"Darling," he said as care-freely as he could, stepping forwards as he took off his coat, which he was about to hand to her, but gave it a second thought as he remembered the amount of mud she was dripping with. "Um," he muttered slowly, "why don't you take off your wet clothes-"

She didn't utter a word, but merely stared at him as if she thought that she could pierce him with her eyes. "Um," he said again nervously, "my bad?"

He felt the cold running up her wet clothes quickly freezing them to her body and thought to her, come on stop being a baby. Take off your clothes. I have some spare ones in the trunk. You're not getting in my car in that muddy junk.

As he dared to take another step closer to her, she slapped him across the cheek. It stung, but he kept still and caught her hand in the air forcefully. It was freezing cold. "Quit it."

"No, I will not," she spoke finally, brimming with exasperation as she tried to free her hand, but he used it to yank her closer to him.

"You're soaked and it's below zero," he said emphatically, "don't make me force you to get undressed."

"You wouldn't," she mocked him with a shivering laugh. "you're afraid of your own power because it's so much like Damien's! You've never even used it. You can't."

"Don't push me dear," he warned her, squeezing her hand harder and harder, until her eyes were watering.

"You're hurting me," she whispered through the pain and so he released her.

Whereupon, she breathed into his ear, "Then unzip my dress, because my arms are frozen to my sides."

"Gladly," he hissed, jerking the frozen zipper down when she turned for him.

"S-still can't move," she complained as he lifted her dress and yanked it over her head harshly, ice breaking and falling off. God, he was so cold!

"Erik," he said as he continued to undress her as if she were a child, "stop gawking and get the dress from my trunk and bring it over here, please."

He undressed her until she was in her undergarments only with her arms wrapped around her middle, breathing white clouds into the air as she glared at him unwaveringly. He wiped the mud off with a rag in his coat pocket and then sighing he wrapped his coat around her shivering body and turned towards Erik, who was holding out the dress.

"How much did this thing cost," he marveled, running his hand along the fabric.

"A lot," Drake snapped, "for someone who won't be appreciative of it."

However, Jade's eyes did widen as she studied the delicate white dress and she even whispered to Drake in a grateful voice, "You didn't have to."

"I know," he growled as he traded her the dress for his coat, "and I shouldn't have, but I felt sorry for you, yet again."

Jade took the dress and held it to her body. It was so soft and it even smelled expensive. Although she was suspicious of Drake's motives, she took it gratefully and it wasn't too long before the three of them were back in the car and driving towards Erik's home again.

She couldn't stop staring at the dress and the ruffles, the pearls and diamonds that made decorative designs on the corset.

"So you like it then?" Drake smiled at her.

"Yes," she said quietly, "thank you."

But why did you really buy it? For Petra? She asked skeptically.

"No, why the hell would I do that?" He answered aloud, "It's for you. Like I said I felt sorry for you."

Again? She thought to him, Isn't that becoming a little too repetitive?

"As long as you're happy, love," he sighed.

What's the matter with you? She was staring at him intently, wishing that he'd let her read his thoughts so that she could find out where her ring was.

"Nothing," he said, glancing at her, well mainly her dress, "I'm just thinking."

Do you even care that Erik is listening to every word you're muttering sounding like a mad man? She said, exasperated.

"No, frankly I don't, in fact," he growled, "what's the point to any of these secrets? Erik knows about us. I told him, everything."

Horror struck Jade, fear paralyzed her as she gawked at him. That was Damien's first and most important rule. What was Drake playing at? Didn't he realize the stakes?

"I thought we weren't telling her," Erik muttered, indignantly from the back seat, "but as usual everything is done your way I suppose."

"I can't believe you," she hissed, "the danger you're putting me in-"

"Us in and what danger have you put me in with your fake amnesia stories? Hm?" He spat hatefully at her.

"I despise you so much," she said, restraining the scream that wanted to let loose from her aching throat. "You are constantly putting me through hell!"

"Oh that's a joke! Everything I do is for you!" He shouted.

"What?" She said, infuriated. "How can you even say that? Everything you do is for one person, yourself!"

"Yes, Jade" he replied, "we came here to Erik's home because I love spending time with him so much and I bought that dress for you because I just love to see you in it. I lie to Damien because I'll just love it when he kills me for not telling him that-"

"Enough, Drake" Erik interrupted him, "I think you've made your point."

"I just cannot believe how utterly stupid-" Jade began to berate him, but Erik jumped in again.

"What exactly are you afraid I'm going to do Jade?" He asked her indignantly.

"It isn't you that I'm worried about," she nearly shouted, "it's Damien. Do you think I personally give a damn about who knows? I don't, but Damien does."

"And how could you pretend to love him, lying to my face?" He continued to question her as if she hadn't uttered a single word.

"I-" she began hotly, but realized how hurt he must have been and stopped herself short.

Drake took the opportunity to say, "Erik, she didn't have a choice."

"Why not?" Erik shouted, "For goodness sakes do you think I'm going to walk up to Damien and tell him that I know? He isn't going to find out. You should have told me long before now."

"It's only a matter of time before he finds out and trust me he will," Drake replied, cooly.

"Well, then may I ask," he said. "Jade do you love me or not?"

Both boys' eyes were boring holes into Jade's head as she sighed. Did she love him? She had once, but now everything was so confusing. If she told him that she did, then Damien would find out that he knew all the quicker and would probably have him killed. On the other hand if she said no then she would be lying.

"I-" she began, "I don't know! All right? Everything is just too confusing right now."

She felt a smile, spread across Drake's face as he glanced at the road, "You're confused?" Erik laughed, angrily. "I'm beyond confused, but I do know my feelings for you and I think you know your's."

"Enough," Drake hissed, "as far as the two of you are concerned Jade and I are together. Now no more talk of it."

"But you can flirt all you like with Petra?" Jade accused him, watching his mouth twist into a snarl.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked as if confused.

"Oh, don't bother lying to me! Erik told me about you two remember!"

"Calm down," Drake growled, "the two of us ended long before Damien stuck me with you. Unlike you two idiots, we actually have reasons to not be together. Albeit weird reasons."

"Like?" Jade persisted, not satisfied in the least bit.

"Not that it's any of your business," he said, blinking back his anger, "but I - er cheated on her, kind of and she's in love with Damien, which disturbs me."

"She seems pretty friendly for something like that to have separated you two," Jade pointed out.

"Friendly? Look, once Damien had you he fixed certain things. He told Petra that we never knew each other, supposedly. So that's why she acted like she did on the train and once you traveled we talked it over and decided that we could be friends, but apparently she changed her mind when I appeared at her house this morning. So there you have it. Are you happy?"

"And besides," Drake said more calmly, "she likes you. Just because you're jealous doesn't mean you can't be friendly to her. After all she gave you that ri-"

He stopped short and felt to a pocket on the side of his jacket. Jade eyed the pocket. That must have been where he was hiding her ring. She would get it back later that evening, when he took the coat off.

So she let the argument die and the rest of the car ride was silent as each of them digested their thoughts on what all had just been said. Jade thought of how Drake had said that everything that he had ever done was for her and Erik had said that he knew his feelings for her. She wondered if Drake hated her as much as he said that he did and eyed the beautiful gown that he had bought for her for no apparent reason.

Drake sat scowling at the road not daring to move a muscle. He had basically told Jade that she meant the world to him, which was not the case. He simply felt sorry for her. She had honestly been through an ordeal. Also, he was certain that his glances at the pocket holding her ring, told her exactly where to find it. He'd have to re-hide the shattered pieces from her until he could repair it somehow. He was still holding his thoughts from her, but he wouldn't be able to for much longer. He needed to burry the thoughts of her ring far away from her.