[Shoreditch] There's always something I'm afraid I'm gonna lose [Darren!]

It had been a long, long, looong week. The previous day, in particular, had been excruciating. She and Padraig had had a fight... Jane sighed. He didn't trust her. Of course he didn't trust her. Nobody ever did. So, most of her best friends were men. So what? She wasn't sleeping with any of them. Still, apparently it bothered Padraig that she spent so much time with Eamon and with Darren. Well, he was gone all the time. What did he want her to do? Sit at home by herself? Taking a long drag off of her cigarette, she walked a little faster in her frustration.

She had told Padraig that she wanted to take a break. Honestly, she couldn't take his lack of trust in her. Not on top of everything else that she had to deal with; some of which she couldn't exactly tell him about. He'd be disappointed in her about helping Darren, and probably more suspicious to boot. There was Order stuff, too. Secrets and all that, which none of her non-Order friends, or love interests in this case, could be a part of. So, she needed a break. He could probably use it, too, to be honest. He was always busy with Quidditch. Away, too. The thought had occurred to her that he might choose to actually give in to the charms of some of his fans, now, but she tried not to think about it. She needed someone to talk to; someone to distract her.

And Darren Hadditch was just the person who she had in mind. So, there she was, walking down the road to her new neighbor. Maybe Ryan or Alvin would be home, too? Doubtful, but it'd be nice. Apparently Alvin wasn't around much, lately. Probably spending time with Sarah or something. She liked those two together. They were good for each other, she thought... Alvin needed someone to keep him in line. Someone who wouldn't give him burn scars to do so.

Making her way up to the door, Jane knocked once she got there. Hopefully he didn't have any female company. That would be awkward... She hadn't exactly let him know that she was coming over. She had just sort of shown up...

"Oi! Darren! It's me. Open up, will ya?"

It was the middle of the afternoon and someone was banging on his door. Darren was not amused. He had been face down on his bed, passed out from the night before. The line of drool showed just how deeply he had been asleep. When she knocked he pulled the pillow over his face and muttered something, still half asleep. When she yelled he jumped up and grabbed his wand from the crate next to his bed by instinct. Being caught of guard was something Darren Hadditch was not used to. He shook his head around as the memory of the voice at his door began to sink it. It was Jane. Relaxing a bit he pushed a hand through his messy hair, not caring that some of it was sticking up, and then opened the door of his room and went to the main living area. His apartment was small so it didn't take him long to get to the front door. Some people might of been ashamed by the fact that the ash trays were full and spilling over, there was a tower of old pizza boxes on top of the table, and the only dishes in the flat were dirty, but Darren didn't care. He spent more time out of the apartment than he did inside of it. He would do some cleaning charms soon, get it back into shape, but he was too tired right now.

Dressed in nothing but a pair of very baggy pajama bottoms Daren didn't care if Jane saw the bruises. Beneath the dark bags under his eyes was a black eye, his lip was split on the corner, his knuckles were swollen, cut, and still a bit bloody from the night before, and he had a mess of painful looking bruises across his ribs. Darren had been in a pit fight the night before and he was still feeling the effects of it. Not only was his body aching but the liquor had done quite the job on his head as well. He yawned heavily before he swung open the door, one hand in his pocket and the other moving to rest on his stomach lazily. "What?" He asked sounding as exhausted as he felt. Darren could have done with about a day and a half more of sleep at this point. "Come in, come on." He said and turned away from the door, the sunlight that beamed in behind Jane was too much for him to handle right now. Instead of being polite and asking how she was Darren went right for the fridge. He yanked it open, the seal nearly broken already, and grabbed two beers out off the top shelf.

He crossed the small room again, back to her and held one out. "Whats goin' on Lennon?" He asked while placing the beer that wasn't for her against the side of his head, hoping it would help relieve some of the pain. "I was trying to sleep?" He was happy to see her but he wasn't exactly showing it. He was too tired, too hungover, and to bruised to show much of anything right now. He did subconsciously hope that she wouldn't leave though. Darren wanted to see her, he always wanted her around. Cracking the beer open off the already chipped counter Darren took a big drink of it, that hit the spot. Darren had learned at a young age that the best way to get rid of a hang over was to keep on drinking, and thats what he planned to do for the near future. If he had been awake, sober, and not in a world of hurt he probably would of realized she looked off. That something was different, and Darren would of been curious to find out. Unfortunately he was not his normal self so she would have to give him some slack for not being very perceptive this afternoon.

Yikes. Usually, Darren was at least a little happy to see her... Not today. Apparently. And he looked like shit. But only because of the bruises and the annoyed look on his face. Jane immediately felt awkward, and dropped her cigarette before stepping on it to put it out. She shrugged off his rude greeting, and instead replied with a question of her own, "What the hell happened to you?" Frowning, she looked him over. Black eye. Split lip. Swollen, bloody knuckles. And bruises across his ribs. Wow. Looking back up into his eyes again, she didn't even try to hide her concern, and then went back to examining his injuries as she began to lightly trail her fingers above his bruised ribs. She did, however, briefly note that he really would look good if he hadn't looked so beaten and bruised...

"How's the other guy look?"

Hopefully worse than this. Knowing Darren, though, he probably did. Yanking her hand back, Jane bit her bottom lip before following him into the apartment and closing the door behind her. "I can come back another time...?" Usually, she'd get angry about how rude he was being. Today, however, she wanted to avoid a fight at all costs. She had had enough of fighting with people that she cared about, lately. More than enough. Truly.

Sighing, Jane simply shrugged again at his question and took the beer with a quiet "Thank you." Would he even be up for listening to her problems? "Padraig and I are taking a break... Got into a big fight, yesterday.." About you. And Eamon. Because apparently I'm some sort of a skank or something. She wouldn't tell him that bit, though. She was really more concerned about Darren anyway. Normally, she would have shouted at him to put some more clothes on. However, she had decided that she would cut him some slack. He looked like he needed it.

"And I missed you, so... I thought I'd drop by."

If Darren hadn't been as messed up as he was his nerves would of been sent into over drive when she trailed her fingers across his ribs. And not because it hurt when she touched the bruises. However he was too out of it to of even noticed, so he didn't get any other ideas in his mind. He did managed to let out a small laugh when she asked how the other guy looked, another reason why he liked this girl so much. "How do you think?" He said still holding the beer out to her. He mostly ignored the question about her coming back another time but did shake his head when she said that. He didn't want her to leave, he liked hanging out with her. After she took the beer he went back to drinking his own, taking large gulps whenever he could. The cold liquid felt good and he was glad for that. Maybe she knew some healing spells, she was part of the good guy army now, they must of taught her some since the good guys usually get their arses kicked. Or so Darren thought. He moved to sit down on the leather couch on the other side of the room but was stopped mid step by what she just said to him. He had to ask her to repeat it, because he was starting to think he may of had a concussion, he must of heard her wrong.

"A what?" He said before she even finished the sentence. As he listened to the rest of it the idea began to sink in. She was no longer with Padraig, and she came here... to tell him that... what did that mean? Feeling like he just got a wake up call Darren turned to look at her, trying to judge the expression on her face. Was she sad? Glad? Relieved? He couldn't tell and his headache was getting worse by the minute. Darren knew he had to focus, this conversation was important. He took another step toward the couch but found himself unable to move again when she said she missed him. The wheels were starting to turn now and Darren had to fight back a smirk, he knew she would not appreciate it. "Are you okay?" He asked, surprised that he actually cared. Finally able to move the rest of the way to the couch he plopped down and then grimaced because he had momentarily forgotten his body was killing him. "I mean, did you want to take a break or was it his idea?" Darren was ready to go into full on slander Paddy mode if thats what Jane wanted. It wasn't like he stopped talking trash about the other Slytherin just because she was dating him. Now that he was her ex Darren was ready to open the flood gates.

And maybe he'd even score some points by being on her side. He scooted around slowly on the leather fabric and got situated before he picked up the pack of smokes on a milk crate next to him. "If you wanna tell me the details I'll listen, if not thats cool too." He shrugged his shoulders behind the flame of his zippo and exhaled a puff of smoke. Darren was a good listener, when he felt like paying attention to other people. He had a feeling that the details she was about to tell him, if she wanted, would be useful if he was ever going to successfully get to her. The friend part of his brain wanted to help her because he honestly did care about her. But the rest of his brain, the larger portion of his brain, was starting to formulate a plan to get her into his bedroom. Another thing Darren had learned very young was that girls on the rebound were easy and they always had something to prove in the sack. Darren had to keep from smiling as he thought about Jane, he knew this wasn't the time for him to screw everything up. After years he finally had an opening and it didn't matter that he was still half drunk from the night before, bruised to hell, and insanely tired.... he was still going to try.

"Well, at least he's worse off then." Jane offered a small smile. Still, she hated seeing Darren hurting. She was protective of all of the Hadditches, but Darren most of all. Probably because she had known him the longest... He was the first person that she had met at Hogwarts. She still remembered the day that they had met on the train. They had connected almost instantly, and she was thankful that they had stayed friends. He knew her better than anyone else on the planet, and she liked to think that she knew him pretty well too.

Honestly, she was relieved that he wanted her to stay. She really didn't want to be alone right now, even with as pathetic as she felt for feeling that way. Setting her beer down for a moment, Jane slipped out of her leather jacket and tossed it to the floor before picking the bottle up again and opening it. She took a drink. It felt nice. Her walk had left her a bit parched; not to mention her discarded cigarette.

Jane tucked a bit of hair back behind her ear. "A break... Like a break-up, which may or may not be permanent. Depending on when, or if, he pulls his head out of his ass." Frowning, she took another drink before going to sit next to him. Ugh. Did he really want to hear about her feelings, or was he just being nice? It was hard to tell, sometimes. "Yeah, I guess. Just still angry with him. I mean... he's the one who has women throwing themselves at him, playing first string for the Kestrels and all. You'd think that I would be the one with trust issues. But, no." Jane sighed. "It was my idea... Isn't it always?" Rolling her eyes, Jane again re-focused herself on Darren's problem. He really did look like shit.

"I'm fine. Anyway, have you seen a healer yet? I could patch you up, if you want?" Hopefully he wouldn't be annoyed with her concern. Honestly, he should know that she was going to be worried. She always worried about him. Always. It was tiring.

A mental chess board was setting up in his head and even though he didn't know it, Darren was doing it to block out his actual feelings. If he let himself believe he was only interested because this was a good chance to get Jane in bed he could ignore the part of his heart that was aching a little. He could pretend that he didn't have real feelings for her, he could push his emotions so far down they wouldn't be recognizable, even by him. He took another hit of his cigarette and watched her through the fog of smoke that lingered in front of his face for a moment. She seemed alright. The fact that she hadn't broke down crying was alway a good thing. She seemed kind of pissed, really, and Darren was amused by that. Most girls would be either sloppy drunk or drowning in their own tears after a break up, but Jane never was. She was stronger because of it and he admired her independence. He nodded as she spoke and just stayed quiet, he wanted to hear what she had to say before he commented on the situation. And also his head was killing him, it was much easier to not talk and just listen. When she seemed like she was finished he thought about what to say but was coming up a little blank. Should he try to comfort her? Say bad things about Padraig? or just wait and see if there was more to the story...

She changed the subject before he had the chance to really comment though. A healer? Darren never went to see healers. He knew a couple of charms but nothing major, but he wasn't about to spend hard earned sickles getting healed. He'd be spending the funds he got fighting to heal the bruises from the fight... it seemed like a bit of a waste to the former Slytherin. "No I haven't." He answered quickly, surprised she even asked. She knew he wouldn't go to the doctors, and he really hoped she wasn't about to ask. Instead she asked if she could patch him up and suddenly he was okay with the idea of being healed. "If you wanna' that'd be okay." He said, shrugging his shoulders a little before a small smirk surfaced on his face. "You sure you will be okay sitting so close to me, I don't have a shirt on ya know? And you could be on the rebound?" He smiled at her, his dark eyes lighting up a bit. He was being playful, but he was also flirting with her. He hoped she could tell behind the bruises and bloody lip. He sat forward a little and flexed his arm muscles for her. It was a double pointed flirt.

He was both messing with her because he was joking, but he was also flexing real muscles. He knew some girls had a thing for toned guys and Darren was definitely toned. He wasn't as athletic as Alvin, he just wasn't all that good at Quidditch, but he was far from flabby. He grinned at her and leaned back into the cushions of the couch and waited for her response. Taking the last sip of his beer he set it back on the milk crate silently. "So do you think you can control yourself Lennon, I'm fragile." He pouted his lips a little and then chuckled. He had a feeling today was going to be a good day, despite the terrible ways that it had started for them both.

It made Jane a little uneasy when she looked at Darren and couldn't even guess what he was thinking. She knew him better than she thought she knew anyone else, but sometimes he was still a mystery to her. She always wondered what he was thinking, in particular, when she was talking about her relationships. I mean, it was a well-known fact that he wasn't a fan of any of the men that she had been with. Still, she hoped that he cared enough for her that he wanted her to be happy? And Padraig did make her happy.. most of the time... Every couple had their ups and downs. Right?

Somehow, it was easier just to deal with Darren's problems for right now. There were less messy emotions involved. Well, aside from her concern for him. She assumed that this was either work-related, or something to do with the "fight club" that they both belonged to. She at least had the sense to memorize a few handy charms and keep a stock of potions in her medicine cabinet. Maybe she could give some of them to him? She was always willing to help. He was, whether she wanted to admit it or not, the most important person in her life aside from immediate family. She'd do anything for him. Including patch him up after a fight, and also risk going to Azkaban to keep him out of trouble.

"I figured." Pulling her wand from where it rested in her messy bun, Jane looked him over once more before putting her beer down. He really should have gone to see a professional healer. However, she had had more than enough experience in treating wounds. He was lucky that she was offering to treat them rather than cause new ones, after his cheeky little remark. The blonde could feel her cheeks coloring, and she rolled her eyes at him. "I think I can manage to control myself." Ass.

Running her wand first over the bruises that looked most painful, she concentrated hard and slowly she began to heal his injuries. As she was doing so, however, she did notice that he did still have a very, well... nice body, to be honest. I mean, she didn't make a point of it to stare or anything, but it wasn't bad to look at? She could look, after all. She just couldn't touch. Ever. Never ever ever.

"Feel any better?" As she finished working on the cut on his lip, Jane offered a small smile. "I'm all done, I think."

After putting out his cigarette he saw her move a bit to get her wand out. He turned toward her as much as the pain in his ribs would allow him. She was close enough to run her wand over his chest and he felt small goosebumps form as she did. He also felt the bruises slowly starting to heal, his side still ached but nothing compared to a few minutes earlier. He thought about the fact that she said she could control herself and he was wondering if he could do the same. The closer she got the faster his heart started to beat. Darren Hadditch was not used to these kinds of feelings, really he avoided them at all costs. Caring about people only gave others a way to hurt you. He cared about his siblings, but it was totally different. It had been a long time since Darren loved Jane like a sister. When she brought her magic to his lip he felt the swelling go down and traced his tongue across the inside of it instinctually. She was better at this than he had expected. He licked any remnants of dried blood from his newly healed lip and found himself staring at hers. He wondered if she knew how much of a rock star she really was. She was a bad ass female, fighting the bad guy and looking gorgeous doing it. Of course... right now she was healing the bad guy, which he appreciated.

If he hadn't been too busy staring at her lips he might of noticed that she too was staring a little bit. He'd of called her out on it, made a flirtatious joke, but he was preoccupied. When she moved her wand away from his face and spoke he nodded, he felt much better. He felt like a weight had been lifted and he wasn't in so much pain anymore. He wasn't sure if she meant to wipe away the headache that had been banging around in his skull but she had done that too. Before she could sit back and move away from him Darren did something he never thought he would have the courage to do. Placing one skilled hand on her check he quickly pulled her in for a kiss. Even though his side hurt from the fast movement he committed to the kiss and hoped she wouldn't hex him for it. He probably should have waited until her wand wasn't so readily available. Darren had kissed Jane before but the last time he had he could barely even remember it. Most days he tried to pretend it didn't happen. They had both been a bit drunk and for some reason Darren felt like some how the alcohol made it not count. And now here he was, alone and shirtless in his apartment with her right after she broke up with her latest boyfriend. The circumstances could of been better, but Darren just wasn't that kind of guy.

The last time he had realized how badly he wanted her he got her drunk, brought her to some abandoned classroom, and could of potentially ruined their friendship because of it. Darren hadn't known she was with someone else at the time, frankly he never wanted to know those details about her love life. But right now was different, he was absolutely sure that she was a free agent at the moment and he knew now was the time. Darren had been trying for so long to pretend that he didn't have feelings for her but even with his skills in lying he couldn't fool himself. Darren had never felt anything more than attraction for another girl before and to be truthful it scared him. He put all of his effort and emotion into kissing her, knowing it wasn't going to last as long as he would of liked. Darren had more than enough skill in the art of snogging, he'd had lots of practice during their Hogwarts years, so he knew his lips wouldn't fail him. He knew that Jane would be the one to break the kiss and then the awkward talk would start. He knew that in moments this would be over so he was going to make it worth it.

Deepening the kiss Darren let the hand on her face slid down a little to where her neck and head connected. He tilted her head up slightly, because even seated he was a bit taller than she was, and kissed her passionately. Although he had kissed plenty of girls in his life Darren knew this was going to be different. No matter what was going on Jane was always the constant in his life. She was his best friend, had been since the first day on the train. This event could ruin all of that and Darren was fully aware of that when he decided to do it. They had made out before, but this was different. They were older now and it wasn't just some little snog in some classroom. There were real feelings behind it, at least on Darren's side, and that was an entirely new thing for the former Slytherin. He cared about Jane more than he could explain and sometimes he hated himself for it. If he had never met her he would be the Darren that everyone else knew. Cold, calculating, and never afraid to get violent and hurt people's feelings. It was like he was a totally different person with her around but he couldn't help it, she made him this way.

Jane's smile widened when Darren nodded. Well, at least her being one of the good guys, which he often made fun of her for, had paid off. "You owe me." Not that she really expected him to give her any sort of payment or anything. Honestly, she was just glad that she could help him out. He had been her best friend since that day in detention, and she was happy just to have him around. Sure, he could be cruel to others; his brothers, especially. But, with her, he was sweet. Most of the time. Now, however, she was not sure was one of those times.

The former Gryffindor's wand clattered to the floor abruptly in her shock, and her eyes shot wide open. It took her a few moments to register in her brain what was happening. He was kissing her. Again. Except for, this time, she couldn't shove him away and accuse him of trying to destroy her relationship because, well... she wasn't currently in a relationship. She and Padraig were taking a break. Because he was afraid that something like this would happen. But, would Darren have been kissing her if he knew that she was still in a relationship? I mean, sure, he had kissed her while she'd been with Theodore but... lately, her happiness seemed to matter to him? A billion thoughts raced through her mind in mere seconds.

He has nice lips.

She felt guilty for enjoying this. Immediately, her brain justified it. Padraig was a professional Quidditch player. He had women flinging themselves at him regularly. And he had had the audacity to accuse her of having relations with Darren and Eamon. Why not make one of them true? Besides, they weren't together right now. Pushing the nagging thoughts away, Jane did something that she had wanted to do for a very, very long time.

She closed her eyes and she kissed him back. She let him tilt her head, and one of her own hands went to his bare shoulder while the other snaked it's way into his hair. This could have come at a better time. Honestly, she was a little surprised that he hadn't taken his time and been a little more calculating. Then again, that would only be possible if he was actually legitimately interested in her. She wasn't sure if he was. Her memory flashed back to that night in the dungeons. He had seemed genuine, then. Drunk, but genuine. He told her she was perfect. She couldn't recall anyone else ever using that word to describe her. Was it possible that Darren Hadditch had feelings for her? Was he capable of that sort of depth of emotion? Well, why not? I mean, it wasn't like he was a psychopath or something. He cared about her, at least as a friend. He listened to her problems, and he cheered her up. He knew her better than anyone else on the planet. But, could she trust him?

F*ck it.

Parting her lips just enough to gently bite his bottom lip, Jane felt silly but she couldn't help but smile, just a little, into the kiss. He was everything that she'd imagined that he would be. Passionate, but gentle. Firm, yet somehow... soft. Her breathing was becoming faster, and her heart felt like it might jump out of her chest. But, somehow, it was... nice.

He had been sure that this kiss wouldn't last very long, part of him assumed she wouldn't really even kiss him back, and every part of him was happy when she did. He felt her hand tangle itself in his hair and he felt her smile underneath the kiss. Did that mean she was happy with this? Did that mean that maybe she felt the same things that he felt, even though Darren couldn't really put what he felt into words at this moment. He tried to keep his overactive brain from thinking too far into this situation. For once he just wanted to enjoy a moment, let his guard down, and savor it rather than thinking about every possible outcome and preparing for it. As her hand moved to his shoulders his free hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her as close as he could from the sitting position that they were in on the couch. It was a bit awkward, sitting on the couch, because he couldn't get as close to her as his body was begging him to be. He smiled as she bit his lip and felt his blood really start pumping. She was a better kisser than he had ever imagined and he was glad to be really experiencing it.

Even though he wanted to keep on kissing her and to do lots of other things that were currently racing through his mind Darren knew he was going to have to get some air soon. His heart was racing, the blood was pumping through his brain, and his cheeks were a bit flush. He broke the kiss but he never moved his hands away from her. For a split second he sucked in as much air as he could and then returned to kissing her. This time there were a bit more confident, since he knew she was into it and hoped she wasn't about to change her mind. The hand that was on her waist slid down to the leather fabric of the couch and he used it to balance himself as he leaned in to the kiss. He used the hand on her neck to gently motion for her to lay back on the couch, if she wanted. Darren had spent months waiting for this moment, and he was going to make it last (as long as she was okay with it, of course) but he was having a hard time doing much of anything from the awkward sitting position they were both in. He wanted to go further, he wanted so much more from this, and he prayed that she wanted the same thing.

He deepened the kiss again and waited for her to make the next move. He wanted her to lay back, he wanted all kinds of things, but Darren wasn't the type to force anyone into it. Sure he liked girls that were a challenge, but not in that kind of way. If he had to force someone into it that ruined all the fun. He liked to make the girls he hooked up with want it. Even though every part of his body was screaming that things needed to move faster Darren's mind was calm and patient. He had waited months for a moment like this with Jane and he knew he could wait a bit longer. He could wait as long as she wanted, he cared that much for her. Darren didn't think this kiss meant that they were dating or even remotely together, Darren never saw kisses as that. He just hoped that this kiss would lead to more kisses and possibly better things, without all the noise and thoughtful discussions in between. Darren was good with words, but he was much better with actions. If she wasn't going to break the kiss neither was he, Darren had every intention of kissing her for as long as she would let him. Even though he was once again running low on oxygen.

The deep breath he had taken had reminded him that his ribs were bruised but he wasn't letting that effect him. He was focused only on her and he let everything else slip away. Nothing but her was on his mind at the moment. Not the cigarette that was still burning in the ash tray because he hadn't fully put it out, not the banging going on in the Pizzeria downstairs, not the rain that had suddenly started to fall and beat against the windows, it was just her.

Jane was more like Darren than she cared to admit. They both liked to be one step ahead in any situation that they found themselves in. They both tended to overthink things. Right now, she was doing her best to push all of that away and just enjoy this moment. She had wanted to kiss him since she was fourteen years old. It was finally happening for her. Sure, it wasn't quite like she'd imagined. He hadn't professed his love for her or anything, but... well, he had sort of done that before, hadn't he?

She moved cooperatively when he pulled her close. It was a little bit of an awkward position, but she didn't care. She felt him smile, and her heart beat faster. Did he think she was a good kisser? Was he impressed? After all, she hadn't had her first kiss until she had been seventeen years old. Sure, Cormac had tried to provide her with her first kiss in fourth year, but... that wouldn't have meant anything. She had waited for someone who had meant something, although he wasn't exactly around anymore. But, Darren was. He'd stuck by her for... what was it, eight or nine years now? What had taken them so long to do this?

The blonde couldn't help but grin when Darren came up for air. She did the same, and she let out a quiet giggle when he leaned in to kiss her again, and she returned it eagerly. Her cheeks were a shade of pink that usually, around him, indicated her embarrassment by something inappropriate that he had said or done, but right now it indicated something else entirely. Jane laid back on the couch when he had motioned for her to do so, and gently pulled him down with her. As she was doing so, she took the opportunity to briefly come back up for air again.

But, when he deepened the kiss, Jane took the opportunity to show more of her "skill." She ran her tongue along his bottom lip before gently pushing it into his mouth. As he was laying over her, her hips pushed up to meet his and her hands ran gently over his bare back. For something that she knew was very wrong, it certainly felt right. Though their kiss was passionate, it was also surprisingly soft. Honestly, Darren was the sort of guy who she would expect to push her up against some wall somewhere rather than so carefully guiding her to lay on his couch. Maybe there was a reason for that? Maybe he really did care about her more than just as a friend? Her best friend, even. Could he even... love her?

Sure, he must have felt some sort of love-like bond with his siblings. But, for as long as she had known Darren, he had never really claimed to love anyone else. He had certainly never said that he loved any of the girls that he had shagged or even just snogged over the years. She felt a little arrogant for even entertaining the thought that she might be the one to change that. After all, what was really so special about her? She had been a tomboy since the day that they had met... So, why was he kissing her, of all people? Better question, yet! Why was she questioning it?

This was what she wanted. No matter what his feelings for her were, she loved him. That had to be it... Why else would she put her ass on the line for him? Sure, she wouldn't enjoy seeing someone like Rigel go to Azkaban. But, would she protect him as fiercely as she was protecting Darren? She wasn't sure. Darren was the one thing in her life that never changed. He was always there, and she hoped that he always would be...

This thread has been continued in NC17.