After leaving Maya and Katrina, Garrett walked off to a far corner of the mansion's sprawling property. He reached the perimeter wall and followed it down to the corner where it met the other wall. Well, he almost did. About twenty feet from the corner, the weeds had become brambles. Five more feet and the brambles became full on thorn bushes. The actual corner was a large mass of twisted vines, thick with thorns that had to be at least two inches long.

Garrett stared at the twisted mass and thought he was sweating, his face was wet. He felt and it was salty water, but it was from tears. He remembered now. The Wills' had a large bit of property in rural Delaware. He had crawled around in bushes just like these as a boy. Tom and Betty Wills. His parents.

It wasn't a full realization, but it was something. At that moment, he was no longer a coma patient. No longer a mutant. He was Garrett...Theodore? Yes! Garrett Theodore Wills. He dropped to his knees, feeling an overwhelming sensation of exhilaration and astonishment.

From his low vantage point, he saw a possible route into the fibrous cluster. He looked at his hands and numbed them out to ease the crawl, which wouldn't be nearly as easy for a young man as a small boy. Though it was only 10 feet, it was a slow, arduous ten. He definitely got more than one thorn securely fixed in his palm, but it became worth it when he got to the center.

Inside the giant bush, the light filtered in from all directions. He thought of old times when he would spend hours in such a spot. It appeared to be another world. An alien world made of thorns, but so cool and serene inside. He smiled and wiped the sweat and tears from his face with his sleeve and saw blood streaming down his forearm. He looked and found four different thorns embedded in his palms. He gingerly pulled them free and pressed his palms into his pants, to stop the bleeding.

It was some time before Ghost went looking for Garrett. She hadn't understood why he'd left so abruptly. She supposed the whole situation had been a bit... confusing. She thought that was because she was mentally been elsewhere, but something was still bothering her about the situation. She wasn't sure why, but she felt the need to apologize.

The problem was: no one had seen Garrett for hours. Apparently he hadn't gone back inside. She knocked on his door just to see if he'd returned without anyone seeing, but there was no answer. She'd never known him to not answer his door. He wasn't avoiding her was he? She was beginning to feel more and more guilty and worried the longer she looked.

Maybe he hadn't come back inside? Ghost found herself running through the extensive grounds. She just hoped he hadn't left. Was she driving away another one? She nipped that bud of a thought as soon as it sprouted. No. He was here. He wouldn't just leave. He wouldn't.

Ghost found herself narrowing down her options. Trees? He didn't seem the climbing type. She could be wrong. Did they really know each other after all of this? She was starting to lose hope as she walked along the grounds. What did she really know about Garrett? That he was a torturer? She knew that much about rescuer from the camp, Doug. That he was a Taoist? That he had no eyebrows? Maya ran her hands through her hair in frustration. She was running out of places to look.

She stopped short of the mass of brambles near the back of the property. It was a tangled and mess. She couldn't imagine Garrett or anyone really making it through any of that. She let out a frustrated 'Augh!' and squatted, folding first at the waist and then at the knees, eventually leaning her forehead against her knees and cradling her head against her arms. She sniffled. This was stupid.

The day stretched long. Time was no longer an issue. His job, the Mansion, his world previous to this moment was irrelevant. His hands had quit bleeding and he had allowed the pain to return slowly. So many years. He had been focusing on his parents, remembering their faces. Tom was built like an iron gorilla, his face beset with a salt and pepper beard and mustache. He was also bald. Garrett rubbed his head in remembrance. Betty had short dark air and the kindest eyes ever. In fact, that's all he could see was her eyes, but it was more than enough.

He remembered sitting on a pontoon boat with them as it floated on the large pond behind the property. The sun shining down, Tom telling dirty jokes while he fished, Betty telling Garrett to disregard them, scolding her husband. Garrett laughing until his ribs hurt. The tears flowed freely as Garrett remembered. His first kiss with Dee Dee Hildebrand, out in the wild places like these.

The light of day had reached its peak and was sliding down the horizon now. He couldn't bring himself to leave, the memories seeping in as surely and slowly as they had seeped out. His thoughts returned to Maya. They had spent alot of time together recently. Whether or not anything ever came of it, Garrett knew where his heart was and knew that it skipped a beat every time she said his name. He shouldn't have walked off like that, but he had never been snubbed like that by her. It was a dose of reality he hadn't been ready to take.

No one had ever touched him in the special way that she did . He wondered if she even knew what she was beginning to mean to him. He moved some of the vines aside so he could rest against the wall, his back beginning to ache from the long bit of sitting. His thoughts began to float freely, imagining finding his parents again and bringing Maya with him to meet them.

"Augh!"

He snapped at once to the present moment. The light had gone even further now and he could hear her in the brambles. "Maya? I'm in here." Whatever the cost, he had to get some of these feelings out in the open.

Maya eeped and fell on her side in her attempt to untangle herself and spring to her feet. Just when she'd thought Garrett had to be miles and miles away, she'd heard his voice. She pressed her hand against her sternum. She felt like her chest was going to explode... from shock. It was shock, she decided.

"Garrett?" She called insecurely. Had he fallen in? She didn't really see a way in for someone so fleshy. Ghost became incorporeal and walked through the brambles, no need to get stuck on any sharp spines when you're an air elemental. She moved slowly toward where she thought she'd heard his voice. She sincerely hoped there was enough space for her to rejoin the corporeal world inside.

"Are you really in here?" She tried to make it sound a bit like a joke. She hadn't been imagining things, had she? It was hard and slow going, the brambles were tightly knit near the top so she mostly poured through the lower brambles like smoke. Just when she thought she'd have to turn around, she broke through the brambles. Garrett was there. The setting sun was again setting the stage by streaming golden light through the holes of this secret place. She had to reassemble herself slowly, taking every care not to include some leaf or wooden bit embedded in her flesh.

"Some hiding place." She breathed as she took in her surroundings with solid eyes. When she was incorporeal her sense were different, dulled somehow. It came in handy when she was running away.

"Are you.. uh.. okay?" She was beginning to think she had fallen asleep somewhere and was dreaming all of this.

He heard her make a sound of shock and then call his name out. The telltale jumping in his heart and throat made him smile."Yes. Come in." He knew what was going to happen even as it occurred. A kind of smoke began to filter in through the spaces in the brambles. It was her. The setting sun's radiant lights filtering through her incorporeal body was magical to observe.

He watched her slowly and deliberately form, first as a blurred image. When she asked if he was there, her voice sounded at once distant and in his ear. Her image began to materialize further, her warm golden eyes the thing he was focused on. It took a few moments and Garrett resisted the urge yet again to move his hand through her. Like a hologram finally coming into focus, she was there, next to him.

"Some hiding place."

" I wasn't hiding." He wiped the grit and tears from his face with his sleeve, exposing his blood covered palm." I remembered Maya. I remembered my parents and some of my childhood. I used to play in patches like these as a boy. I remembered that my middle name was Theodore." He was smiling a toothy grin, his eyes still moist.

She asked if he was okay. He nodded."I'm much better than okay. I am sorry for going off like that. You turned your back on me and snubbed me. It had never happened before and I didn't know how to deal with it. I hope you weren't worried." His eyes softened and he reached over and took her hand.

" I think we need to talk a bit. We have been dancing around our feelings for a while now."

"I wasn't hiding." He wiped the grit and tears from his face with his sleeve, exposing his blood covered palm.

Maya stopped herself from interrupting and grabbing his bloodied palm. He'd been crying. He clawed his way through all of that mess apparently on his hands. Dream Garrett would have taken better care of himself, she decided. "I remembered Maya. I remembered my parents and some of my childhood. I used to play in patches like these as a boy. I remembered that my middle name was Theodore." He was smiling a toothy grin, his eyes still moist.

She gulped. She was afraid of this. More she hadn't known, though, apparently Garrett hadn't known either. She fidgeted in place unsure if she was intruding on something private. She still had secrets so he was allowed to have secrets right? He'd apologized for running away, but accused her of snubbing him.

"I didn't snub." She protested very weakly. Maybe she had. She'd really wanted Kat to like her for some reason. Had she placed Kat above Garrett? He was looking at her with those soft eyes that made her squirm internally.

"I looked for you for a long time" she admitted begrudgingly, though hardly above a whisper. She still stood awkwardly, hardly able to avoid the prickles, he seemed to pick up on her hesitation and he grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit next to him.

"I think we need to talk a bit. We have been dancing around our feelings for a while now."

"Feelings? She squeaked. Nope. No feelings here. Her pulse was thudding harshly in her neck making anything like words a bit difficult. She swallowed. This was silly. It was Garrett. "Garrett Theodore Wills. That- that's a nice name." Once the flood gates were open, she couldn't stop. She was nervous and so once she got past the initial words it was hard to stop her. It was a last ditch attempt to distract him from the topic at hand. "I didn't really snub you, you know. I just wanted to be a good onee-san to Kat. I think it's good to get to know lots of people, you know, and I was thinking - we don't know everything about each other. You can have secrets that's okay with me too. I think we've been getting to know each other and and..." She made a slightly frustrated sound and ran her hands through her unruly white locks, bumping against the prickly thorns in her haste.

She covered her face with her hands feeling slightly miserable. "That's a lie." She breathed through her fingers. "I want to know. Why can't I just leave you alone?"

She half heartedly apologized for snubbing him. It was no longer relevant to him as she was here now and it was a thing of the past. She then admitted that she had spent time looking all over for him. This made him feel a twinge of guilt for leaving abruptly but at the time he was in such a state of confusion.Nevertheless, the time was now and she was here.

He had mentioned the topic of feelings and a cacophony of words fell from her lips. It was apparent that the topic caused her confusion, but he had to have some clarity for both of their sakes. She went from topic to topic, seemingly avoiding the one at hand. She seemed like she wanted to dissolve on the spot and become the wind, but instead she shined with the clarity he had sought.

"That's a lie." She breathed through her fingers. "I want to know. Why can't I just leave you alone?"

He smiled at her and took her hands gently in both of his, looking into her orbs of honey. "Our time together has been short. However, every moment has meant something to me. I feel my heart pound and the blood throbbing through my veins when you call my name. I often find myself thinking of you. I wouldn't dare to say a word about love as we haven't known each other long enough for that. I hope we continue to get to know each other, though. Don't you feel those things too?"

It was good deal to unload on her but he had initiated this and finding out what was going on was the only way to find peace.

Maya pressed her palms against her eyes until she didn't see the pinkish light filtering through her fingers and lids, she didn't even see black. She pressed so hard that she saw explosions of white punctuate the uninterrupted darkness. She was scared. Every muscle was so tense she just couldn't relax even though he wasn't saying anything particularly scary... yet.

She continued to hide behind her hands, but she breathed slow and calm. "I want to know about you... I-I like it when you're around." She admitted. She could admit that much. She was worried. If she got involved with someone -- well, if you intertwine your life's cord with someone else... it's just easier to get hurt.

Everyone she ever cared about died or left or made her leave. Not friends - friends were safe. You could find a friend after a 2 years absence and pick up a friendship with no problems. Friends could support you without needing to know all the details. Friends are just safer. The added distance made it easier even if deep down after all that she was still lonely.

She pulled her hands away and hid there behind them, pressed firmly into her eyes. "What are you afraid of Maya? That you will fall for me and I won't be there to catch you? Have I disappointed you yet?" He shifted his weight to one side as he tried to look through her fingers and see her eyes. He wanted to pull her hands away, but that wasn't how you treated someone you cared for. He had to be as delicate as possible so that the fleeting breeze didn't blow away.

" Please, Maya, look at me. I mean you no harm. I have no plans of going anywhere. There are plenty of attractive girls here at the Mansion, but I chose you. Your smile, your warmth, your intelligence, your big, deep heart. I love all of those things. I don't want to scare you away. Not at all. I just want to know we are on the same page here."

He just wanted to know that she felt it too. He wanted to know that he wasn't just being foolish or getting far ahead of himself. No, he didn't love her now, but he knew one day he would. He wanted her to be there on that day to say it back.

"What are you afraid of Maya? That you will fall for me and I won't be there to catch you? Have I disappointed you yet?"

She nodded and then shook her head. No he hadn't disappointed her yet, but he still had that opportunity - maybe that was the problem. It'd be easier to believe him if he had messed up somewhere along the line. Everyone screws up. Everyone has faults. Beyond what had happened in the past, she just couldn't pick his out. She wanted to like him, but she was baulking. Much as she had stalled before coming to the mansion.

"Please, Maya, look at me. I mean you no harm."

Maya breathed and slowly spread her fingers exposing her tightly closed lids. She listened to what he was saying - he reassured her he wasn't leaving. The problem was that the unplanned departures like death or abandonment were the worst. That seemed like a promise he couldn't back up. He said that he chose her. She hadn't been aware that he'd been looking. He complemented her and she knew he meant it, but she didn't feel like it was true.

She opened her watery eyes. She looked at him, really looked at him. He wasn't trying to hurt her. She didn't mean to be like this. She didn't want to hurt him either. Maybe it was too late - maybe they were already too involved. She'd let him get closer than she'd realized. It seemed there really was no stopping wherever this was going.

"...sorry." She worked to un-knit her brow and relax her face. She was starting to get a headache simply from her self-imposed tension. "...just - don't..." she was working really hard to tell him "don't leave, okay?"

Garrett was thankful as Maya appeared to come around somewhat. Her fingers unknotted from her eyes when he asked her to look at him. She had listened to what he had to say and seemed to be open to it. It was an incredible relief for him. She then looked at him deeply. Her eyes and his were joined in a moment of clear and real connection.

To Garrett, the brief union had seemed to drag on for a long time. He had yearned for her to look at him in such a manner. She seemed to still be fighting herself over her words. When she finally stammered out that she didn't want him to leave, he scooted next to her. He put his arm around her tiny waist and looked into her eyes again. " I won't leave you, Maya. If you leave, I will follow you. Anywhere."

He looked at her a moment and leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. It was brief and closed, but it contained what he couldn't seem to say. He then smiled and said, "I should have a great time leaving this place in the darkness. Some of us can't just float through." He looked around at the walls of thorns and smiled, a small chuckle leaving his lips.

He scooted next to her and slid his arm around her waist giving her that look that actually made her chest squeeze tightly. She slid her fingers from around her eyes down her face. She stopped to nibble at the ends of her fingers nervously for a bit. Touching wasn't always natural to her. It was fast growing on her though.

"I won't leave you, Maya. If you leave, I will follow you. Anywhere."

He leaned in and punctuated his statement with a respectful and soft kiss. It was brief and sweet. He leaned back smiling. "I should have a great time leaving this place in the darkness. Some of us can't just float through." Her cheeks glowed a healthy red.

Maya leaned her head against Garrett's shoulder. "I don't think I could take you with me." She swallowed and buried her face against his shoulder. How'd he do it? "So stay." She just didn't understand how he made it all seem so easy.

"I don't think I could take you with me." She swallowed and buried her face against his shoulder. "So stay."

All things come to those who wait. The waiting was worth feeling Maya's breath against his shoulder. He leaned back into the foliage.Rather than stab him repeatedly, he happened to find a soft spot, cradling him. He wrapped his arms around Maya and sniffed at the silky gossamer strands below him. He smiled, his chest buzzing with an electricity he hadn't felt before.

"So, if we are staying, what would you like to talk about, Miss Maya?"
He purposely teased her slightly, trying to replicate the formal tone of speech she had used to Katrina earlier. His hand caressed her back slowly as he waited to hear her response.

Ghost leaned against his shoulder for a long moment before responding. It was... nice. It was nice to have somebody solid and real and alive. She took her time before responding, trying to keep her nerves out of her throat.

"Tell me something you've never told anyone before." She mumbled shyly from her hiding place against his shoulder. She wanted to know everything and she wanted to tell him everything. If it took all night - so be it. She didn't do things half way -- if they were going to do this, she was gonna give him the keys to her castle, but she also expected some keys in return.

"Tell me something you've never told anyone before."

He thought about this for a moment. She probably wasn't going for the fact that he despised coconut, so that left one obvious secret. It made for an icebreaker, for sure."Well, well. Actually there is something. I do trust you though, so here goes. Prior to my residing at the Mansion and meeting you, I used my abilities for..less than noble reasons. If I found myself starving or wanting to get into a hotel or something similar in winter, I would rarely fake seizures and then make people seize. I would then relieve them of the funds I needed." He paused for a moment, hoping she wouldn't freak out, though understanding if she did.

As he paused, he remembered lying there in the spotlght made by the street lamp in the park, smiling at Petunia as the courier came wheeling along. He was glad he wouldn't have to do that anymore. He then added, " I hope that doesn't shock you, but that is definitely a secret I have been carrying. I want to be completely honest with you, though."