Sorry this took so long! I became ill with the winter vomiting bug so I've been in bed for a few days. Taz and Up belong to Starkid. I do not own them, no matter how much I wish/dream I did... Sigh. But I do own everyone else, except Space-Claw... Who also belongs to starkid... *cries*

There was a two week period between the results day and graduation. Taz sat on the calculus rock and flicked through a book Up had bought her as a graduation present, a book of Spanish Fairytales. She sat immersed for about an hour; Up was at a meeting with all the other Lietenants and Commanders. Saki was skyping her family and Freya and George had disappeared ages ago, Taz noted with a smirk. Kit was on her computer in her and Rick's room, with Kian gurgling whilst playing with some toys on the floor. Kit had closed the top of her Laptop and told Taz she was working on top secret stuff for the Graduation. Taz shook her head and sighed. She heard the shouts of laughter from one of the other lakes; the one she was sat by was one of twelve. She recognized Aliciana's voice.

"Squirtle!" she shouted. The group of ten jogged over to where Taz was sat.

"Did you pass?" one of the guys asked.

"Yeah." Taz smirked. She knew for a fact three of them hadn't passed. Aliciana smiled.

"I can't wait to be a science officer!" she grinned. Her blonde hair was back in a bun. "Not trying to be mean, Tazzy, but how can you be an ensign now if your so titchy?!" she grinned.

"Hey what's that?" Someone pointed at the book. One of the guys, Eddie, grabbed it.

"I can't read it!" he complained.

"No duh! It's in Spanish!" Taz yelled.

They all threw the book between them and walked back to the academy, Taz trailing behind them. Up walked out from the academy.

"What are y'all doing?" he called. He saw the book in the air. The group paused. Up then ran towards them. The ten kids ran off in different directions. Up picked up the book. He placed it on the grass before he grabbed Taz. He slung her over his shoulder and ran.

"UP WHAT ARE JOU DOIN?" Taz yelled. Up grinned. Aliciana, Eddie and some other kids were running towards a dumpster. Four of them were hiding in a tree. Taz smirked when she heard them shrieking as the six of them plunged into the ocean of rubbish. Up dropped her then.

"UP! ¿ Jou loco?" Taz growled. Up wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Well, yeah. Why you so upset?" he asked her.

"They can report jou. Bye bye rangers!" she yelled. Up shook his head.

" Well as the academy has a really strict bullying regime, and they were bullying you. Besides, I'm a mentor now to a rookie ensign now." he grinned. Taz shrugged.

"I hope I don't get some stupid ass commander to work under next year." she sighed. For one year, all 'Rookie Ensigns', as in just graduated, had to Shadow someone for a year. Up had received a file that morning telling him who his personal stalker would be. Taz wouldn't find out until her mentor told her. She was praying she didn't get O'lark. Or Trent. Or one of the nobody ensigns.

"Can you deal with a stupid ass Lietenant?" Up grinned. Taz looked at Up.

"Jou got me?" she asked. Up nodded. "YES!" she yelled and threw her head back.

"But -Claw wants you up to scratch." he grinned at the not-quite-seventeen-year-old. Taz shrugged. "Oh... And... Well..."

"What?" she asked.

"There's one other thing."

"What?"

"You need to wear a dress for graduation..."

"Oh."

"You can go to the small store in the upper levels, it just needs to be able to fit under your cap and gown and so you can wear it for the prom afterwards."

"I have one."

"Where?"

"Earth."

Taz stood outside a large house in San Fransisco. Up stood behind her as she stared at her childhood home. The windows were intact and the door was locked and it seemed normal, except the garden was overgrown. Taz silently unlatched the gate and stepped down the path. She unlocked the garage and looked inside. The old Martin was missing from the garage. Andre's motorbike was stripped of it wheels and the door into the annex was open. Taz walked through with Up behind her.

"I'll leave you alone." Up sighed as he walked past a dead robot on the floor. Taz walked up the staircase and looked at the doors. They were all wide open. Twelve dead robots lay in the corridor, different mechanical pieces laying around the floor. As she slipped through the door into her room, she saw the dress rack from that morning against the wall. The green dress was still their. She folded it slowly and placed it in a box from under her bed, which she then placed ten books ontop. Then she looked at her room. It was painted a light orange like it had always been. Her furniture was all smashed though. The yellow dress had a tear down the side. A robot lay beside her bed. She kicked it and left the room. Up was sat on the torn sofa. He looked up.

"Alright?" he asked her. Taz noticed how southern he sounded. She nodded. "Alright. Let's go." Taz noticed he had something in his hand.

"What is dat?" she asked.

"Map." Up replied hastily. They left the house as they had entered, and as they left Taz noticed that the picture hanging of Baby Taliciana Eliza Lopez by the pictures of Baby Andre Vincent Lopez and Baby Anton Pepe Lopez was just an empty frame.

The graduation went by rather slowly, all of the 214 graduates walking to Dr. Galaxy to receive their certificates. As Taz received hers, she heard extra loud cheers from Up, Rick and Kit. Her dress trailed on the floor slightly but as she walked it wouldn't look nicer on anybody else. Then at the end all the graduates threw their caps into the crowd. Taz noticed Up had caught hers.

"Save me a dance" was the next thing Up said to Taz, before she was dragged into where everyone was dancing. Saki was dancing and dragging her at the same time, cream lace of her dress swinging. Freya was in a light pink number, dancing with George. Jasper was making out with some brunette. Saki and Taz began to dance to the upbeat music, which Saki explained to be Dubstep.

"Who did you get as a mentor?"

"Up. You?"

"Kit!" Saki laughed. They continued to dance until the DJ announced that the last song was coming two hours later. Saki was dragged away by a boy called Olly while Taz looked around.

"Hey Taz."

Up.

"Hey"

"Care to dance?" he held out his hand and Taz took it. They began to dance to a song called "a thousand years" by someone called Christina Perri. It was very old but Taz liked how it talked about being brave for the one you love. She looked at Up. Did she have feelings for him? She had spent the whole night dancing with Saki and not him, he probably didn't have any feelings for her at all. Pity.

"We go on a ship tomorrow under O'lark." he broke the news as the final chorus.

"Great." Taz sighed. They finished the dance with a twirl and then left the hall.

"Taz?"

"Yeah?" she replied as they approached her door.

"Get some shut eye." He ordered her before lightly brushing his lips against her forehead and leaving her.