And through timeless words, and priceless pictures

We'll fly like birds not of this earth

And tides they turn, and hearts disfigure

But that's no concern when we're wounded together

They would never admit that they needed each other because as far as they were concerned, this was just a way for them to feel something again. When He swan dived off the roof of the Grand, it wasn't just suicide. He lived up to his name as Neptune's psycho mass-murderer because he killed a piece inside each of them when he jumped. Since that night, neither had been able to really feel anything. Obviously no joy, but they were unable to feel pain as well. It was as if they were numb, inside and out.

They stayed that way for 5 months, 8 days, and 3 hours after It happened.

The first time it happened, they chalked it up to a drunken mistake that would never be spoken of. It wasn't as if they had had sex or anything; just a violent make out session in the middle of a party. Their hands and skin almost burned as they groped for any body parts they could reach and their lips seared in pain as they moved against each others'; neither willing to stop because although it hurt, it was the most they had felt in months.

It started with an argument. Shocker. When didn't they argue? But this one was especially hazardous. First it started with a drunken verbal assault, Dick delivering the first blow, of course.

What the hell are you doing here, freak?

You… are such an asshole. It's hard to imagine why girls here don't fall for your charm.

And you're a bitch. No wonder no guys here want to touch you. They know what you can do to a guy.

I hate you.

…...He never loved you.

It was the first time He came up in one of their arguments. Dick blamed it on the vodka.

Wrong. He never loved you. In fact, he hated you too.

If he hated me so much then why the hell was it YOU that he left all alone in that hotel room?

She flinched as memories of that night flooded her brain. Before she realized what had happened, her hand swung out and made contact with the side of Dick's face. The shock quickly turned to anger.

You think hitting me will change what he did?

Sometimes Mac thought he wanted to be yelled at because it meant that someone cared.

Her hand rose again, but this time he caught it. She attempted to yank it back but only succeeded in tripping backwards against the wall and pulling him up against her. She opened her mouth and tilted her head up in order to yell at him once more but was stopped short. When their eyes met she saw something that caught her off guard. She wasn't entirely sure what it was because it looked like a crazy mix between hate, pain, guilt, and lust. It was the last two that threw her. She understood that he would hate her for her relationship with Him, and that he was feeling pain for his loss, but guilt and lust? She paused to consider what her eyes were revealing about her. The thought shook her to her core. She decided to act before he saw too much and before either of them knew it, she had stepped on her tiptoes and pressed her face against his.

Dick was the one to pull away first. He ended up with his hands pressed flat against the wall on either side of Mac's face. When he pulled away he dropped his head in front of her and exhaled as if he had been holding his breath for the past five months. He looked away for a long moment before pushing himself off of the wall and drifting down the hallway.

Neither of the two wanted to admit that the few days after their run in, neither was able to sleep. Mac was home for the summer so she spent her sleepless nights in her parents' finished basement playing the oldest video games she could find. Video games from a time when her life was significantly less complicated. Dick, on the other hand, had been banned from playing his x-box during the early morning hours because he had a tendency to yell at his avatar character and Logan didn't really appreciate it. Dick thought he had found the perfect replacement for video games by going to parties, getting wasted off his ass, and then proceeding to make out with as many girls as possible. It was almost as if he thought if he could find someone that was a complete opposite of Mac, then he would be able to reverse his sleeping problem. Unfortunately for him, no matter how many blonde model types he made out with, he was still unable to sleep.

Mac, being the more logical of the two, went straight to the source. If she hadn't been so sleep deprived, there was no way that she would be this aggressive. And to be honest, she didn't even know what she was looking for. But she did know that she needed to see Dick.

She waited until it was as late as possible, seeing as how she didn't really want Logan to know she was there. Lucky for her, she stepped out of the Grand elevator to see Dick fumbling with his keys trying to unlock his door. She walked up to him silently and waited for him to acknowledge her presence. It took him a moment but he finally felt someone watching him and tilted his head to the side. He simply stared at her in silence.

Mac made a slight move forward and Dick flinched so she paused. She waited to make sure he wasn't going to run before she moved forward again. Now she was so close that he could feel her breath on his chest. She moved her hand around his waist and slowly slid it down until it was resting above the back pocket of his jeans. She kept eye contact with him the whole time and watched as different questions flashed through his eyes. Finally she slid her hand into his pocket and withdrew his key card and swiped it to unlock the door. Apparently buzzed Dick believed he could open a hotel room with his car keys.

Dick nodded his head signaling for Mac to enter the suite. She hesitated for a second and then stepped over the threshold. Once she was in she glanced back to make sure he was following only to find him directly behind her. She put her hand up against his chest to balance herself because his closeness had thrown her off guard.

She kept her hands there and took note of his breathing. She was surprised that it wasn't quick like hers was, but then again she was taking comfort in the slow rhythm of the rise and fall of his chest. She was just standing there watching her hands slowly move up and down when he raised his own hands and placed them over hers. Se refused to look up at his face so he took her hands and led her towards his bedroom. She followed obediently and wondered how long they would go in this silence.

Dick closed the bedroom door as Mac sat gently on the end of the bed. He turned to face her and smiled at seeing her sit uncomfortably with her hands folded in her lap. His buzz was wearing off as he pushed her gently back until he was resting on the bed next to her. He leaned in close and whispered, "Are you sure?"

There was no hesitation as Mac replied, "Yes." She kept her eyes shut the entire time.

That night they slept more soundlessly than ever before.

In the morning, Mac crept from the room as to avoid Logan and any kind of awkward explanations. Luckily she made it out to her car without incident.

For the next few days Mac slept peacefully and through the entire night. However, by the next week, her insomnia was starting to creep back up on her. She had gotten to the point where she had slept for 5 hours in the past two days when she got a text message that said come over. She didn't questions who it was from and she ignored the fact that she was relieved that he sent it. She did question how he got her number, but she figured she would ask him, eventually.

The first few times Mac spent the night at the Grand, there was never any cuddling after. They would lay on separate sides of Dick's king bed with their backs to each other while they each caught up on the sleep they craved for.

They really did try to stop but their lack of sleep got the better of them. As far as they knew this was the only reliable remedy to their problem so they used it sparingly. They waited until it was impossible to function before they would cave saying they "wanted" the other. They hid behind that word because it was too hard to admit that they didn't want each other, but needed each other.

Almost three months went by and their friends had yet to suspect anything was going on between the two of them. Because Logan and Veronica were at the "on" stage of their on again, off again relationship, there were occasional nights where the four of them hung out. Although it wasn't so much as hanging out as it was Mac and Dick throwing insults back and forth as Logan and Veronica attempted to keep the peace. Dick called it keeping up appearances since neither of them cared to try and explain whatever it was they had going on. Mac preferred to stick to her story that they really did still hate each other. Or at least that's what she told herself.

At this point, the gaps in between their nights together shortened and they no longer waited until the last moment to see each other. Most times they wouldn't even have sex right away. If Logan wasn't home, they would sit in the living room playing video games and eating candy. They traded witty banter, well as witty as Dick could get, and they each found that they felt comfortable to talk about anything. Maybe it was the fact that the room at the Grand had literally become a judgment free zone or maybe it was that they were starting to forge something close to a real friendship. Whatever the reason, neither of the two put too much thought into it. Neither wanted to be the one to ruin what they had because they overanalyzed it.

It only took one night for everything to change.

Mac had never really been big on birthdays. She didn't like being the center of attention, especially not for something that didn't even seem that important. He loved birthdays. It was the one day a year that people noticed His existence. It was the one day that He was so excited that He didn't even mind when people called him Beaver. It was only natural that when they started dating and he found out about her distaste for birthdays that he try to convince her otherwise. He even snatched her phone during lunch and set an alarm to go off at noon on his birthday and play some loud ridiculous song. He also included a cute personal message that he made her promise not to look at until the alarm went off. Memories of that day at lunch when future birthdays had been discussed had long been forgotten, along with His birthday alarm.

When Mac's phone went off during the middle of one of the lectures of her least favorite professor, her first thought was about how now there was no chance in hell that this teacher was ever going to like her. "Just great," she mumbled as she rummaged in her bag trying desperately to stop her phone from ringing. She automatically hit the silent button as soon as her fingers clasped around the phone but she still pulled it out to glance at the caller ID out of habit. Her breath caught when she glanced down and read the display. She quickly gathered her things and stumbled out of the classroom, ignoring the stares and questioning looks from both her professor and peers.

She sat for hours in her dorm room staring at her phone that was sitting on her desk. As soon as she had seen what the alarm was for, she immediately recalled the day it had been set. Which means she also recalled that He had left a message along with the alarm. The thought of whatever that message might say scared her more than anything. It was like He was still fucking with her from beyond the grave. The memories of the betrayal and hurt she had felt so long ago came rushing back and with it they brought tears. And they weren't the beautiful, gentle tears that you see in movies. They were raw and harsh and accompanied by occasional fits of sobbing.

As soon as she was able to get some control of herself, she tried to rationalize whom to call. She knew that going through this alone was the worst possible idea, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out who would be able to help. Her first thoughts had obviously gone to Veronica, her only real girl friend. She pushed those thoughts aside when she remembered the pain Veronica had gone through because of Him. She would never be able to help Mac through this, let alone understand where her grief was coming from. Logan's love and protectiveness for Veronica also cancelled him out as an option. It took her a while, but she finally figured it out. The one person who actually cared that He was no longer here and despite what He did, might still love him.

Dick was waiting anxiously in his room. Normally he wasn't this nervous when she was on her way over. But then again, she normally didn't text I need you. And by normally he meant never.

As soon as he opened the door and took note of her appearance and shaken demeanor, he pulled her into his arms in an attempt to help her calm down. The scent of his freshly showered body relaxed her in an unexplainable way. He squeezed her tighter and just stood there for a few minutes. He didn't speak, he didn't move, he just held her. Unconditionally.

"It's His birthday," she mumbled into his chest.

Dick led her into the suite and sat her on the couch as he went to grab her a bottle of water from the fridge. She took note of the various liquor bottles lined up on the coffee table: all unopened.

Dick had cut down significantly on the amount of alcohol he consumed. Maybe a shot or two at the parties he went to and a few beers on the weekends. But it had been months since he had been trashed. Again, he didn't overanalyze it.

"I couldn't decide if it was worth it or not," he stated as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"If what was worth it?" she asked wearily.

"Getting trashed. Getting so drunk off my ass that I couldn't remember what today is. Being numb." He answers.

"What was your conclusion?" she questions as she looked up to meet his eyes.

He shrugs. "It won't solve anything. Only delay the inevitable."

"Well how mature of you. I, however, have yet to reach that level of stable thinking." She responds as she reaches for the bottle of whiskey. She is surprised when Dick reaches for her hand and takes hold of it. He redirects her away from the bottle and lays her hand on the couch in between them. He doesn't let go.

She looks at him questioningly but before she can ask he says, "I decided that it's okay to love him. To miss him." The words shock her. She sits there silently for a moment before squeezing his hand as a sign for him to continue. "Underneath everything he did, he was still my little brother, ya know. I knew him before he became whatever it was he became so it's like, normal for me to miss him. No one else really knew the real him so I think it's up to me to only remember the good stuff. At least that way there's still one person alive that loves him." He sighed in relief as he finished, but kept his eyes on Mac. He waited to see if she would back up his logic, or yell, or… anything,

She lifted her head up to look him in the face. "But what about me?"

"What about you?" he asked, confused.

"I met him after he became the person everyone else sees him as. So what's my excuse? How can anyone explain why I still cry over him?" The tears come slowly now.

"Don't you get it though? You let him be Cassidy again." She flinched at the name. They both realize it's the first time they have heard it aloud in a long while. He pauses for a moment and then continues. "You let him be Cassidy, the little brother I remember. Not Beaver, the broken little boy with a totally warped sense of reality. You're like me now. It's like our job to remember Cassidy so he won't get lost in the memories of Beaver."

At first she's silent because she can't believe how profound Dick sounds. But then it hits her: everything that he said makes so much sense. She pulls her hand away so she can wipe the never-ending flow of tears from her face. She hates that while Dick came to this extraordinary epiphany, all she can do is sit here and cry. She turns her head away in embarrassment.

He grabs her hand again and says to her, "Hey, it's totally fine. Crying is way better than getting drunk and being a complete asshole. Trust me, I know from experience." He chuckles at his own joke.

Mac turns to face him again and whispers a thank you. He then tugs her hand and she leans in to rest on his chest. They stay like that until her breathing becomes regular again and her tears have completely stopped.

"So when did you become the stable one with such philosophical ideas?" Mac asked as she examines their entwined fingers.

"I blame you," he answers and when she gives him an incredulous look he continues. "I do listen when you talk you know. I'm clearly not the sharpest tool in the crayon box or whatever, but I am capable of learning when I'm around smarty pants who think they know everything."

"Huh," she replies. "I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted." She feels his laugh through his chest and the low rumbling of his laugh makes her sleepy. She tries to stifle a yawn but is unsuccessful.

Dick stands up, leads her to the bedroom and hands her a pair of his boxers and one of his infamously crude t-shirts. Mac quietly slips into the bathroom, changes, and glances in the mirror. She looks like a hot mess and she knows it. She fears leaving the bathroom because Dick has yet to see her face in the light since before her breakdown and cry fest. She doesn't want her puffy eyes and running mascara to disgust him. She cracks the bathroom door and hesitantly steps back into the room.

Dick was sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. It looked as if he had absorbed most of her grief. He looked up and locked eyes with her before giving her the slightest smile. He quickly crossed the room and took her hand before leading her back to the bed. This time, however, instead of staying on their separate sides, he inched his body closer to Mac until her back was against his chest and they seemed to be perfectly molded together. She closed her eyes as he gently stroked her hair away from her face as his steady breathing quickly put her to sleep.

When Mac woke up the next morning her face was an inch away from Dick's and their hands were still entwined. It was the first night that Mac had slept with Dick, when there was actually ONLY sleep involved. She quietly crept out of bed and gathered her things while trying not to wake him. If she had stayed a few moments longer she would have seen the look of disappointment on his face when he woke up and realized she wasn't there.

When Mac got back to her dorm room she sat on the edge of her bed and looked down at her phone. She felt bad that Dick had given her the courage to do what she was about to do and she couldn't even stay long enough for him to wake up. Last night had been so raw and real that she freaked. She and Dick weren't supposed to be "real". They were just supposed to be an escape from reality. She pushed those thoughts aside and flipped open her phone. She scrolled to yesterday's alarm and took a breath before reading the note programmed into her phone.

The next time they saw each other Dick questioned Mac about leaving so early that morning. She played it off and came up with a quick lie about having to meet with Veronica to go shopping or some other girl related activity. She didn't want to tell him that she got freaked out by how close they had gotten to having a real relationship. She just wasn't ready to handle that yet.

After that, things more or less went back to normal, with a few exceptions. It took her a little while to notice, but eventually Mac began to see a different side of Dick. He started texting her more during the day and they usually consisted of corny jokes or questions about how her day was going as opposed to the booty call type ones she usually received. She also noticed Dick's new habit in their sleeping arrangements. Not that she was complaining, but ever since Cassidy's birthday he had started pulling her body up against his before they fell asleep, always making sure to lock their fingers together. Mac didn't mind any of these new tendencies, especially because of the feeling she got in her chest when she would catch him staring at her while she was on her laptop or during their video game marathons. She just didn't like to think about what all of these things meant when added together.

Eventually they fell into a pattern and Mac found that she was genuinely happy. She basically spent every night at the Grand now that Logan had moved into his new beach house. She questioned why Dick didn't take Logan up on his offer to share the new house and he lied saying he liked the Grand because there was always a supply of alcohol and 24 hour maids to clean up his mess. He didn't want her to know that he was afraid that if he kept living with Logan, she wouldn't stay over as much.

Dick had accepted his feelings for Mac weeks ago. Right around the time when Logan started questioning him about Mac's love life.

"I think Mac's dating someone." Logan announced as he punched three different buttons on his controller all at once.

"What?" Dick spluttered as he choked on the swig of beer he had just taken.

"Well more specifically, Veronica thinks that Mac is dating someone. She says that Mac has been super secretive lately and she gets this feeling that she's seeing someone"

This caused an irrational feeling of anger inside of Dick. He knew he and Mac didn't have any kind of commitment but he never had any inclination that she was seeing someone else…

"Plus," Logan added, "Parker told Veronica that Mac never spends the night in her dorm anymore."

Dick breathes a sigh of relief. The mystery guy that Logan was talking about was himself. His relief turned to panic when Logan asked him if he knew anything about who it might be.

"I… uhh.. have no idea, dude. Mac can date whoever she wants. Makes no difference to me." He answered slowly. Logan observed his friend as he answered and silently questioned when Dick had stopped calling Mac Ghost World and started using her real name.

After that, Dick realized that he did care who Mac dated. He didn't want her seeing anyone else. He knew that wasn't how it started or what he had planned, but now that he thought about it, he never really had a plan for anything. This whole thing started as a way to deal with the void in his chest since his baby brother had died. He thought that by screwing the girl Cass used to love, he would be able to understand his brother a little more. But things changed. She wasn't just his brother's first love anymore. She was real. She was flawed. And he lov… liked that about her. She called him on his bullshit and made him less of the douchebag he had been. Plus he liked the way that she always pointed out when he said or did something stupid without making him feel like an idiot.

Dick had never felt this way about anyone before. He never felt so…real. And he sure as hell didn't know how let Mac know. All he knew was that he didn't want to be her escape anymore. He wanted something more. Some nights he would lie next to her and think up a hundred different ways to start the conversation, but he never could. His fear of losing her always won out.

It was on one of these nights that Dick finally worked up the courage to say something he had felt for a while.

"Why don't you ever let me in?" he questioned as he stared up at the ceiling.

"If I remember correctly, I let you in last night," she sighed as she turned to face him, all the while keeping her eyes shut.

He paused. "That's not what I meant. You're doing it right now. Whenever we're together you always have your eyes closed. It's like you can't even look at me."

"That's not true," she pouted. "We play video games and I clearly use my eye sight then because I can't even remember the last time you beat me."

"What about when we have sex then?"

She flinched.

He took her silence as a disregard to his question. "You can't even admit to yourself what this is, can you?"

Silence again.

He sat up at the edge of the bed and ran his hands over his face. "I don't think I can do this anymore," he finally breathed out.

"Don't." she whispered. "Please. Things are going so well. Please don't mess this up."

"If you think things are going well then you are seriously fucked up. It's kinda sad that I'm the one who thinks this dysfunctional relationship is a bad idea."

"It's not that dysfunctional," she begged.

"Are you serious? The only thing I am to you is the closest thing you have to Him. And I'm not okay with that anymore. I let it go at first because I was doing the same thing to you. You were my little brother's first love and I thought by getting to know you I would be able to get him, ya know? But then things changed. And you can't deny it, but they changed and you just don't seem to be able to admit it to yourself. I just can't handle this anymore. It hurts too much to act like this means nothing."

"Dick," she started.

"Don't," he growled. "Don't tell me this is all in my head. Don't patronize me."

"Patronize? That's quite a word for you."

"Just stop it Mac! This isn't a joke." He yelled.

Mac didn't know how to answer. This was their first fight. But they weren't supposed to have a first fight. They weren't supposed to have any of those firsts that couples usually have. They were just… fuck buddies. She cringed at just the thought of those words. It felt wrong even to think it. She knew they were way past that. But yet, she still couldn't admit it. Admitting she had feelings for Dick would just cause more problems than solve them.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't feel that way about you," she lied as she stared down at her hands.

"Look me in the eye and tell me," he challenged.

"Why?"

"Because I think you're full of shit and you're just scared that this little bubble you live in is about to burst. But it's time for reality now Mac. We have to move on. And I think we can move on together if you just let me in." He had begun yelling but now his voice was beginning to level out into something much calmer. "Just look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel it and I swear I won't bother you again. I just can't go back to what we were."

It took a moment, but Mac slowly lifted her head. She took her time meeting his eyes. "I'm sorry," she breathed out. "I just don't feel the same" It was the most convincing lie she had ever told.

A week later, Logan helped Dick move into the spare room at his beach house.

"What made you change your mind, dude?" Logan asked as he put a box down on the floor next to the bed.

"Dunno," Dick shrugged. "Can't live in a hotel for the rest of my life, I guess."

"What about Mac?" Logan asked.

"What about her dude?" Dick said as he threw his duffle bag a little too hard against the far wall.

"Come on, man. I know I can kind of get wrapped up in the whole Veronica epic, but I'm not stupid"

Dick stayed silent.

"Plus, I saw her coming out of your room the night before I moved out. It wasn't hard to figure out the rest. You seemed happy dude."

"Well I wasn't." Dick spit out. "We were just screwing around. I got bored so we stopped. It didn't mean anything."

"Is that how Mac felt?"

"Trust me dude. She cared even less." Dick finally answered.

The last two weeks had been torture for Mac. Her insomnia had returned in full blast and to top it all off, her and Parker had gotten into an argument because she refused to tell her where she had been sleeping every night and why she had stopped.

"Why don't you just tell her the truth?" Veronica suggested to her as they ate what the cafeteria at Hearst claimed to be meatloaf.

"Because the truth is ugly," Mac mumbled.

"I don't see what's so hard about telling her that you were sleeping with your dead ex boyfriend's older brother." Veronica stated nonchalantly.

Mac literally choked on her meatloaf. After she was able to work her lungs properly, she looked up at Veronica.

"I am a detective, ya know. It didn't take the FBI to realize you were spending the majority of your time with someone who wasn't me, which is what used to happen pre-Dick. But the real mystery here, is why did it end? Because I can only assume you finally realized who you were doing, whatever it was you were doing with him, and came to your senses."

"It's not like that," Mac started. She desperately wanted to explain to her best friend that Dick was different than what she thought. But changing Veronica's mind is one of those impossible feats that really shouldn't even be attempted. Mac inhaled and held it for as long as possible. "He wanted something more, V. Something real." She let out.

Veronica thought for a moment. "Well," she said. "That sounds very un-Dick like."

Mac groaned. "I know you don't get it. But he's different, V. He grew up. It's me that's still stuck in high school." She sighed as she dropped her head in her hands.

"So let's spend the weekend in high school." Veronica announced. That made Mac lift her head up.

Veronica's big plan was for the two girls to go to some bound-to-be-lame frat party, get suuuuper drunk, and then call Logan for a ride home. All the things that normal kids did when they were in high school. Mac wasn't completely sold on the idea but the idea of being too drunk to think about her own mess of a life was very appealing.

It was that sentiment exactly that ended with Mac and Veronica dancing completely off beat to whatever radio pop hit the pi sig house was playing. Eventually Mac realized that the last shot of tequila she had taken had been one too many. She motioned to the bathroom so Veronica knew where to come looking if she didn't come back in 10 minutes. She had almost made it to the bathroom door without incident when the spinning hallway got the best of her and she lurched forward. She braced herself for the floor but was surprised to feel her jeans tighten around her waist to the point where it was cutting off her blood supply.

"Owww," she yelled as she turned to see what the hell happened. She spun right into Dick and looked down to realize he had his fingers hooked into her belt loops to keep her from falling. "What the hell!" she asked

"Sorry," he retracted his hand. "I figured tight pants was better than, ya know, a flat face."

She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the lack of sleep, or possibly because she missed him, but she immediately regretted the next thing she slurred. "Where's your next blonde bimbo-esque conquest?"

His eyes darkened and his jaw tensed. "Cut it out Mac. That's not fair and you know it."

"What?" she asked as she petulantly crossed her arms across her chest.

"Don't act like you weren't the one that stopped things. I practically told you I loved you and you shot me down. You know damn well I don't want any other girls! So please," he sighed. "Just leave me alone." He turned to walk down the hallway with every intention of getting lost in the crowd.

"I can't," she yelled after him. He stopped and turned on her.

"Can't what, Mac? Can't have feelings for someone like me. A fucking loser whose only current skills are playing x box and apparently ruining the lives of everyone I care about?"

She looked down. "I can't leave you alone." She answered. He swore and turned to leave again. "I can't leave you alone because I think I love you, you idiot!" she shouted. "But the last boy I loved took everything from me. He killed people. He killed me too. Well the happy, normal part of me. I literally can't get hurt again." She pleaded. "Cause if I do I'm afraid it will kill the only part of me that's left."

He approached her slowly. She swayed slightly from all of the tequila so he placed his hand against her cheek. She leaned into and let a few tears fall. "I thought we were past this." He breathed. "I'm NOT him. I will NEVER be him. Or anything close to it. I don't do complicated, remember? With the exception of you," he smiled. That got a laugh from her. He looked down at her and grabbed her hand. "I got you." He said simply.

She nodded and let out a sigh of relief. "Take me home?"

He leaned down and kissed her slowly and as she slipped back down from her tiptoes, he answered, "Always."