A/N: The song I used for this chapter was Colm Keegan's cover of The Dance. It's beautiful, I used it for the final scene in Nate's POV and the final scene in Cassia's POV ((Obviously the dancing scenes)).

NATE'S POV

"Alright, men. I think you're wondering why I've gathered you here."

"Sure," Talon says. Brandt just nods.

"My sister is dating Platinum Krietzer."

"She is!?" Talon exclaims.

"Huh," Brandt says, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, puke noises all around, so sweet. But, the point is that this is the perfect opportunity!"

"Opportunity?" Brandt asks, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes! I'm not only the annoying little brother, I'm also the annoying little Cupcake! I am determined to make this relationship hard for them and I need you both to help me."

Talon grins, "Okay!"

Brandt keeps his eyebrow raised. "Isn't it wrong to invade your sister's personal life?" he asks.

"Hey, I told them it wouldn't be easy. I have to keep up the promise."

Brandt just blinks at me, and I feel his inner older-brother-figure scolding me internally.

"Aw, come on, you know you've always wanted to try it! Get in touch with your inner teenager, Brandt, and let's have some fun!"

He blinks and shrugs, "Fine."

I grin, "Nice!" Talon grins back and even Brandt smiles slightly.

"Operation spoil Cupcake's plans with my big sister is now underway!"

I high five both guys and we immediately get to planning our attacks.

Plan #1

He's coming over to the house to watch a movie with Cassia. I invite Talon and Brandt over the same night, and we get to messing up the kitchen for his arrival. First, we put sugar in the salt shakers, aiming for when they get popcorn. Then, I shake up the pop bottles, making sure they'd fizz all over everything.

Then, we hang out in the sitting room across the hall, watching stealthily. Soon they're out of sight after turning out the lights, but we can still hear them. They talk a while and then go silent, watching the movie. Then Brandt and I help drape Talon in dark robes and get a hockey mask from my box of stuff from my old room that I've outgrown but can't stand to part with.

After we hear Cassia and Platinum both scream, we send him in, watching from around the doorway. Talon walks in front of the TV and Cassia screams. Platinum lets out a battle cry and whips out his sword. "I'll protect you!" he cries, turning on the lights. All three of us laugh and high-five.

But, Cassia just smiles and says, "Imagine if that really was a monster. It was real selfless of you… Thinking of me."

"I've seen a lot. Demon children aren't so new to me."

The room goes into a sad silence.

Cassia turns to me and says, "That was barely funny, Nate."

"Actually, it was pretty hysterical!" I say, and Talon and Brandt both nod.

"Ah, they're just having some fun. Let them," Platinum says.

Cassia sighs, "Fine. I'll get some popcorn and drinks."

Platinum stands up, "Let me do it, actually." He smiles, "Trust me."

Then he goes off to the kitchen, winking at us as he goes. We all then conveniently walk past the kitchen, looking in. But he tries the sugar before using it and grins. "Nice one, Cupcake, but you'll have to do better than that!" Then he gets the drinks from the fridge and opens them over the sink, pouring them into glasses.

He smiles at me smugly as he walks back to Cassia on the couch. "Better luck next time," he says, winking.

Dammit.

Plan #2

They're going out tonight to chase fireflies. Today, I'm invited as well, with Talon and Brandt.

Tonight, we're going to convince him to pick some out of the grass. Ha, that'll teach him a lesson he won't soon forget.

The sky is clear and the stars shine, and you can see the flashing bugs flying around. Talon jumps around gleefully, chasing a pair that fly away from him. Brandt just watches, putting up a finger every once in a while and examining the occasional bug that lands on it. I skip around with Talon and Cassia, cupping my hands around one every once in a while.

Platinum arrives and waves hello to Cassia before I push between them to chase one that is flying particularly high.

Talon jumps up, trying to reach it, too, before realizing that he's so small it won't do much.

"I wanna catch one!" he says, jumping around impatiently.

"You'll get one!" I tell him. I skip over to Cupcake and Cassia. She's showing him the best way to get one from the air, easily cupping her hands around one as she does so. Platinum watches, looking amazed. She soon skips off, in search of another one.

"You know what's easier?" I ask him. "You just take 'em from the grass." I grin and he looks at the glowing spots on the ground.

"Why doesn't everyone just do that?" he asks, squatting down and picking one up. Well, he thinks it's one. But it's actually two, linked together in the process of making babies. I grin and fist-bump Brandt as Platinum squeals and throws them back down, jumping backwards.

"Oh yeah, and don't pick them up from the grass," Cassia says, "You dork."

Platinum looks over at me, raising an eyebrow. "You're mature, aren't you McIalwain?"

"Hey, I can be a kid every once in a while if I want to be! After all, I'm only 14!" I say gleefully.

"Well I bet I can catch one before you: in the air this time!"

I grin, "You're on!" And the race begins. I've done this before, so I'm more experienced. But he's more determined, I'm sure.

I jump up and catch one first, though, and cup my hands triumphantly.

"See?" I ask. "It's that easy."

He grunts, running off to chase some more.

Talon keeps trying, jumping and attempting to catch one but failing each time.

"Tal, come here," Brandt says, and the orphan obeys.

"Cup your hands," Brandt commands, and Talon does so. The older boy coaxes a firefly to crawl across his hands, into Talon's palm. I see a hint at a smile go across his face at the orphan's amazement. Talon's never been out chasing fireflies before, either.

"Wow!" Talon says, as the firefly gets bored and flies away. I smile at that to myself, as I hear Platinum triumphantly jumping around and watching his hands.

Then I get an idea. I grab a handful of the mud and nod for the others to do the same. Then, we all stalk closer to Cupcake and fire away! My mud clump hits him square in the back, Talon's on the back of his knees, and Brandt's square in the ass. I wonder where that aim came from.

Platinum whirls around. "Are you kidding me!?"

Cassia giggles, but he just laughs it off. She gushes with girly affection that makes me want to puke and helps brush off his back, legs, and his ass.

Dammit.

Plan #3

They're having a picnic today out in the soccer field. He's coming to the house to pick her up, so we get some dry dirt and mud from outside and put it with some water in a bucket. This was all Brandt's idea, so he's the one that perches it up on the doorway. The moment he opens the door, he'll get soaked in muddy water. I have to admit that this is genius.

We hide in the bushes, watching. He knocks on the door and Cassia opens it, giving him a bucket of gross right on his head. He stands there afterward, blinking and not reacting like I hoped he would. Cassia grins and says, "Well, it appears that you're a dirty boy." She sighs, blowing her bangs away from her face. "Come on in, and you can take a shower. No worries, I'll help you get nice and clean." She winks and my stomach flops as she shows him inside.

"No! What do we do?!"

"They've got us," Talon sighs.

"They do not! I am determined that we will not give up!"

"That's the spirit!"

"She's not serious, is she Brandt!? I mean, she won't, like get in the shower with him, will she?"

He shrugs. "I'm a virgin. I've heard about people doing it in the shower before, but you never know."

I stare at the doorway. "If he knows what's good for him he won't touch my sister."

The other two just shrug. It's not long before they come out again, his hair still damp. But his clothes are clean, and Cassia is dry, so I breathe a sigh of relief. We follow them out to the park, muddy water balloons in hand. We hide a good distance away and let them enjoy the first part of their picnic.

Then, I take aim, and fire!

Platinum, as if expecting it, uses the plate he was eating off of as a shield. "Good try, Cupcake," he says calmly.

Talon and Brandt throw theirs at the same time, and he dodges them skillfully. Cassia watches, impressed.

We have to hit him! We rapidly fire the balloons at him until we run out, and to my despair, he's still clean. Cassia jumps up and high-fives him, fist-pumping and freaking out about how awesome that was. She kisses him and I have to turn away because the sight of them making out makes me slightly nauseous.

Dammit!

Plan #4

He's coming over today for dinner with both of us, and then they're going to watch a scary movie together. He's going to spend the night, and I'm going to make sure it's on the couch instead of in the same bed as my sister.

So, plan one is to make sure the power conveniently goes out before they can start the movie, and then to stay awake with them, and finally making him sleep where he belongs.

I know him better than she does, and I know that though he is lovable, he can also be a humongous ham. In the most loving way, of course.

He knocks and I quickly answer the door. He's dressed up casual enough yet also just nice enough, in a collared shirt and nice pants with converse on his feet.

"Hey Cupcake," he says, patting my head, "What's up?"

"You look nice," I sigh.

He laughs and says, "I hope your sister feels the same way."

She appears behind me and smiles, waving and batting her eyelashes. I make a puke noise and escape from in between them. He gives her flowers and she gushes with disgusting affection.

Then she goes off to prepare a vase and he grins at me. "You seem oddly calm, Cupcake. Not very… mischievous. Keep in mind that I'm going to be searching for your pranks and tricks."

"I'm calm today, Cupcake. You won't see it coming, anyways."

"Come on for dinner, boys!" she calls from the kitchen, and I run there, him following a lot more calmly. The small table is set for three, and it's casual but just nice enough. Platinum pushes her chair in for her and sits across from her. I sit at the head of the table.

I'm pretty sure they're holding hands under the table because I only see one of his hands above the table at a time. They're casual with me, however, and we all chat like friends, which I appreciate a lot more than I let on to. I really don't want them to shut me out.

"So, how goes being a Victor?"

"It sucks, as always," Platinum sighs, and I nod in agreement. My Victory Tour is coming up quickly, in two months, in fact. I don't want to do it and nothing but dread fills my entire insides when I think about it. Platinum's promised it won't be as bad for me as it was for him, but I barely believe him.

Soon, we finish with dinner and he offers to help us clean up before they watch their movie. In all honesty, I didn't think he could be such a… Gentleman. And the fact that he is makes me both jealous and admiring of him even more. I mean, I saw him acting the part, but I didn't think he could be a genuine gentleman.

He helps me wash the dishes and soon the three of us get a system together: Cupcake washes, I dry, and Cassia puts away. She has a very specific way she likes the kitchen to be set up, just like our old kitchen at the old house. It was pretty easy to get used to when it was set up like that, though.

By now, it's about 8:30. The weather is being helpful: super windy, which will give us an excuse as to why the power might black out. I head up to bed and then wait a while before sneaking out my window to meet up with Brandt and Talon. I take them to our fuse-box and Brandt takes it from there: he knows exactly what to do, and soon the whole house blacks out. We exchange grins and then they help me back up to my room.

I sneak out to the living room, which is now only lit by the fire place and a candle on the side-table.

When I look for them, I see two figures spinning around the room together, hearing Platinum singing a song quietly. In the firelight, I see Platinum's genuine smile, and soft light in his eyes. I recognize his voice, too. It's the quiet, airy voice he always uses when I have nightmares and ask him to sing.

Cassia lays her head on his chest and smiles up at him affectionately. She hasn't smiled this big in… Oh, I dunno… Three years? Three and a half?

She sways with him, staying close. By her expression, I can tell that she's listening to his heartbeat. I should know, I've done it before, on those nights when I stayed wide awake thinking about my Games.

I can't make myself ruin the moment. They're so calm. Serene. They're dependent on each other. I close my eyes, holding a blanket up to my face and listening to him sing. I know my sister's in good hands. He'll take care of her. They deserve each other.

But still… Even though they're trying to not leave me out, I'm sure there will come a day when they'll have no other choice.

They sway together for a while before she whispers, "He's been having nightmares like crazy lately. I never know what to say to him." She closes her eyes and listens to his heart and his gentle whisper.

"Don't. With him, it's better not to."

I don't know why the tributes have been haunting my dreams lately. But they have been, badly. I think it started when I had Talon to sleep over.

They sway together in the firelight for a while, him humming quietly.

"I'm glad he has you," she says quietly. He grunts quietly in response, and there's a pause.

I notice his gentle eyes wander to me and then he whispers, "I think we have a spectator."

She frowns and looks over to the doorway where I'm sitting.

"Oh, Nate," she whispers. He looks concerned.

"No, it's okay. I was scared of nightmares, so I decided to watch a little bit, you know, to make sure this was going to work." I look up at Platinum. "You're good for her. I'm glad she's got you. Take care of her."

"Are you going to be okay?" he asks, kneeling to my height even though I'm not too much shorter than him.

"I'll be fine," I lie in a small whisper. Then I shrug. "I'll sleep a lot better now that I'm sure you're good together."

"Night Cupcake," Platinum offers.

"Night," I say to both of them.

"Sleep tight, Nate," Cassia says, kissing the top of my head. I go back to bed, looking back at them one last time. I decide to brave it and sleep. I decide that Cupcake can sleep wherever Cassia'll let him.

Cutter, Priscilla, and Elijah haunt my nightmares that night, and I wake up with a start. It's about midnight and now tears stream down my face. I get up, noticing that Brandt and Talon fixed the power for me. I walk to the room Cassia usually sleeps in, and I see him sleeping next to her.

Part of me doesn't want to bother them, but the other part knows that I need someone to protect me from nightmares, so I crawl into bed, in between the two of them. Yes, I know it's immature and childish, but it's so late I don't care. I wipe my cheeks.

I take in the scent of both of them, the people I trust more than anything out there. Suddenly I feel strong arms pull me closer and stroke my hair.

"Go back to sleep, Cupcake," he whispers. "I promise you'll be okay."

I close my eyes thankfully, allowing myself to be calmed by his presence, and eventually fall back asleep.

CASSIA'S POV

I sit across from Platinum in his homely little TV room, as we finish watching another scary movie. AS the screen turns black, I grin at him. "That was a good one!"

All I see are his blue-gray eyes; the rest of his face is covered with a blanket.

I have to smirk just a little. "You good? Not going to have nightmares, are you?"

He whips the blanket from his face, "Of course not!"

I grin and he gradually turns bright red.

"Oh, relax. After all, you've got a sword, don't you?"

He shrugs, "Guess so. But still…"

"Don't worry. I think I can help get your mind off it."

"Oh, you do?" He raises an eyebrow, obviously back in his comfort zone.

"We'll see." I shift positions and sit on his lap, giving him abrief kiss.

He smiles at me. "Yes, we will see, mi amiga caliente…" he mumbles, before I kiss him again.

I have to wonder in that moment what Nate would say if he had any idea what was going on. Well, I'm sure he does, and I doubt he's very happy about it, but he said he's alright with my dating his best friend. I hope he meant it, because I'm in far too deep now.

It doesn't take long for all thoughts to escape my head, though, and soon I become absorbed in Platinum, something that's easy for me to do because he's so much like me and God, he just smells so good 'nd all…

After a while of the same old making out, until I feel something new.

I pull back from the kiss and instead start sucking on his neck. "Your hand's done some wandering," I comment between kisses on his neck.

A quiet sigh escapes his lips and he moves his left hand up to join his right. "So it has. But you haven't punched me in the face yet so I assume that… Well… Te gusta."

I keep kissing his neck. I really like it when he breaks off into Spanish.

"How long's it been since you've touched tits?" I ask him, sucking on his pulse point.

He sighs again and whispers back, "A while. At least a year."

"Oh, really?"

"Si, señorita."

"Think you're still keen on it?" I ask quietly, nipping at his collarbone. He tilts his head up and I kiss under his chin.

"Guess there's only one way to find out," he says.

I break off from his neck, still a little dazed that this is actually happening. That this is going to happen.

"I-I guess, if you're up for it," he adds quickly.

I smile and take his earlobe in my teeth. "I'm up for it,' I whisper into his ear. "Just as long as you don't tell your Cupcake."

He provides a breathy laugh, "No worries there. These lips are sealed."

"Then it looks like I'm staying the night." I grin and he grins back, sliding his hands up my shirt skillfully and kissing me again.

Problems don't arise until a month or so later. I never realized how big of an impact us being together really did have on Nate. I mean, I know it's given him a lot of independence, and that it's a lot to get used to, but I'm not sure if he's ready for it yet.

Also, I know that he's trying to let the two of us be happy by not being completely honest about his happiness. And that has to end right now.

We made a deal, when we first started dating. Nate comes first, no matter what. As his older sister, it's my job to keep him safe and protected. As his best friend and big-brotherly figure, it's Platinum's job to make sure he's happy and comfortable.

I know Nate's trying to be independent so he doesn't have to rely on either of us as much, but I think the stress is just becoming too much for him. He's been quiet lately, and he's spent a lot of time by himself. That can't be healthy for him.

Besides, in all honesty, I'm not sure how real our relationship was to begin with. We were both lonely, that's for sure. He had no friends except for Nate, and I haven't had a boyfriend or a girlfriend in years and years. Yes, we were both lonely and friendless: things were never the same after Val married Trevor: when we met. And we're alike, too, in personality and preference.

Neither of us had anything to make us happy except for Nate, and I think that's what gave either of us the idea for a relationship to begin. I like him a lot, really, but I don't think we were really ever meant to date.

I invite him over to talk about it, and he seems bothered from the moment I tell him "Hello."

When I confess my feelings to him, he sits and listens, clearly upset. When I finish, he sighs sadly. "I've been thinking the same things, in all honesty. But… I still want to be your friend. And I still want to hang out with you sometimes, with or without Nate. But you're right, a relationship just wouldn't be healthy for any of us. I was looking for happiness, and you made me happy. Really happy, actually. You understood me, the part of me that not even Nate ever understood. And I let it get to me.

I try not to cry. I can't cry in front of him. And I can't cry when we tell Nate: I don't want him to think it was all his fault. He looks over and sees my sad expression. His eyes are gentle, like they were in the candlelight, but today they're sad, like mine.

"So… We're really ending it?" he asks.

"It's better this way," I promise. He nods, "You're right." There's a pause and I wipe my eyes on my sleeve. He gets up and holds a hand out to me. "But first… Can I have one last dance?" I nod, taking his strong hand and burying my face in his chest. Even if we were never really in love, I have to say that it still hurts.

He sways me gently, singing a quiet song under his breath. I let his voice soothe me, and his steady breathing restore my short, gasping breaths to normal. I let his heartbeat calm me down and then sway with him, in a calm but sad silence.

~ "Holding you… I held everything.

For a moment… Wasn't I the king?

If I'd only known… How the king would fall…

Hey, who's to say… I might've changed it all…" ~

I breathe with him, quietly and calmly. It helps a lot, really.

~ "It's Our lives… And it's better left to chance…

Could've missed the pain…

But I'd have had to miss the dance…" ~

He lets me go and gives me a small, sad smile.

"I'll tell Nate tonight. He'll call you later."

Platinum nods. "Alright." He walks to the door and I go with him.

"Good night," I say, smiling at him in a friendly way. He smiles back, also friendly.

"Night."

I'm about to close the door but he catches it in his hand. "Hey, Cassia?"

"Huh?" I raise an eyebrow.

He looks at me with gentle eyes. "Just thought you should know… You're a really great big sister."

He closes the door gently and leaves before I can thank him.

I just stand in the window and watch him go.