Ryan followed Syd down the hallway to the elevator, his heart feeling lighter than it had in years. Being around her was fun, and until recently, fun was something that his life had been sorely lacking in.

She kept a few steps ahead of him, putting an exaggerated swing into her slender hips as she walked, and slowing frequently to throw meaningful glances over her shoulder at him. The performance was incredibly... Syd, combining brash assurance and clumsy naivete in equal measure. Watching her was enough to bring a smile to his face.

It was also enough to remind him of the promise they'd made, a promise that he was very much looking forward to fulfilling. Tomorrow, she'd told him, and the next day and the day after...

The only thing preventing him from fully relaxing into the mood was his concern for Amy. Between last night and this morning, there was obviously something different about her. Something... off. She'd looked absolutely exhausted, but it was more than that. All of her responses seemed uncharacteristically terse, almost apathetic, like she was going through the motions. There had been no sign of the confident, self-assured manner that he'd come to expect from her.

She couldn't have... no. If she knew about me and Syd, she would have said something by now.

Wouldn't she?

When it came to understanding other people's feelings, Ryan had never been all that skilled. The long years he'd spent in brutal, sometimes solitary, captivity did little to improve his capabilities. Unraveling an opponent's battlefield strategies and devising counter-moves was simplicity itself, in comparison to figuring out their emotional state.

The elevator arrived, and they stepped in together. Syd punched the button for the ground floor.

Maybe I should just ask Amy what's wrong, he thought. What's the worst that could happen?

His imagination immediately began supplying luridly-detailed disaster scenarios that could follow from such an innocent question, each one worse than the last.

Okay, okay, maybe not.

She'd taken him to task for bringing Syd onto the team without consulting her first. Ryan didn't want to think about how she would react if she found out they were sleeping together. It would be apocalyptic, he had no doubt.

"I've been thinking," Syd announced, breaking him out of his introspection. "We're going to need a plan. It's too important for us to wing it."

"A... plan?" Ryan had no idea what she was talking about, and his confusion was plain on his face. "To deal with the Zorvax, you mean?"

She froze, mouth open, then glanced down at her feet in embarrassment.

"...um, no." Syd paused. Her body language indicated that the only reason she hadn't taken off running was because she was trapped in the elevator. "Earlier today we were talking about what shows you should watch, remember?" Her voice got smaller with each word she spoke. "I was just thinking that five years is a long time, and... you know, we should make a list or something. Then we could, um, watch them together." Another, longer pause followed. "...if you wanted to?"

"Syd, are you proposing an anime date night?"

"Well, maybe I was, and maybe I wasn't," she replied, giving him a shy smile. "If I did, would you say yes?"

"Absolutely. It sounds like fun."

"Oh." Her smile grew. "Oh! Yeah, you're fucking right it sounds like fun!"

She threw herself against his chest, drawing a surprised grunt out of him and reminding both of them that he was still recuperating from the injury he'd sustained. Grinning, Ryan used his good hand to tousle her hair until she shoved him away with a feigned squawk of protest.

By the time the door opened onto the lobby, she'd fixed her bangs in the elevator mirror, and her confident strut was back in full force.

"So, who is this guy we're meeting?" he asked.

"You'll see. Just follow my lead, okay?"

"...sure."

The sidewalk outside was deserted save for a single man, which Ryan supposed meant that he had to be the Adam they'd come to see. He was tall, probably only a few inches shorter than Ryan, and rail-thin, sweating in the midday heat. Dressed like that, it's no wonder. His tailored charcoal three-piece suit, with its matching tie and honest-to-goodness white gloves, must have made it feel like he was standing in a sauna, but there was no sign of discomfort evident on his pinched face.

"Good afternoon, Mistress Eleanor." The man bowed as he spoke, a stiff, jerky dipping motion that Ryan thought was eerily reminiscent of the penguins he'd once seen at the Seattle zoo. "Your parents are relieved that –"

"My parents are relieved?" Syd cut him off with an annoyed gesture. "Really, Adam? They told you that? In those exact words?"

Adam's cheek twitched, although his tone remained politely respectful.

"They... ah, intimated it, Mistress Eleanor. You are aware of how busy they –"

She snorted, interrupting him again.

"Oh yeah, I'm aware. They totally blew you off when you tried to tell them, didn't they?"

Drawing himself up even straighter, if that was possible, Adam lifted his chin slightly to peer down at her along his nose. He had the perfect face for giving out haughty looks, Ryan thought, gaunt and thin-lipped, with close-set eyes and prominent cheekbones. His neatly-trimmed salt-and-pepper mustache added to the effect... although it didn't quite offset the unconvincing comb-over fighting a doomed rearguard action against his advancing bald spot.

"Your parents have only ever wanted what is best for you, Mistress Eleanor. I am here now because they instructed me to watch over you in their stead."

"Whatever." Syd had her hands on her hips, head tilted back to match his stare. "Did you take care of all that stuff that I asked you to?"

"Of course, Mistress Eleanor. There were no difficulties. Am I to take it from this request that you intend to resume attending classes at the university?"

"Not a fucking chance! Adam, you know that mom changed my major without even talking to me about it first, don't you? She went right over my fucking head and called the fucking president of the fucking college! I didn't find out until the next day when I tried to go to class and my professor told me that I wasn't enrolled anymore!"

"I... was aware of that, yes. She had concerns that you were not applying yourself fully –"

"You mean she was worried that I'd embarrass her by underachieving. No, I'm not going back unless she apologizes first, and we both know that won't happen. I need this for something else."

"Something else. How very nonspecific." Adam glanced over at Ryan. "Does it perhaps involve this gentleman?"

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot to introduce you two!" Syd skipped over to Ryan's side, then wrapped her arms around his and snuggled in against him. "Adam, this is Ryan. He's my new boyfriend!"

He looked askance at her, trying to keep the surprise he felt off his face. New boyfriend ? Is that what I am?

Just go along with it, she mouthed silently at him.

Uh... okay, then.

"Your new boyfriend," Adam repeated tonelessly.

"Nice to meet you," Ryan said.

Stepping forward, he offered his hand. Adam stared down at it like it was a cockroach that had scuttled across his kitchen floor.

"...charmed," the man eventually replied, making no move to unclasp his own hands from behind his back. "Mistress Eleanor, do you believe this course of action to be prudent?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Syd demanded.

"All of your siblings' potential partners were put through an extensive vetting process, to ensure that they were... suitable." His eyes cut back to Ryan. "Intending no offense, sir. I am certain that your intentions are honorable, but..."

The emphasis he placed on his words made it clear that offense had absolutely been intended, adding at least a dozen sentences of unstated disapproval.

Crossing his arms, Ryan gave him a flat look in return.

"I dropped out rather than let my parents pick my courses." Syd released her hold on Ryan, stepping forward to glare at the man. "Do you really think I'm going to give them a say in something like this?"

"Mistress Eleanor..." The man's words trailed off with a sigh. When he spoke again, his tone was marginally less formal. "Sydney. Your parents have been willing to extend you a certain degree of leniency in your personal life, because you made the decision to cut yourself off from them, and from their resources. If you begin drawing on your accounts again, that forbearance is unlikely to continue."

"I'm not backing down on this, Adam. If they want a fight, I'll give them one."

The slender man studied Syd's face. After a long moment, he sighed again.

"I believe you have made your position clear, Mistress Eleanor." Adam covered his mouth with a gloved hand, then cleared his throat. "Ah-hem. As you requested, there are two new cellular phones in the bag. Here are your keys. Your vehicle is fueled and waiting for you in the parking garage, and a small amount of discretionary money has been transferred into your usual account."

As Syd took the offered items, he continued, "Please try to be circumspect in how you spend it. Your parents were quite serious when they discussed assigning you a security detail, should you cause another public incident."

Ryan stepped between the two.

"That sounded a lot like a threat."

"It is a warning," Adam corrected him. "Her situation is already precarious, and your presence will not help matters. Whatever you may think, I do care for Mistress Eleanor. It would pain me greatly to see her disowned."

"Adam, I think it's time for you to leave." Sydney's voice had grown faint, and although she gave the instruction calmly, he could see the first hint of tears starting to gather at the corners of her eyes. "We're finished here."

"As you wish, Mistress Eleanor. If you require anything else, you may contact me in the usual manner."

Turning on one heel, the stonefaced man marched off, his gait as stiff as his posture had been.

The moment he was out of sight, Syd's face fell. She staggered over to the nearby wall, leaned heavily against it, and let the bag slip to the ground. A quiet sob shook her shoulders as she sank down to her knees with her head buried in her hands.

"Why the fuck can't I be normal?" she asked through her fingers, her voice cracking.

Ryan was beside her in an instant. Ignoring their timetable, the fact that they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk, and the looming threat to the entire planet, he crouched down and gently wrapped her in his arms.

She went rigid, then suddenly relaxed, pushing her face against his chest.

"It's always been like this, Ry." As she cried, the words came tumbling out of her. "Nothing is ever good enough for them. They want to control every second of my life, but they won't even give me the time of day. The only time I see either of them is on holidays, or when I really fuck up. Like, Jesus... what does a girl have to do?"

Squeezing her tighter, he tried to find the words to comfort her, but failed. Fortunately, it didn't seem like she was looking for a reply; holding onto her and listening to her spill out her troubles was enough. Gradually, her sobbing tapered off.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into his shirt. Pulling out of his embrace with a final sniffle, she wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "This is a lot for you to deal with, isn't it?"

"It could be worse," Ryan noted. "At least nobody's shooting at us today."

Syd started to chuckle. Halfway out, the sound turned into a tearful hiccup.

"You've got a point."

He gave her a wry smile, then mussed her hair. This time, she let him get away with it, closing her eyes and leaning into his hand.

"So... your boyfriend, huh?"

"Oops." She blushed, hiccuped again. "I guess I should have asked you first, huh?"

"That is the traditional way to go about it, yes."

"You're not going to believe this, but..." Syd began. Hesitating, she opened and closed her mouth several times before squaring her shoulders with a determined expression. "...I've, um, never actually gone on a date before. Last night was my first kiss."

"Wow." Ryan did his best to sound convincingly surprised by the completely unsurprising admission. "I had no idea."

"I know, right? But it's true!" She stood and dusted off her knees, then offered him a hand up. "Before I met you, only three kinds of guys ever took any interest in me." Her casual tone did little to mask the hurt beneath her words. "The ones who wanted to use me to get closer to my parents, the ones who were sent by my parents, and the ones who got scared off by my parents when they found out."

Taking her hand, Ryan let her pull him back to his feet.

"...if we're going to take this any further, Ryan, then you really should know who my parents are. They –"

"I don't care."

"W-what?"

"Syd, when you decide you want to talk about it, I'll be here for you. Until then, you don't have to tell me anything."

"But you have no idea what you're getting yourself into!"

"Whoever your parents are, Syd, they're not going to chase me away. I'm willing to bet that they don't have any fleets of space battlecruisers at their command, or any legions of Enforcers they can send after me. Compared to the enemies I've already made, I don't think they're going to seem all that scary."

"I wish you'd stop doing that," she muttered.

"Doing what?"

"Being too good to be true. Every time you say stuff like that, it makes me want to pinch myself, to make sure I'm not dreaming." Ryan obliged her, and she let out a startled squeak. "Ow! What was that for – oh, very funny."

He laughed.

"You're not dreaming, Syd. When I was in a tight spot, you were willing to go out on a limb for me, even though we'd just met. All I'm doing now is trying to return the favor."

"It wasn't like that."

"No?"

"I'm not a hero like you are, Ryan." Syd looked down, shame tightening her voice. "I don't give a damn about doing the right thing, or saving people, or any of that crap. The only reason I took your crazy offer is because I thought I was about to die, and the only reason I stuck around afterwards is because I wanted to keep this thing." Touching the Changer as if it was a talisman, she swallowed heavily. "If the bad guys had come to me first and made me the same offer, I can't honestly say that I would have turned them down."

"I don't believe that for a second."

"What makes you say that?"

Ryan placed two fingers beneath her chin, tipping it up until she was looking into his eyes.

"You care about people, Syd, whether you're willing to admit it or not. I've seen it. There's no villain in you, I promise."

Renewed tears glistened in her honey-brown eyes, but the pain he'd seen in them earlier was finally beginning to fade.

"You do?" Syd whispered.

"I do. I believe in you."

Leaning in, she grabbed a handful of his shirt and kissed him.

This time, she relaxed the moment their lips touched, inviting him to take the lead. The kiss they shared was slower, more deliberate... more passionate. When they pulled away from one another, she made a low, throaty sound.

"I want you," she murmured. "Here. Now. Can we...?"

"We are absolutely not having emotional rebound sex in a dirty alley." He caressed her cheek, hoping to take some of the bite out of the rejection. "Tonight. You promised, didn't you? But we've got a lot of work to do first." His fingers traveled down along her side. Coming to rest on her hip, he gave her backside a firm pat. "Go on, give me a view of that cute little butt while you walk us over to your car. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to find out what Mistress Eleanor's ride looks like!"