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Under Rhys's enhanced vision, the layout of the room becomes visible. The first impression is clutter; messy, but not dirty. Clothes, books, CDs, and other things lie scattered about. After a while, the overall shape of the room comes into focus; it's a lair.

The bed is a mound of blankets and clothes; the elusive scent is stronger there, and Rhys realizes it's her smell.

Alicia doesn't say anything. The wetness on her cheeks are words enough. She's hesitant to move to the bed, but doesn't pull away. Once there, though, she doesn't get in.

Standing there, she looks at Rhys. Her voice is leaden, washed-out. "Ree-is. You can't stay. They're right. Donnie's right. What he sees in me is all I am. It's like I told you back then. Sex and violence. It's all I know.

"All I do is ruin things and hurt people. Nothing good can come from me.

"If you stay, I'll just end up hurting you too. I can't help it. And I... I don't want you to be hurt."

"Sex and violence is all you know? Well, then, it's time to learn more. And I don't want to hear that nothing good can come from you because I don't believe that for a moment. There's good in you, and if you don't see it then you're just not looking for it hard enough. I see it; I saw it from the start. If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't be here right now. And I'll risk the hurt. I'll risk it because it's worth it. I'm glad you don't want me to be hurt, but you can't stop that. Life hurts. So let's enjoy what we can when we can.

"I don't know who ground you down and made you think so little of yourself, but they were wrong. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure you see that the way I do."

His voice is quiet, here in her sanctuary, but insistent.

Rhys manages to inject some heat in Alicia's voice, but perhaps not quite the way he intended.

"Listen to yourself! Good? What good? Was there anything good in what went down in the lunch room? Don't you get it? Everything they said was true! I hurt Sammy, terrorized Sylvia, antagonized Donnie. I even pissed off John, for God's sake!

"You keep saying that there's good in me, but I know it's not true."

Rhys remains calm.

"Just because everything they said was true doesn't mean it has to stay that way. And not everything that was said was negative about you. Sammy said there was good in you. She also pointed out the viscious cycle that you're trapped in. You project an image that everyone else sees and they treat you a certain way for it and then you see how they treat you and it reinforces that image and you come to believe it.

"You are more than you give yourself credit for. I know it. And if there's something that I don't get, it's why you continue to beat yourself up. You're out of whatever horrible situation it was that you were in and it's time to heal and grow.

"Please let me help you."

Alicia shakes her head in frustration.

"Listen!" she insists. "On Saturday, when I sparred with Jack, something happened. He said some stuff, about how he recognized the way I fought, that someone he knew must've trained me. I don't remember anything like that, but when he said it, it sounded right.

"And the sparring, it felt familiar, like it was something I'd done before. A lot. And, and... I don't know, it's like a door opened in my mind, for just a second. I think I got a glimpse, a... a feeling of what was beyond that door."

Her breathing is sharp and clipped, like that of a trapped animal. "Ree-is. I used to worry about whether I'd be scared to get back what that bastard took from my mind. Now I know not to worry. I know to be afraid."

Her hands grip his arms, tightly. "I... I had a dream last night. I was... beating up a girl. Badly. I don't know who she was, why I was doing it. And the me in that dream, she was enjoying it.

"When Donnie described what that Torrance girl did to him, it hit me. I knew that those people had wanted me to do a job. But they did more. They used me. Used me to do horrible things. And made me into someone who wanted to do them.

"And I think that someone is still in me..."

Rhys stands there in her fierce grip, calm and implacable.

"You were used. You were taken and molded, shaped into this thing that you fear so much. You're afraid that there's nothing left of you to change back. That you were baked in the fires of adversity and have hardened like clay into pottery and there's no going back. That if you try to change again you'll shatter and no one can put the pieces back together again like Humpty Dumpty, am I right?"

Alicia stares blankly at Rhys for a few seconds.

She hiccups a thready laugh between gasps. "Ree-is, my amor, sometimes I have no idea what the hell you're saying, but somehow I manage to understand."

She sobers up quickly, though. "It's more like this evil thing is in my head, and it's still there, waiting for a chance to come out when I'm tired or distracted. That's why you can't stay. 'Cause sooner or later I'll slip and it'll come out and hurt you."

"Then I'll deal with that when it happens. And I'm a lot harder to hurt than I look.

"But I think you're pushing me away for another reason, too. All this pain and misery, it's familiar. It's what you've lived with for all this time and what you think you're probably going to have to live with forever. And pushing beyond what's familiar and into uncharted territory is risky and frightening. You may not believe it right now, but there's a chance I can help you but you're too afraid to take it."

Please let this work...

"And I don't think you're the kind of person who backs away from something just because she's scared of it. So take that chance, Alicia. Jump without any safety net and see where you land. You're right - it might be a disaster. But it might be something wonderful, too. And you're not afraid to take that risky path, are you?"

Alicia looks at Rhys levelly, an expression that he's never seen before in her face. There is strength without rage, intensity without fear.

"I don't have a choice. If I don't find a way of... fixing me, it'll just be a matter of time before I stop being me at all. I might as well be dead then.

"I've already agreed to train with Jack; he may be able to teach me how to... control this. Colin can help, too, unless I've already sent that chance down the crapper."

She looks down for a moment. "I'll have to stay away from the group, at least for a while. I can't be trusted. It's not fair for them to have to deal with my problems. Especially Sammy. She doesn't deserve it."

She puts a finger on Rhys's lip to forestall any objection. "I can still stay in touch. I have the cellphone. If they need me, I can be there.

Her face softens. "And I'll have you." Her tone makes it almost a question.

"Damn right, you will."

He puts his arms around her.

"That's twice now you've tried to get rid of me but I just won't go."

He pulls her in tight.

"Come Hell or high water, I'm here."

He kisses her.

Alicia sighs and surrenders to the embrace. She returns his kiss and rests her head on his shoulder.

"Ree-is?"

"Yes?"

Alicia takes a dry swallow, trying to work up her courage.

She raises her head to look into Rhys's eyes from inches away.

"A lot of stuff will be happening, and I want to make sure you know. I mean, I'm not sure myself, but...

"I think I love you."

A wicked grin spreads on Rhys' face. "About time you figured that out. I love you too, you little minx."

Her eyes tear up as she smiles. "Sinverguenza," she scolds him, teasingly.

She gives him another kiss and puts her head back down on his shoulder.

Told him you love him, didn't'cha? Beautiful. That'll make it hurt so much more when you inevitably break his heart.

OOC: Crap! Forgot something. I guess Alicia did too.

Alicia suddenly bolts upright. "Ree-is!"

She looks at him with a touch of alarm. "Mom doesn't know about what happened to me with my head! Please don't let it slip in front of her!"

"Shhh, calm. Of course I wouldn't say anything." He strokes her hair. "You've nothing to fret over from me."

Alicia does calm down some, although the thought now dredges up other emotional debris.

"I should've told her, but I wasn't even sure what had happened, and I was afraid of what she'd do, and what could happen to her if she tried to find them, or..." She runs down of words and looks at Rhys fearfully.

"It's okay," he says as he hugs her tighter. "You only didn't tell her because you were trying to protect her. That's a good and noble reason. You love her. How can someone capable of such love be entirely bad. See? There's good in you after all, just like I said."

Alicia shakes her head with a baffled smile. "You never quit, do you?"

"I've gotta keep pounding away at it, otherwise how am I gonna get through that thick skull of yours?" He grins crookedly, trying to look extra charming.

Alicia sighs, still smiling.

She gives him one more hug, then says in a businesslike tone, "Considering how the day has gone, the last thing we need is for Mom to walk in and find us in bed with me naked. Let me get dressed, you should call your dad and let him know where you are."

She stops, looking worried. "Am I getting you in trouble for doing this? He's probably wondering where you are."

"No. He's not usually home from the office until around six. He trusts me to keep myself occupied and out of trouble until then. Couldn't hurt to call him, though." Rhys pulls out his phone and calls his father.

"I heard the school got let out, something about a sprinkler system malfunction?  Anyway, you can tell me all about it when I get home."

"Yeah, um, about that. I'm over at Alicia's because... well... it's a long story. Could you swing by and pick me up on the way home?" He gives the address.

"Sure.  We can get Chinese and save me having to cook."

Alicia is glad she keeps her room in the dark. For some reason, hearing Rhys say it makes her cheeks glow red.

She reaches down and grabs some clothes from the floor. Slipping into her usual "home" clothes (an old overlarge T-shirt and gym pants), she steps out into the apartment's main area and waits for Rhys to finish his call.

She looks self-conscious, trying to act the role of hostess. "Um, we don't have much to offer. There are towels in the bathroom if you want to finish drying off. I think there's some soda left if you're thirsty."

She stands there at a loss. Without her shades to hide behind, her vulnerability is that more apparent.

"Ree-is?" Alicia asks once she's worked up the courage again.

She wrings her hands as she speaks. "What am I gonna do about... well, the group? I understand I should apologize but... I'm not sure I can do it without screwing it up yet again."

"Sounds great. See you when you get here. Bye." He closes the phone and then makes his way out to where Alicia stands.


"I'm fine, don't worry about me." And indeed, he seems dry enough already.


"It's your temper that gets in the way, isn't it? You try to do the right thing but then something sets you off and you just can't control yourself, right?" He grabs her wringing hands and holds them in his. "I can help you, but you have to let me."

Alicia bites her lip, still fretting. "How? This can't wait."

She pulls out a hand from her grip to brush her hair nervously. "There's that girl, Gena; we're trying to find out who may be trying to kill her. Donnie and I were supposed to go talk to that Preston guy to get some clues, but my stupid psychodrama botched that up. And if we wait any longer, whoever it is may try again, and if we're not there to stop it, he'll succeed..."

As she speaks, her concern begins to ramp up into a full-blown anxiety attack.

"Shhh... Calm." He pulls her into a hug again and strokes her back while he continues. "I can think of a few ways we can turn this around. And even if we can't reduce the tension between you and Donnie, I can just go in your place. They only wanted an unknown quantity along, after all. It could be me just as easily as you. Just until all this blows over, and it will. I'll make sure of it. Don't worry.

"But first, there do need to be apologies all around. Not just from you, but from everybody, me included. We'll make it right, you'll see."

His voice is calm, soothing and confident.

Alicia closes her eyes as she tries to relax in Rhys' arms.

"I did it again, didn't I? Aargh!" she says, snarling in frustration.

"Apologizing won't do any good if it just ends up happening again. Dammit!" She adds a few more words in Spanish, unclear in meaning but obvious in context. This time she checks herself before letting the outburst get out of control.

She strokes Rhys's arm as she calms down again. "Let them know I am sorry, Ree-is, especially Sammy. I can't be with them, but it's not their fault."

"Of course I'll tell them. But don't worry about that right now. Right now I just want you to calm down and relax. Do you have a funny movie you like to watch? Or a game to play? Something to take your mind off of all this for a little while.

"How about some ice cream? You want some ice cream?"

He smiles at her - one of his big, dumb, dopey, genuine smiles.

Alicia looks at Rhys with an abashed expression. "Usually I go rooftop runnin' when I want turn my brain off, but it's been too cold lately. And I may be in enough hot water with Mom without making it worse by ruining dinner, so no sweet stuff 'til then.

"I do have a couple of tapes that Mom got me for Christmas that I haven't watched yet..."

She goes rummaging in the cabinet of the entertainment center. Rhys notices that there is indeed an aged VHS player sitting in its shelf.

She pulls out a secondhand copy of Disney's Treasure Planet and self-consciously shows it to Rhys. "it's got a song by Johnny Rzeznik from the Goo-Goo Dolls that I like."

"Put it in, I've never actually seen it."