A/N Yo yo, my muffins. Long time no see. So, for those of you who've read Scarlet Hopes and Paper Dreams or Hearts of Fire and Notes of Glass (which is now on hiatus to make time for this story; you're welcome), you'll know me and that I call my readers muffins. If you haven't, well, hi. This story contains multiple mentions of SHAPD's events, so you should probably read it to avoid confusion. So enjoy it! Please review if you liked this, or not, or went "meh," or whatever. Just so you guys know, I'm not quite sure what PoV I'll do it from yet; probably Robbie's, but I still can't be certain. So it might switch a lot. There's a nifty little contest for ya at the bottom….. Read on! ;)

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Robbie's PoV

The sun shone down on the teen-filled Asphalt Café.

As dancers twirled around us, Cat and I walked hand in hand to our group's usual lunch table, where Tori, Andre, Jade and Beck were already sitting.

"Sorry we're late, you guys," I puffed, slightly out of breath, as we sat down next to each other. "We were, ah – catching up on homework." It was a lame lie, I knew, but how exactly do you tell your friends you're late for lunch because you've been making out with the love of your life in a janitor's closet?

Right about now was when Rex would have made some insulting and slightly suggestive comment.

If he had been "alive" anymore.

A week ago, when I finally worked up the courage to ask Cat out, I had torn Rex apart, burned the pieces, and thrown the ashes into the ocean. I no longer wanted anything to do with that puppet. He'd insulted my now-girlfriend, then-best friend more times than I could count, and made my life a living hell. But that "reign of terror" was now over.

I was no longer Robbie, the weird, skinny nerd with the freaky puppet. I'd really been lifting a lot lately, and eating more, and I think it was finally starting to show.

I was now just plain Robbie. Or possibly the happiest guy alive. Both fit pretty well.

I was jolted out of my thoughts by a certain red-haired angel's fingers snapping in front of my face.

"Robbie? Helloooooo… Earth to Robbie!" she said loudly, breaking my out of my reminiscing. I blinked, dazed.

"Did you even hear what Jade was saying?" I shook my head no. She sighed, half disapproving, half amused, and leaned in close to me. Pecking me twice on the lips, she then pulled away with one eyebrow raised as I shook myself fully out of my trance. "Better?" She asked. I nodded, mouth hanging open breathlessly. Cat sure knew how to wake a guy up.

"Someone didn't have their coffee this morning," smiled Andre, who, as usual, sat next to Tori.

Jade sighed and rolled her eyes at me, irritated that I had missed whatever she'd been talking about. When she spoke, her words sounded a bit frustrated.

"I was saying that maybe we should all go explore the old abandoned west wing sometime."

The phrase "abandoned west wing" struck a chord in my memory. "But wait, the old west wing, isn't that…."

"The place we poked around in while we were looking for Cat during all that drama last week." Beck finished my sentence, nodding at me, Andre, and himself.

As he mentioned our escapade to the one place in the school with the aura of a tomb, a shiver ran down my spine. Was it a shiver of cold, of foreboding, or of something else?

I quickly forgot my jittery back as Jade started speaking again.

"Well, I've been wanting to look around there and see what it's like since you guys went in and didn't invite me." As she said the last part of her sentence, her eyes narrowed and she looked straight at Beck. He threw his hands up in the air and immediately protested, to which Miss West took offense, as usual. Their argument went on for about forty seconds, and then somehow they both ended up furiously lip-locking each other.

So, pretty much the norm for them, then.

Although, this was a new record for them; it usually took them at least a minute to, ahem, resolve their debates.

As they pulled away from each other, both a bit flushed, Beck grinned and Jade smirked at the rest of us. "What are you looking at?" she halfheartedly snapped at us, her acid tone ruined by the grudgingly happy look on her face.

We remained silent as she stared furiously at each one of us in turn, demanding, "What?" in an irritated tone of voice.

"So about this little trip to the west wing…." Tori attempted to jump in and break the awkward tension that was mounting among us.

"Um, yeah, sounds like a good idea to me." Andre quickly said, getting the drift. We all started mumbling about how nice it sounded, talking at the same time as each other until you could barely understand what we were saying.

Beck's voice quieted us all.

"Alright then, it's settled. You guys good with this Saturday at noon?" He looked inquiringly at us, hugging Jade and smiling slightly.

We all nodded in assent. "Bring flashlights and stuff, okay?"

Tori spoke up. "I can bring my dad's tazer if you want."

Beck nodded. "That'll be fine. And if any of you guys have stuff like that, feel free to bring it. Just don't, you know, mess around with it or anything."

Jade smiled her rare, real smile that came once in a blue moon. "Thanks, you guys. It really does mean a lot." Her smile suddenly turned into a menacing frown, her eyebrows quirked, and her voice tinged with hostility. "But I swear, Vega, make one move with Beck and I'll take that tazer and shove it up your –"

Thankfully, Beck's hand covered her mouth before she could finish her sentence.

"So, Saturday at noon, and we should bring flashlights and stuff?" Cat confirmed in a serious tone, looking at Jade and Beck for affirmation. They nodded. "Sound good!" She snuggled up against me, laughing and playing with my hair.

Another ice-cold shiver made its way down my spine, and my stomach tingled in a way that I knew had nothing to do with the pizza I had just eaten. I decided to ignore it. We'd be in a group, with tazers and stuff. Cat and I would be perfectly safe.

What could possibly go wrong?

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A/N So, you like? You don't like? Tell me in a review! If your review is long or awesome or funny enough, it'll get mentioned as a shout-out or something like that. So review!

Alright, here's the contest I mentioned….. It's nothing big, but it would really mean a lot to me if at least a few people participated. It's in two parts, and it will be conducted through PM only. NO REVIEW ENTRIES.

First part: There will be a villain, and I need a name for him. Something creepy, and sinister. Preferably first, middle and last. Slightly unusual would be best, but still believable. It's a little like an OC, but not that much. I really just need the name, but if you think you have a really good idea and you wanna share it with me, then go ahead. PM me with your ideas. Next chapter, I'll give you a shout-out if you won.

Second part: This very multi-chap that you just read was foreshadowed a long time ago, in a story I wrote. If you can explicitly, word-for-word verbatim quote which story, which chapter, and the exact dialogue/thoughts and character I used to foreshadow it, you win… (Drum roll please) A large shout-out and a chapter dedicated specifically to you! In the dedicated chapter, you can request a significant moment in one of these three pairings: Bade, Tandre, or Cabbie. It won't go to M, but there will be some adorable and juicy stuff, I assure you. First come, first served.

**Once again, I must remind you all; both parts of the contest will be conducted entirely through PM. You can enter either part or both, it doesn't matter. But don't put your entries to either in a review, as that could lead to idea theft. So PM me, all of you! Thanks!

Unrelated to contest: Do you guys think I should include Trina and Sinjin in this? If so, there would be a few Trinjin moments…. I'm not sure if they would end up together or not. Anyway, should they (and Sikowitz) be in this at all? If so, all three would have smaller parts than the already mentioned characters, but still, they'd have roles…. Tell me! I'm so confused!

Thank you guys so much. Since reviews aren't connected to the contest, you can review if you want, with suggestions, thoughts, questions, comments, whatever. I'll respond.

I Love You All! Please Read, Review, and Enter!

~IF7