A week! A whole week and he hadn't even tried to speak to her once. He hadn't even come home! She knew he was still angry, but this had to be the longest she and Justin had gone without speaking in years. She missed seeing him. Talking to him. She knew that if Daniel's last name wasn't Hobbs, she would be pestering her big brother for advice on the whole situation. As it was, Daniel was the cause of their rift.

Well...that wasn't exactly true. If you really wanted to trace the roots, it was his brother that was the cause of their problems. But there was only so much you could blame on the same person before your life becomes based on that person's actions that had occurred years before.

So she placed the blame on her own shoulders. She could have handled things better. She shouldn't have hidden the fact that she was helping Daniel. But it was all water under the bridge and sooner or later Justin would come around. He had to.

"Hmm...Mol?"

Molly looked up from where she sat on the end of her bed. Daniel propped himself up on his elbows and blinked at her questioningly, his eyes still fogged with sleep. "Go back to sleep," she whispered.

"Y'okay?" She nodded, pulling her legs up to her chest. He smirked and scratched the back of his neck drowsily. "Not very convincing."

"Sorry. I'll try harder next time." She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Good. Now...since we're up..."

Molly raised a dubious eyebrow. All along, she had been worried that Daniel might leave once he had his fill of her in bed. But it seemed that the more he got, the more he wanted and she was even more shocked that she felt the same way. It had nothing to do with age or inexperience. Or even infatuation. He was simply amazing. Soft and loving and everything she had once believed he could never be. For having known him most of her life, he continued to surprise her each and every day. One morning, he had even brought her breakfast in bed. It had been a bowl of cereal but it was the thought that counted.

Still...it was three and outside of sad, missing her big brother thoughts, she wasn't up for much more than sitting and staring at the wall.

Daniel looked at her for a second, trying to figure out what her expression was all about. Then it hit him. "No. Not that. Although..." She shook her head, confirming a definite no on the sex issue, and he laughed. "Figured. Anyway, I was talking about food. I'm hungry."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm very serious. I never joke about food. Food or sports. Or sex." She giggled and moved up the bed, straddling his legs. He pulled at the hem of her sleep shirt and she brushed his hands away.

She pecked him on his lips and her nose wrinkled with a rueful smile. "You're gonna have to survive without tonight. We need sleep. Only ten hours remaining."

He covered her mouth with his hand quickly. "Don't say it!"

She kissed the palm of the hand and pulled it away. "Say what? That the test we've been studying for...for a MONTH mind you, is in ten hours? Don't say that?"

"You are evil."

"Am not."

"Okay...but you're mean."

"Nuh-uh."

"But you are spiteful."

She shook her head, her long strawberry blond hair brushing softly over his face, tickling his nose.

"Okay. Fine. But at least admit that you're trying to drive me insane on purpose."

"Nope. What would be the point of that? One head case is enough in this relationship." She felt him tense and bit her tongue. After learning the details of her past self destructive actions, they had become closer. But it was an unspoken request that the topic not be brought up again. It seemed to make him uncomfortable and it didn't exactly make her smile either.

Working to move past the moment, she sighed and kissed him again, this time harder and with more passion. She smiled to herself as he instantly responded and her stomach began to flutter.

Pulling away abruptly, he groaned and she touched her forehead to his. "Sleep?"

She smiled and nodded, kissing the side of his mouth before sliding off of him and settling into place at his side. "Sleep," she whispered before she drifted off.

***

A week! It had been a week since he had confronted her at Babylon. Five days had passed since he had last spoken to his baby sister. Well...actually since she had spoken to him.

He had made sure to stay away, opting to stay at the loft every night that week while he struggled to put a stopper on his own mixed emotions. It was an easy out and he knew he wasn't making the situation any better by avoiding it. But seeing Molly...and Daniel...Justin just wasn't sure that he could trust himself not to cause some sort of damage to the boy or his own breakables. Never Molly, though.

That was the worst part. He was her legal guardian, and that obligation kept his anger and disappointment alive and well. But as her older brother and friend...he missed her terribly. He hadn't realized just how close they had become since she had come to live with him.

"Come back to bed," he heard Brian grumble, his voice muffled by the duvet which partially covered his face.

Justin looked up from where he sat at the foot of the bed. "Go back to sleep."

Brian sat up, looking strangely like Frankenstein rising from beneath a sheet, stiff and mechanical. The man yawned and peered at Justin through slitted eyes. "What's the matter?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just couldn't sleep."

Brian raised a disbelieving eyebrow, which looked funny since his eyes had already closed again, in readiness for sleep. "Worried �bout Mol?"

Justin bit his thumbnail and stared at some indiscernible spot on the wall. After a moment, he sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I just don't know what to do. If I should do anything." He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them as Molly was known to do. "I know it's her life. But...Hobbs? Why fucking Hobbs? And why didn't she tell me about him? Did she think I couldn't handle it?"

He stood and began pacing in front of the bed. "Okay. So I'm not handling it all that well. But she could have said something. Instead of sneaking around with him! I mean...Deb said they had been meeting at the diner at least twice a week for the last month! A month! It's just..."

"Wrong," Brian garbled.

"Exactly! It's wrong! I just don't know how to handle it. I keep wondering what my mom would do about this. I almost called her today. Then I remembered that she was out of town on some work thing. I just don't want to fuck things up more than they already are. What do you think I should do?" he asked, settling back onto the edge of the bed.

When he received no answer, it occurred to Justin that he had been talking without interruption for the past few minutes. Glancing over at Brian, he scoffed. The man was slumping over but still sitting up, completely asleep. Soft snores resounded from his throat and Justin put his index finger on the man's forehead, pushing back with little effort. Brian flopped back onto the bed, showing no sign of being disturbed.

"Thanks," Justin mumbled sarcastically.

Knowing that worrying about things tonight would be futile, he finally slid back into the warm bed beside his lover, and let his thoughts of Molly slip from his mind as best he could.

He shifted onto his side, facing away from Brian and sighed when the man draped his arm over Justin's hip and slid closer so that their bodies were pressed firmly together. It was such a natural action. Such a reassuring anchor.

This was a whole other problem. He wasn't sure what he would do when there wasn't an arm draped over him or wrapped around him, in some way. He was getting far too comfortable with Brian lately and it was beginning to make him nervous.

Justin peeked over his shoulder at the beautiful man behind him, memorizing features that had already been burned into his brain years ago. "When do you leave?"

Brian's eyes fluttered open briefly. "Hmm? Tomorrow afternoon. Flight leaves at three...sharp." Brian ended on a yawn.

He had a big business trip scheduled that would be taking him to Tokyo. Meanwhile, Justin could feel himself beginning to shut down. They were in a vicious cycle of coming and going. Each living their own lives separately while trying to maintain the ruse of a non-relationship fuck buddy system with one another. They both stood firm on the belief that anything more would simply be asking for heartbreak. Like it had before.

But Justin was beginning to realize that more nights than not, they spent in each other's beds. The tricks were now few and far between. And his heart had been becoming dependant on his time with Brian. He was falling back into his old habits and it was unsettling.

"Want me to take you to the airport?"

"No. Gonna borrow a limo from the company. But thanks for...the offer."

Justin nodded and sighed once more, trying not to think too hard on any of it as he stroked Brian's arm. Rubbing it softly until he finally fell asleep.

***

"Alright...books closed and under your desks! I don't want to see anyone with their textbooks open and paper out or it's an automatic zero!"

Molly bit her lip and looked over to the next row where Daniel sat, tapping his pen on the desktop nervously. He looked up and met her gaze, smiling a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. He was so sure he was going to drop the ball. So sure that he was going to fail. And no matter how much she had tried to convince him otherwise, the stubborn boy just wouldn't believe her.

"This is a one hundred question exam. The first seventy-five will be multiple choice. The next fifteen are matching. The last ten are discussion questions. When you get to the discussion, you may use the booklet that I'm giving you. It contains each of the major poems we covered. You may use these to site your works. And, just a hint - I want to see a quote of some sort in every answer!"

With the test distributed and explained, Mrs Barnes stared at the clock. Five, four, three, two... "You may begin."

The first thing Molly did, was flip through the questions, skimming them for an overall view of what was really being tested. Usually only about twenty percent of what they actually covered was up for grabs on a test. The rest was meaningless drivel, more or less, that was used for time fillers.

The multiple choice was mostly centered on themes of poems and the textbook stuff like meter and general symbolism - if there really was such a thing. The matching was a no-brainer. All they had to do was match the author to their most well-known poem. She was sure it was going to be a cake walk until she flipped to the discussion.

She sighed and stared at the booklet spread out upon her desk. Her stomach was in knots, all because she knew what Daniel must be thinking. She had only covered half of these with him. And it was nowhere near as in depth a study as she could have given him.

Well there was nothing she could do for him now, except pray and hope that he was as good a bullshitter as she gave him credit for. And he was the best as far as she was concerned. Not just anyone could convince their parents that for the past week they had been sleeping at a friend's house due to toxic fumes. Toxic fumes that were coming from their pool. A pool that sat on the other side of their house from his room.

Now that she thought of it, it was more likely than not that his parents hadn't even listened to his reasons and had only been too happy to get their youngest son out of the house. Though it made her heart ache for him, that his parents were so uncaring. That he was ignored and tossed aside on their whims.

Snapping herself out of the Daniel-induced thought derailment, she focused on the exam once again, sneaking furtive glances at the boy every now and again. Just to make sure he was still there.

***

After the test, she waited for him just outside the door. "So?" she asked, falling into step beside him. Her hands gripping the straps of her backpack to hold herself back.

"So what?"

"How did you do?"

"How would I know? I only finished," he consulted his watch, "fifteen seconds ago."

"How do you think you did?" The apprehension in her voice caused him to stop. They stared at one another for a long while before a small smile broke out on his face.

"I think I did okay." His voice was filled with true confidence. Only a touch of self doubt remained.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!" She launched herself into his awaiting arms and he held onto her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. "Thank you." He whispered at the base of her neck. Molly grinned as she closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his warm lips on her skin.

"No necking in the hallway, children!" They heard another student tease in passing. They looked at each other and giggled.

"Let's get out of here." Daniel took Molly's hand and led her outside, into the student parking lot.

His fingers intertwined with her own was enough to make her grin. And not a proud, cheesy grin that the other girls got with the excitement of having their first real boyfriend. It was a real smile that made her feel as if the bright light within her might just burst through her skin at any moment, and light up the world. Much like the smile she saw on her brother's face when Brian walked into the room.

Being the romantic that she had always been, she likened what she felt to what Romeo and Juliet must have had. Their families split apart by events of the past. Not quite love at first sight, but more the deep undefined love that comes so quickly and so strongly, that you never have a chance to question it. Though they hadn't said it, and Daniel hadn't made any grandiose gestures to indicate it, Molly felt their connection with every fiber of her being.

As they moved towards Daniel's car, they talked and laughed with such a carefree air, both feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders at the completion of the test. They had worked for over a month to prepare for this day and now it was finished.

As they reached the Jag, Daniel tossed their bags in the trunk and went to open Molly's door first. Molly stood back and smiled at the display. "Ya know, you already got into my pants. It's a moot point to be all chivalrous now."

Daniel shook his head, laughing at the girl. "Just get your ass in the car!"

"Now that sounds about right."

"Freak," he whispered affectionately, as she slipped past him and settled into the car. He closed the door but before he could make it to the driver's side, Molly watched him stop and turn away from the car altogether. Presumably talking to some of his buddies.

Suddenly, she shivered, feeling eyes boring into her. They were watching her again. Wondering. What's Molly Taylor doing with Daniel Hobbs? Is he doing some sort of charity work? Isn't she a lesbian? What's he thinking?

Molly shook the thoughts off, trying to remember that it was better just to live and let live, even if they hadn't figured that out yet.

After another minute, Daniel slid into the driver's seat beside her. "We were invited to a party," he began unceremoniously.

"Yeah? Whose party?"

"Um...Greg's," he said hesitantly. She frowned, remembering that only weeks before, Daniel had stopped Greg from harassing her. He wasn't exactly high on her list of people to hang out with. "So, no right?"

"You have to ask?"

"Yeah." He fingered a strand of her hair and tucked it back behind her ear, his thumb lingering and brushing across her cheek softly. "Come on. You aren't working at the diner tonight. It'll be fun. And we can leave if you don't like it."

She smirked, amused by his attempt to integrate her and a bit put off by it as well. The idea of mixing with such a crowd didn't appeal to her in the slightest. The people that thought J.Crew was one step closer to the holy land. The guys that thought a jacket with little number patches sewn onto it made them all that much higher than the rest of the mere mortals. And if you didn't own name brand...you didn't exist. Not exactly her crowd.

Reading her eyes, he sighed. "No." He took her hand and smiled. "It's cool. Maybe we could go to Babylon? Or...just hang out at your place?"

"Oh, an original plan," Molly laughed off sarcastically.

For the past week, they had either stayed at her house watching movies or they had strolled down Liberty, taking in the sites there. It wasn't because he was ashamed of her. They were practically joined at the hip during school. They walked with one another to classes, ate lunch together, left silly pointless notes in each other's lockers. The only thing they didn't do was hang out with his friends. She was beginning to feel a little guilty about this. That she might be the reason he hadn't been seeing them. And she was hands down the target for blame from the group in question. But it had been Daniel's choice.

"Actually I have to babysit."

"Oh yeah? Gus, right?"

She nodded. "Lindz called me this morning while you were in the shower."

"Maybe I could help. He's a good kid."

"How would you know?"

"That time his moms brought him into the diner."

"Oh, well..." She tried to imagine a night with Daniel and Gus. Daniel would be wonderful as always and Gus would love the chance to play with an older boy. They would end up playing some game like touch football, something Molly would undoubtably object to, but would go along with anyway. And then they would scarf down hot dogs and chips while they watched cartoons like one big happy, delusional family. She could just see them all falling over onto one another with laughter while the some dumbass cartoon character got beaten senseless with an anvil or mallet or some other ridiculous weapon.

It sounded wonderful but she knew that she and Daniel had been together far too much recently. Even newly weds made a point of leaving one another long enough to go to work. But they saw each other at school, he would hang out at the diner, watching her work and chatting it up with the locals, and their slumber parties were becoming a nightly ritual. Even she, the eternal romantic, admitted that things were going to have to slow down if they didn't want to tire of one another.

"Why don't you go to the party?"

"Without you?"

"Yeah. I have faith that you can handle it. You did just fine on your own for years before me."

"Ha ha," he said flatly. "I don't mind going alone. I just...wanted you with me."

Molly sighed. He was using the puppy eyes. He was a master of the puppy eyes. Even better than Justin - the previous reigning champ. Better than Gus, who had learned from Justin, but had the added advantage of having inherited Brian's beautiful eyes. Oh yes...those eyes had been her downfall many a time. But she was stronger than his wide-eyed pout. She could resist. "Did you just miss that whole conversation about babysitting Gus?"

"No. But...I was just thinking, we could sit for Gus and then go."

"No. I'm telling you to go. If you are constantly with me...how am I ever gonna miss you?"

"Ah!" His smile widened, "Now that's a reason I can live with."

"Hallelujah!"

"Now, when do you have to be there?" He asked, revving the car's engine.

"Seven-ish."

"So can you handle me for a few more hours? Or...do you want to start missing me as soon as possible?"

Molly pinched his arm, eliciting a yelp from him. "I'm sure I can handle you for another hour or so. I definitely need to take a shower before I go over there."

Daniel smirked, thinking of the fun they could have in the shower as he guiding the car through the school traffic and towards the townhouse, "Yeah. Definitely need a shower."

***

Three o'clock had come and gone, and Justin sat in his office the entire time, wondering if Brian had made his flight. If he remembered his passport. If he had eaten beforehand, knowing that the stubborn man would refuse to eat any meal that came in-flight. Of course, all of these questions carried a price. The more he asked, the more he worried, the more he berated himself. The more he wanted to get Brian out of his thoughts.

Brian was going to be gone for at least a week. That usually meant a free-for-all where Justin was concerned. Nothing had changed really. So why should that? He would go to Babylon. Find a hot...no...a few hot bodies and have a little mindless fun. He deserved it.

Quickly, he packed his papers into his bag and nearly ran from the building in his rush to get home and start his night of debauchery.

And since he was in such a determined mood, he hoped Molly would be home too. It was passed time that he played the adult and made the first move. They were going to resolve their issues once and for all and she would simply have to deal with it.

Putting his key in the front door, Justin found that the door was already unlocked. "Mol?" he called out, suddenly worried that something might have happened to her in his absence. "You home?"

There was no answer, but he could hear a soft scuffling noise coming from upstairs. Locking the front door behind him, he threw his things down beside the sofa and bounded up the steps. He pressed his ear to her door and heard the unmistakable sound of her shower running. Well, he could wait for her to finish up. At least she was definitely home. Now they could have a good and overdue heart to heart and things could get back to normal - whatever normal might be.

To Be Continued...