Lina tossed and turned in bed. Something was wrong, something was different... Something in the back of her mind was screaming WAKE UP!

Albeit Lina was not a morning person, it managed somehow. She sat up sleepily, clutching her covers around her body and rubbed her eyes. What was wrong now?

"Ah...Ahhhh!" Lina sprang out of bed immediately. Sensory tracking... Zel's room. Zel? Maybe he was having a bad dream? Lina walked slowly down the hall until she heard what sounded like a scream.

Five seconds. Run down hallway, grab doorknob, turn doorknob, yank open door "Zel are you URK" Close door FAST stand in hall hyperventilating for three seconds race back to room, pull on clothes run out run down hallway, yank on shoes, race down steps and stand on the porch while brain processes previous data.

Oh... my... God...

            Lina walked calmly over to her car, got in, pulled out, and floored it.

***

Zel looked sheepishly at Val.

"Oops. Thought she was out tonight." He muttered, turning a bright red.

Val looked at the door nervously. "She didn't seem too happy..."

"I'm sure it's just shock." He replied resolutely, pulling Val back into his arms.

"I hope so..."

***

Lina stepped out of her car and looked around. She hadn't really been paying attention to where she was going, and somehow she ended up here. Fine. She didn't care. It was a bar, wasn't it? Well. She could use one of those. She walked inside, under the neon lights that screamed loudly to the world, The Dancer.

Lina stalked in. she was, by complete coincidence, wearing clubbing gear, but she was only here for a drink anyway. Never mind that she'd never drunk in her life, she was going to get plastered. Why not? She'd earned it.

Many, many heads looked up suddenly at the petite redhead that walked in. Male and female alike. The girl stalked through, ignoring all of their pointed stares and sat down angrily at the bar. She managed to evade all the groping hands as if she wasn't trying, and angrily asked for a strawberry daiquiri. What the hell. If she wanted alcohol, she wasn't going to make faces at the taste as it went down.

After a while, Lina had only downed half the drink and she was feeling a bit less angry and a lot more hurt. Now was the time she started wondering if wearing her spaghetti strap tank top and tight black flares were really a good idea. Even with army boots on under them, she felt a bit too showy, especially for a singles bar.

A singles bar that coughed and turned away from the homosexuals, too. Not necessarily FOR them, but not against them. Great. Wonderful. Like she wanted to be reminded right then.

A delicate, feminine hand was laid on her shoulder, leading up to what Lina saw out of the corner of her eye as a slim, if muscular build, attached to a head of shoulder length hair. Wonderful. Lina didn't even look at them.

"Hello?" A voice came from behind her.

"Beat it, I'm straight."

"You thought I was FEMALE??" There were a herd of snickers from behind her, and the hand yanked back. "Lina, That was cruel! Now my entire team is NEVER going to forget it!"

What?

Lina turned around to get a clear view of her admirer.

"XELLOS??"

"What?"

Lina stared wide eyed. Of all the people she didn't want to meet..."What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Clubbing. Drinking. Trying to convince hot chicks that I'm male." He turned back from his hooting teammates to her. "I should be asking you. Don't you have a test in French tomorrow?"

"Yeah, and so do you."

"I don't care. You seem to." He sat down next to her. "Lessee... golden girl, school oriented and cold towards the world in general, always at home studying or at work or SOMETHING important, suddenly turns up in a bar. She's pissed off, and immediately orders a drink. Hmmm... I'm guessing there's a reason." He leaned in the counter. "Care to tell?"

"Nothing I would say to trash like you." She snorted. The table of football idiots started hollering and laughing at Xellos. "Get lost. You'd only find some way to use it against me, like you always do. And you keep your hands away from my drink, I do NOT plan on adding pregnancy to my list of problems."

Xellos raised his hands in defeat. "I concede to your superior intellect. Who am I to try to pull one over on the school brain?" He leaned back and studied her. "You have a lot more on you worth mentioning than a brain, Lina. Why don't you ever flaunt it?"

"I don't have time for a guy." She snorted and returned to her drink. "I don't want one, either. Too much work."

Xellos caught something in her voice. "Been dumped, eh?"

"WHAT?" Lina spun around and glared at his grinning face. "I have NOT been dumped! I was never WITH anyone!"

"But you wanted to be, hmm?"

"Shut up. I don't want to talk about it." Lina sank back into her chair. "I don't want to think about it either, but since you're here I don't trust myself to get drunk. Go away."

"Sorry, can't do that." Xellos said cheerfully. "I'm serious though. Why are you mooning over that dork when you could try to get someone way better?"

"He isn't a dork, and I doubt there IS anyone better."

"Ahh, that's your obsession coming out. Anyone who doesn't realize what a catch you are isn't worth it."

"It's not his fault." She glared into her drink, but felt oddly better. Of course it wasn't his fault. She was female. While he was okay with them, his main interest lay in the male side of the spectrum. She shouldn't be angry at him for that. But...

He should have told me before he went to bed with him...

"What do you mean, it's not his fault?" She wasn't going to explain it. "Look, you need someone who'll treat you like you're someone special. WHICH you are." Xellos grinned. "Forget about the guy, there are plenty out there."

Lina managed a rueful half smile. "You're right. I don't know how you've managed to stumble into it, but you've made me feel oddly better."

"Great! Now--"

"But I'm still not going to bed with you." Lina went back to her drink. Xellos sagged in defeat. "Aww, stop acting like a kicked puppy. I'm not sleeping with you, it's not like you've never been turned down in your life."

Xellos shook his head.

"You've never been turned down??"

"Nope."

"Well, then this'll be a learning experience. I don't put out. Leave me alone."

Xellos sulked cutely. "I go through all this trouble to cheer you up and..."

"I refuse to go to bed with you. Correct. How perceptive." Lina pointedly ignored him and sipped her daiquiri. No use encouraging him any further.

Lina- 7

Xellos- 1

Xellos sighed, defeated again. "Fine, no bed. Care to go on a date?"

"Nope."

"Okay, maybe I phrased that wrong."

Lina didn't look at him. "Correct on about everything so far."

"Would you like to go out to dinner with me? I promise not to put anything anywhere that would induce you to go to bed with me, other than my charm and good looks."

"Which will get you nowhere. I want it in writing, signed and dated."

"You think I would break my promise??"

"Yes."

Xellos looked injured. "I never go back on my word."

"That's nice. Give the word to me in writing."

About three revisions and four of Lina's punches later, Lina took the paper, stored it in her locked glove compartment, and smiled.

"Sure, why not."

"Great! We can go in--"

"I'll drive." Xellos sulked.

***

Lina opened the door at around one in the morning and was greeted by an extremely worried Zel. "Lina!! Where were you! I was so worried, Val went home an hour ago but he's worried too, I was afraid you'd gone off and done something stupid--"

"I went to a club and went out to eat with Xellos."

"Only one of those, ‘You're buying me food, sure' things?"

"No. One of those, ‘I'm going out to get to know you better' things."

"YOU WHAT??" Zelgadis took Lina by her shoulders and shook her. "Are you insane??? Xellos is bad news. You do NOT get involved with him without... Oh god.. please tell me you didn't..."

"Bump and grind?"

Zelgadis looked pained. "I don't suppose you could word it a bit nicer..."

"No, I did not sleep with him. I wouldn't do something like that without telling you." Lina sent a pointed glare at Zelgadis, who looked ashamed.

"It was kind of spur of the moment..."

"You don't do things like that ‘spur of the moment'. Accidents happen."

"Like one of us getting pregnant?"

Lina glared at him. "No, like diseases, like problems, like one million and ten things that could screw up you life forever. Also, like friends who don't enjoy walking in on their best friend having sex with their boyfriend. You'd have a problem with that, wouldn't you?"

"So don't walk in."

Lina glared. "I was worried about you. Next time don't scream."

"I screamed?"

"Quite loudly. There were also quite a few moans"

Zelgadis sank to the ground. "Okay, okay, I made a big mistake. But... Lina..." He looked up at her and Lina felt her resolve melt. "I... I love Val. I know that I want to be with him forever, I couldn't imagine living without him. He... He makes me feel complete, and... I'd love him even if he didn't love me. I'd still care for him if he loved someone else. I'd do anything for him." He sighed. "I guess the hormones got the better of me tonight. I never meant to hurt you, Lina. You're my best friend, my other half. Purely platonic, of course." He smiled. Lina sighed and sat down next to him. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt you Lina. You know that."

"I know." She sighed. "Just... warn me ahead of time, or next time I'll beat the both of you!" she whacked him in the back of the head and stood up. "Sorry I ran out like that. But call Val, let him know I'm fine, and go to bed. We need it."

"Right."