Dawn discovers some feelings of her own.

Dawn looked worriedly at Jasmine. She had been downstairs agruing with Quentin like it was the end of the bloody world for some time. So engaged in the battle that she hadn't even noticed Jasmine's disappearance. But after so many harsh words, and a new found courage, she finally had the guts to send him away.

It wasn't his fault he was such a loser. He just wouldn't be her loser anymore. She had ascended the stairs much freer than she had in a long time. She couldn't even really be angry with Quentin. There was nothing more to say. Nothing more to dwell on. She had brought it on herself. Always did. Dating guys she wanted desperately to change, all the while knowing she couldn't. Secretly happy she didn't succeed, so that part of her stayed all her own. She had always been plagued by this strange dichotomy. Needing a guy to be there, to have someone to be depend on. All the while, fighting and clinging to her independence as if she had been threatened with mortal harm.

Now, as she looked at Jasmine's tear stained face and deflated composure, she sensed something much deeper wrong than the stress of hers and Quenin's antics.

Slowly crossing the room, for fear of startling her. Dawn sat down on the bed across from Jasmine, concern and care drawn on her face.

Reaching out to hold Jasmine's hand, she spoke quietly. "Honey, please tell me what's wrong. He's gone, I sent him away for good, I promise. But why are you so upset? Is it all those nasty things he said about you? I'm so sorry about that."

Dawn winced at the recollection of the arrows he had thrown at Jasmine. A twinge of pain and guilt bit at her, for having her friend subjected to that.

Jasmine stared down at her knees scared out of her mind. Struggling just to breathe, she had no idea what to say, what to do. Her brain melted between her ears as her lungs burned for inspiration and her heart beat a loud indication of how it thought she should respond. She searched for a way to defy it. For the strength of words and the steadfast armor of her sarcastic humor that had protected her for so long from this very moment. This was her best friend. What if she lost her? What if she horrified her? The truth alone would probably send her running right back to Quentin. But no excues came. She was empty and frail, praying for a ray of hope to save her from this confrontation. Unable to speak, she simply looked up at Dawn. Tears began once again to paint lines of despair upon her face.

Dawn looked into Jasmine's eye and years of ignorance melted from her own. Her heart burst in her chest and intuitively she knew exactly what was bothering Jasmine. Quentin, in all of his hostility and jealousy had at least been right about something. He hadn't been the first to say it, mind you. But with all of her time spent denying and deflecting such ideas, she had never actually considered the idea that Jasmine had feelings for her. Let alone ponder whether she felt anything stronger than friendship in return. Sure she had thought about being with a woman. It was an escapable one when your best friend was a lesbian. But she had arrived at her same standard canned "Jasmine is my friend and I love her no matter what, of course there's nothing between us" response so long ago, that she'd never given light to how her own feelings may have changed.

Memories of years spent together flashed through her mind, and a warm tingling took root in her stomach. Her heart beat like thunder as she reached up to wipe the tears from Jasmine's cheek. It was an act she had done a hundred times throughout her life, yet it felt like the first time she had ever truly touched anyone. The soft wet skin sent chills up her spine as she softly caressed Jasmine's face. Searching the other's eyes for some indication of safety she moved in slowly, anticipating something she did not even completely understand, yet terrified she would be rejected.