Claire squeezed the water out of her dark brown hair; it, in return, gave her a wet slap on the back when she released it. Drops fell from the tip formed by the numerous strands that were held together by the liquid, making a fresh trail of moisture down her spine. She made use of the pink towel given to her before the diving "expedition," wiping water off her arms and abdomen before wrapping it around her shoulders. Holding it so it wouldn't slip off, she used her free hand to pull her hair out from under the towel's thick fabric and shivered at the air that hit her neck for just a second.

A tall, blue-eyed woman with blonde curls and a gray towel smiled at her and the man behind her from a few feet away.

"I'll see you at dinner?" she asked in a polite tone.

Claire nodded and gave her half a smile in return.

After the blonde left Claire turned around and was greeted by a dry, tall, dark-haired man with hazel eyes and a raised eyebrow. Alan.

"Was she inviting you or me or �"

"Both of us," Claire interrupted.

Alan took in the way she was standing and what she was wearing. His trained eyes let him see past whatever masks people wore. Right now, Claire was standing with an elegant posture, almost identical to the one the blonde woman, who Claire called Will (short for Willamena), usually used. If he couldn't deny Will Franklin one thing, it was that she exuded elegance and assuredness of self. Those qualities often permeated into those around her. Perhaps that explained the sudden strength of person displayed by the green-eyed woman before him.

"Formal or informal?" he asked of her.

"Semi-formal." She slowly strode past him, holding the towel around herself more tightly as she neared the door.

Alan's voice stopped her from going further.

"I noticed you have a scar on your back. How'd you get it? That's a difficult place to get hit."

Claire contemplated the questionfor several moments before finally answering. The story was something she'd rather keep to herself. Even so, she felt compelled to tell it.

"I got it when I was fifteen�"

A nervous Claire slipped her arms into the sleeves of the shirt she was putting on frontside back. It was the warmest and most covering thing she could wear for the occasion, and the fact that it belonged to Will made it all just the slightest bit better.

The fact that Will would actually be there was equally � if not less � reassuring.

She felt hands fall on her shoulders and give them a supportive squeeze. She sighed, angry at herself for not being able to hide her fear better.

"Are you sure it'll be easier without general anesthetics?" she asked, turning her head as far as it could go to look over her shoulder.

"Yes, I am," replied the woman as she bent down and hugged the girl from behind. "It's a lot faster and less tedious this way."

Easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to deal with it. Claire growled inwardly before sighing again, tilting her head back to look at the sealing. "Are you sure you can't just wait until I fall asleep?"

Will stood up straight and chuckled. The cold air that hit Claire's back made the girl shiver a bit.

"No, we can't just wait. And on the note of waiting, we can't quite have the surgeon do so any longer. Come on!"

Claire lowered her head in resignation and walked out the door, shoulders drooping, lab coat-garbed scientist behind her. It wasn't long before they reached the door that led to a sort of operating room. The dark-haired girl wouldn't admit it out loud, but she hated sterilized environments. She hated them in real life and on TV shows. Being the object of focus in one was something she hated more, even though it hadn't happened before. But now that it did, it was just that much worse.

A small cyst had been found between two of her ribs, just below her left scapula, and, according to the respectable individuals she was always around, it had to be removed as soon as possible. She'd been told a week ago.

Seven days was not enough time to prepare herself for the surgical procedure.

When she walked inside there were two people in white lab coats shuffling about the room. She stopped a few steps inside and was only vaguely aware of Will closing the door behind her. In a second her attention had been captured by the objects the two across the room were dealing with; it took Will a second after that to realize this.

"Ah-ah! No looking!" she said, swiftly turning the girl around to face her. She guided Claire to her place on a sort of cushioned table with her back to the doctor and nurse. She kept a firm grip on the girl's shoulders in a vain attempt to keep the brunette's attention focused on her. Claire's green eyes, however, drifted to her right, where a man held a metal tool that looked suspiciously like a scalpel.

In a quick motion, the blonde woman abruptly brought her hands to Claire's face, startling her into meeting her eyes.

"Don't look at them. Look at me." She observed how the young girl tried to do so but couldn't help looking again. Now Will moved her hands to cover Claire's cheeks and prevent anything except what was in front of her to come into her line of sight. "I'm here," she said emphatically as she did this. She placed the girl's hands on her shoulders and returned her hands to Claire's cheeks once more. "Squeeze as hard as you want to if it hurts, but don't start now or you'll get tired."

By now the green-eyed fifteen-year-old had given up on acting confident. It was cold, she was uncomfortable, she was acting like a four-year-old, and she hated herself very much for that last fact. Her vulnerable state was made very evident by the look in her eyes. She stared at the only person she could see, imploring in silence with all her might.

She found grace in the scientist's eyes. The woman leaned forward so their foreheads were touching, a very small smile on her face, and spoke to her. Claire listened with all five senses, and was then unaware of everything else. Will spoke of things that sounded like childhood fantasies. They took her away from the present and let her walk through a beautiful, grassy valley with a sparkling river cutting it in half. She was standing atop a hill, gazing at everything, a powerful, protecting presence at her side.

Despite the journey her mind had taken, she had little faith, or strength of will, for she felt the spraying of the local anesthetic on her bare skin and the rubbing of the alcohol pad against her back � she couldn't tell which came first. She felt like she was slipping on the hill, having planted a faulty step on the soft grass, and then she came crashing down when the sharp blade cut into her skin. As instructed to, she tightly grasped Will's shoulders. Her face contorted into a grimace, and try though she might she couldn't stop herself from letting out a groan. She didn't want to cry, but the pain made her feel like she would.

Will winced. Despite the layers of clothing between her skin and Claire's fingernails, she felt at least the pressure the young girl's hands were exerting on her. She didn't back away or let go because of that, though. She just lowered her head along with Claire and never stopped talking to her.

When weakness overtook her, the brown-haired girl rested her head on the scientist's left shoulder and breathed slowly and deeply. The rest of the procedure was quick and not as painful as the initial incision. She mentally reprimanded herself for not acting her age.

Then again, having someone so stable and supportive was sort of a first.

Alan frowned at her, an amused smile playing on his lips.

"You do realize how horrifying that story is�"

Claire rolled her eyes and smacked his arm with the back of her hand. They walked inside together, conversing as they headed down the hall.

"You wanted to know, so I told you."

"Y'know, I'd actually been having a change of opinion on Dr. Franklin."

"Yeah?" She raised an eyebrow at him, half a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah. But now you've just creeped me out again."

"You do realize she has her ways of finding things out�"

****

AN:  Like I said. Probably not going in the final draft. But I loved this scene too much to drop it. ^__^ *hugs her precious three* I just had to write something down lest I feel I've been nonproductive. (And damnit if Evangelion doesn't have anything to do with this. *glare* ^^;) By the way, if you're down here already, a review would be nice�