Disclaimer: Don't own anything, most unfortunately
Summary: They're back and remembering. Remembering the good ole' times on this faithful day
Pairing/s: Some implied; mostly Lisa/Dax
Genre: Friendship, Humour, Romance - is fluff a genre?
Song/s: The best years of our lives, by Evan Taubenfeld.
A/N: Another Christmas thing, because I was forced o for my friend.
Dedicated: Shapeshifter23.

White covered the houses all over; sort of like blankets trying to keep the covens warm from the cold all over the place. Flake of snow danced in the sky, most of them choosing different paths; some of them choosing to fall on the ground, others on the homes of people here and there, others wherever nature told them to.

Inside the college, a large mug of tea in hand, Dax Jones stared out, just watching the flakes, thinking how strange it was that they sort of reminded him of all the Colas. In spite of the cold weather around, the conditions it brought to the world, they somehow still remained happy, cheerful, carefree to the world around them; choosing to go wherever they wanted to, at times colliding with each other, others distancing themselves.

Dax sighed and it caused a ripple in the tea. A blanket was around his shoulders, legs pulled up to his chest, his eyes constantly on the scenery outside. There was an urge burning inside him to become DaxFox and jump through all the snow; to feel the way the light snowflakes fell on his snout; the feeling of being more than grateful for the coat of fur he had to somehow make him immune to the coldness of them. To feel free.

But his entire body was rooted to the sofa, unable to move, too filled with apathy. An apathy which was well deserved, mused Dax, thinking of all the times he'd been jumpy and alert. Maybe his body was sick of it all. Maybe.

His senses were as sharp as ever, though. He could easily smell the hot chocolate, the eggnog, the tea, the various foods being prepared in the oven; he could feel the heat coming from the stove, from the kettle in the kitchen. He could hear them all too; the bustling going in there as the two girls tried to make them. He could hear the desperate clicks on the videogame console, as the virtual people fought and screamed out in pain, and their puppeteer was cursing under his breath, eyes fixed only on the TV. That was what was most comforting, though; the sounds of his friends all around him, their scents, and the sense of excitement hanging in the air.

"Are you ever going to stop?" said a voice at the door. Dax didn't turn round, knowing already who it was. Gideon, on the other hand, swiped round, frowning, clearly annoyed that he was disrupted from currently shooting the bad guy in his violent videogame.

Lisa stood in the doorway, leaning against it, arms folded across her chest, eyebrows raised, her eyes mostly on Gideon. Gideon scowled slightly at her, put his controller down and said, "What do you want, Hardman?"

Lisa's lips quirked up in a smirk. "I asked if you were ever going to stop, Gideon," she said. "Or are you too deaf to understand?"

Gideon rolled his eyes and stood up. "What's your problem if I'm playing videogames? Better than having to listen to countless spirits badgering in my ear."

Lisa's dark eyes flashed. "Well, you could be helping us out in the kitchen, you know." Dax could feel her eyes going to him now. "You too! All you've been doing, the both of you, is sitting around here, while Mia and I have been working in the kitchen!"

Gideon snorted and sat at the edge of the table. "Right," he said. "Poor little Hardman. Can't stand the thought of having to do something yourself for a change, can you?"

"Oh, please," said Lisa. "As if you've ever done anything yourself. Remember, Reader, in spite of everything, you're just as spoilt as I am."

Gideon opened his mouth to say something, but Dax interrupted.

"She's right, Gid, you know," he said, sounding amused, though he didn't look at either of them. "You are kind of spoilt, if you think about it."

Gideon was glaring at him, but Dax could tell he was grinning in spite of himself. "I am not," said the telekinetic in a huffy voice. "And on whose side are you, anyway? I thought you were my best—"

"Lisa?" Dax heard Mia say. "We still have the mince pies to finish, you know. Leave Dax and Gideon alone—I think we can manage without them too."

Lisa sighed and Dax heard her leave the room. Once she closed the door behind her, Gideon rounded on him, not quite able to keep the grin off his face, but his voice sounded pouty.

"Look, Daxy-boy, I know you're looking up for your girlfriend and all, but really—"

Dax finally looked at him, feeling a slight blush creep in his cheeks. "She is not my girlfriend, Gideon," he sighed. Gideon's grin widened and his eyebrows wriggled up and down.

"Right," he said. "Sure she is not."

In spite of being vaguely embarrassed, Dax rolled his eyes and tried to act as casual as possible. "Whatever. I'm more worried about whether or not the others will be coming."

Gideon's grin subsided, instead replaced with a thoughtful look. "Hmm," he said. "Maybe. Let's hope they will be coming. Lisa and Mia have gone through a lot to prepare those meals, you know. Even Mia's dared touch some of the roast duck and we both know how revolted she is of such foods." A devilish smile slithered on his lips and his pale green eyes glinted. "Remind me, for her birthday, to give her some, okay? And for next Christmas, I'm giving her all the kinds of meat in the world."

Dax grinned. "Now that would be just mean, Gid," he said. "How would you like it if someone gave you some icky, squishy chocolate for Christmas and your birthday?"

Gideon's face contorted in a look of fake mortification. "You're right," he whispered. "I would send that person to the grave."

Dax laughed softly. "Yeah. See?"

Gideon shrugged and took out a bar of chocolate, rolling his eyes in pleasure. Dax watched him, laughing, until Mia entered the room, telling them they should probably get ready for the meal. They both got up and followed her to the dining room, laughing and joking all awhile.

When they reached the room, they all sat down at the table which had rightfully been theirs, back when they'd been younger and still at Cola Club. It had been reserved to the "Fantastic Four" or "Fab Four", considering how the other Colas liked to call them. When Gideon had first heard the name, he'd felt kind of guilty (Dax had easily smelled it on him, when Alex Teller first delivered it) that it wasn't five instead of four, considering Luke. But then, when he'd seen how happy Luke was, spending time with Clive and Barry and the Tellers, he couldn't help but feel happy too.

The three friends all sat down, Mia smiling and looking flushed and pleased, while Gideon grinned at Dax, who smiled back, still with his mug of tea in his hand.

"Where's Lisa?" Gideon asked Mia. Just then, the blonde came in, looking irritated when she laid her eyes on Gideon, but she didn't say anything, sitting down next to Mia.

The four sat at the table, saying nothing. Silence hung in the air as they all stared out in space, each lost in thoughts foreign to others. None of them was sad though. All of them, even Lisa, had ghosts of smiles on their lips.

Then, Gideon spoke.

"I sort of miss it all, you know," he said and his voice sounded weird to Dax. Thoughtful, devoid of any Gideon cockiness. Dax frowned slightly, staring into his mug of tea. "I miss just lounging around the common room."

Lisa sighed. "I miss it too, I suppose," she said. "I probably even miss having those Teller pests around." She wrinkled her nose. "On second thought, no, I don't."

They cackled and the silence seemed to fade away, as they all started talking—talking about all the events that had happened, about everything, even subjects hard for some of them. As usual, like before, these conversations were mostly led by Lisa and Gideon who sometimes said something to annoy the other, Dax adding things here and there, mostly telling off his friends for arguing, while Mia remained mostly quiet, but with a huge smile on her face, laughing softly at Lisa and Gideon's bickering, but also joining in on trying to stop it.

"Hey," said Gideon at one point, grinning. "Do you guys remember the incident?"

Mia giggled while Dax blushed and Lisa glared at the telekinetic.

"Actually," said Mia, "there were four."

"Oh yeah," said Gideon. "One was with me and Luke—another with you and Barry. Jake and Alex, and..."

"And then Alex and Luke tried once more," Mia finished, grinning.

Gideon laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, I remember. Poor blokes. You nearly killed them, you know," he said, looking at Lisa. Lisa huffed indignantly and folded her arms.

"They had it coming," she said haughtily, glaring at her friend when Mia tried to stifle a laugh. "Oh, don't talk," she said to her, sneering slightly. "You turned so red when those Teller idiots tried to pair you up with your little Spencer Williams, that it was weird to think you're paler than pale."

Mia stopped laughing, blushed, and sent Lisa a hard look. Lisa smirked. "Ha," she said. "See? Just one mention of Williams and you're as red as a tomato."

"Hey, give her a break, Hardman," reproved Gideon, but he was grinning at both Lisa and Mia now. "We all know that you two have the most complicated lives, when it comes to boys. I mean remember that time when Mia was caught up between three or four boys, back at the sea-resort?"

"I was not," stressed Mia, looking accurately embarrassed now. "It's not—it wasn't my fault they just..."

"Couldn't resist you?" giggled Lisa.

"Or no," said Gideon, interrupting Mia before she say anything to protest. "Remember when that girl tried beating you up for flirting with her boyfriend, back at the disco?"

Lisa cuffed him round the head. "I was not flirting," she said testily. "I was talking to him. But what do you want if some people have dumb, idiotic minds perceiving the stupidest things—including yours? I mean, both Mia and Dax know that I was not flirting—right?"

Mia and Dax remained silent, grinning up at her instead with looks that said, "sorry, but you kind of were."

Lisa narrowed her eyes at them and said, "Hey—you know I had no idea he had a boyfriend! It was hardly my fault."

"Ha!" exclaimed Gideon, pointing a finger at her. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Lisa sent him a weird look. "What's up with you, Reader?" she sneered. "I always knew you were stupid but I didn't—"

"You admitted!" said Gideon cheerfully. "You admitted that you flirted with him!"

"I did not, but like I said, your mind is way too stupid to ever—"

"Oh, just stop it, will you?" scolded Mia, sounding more amused than angry or annoyed. "We're not here to argue."

"What are we here for?" said Lisa, not quite getting over her huff. Almost immediately they lapsed into silence, all thinking hard. Then Gideon looked up, shrugging.

"To remember, I guess," he muttered, again with the strange voice Dax did not quite recognise.

Dax looked at the rest of them, perceiving their thoughtful looks as ways in which they were remembering. He frowned and sipped at his now cool tea, wondering what was going on in each of their minds. He was tempted to ask them, but the question was on the tip of his tongue and he supposed it was better to leave it be an unasked question.

"Yeah," said Gideon and his voice regained its animation. "To remember. To remember how pitifully oblivious Dax and Lisa were to their feelings for one another."

Dax and Lisa both perked up in their seats, both sending similar glares in the telekinetic's direction.

"We never felt anything for one another, Gideon, and you—"

"Oh, please, Hardman," said Gideon, waving his hand and his eyes glinting mischievously. "Do you honestly not remember the time when you both nearly kissed?"

"Really?" said Mia amused. "When was that?"

"Gideon, don't!" both Lisa and Dax said in unison, but Gideon ignored them. Instead he got to his feet, grinned at Mia and gestured for her to follow him. Eyebrows raised, Mia followed him to the kitchen where he not so subtly closed the door. Dax could hear him go into a heated explanation of perhaps their life stories.

Dax sighed and set his tea down. "Perhaps I shouldn't have told him about all those times," he mused, his fingers drumming lightly on the mug.

Lisa scowled slightly and folded her arms. "You think? Now he's probably going to give her some allusion or something. Brilliant."

Dax looked at her, smiling vaguely. "Isn't it true, though?" he said amused.

Lisa snorted. "Well, yes, but that doesn't mean that he has to go spreading it all around," she retorted.

Dax chuckled softly. "Remember when you kept trying to lay the hint?" he asked.

Lisa's lips quirked up in a smile. "Yeah, and you were too dense to notice," she said. "Yeah, I remember. You were a bit stupid back then."

Dax raised his eyebrows. "Thanks," he said sarcastically. She laughed and cuffed him lightly round the head, playfully, and he couldn't help but laugh with her.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen Gideon started so quickly and briskly Mia had a hard time understanding.

"...and then they declared their undying love for each other," Gideon finished his explanation, having said it all in one breath. How that was possible, Mia had no idea. "I swear it's true!" said Gideon, trying to catch his breath.

"Um...if I was actually able to understand anything, then perhaps it'd be better," said Mia, half-smiling. Gideon gave an annoyed noise, sighing and then taking something out of his notebook. He handed it over to Mia, who looked it over, curiously.

"What's this?" she asked.

Gideon smirked. "This is a little book entitled Of Snobs and Foxes. I came up with the name," he added proudly.

Mia opened it and saw an untidy scrawl. "Is this your writing or Luke's?"

"Luke's," said Gideon. "He's a lot better at writing than I am—obviously. He does read countless books, doesn't he?"

Mia flicked through the pages, intrigued, and asked, "How is he?"

Gideon hesitated for a moment; then, "He's fine."

Mia glanced up. "How's he dealing with—you know?"

Gideon's face darkened. "He's fine," he muttered again. "He's found himself a girlfriend, so it's all good, right?"

"Who?" said Mia, momentarily forgetting her tact.

"Jessica Moorland," said Gideon, suddenly cheerful again. "Weird, eh? He got a girl before I did. Even Tyrone managed to!"

Mia laughed. "But anyway, where were we?" said Gideon eagerly. "Read it and find out their little secrets! And before you're wondering, there're three events. Luke and I only managed to capture only three, most unfortunately, but they're all so cute and adorable it's like we're living in one of those cheesy Disney original movies!"

Mia smiled and flicked it back to the first page, trying hard to decipher Luke's messy scrawl. Gideon and Luke might have been as different as could be in personalities, but they sure did share their horrible calligraphy. She squinted; unable to tell whether that letter was an "a" or "o", and then Gideon sighed and took it from her hands, muttering something about how annoying blind people could be.

"God," he grumbled. "Our writing is very intelligible, thank you very much. How can you not understand it?"

Mia coughed to hide her laugh. "Um, I'd rather not answer that," she said, grinning at him slightly. He huffed, mock-glared at her, and then opened the book. He stood up straight, raising his head, and looking down at the notebook. Then he cleared his throat and began...

( I. Of Witches and Not so Unrequited love

It was times like these which Dax Jones hated—no, loathed. It was times like these which made him want to just curl up in a ball, scream out at the world for annoying him so, and wishing that what was going to happen was not true. It was times like these when he wished he could simply fly off all the way to Spain, to meet with Owen and Tyrone, to get away from the troubles following him at Cola Club.

Only this was not exactly a trouble following all the Colas—only him. It's been following for years and years, ever since the death of his mother.

Gina. If there was one thing (he didn't think of Gina as a person) he hated more than animal cruelty, it was definitely Gina, who was not an animal; she was the killer of all animals. Dax felt like tearing her to shreds whenever he saw her.

He wasn't a violent boy. Violent thoughts barely ever crossed his mind, at least when he was DaxBoy. In his three other forms, he couldn't help but think of the ways he'd eat up the other little critters, however much he resented himself afterwards. After all, he was a part-time animal; and with great power came the great urge to snap the poor bunny's head off, and then the great urge to curse that urge.

When it came to Gina though, especially if she did something to annoy him greatly—meaning nearly all the time—he wanted more than to just rip her head off. In those moments of great anger and resentment and annoyance, all his be-a-good-boy morals were gone. No longer did he care about not using his powers to hurt anyone human, but Catherine. No. Because, as he had stated before, Gina was no human. She was a monster.

Lisa could see it all, most to her unfortunate luck. It was bad enough to have to listen to Dax moaning and brooding about his father's absence, in his mind, while he wasn't even aware of it; but to have to see the flashes of violent images going through his head made it a lot worse. It was even worse than seeing those annoying spirits sending her dark, bloody images of their deaths. She didn't doubt that when Gina would die, Dax would probably throw a party. Well, he probably wouldn't, seeing as he would be more "mature" (she doubted that he and Gideon would ever actually grow up), and these thoughts he was thinking while a child would surely fade away.

Maybe.

And what was the tragedy following Dax Jones? Gina and Alice were coming back for another weekend to be spent up in the cottage.

Again.

And considering everything that had happened the last time they'd been here, Lisa knew that her friend was also anxious, not only angry. He was probably nervous as to what the air about the cottage would be like. Lisa also knew that he was not worried because of Gina—he could handle her, or so he stated. No, he was more worried about Alice. He loved her, though he would never admit it, and didn't want any other scenes to come out like last time and for her to be present.

Gideon would try to convince him that she was older now and would probably be smart enough to run away if she heard them starting to argue, but Dax would not listen. Then Lisa would reluctantly try, and it would be to no avail. Then Mia would try and, of course, Dax's tensed muscles would relax, before, again, the worry would nag him.

It made him in a weird state, Lisa noticed, over the next week. It had been a week ever since he'd found out and he was, to say the least, not pleased. It had made his raised spirits go down, down, almost resulting into him being a walking zombie, like after Owen had "died". Most of all, though, Lisa knew that he was disappointed. Disappointed that it'd been Gina and Alice who had decided to visit him, rather than his father. Lisa knew that it crushed his heart, but he would simply place it in the back of his mind and try not to dwell on it.

"Sorry, mate," Gideon shrugged and patted his best friend's shoulder sympathetically. They were sitting at their usual spot near the fire, Dax with his face in his hands. In less than twenty four hours he would be with Alice and Gina—again.

Mia smiled gently at Dax and Lisa knew that she was sending healing warmth to him, but that didn't really help his hunched shoulders. Lisa wanted to say something to comfort him, but being kind to people and helping them with their problems had never really been her forte.

"Great," Dax muttered, his voice muffled. "Just great. How am I going to survive two full days with Gina and her stupid antics and Alice and her dolls?"

"Maybe she got rid of them," said Gideon. He shut his mouth when Dax sent him a glare and arched his back, hands at his side and his pale, slightly horrified face coming into view.

"No, she hasn't gotten rid of them," he said. "She still has them. More than she used to have, also. Like...one hundred, maybe? A hundred fifty?"

Gideon snorted softly. "Sorry, mate," he said again, but he was biting his lip and clearly trying to stop laughing. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Yeah," said Dax. "I wish."

There was a brief silence; then Gideon patted his shoulder again, and handed him a huge chunk of chocolate. "Take this," he whispered. "It's special chocolate. Came all the way from Italy."

Dax looked at him, back at the chocolate, and then shrugged and took a bite. His eyes widened for a moment before he continued to chew on the bits.

"You could always fly away or something, you know," Lisa said. "Big deal. She can't do anything anyway. She's afraid of you now, ever since you displayed your amazing powers to her and Alice."

Dax shrugged and continued eating.

"What do you think she'll do when you show her you have another form?" Gideon asked, suddenly perking up and his eyes filled with mischief.

Dax looked at him levelly. "I am not going to show her anything," he said. "Not anymore. Even if she annoys me, I'm going to leave her be."

Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"No," said Dax airily.

"It'll pass fast, this weekend, you'll see," said Gideon. "Don't worry."

Dax said nothing.

"Oh, come on, now, Dax," said Gideon. "You can't be sulking about this, can you? You're worse than Lisa when she's forced to see her poor nail broken."

Lisa kicked his foot, but he didn't say or do anything about it; instead he grinned at Dax who laughed weakly, as though that was the only thing he could manage. It made Lisa a bit annoyed. Okay, she got that he was acting all moody and depressed because Gina and Alice were coming, and he was nervous; but he didn't have to act weak, did he? He was acting like Gideon and that, for a reason she could not exactly fathom, annoyed her greatly.

"Get up," she demanded sharply, all of sudden, doing so herself. Dax looked up at her, confused.

Lisa glared back down at him and, blocking out some writhing spirits in her ear, she snatched his hand up and said, "You. You and I are going out on a run, okay?"

Dax looked baffled now; Gideon and Mia didn't have any idea either what was wrong with Lisa, although the telekinetic did have a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Why?" said Dax.

Lisa dropped her arm, letting go of his hand, and faltered. She had no idea what had overcome her. Just like that, she'd decided she'd had enough of his moaning and complaining.

"I don't like mopers," she said. Gideon let out a loud laugh. She glared at him. "What? I don't."

"Look who's talking, Lees," Gid said, grinning at her. "You're the biggest sulker I've ever met!"

Lisa put her hands on her hips, forgetting about the small display she'd just let them witness now.

"I am not, Reader," she sneered. "And if I ever do sulk, it's—well—expected! I mean, would you like it if tonnes of people randomly talked about their depressing life stories? I get that enough from them; listening to Dax is not helping me!"

"You are such a hypocrite, Lisa Hardman!" Gideon declared, looking gleeful and laughing. "You're telling Dax to stop sulking, yet you do it all the time."

Lisa's mouth opened and remained there, as she tried to rack her brain to come up with something to insult him. When she found she could not come up with anything, she shut her mouth shut, glared at him, and walked away in huff ignoring Dax and Mia's call for her to come again.

Later that evening, Lisa walked out into the night and simply ran, annoyed at the stupid spirits which would not her relax and, even more so, at the annoying, irritating, freckled, blond, clueless slob who thought he knew everything about her. Who was he to say that? He knew nothing about her, and yet there he went acting as though he were god or something.

Lisa snorted and her pace grew as her breathing became laboured and hard. She ignored the sweat beginning to form; simply let her legs take her to wherever she wanted, listening to the whistling wind replacing the crying voices of the stupid spirits.

The next day, Dax was more than miserable at breakfast. She could almost hear the way his stomach churned in fear, and felt a curious, strange sympathy for him which she just shook off as being normal. He was her friend, and she wasn't as cold and cruel as people said she was, so it was obvious she would feel nervous for him. Or it could even be their telepathic link, in which they perhaps shared more than simple thoughts. Maybe their telepathy had evolved during the years, in which they'd both helped the other out, so that it was now an empathy one as well—you never knew.

"Good luck, Daxy-boy," said Gideon, grinning at Dax as he made to leave the college. Mia smiled at him and wished him luck, too, while Lisa simply nodded and said, "Be careful there."

As the three walked, Gideon said, hands behind his head, "Be careful? That's all you can say to your future boyfriend?" He shook his head, and flashed a cheeky grin in her direction. She simply shot him a nasty look, while Mia coughed lightly and stood between them as they walked towards the common room.

In there, Lisa found that she could not tear her gaze away from the clock. Gideon kept on muttering something about her being "so in love that her heart was breaking at the fact that Dax was not there", and snickering at her. Whenever he said something about them, she would feel her fingers curl and her jaw would clench, but she'd never look at him or say anything. Again, she was confused as to why she was so worried about Dax. Big deal, he would survive, wouldn't he? He'd done before, and now surely Gina would be smart enough to get out of his way, and he'd be smart enough (though Lisa doubted it) to not annoy her. Well, if it would have been Lisa, she would have done whatever possible to step on Gina's nerves, just for fun, but she knew Dax didn't really like angering people. In which case he should probably have checked his tactics at keeping everyone at peace, because he was definitely annoying her right now.

"Where is he?" Lisa muttered, after Mia told her that they had lunch. Lisa followed her friend outside, though now she was staring at the watch on her right wrist.

Mia shrugged. "He's staying there the entire weekend, Lees," said Mia, sounding uncertain. "You know that."

Lisa looked up at her, annoyed by the fact that she cared. "So?" she said, trying as hard as possible to sound nonchalant. "Doesn't mean he'll be okay."

Mia shrugged again and said nothing, although Lisa could feel the waves of warmth wafting in her direction. She was grateful, but they didn't do much help to reduce the annoyance, and more annoyingly, the worry.

Stupid Dax, she thought.

After lunch, Lisa went back to her place and continued to stare at the clock, not really paying attention on the time but rather the way it ticked. It was an annoying sound. Who needed it anyway? It just went on and on and on for hours, days, weeks, months, years, and it always managed to annoy people. What use was it?

"Lisa?" said Mia. "We have to go now. We have to go to bed."

Lisa didn't look at her, but said, "No."

"Lisa," said Mia again, wearily. "You'll see Dax tomorrow evening. Come on now."

Lisa swiped round, her anger coming to the surface. "Why do you think I'm sitting here because of Dax?" she snapped. "I am not! Don't you ever think that, you hear?" She started to get up ignoring the surprised looks everyone was giving her. "I am not worried about him! In fact, I think he's the stupidest idiot for being afraid of her. Big deal! If any of you creates any type of image then—" She let the threat hang in the air, glaring at them all. Then she turned round and walked up towards her dorm. She snarled at Jacob Teller when he said, "Heart is aching, isn't it?" and did not hear Gideon's shout of laughter.

The next day she completely ignored the other Colas, even Mia and Jennifer, instead deciding to sulk rather than anything else. She could hear Gideon making jokes about her, all the while either smirking or grinning at her, and Mia telling him to stop.

She resumed the actions like the day before and it went by pretty much like the last one, save the nagging voices of her friends. She simply sat in front of the clock, no longer trying to contemplate this annoyance and worry. She didn't care any longer.

Why? said a completely annoying and stupid voice in her mind. Because you know that you more than just like him as a friend! Ha! Ha! Lisa Hardman's in love! And the voice continued to laugh, sounding very much like Gideon and those annoying Tellers, whom she heard making jokes behind her at all times. Something in the back of her mind, not the voice, told her that they were right, however much she hated it.

Yeah. Right! It was so not right and if anyone dared to ever say that again she swore she would—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound. A door opening. Her heart gave a loud thud of excitement, and then she mentally cursed herself for actually caring and being excited. She looked at the clock and saw that, somehow, it was past eight o' clock.

And a voice which said, weakly, "Miss me?" in the other side of the common room confirmed her thoughts. She hated herself when she started to feel happy and, even more so, for actually getting up and running towards him. Actually, that would not have been that much of a big problem if she had; but it was worse when she just flung her arms around him and muttered, "Finally, you dumb fox!" against his ear.

"Told you," she could hear Gideon whisper to Alex Teller.)

(II. Of broken legs and Pride

Dax had never wanted it to happen this way, really. He had planned for a nice, cool evening in which he would enjoy the fresh air in peace, the smell going through his nostrils and putting his jumpy mind at rest from any form of paranoia that might be lingering there, ever since his last encounter with Catherine. He still shivered to think of that; he hadn't like the way Catherine had looked so lustful for power, so scary, so tempted to make the sight of her taking the life out of his friends, supposedly "killing" the only teacher he had ever come to love deeply and look up to, the last sight he'd ever have before he died.

Only this was probably going to be the last sight he would ever have too; well, if Lisa was tempted to do the same thing.

Of course his peace had to be disrupted (although, considering how many times that had happened in the past, he'd grown used to it) when an irate blonde just had to show up, right next to him, muttering to herself and running fast enough so she kept pace with the fox. Dax had decided to go out on a run, deciding he hadn't much since last year, due to his fear that Owen or someone else was going to appear to cut the chip out of his neck again. He had told himself it was stupid for months and months, and eventually, reluctantly, decided on not running about the college anymore; but then the first layer of snow had appeared, and then the other and he couldn't help but want to simply jump about it. He hadn't expected anyone else to join him, though, least of all Lisa, who usually complained on what the slush resulting afterwards did to her shoes.

He didn't question her when she suddenly appeared out of nowhere, an average height silhouette in the dark running and jumping over and plants, and then accompanying a fox. Over the years, Dax had managed to get over the oddness in the situation, although they hadn't done this for a long time, ever since Tregarren.

It was kind of annoying, Dax decided after about ten minutes ever since Lisa had come along. He had wanted to prance about through the snow, to go to the frozen lake (though when he thought of that, he was also reminded of what happened afterwards when he'd tried that), and to simply act like an animal without worrying that he was going to accidently hurt anyone during his excitement. And then Lisa jut had to come along. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy her company, it was just that, during her clearly sulky mood, she would probably snap at him for even moving an inch away from the route.

He was also confused as to whether to feel sorry for her or just plain annoyed with her. Whenever Lisa was sulky, it was never good, because it either resulted in loud screaming sessions at spirits only she could see, or resulted at loud screaming sessions at him and / or Gideon. And you could never tell why she was sulky, but Dax guessed, judging by the loud volley of curse words he'd heard about half an hour ago, it was most likely that she'd just fallen out with Gideon.

Dax gave out a low sigh which, as usual, came out as a raspy bark. Lisa's head jerked up and her eyes snapped towards him, narrowed and flaring with fury.

"What?" she hissed.

Dax shrugged and decided to stop, slightly out of breath and, even more so, bored. As much as he loved and cared about Lisa, having her presence there to stop him for doing whatever he wanted was not entirely nice. Lisa, though, continued to run, although her eyes remained on his, her head twisted round. Dax simply wrapped his tail around his legs, grinned at her, and waited for her to stop.

Only she stopped far too sooner than he'd thought and that was not in a convenient way either. Lisa was too preoccupied with glaring at him, and sulking, that she was most likely did not see the block of ice that blocked her, so that was probably why she fell, first face, in the snow, her gasp caught in her throat.

Dax immediately stood up, ears pricked and alert. He ran towards her, her loud groaning amplified due to his fox hearing, and stopped by her, worried and feeling slightly guilty. What he saw made him feel frightened though.

It wasn't Catherine. No, even Catherine was not quite as frightening as the image displayed in front of him.

Lisa was on the ground, her face and arms in the snow, while she groaned and cursed in an indistinct language. Dax stepped forward tentatively, not bothering to shift and sent her a telepathic message: Lisa? You all right?

Suddenly Lisa's face was out of the snow and she glared at him, although her teeth were chattering. Snow was in her hair, blending with blonde strands, while flecks of it covered her nose and eyelashes. Her eyes were watering, but they still managed to look like a pair of way too bright blue lights, directed at him and blinding him slightly.

"Do I look all right to you, you stupid little creature?" she snarled, sounding fierce, although there was also a wavering in her voice.

Dax shook his head, unmoved by the violent tone, and shifted back to a boy. Thankfully, this time he'd been smart enough to take a coat along with him, but the cold still managed to make his nose and ears freeze. He ignored them and instead asked Lisa, "What's happened?"

Lisa propelled herself on her elbows, grimacing in pain when she shifted her leg and hissed, with not as much aggression as before, "I fell, what else? And I broke my leg!"

Dax tilted his head, his eyes widening slightly. "You did?" he said.

"Yes," she hissed.

"Oh," said Dax. "Well, let's get you to Janey."

Lisa's heard jerked up further and the flush which had already appeared deepened. "No, Jones," she snapped. "'We' aren't taking anyone nowhere! I on the other hand, am taking myself to Janey alone, thank you very much."

Dax chuckled at this, but stopped when she glared at him. He shrugged. "You can't possibly expect to be able to walk, do you? Let me help you."

"No."

Dax rolled his eyes and knelt down beside her. He took one of her legs in his grasp, gently.

"Which one's injured?" he asked, and her wince was enough to tell him. He nodded and knelt back up, holding down his hand for her to take. She glared up at him, but took it with no further argument, though Dax knew she was probably more embarrassed than ever.

With difficulty she got up, let out a small cry of pain and staggered forward. She would have fallen if it weren't for Dax hadn't caught her arm.

"I'm—I'm all right," she insisted, looking and sounding flustered for some reason.

Dax nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist, letting her put all her weight on his side.

"I didn't need any help, Jones," Lisa muttered into her scarf when they finally reached the college. Dax rolled his eyes.

"Oh, stop being such a brat and just thank me," he said.

Lisa glared at him, but murmured a faint, "Thanks," as he opened the doors. He was glad of the change of temperature, although Lisa didn't even seem to register it, due to, perhaps, the pain in her leg.

He quickly took her to the medical room, where Janey got up from her seat, alert; then she looked Lisa over, sighed, and told Dax to help her sit on one of the beds. Dax did so, gently, and Lisa just sent him a blank look, before it was shadowed with one of pain.

"Can something not happen for once in this place?" Janey muttered, shaking her head, and pushing some dark strands from her eyes. Dax sat on another bed, grinning apologetically at her.

"Sorry," he shrugged.

Janey grinned back wryly and went to inspect Lisa's leg, while Lisa muttered something under her breath about being perfectly all right. Dax knew she was lying, sensing it, but also easily telling from the look of pain on her face. Lisa was normally good at lying and acting, but this once it seemed pretty hard to conceal the pain, even for her.

Dax stayed in the medical room with Janey and Lisa, whistling softly and looking about, while Janey did her work. He wondered why she wasn't calling Mia, but almost exactly when he thought this Janey straightened up and sighed, saying, "We need a healer. Dax—would you—?"

Dax grinned and nodded, going out of the med room, and heading towards the common room where he was sure Mia was hanging around with Gideon. When he got there, indeed, Gideon, Luke and Mia were all lolling back on the sofas, near the fire.

Dax walked to them, told them about Lisa's little injury. Mia looked worried, Gideon snorted, and Luke looked at him curiously, long and hard. Dax felt slightly uncomfortable having Luke staring at him openly, as Mia said she'd go over to the med room and that he needn't come with her. It wasn't that Dax was actually bothered by Luke's staring—at least not much—but when the boy wanted to, his pale, normally warm eyes could be intensified. Then Luke let a small smile slither across his lips and he looked over at Gideon, signing something Dax couldn't understand. Gideon grinned back at him and nodded, signing something back.

Feeling left out, and slightly unnerved, Dax decided to watch the others as they either talked or laughed. Then, after a whole five minutes of watching Gid and Luke signing to each other from the corner of his eye, he sighed, got up and went back to check on Lisa, suddenly assailed with worry. Why he was so worried, he had no idea, seeing as Mia would surely heal Lisa's leg, no problem. Shrugging it off as nothing, he walked down the corridor and knocked on the door to the medical room.

Lisa's face now had some colour in it and she looked relived, beaming at Mia and saying that now she was fine.

"Hmm. You can thank her, yet at me you shout for not leaving your leg to freeze out there," said Dax drily as he entered the room. Lisa turned to him, rolling her eyes, and folded her arms.

"Yes, well, your help was quite unnecessary," she said haughtily.

Dax raised an eyebrow. "Gee, thanks," he said.

To his surprise, Lisa's face softened. And, as if to surprise him even more, she got up, walked past him, brushing their shoulders lightly and whispered in his ear, "Thanks, Furry Face," before walking out. Dax watched her leave with a bemused look on his face; then he shook his head and followed her to the common room.)

(III. Of jealousy and illusions

Normally Lisa didn't really mind Jennifer's murmuring and looks of awe in his direction. She didn't mind the way the glamourist always seemed to space out, lost in a world where only he existed. She didn't mind that one of her friends was suddenly struck with Daxesh-disease, however much her seemingly, and possibly, unrequited love was annoying and irritating. She didn't mind the way Jennifer would blush and stutter around him, tripping over her words. She didn't mind whenever he started to randomly appear in their conversations.

Lately, though, things were going differently. It was near Christmas now, which meant Jennifer was often found, by either Mia or Lisa, in the bathroom, singing in front of the mirror, "All I want For Christmas Is You," by Mariah Carey, causing Lisa to have a major headache, due to her annoyance at cheesy, pop songs.

To make it worse, Jennifer was seriously spaced out, nearly every minute of the day; her eyes huge and staring out in nothing, a small smile on her lips. Even the teachers couldn't get through to her.

It was, to say the least, annoying and sickening.

Dax found it embarrassing, Gideon found it hilarious, Mia found it sweet (yet, at times, Lisa could see her sending her worried glances), and Jenny didn't really care as long as they were talking about the one and only Dax Jones.

"Well," muttered Lisa, one morning, sitting down with Mia, Gideon and Dax at their usual table, watching Jenny through narrowed eyes. "There she goes again, with her swooning over Dax."

Gideon and Mia both craned their necks to see Jennifer staring openly at Dax, semi transparent. Despite the fact that last winter, the chip had been at fault for Jenny's inability to turn invisible completely, this year her love-struck state made it just as bad.

Dax blushed slightly and glared at her. "Can we not talk about this?" he sighed, raising a forkful of sausage to his mouth. "I'm in no mood."

Lisa shook her head and smirked. "Modest, now, are we, Dax?" she teased. "What's the matter? Too ashamed to admit you're equally in love with her?"

Gideon snorted. "Don't talk," he said. "You're just as bad."

Lisa scowled at him, but she did it more out of reflex rather than anything.

"Well," grinned Gideon, toying with his cereal. "You must be just as jealous as Barry over there, when you see how...er...close they've gotten."

Lisa felt herself blushing and she tried to hide her face in the cup of tea in her hand. "Right," she muttered in the mug. "Sure I am."

Gideon nudged her. "Ah, Lisa Hardman, one day you'll come to realise how much you love Dax," he said.

"I do not," snapped Lisa. "Now stop poking me with your elbow, or I will send your Auntie Pam to haunt you, plus that boyfriend of hers. You know, the one who threw you in the lake, that time at a friend's party, because he thought you were some kind of devil spawn? Yeah, that one. Well," she added, "not that you aren't one."

Gideon had a fake offended look on his face. "Oh, my," he said in a breathy voice, raising his chin and fluttering his eyelashes. "I am so, so offended by your nasty remark, m'dear Lisa Hardman. How dare you pick on a feeble, weak person such as myself? I know you are the great Hardman, but surely you mustn't be that cruel."

Lisa sneered at him, but said nothing.

"Ah," said Gideon. "It's fun to annoy you, Hardman. You're so...annoyable."

"Learn how to speak, Reader," said Lisa.

"Oh, knock it off, you two," said Dax. "It's too early in the morning, even for the two of you."

Lisa and Gideon glared at each other, but made no further nasty comments about the other; soon their conversation ended up being a casual one, with lots of Dax-teasing, and Gideon occasionally delivering little jokes about Lisa's "crush". Lisa would kick him under the table and give him some kind of threat, while he'd either grin or roll his eyes. All in all, it was normal.

Only, things started to not be so normal when Lisa saw something she'd rather not have. She and Mia had been talking in the common room, and Lisa had said she'd wanted to get something up from their dorm to show her.

Just that during her way road there, some gruesome image flashed in front of her eyes; disgusting, horrible and definitely not pretty.

What was worse was what it stirred at the bottom of her stomach.

She had honestly, before, never cared about Jenny's crush on Dax. But somehow, seeing Jenny standing so close to Dax there was no space between them made her feel sick to the stomach and, even more so—angry, jealous.

Then she quickly ran up, snatching what she wanted from their dorm, and going back to Mia, making sure that no emotion was obvious on her face.

Later that day, she stared at the ceiling, eyes wide. It was a weird feeling, this jealousy. She'd rarely ever felt it, seeing as she had almost always had everything she wanted, so she was quite foreign to it. Sure, she'd seen it in people's minds, and sometimes was forced to feel what they were feeling, but somehow it was a lot worse when it was hers and not someone else's; like her mind was angry that she was pathetically jealous.

She was also confused. Why would Dax suddenly start—ugh—kissing Jennifer, when he kept on stating that he cared for her only as a friend and nothing more? And why her, most importantly?

Lisa felt a flare of fury for the shapeshifter. Hold on, hold on—she didn't claim to be a very jealous person, nor was she smitten by him, but hello. Who had been one of his best friends for over eternity? Who had helped him for more times than they could count? Who had spent time with him despite her slight annoyance with him? Who had put up with his reckless attitude?

Not Jennifer, not Mia—she and Gideon had; but mostly she had. She had had to deal with his tendency to not things over and simply jump in the fire like an idiot, not thinking of it before. Jennifer had nothing to do with it.

So, that was it, Lisa decided. She was angry (she couldn't bear to say or the other word) that he was stupidly kissing a girl he barely knew, when hello—she was there! In fact there were other girls, rather than some swooning Jennifer Troke.

Lisa shook her head and tried to fall asleep, but the images of them so close together nagged at her and she found them worse, even, than some stupid spirits in her ear. She had to get rid of these stupid thoughts, of this unfathomable anger stirring inside, and just take a deep breath of fresh air.

Deciding that she'd only get rid of them if she went on a run or something, she did just that, releasing a low sigh when she walked out in the cool air. Then she started running, her thoughts thankfully blank and devoid of any Dax and / or Jennifer.

But, fate was kind of cruel to her at the moment, because suddenly a stupid patch of red appeared, dashing right in front of her. She stopped, panting, and frowned as she saw the fox suddenly turn into Dax.

"Well," said Dax grinning at her. "Back for another broken leg, are you?"

Lisa snorted and said nothing more, instead continuing to run, ignoring DaxFox who now followed her, a look of joy, if possible, spread on his snout.

Yeah, because of Jennifer, thought Lisa disgusted, and then wanted to punch herself for caring. It's no big deal! she thought. Oh, just get over it, will you?

Um...Lisa? Dax said in his mind. You all right? It seems like you're talking to yourself. Or is there another shapeshifter about who's also telepathic with you.

Lisa snorted again and glared at him. "No, there is no other shapeshifter," she snapped. "And leave me alone."

Dax paused and shifted back to a boy, staring at her curiously. Lisa also stopped, although she did not look back at him, from the fear of a sudden, unacceptable thought which crossed her mind: didn't he look kind of cute in pyjamas?

"Lisa?" said Dax. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Lisa hissed. "Now leave me alone. And while you're at it, go back to your precious little Jennifer."

Dax stared at her, blinked, and then let out a small laugh. "You actually saw that?" he said.

Lisa looked at him confused. "Well—duh. You two were...well, you know, in broad daylight! Of course I saw."

Dax shook his head and smiled. "Ever heard of illusionists, Lees?" he said.

Lisa blinked. "What?" she said.

Dax laughed. "Spook was throwing some illusion of us making out—at least, Gid told me so."

"Why?"

Dax shrugged. "Gideon paid him some money or something; or Spook had to pay him a debt or something like that...? I'm not really sure, but Gideon decided to tell him to randomly put the image of us kissing, so that he could see your reaction. And well, he saw it." Dax stiffened and a blush crept through his cheeks, visible even in the darkness.

"Oh," said Lisa. "Well—I was—am—just angry that you would be throwing your life away with someone like her and...and all...and...Yeah." Lisa hated stammering and not knowing what to say, but currently it seemed like someone had blocked any of her usually witty comments and such.

Dax nodded. "Yeah," he said sounding quite as nervous. "Never mind."

There was an awkward silence, before Lisa said, briskly, "I'm going up to my dorm," and Dax nodded. She smiled at him quickly and then ran up, having turned a bright red.

Dax watched her leave and she swore she had seen a small smile on his lips.

"Quit staring!" she called back at him and he chuckled.

"Ah, Lees," he said, shaking his head and turning to a falcon and soaring in the sky, feeling slightly more elated than before, and embarrassed as well.)

"So you read it," said Lisa as they came back to the dining room. It was not a question.

Mia smiled and nodded. "Although there was no kissing," she said looking at Gideon.

Gideon grinned and leaned forward. "Ah—not yet! You see, Luke and I, with the help of the Tellers managed to capture more moments with our dear love birds. We have yet to write them."

Lisa and Dax rolled their eyes. "You're such a kid, Gideon," Lisa said. "Honestly—grow up."

Gideon's eyes glinted. "Well, that statement puts you in the category of 'I know I'm in love with Dax Jones'."

Lisa snorted and began to sip at the hot cocoa Mia had brought her from the kitchen. "How so?" she asked.

"Well, you see, you called me a child, because I'm acting so kiddishly because it's like I don't know that everyone knows," said Gideon cheerfully.

Lisa, Mia and Dax all looked at each other.

"Is he on crack?" said Lisa seriously.

"Don't think so," said Dax. "Maybe some kind of chocolate infected crack?"

"Okay, cut it out, you two," said Gideon rolling his eyes. "I was just saying it's pretty damn obvious you two are gonna get together. I mean, it's not even interesting anymore. There's no drama. Oh!" He got up suddenly and ran towards the common room, soon coming back with something in his hands. "Which reminds me," he said, grinning at Lisa and Dax.

Lisa and Dax looked at each other, and then back at Gideon.

"No way," they said in unison.

Gideon laughed and walked to them so he was standing in between them.

"Oh, come on," he said. "Just once!"

"No," they said.

"You're keeping the readers hanging!" said Gideon.

"Readers?" echoed Lisa. "What readers are you dreaming about? Catherine and Luke or what?"

Gideon rolled his eyes. "No, I am not dreaming of Catherine and Luke," he said, mimicking her. "I meant the readers! You see, Luke and I have this book, right, based on moments between you two, right? So basically we both need to capture as many moments between the both of you, write them down, and then start selling said book to all the Colas around, who anyway already know you both as 'The Golden Couple'. So go on!"

"No."

"Don't make me force you..."

"No."

"Okay. Mia, get that camera, will you? I've got to really capture the moment this time."

"Hey," said Lisa staring down at her leg which was currently stuck to the ground. "Let me go!"

Gideon grinned as Mia got a camera, standing in front of the three of them and getting ready.

"All right," said Gideon. "Get ready!"

"Gideon," said Dax as a force suddenly scraped his and Lisa's chair so they were sitting face to face. "St-stop it, mate."

"Sorry," said Gid. "Just this once, I promise!"

"Hey," hissed Lisa. "Cut it out!"

"Nope." Gideon walked back, keeping his eyes focused on the two who were now closing in every second.

"Click the button when I tell you too," Gideon muttered to Mia. He frowned and looked up, keeping the mistletoe in place and closing the gap between Lisa and Dax at the same time. Over the years he'd grown to know how to control more than just one thing.

"All right," he said. "Now!"

In that second a light flashed, landing upon the image of Lisa and Dax, their lips crushed together, looks of agony and annoyance on their faces. When the picture was taken, Gideon released his hold on them and they backed away from each other, looking disgusted.

"You!" said Lisa, coughing.

Gideon smiled. "Every little woe can be healed with a bit of snogging!" he said, he and Mia walking to them. He put his hands on both of their shoulders, smiling broadly down at him, his pale eyes twinkling.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Ugh. That is what I meant of being childish," she said shaking her head like she thought that Gideon's juvenility was some sort of disease which could not be cured. "I mean, you're over twenty and you use the word snog? Honestly? Grow up, Reader."

Gideon sat down. "Nah," he said. "It's no fun. What's the point of growing up? I like being like this very much, thanks."

"Well—naturally—you would," said Lisa in a matter of fact voice. "Who else would in enjoy remaining an annoying little pest?"

"Alex Teller," said Gideon.

"True," said Lisa. "But that's beside the point."

"Sure it is."

Dax gave a sudden loud laugh and they all turned to look at him.

"What are you laughing about?" said Lisa. "Normally you hate it when we argue."

Dax shook his head, smiling. "You know, we've all changed a bit, right?" he said.

It was true. Each of them looked different than they had when they'd been younger. Lisa's skin was tanner and her blonde hair was constantly changing styles, while her clothing remained the same. Gideon had grown taller, his blond hair was now clipped and only a few messy strands stood out; his freckles were now buried, vanquished by the sun. Mia was still pale, although her brown hair, which had always seemed a bit dull to Dax, had turned out to be smoother. Her eyes were also a slightly darker shade of violet, and her eyes seemed crinkled not only from smiles, but also from scowls and expressions of pain. Dax was, like Gideon, a lot taller now, almost as tall as Spook Williams. His hair had grown longer, more of a reddish brown colour now, rather than its usual dark brown. His skin was also dark and sun-kissed from all the years spent in Spain.

But they hadn't changed only in looks, but also personality. Lisa wasn't quite as bratty and snobby, being a bit kinder to people; Gideon wasn't quite so cheeky, but that didn't mean his bubbly attitude had gone away; Mia wasn't quite so smiley all the time, at times revealing the other side of her, the one brought by the black obsidian; and Dax wasn't quite so edgy and nervous, being a bit more laid-back.

"Yeah," said Gideon. "So?"

"Well," grinned Dax. "If there's one thing that hasn't changed, it is yours and Lisa's tendency to want to bite each other's heads off."

Lisa and Gideon looked at each other and, much to the surprise of their other two friends, they smiled at each other.

"Yep," said Gideon. "You're right. You know one thing which has to be changed though?"

"What?" said Lisa.

"Our not knowing of what the baby's name is gonna be! We have gotta figure it out and soon. I don't think Luke and I can wait much longer to find out."

They all stared at him, before they each burst out laughing and they laughed for what might have been minutes but felt like hours; hours in which their odd, barely understood friendship came to the surface, visible to anyone who happened to pass by; hours in which they were reunited, flakes having been before scattered, now all settled on the same home, covering the same haven.

A/N: That was it! Please review! Oh, and also, tell me whether or not the characters were OOC, because I am kind of worried with it. Are they?

~Trippy