"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Britney came flying into the room and tackled her brother with a vicious hug.

"Britney!" Ray let out a reliefed laugh as he hugged his sister tightly. He had just gotten home from taking Lucy back to her house, the Conwings. Ray had walked into the door and announced loudly his return. This was the greeting he had then recieved. "Brat, hey, you can let go of me now..." He chuckled down at his sister who had him in a death grip of a hug. Britney shook her head vigeriously.

"If I let go, you're going away..." She gazed up at Ray with a pout, tears forming in her eyes. Ray smiled warmly back down at his sister.

"No I'm not, I'm here to stay. I promise."

Britney let out a 'hrmph' and refused to let him go. "I missed you! Kristeen said you were going on a trip for a while. Where did you go?"

"All over the place." Ray replied quietly. "Is Kristeen here?"

Britney shook her head. "She went out for a while. Ray?"

"Yea Brat?"

Britney stared up at her brother with wide eyes. "You promise you won't go anywhere if I let go?"

Ray chuckled and smiled at his sister again. "I promise, Brat. I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon, believe me..."

Britney finally let go of her brother and followed him as he headed up to his room. "So where did you go? What were you doing? Was it scary? Ray, while you were gone I was having bad dreams... but now that you're back they'll go away, right?" Britney tugged at her brother's sleeve as Ray unstrapped his longsword from his back and hung it back on the wall near his closet where he usually kept it. "Ray, will you tell me about what happened?"

Ray opened his mouth to respond to his little sister when a knock at the door stopped him. "Odd..." he rubbed the back of his neck curiously as he made his way down the stairs. "Who would that be?" Ray walked over to the front door, Britney following. She hid behind her brother, peeking out curiously as Ray opened the front door. "Jason?"

The windian was shifting his weight from foot to foot uneasily as he stood at the front door, his hands stuffed inside of his jacket pockets. Jason's skin was pale and his eyes wide as he stared up at Ray, the sounds of his mother and Troy still echoing in his head as he did his best to speak to the dragon. "I... I didn't know where else to go..."

Britney peeked her head out from behind Ray and saw Jason. Her eyes went wide and she let out a gasp as she recognized the windian. "You! What do you want? Go away, you're a bad man!" Britney clutched Ray's leg tightly as she glared at Jason. Ray looked down at his sister and tapped her lightly on the head.

"Hey, Britney, go to your room for a moment, I'll be up in a second, alright?" Britney reluctantly let go and headed upstairs as Ray turned back to Jason. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." Jason started to talk again, his voice shaky and quiet. "I didn't know where to go... I thought maybe... maybe you could help... shit... Ray..." The windian gazed at him with empty eyes and Ray considered him for a moment before motioning for Jason to come inside.

"Sit down on the couch, you can tell me about it when you're ready." Ray noticed that Jason had his crossbow strapped to his back. "Have you even been home?"

The windian made his way over to Ray's couch and sat down. Immediatly he folded forward, holding his head in his hands and just sat there. Ray closed the front door and watched the windian uneasily for a moment.

"Jason?"

"Ray... I need a favor... I need a fucking big favor... can I stay with you for tonight?" Jason raised his head up and look at Ray with haunted and empty eyes.

"Jason?" The dragon raised an eyebrow in wonder at the windian. Jason just shook his head.

"I can't go home... I can't go back home tonight, or tomorrow, or fucking ever..." he dropped his head down into his hands again and sat there quietly for a few more minutes. Ray sat down next to him, and finally Jason began to mumble off the story of what happened when he had returned home.

"He killed her, Ray. The fucking bastard killed her... and I didn't do a damn thing to try and help her..." Jason was shaking his head. "Fuck... and then, I couldn't let the guards find me... I had no fucking idea what would happen if the guards found me, so I... I had to get out of there... and this was the only place I could think of..." Jason didn't look over at Ray. His eyes were in a fixed gaze at the ground. Ray considered him thoughtfully for a moment.

"What about Chad or David? Why didn't you go find them?"

"I didn't just spend the last two fucking weeks going through hell with Chad and David..." Jason finally looked up to meet Ray's gaze. "You know what I've been through lately... you're having to deal with it too... I don't have to fucking explain anything to you, you already know it all... Ray..." Jason paused for a second, a little reluctant to say the words he was about to say. "Ray... you're the only person I think I really trust right now..."

Ray was startled, to say the least. He had known that Jason had lightened up a bit towards him during their journey out west, but for Jason to suddenly say he trusted Ray more then he did Chad or David, that was a surprise to the dragon. "Jason...?"

"Look... shit..." Jason began to rub his left hand uneasily. "Ray, you know everything. You know about the Red Bird, you know about the fucking two week thing, and now you're the only person who knows about what just happened at my house. Lucy hates me, Janet is well, Janet, and there's no other fucking person out there who has any idea about what's happened recently, and I don't feel like letting people know either. You were the only one I could think to turn to..." he looked at the dragon helplessly. "Please.... Ray... please... I swear, I'm sorry for everything I've ever put you through. If you could just fucking help me out..."

Ray was about to reply when the sound of the front door opening caught his attention. Startled, the dragon jumped up to see Kristeen entering. She caught sight of him and her eyes lit up. "Ray! You're back! How have you be-" her voice cut out as she saw Jason sitting on the couch. The windian looked at her uneasily. still rubbing his left hand. "Ray..." Kristeen turned her gaze back to the dragon before her. "Who is this?"

"This..." Ray looked over at Jason. The windian turned his gaze to the ground and sat quietly. Ray studied him for a moment before turning back to Kristeen. "Kristeen, this is Jason, a friend of mine. He needs a place to stay... do you think there's any way we could let him stay here?"

Kristeen started at Ray in wonder for a moment before turning her gaze to Jason. "For how long?"

Ray sighed. "I don't know. Probably for a very long time though... Kristeen, please? I know you already have to take care of me and Britney, but please..."

Kristeen let out a sigh and made her way past Ray, walking into the kitchen, all the while talking in hurried annoyance. "Sure! Sure, why not. Jim already sent you and Britney for me to take care of, I can handle a third kid I guess. But Ray, he's staying in your room!"

"Actually..." Jason gazed up at Ray. "I'll just stay down here on the couch of no one minds..."

"You sure?" Ray rubbed the his neck thoughtfully. "I mean, I have no problem with sharing my room with you..."

Jason shook his head. "No, thanks, but I'd rather just be alone for a while really." The windian muttered quietly and rubbed his left hand again.

"Alright, fine." Kristeen made her way out of the kitchen, gazing down at Jason. "You can take the couch if you really want it."

Jason replied rather dryly. "Thanks." He then raised his eyes to gaze up at Kristeen. "Oh, and you don't really have to take care of me. I can take care of myself just fine, all I'm really asking for is a place to sleep every so often and to get meals from."

"Fine!" Kristeen gave a flustered wave of her hands before making her way back into the kitchen. "So now I've got two kids and a squatter!"

Ray chuckled lightly as he looked down at Jason again. "I guess it's settled then, you're staying with us."

"Ray..." Jason sighed and finally stopped rubbing his left hand. He looked up at the dragon, his eyes showing a hint of deep gratitude. "Thanks... thanks a lot... I swear, some how, I'm going to make this up to you..."

Ray gave a light chuckle at the windian. "Actually, you already have. My worst enemy has just become a good friend, what more could I ask for?" The dragon motioned towards the stairs. "I'm going to head upstairs and talk to Britney a bit. Explain to her that she's gained a new older brother..." Ray offered Jason a light grin before heading upstairs to find his sister. Jason watched him go, and then lowered his head into his hands again and sat quietly on the couch, the noises of his parents slowly fading out of his mind. The windian remained motionless for hours until he finally removed his crossbow from his back.