and sleep for the rest of the day. And it was only four. It made her feel old. Still, in the end it mattered little. If she wanted sleep, then she would let herself have it. No insignificant thoughts such as age would get to her.

And in a matter of minutes she had drifted off to sleep, unaware that a mere hour later she would be getting the surprise of her life.

Courtney's dreams took her to her old home, back where she had many friends. They were all crowded on her bed in her old room, laughing as they mixed conversation with homework. Despite the giveaways of the falseness of the situation, she was too happy to notice. She really thought she was there, her new life the dream.

"Hey, Courtney!" One of her friends cried, smiling widely.

Courtney turned her head, grinning the same as her friend. "Yeah?" She chirped. "What is it?"

"Um…" She giggled sheepishly.

Courtney raised a brow, frowning faintly. "What?" She half laughed.

The girl looked anywhere but at Courtney. "Well…I…um…" She didn't know how to say what she wanted, not sure she really wanted to go through with this.

Courtney stared blankly at her. "Come on!" Courtney snapped. "Just say it." She shook her head. "You're acting too weird."

Another girl burst out laughing, nearly falling out of the bed. "She's trying to ask you whether you're crushing on that punk Jeramy!" She burst out.

"Mia!" The girl whined. "Why'd you go and say that for! I didn't want to be so blunt!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

The girl giggled, covering her mouth with her hands to try and stifle it. "Well, it had to be said." She muttered through her fingers.

Courtney blushed fiercely. "W-What!" She spluttered, forcing the blush down. "Why would I want anything to do with that Neanderthal!" She stuck her tongue out and made gagging noises. "He's so immature!"

A third girl sighed contentedly. "Yeah…but he's so hot…" She breathed, smiling with infatuation.

Mia laughed even harder, falling off the bed. "Hilarious!" She shrieked, rolling around on the floor.

"What!" The third said, puffing out her lower lip. "It's true."

Mia picked herself back up, grinning brightly. "I know, I know. That's why it's funny!"

Courtney stared wide eyed at them. "Guys!" She half whined. "How can you say that? He's nothing but a no good punk!"

The first girl shrugged. "Maybe. But that doesn't make him any less attractive." She admitted, smiling shyly.

Courtney's mouth went agape. "You too Christian?" She couldn't believe them. They were insane! It was as if they'd fallen and suffered brain damage.

Christian shrugged. "Sorry, Court. I can't help it."

"So…you don't think so?" The first girl asked tentatively. Even as her friend she kind of feared Courtney's wrath.

Courtney snorted, rolling her eyes. "Of course not!" She said, holding her head up high. "I could never fall for a creep like him. It's immoral and out of the question." She paused as if she might leave it at that, deciding after a moment that she would add. "And besides, girls like us deserve better."

Mia shook her head back and forth in disbelief. "You're so weird sometimes. You know that?" She almost started laughing again. "I mean, it's not like we're going to marry these guys. It's just some fun teen romance." She sighed. "Really fun."

Christian sucked in a breath. "You don't mean…?"

Mia nodded. "Sure, why not?" She grinned. "It won't kill us or anything. Besides, we're not Jesus, we make mistakes."

The first girl almost had a heart attack at the mention of such a thing. "Bu-But…it's still bad." She squeezed out.

"I agree." Courtney said sternly, nodding firmly. "It's a sin. You have to be married." She hissed, her eyes narrowed into slits.

"HA!" Mia couldn't believe how religious these two of her friends were. "If you aren't having a bit of fun, then you aren't living! And who wants to be tied down in marriage anyway?" She made a face. "Better to be free!"

Courtney gripped the sheets tight, about ready to bust a gasket. Only as she took a deep breath did she cool down. "People who say that are just as bad as the punks themselves." She growled. "When you give in to them like that, letting them take you in body and mind, you're just a slave to your hormones."

Mia scowled faintly. "You're too uptight." She snorted, shoving her nose in the air.

"Am not!" Courtney snapped, a whiny tone ever present.

"But no matter." Mia smiled almost evilly. "One day you'll understand. You'll run into some 'punk' that takes your breath away and sweeps you clear off your feet." She sighed dreamily, clasping her hands. "Then you'll see what I'm talking about. You just can't resist them."

Courtney's face burned red in a mixture of rage and embarrassment. "No way!" She shook her head fervently, eyes ablaze. "It'll never happen to me! Never!"

Mia burst out laughing, nearly falling over for the umpteenth time. "You'll see." She cackled. "You'll see the appeal…the lure." Her face went serious all of a sudden and she leaned I close to Courtney.

Courtney frowned deeply, edging away from her scrutinizing gaze. She hated when Mia got this way.

Suddenly the dream became twisted, the memory turning itself into a nightmare. "You'll see." She hissed, her face becoming contorted, everything about her changing drastically.

Courtney jumped in her skin, pressed up against the wall. "M-Mia?" She breathed.

When Mia's form stopped moving she was no longer herself. Her face was manly and her ordinary, well pressed clothes were dark and joltingly familiar. She was shaken even further as she fully realized who sat before.

"D-Duncan…" She started, eyes wide and mouth agape. No…this was not a part of any place in her life. This was not real…this didn't belong in her happy scene with her friends. No!

"Hey Princess." He chuckled, leaning in even closer to her. "What's up?"

Courtney tensed instantly, regaining her composure. "No!" She screamed. "Go away! Get out of her! I'm with my friends!"

"Friends?" He chided, laughing almost darkly. "What friends? No one wants to be your friend." He said with cruelness that Courtney had only heard when they'd first known each other. "I'm all you have."

Courtney shook her head slowly. "No…" She moaned, tears welling in her beautiful emerald eyes. "No!"

Duncan nodded. "Yes." He hissed, showing her his trademark smirk. "All you have…"

"No!" Courtney gripped her head, shaking it violently back and forth to try and rid herself of this insanity. Despite her best efforts, nothing happened. His words continuously echoed about her. All you have… "Mia…Christian…everybody…"

Duncan pursed his lips as if to taunt her further. But instead of words coming out of his mouth, there was a faint clicking. It was as if he was tapping his tongue on the roof of his mouth.

Courtney made a face, her hysteria dying some. "What?" She started, cocking her head as a faint chuckle passed her lips. "I don't…"

Duncan tried to say something again, but the clicking continued. The longer it went on, the more faded this world became. The colors began to swirl together and all natural sounds fell away. She was quickly falling into darkness. The only thing remaining was the clicking.

Then she woke up. She jolted up in her bed, her eyes wide and breathing irregular. She looked wildly around the room. It took a moment due to her confusion, but through the haze of her mind she recognized the clicking from her dream.

Her eyes shifted to the window. It seemed to be the source of the noise. She made a face. What the hell? That was not a normal sound. Windows didn't just clink for no reason. She shook her head. Was there someone there?

She slowly slipped from her bed and walked tentatively to the window. She was quite afraid of what she would see. That is until she saw it. Once she saw through the glass and down to the ground she lost all fear, unimaginable shock and anger filling her instead. "Duncan!"

"Finally." He sighed, shaking his head. "It took you long enough!" He yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth to help his voice carry.

Courtney gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "What the hell are you doing at my house!" She seethed, looking about ready to burst.

Duncan shrugged. "I thought I'd surprise you." It was hard not to laugh at his choice of words. It was all so convoluted. Surely she'd see it too.

"Yeah! Well good job!" She snapped, running her fingers through her hair. "You successfully scared me to death by stalking me!" Her eyes were ablaze.

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Don't be so psycho about it." He half laughed. "If you're not careful you might blow your head off or destroy the world with its explosion."

Courtney stamped her foot with immense rage. She then snapped her hands out and jerked the window open. She was getting tired of yelling through glass. "Shut up!" She bellowed, leaning out the window. "I'm not a psycho!

"Uh-huh." He nodded slowly, a laugh in his smile and tone. "So says the girl as she screams to the high heavens." He snickered, putting a hand over his mouth to try and hide it.

"Shut up!" Courtney was going to kill whoever told this lunatic where she lived. They were dead. Nothing could save them. "How the hell did you find my house!"

"I'm amazing." He put a hand in front of his stomach and bowed. "I'm even better than a magician. Magic doesn't have anything on me."

"Get out!" She pointed out to the distance. "Get out now!"

Duncan frowned deep and looked away as if thinking hard about it. "Hmm…no." He shook his head. "No, I don't think I will." He walked closer to her house.

Courtney watched him blankly for a moment. As much as she hated him being here she couldn't help but wonder what getting closer to her house would accomplish. Only as he came all the way up to her house did she understand.

Duncan gripped the vines growing up the side of the house to her window, not even thinking to test the sturdiness of it. He pulled himself upward and started to climb like a monkey. He had no problem scaling the two story building.

Courtney started. "Hey!" She snapped. "What do you think you're doing!" There was no way he was getting in her house. If her mother ever found out then she would be dead. Just imagine…a bad boy…in her house…her mother gone. She shuddered at the thought. The only problem was she wasn't sure if it was from revulsion or pleasure.

Duncan grinned up at her. "What does it look like?" He was nearly to her window. "I'm obviously trying to fly to the moon."

"Ha ha ha." Courtney growled with unamused aggravation. "Get down!"

Duncan shook his head. "I told you before, no thanks Princess." He grabbed for the last piece of vine, ready to thrust himself up the remaining space. As he pulled down hard he felt no resistance and there was a faint tearing noise.

Courtney was still yelling and did not notice. She probably wouldn't have noticed even if Duncan had left.

Duncan's left side was jerked downward, leaving his one hand to hold up his whole body. He swallowed hard, trying to pull himself back even. Unfortunately his remaining support was too weak for all of him and it too snapped.

Duncan fell with a loud thud to the ground. He even groaned softly on impact despite his best attempts to brace for the fall.

Courtney jumped as she noticed his figure suddenly go down. She blinked a couple times in confusion and then bent over the window to get a better look. There he was, on the ground. She didn't mean to, but seeing him that way cracked her up.

Duncan scowled at her. Of course she would laugh now. "What's so funny?" He growled. Normally he would laugh it off, but right now he felt a sharp pain.

She held her head and struggled not to fall over. "S-Sorry!" She cackled. "But it's just too funny seeing you on your ass like that!" She finally leaned too far back and fell over.

"Thanks." He quipped sarcastically. "I'm glad there's someone who cares."

As Courtney got back up with the help of the window sill she was still laughing. "Oh, stop it." She waved his words away. "If you wanted someone to care you shouldn't have come here!"

In a way she was right. He hadn't come here to make her care either. Yet somehow her words still stung. A downcast expression even flickered across his face. Perhaps he thought she at least cared a little.

"So, are you gonna try that again?" Her laughs were slowly dying down. "Next time, be sure to fall on your head. I hear that hurts less."

"Would you shut up!" He snapped, grabbing a decent sized rock from beside him and flinging it at her. He didn't want to hurt her, but he much preferred her yelling to her taunting.

Courtney made a sharp yelp as she saw the object coming for her. She then threw her hands over her head and ducked down. Only after a few seconds did she come back up, her face contorted with rage. "What the hell!" She spat. "Are you trying to kill me! That thing was-"

She stopped short as she noticed what he was doing. He had the hand he'd used to throw the rock cradled in the other hand. He rubbed the cradled hand methodically, his face stretched out in a grimace.

Courtney stared for a moment in confusion. "Uh…what are you doing?" He tone had lost its harshness. All that remained now was a perplexing feeling.

Duncan scowled with immense dislike up at her. "Why do you care?" He seethed, his teeth gritted to both hold his tongue and make the pain appear to be less than it was. "You just want me gone from your house."

Courtney ignored his snide words, focusing harder on his hand. "Did you hurt it?" She said with amazing softness.

Duncan fell victim to her sweet voice. "Maybe." He grumbled, looking away from her. There was no way he was going to admit it. If she wanted to know the truth she would have to come down here herself and see.

Courtney nodded almost unnoticeably. "Ok." She spun around quickly and ran deeper into her house. She was just glad her mother wasn't here. Their yelling and then her inexplicable actions now would surely make her suspicious.

Duncan started at the speed in which she disappeared. "Hey!" He called after he snapped out of his confusion. "Where are you going! Are you just gonna leave me!" He seethed in his spot, thinking of breaking his rule and hitting her. It wouldn't be too hard, but…

Then she was there again. Her hands however were now full with many objects. "Alright." She breathed, backing up as if to jump.

Duncan's eyes grew wide as he realized her intentions. "Are you insane?" He cried. "You can't jump with all that! You'll break something!"

Courtney laughed in a way that Duncan deemed cute. "You worry too much." She hadn't exactly practiced jumping with so much stuff in her arms, but she had run away enough to know how to jump, even from a two story building.

"Courtney!" He tried to reason with her. "Come on! It's dangerous!"

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Aw, aren't you sweet." She said in mock flattery. She backed up a little further and then realized she needed to be up on the sill. She moved to do so and quickly leapt from the window.

Duncan gawked as she landed expertly. He had never seen a person, a girl no less, do it so well. He wasn't even sure he could do it so well. At least, it had been a while since last he tried it. Still, he forced his amazement down. He refused to let her believe she was cool.

"Well, how was that?" She teased, tapping him on the nose as she set her things down.

Duncan pulled away from her, straining his wrist in the process. He cringed noticeably, his mouth turning into a deep frown.

"Stop moving." She scolded, sending him a stern glare. "Or do you want to be in pain?" She grimaced at the thought. She wondered for a split second if he was suicidal. She shook her head. No…of course not.

"What if I don't want to stop moving?" He questioned, doing anything to stir her up.

"Then I'll make you." Only as the words were out of her mouth did she realize how wrong they sounded. "And no! Not like that!"

Duncan chuckled. "I don't see any other way." He teased. "You'd surely have to pin me down." The thought was quite interesting. It wouldn't be so bad.

"Shut up." She smacked him in the hand as she sat down.

Duncan's eyes grew a million times larger and he struggled to hold in a scream. He had to bite his lip down hard to accomplish this.

Courtney cringed. "See? That's what will happen." Despite her words she felt genuinely bad for mistakenly hitting his hand. She had meant to hit the other one. She had just forgotten which was which since he wasn't holding it anymore.

"Bitch." He hissed under his breath.

Courtney started. "What?" She shrieked, slamming a hand down on the ground. "I am not!" She had heard that word floating around her for so many reasons the past couple of months that it stung quite badly.

Duncan sensed his misstep and scrambled to fix it. "Whatever." He rose to his feet. "Just let me go home."

Courtney scowled with pure hatred at him. "No!" She barked, jumping up and snatching his good wrist. "You aren't going anywhere!" She jerked him back down, not realizing he let her take him.

Duncan smirked. I he had wanted to he could have resisted. But this was her idea. He would let her regret it later.

Courtney sighed in frustration as she situated herself. "Now let me see it." She muttered, reaching out for his hand. She didn't want to just grab it; she wanted it to be a mutual thing, almost like a kiss.

Duncan hesitated, not sure if he wanted to trust her with this. It was probably something for a doctor. Who knows what she'd do. She didn't exactly like him. Still, in the end, he gave in. He let his hand fall into hers.

Courtney had never planned to hurt him. That would be cruel. She was actually mildly offended by his hesitation. "My mother is a doctor." She muttered absently as she turned his hand over in hers.

Duncan cringed every minute of her action. It didn't hurt all that bad, but pain was pain no matter how little. "I know doctors too, but that doesn't make me one."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Shut up." She scoffed, poking his wrist.

"Oooow…" He moaned.

She stifled a giggle. "It's not broken." She decided after a minute more. "You're not reacting badly enough. It's probably a sprain." She set his hand down. "It should be better in a couple of weeks."

"So it's supposed to be purple." He said in disbelief. It had started to swell.

"Yes." Courtney nodded. "That's what this is for." She drew a pack of ice from her things. She then wordlessly grabbed his wrist again and held it to it.

Duncan shuddered as it touched him. He was much warmer and the cold was extremely unwanted. Still, it did make his wrist feel better, even if just a little.

Courtney held it for a few minutes before she decided to do something else. She put the ice on the ground and grabbed cream colored bandages from the pile.

"Are you kidding me?" Duncan sighed. "I have to wear that thing around school!"

Courtney nodded as she started to wrap it gently but firmly. "Yes, for two weeks."

Duncan's mouth fell agape. "What!" His cry echoed around them. "No." He shook his head, laughing bitterly. "No freaking way. Do you know what people will say!"

Courtney rolled her eyes. "I can imagine." She growled, thinking back to when he had ruined her life. "But I'm sure you'll come up with some amazing story to make them forget." She grimaced. "Unlike me…" Her voice was barely audible because she intended for him not to hear.

Duncan cringed. "Look…" He muttered. "Don't be that way." His words weren't quite what he intended.

"What way?" She grumbled, finishing the bandage off. "I'm just trying to make you feel better." She let go of his hand, not caring if it hit the ground or not.

Duncan sighed. She was so unbelievable. "That way." He pointed with his good hand. "You always get so depressed." He actually felt himself hating the thought of her depressed.

Courtney snorted. "I'm not depressed." She stood up, holding her head up to the sky superciliously. "I'm just tired of being stalked is all."

Duncan rolled his eyes. "You're so full of shit." He stood up.

"Excuse me!" She snapped. He had the worst language of any guy she'd ever met.

"You are depressed. Maybe it's not from me and school, maybe it is. But either way, it's there." He gave her a stern look. "Sometimes you look ok, but you're not. One only has to look in your eyes to see it."

"Shut up." She growled, swallowing hard. "And just get out of my yard."

Duncan tentatively stepped toward her. He could never be sure of what she really meant. Sometimes she was serious with her words, but other times she secretly wanted someone to lean on. "Not yet." He said softly.

Courtney bit her lip. "Go away." She whined, averting her eyes. She couldn't bear to look at him right now. First she caused him to sprain his wrist and now she had somehow gotten him wrapped up in her problems. She was such trouble.

Duncan took another step. He wrapped an arm carefully about her shoulder and pulled her closer. "You know I don't like seeing you this way." He barely knew what he was saying. He loved to torture her. And yet…it was true. Seeing her truly upset made him ache. But why?

Courtney whimpered softly, laying her head in the crook of his neck. What was she doing? She was letting him take advantage of her again. She needed to stop. She needed to yell at him to go away. Yet she didn't want to. Somehow the way he held her, even this loosely, was comforting.

Duncan didn't know what else to say. She had not responded and so he was left with nothing. All he could do was stand with her leaning on him in utter silence.

"Duncan…" She breathed after what seemed like forever.

Duncan was mildly surprised by the break in silence. "What?"

"Why are you doing this?" She murmured, feeling very drowsy after their long silence mixed with his warm body. "You don't care about me…" She shook her head. "So why?"

Duncan swallowed hard. It's the fun of the game. That's what he would say if it were anyone else. But this was not anyone else. This was Courtney. So instead he told the truth. "I don't know." He mumbled. He really didn't know. Heck, he didn't even understand. There was definitely something wrong with him. That was the only logical explanation.

"Me either." Her voice was becoming soft as she dozed.

Duncan sensed her tiredness and thought fleetingly that he might carry her back to her room. He was halfway through the action when a sound caught his attention. It seemed to be the screech of tires as they turned. And they sounded awfully close.

Courtney turned her head slightly toward the sound. "Hm?" It took but a moment more for her to snap out of it. Her eyes snapped open and her heart skipped a beat. "Oh no…" She breathed.

Duncan stared strangely at her. "What?"

"Get out." She said softly at first.

"Huh?"

Courtney jerked out of his hold and spun around to face him. "Go!" She cried in a hushed tone. "Now! You've just got to go!" She pleaded, the sound of a door opening reaching her.

"Why?" Duncan made a face. "What's the matter?" He was actually genuinely concerned. She had been fine a mere moment ago.

"Go!" She said again, pushing him. "You have to get out of here before she comes!"

"She?" He cocked his head, slowly letting her push him by inches.

"My mom." Her voice was horrified and strained.

Her mom? Zane had warned him about her. So even Courtney was afraid of her. Was she really so bad? He found it hard to believe. Mothers were the most nurturing people on the planet. It was the fathers who were the ones to fear. "But…"

"Go-o-o!" She choked out in a desperate whiny tone.

Duncan's heart ached seeing her reduced to this, so he headed her request. "Alright, alright." He sighed in defeat. "I'll go." He turned away to head home, stopping to look over his shoulder and add, "But don't think I won't come back." He grinned wickedly.

Courtney was too distressed to really care. Her voice only held a small hint of displeasure. "Go!" She pointed, stomping a foot.

Duncan rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Whatever, Princess." He smiled to himself. She was nearly his. All he had to overcome was her mother. And how delightful that would be. She was surely as much a ray of sunshine as her daughter.

The thought tickled him. He only wondered what the circumstances of their meeting would be.

So, how was it? What was your favorite moment? Did you have any problems with it? Constructive criticism is much appreciated. Please review! :D