iStare

- One-shot -

I clenched my teeth in the effort to hold my eyes wide open. My staring-contest opponent was evidently strong and had great experience in the game, because I - champion out of all my numerous cousins - was having a hard time keeping up.

She dimpled at my efforts, and continued to stare with an almost bored expression on her face.

"You're not going to beat me!" I assured her.

She grinned in response, not bothering with words.

My right eye started twitching, and I felt the first thread of panic when I realized what that meant - my eyes were going to close! I renewed my efforts, only to see the face in front of me disappear.

I forced my eyes back open, disappointed in myself, and saw that my opponent was giggling outright at my miserable failure. "I don't think I like you," I told her grimly. "We'll meet again - I'll make sure of it."

She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by my body being yanked away abruptly.

"What on earth?" I yelped, turning to see my attacker.

He. Was. Hot.

"You're hot," I informed him before my brain caught up to my mouth. (Both body parts ran on different clocks, so this was not a rare thing.) "But what on earth?"

"Thanks," he responded with the air of somebody used to hearing the words. "Is there any logical reason you were glaring at her?" He pointed over his shoulder at my opponent, who was watching the exchange with wide, interested eyes. Again with her eyes - jeez!

I stuck my tongue out at her before responding. "We were having a staring contest. Is that illegal?"

He eyebrows came together with confusion. "A staring contest?"

"Yep."

"In the middle of a grocery store?"

"Yep."

"With an 8-month-old?"

I gaped at him. "She said she was two! I swear!" I shot her a dirty look.

He scratched his head awkwardly. "Um...she probably said 'chew'. That's pretty much all she can say right now."

"Wait...how do you know all this?" I demanded, looking at him suspicious.

"I'm her uncle."

I gaped again before launching into a lecture. "What kind of uncle are you, leaving an 8-month-old child alone in a cart, in the middle of a grocery store? IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ICE CREAM AISLE!?!" Yeah, I had wandered into the store for ice cream.

He looked around the aisle as if confirming the freezers really did contain ice cream, and then turned back to me. His face showed traces of irritation. "I just walked into the store - she wasn't with me. My sister - her mom - should be around. Hell, she should be right here with her child!"

And right on cue, I got bumped from behind, sending me crashing into the nearest freezer. "Ow!"

"Oh my God, Skyler - you wouldn't guess who I just saw!" she squealed at the guy. "I saw Justin!"

Skyler - I assumed that was his name, because the girl was tugging on his arm as she spoke - shot her a vicious glare. "Oh, you saw Justin, did you?" he snarled. "So you abandon your child in the middle of the grocery store to go try and ensnare him?"

I blinked at the drama enfolding before me, and then did a double-take. This girl, who look to be younger than my 18 years of age, was the mother of the 8-month-old...whose bottom lip was twitching dangerously.

With an internal curse, I pulled the baby out of the cart and rocked her before she started crying.

The two were still arguing about the guy named Justin, so I carried the baby closer to the freezer and started talking to her. We had just come to the agreement that I would purchase the chocolate chip flavoured ice cream when Skyler laid a gentle arm on my shoulder.

"Hey, thanks," he said, taking the baby out of my hands.

I watched as he pulled out a handkerchief and calmly wiped away the drool the baby was depositing on his shirt. "No problem," I returned. "But try not to fight in front of her - it's not exactly the best setting for a child."

"I know. I'm sorry for it, but Chastity just drives me insane sometimes." He kissed the baby's head and then smiled at me. "I'm Skyler, and this here is Emily."

His hands were busy with the baby, so I gave a random wave. "I'm Delta. Yes, as in the Greek letter."

"Cool name," Skyler said. "Um..."

"Um," I agreed, acknowledging the awkwardness of our situation. "I'll just...get my ice cream?"

He grinned. "And I'll pay for it, please. Think of it as a babysitting fee."

I shrugged. "I'm pretty much up for free anything," I admitted, pulling out the carton Emily had cutely pointed out earlier. "Are you getting anything?"

Skyler shook his head. "I'll come back later - Emily's my first priority right now."

Appreciating his devotion to the child, I looked around for his sister as we headed for the checkout counter.

"I told Chastity to get what she came for and go home," he said, noting my not-so-subtle searching. "She's not a bad person, just too young and immature to have a baby. She's also extremely nervous about attending school again, after staying at home and being home-schooled to have Emily."

I didn't want to pry, but curiousity got the best of me. "How old is she? Chastity, I mean."

"She just turned 17," he said with a sigh. "Yeah, very stupid to get knocked up before that age."

"And this...Justin? He's the father?" I asked while the lady at the counter scanned my ice cream.

"Yeah." He pulled out a bill and passed it to her. "One bag please."

After receiving the change and handing me the purchase, we headed for the door.

"Hey, so why were you having a staring contest with Emily anyway?" he asked me as I held the door open for him to pass through.

"She was crying - I was trying to get her to stop." I frowned. "I hope she doesn't have nightmares tonight about big, wide eyes watching her."

He laughed, and the sound was deep and rich. As if enjoying his mirth, Emily joined in with her own squeaky laugh.

In love with the baby despite her having beat me at our staring contest, I leaned in and pressed my cheek to hers. "You're beautiful," I whispered before pulling away with a smile.

"You smell like vanilla," Skyler commented, and I blushed when I realized I had practically pressed myself against him to reach the baby.

"Ah...thanks. I need to...get going." My tone made it evident that I was flustered by his words.

Skyler smiled. "Maybe I'll see you around."

"Maybe. Bye." I turned goo-goo eyes on Emily. "Bye-bye sweetie-pie!"

When Skyler burst into laughter at my sappiness, I turned and swiftly walked away. "Bye Delta!" I heard him call out, right before I turned the corner.

The first day of school was always hectic, but it was more so than usual because I was now a senior, and expected to be a good role model to the lower classes. So it was no wonder that I was called to the office five times before lunch just to help the secretary deal with all the confused and lost freshmen.

"What a day," I sighed at lunch as I dropped onto a chair beside Adam, one of my best friends.

"It's not even over yet," he said, not helping my tiredness as all. "Good afternoon Waverly."

It was our little joke that our last names were kind of similar. "Good afternoon to you too, Beverly." Sure it was stupid, but we'd been doing it since we had met in grade 3.

"Did you see they replaced the lunch-guy?" Julie, another friend of mine, exclaimed as she sat down opposite us. "It's some lady now."

"At least we don't have to worry about slipping up and calling him 'lunch-lady'," Brian commented, sliding in beside her. "And the food doesn't look like the sludge that guy used to serve us."

I reached over and stole a fry from his tray. "Yeah, it's pretty good," I agreed, munching down before pulling out my homemade lunch.

The next half hour passed with us exchanging and laughing over everyone's summer vacation stories. More people joined us throughout, and the table was full when somebody tapped me from behind.

I turned my head and saw Chastity behind me. "Oh...hey."

She smiled at me, and the innocence of her expression made me wonder how she, of all people, had a child. "You're the girl from the grocery store, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm Delta. You're Chastity, right?"

Chastity nodded, smiling wider. "Yeah. I'm glad you recognized me - it would have been really awkward if you hadn't. I don't know anybody at this school."

Brad, who was sitting beside Julie, stood up to leave. "Hey, why don't you sit down?" I offered Chastity, pointing at the vacated seat.

She shot me a grateful smile and walked around to sit, and I introduced her to everybody at the table.

"How's Emily?" I asked eagerly after everybody went back to their own discussions.

Chastity's eyes brightened at the name, and I found myself feeling thankful that she loved the child despite her actions at the grocery store the week before. "Emily's great!" she gushed. "She's trying so hard to communicate with us...I think she's going to say her first word soon!"

I frowned. "She said 'chew' to me last week when we met."

"Oh, that's not a word - that's a sound she randomly makes. She hasn't spoken any proper words yet."

Julie, who had become bored when Brian began discussing rugby with the other guys, joined our conversation. "Oh, is Emily your sister?" she asked.

I didn't know what to say, and I shot Chastity an apologetic look for bringing up Emily at the table.

Chastity gestured that it was okay. "No, she's my baby," she told Julie. "She's 8-months-old."

Julie looked at me with wide eyes. "Emily's beautiful," I said, not knowing what else to say. "I want her for myself."

"That's nice," Julie told Chastity, shooting me a look that told me we were going to have a talk later about it.

Before we could continue, the bell sounded.

"Time for Advanced Calculus!" I groaned, getting up with the others. "Did you see the textbook for that course? It's about two inches thick!"

Adam, Chastity, and I headed in the same direction, while the others walked to the staircase.

"What do you have now?" I asked her.

She looked at me and flushed. "Parenting," she said. "It was the only thing that fit into my schedule."

I grinned at her. "That's cute - I'm sure you'll ace it!"

"It's going to be amusing when they give me the mechanical baby to take home - I'll be up all night taking care of both the fake and real one."

Adam listened to the conversation with interest, but he was not one to pry. "This is your classroom, isn't it?" he asked instead, coming to a stop before a door.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Chastity asked in surprise after checking her schedule.

"I took Parenting last year. I had no sleep for that entire weekend when I took the baby home." He yawned, as if reliving those days.

She laughed. "Okay guys...I'll see you around?"

"Definitely. Bye!" The second bell rang at that moment, and Adam and I sprinted towards our classroom to avoid being late.

After school I walked out yawning. My friends had left through the other doors to meet up at some diner, but I was too tired to bother.

I trudged through the parking lot, barely paying attention to anybody else, and was almost on the sidewalk when I heard my name being shouted.

"Yeah?" I muttered, although it was too quiet for whoever it was to hear. When I turned, I saw Chastity leaning against a shiny blue car and waving.

With another yawn, I walked over to her and waved, not bothering to say 'hi'.

"You look tired," Chastity commented.

I closed my eyes. "I feel like I'm the one with a baby at home. Sucks. I shouldn't have scheduled English for last period - Grainger's the worst English teacher ever!"

"I've heard a lot of bad things about him," Chastity agreed. "Apparently he used to teach at my old school, and people actually threw a party when he announced he was transferring."

I snorted and opened my eyes. "Let's hope he transfers from here too. I swear, only he can interpret Pride and Prejudice and connect it to the Ku Klux Klan."

"He did that?" Chastity exclaimed in horror.

Instead of responding, I studied the shadow falling on the car. My shadow could not be that long, and I knew there was no tree in the middle of the parking lot, so...

"Why don't you just stab me through the eyes?" I demanded after turning around and jolting at Skyler's proximity.

He grinned and squeezed my shoulder. "But then I wouldn't be able to have a staring contest with you to show off my skills. I was Emily's teacher, after all!"

"I'm going to train extra hard for it," I promised. "What are you doing here?"

Skyler shot Chastity a look of exasperation. "Well I was supposed to pick her up, but she decided to sign up for some art club or something, so my trip was a waste."

"They're already recruiting into clubs?" I asked Chastity with interest. "I need to sign up for chess."

"Do you play?" Skyler asked, looking impressed.

I shrugged. "Kind of...but I need to learn some tricks. Ned, my 7-year-old cousin, beat me two days ago."

"Sounds like a trend with you, getting beaten by kids." He slid an arm around my waist in a show of support when I scowled. "I can teach you if you want - I'm pretty good."

"He is," Chastity confirmed when I shot her a questioning look. "The chess club at our old school used to beg him to join, but he wouldn't - couldn't - because he was busy with his other teams." Somebody shouted Chastity's name from the school entrance. "Shit, I have to go to the club meeting," she said, picking up her schoolbag from between her feet. "Can you come pick me up later? In about an hour?"

Skyler sighed before nodding. "Fine, but you'd better be out here on time."

She waved at me and sped back towards the school.

I yawned again. "Good night," I muttered, brushing past Skyler, only to have him pull me back. "Need...sleep."

"What about coffee instead?" he asked.

"Caffeine." I'm sure my eyes glimmered with desire at the thought. "Coffee!"

Skyler grinned and tugged at my hair. "You're clearly incapable of more than basic words at the moment." He pulled open the passenger side door of his car, and helped me get in.

When he got in on his side of the car, he looked over and grinned. "You look like you're going to start drooling," he said. "It's adorable."

That snapped me back into reality, and I sat up straight and blinked to clear my eyes. "I'll try not to," I promised, looking around the leather interior with a critical eye. "Nice car."

"Thanks. It was a present from the parental units for getting valedictorian."

"Which was when?" I asked, trying to figure out his age.

He saw through my question. "I'm a year older than you, I think. You're 18, right?"

"Yep. I'm finally not jail-bait!" I informed him cheerfully.

Skyler snorted. "Why is that a good thing? Do you want old guys to hit on you?"

"I have a thing for older guys," I responded honestly. "Note I said old-er, not old. Guys my age are inconsiderate dimwits." I reconsidered my statement. "Well, except Adam, but that's because I've trained him to be a gentleman since grade 3."

"Your friend?"

I nodded. "The Bestie."

"I'm going to have to meet him then - sounds like a decent guy."

"Sure. Where is this coffee place that you're taking ages to get to it?" I demanded.

Skyler rolled his eyes. "We've passed it twice already - I'm just trying to find parking."

"Oh," I said petulantly, the craving for caffeine driving me insane.

He found parking soon after, and led me inside the store with a hand pressed lightly against my back. "This is my friend's store," he said, looking around. "I don't know if he'll be around, but the drinks are always amazing - especially considering they're cheap enough for the university crowd."

I followed his gaze and noticed that everybody in the place seemed to be young adults. Some even had textbooks open beside their food and drinks.

"Hey Skyler."

Skyler's arm propelled me to turn with him. The guy who had spoken was very handsome, with dark blond hair and blue eyes. However, there was something distant about him, as if he was closed off from the rest of the world.

"Hey Ky - I didn't think you'd be in today."

"Colin forgot it was his girlfriend's birthday until she stormed in here two hours ago...he rushed out to reconcile things, so I'm stuck with his shift." A brief smile flitted across his face. "Who's the pretty lady?"

Skyler pushed me forward again, and his arm slid down to rest loosely at my hip. "This is Delta. Delta, this is Kyrian."

"Hi," I muttered, a little intimidated by the guy.

He smiled - a real smile this time - as if sensing my discomfort. "Hey. Do you want something to drink?"

I nodded, returning the smile hopefully. "Yes, please."

"What do you want?" he asked, pointing upward at the menu board.

"Caffeine," I announced.

Skyler and Kyrian laughed at my confident declaration, and the latter turned to make me some mystery drink.

I read the menu while we waited, trying to ignore the fact that Skyler's arm was still around me. I wasn't going to deny that I was attracted to the guy after seeing how great he was with Emily. Well, and it also didn't hurt that he was hot.

"Here you go," Kyrian said, sliding a large cup across the counter. "And here's your regular," he added, handing another cup to Skyler. "Let me know how it tastes," he said to me. "I just mixed it up for you."

"I'm the guinea pig?" I asked. "Should I write my will before I start drinking?"

Skyler laughed. "I won't let you die so easily, Delta. Don't you worry." He pulled out a wallet from his back pocket. "How much do I owe you, Ky?"

He waved it off. "Delta's letting me experiment on her - that's a free drink right there. Enjoy it," he said as the door opened and a group of students walked in. "Nice meeting you."

"Come on," Skyler said, putting his wallet back. "Let's grab that table in the corner before these people do."

When we were seated, I took an experimental sip of the drink. "This is good," I admitted, taking another sip despite my tongue protesting the heat.

"You looked a little scared over there," Skyler commented. "Ky's a good guy, but kind of closed - you don't have to worry about coming around here."

I nodded. "I know...it was just weird at first because he wasn't even smiling properly. He seemed like a really nice guy at the end though."

"You're just saying that because you - once again - got free stuff!"

I sighed dramatically. "You read me so well!" I exclaimed with passion. "This must be destined - let us get married and have multiple Emily's, with maybe an Emilan just to balance things out!"

Skyler chuckled. "Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you? We're barely through our second date, and you're already planning our future."

"Is that rejection I hear? Woe is me!" I cried, dropping my head onto the table with a 'thud'. And then I lifted it cautiously. "Did you just say 'second date'?"

He blew into his cup. "Uh-huh."

"Since when is this a date? Never mind a second one?"

"I asked you to have coffee, you agreed. It's a date." Skyler grinned at me victoriously. "And our first date was at the grocery store, because I bought you ice cream."

I snorted and shifted in my chair. "I can understand this being a date, kind of, but you bought me a carton of ice cream at the grocery store - how is that a date?"

"We spent time together, I paid for your food, we had a meaningful discussion, we discussed the possibility of seeing each other again...oh, and you pressed yourself against me."

"I was trying to kiss the baby," I protested. "And if your checklist makes any sense, that means I've been on multiple dates with other guys without even realizing it!"

Skyler paused and considered that. "Hm...well, did they comment on how you smelled?"

"...no."

"Then there you have it - those weren't dates."

"..."

He frowned. "Do you not want this to be a date?"

"No!" I immediately cried out. "No," I repeated softly, turning red. "I do want that."

"Then why are we arguing?" Skyler wondered, nudging my leg with his.

I shrugged and grinned. "It'll just be weird telling people that our first date was at the grocery store."

He reached over and grabbed my fingers. "Just tell them I caught you having a staring contest with my infant niece, and anybody who knows you would be very understanding because they would know how adorable you are when you're being weird."

"You think you're so cute-"

"-I believe you said I was 'hot'," he corrected impishly.

I stepped down on his foot and smiled sweetly when he grimaced. "Staring contest!" I announced, resting my face in my hands.

Skyler slid his foot out from under mine and took a similar position.

We were still at it a few minutes later, and Kyrian stopped by the table. "What are you guys doing?" he asked, sounding very puzzled.

"Go away, Kyrian," I demanded, not moving my eyes from Skyler's.

He dragged a chair over instead. "You guys looks like you're lost in each others eyes."

"We are. Shush," Skyler ordered. I think I saw a smile curve his lips up, but I didn't want to risk checking.

Kyrian snorted and was silent for a few moments. "You know," he said at last, "it actually looks now like you're having a staring contest, but that doesn't make sense..." He laughed, and then: "Oh God, you are, aren't you?"

We grunted our confirmation.

"Wow, you're so focused...I'll just take this opportunity to check you out."

And, immediately, I won the contest, because Skyler's head swung around to glare at Kyrian. "What did you just say?" he demanded.

Kyrian sat back, completely at ease. "I said I was going to take the opportunity to-"

"Check her out? What the-"

"Check her out? What are you talking about...I was going to check you out!" He winked at me, and I cracked up.

"I WON!" I crowed, reaching over to pinch Skyler's cheek. "I won I won I won!"

He grabbed my hand in his and glowered. "Only because Ky helped you cheat!"

"Whatever! I still WON!"

Kyrian grinned and excused himself to take care of some customers that had just walked in. I was still gloating ten minutes later when the door flew open with a bang and a girl barged into the store. Everybody, including us, turned to see what the commotion was about.

"What do you want from her?" I heard the girl screech at Kyrian.

I couldn't hear what he said in return, but he held up a coffee cup. The girl didn't seem to find his words soothing in the least, because I could see her jaw tighten from where I sat, and she said something that made Kyrian pull her into a room labeled 'Study Room 3'.

Once the door closed behind them, the chatter around the store returned to normal, and I turned back to Skyler. "I wonder what that was about."

"That was Aria - his ex's best friend. She's probably here to lecture him on the cat-and-mouse game he and Tanya, his ex, are playing."

"Drama everywhere," I commented, tilting the remaining drink into my mouth. "No wonder the guy seems so closed-off."

Skyler smiled and reached over to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "I need to go pick up Chastity. Do you want to come with me?"

Another yawn escaped me. "I'm sorry," I replied honestly, "but I'm just so tired today for some reason! Even caffeine's not helping!"

"No worries, I'll drop you off before heading back to your school. Where do you live?"

"It's on the way back to school," I told him, standing up and following him back to the car.

When he dropped me in front of my house, I climbed out and stuck my head back into the car. "I had fun today," I said shyly, feeling like I was in an oh-so-typical scene of a movie.

"Good," he said with a grin. "That means I can ask you out again sooner. This Saturday? A proper dinner date?"

I nodded, blushing. "What should I wear?"

"Anything you want. In fact, you don't even need to wear anything at all if you feel the need."

"Perv!" I said, laughing. "I don't think the world is ready for me walking around in the nude."

Skyler flashed me another smile. "Are we going to flirt all day? Because Chastity is going to murder me if I'm late - especially after I told her not to be late!"

"I wouldn't want you to get murdered," I assured him. "Basically because that means I lose out on another freebie if you're not around to take me out on Saturday."

"Who said I was going to pay? Maybe I feel it's your turn to take the tab."

I pulled a wadded-up bus transfer from my pocket and tossed it at his head.

He laughed and shoved it in his pocket. "Buh-bye Delta!"

"Toodles Skyler!" I wiggled my fingers and pushed the door closed.

Skyler motioned at me to go inside, and I stuck out my tongue before walking up the path that led to my house. It was only after I unlocked the main door and pushed it open that he gave a light honk and pulled away from the curb.

"Be still, heart," I muttered. "Beat any harder and I'd be suffering from a heart attack."

"What's this I hear?" Chastity demanded when I saw her at lunch the next day.

I blinked at her innocently. "I don't get a live feed from you ear, hun...so I have no idea what you're hearing."

"Saturday?" she asked archly.

Julie looked interested. "What happened Saturday?" she begged.

Chastity glared at me. "What is going to happen, you mean."

"Oh yeah?" Julia glared at me in turn. "What is going to happen on Saturday? And why am I not invited?"

"Because...then you'd be a third wheel," I responded calmly. "But, come to think of it, a third wheel would be very useful in balancing out an object. I mean, it can serve as-"

Chastity grabbed me by the ear. "You're getting off topic," she said, just as calmly. "Let's start again, shall we? Since when are you and Skyler gaga for each other?"

"Skyler? Who's that?" Julie wanted to know.

"Her brother," I said, busying myself with unwrapping my sandwich. "Anybody want to switch? I have a ham sandwich with mayo."

Adam silently reached over and took the sandwich, giving me one of his three peanut-and-jam sandwiches in return. Yes, he brings three for lunch each day. Boys.

"You're gaga over Chastity's brother?" Julie demanded. "Does he go here?"

I shook my head, ignoring the questioning look Adam was shooting me. "He's in university. We just met last week," I added to Chastity. "It's just a date."

"He seemed very happy about it," Chastity muttered, shooting me a stronger glare. "Don't you dare hurt him."

Adam jumped into the conversation, which was surprising because he rarely got involved in other people's situations unless asked. "Calm down, Chaz. Delta's not the type to mess around with people's heads." I smiled at him gratefully until he continued, "Well that's mainly because her head is messed up already, but at least she won't intentionally hurt him."

I edged my butt away from him on the bench, showing my displeasure at his words. "Meanie."

He pulled me back and kept his arm in place to keep me beside him. "You know you love me, Del."

"Don't call me that," I said with a wince. "It sounds like the computer manufacturer. And speaking of nicknames, since when are the two of you," I pointed between him and Chastity, "close enough for you to call her - what was it? - Chaz?"

Apparently that was the cue to change the subject, because Chastity immediately yanked out her cellphone and declared that she had to check on Emily. Adam suddenly discovered that he had to take part in the conversation taking place on his right - which was, oddly enough, a nerdy conversation about how a certain equation ended up looking like a woman's body when graphed.

I looked at Julie for help, and her eyes darted to Chastity before she mouthed "Is there something going on with them?"

I shrugged in response and glared at Adam's back reproachfully. "So what do you think I should wear on Saturday?" I asked her, bringing us back to the original topic.

Julie considered. "Do you want to go shopping today or tomorrow?"

"Oh hell no!" I declared. "I'm not spending money for an outfit that I will barely wear! Can you come help me pick out something from my closet instead?"

She muttered something about me wasting money on ice cream, but nodded. "I'll come home with you after school, okay?"

"Sure."

Skyler was at the parking lot after school, waiting for Chastity once again, but I waited by the entrance for Julie instead of heading over to him. He was leaning against his car, facing me, but I couldn't tell what his expression was because his eyes were covered by sunglasses and...well, he was just too far away.

"Okay, I'm ready," Julie said, hurrying out the doors. "Sorry, I got held up by Chastity and Adam."

I raised an eyebrow and looked toward the entrance. "Both of them?"

She nodded. "They were yelling at each other - something about charcoal?"

"Oh yeah, Adam's in the art club...and Chastity was joining it yesterday. Interesting."

Julie snorted as we began to walk. "You would think she'd have enough on her plate with a baby, instead of trying to get a guy too."

"Excuse me?" I said, coming to a stop. "I can't believe you just said that!"

She looked at me with wide eyes. "Oh no...no no Delta - I didn't mean it that way! I like Chastity, I really do - I was just commenting that she must be really busy."

I felt a little bad that I had jumped down her throat - she sounded so earnest about apologizing. "No, I'm sorry - I'm just a little on edge because people keep asking me about her and just plain gossiping rudely both behind her back and to her face. She was stupid, sure, but Emily's a beautiful baby and Chastity's trying to get her life on track again - which is more than I can say for some other teenage mothers."

"I know. Trust me, I definitely do." And she did, because Julie's mother herself had been a young mother - the teenage father had walked out after discovering she was pregnant, and her mother had chosen to have Julie and raise her on her own.

"Delta." I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Skyler smiling. "Hi."

I looked at Julie and then back again. "Hey."

His fingers played over to my neck as his smile grew wider. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Ah...Julie?" I motioned her closer. "Julie, this is Skyler - Chastity's brother. Skyler, this is Julie - one of my closest friends."

Skyler gave a wave with his free hand. "Nice to meet you Julie. I think Chastity mentioned you as one of the people she met yesterday?"

"Yeah, we had lunch together," Julie responded. "And it's nice to meet you too."

"Don't you have classes?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Not right now. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are my light days - Thursday and Friday are packed with classes."

"Oh. Well Chastity is inside, having a charcoal fight. Or something." I looked at Julie for confirmation, and she repeated my last two words. "I think she'll be out soon. So I guess I'll see you Saturday, since you're busy tomorrow and Friday."

Skyler pouted. "I feel like you're eager to get away from me," he sighed. "Come on, wait a few minutes and I"ll drop you off at home. Or we can drop Chastity off at home and then hang out for a bit."

I looked at Julie, who shrugged...but I wanted to spend some time with my friend after spending the summer apart. "Um...actually, Julie's coming over right now to catch up. Maybe some other time?" Julie gave me an 'are-you-crazy' look from beside him, but I ignored her.

He shrugged lightly. "Oh, that's fine. Why don't I still drop the two of you off though? It's not too out of my way."

I looked toward the school, and there was still no sign of Chastity or Adam anywhere. "Actually, I think we'll just walk - it's not that far, and Chastity's not making her appearance yet. Besides, it's easier to check out guys when we're on foot." I beamed up at him, and fingers moved from my neck to my cheek.

"I'll have to work hard on Saturday to change that thought cycle of yours - I'm not sure I like where it's heading."

"I'm not your property, Mr. Thompson," I teased. "You're not the boss of me."

Maybe he wanted to prove that it wasn't smart of me to challenge him, but Skyler lowered his face to my level and placed a very light kiss on my cheek. "Like I said - I'm going to have to work hard to change that."

"Point taken," I said when he pulled away. My legs felt like jelly, and I wasn't sure I could support myself enough to walk. "What'd you do?" I demanded. "Suck the bone mass out of my legs?"

He grinned, the flashing of his teeth making my legs even more unstable. "Is that your way of saying I make your knees weak? Because, if so, I have my own confession to make."

"That's exactly what I was saying," I responded honestly. "What's your confession?"

Skyler's arm slid around me to give a half-hug. "Your honesty delights me," he said. "And my confession is this." He took my hand and placed it, palm-down, on his hard stomach. "I'm experiencing the butterflies-in-stomach syndrome, Delta, and you're one of the very few people to have brought it out in me."

I heard Julie sigh in dreamy delight from somewhere behind me, and I was hard-pressed to join in. Instead, I wrapped my arm around his torso to turn his half-hug into a full-blown one.

"If you keep talking like that," I said into his shirt, "I can't promise not to jump you and steal your virtue."

Saturday took its sweet time to come around, and I felt like shoving it along myself. Alas, days did not have solid body mass that I could boss around.

I hadn't seen Skyler since Wednesday in the parking lot, and I was eager to see where our date led us. I wasn't one for doing the dating routine, but it Skyler intrigued me, and he wasn't the only one with butterflies in the stomach.

It was an hour before he was supposed to pick me up, and I was already ready and fretting. Julie and I had decided on fitted white-denim capris and a deep purple scoop-neck top. To accessorize, I had put silver dangles in my ear and a silver link chain around my neck - it stopped just shy of my stomach. My footwear was a pair of purple sandals that Julie had provided - thank God our feet were the same size! - and my purse was small and white.

My hair was naturally wavy, so I'd decided not to do anything special with it; it was merely combed out to fall down to the small of my back. I spent the next half hour debating whether I should put something in my hair to make a statement, and was saved from overdoing it by the doorbell ringing.

"Daddy, I'll get it!" I shouted, dashing down the stairs. A glance at the hallway clock told me that I had a half hour before Skyler was supposed to come pick me up.

I pulled the door open and grinned at him. "You're early!"

Skyler's eyes flickered down and up quickly, and then he stepped inside and pulled me to him. "Is that bad?" he murmured into my hair.

My arms wrapped around him in response. "What if I had to finish getting ready?" I asked.

"You're as eager as I am," he teased, pulling back. "Let's just say I already know you very well."

My father decided to step into the hallway at the moment. He cleared his voice to announce his presence. "Ah, Delta? A moment please?"

I smiled encouragingly at Skyler and then beamed at my father. "Sure daddy, but first let me introduce the two of you. Daddy, this is Skyler. Skyler, this is my father."

Skyler reached around me to offer his hand. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Waverly."

My father did not respond until after shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you too, Skyler." I took that as a good sign. My father only acknowledged my dates if they were up to his standards. First standard? Manners. Second? A firm handshake. A person's handshake apparently said a lot about their personality.

I patted Skyler on the arm and preceded my father into the sitting area. "What's up daddy?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about tonight's plans," he said.

A smile crept across my face. "Again?" I teased. "I swear, you give me the exact same lecture every time I go out with a guy!"

He sighed and took my hand in his. "I know I do, sweetie, but I can't help it - you're my only child, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know daddy...I'm only teasing you. Skyler's a great guy, and I'm not just even saying that because I'm hormonal."

My father, the brilliant brain surgeon, winced at the word.

"Daddy!" I laughed.

"Hey, just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I want to hear about my daughter's hormonal urges. I trust your judgment, Delta, and I like this Skyler boy based on my first impression...have fun at dinner." He grinned at me. "No lecture tonight. I'll try to draft up a brand new one for next time, so you don't get bored of hearing the same speech over and over."

I gave him an impulsive hug. "You're the best daddy ever!" I said. "And I'm not just saying that because you're letting me off the hook for your 12 minute 24 second speech."

"This is turning a little sappy, isn't it?" my father said, pulling back. "Now, that poor boy is probably wondering if I locked you in the basement to stop this date. Go on and have fun."

"I will," I promised. "I'll see you later!"

I walked back into the hallway, where Skyler, sure enough, looked like he was forcing himself to stop fidgeting.

"Good evening, Sir Thompson," I said in a faux British accent. "How do you do?" I was tempted to attempt a curtsy, but it was probably not a safe bet in Julie's shoes.

He chuckled and bowed gracefully. "Good evening, my lady. It is an honour that you chose to let me escort you tonight. Shall we proceed? My carriage awaits."

Skyler pulled open the door and I walked through it, pausing in between to turn and smile my thanks at him. In the corner of my vision I saw my father, an approving smile on his face as he watched us.

I smiled wider and walked over to Skyler's car...and then laughed out loud when he beat me to the passenger door and opened it, with an even deeper bow.

When he seated himself and pulled out of the driveway, I turned and beamed at him. "You're one of those meet-the-parents kind of guys, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, still focused on the road.

"Oh, don't feign ignorance!" I scolded. "Your ex-girlfriends and former dates probably loved taking you home so you could charm the socks off their parents!"

Skyler frowned at my comment. "You're the only girl I know who would bring up my exes right at the start of the first date."

I swatted him on the arm with my purse. "Don't be stupid," I said. "I mean, it's clear to me that you've dated in the past, so why does it have to be an off-limits topic?" I grinned. "Especially since you being here with me means that they're no longer in the picture."

"Your logic, my dear, is impeccable." He chuckled. "And, because I've been so negligent so far: You look beautiful. Not just right now, but in general."

"And you, my dear," I mocked, "are full of corny bullshit."

Skyler risked glancing at me. "But you love it!"

"Oh spare me, I'm too hungry to deal with your dopey lines!"

Dinner was at a Thai restaurant. It was busy - all the tables were filled - but Skyler had reserved ahead of time, so we had no problem getting seated. Because food in general was my short-coming, there wasn't too much interaction during the meal except when the waitress came over to take our orders, fill glasses, and clear up after each course.

"Only in America," I began when we walked out of the restaurant a few hours later. "Only in America would we walk into an Asian restaurant and find that 99% of its occupants are non-Asian."

He chuckled and linked arms with me. "Do you want to walk off some of that spice?"

I nodded, and he pulled me onto the path leading behind the building. "What's back there?" I asked, curiousity not letting me wait until I saw for myself.

"A dark alley," Skyler responded, his eyes flashing with mirth. "You can steal my virtue if you're still interested."

We laughed and rounded the side of the building, and I saw that there was a small creek there. "Can we climb down?" I asked eagerly, already trying to wiggle out of my shoes.

"Sure," he responded, putting an arm around my back so that I was balanced when I lifted my feet to slide off the shoes. He was wearing flat dress shoes, so it didn't pose a problem to walk down the rocks - my heels, however, were a different story.

He helped me climb down some ways, and then we sat on a ledge and watched the moonlight play across the water.

"This place is beautiful - I wonder how many people know of it."

Skyler nodded his agreement and tentatively put his arm around me. I tensed on purpose, and he immediately began to draw away.

"I'm kidding!" I laughed. "Hold me, you moron!"

I must have been extra encouraging, because he simply picked me up and put me on his lap. I leaned back, content, and let him hold me. "This feels nice," he murmured.

"Because it is," I responded, snuggling into his body. "Isn't it weird that we're so at ease with each other?"

"It is," he agreed. "My friends at school were teasing me about dating a high school girl," he confessed. "I told them they didn't know you...and they told me I didn't know you either."

I let out a sigh. "They do have a point," I admitted, "but it feels different somehow. It's not like we met at some party and made-out. It's not like our friends hooked us up. It's not like either one of us is being blackmailed into this. We just..." I searched for the right word.

"We just clicked," Skyler finished for me, tightening his grip around my waist. "It just feels too good to be true."

"Maybe it is," I joked. "Maybe this is a dream one of us is having, and we'll wake up feeling sad." I pinched him on impulse and grinned when he muttered an oath. "Sorry, I was just checking."

Skyler bumped the side of my head lightly with his. "I don't think pinching is very reliable," he said.

"Hmm...well I have another idea," I offered.

"Which is?" He sounded a little hesitant, and I couldn't blame him after I pinched him.

I tilted my head back to see his face, and then brought an arm around to pull his face down to mine. "This," I whispered before closing the small gap between our lips.

He didn't change the force of the kiss. Skyler seemed content to let it stay innocent and, at that stage, I was willing to cooperate.

That didn't mean that I was unmoved by the kiss. Oh no, I was definitely moved! His eyes were dark when he pulled back, and I was sure mine were too.

"I don't think we're dreaming," he offered after a moment. "God, I hope we're not!"

"If it is, I'm going to find Morpheus and personally kick his sorry butt!" I declared.

Skyler looked at me with confusion and...was that hurt? "Who?"

I poked him in the cheek. "It's not another guy, silly! Morpheus is the mythical god of dreams!"

"Let's not mention other names after we kiss each other senseless," Skyler muttered grumpily. "I don't care if it's a god."

I beamed up at him. "Aww, is itty bitty Skyler feeling jealous?"

He glared at me.

"Aww...how can I resist that plea for help? How can I make you feel better?"

"Kiss me?"

I laughed. "You sly, sly boy!" I crowed. "Come here!"

Sunday was spend sleeping, doing homework, and floating around the house in general. And, by floating, I mean I was almost-literally flying.

I think my father was pleased to see me so happy, because he, too, beamed the day away. I knew it was very hard for a busy man like him to have the time to raise a daughter on his own, but he always managed to be around at crucial moments, when I desperately needed love and support.

My mother had been a patient at the hospital where my father worked during the early years of his career. She had had a rare heart defect, which made her a regular patient at the hospital. They met one day in the elevator, when she had been headed for a walk around the grounds, and it was pretty much love-at-first-sight.

They had married despite protests on my father's side, and I had been born soon after. Unfortunately, her heart could not hold up too long, and she had passed away months before my seventh birthday.

However, not even depressing thoughts like death could push away my cheerful mood that day. My mood was even better when Skyler text messaged me in the afternoon.

"Chastity says my feet are hovering above the floorboards," his message said.

I laughed and wrote back. "Make sure your ego hasn't inflated and lifted you up some."

"Ouch, that hurt my feelings. I think my feet just touched the ground at that!"

"Aren't you supposed to be at some business party of your father's? Focus, boy, FOCUS."

"I feel rejected. What happened to the girl who romanticized everything last night?" I could almost picture him pouting.

My father passed through the living room, raising an eyebrow when he saw me texting on the phone. I waved at him and went back to my screen. "You kissed me dry. Again: FOCUS. I'm not responding to your next message."

"Since I'm not with you, I suggest you get to bed and let Morpheus deal with you. No, you sicko, I meant let him influence your dreams so that you can have me with you in them. Dream of me, chica. Kisses. Oh wait, you're all out of them! Heh. See you tomorrow - staring contest at Ky's?"

Sorely tempted to respond, I forced myself to close the phone and head back upstairs.

"Delta?"

I stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down. "Yeah daddy?"

"Do you have time to talk?"

I waved him up. "Did you draft up your new speech already?" I teased, leading him into my room.

He smiled and sat on my bed. "I just wanted to know how last night went. You seem happy. Glowing, even."

"I really like him, daddy." I sighed and leaned into my father. "It feels so fast, but I really do! I've never felt like this with anybody else - not even after my date with Jeff, and he's one of the most sought-after guys at school!"

My father coughed. "That's because Jeff was a dumbass," he said, making me grin at the word. "I don't see anything weird about you loving him so fast - I fell in love with your mother in a time span of ten minutes."

I was pleased to note his voice didn't get too emotional when he spoke of her. Sure, she was my mother...but she was gone, and my father deserved to have peace of mind.

"I'm not in love with him," I said. "Well, not yet anyway. I think." Pleading eyes looked up at him. "I don't know what love is! Maybe I'm in it and I don't realize?"

My father ran his hands through my hair. "It's different for everybody," he said. "You're a smart girl - you'll realize it when you're ready."

We sat there silently for a little while - me with my head against his shoulder, and he with his hands running through my hair.

"Delta?"

"Yes daddy?"

He sounded hesitant. "By 'fast', what exactly do you..."

I laughed and shoved his shoulder lightly. "Honestly? We kissed. Just lips, no tongue. Seriously daddy," I added when his ears turned red, "you're a doctor - you should be used to this!"

"Not when it's my own daughter," he grunted. "Well, it's late now. Why don't you get to sleep?"

A yawn escaped. "Yeah, I was going to," I assured him. "Good night daddy."

"Good night Delta."

Chastity had another art club meeting on Monday, so I headed for Skyler's car with the idea of spending some quality time alone with him.

My plans, however, were messed up by the presence of another girl.

"You!" I cried, staring at the way she was cradled in my Skyler's arms. Yes, he is 'my' Skyler now.

I ran over to them and pulled her out of his arms. "How dare you steal my man?" I accused her, right before lifting her higher and blowing a raspberry on her stomach.

When I lowered her, I saw Skyler's amused eyes over her head. "You're fighting for my attentions," he said. "It makes me happy."

"Your uncle is a bad boy," I told Emily.

"Can I get a raspberry too?" he asked hopefully.

I looked at Emily, who was staring at me with her gorgeous eyes. "Yep, definitely a bad boy." Holding the baby to my chest, I stepped over to him and waited until he leaned down to touch our lips together.

Emily stuck a hand in between our chins a split second later, making us pull away.

"I think she's jealous," I complained. "What'd you do to the child?"

Skyler tugged lightly on Emily's ear. "Everybody loves me," he assured me. "It's like I secrete some kind of invisible attraction potion."

"Uncle Skyler," I enunciated to Emily, "is a very bad boy. Tell Uncle Skyler he's bad!"

And, to both of our surprise, she turned to him and carefully: "Unkie!"

"Er..."

"Ah..."

"Was that her first word?" I ventured.

He nodded slowly. "Close enough."

"Er...here, take her." I tried to shove her at Skyler.

He glared at me and took a step back. "I know your plan - you just don't want to get in trouble with Chastity for getting her to say 'unkie' before 'mama'!"

I blinked at him innocently. "Of course not! TAKE HER!"

"Maybe she'll forget it?" he said hopefully, still refusing to take Emily.

"Yeah..." we stared at the baby with hope.

"UNKIE!" she yapped. "Unkie unkie UNKIE!" And then: "Unkie Sky!"

He smirked at me. "Delta, you are in so much trouble!"

"DEL!"

That wiped the smirk off his face. "Is there some switch you hit?" he demanded. "Ten minutes ago she couldn't speak a word, but now she's suddenly picking up everything!"

"Chastity scares me," I confessed, stepping forward again to bury my face in his chest. "Protect me?"

Skyler sighed and took the baby from me. "Come on, let's go get some coffee and discuss this."

We got in the car and drove to Kyrian's coffee store, Emily buckled into the car-seat in the back and happily alternating between 'Sky' and 'Del'. Kyrian wasn't there, so we - oh, the pain! - actually paid for our drinks and then took a seat in the same table we had occupied the last time.

"Three way staring contest?" I suggested after listening to Emily blabber some more. "Loser takes blame?"

Skyler looked at me calculatingly. "You're on," he agreed.

We each began by challenging Emily individually, but the clever child beat the both of us. Finally, with a sigh, we turned to each other.

"Loser takes blame," he reminded me, and then we began.

Ten minutes later, I sat back and groaned. "I don't want to take the blame - I have to see Chastity at school!"

"I have to see her at home," Skyler countered. "That's two more days than you."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Move out. You're in the fraternity - just move into the Frat House!"

"And have girls climb in through my window on a regular basis? No thanks!"

"Bar the window!"

"Then they'll pick my door's lock."

"Install an alarm system."

"They'll crack the code."

"Announce that you're gay!"

"They'll take that as a challenge and try to make me straight."

"Announce that you have a girlfriend!"

"They'll claw your face off with their perfectly manicured nails." He grinned down at my not-so-manicured nails.

I thought of another possible solution, but my mind kept telling me to rewind. Finally giving in, I replayed the conversation in my head and raised an eyebrow.

"Skyler?"

"Yes Delta?"

"Am I your girlfriend?"

He looked disgruntled at the question. "Aren't you?"

"A question with a question, how clever!" I responded sarcastically.

"You asked a dumb question," he shot back.

I sighed. "How was it dumb? People these days don't even consider people to be their boy-or-girlfriend even after sleeping with them - I'm just checking!"

"Delta." He reached over and took my hands in his. "You're definitely my girlfriend...unless you don't want to be?"

"Now who's being dumb?" I demanded. "I would have beaten you with Emily's teething-toy if you had said anything otherwise!"

Skyler squeezed my fingers. "Good, because I don't handle jealousy well - I would have attacked any guy who came near you...with Emily's teething-toy, of course."

I held back a grin when I saw my opening. "But alas," I said solemnly, "I won't be alive to stay your girlfriend...Chastity would have murdered me by this time tomorrow." I peered hopefully at him.

"Nice try - it's not working." He glared at me when I pouted. "Don't pout - I refuse to give in." The pout grew more pronounced. "Delta, no." I blinked with wide eyes, my lips still locked in a pout. "Okay STOP IT!" he demanded. "It's my fault, alright? I taught Emily all those words...and...and...stop pouting like that - I want to kiss you!"

I crossed my eyes at him before restoring my face to its normal expression. "You're awesome Skyler. Let's plan our wedding."

This time he crossed his eyes. "Come on, it's almost time to pick Chastity up."

Grinning, I waited until he picked up the baby before looping my arm through his free one. "Can we practice your confession to Chastity in the car? You know, to make sure you don't slip up and get me in trouble."

"You're unbelievable," he said, but he was grinning.

I teased him on the entire ride back to school, but lost my train of thought when I saw the couple standing near the school's entrance.

"Ah...is that?"

Skyler parked before looking in the direction I had indicated. "Is that who?" he said...and then, "Is that Chastity?"

"Um...yes? I think?" I mumbled, having recognized the guy she was currently shoving around.

"Who's the guy she's abusing?" Skyler asked. "I'm sure you know," he added shrewdly.

I flushed. "That's Adam..."

"Your best friend Adam?" he asked, surprising me that he remembered.

"Yeah, that's-"

"Hey! He just shoved her back!" Skyler shouted, pushing open his door and sprinting for the two.

I looked at Emily, sleeping in the back, made sure my window was rolled down enough for her to get air - just in case - and then followed Skyler.

He was already by Chastity's side, pulling her away from Adam. "What the hell?" he shouted at both of them. "Why are you fighting out here?"

I stopped beside Adam and put a restraining hand on his arm. "What's going on guys?" I asked quietly.

"And who taught you your manners?" Skyler demanded of Adam. "Shoving a girl like that? That's not cool, no matter what she said."

I shook my head. "Shush Skyler...you don't know what's going on."

"Do you?" he asked archly.

"No. Just be quiet for a moment while they explain." And then I glared at Adam. "Explain!"

He stared at the ground sullenly. "We were leaving the art club meeting together, and we passed the hallway that has all those nude sketches. Chaz commented on how tasteless they were, and I defended the art...by then we were outside...she said I was a stupid, hormonal boy who probably got a kick out of having a nude woman around to sketch-"

"-and he told me I couldn't talk because I wasn't the best example of someone who could control their hormones-"

"-and then she started shoving me around-"

"-and then he shoved me back-"

"-and then this guy showed up," Adam finished, nodded towards Skyler.

"You guys sound like an old married couple," Skyler commented, rubbing his forehead.

I nodded my agreement. "Do you seriously have nothing better to argue about?" I smacked Adam across the back of his head. "And what kind of comment was that about her being hormonal?"

"It's true," he muttered.

I smacked him again. "Have you seen her baby?" I demanded. "Emily's beautiful, and Chastity loves her dearly - don't talk about her life without knowing anything about it! And what's with shoving her back? Haven't I lectured you since we were little about how to treat women?"

At the same time, Skyler was muttering things to Chastity under his breath. I could only assume he was lecturing her as I was lecturing Adam.

"I wouldn't have!" Adam cried out. "But she touched...and it was a knee-jerk reaction!"

Skyler's head shot up. "What'd she touch?" he demanded, eyes wary.

Adam turned red in front of our eyes. "No, no!" he cried. "Not that!" He took a breath and started again by pulling up his shirt.

I knew what had happened before seeing the scar on his abdomen. "Are you okay?" I asked quickly, searching his eyes for any remaining traces of pain.

"Yeah...it wasn't a hard hit."

"What's that?" Chastity asked, her eyes fixed on either the scar or Adam's washboard abs.

Skyler caught my eye and mouthed the same thing. "Adam had his appendix removed this summer," I said. "The spot is still sore."

"Oh my God!" Chastity grabbed Adam's arm. "I'm so sorry - I swear I didn't know!"

He looked surprised, but placed a hand over hers. "It's fine - you couldn't have known."

"But still, I shouldn't have made such a big deal over such a dumb issue!"

I looked at Skyler and we rolled our eyes at each other. "I'm going to go check on Emily," I announced.

"I'm going to...help her," Skyler said, following me.

The other two didn't give any indication of hearing us.

"Is it just me, or are sparks flying?" Skyler asked me when I climbed into the backseat of the car beside the still-sleeping Emily.

I looked out at him, leaning down to talk to me, and shrugged. "I think you're right...but..."

"But?"

"Well, how do you feel about it? Especially with Emily in the picture?"

Skyler crouched down beside the car so we could communicate easier. "Chastity's young...I don't think she should skip out on her youth because she had a child."

"But she had a child - that's the whole point, isn't it? She has the responsibility to be a mother, even though she's hardly out of her childhood herself."

He took my hand in his. "She always has the rest of her family to support her. And she has you."

"Chastity or Emily?"

"Both. They'll both be fine."

"I'm sure you're right." I sighed and touched the tiny fingers of the baby beside me. "Isn't she so perfect?" I heard a click and looked toward Skyler. He was holding a phone up, and smiling at the display. "What?"

He showed me the display, and I saw the picture of me looking at Emily. "You look gorgeous when you're playing little mother."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Suck-up."

Skyler pulled me over to kiss me. "I'm a suck-up, but I don't lie. You're gorgeous, Delta."

"Thanks, you too." I smirked at him and climbed out of the car to get better access to his mouth.

We dated for almost another four months before there was another major Chastity and Adam moment.

It was Emily's first birthday, and we were having a little picnic party at a small, private park Skyler had managed to reserve. His parents were out of town due to unforeseeable circumstances, so we were celebrating with a handful of school friends.

After helping set up, I took Emily and lay down on a patch of grass, both of us on our stomachs. We lay there and stared at each other for what seemed like ages, before Adam ran over and scooped her up.

"Hey, I was winning!" I whined, watching as he spun with Emily in his arms.

Another set of arms scooped me up, and I giggled when Skyler began spinning me around as well. "Goof!"

"Your goof," he reminded me before setting me back on my feet. "Kiss?"

"Kiss," I confirmed, making good on my agreement.

"Adam, put her DOWN!"

We both groaned and turned towards Chastity, who was running toward Adam.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "You could give her whiplash or something!"

"Chaz, listen, I was going very slowly-"

"What do you know of children?" Chastity asked. "NOTHING!"

"Chaz-"

Chastity snatched Emily from his arms. "Don't make excuses, Adam."

"God, will you stop being such a bit-" He cut himself off with a glance at Emily. "Look, I was only trying to play with her - I love her as much as everybody here."

Chastity snorted. "You're saying you love her as much as me? Yeah right!"

"Will you just hear me out and stop twisting my words?" Adam demanded.

"Will you guys just cut the crap and make out already?" Julie cut in. "The tension is driving the rest of us insane."

Both of them turned red and looked around as we all nodded our agreement.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chastity stammered.

Adam looked like he was going to agree with her, and then he shook his head. "Chaz, I'm done with playing games. I've been trying to impress you for the longest time. I know most people here think it started in the first few days of school, but that's not true. Sure, I was intrigued...and sure we fought like - what was it Skyler said? - an old married couple...but I think it began sometime after that - like when I saw you with Emily." He look self-conscious at his avid audience, but continued anyway. "So what I'm trying to say is...I think I'm halfway in love with you, and I know I'm entirely in love with Emily. Give me a chance?"

Chastity bit her lip and looked towards Skyler. He pulled me closer into his side and smiled encouragingly at his sister.

Next, she looked at me, but I shrugged. It was her decision to make - not mine.

And finally, while everyone - and especially Adam - waiting with bated breath, she looked down at the child in her arms. Emily looked up at her mother with her big, round eyes and then over at Adam.

Our beautiful girl surprised us, once again, by stretching her arms towards Adam.

"Dada?"

Adam looked like somebody had sucker-punched him. His eyes darted between Chastity and Emily, before finally coming to rest on Chastity.

She bit her lip again, and gave him a small smile. "Well? Aren't you going to take her?" she whispered, almost shyly.

Somebody - I think it was Brian - hooted loudly, and that set the rest of back into motion.

"Finally!" I heard Julie shout before she grabbed Emily from between the two. "Kiss already!" she demanded before taking the child over to the swing set.

I wrapped my arms around Skyler. "Finally, huh? How do you feel?"

He shrugged. "I have you - I'm sure you'll beat up either one of them if they act stupid."

"I'm glad to know I'm the man in this relationship. Does this mean you'll be bearing our children yourself?"

Skyler kissed the top of my head. "We'll see about that, but we should really get started on it very soon."

I glared up at him. "What?"

"Emily has a complete family now," he said, nodding towards where Chastity and Adam were shyly talking. "We're going to have to make our own babies to spoil."

I sputtered at that, and he leaned over and kissed the tip of my nose.

"We're not making any babies!"

He put a hand to my forehead. "Are you okay, Delta? I could have sworn you just said you don't want babies!" He grinned at my renewed glare.

"I don't want them now," I clarified heatedly. "You need to graduate, and then I have to graduate...and then we have to each get jobs...and then we have to get married! I'm not having children out of wedlock!"

Skyler raised an eyebrow. "Point taken." He looked contemplative before he spoke again. "Marry me in seven years?"

"What?" You know the saying 'eyes were as wide as saucers'? Well my eyes were probably wider than that.

"I'll get you a ring when you graduate from university," he promised. "Just promise me you'll marry me in seven years."

I gaped at him some more before gulping. "You don't mean that...do you?"

"Of course I mean it - why else would I say it?" He rolled his eyes. "Seven years? You'll be 25 then."

"Why?" I demanded next.

"Isn't it obvious?" he demanded in return. "Because I love you."

I felt it then - the feeling my father said I would recognize when I was ready. Love. I let out a long sigh. "Oh. Good. Because I love you too."

"Good?" he repeated with a chuckle. "So...seven years?" Jeez, he was adamant about hearing my response!

"Seven years," I repeated with a nod. "I'll check my datebook, but I should be free sometime that year."

"While you're checking, do you want to see if there's time for a baby in eight years?"

I punched him in the stomach and was rewarded with - no, not a grunt of pain, but a laugh.

"KISS!"

We turned together to see where the voice had come from. Emily was sitting in a toddler swing, looking directly at us.

"KISS!" she shouted again.

Skyler poked my side. "I think she picked it up from Julie earlier, when she told Chastity and Adam to kiss."

"KISS! KISS! KISS!!!" Emily screamed again.

"Okay, okay, we GET it!" I shouted back.

"KISS!"

"We never could resist her, huh?" Skyler teased. "Always listening to all of her demands."

"KISS!"

I nodded. "What a spoiled child," I commented.

"KISS!"

"But she has a point," we declared together, before following through with Emily's very specific instructions.

A/N: Yes, some Kyrian (from my Bet You Can't) in this! The scene with him and Aria is actually part of the upcoming chapter (Chapter 11)...except, of course, it'll be written from another viewpoint. I couldn't help but let some overlap in my stories happen. Blatant advertising? Hell yes! Sue me! (Or don't, because I'm a poor university student.)

P.S. Yes, this was a one-shot in three parts, but I decided to merge the three parts into one since they're all up anyway.