xp_logs | And a little later again...

Paige stood outside Angelo's door, staring at the number. She'd promised she would come back, and she'd meant it, but how fit for company she was she was unsure. But she'd promised and besides, she didn't especially think alone time was a good idea at the moment. Issuing a tentative knock at the door, unlike her general three raps, she waited.

Pushing the door open, Paige paused. "Hi."

"Hey", he answered, smiling slightly on seeing her, but more concerned about her well being. "Did... did you find him?"

"No. He obviously doesn't want to see me." She shrugged, accepting. "It's understandable. I didn’t want to see him, either."

"I… I can understand that, but you need to try again", he told her. "Maybe things are just too... raw at the moment."

"Yes." She didn't offer any more, leaning on the doorframe more out of support than anything.

Angelo softened as he looked at her, and held out his arms, offering a hug. "Hey. Come here..."

Paige smiled a little and stepped in. Her cheek fell into place on his shoulder instantly. "This is becoming a habit."

Angelo's arms tightened around her, offering comfort, as he smiled down at her. "It seems to be, yeah. No bad thing, though."

"Not complaining," she said quietly. "So. I came back. I really didn't have any genius ideas for after the coming of back."

Angelo reluctantly stepped back from the hug and sat down on his bed, grabbing her hand and tugging her down to sit next to him. "Well, if you need to talk, go right ahead."

"What am I going to say, Angelo?" She tried not to look too sad and shrugged.

He put an arm around her shoulders, trying not to think about the last time they'd been sitting like this. "Whatever you need to."

"I need a lot of things. Not too many of them involve speaking." She paused and shook her head. "Why does this all have to be so hard?"

Angelo shrugged sadly. "Seems to be the way of our lives, for some reason. Anything I can do to make it better for you, I will."

"I know. And... thank you. For everything, you know?" She remained silent, having no more words to say. Her arms found their way around his waist, eyes closed.

"Any time", he answered. He tilted his head to lean his cheek against the top of her head, just enjoying the contact for as long as it lasted.

Paige curled closer into the touch, trying to turn off the alarm bells that were reminding her how very not good this was right about now. "Are you all right? You had us awful frightened there."

"Yeah, I'm OK. Well, I think so, anyway..."

"Still think you need to go speak with Alison. Lashing out like that is not like you, Angel. You had me frightened." She ran gentle fingers along his hip making slow figure eights.

He turned his head to look down at her as best he could. "I know. And I'm sorry I hurt you. I would never have done that, knowing... It was like... it wasn't you at all."

"Don't be sorry, I'm all right. Just promise me you'll talk to Alison."

"I promise", he said sincerely, fingers twining unconsciously in her hair.

She would have nodded but that involved pulling away and instead smiled gently. "Thanks."

"Anything for you", he said, perhaps not quite as lightly as he had intended.

Paige laughed it off, not disregarding the implications but letting them fall for now. "How Oliver Twist of you." She poked him gently. "So. Now what do we do, hm?"

Angelo looked down suddenly, not meeting her eyes. "I don't know. Everything's so messed up..."

"I wasn't talking about that. Let that rest, Angelo, it will get better. I will make it so." She tipped his chin up, smiling more confidently than she felt. "Just trust me, okay?"

Angelo did meet her gaze now, looking her straight in the eyes. "I wasn't talking about that either, although now you mention it, thanks." He paused, before continuing, "I was talking about... the other stuff. Me, and you... and Jono..."

"Ah." She blew a piece of her hair out of the way, thinking. "I don't know what to tell you, Angelo. I want to tell you everything is going to be okay, but I'm not even sure myself. I just have to hope everything is going to be okay. I don't know how, but I have to hope."

"Yeah", he answered sadly, knowing that was all any of them could do. He added softly, so much so that she had to strain to hear, "Why do I always seem to screw things up?"

"Don't make me knock some sense into you." She gently tapped his cheek with her knuckles. "Seriously. That's all you boys respond to here."

He grinned bitterly. "Don't think that'd be a good idea. Wouldn't want a repeat performance..."

"Oh, this time I'll just hit you back. Come on, quit that." Paige smiled at him, fingers pulling his grin into more of a regular smile. "You'll get help. You'll be fine."

"Yeah. I know." He offered a slight smile, which then faded as he reached out to run his fingers as gently as he could over the bruise on her face. "Just wish I could have stopped this happening in the first place..."

Paige gritted back a wince, pulling it into a smile. "We all wish a lot of things. But you're fixing things, you're making it better and in my book that makes it okay."

Angelo snatched his hand away, alarmed at the thought that he'd hurt her further. "I guess..."

Taking his hand, she raised it to her lips, kissing the top of it gently. "And I know."

Angelo laughed a little. "We always seem to end up saying that, don't we?" He took her other hand in his free one, squeezing it gently.

"Well, I say it because I know everything." She grinned at him, bright in the dim room. "Although, I suppose it does get redundant after a while."

Angelo shifted almost imperceptibly closer to her, still clutching her hand, as she was his. "Nah, it's just a good thing one of us does."

"Does this mean that you'll listen to me more often then?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

Angelo feigned wounded innocence. "When have I not listened to you?" he demanded.

"How many days do you have?" Paige deadpanned, her eyes bright in amusement.

He smiled warmly. "To spend as your friend? Lots of them, hopefully." He shifted unconsciously, moving another little bit closer to her.

"Oh, your mother taught you well, she did." Paige leaned in, resting her forehead against his. "Very well."

Angelo knew he should move, should put a little more distance between himself and Paige... but at that moment, he really didn't want to. He closed his eyes, rubbing one thumb over the back of Paige's hand.

Paige watched the out of focus fluttering of his eyelashes against the grey of his skin, deciding that was a better thing to concentrate on as opposed to how very close his mouth was to hers and how very easy it would be to just stretch her neck.

After the silence had continued for some time, Angelo opened his eyes, and was immediately aware again of just how close Paige was to him. "Penny for your thoughts", he said quietly.

"Are you planning on making me a millionaire?" she asked with a little smile.

"If I had that much money, I would in a heartbeat", he returned, still not moving.

If she hadn't been blushing before, she certainly was now. "Angelo..."

"Yeah?" he asked softly, smoothing back the hair from her face.

"Nothing." Paige smiled and wove their fingers together, realizing something.

Angelo smiled back, then looked at her seriously. No longer able to resist, he leaned in slowly, just a little bit closer, and kissed her softly.

Paige pressed back, eyes unwilling to flutter closed in fear of missing something.

Angelo let go of one of her hands to put an arm around her and gather her closer to him, reluctant to pull away.

Obviously not complaining, Paige moved with him, winding her now free hand about his neck to pull herself up to him.

A little surprised by her response, but not about to question it for fear of driving her away, Angelo ran his free hand down her shoulder to her neck.

Sighing into his mouth, Paige pulled away a fraction only to remind him, "Angelo..." before returning to her previous actions, fingers slipping under the collar of his shirt to run along his spine.

Angelo, reluctant but suddenly concerned, pulled away in his turn, and asked, "What? What's wrong?"

Paige was unwilling to pull too far away, pressing her cheek against his. "Nothing. That's the problem."

Angelo deliberately delayed the moment of truth a little, pausing to kiss a trail down the line of her jaw. Eventually, however, he had to say it. "I don't understand. *What's* the problem?"

She sighed but didn't move away, resting against him. "If this is so right, that makes being with Jono wrong. But I love Jono, being with him is right. So that makes this wrong. I don't get it, Angel. I just don't get it."

He tightened his arm around her, trying to offer comfort, although he flinched noticeably on hearing her say she loved Jono. "You take as long as you need to work it out. And you do what makes you happy."

"Maybe I should go. I don't want to lead you on." She pulled back to look at him squarely. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone, least of all the people I care for most."

"Hey, I knew the situation when I got into this", Angelo reminded her. "I l... c-care for you too, so much, and I'll take whatever you can give me."

Paige froze, realizing how far into this she really was, and softened. "You are never second prize! Don't you get that? Never." She brushed the back of her hand against his cheek.

He looked at her steadily. "Maybe not. But Jono came along first, and until things are resolved with him, I... we can never..."

Paige halted his words with her thumb. "Shh. No more. Goodnight, Angelo. Try and get some sleep, all right?"

He smiled crookedly. "I'll try, but I'm making no promises."

"Of course, I didn't expect any." She let her hand fall, replacing it with her lips for a quick kiss. "There will be tea in the kitchen if you need it. Even let you use my vanilla nut kind."

"Thank you", he said quietly, taking her words as what they were: a peace offering and consolation.

She nodded and forced herself to stand, giving his hand one last squeeze before letting it drop. She made her way to the door and paused, turning around. She paused, fighting with herself, and obviously sanity won as she merely smiled.

Angelo managed a smile back, sitting huddled on his bed.

"Goodnight," she repeated and slipped out, closing the door.

Angelo sighed and curled up on his bed, staring blindly at the ceiling.