You're Automatic.

We left Aubrey's house after a few hours since it was starting to get late and I still had to to my homework. We had only been back an hour Tom was asleep on the couch, Bill was sitting at the small dining table while on the phone with his mom, and I was laying on the floor white I finished my homework. It was quiet other than Tom's light snoring, Bill's hushed speech in German, and the scratching of my pencil on the paper.

It was peaceful, everything the way it was at that moment, and made me almost feel like there was something normal about my life right now; at least more normal than my life had ever been before meeting the guys. It was strange how I felt more at home in the suite with Bill and Tom than I had ever felt at home with my mom since she remarried. Maybe that whole saying about home being where that heart is was true.

I stopped writing and quickly read over my paper. I glanced over at Bill from the corner of my eye, wondering if he'd read my paper for me since Skye wasn't there to do it. I bit my lip and got to my feet, grabbing my paper and walking over to the table. I waited patiently.

Bill looked at me and smiled, continuing what he was saying. I heard my name, his accent almost hiding it. He was quiet and looked at me as his mom said something, I could barely hear her voice through the phone, but he looked at me again and blushed. He spoke again, sounding slightly embarrassed. He held up his hand toward me to say he wouldn't be much longer.

I waved it off and smiled, sitting in the chair across from him. Once again, I found myself wishing I knew German. I thought of maybe adding it to my list of classes for the next summer or next year. I looked up and smiled when he hung up.

He set down the phone and sighed. "I love my mom, I miss her, but there are some conversations you wish she wouldn't try to have with you." He half smiled and looked at at me. "So, what's up?"

"Would you read my paper? Usually Skye does but, you know..." I shrugged. Skye had been helping me with my homework since I was in the third grade, and I used to try to help him then tell him he was so smart for knowing the things he had to do.

He grinned and nodded. "Of course I will," he said eagerly, taking the paper and setting it on the table so he could read it. I watched him read it, his expressions telling me almost exactly what he was reading at that moment. After a little while, he looked up at me. "Is this what happened?"

I nodded and thought for a second. "I was only three at the time, but it's the earliest memory of my life that I can recall." I was quiet for a minute. "Skye and I both had a really bad feeling about that day and we begged him not to go to work, but he had to. There was a really bad thunderstorm. I remember Skye answered the phone when the police called to tell us what happened." I bit my lip and looked thoughtfully at the table. "I didn't believe her when she told us he wasn't going to come home anymore. I didn't understand. But Skye told me what happened, the best a seven year old can tell his baby sister that their dad's dead." I sighed and shrugged, "I wanted to climb into the coffin with him at the funeral. I told mom that I wanted to go with daddy to heaven." I half smiled at my childish innocence.

He half smiled when I told him what I wanted to go to heaven with daddy. He looked at me for a minute before he shook his head. "You were so young." I looked up to see the remorse on his face.

"Did you know I had a sister?" He shook his head, of course, and I nodded. "Skye's always been my hero, but she was my idol. She was so beautiful and smart and just an amazing person. Her name was Lydia. She went to New York with her high school to tour the Twin Towers and stuff. The was leaving, but she forgot something..." I stopped for a second, swallowing the knot in my throat. "So she went back in to get it." I looked up at him. "You know 9/11? The big tragedy with the World Trade Center?" He nodded and I could tell he knew the end of this story. "Everyone in her class made it out fine; every teacher, every student, everyone... Except for Lydia." My eyes welled up and I took a shaky breath. "My dad, my sister... might as well count my mom too," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm always so worried that something's going to happen to Skye, he's all I ave left."

Bill stood up and walked over to me. He pulled me to my feet and into his arms, and I cried into his shoulder. "I'm sorry." He stroked my hair and let me cry.

I had never told anyone about Lydia before. After she died, I stopped talking to people and eventually lost all my friends. After I started to get over it, my mom let me go to a different school and I just never mentioned her again. It was an emotional subject for me, and Skye. Why did I trust Bill enough to tell him something I never told anyone?

He rested his chin on my head, craning his neck a little to do so. "How old were you when she died?"

"I was ten."

Bill shook his head. "Being a kid wasn't butterflies and games for you, was it?" He pulled back enough to look at my face, but still held me in a hug.

I half smiled and shrugged. That's all I could really do as he looked deep into my eyes. His gaze was hypnotizing and it made it hard to think or speak.

"Your paper was really good. You really poured your heart into it. Your dad would be proud." He smiled at me and wiped a tear from my cheek.

I grinned, my eyes brimming again. "Do you really think so?" My voice cracked and I knew I was going to start bawling like a baby any minute. No one had ever said that before.

He nodded with a smile and kissed my forehead. We just stood there in a quiet embrace until he sighed. "Let's go to bed. Tom's asleep on the couch and I think we should take advantage of that." He winked and nudged me toward the room. "I'll get everything shut off and be in in a minute."

I laughed and nodded before walking to the bedroom. I changed into my pajamas and sat on my side of the bed, thinking over today. I really hoped everything would get better and Skye and I wouldn't have to worry about our mom or Shawn. I sighed and laid down, staring at the ceiling. I looked up as Bill walked in, his hands behind his back.

He tossed my iPod to me and I grinned. "I wondered where this went. I looked everywhere while we were at my house and I couldn't find it. I thought I'd die without my music."

He stopped midstride and rolled his eyes. "You say that like you aren't currently living with musicians." He pulled his shirt off.

I quickly looked away as he unbuttoned his pants and I giggled. I wasn't sure if I was giggling from what he said or from seeing him undress. I did love that he said I was living with them instead of just staying, though; it made me feel a little more welcome, wanted. "It doesn't count if you guys never play your music." I looked back at him and stuck my tongue out, gasping and looking away when I saw he was just in his boxers. I blushed, hard.

"You have a point," he said, laughing at me. "Tomi and I will play a couple acoustic songs for you tomorrow when you get home from school." Again, I was happy with his choice of words; this really was home. I was excited to go to school now that all my homework was done and I would be able to tell me friends about my weekend.

After a minute, the bed shifted and I felt something against my arm. I looked over at the small snow leopard stuffed animal, nearly screaming with joy. "Meow," he said, moving the toy like a cat and making it nuzzle its head against my shoulder. He smiled as I took it and hugged it close.

"Luna! My baby!" He cuddled her and grinned. "My dad gave her to me when I was just a baby. She's my most prized possession." I tenderly set her on my stomach and pet the soft faux fur.

Bill smiled and looked at me thoughtfully. He was quiet for a long time before he spoke. "Tell me something?" I slowly nodded. "And be completely honest?" My heart raced, but I nodded. "What are you thinking?"

I bit my lip and thought about it for a second. "All those things you said about me to my mom at the house today... Did you mean them?"

He nodded hesitantly. "Yes. I meant every word," he finally said, looking into my eyes. He smiled.

"Then you have to honestly tell me something." He hesitantly nodded again and I closed my eyes. I felt his hand brush against my arm and it took everything in me not to just blurt out how I felt. "Yesterday when you said you didn't want anything to happen to me just because Tom likes me and that's just how you are..." I took a deep breath. "Is that true or do you like me more than you want to admit?" My heart was trying to pound through my chest and I was so nervous, I thought I was going to be sick. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a minute before I gathered enough courage to look at him.