By Monday morning, Henry had gone back to San Francisco, and Micah, and the girls were back in school.

By lunch, Phoenix was already having a terrible day. She'd gotten a D in Mad Science on an answer she'd given in class, and couldn't decide if that was because Warren was a bad tutor or if was more the fact that she didn't really pay attention to what it was that Warren was saying because she was completely distracted by his mouth and how absolutely kissable it looked.

She was losing her mind.

Ever since Henry had whispered…well, she didn't like to think about it; it merely made her blush and that wouldn't do anything other than embarrass her.

She walked down the hallway, completely absorbed in her own thoughts until her shoulder was slammed into, causing her to fall down and scatter all her books and papers across the linoleum. She looked sharply at the person who had run into her and instantly knew that it had been on purpose.

Sophie Freeze stood haughtily over her, hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips. "Why don't you watch where you're going?"

"Excuse me?" Phoenix demanded as she struggled to her feet. "I'm pretty sure that you were the one to bang into me."

Sophie let out a fake little giggle and shifted to lean her weight on the other hip. "Like someone as small as me could knock down someone as…" she looked Phoenix up and down and her smirked intensified, "…large… as you."

Before Phoenix could retort, the blonde was on her way back down the hallway, leaving Phoenix completely alone to pick up all her scattered belongings and get them to her lunch table.

She reached her usual seat, slamming all her papers and books down before plopping into her chair. "Ah, I hate her!" she exclaimed. Peyton nodded, looking at her cousin with the smallest of smiles.

"Me too."

Phoenix rolled her eyes. "You don't even know who I'm talking about."

Peyton shrugged and bit into her sandwich. "Solidarity, sister." She held up a fist in a motion of power and it brought a small smile to her cousin's lips.

"Sophie Freeze."

"Ah, I should have known."

The rest of the table was completely absorbed in the conversation, even Warren, who had gone so far as to set down his book and give Phoenix his complete attention.

"I'm assuming she had something to do with this," he suggested as he picked up a sheet of paper and gestured to the random pile of belongings. Phoenix nodded and started shoving papers in a folder.

"Yes, she slams into me on purpose, then has the audacity to pretend that she didn't."

Warren felt his hands start to smoke and he put them in his lap to hide that fact. "Oh, then she had the balls to call me fat."

There was a cry of outrage from every female at the table, even Magenta. Because as every girl in the world knows, that even if you aren't fat (which Phoenix really wasn't) it still was a major insult and ego blow to be called so.

The boys at the table all had the good sense not to ask why that was so terrible and Zack even went so far as to venture his opinion. "I don't think you're fat, Phoenix."

She smiled a genuinely happy smile. "Thank you, Zack, I appreciate that."

"At least you can kick her ass in Save the Citizen," Peyton suggested helpfully, and Phoenix looked confused as she continued to shove papers anywhere that they'd fit, not worried about organization.

"What are you talking about? Save the Citizen is only on Fridays."

Peyton shook her head, a proud grin flitting across her countenance as she discovered that she knew something that Phoenix didn't; a rare occurrence.

"Coach Boomer is off for some reason, so they're having it today because apparently it's vital to our education as the future superheroes of the world. And, if she bumped into you, twenty bucks says that she'll call you out in Save the Citizen."

Phoenix nodded, knowing that Save the Citizen wasn't really her thing, but maybe this time, it'd be worth it, just to kick Sophie's ass.

Sophie Freeze and Michael Corrine were up first for Save the Citizen, Michael deciding that they were to be villains. Coach Boomer seemed surprised by this, as did Sophie, given that the pair had chosen to be heroes every other time they'd played since freshman year, but he let it go and told them to pick their opponents.

Michael instantly had chosen Warren, and let Sophie make the other choice. Sophie pretended to think about it for a good minute or two before finally choosing Phoenix, who had been anticipating it. She hadn't expected Warren to be her partner, but wasn't complaining, because his fire could so easily drown out Sophie's freezing. Corrine was a muscle man, nothing more than testosterone and weightlifting. A big guy at six-four and two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle, one would think that he'd be a terrifying opponent for a girl who was five-six and one hundred and thirty pounds. But Phoenix was delighted: he was huge, and slow, she was smaller, and relatively quick. As long as Warren kept Freeze distracted, she'd be able to get to the citizen without a problem.

They all stood, dressed, and ready. Phoenix was facing Corrine, and having the disconcerting thought that he was a lot larger when they were on even surface, but she trusted her speed, and Warren's ability to distract his ex.

"Hamilton, Hothead, you're the heroes. You have three minutes to immobilize your opponent and save the citizen," Boomer called out to them as their names appeared on the giant scoreboard and he set his stopwatch. "Ready. Set. Battle!"

A horn sounded and the battle began, the citizen mechanically shouting "Save me!" as the two teams of super teens sized each other up. Then, something Warren and Phoenix weren't ready for: their opponents switched tactics.

Corrine went for Warren as Sophie came after Phoenix.

The citizen dropped a few inches.

Corrine swung out at Warren, who dodged easily and tossed the smallest of fireballs at him. Boomer laughed, enjoying his view of what he considered a good time, ignoring the several fouls that had taken place in the last few seconds.

Phoenix was surprised at the switch and her momentary lapse of judgment allowed Sophie to get in a swirl of ice and snow. Phoenix grit her teeth and bent low, doing her best to shield herself and make her body as small a target as possible.

Sophie Freeze merely laughed and Phoenix could hear the distinctive crunch of one of the boys hitting the sideboards, she was unsure as to which one, but the sound still made her a little queasy.

Sophie paused just for a minute, allowing Phoenix to gather her strength and send a telekinetic shockwave out, hitting Sophie around the knees and knocking her back a few feet.

Phoenix went for the citizen but Sophie hit her again with ice and snow. However, the blonde ice queen had learned from their last little encounter and didn't give Phoenix time to react with her own powers; she merely stepped closer and hit her again as quickly as possible.

Phoenix resisted the urge to scream, the icicles slicing through her skin; at least that's what it felt like to her. It hurt, a lot, and her agility wouldn't help her against Sophie Freeze, given they were pretty much even in height and weight.

Vaguely Peyton's voice echoed in her ears, but she couldn't make out what it was that she was saying. Then the barrage of ice and snow stopped.

The citizen dropped a few more inches, now barely a foot above the spiked death machine.

Warren was latched onto Sophie's arm, keeping her preoccupied as Phoenix stood and looked around wildly for Corrine. The muscle man came into view quickly, tossing Warren aside like he was nothing more than a feather, freeing Sophie from his strong grip. Phoenix rolled her eyes as Corrine went back to attacking Warren and Sophie returned to attacking her.

She had had enough.

The citizen dropped a few more inches.

Phoenix reeled back and punched an unsuspecting Sophie Freeze right in the nose, causing the blonde to tumble backwards onto her ass. Half the crowd cheered, half of them groaned.

Boomer seemed torn between calling a foul and letting it go.

Michael and Warren paused in their fighting to look at the bloody front of Sophie Freeze and the already bruising knuckles of Phoenix Hamilton, before Warren went on the offense; keeping Corrine distracted, Phoenix mustered up the last dredges of her telekinetic ability and got the citizen safely down to her awaiting arms.

The horn blew again and the fight was called to an end.

Warren dropped his hands but Corrine went for one last swing, and got him, right across the jaw, sending him flying backwards and into the wall. He didn't get up for what seemed like hours, but was most likely seconds, and then Boomer's whistle blew.

"Two fouls!" he called and the entirety of the gym, minus Phoenix and Warren, looked up at his chair.

Phoenix was too busy kneeling next to Warren, grasping his arm and helping him to unsteady feet, and Warren was too busy trying not to move his jaw.

"Corrine for hitting after the time is over!" Boomer called, Phoenix ignored him until he opened his mouth again, "And Hamilton for bodily harm!"

"What?" Phoenix roared, outraged, spinning to look at Boomer and dropping Warren's arm.

"You heard me, Hamilton, the both of you, get cleaned up and then to one hour detention after school!"

Phoenix stood there, gaping up at him like a fish out of water. She couldn't believe this. She had been defending herself and she got in trouble for it? What the hell was this? Wasn't the whole point of Save the Citizen to simulate an actual battle between good and evil? Did they really just expect her to lie down and take a beating? Especially from the likes of Sophie Freeze?!

She knew she hated this school. Totally fascist.

"Freeze, Peace, head to the nurses' station!" Boomer called a few seconds later, noticing that Sophie's nose was still bleeding, and that Warren was gingerly attempting to move his jaw to assess the damage done to it.

Each of the four teenagers did as they were told. Warren and Sophie headed over to the nurses' station without changing, and Corrine and Phoenix headed to their separate locker rooms to clean up and then get to detention.

"Can you believe that they won?" Ethan asked excitedly as he and his group of friends all headed to their lockers, changed from gym, and readied to go home.

"What I can't believe is that Phoenix clocked Sophie," mused Magenta, sounding a little proud of it.

Layla and Peyton nodded, smiling. They were all proud of their friend and would be properly annoyed for her when she came home, sure to be ranting and raving about the unfairness of the situation.

"But what was up with Corrine, man?" questioned Zack as they all headed out to the platform.

"I know," Will jumped in. "I wonder why he chose to be a villain?"

"Probably so he could pummel Warren; did you see how he went after him?" Magenta replied as she, Zack, and Ethan got on their appropriate bus, Will and Layla flying together. Each of them musing on the more than exciting game of Save the Citizen.

Phoenix changed her clothes hurriedly and then collected her stuff and headed off to detention, praying to God that this school wasn't like a citizen school and called your parents with stuff like this. Because if they did, she was in a shitload of trouble with her parents and probably with Layla's as well; after all, she was living under their roof. And damn her luck that she had to do her detention with Corrine in the room.

Warren stalked down to the nurses' station as requested, although he knew he probably wouldn't need her help. His jaw was already feeling better; he was nothing if not a quick healer. However, it would be totally worth it to listen to Spex's rambling on and on about nothing just to get to see Sophie Freeze with a bloody nose up close and personal.

He entered the office and Nurse Spex looked at him once and told him to have a seat that she'd be with him in a moment. Sophie Freeze was on the examination table, her head tilted backwards, a cloth stained with her blood held up to her nose. After a few more seconds, Spex allowed her to lower her head and remove the cloth.

Warren watched her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, she'd been crying, and her nose was crooked. It was definitely broken; blood smeared over the majority of her face. All in all, Sophie Freeze looked like a total mess and Warren wanted to feel good about that fact, but he also felt a small pang of worry. For as much as he hated the bitch for what she'd done to him and much more recently, how she was treating Phoenix, he still didn't want her hurt. Emotionally maybe, but not physically.

Still, as Spex told her that she'd have to go get her nose set by a plastic surgeon, since it had been broken in two different places, he couldn't help but feel a warm swell of pride that Phoenix had done that, and with only one punch.

It was impressive.

Phoenix finished her detention and was on the bus home when her cell phone rang. She looked down at the screen to see her father's name flashing.

So Sky High did call your parents when you got detention.

Great, that was exactly what she needed to top off her day.

She debated pushing the button to ignore him but knew that would only get her in more trouble later; when it came to her father, it was best to get it over with quickly, else he had time to fester and really put thought into what he was going to say when he yelled at her.

"Hello?" she asked tentatively, knowing full well that he was going to open with yelling.

"What in the hell is your problem?" he demanded, sounding enraged.

"Nice to talk to you, too, Dad," was the sarcastic reply. He chose to ignore her.

"Punching another student? And detention? What are you doing there? We sent you there to make you better, not worse!"

"Yeah, well, she deserved it," was the only thing that Phoenix could think to say. Her heart was weighed down heavily in her chest, bright tears forming in her eyes, but dear God she would not let them fall, she would not let him do this to her, she wouldn't let him affect her like this.

"And Arctic Freeze's daughter? Are you trying to give me enemies? Why don't you ever think about how your actions are going to affect the family, Phoenix? Damn it, you are such a disappointment."

Her throat tightened, as did her grip on the phone as the bus came to a stop about a block away from the Williams home. She slowly stood up and exited the bus, all but hyperventilating in her attempt not to sob.

"You know, I thought at one point I could expect better from you. I guess I was wrong. There is no reason for you to act like this Phoenix, now clean up your act, or I will let them take you to jail."

Now, she was a little angry, a small fire having lit itself in the pit of her stomach.

"If you do that, then what will people say? Huh? Wyatt Hamilton's daughter in jail? How scandalous!"

Her father's irate tone came back, "Don't you talk like that to me, Phoenix Trinity Hamilton! I will let them take you to jail and I will sever all ties to you if they do that. Clean up the act."

That was his last word. He hung up the phone without so much as a goodbye and Phoenix felt her stomach churn, that fire gone. She closed her cell phone and returned it to her pocket, shifting her backpack on her shoulder as she reached the front door to the Williams home. Her home.

Well, it certainly felt a hell of a lot more like home to her than San Francisco.

Her tears caught up with her and she felt a few leak down her face. She attempted to pull them back but couldn't. The dam had been broken.

She tossed her backpack in the grass and collapsed on the front steps, her head in her hands, sobbing her heart out. She couldn't go in and face them, not yet, she had to calm down. She'd never liked crying in front of people. Never liked breaking down. It just wasn't her style.

She sobbed for what seemed like seconds, but was probably much longer, before she heard someone nervously clearing their throat. She looked up quickly to see Warren standing in front of her, his hands in his pockets, looking unsure. She quickly ducked her head again and wiped her tears, trying to think of something that would help her get her face back to neutral.

"Hey," he greeted her, his brow furrowed; he looked and sounded incredibly uncomfortable, "are you okay?"

She nodded, still wiping her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me, I'm…" She couldn't finish the sentence; her tears were threatening to close her throat again.

To his credit, Warren didn't agree or contradict her. He merely sat down on the steps beside her as close as he could get without actually touching her and put his hands in his lap.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked her, again sounding as though this was the last place he wanted to be.

She looked out in front of her, debating on whether or not she could tell him. He waited in silence, not pushing, letting her tell him when she was ready.

"My dad called after detention. Apparently Principal Powers called him and told him all about Save the Citizen. He was irate. I've never heard him so angry or so disappointed."

Warren nodded, still silent, offering her emotional support.

She hiccupped before continuing. "He told me that I was a disappointment and that if I didn't clean up my act, he would let them take me to jail."

Warren turned to look at her sharply as her tears came back.

"I told him that it would be an embarrassment if I went to jail, people know I'm his daughter. He said that he'd sever all ties with me. He'd cut me out of the family."

Heart-wrenching sobs came back and Warren wrapped a tight arm around her shoulders. He knew exactly how she was feeling. Tied down by a man whose name she shared but whose wishes she defied. His own father hadn't been there for him, and so his heart broke when she sobbed because he knew what that was like.

She resisted for a moment or two before finally collapsing against his side and chest, gripping his t-shirt like it was her last lifeline and sobbing her heart out.

He rocked her gently and ran a soothing hand over her hair, trapping her effectively between his two arms and against his chest.

"Shhh, it's gonna be okay, Phoenix, it's gonna be okay."

"I just thought…" she trailed off, her sobs too harsh to form any more words. Warren shifted just a bit to get closer to her and she gripped him tighter, her other hand around his arm now.

"I've got you," he soothed, "it's gonna be okay."

"I…" She attempted to verbalize her thought again, but once more was thwarted by the tears still pouring from her brown eyes. Warren's hand kept smoothing her hair as his other arm wrapped around her back, effectively cradling her without her sitting on his lap.

"You just thought that he was your dad, and all you wanted was for him to love you."

Warren spoke her thought for her and for a moment it silenced her sobs. Then, a few minutes later those sobs became muffled and trailed off into very undignified sniffles. She attempted to sit up and wipe her face, but Warren's grip was strong and she just collapsed right back into him.

His hand continued to run through her hair as she released his arm and wiped her face as clean as she could. "How did you know that's what I wanted to say?" she asked him, managing to keep the hiccups to a minimum.

He smiled wryly at the top of her head, and she would swear she felt him kiss the crown of her hair, but she wasn't sure.

"Because I have a dad who is in jail, who couldn't give up his bad tendencies to be with me and love me; because I know how you feel."

She sniffled and gripped him tighter. "I'm sorry I just got mascara all over your shirt."

He shrugged, still holding her, still rocking her, his chin resting against the top of her head now. "Doesn't matter, it's black anyway, you can't see it."

She smiled softly. "At least one thing good happened today." Well, two if she was counting what was happening right now, but she wouldn't say it out loud with Warren right there.

"What's that?" he asked her, his grip loosening just a bit now that he was sure she wasn't going to go back into hysterics, but not anywhere loose enough to suggest that he wanted her to leave his embrace.

"I got to punch Sophie Freeze."

Warren chuckled. "And break her nose in two places."

She turned in his embrace to look up at him in question. "Really?" she asked and he smiled a real thousand-watt smile.

"Yeah, Spex said she'd need a plastic surgeon."

Phoenix laughed a real, happy laugh. "Well, I bet her daddy wasn't expecting to pay for two nose jobs."

It was Warren's turn to laugh and for a moment, it was just the two of them, holding onto one another tightly, smiling and looking into one another's faces.

Warren reached out and gently wiped a stray tear from her cheek. That seemed to break Phoenix of her reverie. "Oh god, I must look like a hot mess," she exclaimed, pulling away from him and wiping her eyes again to attempt to reduce her teary-eyed raccoon look. Warren let her go reluctantly.

"Well, you're half right," he told her and she looked at him in surprise. Did he just imply that she was hot?

He smiled at her. "You are a mess."

She laughed again and playfully shoved him with her shoulder. He playfully nudged her back. "You're mean to me."

"Yeah, I know."

They smiled at one another again and then Phoenix took a deep breath. "I better get inside, they're probably expecting me."

Warren nodded, standing as Phoenix did. He bent down and picked up her backpack, handing it to her without a word. She took it.

"Thanks Warren."

He nodded. "Not a problem."

She bounced on her toes for a minute before leaning up and gently kissing his cheek, promising herself that she would commit to perfect memory exactly how she felt in that moment. His skin was warm, soft, smooth, and she could just imagine how kissing him for real would be.

She really was losing her mind. She pulled back quickly, probably quicker than normal, but if Warren noticed he didn't mention it. In fact, he looked quite speechless.

"Really, thanks."

He nodded again. "Anytime."

She started up the stairs as he started back down the sidewalk. She stopped on the porch and turned back to face him. "You wanna come in? We're baking again."

He grinned in remembrance. "No, it took me hours to get those brownie stains out my clothes, my mom had a fit. Besides, I gotta get to work."

She nodded. "Okay then, I'll see you later for tutoring?"

"Sure, I'll see you then."

He walked away as she let herself in the front door and deposited her backpack where it belonged on the stairs before heading into the kitchen.

"Oh, honey, Layla and Peyton told us all about it. You okay?" Sarah Williams asked as soon as she saw her surrogate daughter. Phoenix nodded. She'd cried things out with Warren. She'd be just fine.