Emily looked around, feeling ever so slightly stunned, like she'd gotten a mild electric shock. It looked to her like everyone had suddenly jumped, as if she'd been watching a movie with some of the frames taken out.

Emily: "I think so- something did."

Andy turned his attention to Emily and felt a chill. He got the vaguest impression of her slipping away from him, that she'd seen through his charade. The phantom of a feeling faded as she smiled and wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself close.

Emily: "Are you ok?"
Andy: "I'm doing much better now, angel."
Emily: "Good. You looked really upset for a second there."
Andy: "Whatever just happened was a little unnerving, that's all."

The chill lifted as she raised her lips to his and kissed him tenderly- she was still his, he was still winning this game.

Emily smiled warmly at Andy, still standing close to him. She felt like she belonged with him, that he could give her everything she could ever need as long as she stayed by his side. All her worries about the future melted away when she was with him, her past just a bad dream to be forgotten.

Tristan felt the familiar ghost of disappointment as he watched Emily and Andy. He wondered if he'd imagined making a connection with her, his calls to her forever falling on deaf ears. He wondered how long he could stand to keep up the fight, but something deep inside told him it would be worth it in the end. He didn't trust Andrew in the least, and made a promise to himself to be there for Emily when she needed him, whether or not she noticed didn't matter.

Markus: "Whoa, guys- it's after midnight!"
James: "What was in that champagne, Andy?"
Andy: "Good stuff, eh?"

Mary: "We've all just experienced the missing time phenomenon- it was aliens!"
Markus: "I say we find them and kick their asses."

Mary started to laugh, but it turned into a horrible wracking cough that didn't seem to be letting up.

James: "Mary? Are you ok?"
Mary: "I don't feel so good..."

Mary swayed on her feet, feeling the room tilting ever so slightly. James was suddenly very close to her, holding her steady.

James: "C'mon Mary Jo, there's a 24-hour urgent care a few miles out- we're going now."

Emily watched them closely, hoping her friend would for once in her life accept help from someone. She never understood why Mary felt the need to control everything all the time- what could she possibly lose? She prepared herself to help James carry her out kicking and screaming if need be.

Mary jerked away from James, a slight panic bubbling up inside her. She met James' eye and hesitated as a whisper of a feeling brushed across the surface of her mind, tickled her senses and then disappeared away, taking the panic along with it. Without a word she let him lead her down to his car.