"Is this seat taken?" a familiar voice asked.

 "No, go ahead," Tonya answered too engrossed in her reading to even glance up.  I wonder how many of these will need to know, she mused as she read the list of scientific names.  Oh, so that's what that is.

"It's really filling up," the guy said sitting down next to her.

 Tonya flicked her gaze up for a moment before returning it to the text.  "Yup."

 "I hope you're not this chatty during the lecture," he said ruefully.  "Do we have an assignment already or are you just trying to get ahead?"

"Just looking at my text for another class," she replied, then finally looked at the man seated next to her.  Her expression fell slightly, but he didn't seem to notice.

 "Name's Jake Rivers.  What's yours?" he asked extending his hand.

 "I know who you are," she replied briskly, giving him a mild glare, and pointedly ignoring his attempted handshake.

 He smiled charmingly trying to salvage the situation.  "I see my reputation precedes me," he joked. 

 "As do your fists," she replied and turned back to her text.

 Jake blinked as something in his brain clicked and he realized she looked familiar. He started to say something, but the class bell rang, cutting him off.

- - - - - - -

 Tonya walked into her Microbiology lab the next day feeling pretty good.  The weather was nice and since it was the first lab, she didn't expect it to last long.  The Teaching Assistant had written on the board that seating and lab groups would be assigned and that the class was to stand quietly along the wall until their names were called.

 It was still fairly early so only a few people were there.  She joined them, hoping the lab wouldn't be too strict even though it was starting to appear that it might be.  Her eyes widened in dismay as Jake Rivers and two of his buddies walked through the door.  They spotted her and came to stand beside her.

 "Hey, Braid, fancy seeing you here," Jake said smiling.  "I hope you're in a bit better mood today.  I'm sorry if I did something to annoy you yesterday."  Tonya refused to look at him and he ran a hand over his hair.  "Guess not," he muttered.

 The TA walked in just as the bell rang and began to assign groups and their seats.  "Tonya D___, George Miller, Bill Palm, and Jake Rivers.  You are group six and you'll sit there," the TA said pointing.

 Dutifully, Tonya followed the boys to their seats.  She blinked in surprise as Jake pulled out a chair for her and she hesitated.  Rolling her eyes, she sat down and allowed him to push her up to the bench.

 "So, Tonya...Such a nice name." Jake grinned, apparently finally remembering her.  "Shall we get started?"

 "Yes, Jake," she replied.  "The sooner we get done, the sooner I can leave."

- - - - - -

 Tonya practically ran out of the room when the last slide had been cleaned and the microscope was put away.  She saw Daniel going into another lab room down the hall and dashed to catch the door before it closed.  Slipping inside, she shut the door quickly, relief flooding though her at the sound of the latch clicking into place and she leaned against the door.  The room was filled with light, but the shadows hid here by the door, protected by an overflowing bookshelf.

 "Hello?" Daniel asked coming back towards the door.  He spotted her in the shadows, but didn't recognize her in the poor light.  "I'm sorry, but you shouldn't be in here.  I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."

 "I understand," Tonya replied.  "But could I hide here just a few more minutes?"

 Daniel raised an eyebrow.  "Tonya?  Is that you?"  She stepped forward into the light.  "What are you doing?"

 "Hiding.  Can I just hang out here for a while?" she asked trying not to give him the puppy-eyed expression.

 She looked so hopeful that he didn't want to kick her out.  "I really shouldn't let you," he started and looked away as her eyes turned pleading.  "What are you hiding from?"

 "I got Jake Rivers and Company as Microbiology lab partners," she answered gloomily.

 "You poor girl.  I feel your pain," Daniel said fully sympathetic. 

 "Well, I guess I'll see you," she said turning to go.

 "Hold on," he said.  "I guess I could use some help if you'd be interested.  I'm working on a project studying allergic reactions.  Do you have a spare hour or two?"

"Sure," Tonya replied with a shrug.  "Don't have to work, so I'm free till tonight."

 "You have rounds?" he asked leading her back into the lab.

 "Yeah, I...Whoa!  That's a lot of pots," she said awed.  Placing her backpack on an empty counter, she walked over to inspect the plants.  "Oh, a Rhus radicans purpura.  Very nice coloration."

Daniel turned to look at her, surprised to hear that subspecies' scientific name from someone else.  He paused putting on his gloves as he realized she was actually touching the leaf she was studying.  "You might want to put on some gloves if you're going to do that," he warned.

 Tonya glanced at him.  "What kind?  Latex?" she asked, then shook her head.  "No thanks, I'm allergic to them.  They make me all itchy."

 Daniel smirked, trying not to laugh at the irony of her statement.  "So can that plant," he replied.

Tonya returned his smirk.  "Actually, there's little chance of that.  I'm not allergic to poison ivy."

 "Join the club," Daniel replied with a smile.  "But could you wash your hands before you touch anything else?  Not all my colleagues are so lucky."

 Tonya nodded and washed her hands.  "So what are you studying?  You said something about allergies and I see you have all the subspecies here."

 "Good eye," Daniel complimented her.  "I'm working with some biology graduates on trying to determine if all subspecies of poison ivy cause the same degree of allergic reaction," Daniel explained.  "Did you know the oil that causes the reaction can remain active on a dead plant for five years?"

 "Actually I did," Tonya grinned.  "Did you know that it can be spread by smoke if you burn it?"

 Daniel laughed.  "Of course.  Do you know the name of the oil?"
 
 She grinned and started to reply, then frowned.  "I just blanked.  It begins with a u and ends with iol, but I can't think of it."

 "Urushiol," Daniel asked teasingly, barely suppressing his grin.

 "That's it," she agreed, then realized he was teasing her.  Smirking evilly, she raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Well, do you know what Cynomys ludovicianus is?

 Daniel's grin faded and he looked slightly puzzled.  "It's not a plant," he said confidently after a moment.

 "No, it's not a plant," Tonya agreed.

 "I don't know," he admitted.

 "Black tailed prairie dog."

 "Oh.  I would have guessed buffalo or something," he said handing her a clipboard, pen, a role of labels, and a box of sterile swabs.

 "Bison," Tonya corrected automatically.  He just looked at her for a second.  "They're bison, not buffalo," she clarified sheepishly, a faint blush crossing her cheeks.  "Steve corrects people all the time and I guess it's rubbing off on me.  The bison's scientific name is easy for them though.  It's Bison bison, though Bos bison is an approved substitute."

 "Uh huh," he replied with an eyebrow raised, giving her a patronizing look.  He absently wondered if this was how other people felt when he started explaining his plants.  "Biologists," he muttered with a smirk and she stuck out her tongue at him.

 Turning her attention to the items she held, she cocked her head.  "So what am I doing?" she asked eyeing the boxes.

 "You get to check off the plants on the clipboard as I finish with them, and label the boxes of swabs," he answered.

 "That sounds simple enough.  What do I need to put on these labels?"

 "The plant's number, subspecies, location on the plant, and my id number," Daniel replied deadpan.

 Tonya blinked and her jaw dropped.  She looked from the tables of plants to Daniel, then back again.  "An hour or two?" she asked skeptically.

 He shrugged.  "Can you imagine how long it would take by myself?"

 "And you said location on the plant.  What do you mean?" she asked worriedly.

 "The plants have been divided into three segments:  top, middle, and bottom."

 "Oooo...scientific terms..."

 Daniel rolled his eyes.  "I have to swab a leaf and the stem from each segment on each plant."

 Tonya blinked and looked at the tables again.  "All ten subspecies with..." she paused trying to count the number of plants in one section."

 "Ten plants," Daniel added quickly.

 "Ten plants," Tonya echoed.  "Six swabs apiece... ten times ten times six...that's..."  Her eyes widened.  "Six hundred swabs," she said slightly dismayed.

 Daniel nodded.  "So...do you still want to help me?" he asked hopefully.

 Tonya sighed.  "I don't see where I have a choice.  If I don't, we may not see you again until November," she replied.

 - - - - - -- - - -

 "Coming to bed soon, Luv?"

 Zarbon glanced up from his calculations and test tubes at his angel in the doorway of the lab.  She was dressed for bed already, watching him work with a distracted expression.  "No," he replied.  "I have a ton of work to do."

 "Okay."  Without another word, she left.

 Zarbon continued mixing his reagents and making notes on his tablet, but after a moment he paused.  Sitting down his pencil, he looked at the door way again, frowning slightly.  Was he imagining it or had he heard disappointment in her voice?  Turning to the calendar, Zarbon did some quick mental calculations, and sighed.  Waiting a few minutes for the reactions to reach equilibrium, he put away his chemicals and headed upstairs.

 Ten minutes later he was outside her door.  Slipping inside, he paused as he heard the distinct sound of her sniffling.  Lying in the middle of the bed, her back was to him, but he could tell she was still awake.  He carefully slid into bed behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Rough day, Koi?" He asked rubbing his cheek against her hair.

 She pressed back into his embrace, wiping her eyes.  "Not really.  I thought you weren't coming up yet."

 "I decided you needed me more than a bunch of glassware." 

 "I shouldn't be crying over those stupid comments those stupid frat boys make." She wiped her eyes again.  "I hate stupid hormones."

 "I know." His hand that had been resting on her stomach began to move, gently rubbing her tummy.

 "They're evil," she declared softly, relaxing into his touch. 

"Mmmhmm."

 "Zarbon?"

 "Hmm?"

 "Why are you rubbing my belly?" He paused and she continued.  "I mean, I like it, but why?"

 Zarbon smiled and resumed his task.  "You do it to me and I find it very relaxing.  So I thought, what's good for the goose is good for the gander."

  Tonya blinked, and then began to laugh.  She twisted to lie on her back to look up at him.  "Zarbon, the goose is the female of the species.  The gander is the male."

 "It's just an expression, luv," he answered dipping to kiss her. 

 He shifted to lie on top of her and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace.  In the back of her mind, she marveled at the fact that, though he was covering her body with his own, she didn't feel smothered by his greater body mass.  He knew just how to distribute his weight so it would be comforting instead of over bearing.  His lips were like sweet nepenthe, making her forget her sorrows from the trying day.   She sighed into the kiss, letting all her worries and frustrations melt away. 

Zarbon pulled away to look at her and they lay there several minutes just watching each other.  Resting on his elbows, he traced her features with a gentle finger as hers played with the hem of his shirt.

 "I can't believe I let them get to me," she said.  "I don't think is ever bothered me this much before."

 "You didn't see them four out of five days the week or have to work with them as partners before," Zarbon replied.  "You've been handling it quite well for the past two weeks."  He looked thoughtful.  "Maybe you should try mediation."  She looked skeptical.  "It could help."

 "I guess it's worth a shot," she replied doubtfully.

- -- - - - - - - -

 The next time Tonya had lab, she felt better prepared to take any kind of verbal abuse her lab partners could devise.  In spite of her uncertainties, Zarbon spent the weekend guiding her through the art of meditation and she thought she had done rather well.  She took a deep breath before she walked through the door and let it out slowly.  George and Bill looked up as she sat her pack on the lab table and they smiled.

 "Hey, Tonya.  How's it going?" Bill asked.

 Tonya just shrugged noncommittally and pulled out her lab binder before sitting her pack on the floor.  She could feel the boys' eyes on her and she resisted the urge to chuck something at them.

 "Tonya, I...umm," George started, but faltered as he realized she wasn't listening.

 "Tonya," Bill said touching her shoulder lightly, earning a glare from the girl.  "I...we would like to apologize for our behavior last week and the week before.  We were stupid, rude, and inconsiderate of your feelings.  I'm sorry.  Can you forgive us and call a truce?"

 Tonya just looked at him for a long moment, making no effort to mask her surprise and confusion.  Her gaze flicked to the other two who looked ashamed of themselves, but wouldn't make eye contact.  She looked at Bill again, noting his serious expression and hopeful eyes.  He hadn't joined in the teasing with the others, though he had done little to stop them.  A glare or a muttered whisper to ignore them was the only help he'd offered.  She understood that, as a new pledge, he could ill afford to make enemies in his house before his place was secure.

 "I'll forgive you and accept your offer of a truce," Tonya replied hoping the other two had caught her emphasis.

 The lab went much smoother and faster without the quartet constantly butting heads and trading snide comments.  Though Jake and George's mere presence still annoyed her, it was almost creepy that they were actually being nice to her.  She walked out of the lab with an unsettled feeling, wondering how long her good fortune would last and hoping it wasn't to good to be true.

- - - - - - -- -
"The first lecture test is next Monday," Jake said.

 "Don't remind me," George groaned.

 "It shouldn't be too bad.  Professor Chi usually takes the questions directly from his study guides," Tonya replied.

 "You've had him before?" Bill asked.

 "For Organism Biology," Tonya answered.

 "Well, I was thinking maybe we should have a study session Saturday before the exam," Jake said.  "What do you think?"

 "Where would we have it?" Bill asked knowing full well that Hell would freeze over before Tonya would sit foot in their frat house.

 "The public library?" George suggested.

 "That would work," Jake replied.  "How about seven o'clock?"

 The three boys looked at Tonya who shrugged.  "Sounds good to me."

 "Great!  We'll meet you there," Bill said.

-- - - - - - -

 Zarbon was once again in his lab when Tonya got home.  Techno was helping him time a reaction and Tonya waited until they were finished before she walked in.

 "'ello, Luv.  How was lab today?" Zarbon asked jotting down the data they had just collected.

 Tonya grinned.  "Pretty good.  We streaked today."

 Techno raised an eyebrow and smirked.  "I hope no one went blind."

 Zarbon didn't look up from his calculations, but a little smile appeared on his lips.  "Did you do a good job?"

 "I think so," she replied.  "But I won't know until next lab."  She pulled out some papers from her backpack.  "Could you look at this?"

 Zarbon took the papers, and Techno looked over his shoulder as he studied them.  "Okay.  So what am I supposed to do with this?  Or what am I explaining?" he asked looking at her.

 "Which one would you use?" she asked.

 Zarbon shrugged.  "Either method works.  I don't work with bacteria that often, so I don't have a real preference.  As long as you can dilute the bacteria out so you get separate, isolated colonies, I don't think it matters."

 "All right," she replied chewing her lip.  "If I didn't do so well, could we make some agar plates so I could practice some more?  I have to be able to do it for the lab final."

 "Sure.  That would be easy enough to do," Zarbon responded.

 "Thanks," she said taking her notes back.  "Oh, I have a Microbiology study group at the library Saturday at seven pm.  Would you trade rounds with me?"

 "Yes," he answered after a moment, unsure if he wanted her alone with the same frat boys that normally tormented her.

 "Thanks," she said and kissed his cheek.

- - - - - - -

 Tonya walked to the library, enjoying the brisk fall weather.  She was early, mainly because it bothered her to be late.  The other reason was that she still didn't trust Jake and George.  Getting there early gave her a chance to choose where the group would sit, and she would pick a high traffic area over the more secluded spot the boys would favor.  A fairly large table was empty, so she walked over to inspect it.

 It was big enough for all four of them, no air vents blew hot or cold air directly on the table, and it was fairly close to the checkout desk.  She nodded to herself, then sat so she could she the door.  Pulling out her notebook, she began to review her notes.

 Thirty minutes later she looked up once again, frowning at the clock on the wall.  The boys were officially twenty minutes late and she was getting bored sitting by herself.  Okay boys, you get ten more minutes, then I'm leaving, she thought.

 About five minutes passed, and Jake walked in looking out of breath.  He looked around quickly, spotted her, and power walked over to the table.  Jake dropped his pack on the table and sat down next to her.

 "Sorry I'm late," he said.  "We had a pledge meeting tonight and it ran way over time."

 "Where's Bill and George?" she asked.

 "Still at the stupid meeting."  He sighed.  "I swear some of those speakers ignore us when they're told they only get ten minutes to talk."  Jake started pulling notebooks out of his pack.  "Ten speakers that all talk for thirty to forty-five minutes apiece many for a very long meeting.  Then we have the normal business on top of that..."

 "So are they coming?" Tonya cut in not really caring to hear anymore about the complexities of a pledge meeting.  Nor did she want to be stuck with Jake alone for very long.

 "Yeah, hopefully within the next half hour," he replied.

 "Should we start without them?"

 "I don't see why not," Jake replied with a big smile.

 Things went well for about ten minutes, then went straight into a nosedive.  First, he started trying to scoot his chair closer to hers without her noticing.  Then he tried slipping his arm around her shoulders.  This was attempted in steps, beginning with him stretching, then resting his arm on the back of her chair.  Slowly he brought it up to drape across her shoulders.  Tonya tried to be nice and give him the benefit of the doubt.  She was reading from her notes and her handwriting could be hard to read; maybe he was just trying to follow along.  Then she felt his warm breath on her cheek, and her eyes widened as he laid his hand on her thigh.  She turned to look at him in shock and realized he was way closer than she'd thought.  His eyes closed and he leaned even closer to kiss her.  Tonya jerked away so hard and fast that she fell out of her chair.

 She stared at Jake who was staring at her trying to figure out what had happened.  Conscience of all the stares of the other patrons, Tonya jumped up and began to shove her things in her pack.  Turning on her heel, she walked for the door, feeling like a fool.  Jake finally picked up his jaw, gathered up his stuff, and followed her.

 "Tonya!  Tonya!" he called running after her.  "Tonya!  Dammit!  Stop walking away from me!" he growled grabbing her arm.

 She tried to pull away, but his grip was strong.  "Let go of me," she demanded.

 "Not until you tell me what your problem is," he hissed jerking her closer.

 "You're hurting me," she said trying to twist away.  It was true; she knew would have a nice bruise later from his fingers digging into her arm.

 "What the hell is your problem?" he growled.

 "I have a boyfriend," she snarled back.  "And I don't appreciate being tricked into a date with you!"  Tonya smacked him and took advantage of his surprise to pull away.

 He lunged forward and grabbed her pack before she could run.

* * * * * *

 Techno and Zarbon were headed to the computer store when they drove past the library.  Movement in the parking lot caught Zarbon's eye, and he recognized Tonya instantly.  He felt a surge of rage as the boy grabbed her by the arm and forced her to look at him.  Techno stopped at the red light and blinked in surprise when Zarbon jumped out of the car.  Then Techno noticed what was happening in the parking lot.  He pulled around the corner and turned into the parking lot. 

 Tonya paused in surprise instead of running as she realized Zarbon had just come up behind her.  Jake hesitated, then released his hold on her pack, and glared at the intruder.

 "Having problems, Luv?" Zarbon asked returning Jake's glare.

 "I was until you showed up," she answered closing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around Zarbon.

 Jake looked like he was about to challenge Zarbon to a fight, but then noticed Techno still in the car.  He had no idea if the second man would join in if a fight started and decided he didn't want to find out.  "It was just a misunderstanding," Jake grumbled, then turned and left.

 Tonya sighed and relaxed against Zarbon, who was still watching Jake's retreating back.  Jake disappeared around the corner and Zarbon finally turned his attention to his mate.  "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she replied and they started walking to the car.  "Thank you," she said softly.

"You could have beaten him," Zarbon replied opening the door for her.

"Of course she could have," Techno retorted.  "But the last thing we need is her beating up someone in front of the Public Library."

Tonya smiled, but Zarbon was not amused.  "How's your arm?" he asked.

 "Fine.  He just grabbed me," she answered.  Zarbon looked at her doubtfully and she shrugged off her jacket and pulled up her sleeve.  "See.  He didn't'..." she trailed off as she realized Jake's hand print was clearly visible on her upper arm and was already beginging to bruise. 

 Zarbon's jaw clenched and he looked toward where Jake had disappeared, but the boy was long gone.  He wished Jake had issued a challenge; he would have enjoyed making the boy pay for harming his lover and attempting to force her to comply to his wishes.  Techno pulled out of lot and they drove away in silence.

- - - - - - - -

The next lab was like the first two weeks all over again, but she was mad enough to deal with it.  Bill had apologized profusely to her for the whole library fiasco.  He had caught her just before lab and informed her that he'd dropped out of the frat.  He'd offered to deal with the other two, but Tonya had declined with a warning that frat boys travel in packs and rarely fight fair.

 "What are you doing next Saturday?" Jake asked when she sat down.

 "Working," she replied briskly.

 "There's a party at Alpha Chi Omega's fraternity house at 6 pm.  "I'll pick you up at 5."

 Tonya paused and turned her head to look at him, her eyes narrowing.  "One.  I have a boyfriend and am not in the market for a new one.  Two, I work on Saturday until 9 pm.  Three?  I wouldn't go with you even if the devil himself was going to drag my soul to Hell this very minute if I didn't go with you," she retorted quietly.

Jake didn't even blink.  "It's a themed party.  Ancient Rome.  Wear a toga."

 "I have to work," Tonya replied unsure why she was even still talking to him, let alone arguing.

 "Call in sick," Jake commanded with an air of finality.

 She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her bacteria and agar tubes.

- - - - - - -

 Jake pulled up to the gate feeling a slight tinge of annoyance that it was still closed.  He leaned out and stabbed the com unit's button with a finger.

 "Hello?" a male voice asked.

 "Hi.  This is Jake Rivers.  I'm here to pickup Tonya for our date."

 Alec jumped at the unexpected sound of a tin can being crushed.  He paused and looked at Zarbon who was glaring at the com unit, the empty can of corn strangled in his clenched hand.  Zarbon met his gaze and nodded.

 "I'm sorry, I don't think she was interested anyway, but she's not here.  Her boyfriend is though, and he would like you to back off his girl," Alec said into the mike.

 "Where is she?" Jake yelled.

 "She's not here," Alec replied calmly.  "And I would warn you to leave her alone before something bad happens," he added eyeing the can still in Zarbon's grasp.

 Jake didn't reply, but backed out of the drive and squealed his tires as he took off.

 "Should we warn her?" Alec asked as Zarbon finally released the much abuse can.

 Zarbon frowned, then shook his head.  "Tonya is safe at the refuge."

 "What about when she's coming home?"

 A smirk crossed his face unbidden.  "She has her cell phone," he answered trying not to grin.  "And she has a gun."  He met Alec's shocked gaze.  "Mr. Rivers better watch out."

- - - - - - - -

 "Where were you?" Jake snarled when she walked into lab two days later.

 Tonya blinked and cocked her head.  "When?"

 "Saturday!  I went to pick you up and you weren't there!" Jake retorted.

 Tonya shrugged.  "I told you I had to work."

 "And I told you to call in sick."

 She snorted and swirled the test tube she was looking at.  "I like my job," she replied shortly.  "I can't just call in when I feel like it...looks bad on my record."  A little voice in the back of her mind laughed and said, Yeah.  You can only call in if you're running off on a bounty or saving the world.  No Dates!

"I don't like being stood up," Jake growled, glaring at her.

She shrugged dismissively.  "I never said yes, Mr. Rivers, so technically...You didn't have a date."

He grabbed her arm and jerked her closer.  "Listen up, baby," he hissed.  "You need to learn when I say jump, you say how high."

Tonya didn't flinch or look away from his angry gaze.  Her face had gone impassive as he spoke, but it felt like her cold emerald eyes were burning into his soul.  Cold fear flooded through him and he let go of her arm, stepping back quickly.  His gaze dropped to her other hand.  It was clenched into a fist and raised at the proper angle to strike at his stomach.  Conscience of the stares of their classmates, Jake took another step back, unsure why he was suddenly afraid.

She finally blinked, breaking eye contact, then blinked again and shook her head a little as if coming out of a trance.  Turning away from Jake, she sat down as the TA walked in.  The rest of the class was silent and Jake quickly took his seat.  Despite her calm appearance, deep in Tonya's heart chaos reined.

Anger, fear, hate, and logic warred inside her body and mind, but she still worked on the lab without problem.  She cleaned up without a word and left the room.  Walking down the hall briskly, she knocked on Daniel's lab door.  He opened it after a moment and she brushed passed him wordlessly.  Her pack was deposited in its place, then she selected a corner and sat down.  Folding her arms on her knees, she rested her forehead against her forearms, and sighed heavily.

"What?  No 'Hello' or 'Hi, how are you?'" Daniel asked following her.  "Cat got your tongue?" he joked when she didn't respond.  He regarded her continued silence with a thoughtful incline of his head.  "Tonya?  Are you okay?"

Silence seemed to be the only answer and Daniel decided to call Techno for some help.

"I don't know."

He paused and turned back to her.  "You don't know," he echoed softly, catching the tone of her voice.

"I was three seconds away from gutting him like a fish," she replied and looked up at him with gloomy eyes.  "How would you  classify that?"

"Don't do that," Daniel responded automatically.  "He's not worth it."

"Not to mentioned it might be a little hard to explain.  It would be easier to build a large neon sign on the roof," Tonya said looking away.

"And less messy," he added.  "Do you want a ride home?"

"Would you mind?" she asked glancing up at him.

"If you don't mind waiting until I'm done."  He  offered her a hand up and she let him pull her to her feet.

"What are you doing?" she asked, debating whether she wanted to wait or run home and find a nice hiding spot for the rest of her life.

"Slicing tissue samples again," Daniel replied.

A slight smile turned her lips.  "Can I help?"

"I would appreciate it, but no cheating this time," Daniel answered giving her the finger.  "Made me look bad last time," he added with a smirk.

"I did?  How?"  She looked both confused and concerned.

"Your slide specimens were so perfectly cut that the entire biology department came to check them out, then wanted to know how I'd accomplished such a clean, thin slice," Daniel replied solemnly.

Tonya's eyes widened and she bit her lip.  "What did you say?" she asked softly.

"I told them the truth.  Tygeress stopped by and used her super sharp claws to do the slide specimens," he replied soberly.

Tonya just stared at him for a moment, not quite believing him, but Daniel wasn't one to lie.  Then his grave countenance wavered for a second and she gaped in disbelief.  "Nerd," she groused playfully, and lightly tapped his shoulder with her fist.  "I almost believed you."

He laughed and rubbed his shoulder in mock pain.  "I know.  I told them you'd helped me and that we'd used a new type of machine, but it was difficult and time consuming," he said.

She nodded, pleased with his story.  "Did you come up with that on the spot?"

"Yeah," Daniel replied.  "Not as easy as some people make it seem."

Tonya tried to look innocent, but her smirk ruined the effect.

- - -- --  - -

Tonya yawned and rolled her neck trying to dispel the gathering stiffness.  Her stomach growled and she glanced at her watch.  "5:30," she sighed.  "Hope supper's ready."  She didn't know why, but her Wednesday always made her hungry.  Maybe the fact she only ate a light lunch had something to do with it.  The wind shifted and she barely managed to keep herself from whirling around.  Shit, she thought.  And I still have a long way to go.

Two men stepped out in front of her and she stopped, her eyes narrowing.  She didn't have to look to know she was surrounded on three sides with the building on the forth.  For half a second, she wished she had her gun, but dismissed the thought as quickly as it come.  Turning her back to the wall, she glared at the boys and recognized most of them.  There were nine of them, all frat boys with, surprise surprise, Jake in the lead.  He stepped forward into the circle and leered at her.

"Hello, baby," he said grinning.  "How are you today?"

"What do you want, Jake?" Tonya growled.  She heard a car's brakes shriek, but didn't even cast a glance toward the source.

"Just the pleasure of your company this evening," he replied.  "Attendance Mandatory."

Tonya started to reply, but another's voice cut her off.  "I think not," Zarbon said walking up to the group.  He appeared calm, but his voice and eyes betrayed his anger.  The boys parted ranks as he reached them and Tonya started towards him.  Zarbon stopped in front of Jake, his rage doubling at the boy's cocky smirk.  Without even a glance in her direction, he glared at Jake.  "Get in the car."  Tonya had no doubt he was talking to her, but she was hesitant to leave.  Zarbon turned his gaze to her and repeated," Get in the car."

Her blood ran cold at the anger in his voice and the rage in his eyes frightened her.  She knew Zarbon would never hurt her, but the frat boys were another story.  A scowl marred his handsome features and she decided to do as he suggested.  She darted out of the circle and ran to his car.  Noting the blonde in the front seat, she jumped into the back, then turned toward the drama in progress.

"Tonya is tired of your attentions," Zarbon said angrily.  "Why don't you leave her alone?"

Jake looked smug.  "Because I know she'll see things my way soon."  His eyes flicked towards the car.  "Starting a harem, Mr. Chan?  I think the school has strict rules against such things."  Jake's eyes narrowed and his smirk turned cruel.  "What do you think she'd do to dissuade me from reporting you?"

Zarbon's eyes widened in shocked surprise at the insinuation before narrowing in rage.  "Report this," Zarbon snarled.  His fist flew so fast that Jake was down and Zarbon was halfway back to his car before the other boys even realized what had happened.

Avoiding Tonya's eyes, he jumped into the Jag and started it up.  Putting it in gear, he checked traffic, then pulled out like nothing had happened.  He stopped at a red light and glanced at his passengers, realizing he hadn't introduced the girl in his front seat.

"Willow," he said, wincing slightly at the gruffness of his voice, "this is my girlfriend, Tonya.  Tonya, this is Willow.  She's one of my lab students."

The girls exchanged quiet greetings, then silence returned to the car.  He turned into the circular drive of the KAW sorority house and stopped near the door.

 "Thanks for the ride, Zarbon," Willow said softly.  "See you next week."

 "Take it easy, Willow.  Call me if you need anything," Zarbon replied.

 She smiled weakly.  "I'll be okay.  My sisters believe me even if the police don't."

 Opening the car door, Willow slipped out and Tonya was able to get a better look at the girl.  Willow was an apt name for the girl; she was thin, pale, and looked like a brisk breeze would knock her down.  Tonya frowned at the bright pink cast on her right arm.  It bore only one or two signatures, meaning it was very new.  Willow tried to pick up her bulky pack, but wasn't haven't much luck with only one arm.

 "Here.  Let me get that for you," Tonya said before Zarbon could offer.  She got out and picked up the heavy bag easily.  She smiled at Willow.  "Okay.  Where to?"

 Willow shyly smiled back.  "Follow me," she said in the soft voice.  Tonya followed her into the house and up to the second floor.  Opening another door, Willow led Tonya into her room.

 "Wow," Tonya said awed.  The walls were a light shade of blue, but posters mostly hid the paint.  It was almost like walking into a shrine.  A shrine to...  "Chemistry?" Tonya asked raising an eyebrow.

 "I am a chemistry major," Willow answered blushing.  "You can sit that down anywhere.  It must be getting heavy."

 "Okay."  Truthfully Tonya had forgotten she was carrying the backpack.  "Where did you get all of these posters?"

 "A catalog.  Do you like chemistry?  Would you like to borrow it?"

 "Oh, umm..." Tonya tried to think of a tactful way to express her feelings about chemistry, but she didn't think 'Born of the Devil's evil mind to forever torture and torment living souls' was very PC.  "I'm not that fond of chemistry," she replied instead.  "But Zarbon is a total chemistry nut."  She laughed and smiled sheepishly.  "I guess that's obvious.  I think he would love to have a few of these."

 It took Willow two seconds to find the book, but she hesitated when giving it to Tonya.  She finally handed it to her, but Tonya could tell she wanted to say something.  For a long moment, Willow just looked at her, her sky blue eyes filled with worry and fear.  Suddenly she threw her good arm around Tonya and hugged her with more strength than most would give her credit for.

 "Be careful," Willow cautioned.  "Jake is a monster.  He will find a way to hurt you."

 She pulled back and Tonya tried to think of something comforting to say.  An awkward silence filled the room and Tonya stared at the catalog in her hands to avoid the other girl's gaze.  "Uh, thanks for the catalog," Tonya finally said.  "I'll have Zarbon return it."  Turning to go, Tonya wondered what she would have to do to get Jake off her trail.  She walked out of the house deep in thought and got in the car silently.

 "Are you okay?" Zarbon asked worried.

 Tonya blinked and looked at him blankly.  "Hmm?  Oh.  Umm."  She shook her head a little.  "Just thinking."

 They drove home in silence, but their thoughts were on the same subject.  Zarbon parked in his usual spot, unbuckled his seatbelt, and then folded his arms around the steering wheel.  Resting his forehead against the wheel, he tried to rein in his emotions long enough so he could get to his room.  Tonya watched him concerned and unbuckled her seatbelt to slide closer to him.

 "Zarbon?" she asked placing a hand on his shoulder.  "Are you okay?"

 "He broke her arm," Zarbon replied.  His arms muffled his voice, but she could hear the tears lurking in it.

 "What?" Tonya asked uncertain to whom or what he was referring.

 "Jake broke Willow's arm," he clarified.

 Tonya's eyes widened as Willow's warning now made sense.  "But why would he do that?  He just broke some random girl's arm?"  Could this situation get anymore confusing?

 "They used to date," Zarbon replied gloomily.  "But Jake got abusive, so Willow dumped him."  He sniffled.  "She did that about the end of May."  Tonya began to get an uneasy feeling that sat heavily in her stomach.  "She hadn't even talked to him since then."  He raised his head and looked at her, his eyes filled with confusion, fear, anger, pain, and tears.  "How could he just do something like that?  Willow's such a nice girl..." he trailed and his golden eyes begged her for an answer.

 She dropped her eyes and looked away feeling sick.  "When did it happen?" she asked, dreading the answer she knew was coming.

 "Last night.  He made a date with one of her house sisters.  While the girl was in the restroom, he snuck over to Willow's room, and..." he stopped because he couldn't bring himself to say it.  Silence once again filled the car for a moment, before a broken sob escaped his throat.  The tears that he had been holding back now began to fall and she pulled him into her arms, holding him tight. 

 Guilt and anger gnawed at Tonya's heart as she rubbed his back and her jaw was clenched so tight her teeth were beginging to ache.  "It's my fault," she said softly and Zarbon stared at the dashboard in surprise.  "If I'd had any idea..." she started, then punched her thigh.  "Damn him!" she hissed, closing her eyes and bowing her head.

 "Tonya?"  Her eyes remained closed and she didn't look at him.  He reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand.  "Angel, it's not your fault..."

 "Yes, it is," she replied bitterly.  "I blew him off in lab, and then embarrassed him."  She finally met his gaze.  "He hurt Willow because of me.  Whether he knew I'd find out or just because he was angry, I don't know."  She paused as a new thought struck her and chilled her to the bone.  "And who knows who he'll go after next?  One of the other girls?  Daniel?  You?"  Blinking back hot tears, she hugged him tightly.  Softly she whispered to herself, "Maybe I should have..."

 Zarbon swiftly shifted and sat up to look her in the eyes, his hands firmly gripping her shoulders.  "Koi, listen to me.  There is nothing you could have done to prevent Willow's injury."  He silenced her protest by placing a finger on her lips.  "Disemboweling him in lab would have caused more problems than it would have solved," he said quietly.

 Her eyes widened in shocked surprise.  "How...I didn't tell you..." she stammered.

 "Daniel thought I should know," Zarbon replied and pulled her onto his lap to hold her closer.  She buried her face against his neck, wishing she could just stay there for the rest of her life.  But her mind was restless and refused to let her relax, and a nagged thought had appeared to torment her. 

 "Zarbon, why did you punch Jake?" Tonya asked and felt him tense.  "I mean, he had it coming...but why?"

 Zarbon had hoped she hadn't seen that or had already forgotten that the punch had occurred.  Once she got it into her head that she had to know something, be it secret or not, it was usually quite difficult to distract her.  Though he sometimes found it endearing, Tonya was as persistent as she was patient when trying to pry information from her friends.  Her enemies...well, they got the more direct approach.  Nothing loosens a thug's tongue faster than the threat of metal claws on sensitive anatomy.

"I shouldn't have done that," he murmured into her hair.  Zarbon let out a shaky breath and swallowed hard.  "He threatened to report me."

 Tonya shifted to look at him better and cocked her head.  "So?  It wouldn't hold up in court.  It would just be annoying."  He traced the side of her face with a single finger, then brushed her lips with it.  "If you're trying to distract me, it isn't going to work," she said, her eyes sliding shut as she enjoyed the sensations as he continued down her throat.

 Zarbon chuckled weakly but there was no humor behind it.  "He...Jake asked me what I thought you'd do to prevent him from reporting me," he replied quietly.

 Tonya's eyes snapped open and she stared at him for a moment, then looked away.  Her jaw clenched with anger and she started to pull away, fully intending to track Jake down and show him what she'd do.  His arms tighten around her waist, afraid to let her go.  She was tense for a minute, then sighed and relaxed against him.  The beat of his heart was soothing, even if it was a bit fast from fear and emotion.

 The door from the house opened just far enough for someone to be heard, but not far enough for said person to see into the garage.  Alec cleared his throat loudly.  "If you two would like some supper, it's on the table."

 As if on cue, their stomachs growled in concert and they laughed softly.  "Shall we?" Tonya asked smiling.

 "Let's go," Zarbon replied then kissed her before letting her go.

 Grabbing her pack, they headed inside.  Zarbon noticed that Tonya's thoughts had once again turned inward and he wondered what she was thinking.  She seemed to realize her was watching her and she smiled, pushing her thoughts back for later.

- - - -- - -

The next Wednesday, Zarbon was in the kitchen drinking a glass of milk while trying to decide what he was going to eat for breakfast.  Alec had just gotten home and was making a cup of tea while Techno was glaring at the coffee pot wishing it would hurry up.

 "Morning, boys," Tonya chirruped cheerfully as she came into room.  She strolled over to the cabinet to get a packet of pop tarts, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

 "Morn...ing," Alec said, then stared.

 Zarbon was speechless with shock.  Techno finally tore his gaze from the machine to look at Tonya when she opened the fridge.  His eye widened and he blinked.  "What the hell?" he asked quietly.

 "Just getting my lunch," Tonya replied turning to look at the stunned men.  Unconsciously she pulled the strap of the muscle shirt back up onto her shoulder, but it just slide off again.  "I won't be home for lunch and I'll be a bit late for supper.  Later."  She started to leave when Zarbon finally found his tongue.

 "You can't wear that!" he exclaimed standing up.

 Tonya paused in surprise and looked back at him, then at her outfit.  Cocking her head, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why not?"

 "Because..." Zarbon started as he struggled to think straight.  A million reasons warred inside his head and he couldn't decide where to start.  And the way the outfit fit her wasn't helping either.

 The dark green shorts and midriff baring tank top were skin tight, proudly displaying every curve of her lithe body.  The white muscle shirt, obviously borrowed from Zarbon's drawer, did little to hide that fact as it slid down one shoulder.  Her hair was in a high ponytail, and the wavy chestnut locks were free from the confines of a braid.  They seemed to take advantage of this and spread out into a thick cascade flowing down her back and slipping over her shoulder.

 "What Zarbon's trying to say is, 'Are you trying to get Jake to chase you?'" Alec put in.

 Tonya smirked.  "Maybe I am," she answered mysteriously, then turned and walked out of the kitchen.

 Zarbon just stood there in shock with his mouth hanging open for about five minutes after she left.  He turned slowly, his whole body feeling numb, and he closed his eyes against the pain.  Leaning against the counter, his mind slowly processed the information.  Why? he thought miserably.  Why would she choose Jake over me?  Why would she...  His eyes snapped open and he looked towards the empty doorway as he thought he understood.

 "Zarbon?" Alec asked, curious what was going through the other man's mind.

 Zarbon didn't appear to hear him as he drained the rest of the milk from his glass.  "Back later," Zarbon said as he walked out.

 Alec looked at Techno who was now filling his mug.  The one eyed man didn't even look up.  "Don't ask.  I gave up on understanding them long ago," Techno answered before Alec could even form a question.

- - - - - -- - -
 
 Tonya sat down in the soft grass under a tree in the middle of the campus.  It was a great place to people watch and let yourself be seen.  Daniel's words and worried look came back to her and she wished she could have explained or reassured him better than just saying, "Don't worry."  She also felt guilty for scaring Zarbon that morning.  Once again, she hadn't had time to explain.  If she wanted to make sure Jake saw her and got a good look, she had to get to class earlier than usual.

 The breeze shifted and she smiled.  Patting the grass next to her, she spoke just loud enough for her visitor to hear.  "Care to join me or are you just going to follow me around all day?" she asked.

 He hesitated, then came to sit next to her.  Zarbon folded his hands in his lap and studied them a moment.  "How long have you known I was following you?" he asked softly.

 "I was sure when I walked up dead man's hill, but I suspected it when I hit campus," she replied opening her lunch.  She offered him a sandwich and a Capri Sun.

 He took them and smiled slightly.  "You expected me to follow you," he accused.

 Tonya smirked and took a bite of her sandwich.  "Mmmhmm."  She swallowed.  "Though I was expecting you to catch up a little quicker."

 Zarbon blushed and studied his sandwich.  "Maybe if you'd been a little clearer with your intentions, I would have figured it out faster," he replied quietly.  "Instead of spending ten minutes being terrified that you were leaving me for Jake."

 She froze and looked at him, her concern obvious.  "You didn't really think that, did you?" she asked worriedly. 
 
 "For a moment.  Then I came to my senses and realized you were up to something," he answered.  "But I still haven't figured out what."

 Sighing in relief, Tonya smiled and leaned against his shoulder.  The smile faded and she bit her lip.  "I am sorry, Zarbon," she said hugging him.  "I didn't think that you would even consider that I would leave you for Jake."  She sighed again.  "I didn't think you'd drag me off campus, so I thought it best to say as little as possible.  I would have told you my plan, but I knew you wouldn't let me out of the house if you knew what I was doing."

 "Now you've got me even more worried and I still don't know what you're doing, Tonya" he retorted returning the hug.

 "And I still can't tell you," she said softly.  She looked into his eyes hopefully.  "Just trust me?"

 Zarbon nodded and kissed her on the forehead.  They sat in silence eating their lunch and watching the students hurrying to their classes.

 "Don't you have classes today?" Tonya asked offering him the bag of carrot sticks.

 "Yes, but not until two thirty," he replied taking a few.  "Think you packed enough food?"

 "You know what they say...the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," she said wiggling her eyebrows.

 "Hn.  You already had my heart," he replied tilting her face up a little.  He kissed her gently, then tucked her bangs behind her ears.  "Be careful, Angel."

 "I will," she promised.  Glancing at her watch, she groaned.  "I have to go.  See you later."

 Zarbon watched her go, munching on the remaining carrots.  As much as he loved and trusted her, he realized there was no way he could allow her to face Jake alone.

- - -- - -  -- -

 Tonya walked out of her Mammalogy lab almost feeling like she was going on a bounty hunt.  But stalking your prey is much different than letting your prey stalk you.  If you were not careful, things could rapidly go wrong and you could quickly end up a victim instead of a victor.  Or the prey might not take the bait and you could waste a lot of time trying to grab their interest.  She really wished she could think of another way to stop Jake, but short of death, she couldn't think of one.

 Keeping herself to a brisk walk, she turned towards the woods that edged the campus.  Within five minutes of leaving the building, she knew her quarry was on her tail.  He was upwind and much less careful about where he put his feet, obviously not caring if the leaves crunched noisily. 

 Jake grinned, pleased with the way things were going.  He'd intended to waylay her again today, especially after seeing her outfit.  And now she was headed into the woods where no one could come to her rescue.  Things were going very well indeed.  Soon she would learn her place and he would...

 He paused both physically and mentally; she had been right in front of him only a moment ago...  Jake looked around, frowning slightly, wondering where she'd gone.  Continuing forward, he ignored the creepy feeling the rapidly darkening woods were inducing.  Walking into a clearing, he was halfway across it when the feeling he was being watched became overpowering and he paused.  Jake turned slowly to look behind him, not expecting to see anyone.  He started slightly as his gaze fell upon Tonya leaning against a tree along the edge of the clearing.  She was barefoot now and the white shirt was gone.  An involuntary shudder ran through him at the look on his face and the realization he must have walked right past her.

 "Looking for something?"  Her voice was smooth, deadly, and Jake jumped as the silence was broken.

 Quickly regaining his composure, Jake smirked.  "Yeah, you," he replied grinning.  "Finally decided to ditch the chemistry geek in favor of a real man?"

 "Hn."  Tonya pushed away from the tree and stalked across the clearing.  "I don't see any 'men' around here," she said.  "Just a little boy."  She stopped in front of him and frowned at his cocky grin.

 Jake wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.  "I'm more man than you can handle, sweet stuff," he replied, reaching out to touch her cheek.

 She slapped his hand down, and gave him a cold look.  "I don't play with little boys," she growled.  "I discipline them."

 "Let's see you try," he said, then tried to punch her.

 She simply turned, grabbed his arm, and flipped him over her shoulder.  He landed hard, crushing the plants beneath him.  Jake lay there dazed for a moment, feeling the sap soaking into his clothes.  Anger gripped him and he hurriedly got to his feet.  Tonya was watching him with a bored look on her face, annoying him even more.  He charged her and she side stepped at the last moment, and tripped him.  Sprawled on the ground, the sound of her laugh forced him forced him to his feet and he glared at her.

 Leaves and other plant debris were tangled in his hair, and this amused Tonya even more.  He lunged at her again, but this time she didn't move.  She let him knock her back and bear her toward the ground, but then planted a foot in his stomach and flipped him away.  Jumping to her feet, she waited for Jake to untangle himself from the undergrowth.  While it would be fun just to beat him black and blue, she felt he would learn more if she just thwarted his attempts and kept him down.  She felt sorry for the plants that were being crushed by their activities, but Daniel had promised to help her atone for her crimes against botany.

 While she was distracted with her thoughts, Jake attached again.  She blocked the punch, then dodged the next one.  A simple leg sweep and he was on his back again.  A smile lit her features as she thought of offering him a hand up crossed her mind.  He was already panting lightly from exertion and he wiped his face with his sleeve while she hadn't even broken a sweat.

 While the high had been around 60, the predicted low was around 35, and with the sun dropping, so was the temperature.  The wind picked up, dropping the temperature even further, and stirring up the dead leaves already littering the ground.  Tonya felt the gooseflesh rise on her arms and fought the urge to shiver.

 "Cold?" Jake asked smirking evilly.  "I'll keep you warm!"  He lunged at her, stopping short, and throwing a round house at her.  She blocked the blow, but didn't' reply.  "Why don't you give up?" he asked punching at her.  "I can tell you don't want to hurt me, not like you could anyway.  Let's just cut to the chase."

 Dodging, she flipped away from him.  Jumping up, she grabbed a low branch, and swung up on to it.  Her eyes blazed with hate as her right hand slipped into the leaves.  "Don't want to hurt you?" she asked, her voice deep and full of malice.  An evil chuckle floated around the clearing as her lips twisted into a vicious smirk.  "I want to kill you, Jake."

 Jake jumped and unwilling took his eyes of the girl in the tree.  That whisper had been right next to him, but she was still in the tree.  The woods are even darker now and my imagination is beginning to play tricks on me, he thought.  But he couldn't quell the rising fear in his heart.  She jumped from the tree, landing so lightly that he barely heard her hit the ground.  Tonya eyes were closed and her head was bowed, making her look like a wingless stone angel in the failing light.  He stared in surprised horror as she opened her eyes and fixed him with a glare.  Her eyes glowed silver green in the gathering darkness and he took a step back.  Tonya flipped her arm at him and he fell back with a startled cry as something snapped just inches in front of his nose.

 "Do you know how easy it would be to kill you?"  Her voice now came from behind him.  She smiled as he started to visibly shake.  "How easy to hide you're body so no one would know?"  A snap to his left and then to his right supplied him with the image of snapping jaws waiting to devour him.  "I don't like threats against my family and friends," she hissed.  Her eyes narrowed and she smirked.  "You have ten minutes," she said flatly.  "Use them wisely."

 Jake scrambled to his feet and took of at a dead run through the trees.  A smirk painted her lips as the loud thud of a body colliding with a tree reached her ears.  That's got to hurt, she thought.

 She sighed and walked back to the tree she'd climbed.  Parting the brush, she picked up the heavy plastic sack that contained her shoes, backpack, and Zarbon's shirt.  Walking out of the clearing, she shivered as the cold wind nipped at her exposed flesh.  As she moved downwind, a familiar scent caught her attention and she turned around.

 "Zarbon?" she asked, her eyes scouring the darkness.  She could smell his fear now and she cocked her head curious.  A frown crossed her face as a thought struck her.  "I hope you're not standing in poison ivy, luv."  She heard him shift his footing.

 "How do you tell when its this dark?" he asked worriedly.

 "You look before it gets dark," she replied.  "How close are you to the clearing?"

 "Right at the edge."

 "Then you're standing in it," she said and sighed.  "Let's go before you start breaking out."

 Zarbon allowed himself to become visible and walked over to her.  She turned just before he reached her and stared walking again.  He fell into step behind her and they hurried along in silence.  Guilt gnawed at him and he wished he could stop and explained why he'd done it.  The skin where the plan to had brushed against him had begun to tingle and burn, and soon he knew it would begin to itch.

 They jumped the gate and trotted up the driveway.  He paused as she started around the house, then followed her.  Tonya stopped in front of the kitchen door and turned to look at him.  "You remember what to do?" she asked and he nodded.  "Okay, then I'll be down soon as I clean up."

 She turned and trotted off to her room before he could reply.  Zarbon went into the kitchen and nodded to the others who had gathered for dinner.

 "Food's ready if you are," Sally said.

 Zarbon smiled weakly.  "I have to go clean up first," he said quietly.

 "Oh?" Sebastian asked eyeing the other man's spotless appearance.

 "Poison ivy," Zarbon grumbled as he walked out the door.

 "Oh?" Sebastian said again raising an eyebrow in amusement.

 Zarbon shut his door and walked into the bathroom.  Protecting his hands with plastic sacks, he removed his shoes and socks and deposited them in another sack.  He carefully washed his lower legs with soap and hot water, then deposited the washcloth in the sack with his shoes.  Turning on the shower, he let it run while he striped and quickly unbraided his hair.  He stepped in, adjusted the temperature, then began to meticulously wash, taking special care to clean his legs last.

* * * * * *

 Tonya flew up to her French doors and pushed them open with the stick she'd placed there for that purpose.  She flew across the room and closed the bathroom door, pausing only long enough to drop her sack into another one just outside the bathroom.  Without removing her clothes, she jumped in the shower and turned it on.  A heavy sigh left her as the warm water began to penetrate her hair and clothing.

 "Zarbon," she whispered, removing the band from her hair.  Hanging it on the shower caddy, she began to finger comb her hair.  "What am I to do with you, koi?" she asked quietly.  She began to remove her clothes, dropping them into the tub as her thoughts drifted back into a memory.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 She'd been watching Anime in the den when Alec and Zarbon had tried to sneak in at two one morning after a boys' night out.  They expected everyone to be asleep, except for Techno and Shani who was on rounds.  The full moon had put them both in a good mood, and they were quietly talking and laughing when they came in.

 "Have fun boys?" she'd asked, eyeing their ruffled appearance.  Their normally neatly preened hair suggested they'd been rolling around on the ground and their clothes looked rumpled.

 They had frozen like deer in headlights and just stared at her.  Tonya had started to say something else when she noticed the unconscious itch both men seemed to have and the red patches on their skin.  Blinking in surprise, she rose from the couch and walked over to them for a better look.  Ignoring the interesting information her nose was trying to tell her, she turned Zarbon's head to look at the discoloration at his throat better.  Her eyes then turned to Alec, narrowing, and her frown deepened.

 "It's not what you think..." Alec stared as she took a step towards him.

"Were you guys playing in poison ivy?" she asked apparently missing his comment.

The boys looked at each other blankly.  "I don't know," Zarbon replied and Alec shrugged.

"Well, you must have," she answered.  "You're covered in it."  They glanced at each other, then back at her.  Tonya sighed.  "Go take a very warm shower and wash the red patches very well with soap.  But don't use the same washcloth on those patches as the rest of your body.  Alec met me in Zarbon's room and I'll doctor the both of you.  I'll take care of your clothes later."

They nodded and quickly started walking away.  Tonya turned to go turn off  her tape, then paused.  "What do you mean 'it's not what I think?'" she called after them.  "What do you think I think happened?"  Both darted for their rooms and she was left with silence.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~

 She smiled as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair, remembering it had taken two bottles of Calamine lotion to treat both guys.  Alec had begged her not to tell Poopsie how stupid he'd been, so she hadn't gotten to ask the elf about the dragon on his shoulder.  Thankfully neither of them had a really severe case and most of it was on their arms and legs.

 Massaging conditioner into her long mane, she wished Zarbon hand trusted her enough not to get involved.  Okay so he really hadn't, he was only there as back up, but still... "I wish he'd at least avoided standing in poison ivy," she said aloud with a sigh.

 She rinsed her hair again, then turned off the water and just stood there a moment, letting the water drip off of her.  Squeezing the water out of her hair, she flicked her tail as she began to push the water off her body.  Quickly toweling off, she dressed in the clothes she had laid out that morning, then began to untangle her hair.  When it was snarl free, she looped a hair tie around her wrist and headed downstairs.

 Pausing outside Zarbon's door, she knocked then opened the door just enough to listen.  Much to her surprise, his shower was still running, so she shut the door and continued down to the kitchen.

 Daniel glanced up and smiled at her.  "Hello.  How'd it go?"

 "Good, I think," she replied with a smile.  "Jake should be regretting he ever met me by now."

 "Oh?" Alec asked raising an eyebrow.

 She nodded as she surveyed the food on the table.  "I made sure he got a lot of contact with the plates, so he should have started breaking out by now."

 "I'm lost," Sebastian said.

 "I gave Jake Rivers a case of poison ivy for stalking me," Tonya clarified.  "If he tries to blame me he'll have I hard time finding evidence."  She smirked "Especially after having to eliminate the oil from his skin and clothing."

 Techno frowned.  "You're sure about that?" he asked.

 "Fairly certain," Tonya answered, then looked thoughtful.  "He's smart, but by the time he thinks about reports me, most of the evidence will be gone," she repeated confidently.  "His first thought will be to rid himself of the oil that is causing him to break out.  So any skin cells on his hands or clothes will be washed away.  Any left in the clearing will be hard to find as I tried to keep contact to a minimum."  Cocking her, she continued.  "Jake'll probably show up in lab tomorrow covered in calamine lotion telling everyone how he and I went for a roll in the hay.  He'll have a hard time convincing anyone that I would go to the woods with him or was wearing that outfit for him.  Most people know me as a quiet, sweet girl who's very loyal to her boyfriend."  Several of the diners rolled their eyes at the "quiet, sweet girl" comment.  "On top of that," she hesitated, not sure if she should reveal her last reason.  "Any judge would think he was nuts if he told them my eyes glowed in the dark."

 "What?" Jessica asked confused.  "How did you do that?"

 "Bioluminescent eye drops," Tonya answered trying to Techno's impassive face.  "It was almost completely dark otherwise, so they weren't glowing in the first place.  Then I put in the drops, which combined with my tapium produced an interesting silvery-green glow."

 "Tapium?" Poopsie asked.

 "Reflective lining at the back of the eye.  It reflects and amplifies light for better night vision.  In direct light, my eyes usually shine red to a blended silver.  In low light, they shine silver to silvery green."

 Sally was shaking her head.  "What?" Tonya asked worriedly.

 "Stupid," the blond replied.  "Absolutely stupid."

 Tonya's expression fell and she pouted.  "What do you mean?"

 "Making your eyes glow.  Why would you do that?" Techno asked obviously agreeing with Sally.

 A faint blush appeared on Tonya's cheeks and she looked away.  "It was scary," she said weakly.  Sally gave her a skeptical look and the blush darkened.  "I thought it was," she said softly.  "You just had to be there."

 "So how did Zarbon give poison ivy?" Sebastian asked with a smirk.

 Tonya was still trying to think of a way to explain her reasoning, so she missed Sebastian's jab.  "He was standing in the poison ivy at the edge of the clearing where Jake got his."

 Sebastian opened his mouth to say something else, but shut it at the look Alec gave him.  She cocked her head at Sebastian, glanced at Alec, and then shrugged.  Casting one last glance at the food, she turned to go see what Zarbon was doing.

 "Geeze, Tonya," Jessica said.  "I didn't realize your hair was that long."

 Tonya paused and glanced back.  "It's only down to my knees," she replied with a raised eyebrow.

 "Only," Poopsie said with a grin.

 Tonya rolled her eyes and left the kitchen.  She knocked on Zarbon's door again, then went on in.  The shower was off, but Zarbon was still in the bathroom.  Grabbing a pair of shorts and a pair of briefs from his dresser, she knocked on the bathroom door.

 "Yes?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled by the door.

 "May I come in?"

 Zarbon hesitated a few seconds, then nodded.  "Yes, luv, you may."

 She peeked around the door and paused, her eyes widening.  A goldenrod colored towel was wrapped around his waist and covered to just above his knee.  His long emerald hair was loose and damp as he worked on the snarls and his muscles rippled and flexed as he moved.  Without pausing in his task, Zarbon turned to look at her, giving Tonya a fantastic view of his perfectly sculpted chest and washboard abs.  Pushing the door open more, she stepped inside, unconsciously licking her lips.  He could almost feel her heated gaze traveling his body like a physical caress, and he shivered.  Mistaking the shiver for a sudden chill from the slight draft from the outer room, Tonya shut the door without taking her eyes of off him.  Leaning against the door, a little smile settled on her lips as she watched him.

 A soft blush darkened his cheeks and he turned his gaze back to the mirror.  He tried to concentrate on untangling his hair and ignore his hormones.  "Do you want something, kitten?" he asked, his voice a little husky.

 "You."

 Zarbon froze and stared at his reflection.  Swallowing hard, he slowly turned to look at her.  "Pardon?" he asked weakly as his golden eyes met her emerald gaze.

 Stretching like a cat, she pushed away from the door and glided towards him with a smirk on her face.  "I said," she began, her voice almost a purr, "I want you."

 "Uh."  Zarbon didn't know what to say or do, so he just stared at her, his mouth slightly ajar.

 One hand came to rest on his shoulder as she reached up and cupped his cheek with the other.  He seemed forget how to breathe as she touched him and he felt like he was slowly drowning in her emerald eyes.  She brushed her fingertips down his throat and his eyes slid shut at the sensation.  Her fingers trailed down between his pectorals and continued down to his navel.  His hands moved to her waist, but she pulled away, plucking the pick from his grasp.  His eyes opened to see what she was up to now and she laughed lightly as she moved to stand behind him.  She pulled his hair over his shoulders, deliberately brushing the sides of his neck with her fingers. 

 She began to carefully comb his hair.  "I want you," she said again as she untangled a snarl.  "To hurry up!"  She poked him in the back and peeked over his shoulder at his reflection.  "I'm hungry!" she declared mournfully.  "And I want to eat!"

 Zarbon's eyes had widened in surprise and disbelief and he just stood there for a moment.  A smile appeared and he began to chuckle, then to laugh.  He turned to pull her into his arms and sighed.  "You know you could just eat without me," he said.  "I wouldn't mind."

 "But then I wouldn't get to oogle you in your towel," she said looking up at him with a pout.

 He mimicked her expression.  "I never get to oogle you in a towel," he replied.

 "You've never asked," Tonya countered teasingly. 

 "So if I asked..." he teased back, gently squeezing her.

 "I might consider it," she replied.  "But after the stupid decision you made this afternoon, I'd be more concerned on whether or not you'll be sleeping alone tonight than if you'll see me in a towel anytime soon."  Tonya's tone was playful, but her eyes were serious.

 Zarbon's eyes dropped in shame and he bowed his head.  "I'm sorry, Tonya.  I really do trust you, but Jake is so aggressive...I was just worried that he might surprise you and something really bad would happen," he said softly.

 "I wasn't talking about that," she replied.  "I understand your motives, even though I didn't think you'd show up.  But you didn't interfere, so I can't complain...too much.  After all, I didn't say you couldn't come."

 "Then what...?" he trailed off in confusion, cocking his head.

 A smirk touched her lips.  "I was referring to you decisions to stand in poison ivy," she answered.  "If you're a pain about the itching, I'll be forced to chain you to the bedpost.  Then you'll complain all night, so if I want to sleep, I'll have to go to my own room," she explained.

 "You'll be forced to chain me to the bed?" Zarbon asked skeptically.  "I'll try to be good, but if you want to eat maybe you should let me get dressed."

 "Yes, because I don't want to share," she purred rubbing her cheek against his chest.  Raising her arms, she slipped the pick into his hair with twist of her wrist.  Smiling, she stretched up to kiss him and he met her half way.  "I suppose I should go, but I still have to doctor your legs when you're done," she said looking thoughtful.  She stepped away and blinked in surprise as the towel slipped.  He caught it before it could fall too far and before she saw too much.  Tonya raised an eyebrow and smirked. 

 Zarbon blushed and gave her a pleading look.  "Tonya," he said, slightly whining and she giggled.  With a flip of her hair, she left him alone.

- - -- - - -  - - -

 Jake walked into lab that next day looking like someone had attacked him with pink white out.  A white bandage was wrapped around his head, hiding the bruise from his run in with the tree.  He walked stiffly, trying to minimize any motion that would make him itch, but even breathing fell into that catergory at the moment.  The only reason he'd come was to show that damned girl that she hadn't beaten him.

 The TA just stared at him a moment, mouth agape, before saying anything.  "My God!  What happened to you?"

 Jake smirked, though it stretched his blistered skin painfully, and tried his best to look smug.  "I had a little fun last night," he said.  "But the girl picked a patch of poison ivy to play in."

 "Who was it?" a spectacled red head in the next row back asked.

 Jake just grinned, then opened his mouth.  "Hey, Bill," Tonya chirruped cheerfully.  "What's up?"

 Jake stared at her in shock, she was wearing her usual t-shirt and jeans, and her hair was in its usual neat braid.  He couldn't see any sign she had any poison ivy.  His throat worked to say something, but he couldn't form any words.

 Tonya looked at him, and her eyes widened in surprise.  "You look like a badly dyed Easter egg," she said quietly.  "What happened?"

 "I got poison ivy from our romp in the woods last night last night," Jake answered bitterly.

 "Romp in the woods?" Tonya asked, cocking her head.  "When did we do that?"  She frowned slightly.  "I think you've been dreaming, Mr. Rivers."

 "No!" Jake shook his head rapidly, despite the pain.  "You and me where in the woods after your lab yesterday," he said quickly.  "We had a little tussle, then your eyes started glowing, and little demons popped out of the ground!"  His eyes were frantic and he seemed to be oblivious to the looks everyone was giving him.  "You told me to run or the demons would eat me!"  His gaze switched to George.  "You gotta believe me!" Jake whined.  "It's the truth."

 Tonya's eyes had widened and she looked quite disturbed by Jake's story.  George glanced her way and she raised her hands.  "My boyfriend met my after class and walked me home," she replied shaking her head in denial.

 "We'll talk later," George said looking hand at Jake who cringed.

 The rest of the lab passed quietly and soon they were the only group left doing the write up.  Tonya was putting things away when George and Bill headed for the door.  The TA had stepped into the supply room and Tonya could hear him talking to someone.  Jake was just sitting there staring at his results, trying to decide what bacteria he had for his unknown.  She picked up her things and started for the door.

 Jake glanced over to her seat and then looked again.  Right where her notebook had sat was a piece of paper.  A slight smirk appeared on his face.  Forgot your notes, Tonya?  Oh, I'm so sorry, but I haven't seen them, he thought reaching over to snatch the paper.  Looking down at the paper, his smirk faded as he read what was carefully printed there.

 Jake,

 Let your obsession die here and now.  I will not tolerant your shit any longer.  If you try to harm or threaten any of my friends or family, I will be forced to discipline you again.  And it will be much worse next time.  Are you in pain?  It will not compare to the pain you will experience if you cross me again.  Remember that darkness can hide a lot more than the truth.  Be good or regret it.

Jake looked up at the doorway and paled.  Tonya had stopped there to make sure he got the note, and the hate was clear in her eyes.  Without a word, she turned on her heel and left.  After several minutes, Jake packed his things and left the building, the note carefully folded in his pocket.  He had just got to the bottom of the stairs when he saw the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on.

She smiled and walked towards him, hips swaying provocatively and he felt his body respond.  Patti stopped in front of him and looked down her nose at him.  Without warning, she racked him hard and he dropped to the ground in agony. 

"That's for my friends.  Don't fuck with women, asshole," she growled.  "Remember, we travel in packs."

She walked off and left him lying then in pain.  As the pain faded slightly, he wondered how hard it would be to get into a private, all male college far, far away from Kansas.