28) --- Merry Christmas ----------------------------------------------- "Oh, My friends, it's been a long hard year, But now it's Christmas. Yes, it's Christmas. Thank God It's Christmas." -- Queen SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1993 CHRISTMAS DAY 4:00 am. 4 o'clock AM. Four of the clock, Ante Meridian. "One should _not_ wake up at four, even if it _is_ Christmas day," Philip mumbled to himself as he observed the digital clock through half-opened eyes. But old traditions die hard, and he got up anyway, just to get it over with. He stood up, got changed, and left his room with a minimum of sound, taking his red blanket and Pooh with him. He walked to the new living room, where Aerianne was sleeping on the sofa, covered with blankets and oblivious to his entrance. Philip found a nearby chair and sat down, covering himself with the blanket and holding Pooh close. And there he sat, with just the Christmas tree, Pooh, and the sleeping form of Aerianne to keep him company. he thought as she lay there, sleeping calmly. Eventually, Aerianne began to stir; yawning, she brought herself up to a sitting position and stretched. Which is when she noticed Philip. "Oh!" she yelped in surprise. "Good morning," he whispered with a smile. "What are _you_ doing up so early?" she asked. Philip was _not_ known to be a morning person, unless he had a morning class. "Well, the fact that it's Christmas day and you're out here would seem to be the prime motivating factor." "Flatterer," she said with a grin. "Get over here." She indicated the space next to her. "One moment..." He got up, closed his parent's door, and turned on the radio to FM 99.5. Setting the volume low, he then went over to the light switch and turned on the Christmas tree. Aerianne ooohed on cue. "That's beautiful," she whispered as Philip sat next to her. "Not as beautiful as some people I know," he responded as he pulled the blanket over them both as carols played softly over the radio. Aerianne didn't respond vocally to this, but just leaned against his shoulder as the watched the tree. Philip, acting on an underused reflex, put his arm around her shoulders. In response, Aerianne snuggled closer (another underused reflex), and there they sat for at least an hour. In other words, a perfect romantic mood. he thought to himself. He turned his head to look at Aerianne, who looked back with a small smile. "Um, Aerianne?" he asked. "Umhmmm?" she asked contentedly, quite comfortable where she was sitting. "Well, I wanted to ask you..." he started, but he was then interrupted as Christopher came into the room. "Hey, Philip! Let's get our stockings!" said his brother, not noticing how they were sitting. Philip turned to Christopher with a dark look on his face. "Christopher, I _will_ harm you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon; and then, you _will_ know the true meaning of pain." "Now, Philip, it's not like he was interrupting anything," she said in Christopher's defense with a mock-defensive tone and a playful smile on her lips. "but... But..." Philip tried to protest. "Go on, go get your stockings," Aerianne continued. "We can finish this later." She was still smiling as she sat up to let him get up. "Oh, all right." He resigned himself to his fate, and went downstairs to get the stockings. <<>> As the house slowly awoke, the family set to the task of unwrapping the gifts that were piled under the tree. This year, Christopher was the one handing out the presents, since Philip was sitting next to Aerianne on the sofa. Christopher would find a gift belonging to each of the people there and hand them out, and the intended recipients would unwrap them amongst much 'thank you's. Of course, there was someone new here this year, which did affect it a little. Aerianne was receiving presents from the rest of the family, but since Philip was the only one who had really gotten her anything major, her 'thanks' were a little more affectionate than the other expressions of gratitude that were going around. Philip blushed embarassedly while Christopher Ewwwed and Mommy and Daddy exchanged glances. However, she got her 'just desserts' when Philip got his presents from her. "Cool!" he exclaimed as he unwrapped the 'Transformers: The Movie' videocassette that she had given him. "How'd you know?" "Well, if you rent it and watch it three times straight, I'd think that's a pretty good hint." "Good point," he smiled as he hugged her and kissed her gently. Christopher ackked. "Oh, be quiet," he laughed as he accepted the next present, which was from Christopher. He unwrapped it with expectation, but then his face fell as he saw what it was. "Hey, don't you..." Aerianne started to say, but Philip cut her off as he clapped a hand over her mouth before she could say anything more. he mouthed silently. Aerianne, looking miffed, closed her mouth. Philip removed his hand and they went on. "Philip?" asked Aerianne as she sat next to him on the bed. "Yeah?" he replied. The presents were unwrapped, and now the family had split up to relax. Philip and Aerianne were sitting in his room listening to his new Allapalooza tape. "_Why_ did you silence me when I was about to tell you that you already had that Calvin and Hobbes book?" "It's a bit hard to explain, Aeri... Basically, no matter what you get on Christmas, you've always got to put up a good front, even if you've already got what you've been given. Usually you don't have to worry about it, but you always have to be ready just in case." "Oh." She thought about this new piece of info for a while, and then continued. "Well, _now_ what are you going to do with it?" "Well, I was thinking..." Just then, Christopher opened the door. "Hello!" he said. "Get out," Philip replied. "Goodbye!" Chris closed the door and left. "Good." Aerianne chuckled at Philip's rehearsed response. "Where was I?" "What you were going to do with the book?" she prompted. "Ah, yes... Well, I'm thinking of giving it to someone very close to me right now...." he said with a smile. Aerianne blinked in surprise. "Me?" "Well, you're the closest at the moment... unless you don't want it?" As a reply, Aerianne hugged him close, close enough that he could see his reflection in the purple triangular earrings he had given her. "I'll take that as a yes!" he managed to get out. Aerianne chuckled. That evening, Judy Fiterman, a friend of the family, came over for Christmas dinner. Her reaction to the presence of Aerianne was the one that Philip had grown to expect: total surprise that Philip could even _have_ a girlfriend, not to mention bring her home for Christmas. The dinner was a small one, although Philip did have to eat cauliflower casserole for the first time. Philip also had to endure the usual questions about school, life, and relationships, which he did with considerable aplomb, all things considered. Eventually, Judy had to leave, and the Family again went about their usual tasks. Philip and Aerianne sat around the computer while Daddy put together a fire in the fireplace. "Hey, Philip, come here a second," said his father, who was standing by the back door. "Hold on a second," he replied as he set /away. He got up and went over to the door. Aerianne, curious, followed him. Philip looked outside. "What is it?" Aerianne asked. "Snow?" Philip asked his dad as he and Aerianne looked outside at the snowfall. "It must have started after Judy left," his father commented. "But it was supposed to have happened _earlier_" Philip criticized. "Well, it counts... it's still technically Christmas day." "Yeah, I guess it is," he smiled. That night, Philip and Aerianne sat in front of the fireplace in the basement. The room was dark, except for the fire, and no one was around. Aerianne leaned against Philip, and both were warmed by the fire. The roaring fire gave the basement a cheery glow, as the flames were reflected on Philip's glasses and Aerianne's new earrings. In other words, a(nother) perfect romantic mood. Philip looked behind both his shoulders to check for any interruptions. No brothers, dogs, or parents were visible or audible. <_Now's_ the time,> he thought. "Um, Aerianne?" he asked. "Mmhmmm?" she asked contentedly, quite comfortable where she was sitting. "Would it be ok if I got up for a moment? I'll be right back." "Ok... but you'd _better_ be back," she said with a smile and a kiss before he got up. "Don't worry," he responded in kind. He ran upstairs and got the package he had left in his room. "What is it?" she asked as he came back with a long giftwrapped object in his hands and sat next to her. "Well..." he said as he handed it to her. "It's for you.... I wanted to wait until we were alone to give it to you, since I don't know how Mommy and Daddy would take me giving it to you." Aerianne raised an eyebrow at this, and Philip continued. "And hopefully, once you have this, you can give me back my golf umbrella?" "Don't bet on it," she said as she commenced unwrapping the present. As she finished, she held her breath as she saw what it was. "Oh...my...god..." She held it in front of her with both hands. "Do you like it?" Philip asked worredly. Not that there was much chance of there being a return/exchange policy... "Like it?" she said in awed tones as she looked at the japanese sword (with scabbard) he had given her. "I _love_ it!" Philip released the breath he was holding, although he sorta had to, since Aerianne was giving him a tight hug as an answer. "I was hoping you'd appreciate it," he managed to choke out as she hugged him. Aerianne, noticing his discomfort, decreased the strength of the hold and allowed him to return it in kind. They sat that way for a while, and then Aerianne released their embrace to look at the sword. It was ensconced in a simple leather-covered scabbard, with several loops and handles that would allow it to be slung over the shoulder, hung at the waist, or placed within a coat for a front draw. The swords's hilt was circular, as was the guard, and both were exquisitely detailed. The hilt was carved ivory with inlaid rubies, and the pommel was capped with a roaring dragon's-head. The guard was cut out in an elaborate tracery, but it was still thick enough stop any blow from reaching the weilder's hand. Having finished looking at the outside, Aerianne put one hand on the scabbard and one on the hilt and drew the sword. The blade sang out as it was released from it's imprisonment, and caught the flames and reflected them on it's surface. "It's...it's beautiful..." she whispered as the flames danced up and down the blade. The elaborate watermark flowed along the face, and seemed almost alive in the firelight. The blade was slightly shorter and straighter than a modern katana's blade, but Aerianne didn't care. She was too happy to care. They looked at the sword for a long time, until Aerianne decided that would be enough for tonight, and re- sheathed it with a single, fluid motion. The blade sang again as it entered its home. She put it down on the floor beside them, and then turned towards Philip. "Thank you," she whispered as she leaned on him, putting her arm around his waist. Philip placed an arm around her shoulders, and there they slept, in each other's arms, until the next day. 29) --- Warming Up ---------------------------------------------------- "Character is what you are in the dark." -- Lord John Whorfin TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28 "Philip, wake up!" a voice called from beyond his dreams. "hrmph," he replied to his unseen assailant, as he tried to bury himself deeper into the covers. He had been up _late_ last night IRCing, and he wanted to recoup his sleep debt, which currently matched the national debt in size. "Go 'way" he mumbled, burying his head under the quilts. The person persisted by removing the blankets and turning on the ceiling light. he thought as he opened his eyes. "Aerianne?" he blurted out as he realized who it was who was assailing him. "Come on, Philip, it's snowing outside!" he moped as he sat up on his bed. "Oh. Snow," he grumbled as he reached for the covers. "Good for you. Can I have my blankets back, please?" "Come on, Philip!" she said as she kept the blankets out of his reach. "I want to see what it's like!" She seemed very insistent, and Philip acquiesced, if just to get it over with. "Oh, alright," he said as he sat up and put on his glasses. He yawned. "Just wait for me to get changed, and I'll be right out." Aerianne stood there, waiting for him. "OutOutOutOutOut!" he said as he got up and made shooing motions towards the door. Aerianne left, amidst much giggling on her part and much grumbling on his part. Philip got changed, put on his coat and boots, and joined Aeri. Outside, the snow fell softly without a sound. (Well actually, it fell with the sound of snow upon snow, but that's pretty quiet anyway, so it's all the same). Any other sound that was emitted was muted and muffled, as if not daring to disturb the peaceful landscape. "This is beautiful," whispered Aerianne to Philip. "Mmphrl," he grumbled. He still wasn't awake. "Come on, Philip, wake up," she coaxed with a smile. "You only live once." "Yeah, which is why I want to experience all the sleep I can before I die." "You worry too much," she said as she hugged him. "You're not going to die anytime soon. I'll make _sure_ of that." "Hmph," he chuckled underneath his scarf. "Considering it's _you_ who's making that assertion, I'm inclined to believe you." Aerianne just smiled warmly. That evening they went for another walk, this time with the rest of the family. Philip and Aeri walked hand-in-hand, which drew interesting looks from his parents, but they ignored them with a smile. Christopher and Shadow joined them, and Chris kept on throwing snow for no apparent purpose than to annoy Philip. They walked around Garrett Park, marvelling at how pretty everything looked under the snow, and in general just enjoying the peace and quiet. When they finally got back to the house, Christopher asked Daddy if they could go out back and have a snowball fight. "You promised!" he insisted, even though no such promise had been made. Daddy said, "No, it's late. We should really go inside." "But Daddy!" Christopher continued to plead. "Christopher..." Daddy said, trying to stop Christopher's whining. Aerianne, her curiosity piqued, spoke up. "I'll play with you, Christopher." "Oboy!" Christopher said as he ran around to the back yard. "Come along, Philip," Aerianne said with a sly smile as she took his hand and pulled him along. "Oh. Joy," he said, grudgingly following her. The snowball fight, quite frankly, was ruthless. There were no loyalties in the battlefield in the backyard, for once Philip had been persuaded to join in (a snowball in the face usually does the job quite well), it became a total free for all, as snowballs flew everywhere. Alliances formed and dissolved within the space of the throwing of one snowball. Aerianne, for one, was having great fun, and she took every opportunity to paste Chris or Philip. Philip, for his part, took a lot of his agression out on Christopher, but whenever a snowball came his way by the "Aerianne express", he was sure to return it in kind. Christopher tried to hit the other two, and was having some success, but not much. (It's sort of hard for a 4' nine-year old to hit two 6' plus nineteen-year olds.) But eventually, it was Christopher's bedtime, and the three went back inside, amongst much protestation from both Christopher and Aerianne (although for different reasons). "Mommy, can't I stay out there 5 minutes longer?" "No, Christopher, it's time for bed." "Mommy!" "Now." With a reluctant grumble, he went to his room and got ready for bed. Philip and Aeri hung back in the hallway, and began to remove their snow-covered outerwear (for depositing in the bathroom to dry out). "Gods, I'm glad we came back in. It was positively _freezing_ out there!" Philip removed his hat and his water-soaked gloves. "Aren't you cold, just wearing a trenchcoat, jeans, and sweater?" he said as she removed her overcoat. "Oh, I'm not cold," commented Aeri. "I could have stayed out for much longer." "Oh, could you?" With that, he put his still-cold hands under her sweater and around her waist. "Aiiii!" Aeri jumped. "Why you..." She turned, and put her hands under his sweatshirt and T-shirt. "Ack! Hey!" he exclaimed. "Those hands are _cold_!" "Not any more," she said with a smile. They continued to stand there that way for some time. "Don't you think we should get out of the hall?" he asked, mirroring her smile. Aeri shrugged. "Not if you've got anything better to do." "Good point." (Eventually, they decided to move out of the hall, due to traffic conditions. They proceeded downstairs for their nightly IRCing/writing/ newsreading sessions, after which they watched Letterman.) It had been a long day. Philip changed into pajamas and got into bed, just waiting for the moment that he would become unconscious. He was straightening the covers as he heard a knock at the door. "Yeah?" he called out. "Come in," he said, not that it had ever stopped the rest of his family entering before. So of course he was surprised when it was Aerianne who entered the room. And he was even _more_ surprised when she moved over to the opposite side of the bed and got in. "Um, Aeri?" he asked cautiously. "Yes?" she said as she buried herself under the voluminous covers. "Why are you sleeping _here_?" he asked with confusion. "Well, your dad is out in the living room listening to his new CD's, and I didn't want to bother him," she stated matter of factly as she shifted some pillows over to "her" side. "Oh-kay," he Bull Shannoned as he processed this new piece of data. "Somehow I'm dealing with this better than I thought I would..." "Good for you, Philip," she yawned. Philip shrugged, and turned out the light. Aside from the fact that Aerianne had a tendency to lean over Philip to flip his "A Kind Of Magic" tape whenever it stopped, nothing happened that night. Philip slowly woke up. He blinked groggily, yawned, and then snuggled back into the covers. Which is when he noticed that there was _someone_ in the covers with him. He opened his eyes again, attempted to focus, and failed several times. He reached for his glasses and put them on. he thought to himself, and then blinked again as he realized _who_ it was in the bed with him. For a panicked moment, his mind scrolled through the last night's events, but finding nothing of error in the memory files, Philip relaxed. Everything was ok. Nothing had happened. Philip sighed, and looked at Aerianne, who was sleeping peacefully next to him. he mused as he lay there watching her. He noticed with some amusement that somehow Aerianne had gotten her hands on Pooh, and was even now clutching him close as she slept. He smiled, and leaned back on the pillows. Life was weird at times, yes; but then again, who was _he_ to complain? Part of him wanted to just lay there and watch her sleep. Unfortunately, the mischevious part of his mind was much larger and more dominant now than the aforementioned part... "Beep," he whispered as he touched her nose with his index finger. She blinked. "Huh?" she yawned as she woke up. Now it was his turn to smile as she woke up. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31 "Phil, I have a question..." Philip raised a hand, cutting her off. "Lemme guess... You want to know what's so special about New Year's, right?" he smiled. Aerianne blinked. "How'd you know?" Philip just continued to smile, and put on his best Connor MacLeod accent. "It's a kind of magic..." "Philip..." "Ok, ok... sheesh... Well, anyway, it's kind of strange. It's not a religious holiday..." Philip paused, trying to come up with an explanation. "And it's not exactly a secular holiday..." Again he paused, trying to come up with exactly the right words. "It's more of a *social* holiday, a celebration of a new year, of starting things over." he continued to himself, As sort of a culmination of his explanation, Philip went to the kitchen and brought back a green tinted bottle and two glasses. He passed the bottle to Aerianne for her approval. "Sparkling Cider?" she asked, looking at the label. "Yeah... I can't handle alcohol, and this tastes better, anyway," he said as he opened the bottle and poured the cider into two glasses. Aerianne watched with a smile as Philip poured the sweet cider into the glasses, then passed one to her with a flourish, perfectly timed with the television's final countdown to 1994. "Happy New Year!" they said as they toasted to the new year. SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 1994 (LATER THAT SAME NIGHT) Philip made sure that everything was turned off, and retired to his room for the night. He heard a knock, and was not fully surprised to see Aerianne enter. What did surprise him was the fact that _this_ time she locked the door after entering. He raised a finger to inquire, but Aerianne just went "shhh..." and got into bed next to him. The fact that she was wearing a _very_ sly smile prompted him to ask a question after she settled in. "Um, Aeri, not that I don't enjoy your company, but _why_ are you _again_ sleeping in my room?" he asked after the light had been turned off. "Simple, silly..." she said as if explaining to a young child. "Your mom's sleeping on the sofa, so I can't sleep there, there's nobody downstairs, and I'm not about to snuggle up to Shadow." And to prove her point, she snuggled close to Philip. _Real_ close. "Ah..." Philip replied. "I see..." he said as his mind took into account the actions of the past few moments. Was this going where he _thought_ it was going? Half of him desperately hoped _not_, while the other half desperately hoped _so_. "You see what?" Aerianne slyly asked, as she got even closer (if that was even possible). "Nothing... nothing..." he backpedaled. "It's just that... are you pondering what I _think_ you're pondering?" he asked. "Gads, Phil, you astound me," Aerianne replied before kissing him. The kiss went on for a _long_ time, answering his question. "Are you _sure_ about this, Aerianne?" he asked after they kissed. He had to make _absolutely_ sure. "As sure as anything I've _ever_ done in _my_ life," she replied as they kissed again. "The question is: are _you_ sure?" This was an interesting twist, and Philip took it. "Hold on a sec... I need to consult..." he said as he reached for a figure above and to the left of Aerianne. "Consult?" she asked as he brought Pooh Bear over to him. He held him in front of him and looked at the stuffed bear that was as old as he was. Philip looked at the teddy bear. Although his arms were ramrod straight and his hands didn't move, did the bear appear to nod? Philip smiled, his eyes filled with tears. he mouthed as he hugged Pooh tight and kissed him tenderly. And then, without a sound, he slowly placed Pooh face down under the bed, and covered him with his small silken pillow. "I will never forget you, old friend," he whispered as he straightened himself back into the bed. "Yes?" Aerianne asked softly, not sure what had happened, but sure nonetheless that it had been important to Philip. Philip still made no sound. But when he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately in reply, Aerianne smiled. "Happy new year," she whispered in his ear. <<>> Goodnight, everybody. 30) --- Reunion ------------------------------------------------------- "This is only an exhibition, Not a competition. No wagering." -- David Letterman SUNDAY, JANUARY 2 Philip and Aerianne sat in his room, watching Star Trek and talking about life. More specifically, about wether his parents were _aware_ of the subtle changes in their relationship. "I'm not _sure_ if they're suspicious yet-- but I'm certain that they're aware _something's_ up," Philip was saying as they sat on the bed. "What makes you say that?" "Well, for one thing, I haven't yelled at Christopher all day..." Aerianne laughed at Philip's statement. "That and the fact that you haven't been able to wipe that goofy grin off your face since yesterday morning," she said with the same grin. "Has Mommy or Daddy asked about the katana yet?" he asked as she picked up the sword and unsheathed it. They had taken to calling it "The Katana", even though it wasn't one, because saying "The Sword that is somewhat shorter and straighter than a katana" gets repetitive after a while. "Nope. I have gotten some funny looks, though," she stated as she polished it. "Gee, I wonder why..." "Hah, hah, Philip," she said as she pointed at him with the sword. "Although, if they ask, I'll say I brought it with me..." she shrugged. "But your duffel bag couldn't have held a 3-foot piece of steel." "Picky picky..." she smiled as she finished polishing. That afternoon, Aerianne watched as Philip packed his backpack. "So, what are you planning to do tomorrow?" she said curiously. "Oh, I'm planning to go over to Blair," he stated. "What's that?" "It's my old high school..." "'High School'? What's it like?" Philip raised his eyebrows. Aerianne not knowing about high school? "Well... it's sort of a pre-college in one building, and you go there every day, and you have lots of classes..." "That doesn't sound very different..." "Trust me, it _IS_," he stated emphatically. "Actually, if you look under the bed... No, your side, Aeri," he said as she leaned over Philip's side of the bed, "you'll find my back issues of 'Silver Chips', the school paper." Aeri checked her side of the bed. Philip mused. he smiled to himself. "Those should help you," he continued once she had pulled them out. "Although it _has_ changed since I left there. It's more of a police state now than a school, but that's sort of how it goes, I guess..." She nodded thoughtfully, and began to read. MONDAY, JANUARY 3 Philip walked out back to find Aerianne. The snow had melted, but it was still cold, so he bundled up against the wind. He found her practicing swordwork with her katana. Christopher would toss a stick or other such object at her, and with one swing she would cut it in half as it flew through the air. Judging from the pile of cleaved objects at her feet, she had been at it for quite some time, and had been very successful at her task. She stopped and sheathed the sword as he approached. "You ready?" he asked as he picked up her trenchcoat and offered it to her. "Ready as I'll ever be," she said with a smile as she took the trenchcoat and put it on, nicely hiding the katana. "You're bringing the katana _with_ you?" he asked as they walked towards the car. "Well, _you_ were the one who said Blair had turned into a Police State since you went there." "Yeah, but I was speaking _metaphorically_," he responded as they reached the Citation and got in. "But still, it never hurts to be prepared," she said as she settled down and buckled up. "Good point," he said ruefully as he started the car. "Well, are you ready for Blair?" "I believe the question you're really asking is: Is Blair ready for _me_?" she said slyly. "You may have a point," Philip laughed out loud as they drove off. Montgomery Blair High School. A decaying, overcrowded, understaffed red brick public high school that was getting ever closer to the edge of falling apart. "But hey, it's home," said Philip out loud as they walked up the hill hand in hand towards the school. "Hmmm?" "Oh, nothing. Just remembering what Blair was like then, and how it is now...I still don't know how I survived there..." "Well, _obviously_ you did," commented Aerianne. "And I'm _glad_ I did," Philip finished with a smile. "No matter what happened, I'm glad my life's turned out the way it did. _Especially_ now." He chuckled. "Well, you better," Aerianne returned his smile with a sly grin. "Otherwise I might have to get...persuasive." Her hands moved as if to draw the katana. Philip laughed. "No, I'm not _that_ dumb. I have heard the old Japanese saying, after all." Aerianne, curious, asked, "What japanese saying?" Philip spoke in a pretty false japanese accent. "Never argue with woman who wield katana." Aerianne snickered at this as they reached the building. "Better stay close to me, this is probably gonna get a little rough." "Why?" she asked as they entered. "Well, Trevor _did_ say that he might stop by..." Philip smirked. Aerianne smiled, rolled her eyes, and put her arm through his. Philip and Aerianne turned towards the office. Moving over to one of the desks, Philip and Aerianne signed in. Philip was asked to remove his bandanna by a security guard, and he did so, grumbling. "How the heck do they expect me to see?" he groused as they walked back down the hallway. The hair covered his eyes, which gave him a slightly mutant Roy Fokker look. Aerianne chuckled, but was cut off as the bell rang. Aerianne became confused as students began to pour out of the classrooms on their way to lunch or their next class. "What's going on?" She raised her voice to make herself heard. "Class change!" Philip replied, still holding onto her hand to keep her from getting lost. Aerianne hung on, and eventually they made it to a stairwell. Aerianne asked him more directly as they stayed out of the way of traffic. "What the _hell_ is all that?" she said, pointing to the passing students. "We're between periods... Comeon, you've gone to high school, you know what it's like!" Philip stated, wondering why someone would ask such an obvious question. "No, I haven't," Aerianne pointedly replied. Philip blinked. "Ok, this is news... How'd you make it into UM without having a high school transcript?" he continued to question. "Philip, I _don't_ want to talk about this right now..." she said with forcefulness. Philip backed off, realizing he had gone too far. "Ok, ok, I'll let it drop... I'm just wondering..." he apologized. Aerianne was calmed by this. "That's ok... I sometimes wonder, too..." "Huh?" A quick glance from her stopped that line of questioning. "Nevermind... Come on," he said, switching gears and leading her back into the halls towards the Study Hall. "Ready for your big debut?" "I'm ready... Let's blow some brain cells!" she said with a sly smile as they entered. C-103, the Magnet Study Hall. Usually, this room served as an _actual_ study hall for Magnet students, or as an overflow classroom for classes that needed to use the computers, but today it had been commandeered by the returning alumni so that they could kibbitz with their younger Magnet brethren, their teachers, and Mrs. Wiz, the Magnet assistant who was in charge of running the study hall. Kevin Yeh, Jeff Hostetler, and Aaron Greenhouse were at the whiteboard bringing the word of Rev. Xmos to all; Matias Duarte was there, as was Josh Adams and Jen Pierce; and many other alumni came and went as they visited old friends. Trevor came in, expecting Philip to be there already, since he knew from past experience that Philip habitually tried to be early to anything he attended; but not finding him there, he began to mix and mingle with the others. Trevor, while talking to someone else, noticed Philip and Aerianne enter out of the corner of his eye. He turned to welcome them, but then he noticed something amiss. They were talking to each other. That was ok, but the fact was that they were rather _close_ together. _Really_ close. Holding *hands*, even! Before Trevor could move to comment, he saw something that he never thought he would _ever_ see in his entire lifetime. "Please tell me I'm not seeing what I _think_ I'm seeing...." he said to anyone who would listen. Peter, who was nearby, glanced at Trevor, and followed his pointing finger towards the source of his dumbfoundment. "What? It's just Philip and Aerianne kissing... Did I just say that?" Peter said as the full import of his words hit him. Sudden silence and shock seized the study hall like a sudden Calculus exam as everyone turned to look... and... stare.... James cleared his throat significantly, breaking the silence. Everyone turned to look at him. He just waved "hi", and turned back to his computer. "Why, hello Philip!" said Mrs. Wiz as she came over to greet the new arrivals. "Hi, Mrs. Wiz! Happy new year!" he said as he let go of Aerianne's hand and hugged Mrs. Wiz. "And who's this, Philip?" she asked with a smile, noticing Aeri for the first time. "OH! You two have't been introduced yet! Aeri, this is Mrs. Wisnewski, but everyone calls her Mrs. Wiz. Mrs. Wiz, this is Aerianne." "Well, hello Aerianne!" Mrs Wiz said as she hugged her. "Hi, Mrs. Wiz!" Aerianne responded in kind, and then stepped back. "Would it be ok, Mrs. Wiz, if I used your account to log onto mine?" "Sure, Aerianne!" Mrs. Wiz told Aerianne how to log onto her account, and then Aerianne moved over to one of the Mac Plusses that had a Vax line and logged on. Philip took off his backpack and coat and placed it on a nearby table. He sat down at a nearby chair, and for the next few moments just sat there looking at Aerianne as she sat at the computer. He sighed. Philip thought to himself. Trevor, noticing that Philip was alone, decided to confront him. It had to be a joke... It just _had_ to! "So... How's Aerianne?" Trevor asked, trying to catch Philip off guard. Philip, not really noticing Trevor was there, continued his previous thought out loud. "Oh, wonderful..." he replied, in possibly the dreamiest, cloud nine voice that could ever be produced. Trevor blinked. "No. Nonononono. Not, not _you_. That's not POSSIBLE!" he said in denial. Philip, coming to, turned and looked at Trevor. A Smirk(tm) played about his face as he answered. "Possible; _Very_, very possible." "a...ee....urk...." (just look at those neurons self-destruct!) "Yes, Trev?" Smirk. Trevor's eyes narrowed in an attempt to look fearsome, but couldn't keep a smile from his face. In a low voice, with great restraint, he said "You suck, Phil." "Glad to hear it, Trev," Philip replied with a broad smile. "Philip?" asked Aerianne as she came over. Philip turned from the stewing Trevor to answer. "Yes?" "I'm having some trouble logging on... What's wrong with Trevor?" she said as she noticed Trevor's mental state for the first time. "Oh, him?" he asked as he turned to look at the now-brooding college freshman. "He's just having a system error... Pay him no mind," he said with a smile as they walked towards the computer in question. Trevor just sat there, holding his head in his hands, just shaking his head from side to side. "So, what system error do you think that is?" Kevin asked amusedly to Jeff. "Number 666?" Jeff pondered with a smile. Without looking up, without even stopping his head motion, Trevor replied, "Something. Like. That." Suddenly inspired, Kevin and Jeff adjourned to the whiteboard, where they began to write a new "Poem Of The Day." Aaron helped with the rhyming scheme a little, and wrote down the poem for future reference. Finally, Jeff read the poem out loud. "Plagues, demons, and 666 Are signs of the Apocalypse, I'm told... But when Philip Moyer gets a girlfriend, You _know_ it's the end of the world." Below the poem there was a list of degrees that trailed off into infinity. The full meaning of what they'd just written sank into Aaron's brain, and he was suddenly filled with a need to ask Philip a certain question. He found them sitting in front of two computers, logged into their respective accounts. The fact that they were sitting there, arm-in-arm, somewhat hampered their typing ability, but they made do. Aaron came over and leaned on the couple. Philip mused to himself, Philip looked up at Aaron and said through clenched teeth, "Yes, Aaron? I'm _busy_ here." Aaron's face was totally innocent as he said, "I'm just looking at the situation and I have no choice but to ask you who you are and what you've done with the real Philip." Philip looked at Aaron with a smile that could have been innocent or deadly. "Aaron, I like you too much to kill you." There was a long pause before Philip added "...with Aerianne watching." "I don't care _what_ you say," Trevor insisted. "I still don't believe that you can even _have_ a girlfriend!" "Well Trev, it's like the SETI argument-- Depending how you set the variables, it's either 0 or 1. Well,as you can see, it's _definitely_ not zero!" "Great. Tell me when Spock arrives." At that point, Meg Smith, Trevor's on-and-off girlfriend (now on), entered the math lab. Trevor's attitude improved greatly as she walked over and gave Trevor a kiss. The two of them melted completely into each other. If looks could talk, the one that Trevor shot Philip would say something like "Eat this." Philip looked at Aerianne. Aerianne looked at Philip. They nodded. The war had begun. This was going to be fun. TO BE CONTINUED...