"Jezey's backed off. Wonder why?" Jacob says near Christmas time.

"Her father probably told her to or he'd not get her whatever she's been begging for for Christmas." Ana says uncaringly.

"What's going on, Ana? Ever since the beginning of the year when you and Damon fought you've been quiet. More quiet than usual." Jacob says with a touch of annoyance in his voice.

Ana looks up at him with her usual expression, but Jacob still sees something he hasn't from her in a long time, hurt. 

By now they are outside and near the curb and Jacob stops her. "What's going on Ana?"

Ana looks at him a long time, "You know when Damon first introduced you to me, I hoped I found a friend finally, but you made it clear that you aren't. So stop pretending you are Jacob."

"What's going on?" Trinity says coming up to them. Ana goes over to Trinity and he takes her into his arms.  He looks at Jacob confused and wanting an explanation. Jacob lifts his hands up in surrender.

Soon after that Jackson pulls the car up and all three enter in. After doing up their seat belts Ana once more leans on Trinity and he holds her to him.

"Ana, what's wrong? Do I need to talk to Damon about Jacob?" Trinity asks growing worried. If Damon sees Ana in tears and no explanation there will be heads rolling. Most likely his.

"Not Jacob's fault." Ana manages to get out.

"Tell me what's going on, please?" Trinity wheedles the girl plastered to his side.

Ana refuses to talk to him any further though and for the rest of the trip home they sit in silence only broken by Ana's sobs.

When they pull up to the house Ana refuses to move as the other's leave the car. "Come on, Ana. You'll freeze if you stay out here."

"It will be better for all if I do. You are heir to Hawk, if anything happens to me." Ana says sleepily. Her words shock Trinity, she really does trust him to tell him that.

He reaches into the car and undoes the her seat belt and gently lifts her up and carries her into the house as she cuddles into him. 

It's just his luck that they run into Damon as he walks into the house. Damon doesn't say anything. Ana hasn't been sleeping well and he doesn't want to wake her up, but Damon does notice her tear stained cheeks. He looks at Trinity sharply and then over to Jacob that is at his side. 

"Come into my study after taking her to her room. I want to know what happened."

"Yes, sir. But I'm afraid I don't have any answers for you." Trinity says going up the stairs.

"Trinity," Ana says sleepily.

"Yes, Ana?" Trinity says gently setting her on her bed and moving her hair off her face.

"Are you just my body guard or are you my friend too?"

"I am your friend if you want me to be, and I'd be honored to be so." Trinity says honestly.

"Thank you. What's wrong with me?" Ana asks a bit lost and a touch lonely.

"Nothing that I've ever seen." Again Trinity answers sincerely but now he thinks he knows what's wrong with Ana.

"Then how come kids don't want to be my friend?"

"That, Ana, isn't something I can answer. You are the most incredible person that I know. As far as I'm concerned everyone else is losing out if they aren't giving you a chance." Trinity leans down and gives her a kiss on her forehead.

"Is that what all the crying was about?" Trinity asks softly.

"Yes, no one at school even talks to me except Jacob. Jacob has made it very clear to me that we aren't friends, I'm just the person he's assigned to protect."

Ana looks at him, "Damon saw when we came in didn't he?" Ana demands and Trinity nods. "He wants to talk to you?"

"Yes, as soon as you are comfortable. What do you want me to tell him?" Trinity asks, he knows that he can't tell Damon anything she doesn't want him to know.

"It doesn't matter. This is an old problem that he knows about. You can tell him everything. Trinity?" Ana says hesitantly.

"Yes, Ana?"

"Have you noticed if Damon has a new girlfriend?" 

"He tells you when he does doesn't he?" Trinity is now confused. Damon tells Ana these things. Damon tells Ana just about everything, especially if it has anything to do with the group.

"He hasn't told me this time, but I don't think he's just using toys right now. I think it's the same girl every time he comes home. I think he's starting to regret keeping me here."

Trinity pulls Ana back into his arms, "There's no way he's doing that Ana. If the girl is his new girlfriend there must be some other reason for his not telling you. He loves you Ana, and would never do anything to intentionally make you feel unwanted."

Ana gives Trinity a hug and then,  "He's waiting for you, you better go or you'll get in trouble with him." She lays back down and closes her eyes. Trinity notices the tears that slip silently down her face as he gets back up.

"Do you want me to come back here after or do you want to be left alone?"

"I think I just want to be left alone for awhile." Ana says sleepily.

"Okay, try to get some sleep." Trinity says turning off the light and shutting the door  behind him.

"How long does it take to put a sleeping girl down on her bed?" Damon's acidic voice hits him as soon as he enters the study after being told to come in.

"She woke up and talked to me a bit. My apologies, sir." Trinity keeps his voice respectful, the last thing he wishes is for Damon to start ripping into him.

At his words Damon sits up straighter and becomes calmer. "Did she tell you why she was crying? Jacob says that nothing happened at school and when he tried to talk to her about it she only said that he made it clear that he wasn't her friend and to stop pretending."

"That's part of the problem. She's lonely, she says that none of the kids at school will even talk to her other than Jacob. She asked me what was wrong with her. I told her nothing that I could see. Then I told her that they are the ones missing out, because she is the most incredible person I've ever met."

Damon relaxes with these words, "Is that all then?"

"No, sir. There is more, but I'm not sure how much I'm to tell you."

Now Damon tenses once more and has to hold himself back from going to Trinity and forcing him to talk.

Finally Trinity speaks, but slowly and carefully, "She's worried that you've gotten tired of her being here."

Of everything Trinity could say, Damon hadn't been expecting this.

"Why would she say that?" Damon is confused and it shows in his voice and his face.

"She thinks you have a new girlfriend and you haven't introduced her or even talked about her to Ana. She thinks that now you have someone special that you don't want her anymore."

Damon slaps his hands over his face as he says one word only, "Shit."

"Is that everything? She's requested to be left alone for now."

"Are you going to get in trouble for talking to me like this?" Damon says before he allows the younger man to leave.

"She told me it was okay and didn't tell me to hold anything back." Trinity replies.

"I see. You both may go. Jacob, if you wish to be reassigned let me know. I won't force you to stay with Ana if you can't bring yourself to like her."

"I do like her, but she doesn't believe me now. I wish to remain as her body guard please." Jacob is almost begging Damon to keep that assignment.

"If you wish, you can remain her bodyguard but you need to convince her that you do like her now. She'll leave if she continues to feel like no one likes her."

"Yes, sir." Trinity and Jacob leave Damon's study and a quiet Damon behind.

"Damon is dating someone steadily and he hasn't cheated on her like he has his past girlfriend's." Jacob says softly once the study's door is closed. "This isn't like Damon, he tells Ana everything, especially about his new girlfriends."

"You think she's serious, this girlfriend?" Trinity asks just as softly.

Jacob looks at Trinity, "He hasn't introduced her to Ana, she's his test. I'm not sure how serious this is. But one thing is sure, if he is serious about her, Ana won't get in the way. If that means that she has to leave she will."

"It's not safe for her to leave," Trinity says starting to feel a bit panicky. There's no way he'll be able to protect Ana on his own should she decide to leave.

"Yeah, Damon knows that as well. No offence but he doesn't trust Hawk's men to protect her good enough should she leave. But knowing  Ana, if she decides to leave there is no way Damon would be able to stop her."

"He's stopped her before." Trinity says absently.

"That's because she didn't really want to go. If she makes up her mind to truly go, nothing will stop her from going." Jacob says then he thinks of something that horrifies him.

"Trinity, what if Damon's girlfriend isn't someone new, but someone old, someone that Damon already knows Ana doesn't like or actually hates."

Trinity looks at the younger man. "There is only one person no two possible people that could cover: Jezey and Jenny. He despises Jezey and wants to kill Jenny for the death threats to Ana."

Jacob is now feeling sick, he knows it's true. Not Jezey, no Damon wouldn't risk a war with Hawk, not over a girlfriend. But, Jenny, he never thought Damon would allow someone that threatened Ana to live let alone get back together with her.

"You really think Damon would do that to Ana?" Trinity asks horrified.

"If he did you'll need to decide whether to finish your senior year at the school and leave Ana unprotected, or finish by homeschooling. Ana won't stay with Damon if he's back with her."