Rob watched Ryan's face as she watched Xavier cross the quad with another girl tucked under his arm.

He admired her control. Ryan's eyes narrowed at first, but she quickly wiped the expression off her face and put a smile in its place. She joined her sorority girl friends at the table.

Rob slipped an arm around Liz, a debutant with a heavy purse and a fondness for white powder. Liz had been a great source of information, and for the past couple of weeks, he was hanging onto her like a love sick puppy.

Christmas was coming up, and Liz was trying to convince him to come on a skiing trip with her and some friends from high school. Rob was trying to avoid it. He may get something out of it; he may not. The college campus was his concern, not some kids wanting to get high on the side of a mountain.

Rob had been surprised to see Ryan flirting with Tom. He didn't think Tom was her type at all. And he was a senior and she a freshman. He could use that though. Tom was getting pretty serious into gambling, that he could tell, and in serious trouble with the law.

Gambling wasn't Ben's arena, but he had the authority to do something about it if he had to. Ryan might be a good in. He didn't want to involve her, but if she'd be willing to get some information out of him, her getting together with him might not be bad at all.

When he got back to the dorm at eight o'clock, he was beat. Liz tried to get him to go clubbing with her, but he said he had to study for finals, which he did. Only a few more days and finals would be over, and then Christmas break.

Winter session would start two weeks later. Not as much activity on campus, but there was a big enough portion of the party scene going to be around that was worth the stay for winter session.

Ben had plans to go see his parents for Christmas. He debated back and forth with himself whether or not to ask Ryan to come with him. So far he hadn't been able to convince himself to do it.

There was a knock at the door, he opened it finding Xavier standing in the doorway with a pretty girl of approximately thirteen with curly black hair and chocolate brown eyes. She looked at him as if she was studying him. She had wise eyes, beyond her years, Ben thought.

"Ryan here?" Xavier asked, looking over Rob's shoulder.

"On a date," Rob replied, biting into the apple he'd been eating.

"Tried her cell, she must have shut it off," Xavier said, looking down at the girl.

"She's on a date," Rob repeated, swallowing.

Xavier said something to the girl in Italian. She shrugged. He turned to Rob, "Look, uh, I know you and I have issues, but I need a huge favor."

"What?" Rob asked, looking at the girl, already guessing what it was.

"This is my sister, Nikki. I was supposed to watch her tonight, but something's come up and I can't take her with me. I've got no one else."

"You trust me with your sister?" Rob asked, amazed.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Ryan trusts you. That's enough for me."

Rob looked at the girl who was looking back and forth between the two of them.

"What do you think?" Rob asked her. The girl shrugged. "Alright," he said, holding the door open for them to come in.

"You do your homework, and then you can read," Xavier told her, handing her the black backpack he held.

Nikki nodded. He kissed her cheek. The girl spoke to Xavier in Italian. What Rob could make of it with his rusty Italian, she had said "Angels watch you." Xavier put a hand on her head lovingly. He caught Rob watching them.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Sure, whenever," Rob said with a shrug.

Ben looked at the girl, who walked quietly toward the couch, took off her dark blue jean jacket, and laid it very neatly over the arm of the couch.

Nikki took her backpack off her shoulders, unzipped it, and pulled out her school books obediently.

Ben watched her sit down on the floor, slide her legs under the coffee table, open a book and put pencil to paper.

"How old are you?" he asked noticing her calculus/trigonometry book.

Nikki bit her lip. "Thirteen," she answered, not looking up.

"And you're doing cal/trig?" Ben asked amazed. She shrugged. "You're smart, huh?" He leaned on the wall, next to the kitchen, and bit into the apple again.

"I guess," she replied, shrugging.

"Your brother always tell you what to do?"

She looked up and nodded, a slight smile coming to her pink lips.

"You okay with that?"

"There's no choice," Nikki answered, and looked back down.

"There's always a choice."

"Are you trying to get me out of doing my homework?" she asked, wiggling a pencil in her hand.

"It's Friday night and you're sitting there, thirteen years old, doing cal/trig."

"You're eighteen and you're sitting around doing homework on a Friday night," she countered, pointing to his books sitting next to hers.

"Touché," Ben replied, saluting her with the apple in hand. She smiled. "What?"

"Nothing," Nikki replied, adjusting the clip in her hair. "My dad just says that a lot, that's all."

"Want something to eat?"

"Have another apple?"

Ben nodded and grabbed one off the counter and threw it to her. She caught it easily with one hand.

He blinked in surprise."Wow! Smart and you can catch. I might just have to marry you," he said, sitting at the other end of the couch from her.

"Are you going to marry Ryan?" Nikki asked, suddenly.

Ben nearly choked on the apple.

Nikki looked at him in concern. "You okay?"

Ben nodded. patting his chest. "Why did you ask that? About...Ryan and me."

"I heard..." she trailed off.

"What?"

Nikki turned back to her book. "Nothing."

"Did your brother say something to you?"

"No."

"You heard him say that I like Ryan," Ben guessed.

He had an older brother. Ben knew younger siblings were good at 'overhearing' conversations. He used to 'overhear' all the time with a glass to the wall that connected his and his brother's bedrooms.

Nikki looked up at him and finally nodded.

Ben blew out a breath. "I'm eighteen. I'm not ready to get married."

Her eyes narrowed, and she looked back at her book.

"Do you love her?" she asked, after a period of silence.

Ben leaned his elbows on his knees and looked at her. "Why do you want to know?" he asked, lowering his book.

"He said that you love her."

"I think this is a grown up conversation," he replied, sitting up straighter.

"I can handle it."

"I'm sure you can," Ben said with a laugh.

He heard a buzzing noise. Nikki opened her bag and pulled out a cell phone. Rob shook his head. A thirteen year old with a cell phone, what was the world coming to?

"Yeah?" she answered. "He dropped me off at your dorm. Rob's watching me," Nikki explained, rolling her eyes. "He had to go," she said. "I don't know where he is either. You think he tells me?" she said, annoyed, "Yes. Sorry. Okay, hold on." Nikki held out her cell phone towarda him. "Ryan wants to talk to you."

Ben took it from her with a smile. "Hey, Ry," he said into the phone.

"Sorry he dumped her on you."

"Oh, no, we're having a blast doing calculus homework together. Nikki's helping me with mine."

Ryan laughed. "Don't let her do it for you, you'll get an A, and the teacher will know you cheated."

"She that good?"

"She is."

"Look, I can be back soon. I just got Xavier's message."

"Nah, it's okay. Have fun. We're fine."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright. We're just catching a movie now. I should be home by eleven thirty, twelve."

"Okay," Ben replied, smiling that she said home.

"Let me talk to Nikki again," she said. He handed the phone back to the girl.

"Nikki, you okay?"

"Fine."

"You're okay with Rob watching you?"

"I don't need to be watched. I'm old enough to stay home by myself for a while."

"You know your dad," Ryan said quietly.

"I know, I know. He's paranoid."

"No, he's just protective. After Dougie... you know you have to be careful for awhile. There's no telling what those guys found out about us. If they found out about Doug..."

"Yeah, I know..."

"Look, I should be home by midnight. Why don't you leave a message for Lawson that you're going to crash with me? I'll call Xavier. He'll probably be out late."

"They're both working."

"I know. I can leave a message."

"Alright," Nikki answered.

"Rob's cute isn't he?"

"Uh-huh," Nikki answered.

"Think he likes me?"

"Uh-huh."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"Uh-huh," Nikki said again.

"What'd he say?"

"Nothing."

"We need to train you better."

Nikki laughed. "I'll see what I can do."

"Love ya, kiddo."

"Love you, too. Bye," she said, hanging up the phone.

Ben watched the girl having a conversation with Ryan. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled when she talked to her. When she hung up the phone, she looked over at him, and her face became stoic again. She stared at the phone and scrolled through the buttons.

"Hey, I'm staying at ...Ryan's. Don't blame me. See ya tomorrow, love ya, bye," she said, then hung up, and tossed the phone in her bag.

"You staying the night?" Ben asked, looking up from his book.

"Her idea, not mine."

"Where would you stay if you had the choice?"

"Home."

"Where's that?"

"Couple hours away."

"Why are you here?"

"Visiting."

"Xavier."

She nodded.

"Isn't he going home for Christmas?"

"It's complicated."

"Why?"

Her eyes narrowed like her brother's did when Rob questioned him. "You ask a lot of questions."

"I'm going to be a lawyer."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "They're divorced," she answered simply, looking back at her book.

"Your parents?"

She nodded.

"So he's going one way and you're going another?"

She nodded.

"That sucks."

Nikki nodded. "I got my mom to let me stay longer. I was supposed to go back with her last week. But I didn't get to see him. He was working. So she let me stay."

"You asked to stay? So, you actually like your brother?" Ben asked grinning.

She nodded. "Of course," Nikki said and looked up at him dead in the eye. "I love him."

"That's great that you love your brother."

She looked back at her book, "Yeah. Great."

Nikki closed her books with a sigh. She collected them in a pile and put them in her backpack. Ben watched her rub her eyes. "Want to go get some ice cream or something?"

"I don't think I'm supposed to leave here."

"Ah, come on. We won't leave campus. They've got ice cream at the food court."

She studied him and shrugged. "I guess."

"What? You don't like ice cream?"

"It's okay."

"It's okay? What kid doesn't like ice cream?"

"I didn't say I didn't like it. And I'm not a kid."

"Sorry," he said, spreading his arms in a placating manner.

"You got a bathroom around here?"

"Through there and to the right," Ben said, pointing to his and Ryan's room.

Nikki got up and went through the door.

Ben sat down and waited. After a couple of minutes, her phone rang. He glanced into the bedroom, but didn't see her.

Curiosity got the best of him, and he peeked into her bag, slipping the phone to the edge. The screen read: Lawson cell.

Lawson? He thought. Same Lawson as the friend of Ryan? Why would he be calling a thirteen year old girl? Ben slipped the phone back in and closed the bag.

Nikki hadn't come out after several minutes, so he got up and peeked into the bedroom. She was making Ryan's bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Making the bed," she answered matter-of-factly.

"Why?"

"Because it's unmade," she said simply, pulling the covers up.

"Ryan likes it like that."

Nikki looked at him and turned back to making it.

"Take it you don't?"

She shook her head. Nikki finished making the bed. Ben was impressed; it was almost military neat and tight.

"You don't talk too much do you?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Come on, let's go," he said, gesturing towards the door. Nikki followed him out.

"Oh, I think your phone was ringing," Ben told her as they entered the living room.

Nikki opened her bag and looked at the screen. She pressed a button and put the phone to her ear. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Hey, Princess. Do you want me to come get you?"

"Well, Ryan said I could stay here tonight."

"Can I talk to her?"

"She's not here. I'm with her roommate. Rob."

"Where is she?"

"Had a date."

"And Kyle?"

"Same as you, I guess."

"I'm done. I can come get you if you want. Or you can stay. It's up to you."

"I don't care."

"Nikki."

"I guess I'll stay. I want to see...Ryan."

"Okay. You know not to say anything, even to Rob, right?"

"I know, for the millionth time."

"Make it a million and one."

"We're going for ice cream, so I'll talk to you later," Nikki told him, rolling her eyes.

"Alright. Call me if you need me."

"Yup. Love ya, bye."

"Love ya, bye."

"Little young for you, Long," One of his frat brothers, Kenny, said as they were waiting in line for ice cream.

"Babysitting, man."

"I'm not a baby." Nikki gave him a glare.

"I didn't mean it like that. Sensitive are we?"

They ordered their sundaes and found a place to sit down. Rob watched her as she ate her ice cream.

Nikki was quiet, avoided his eyes, and looked deep in thought. It bothered him that she was so serious. She was only thirteen. What did she have to be so serious about?

"Why are you so quiet?" he asked, leaning back in the chair. "Cat got your tongue?" he teased.

"Can you not talk?" she retorted sarcastically, poking her ice cream with her spoon.

"Nope," he answered with a smile.

"Isn't that a problem for you?"

"What?"

"Talking too much."

Ben laughed. "Never found it to be. Isn't it a problem for you not talking?"

"It's easier,"Nikki said, looking down at her sundae.

"Why?"

"So you don't say anything wrong."

"What would you say that's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

Nikki put a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and looked away. She was tough. Ben had always thought he was good at getting things out of people. But this girl refused to really talk.

He wasn't sure what to make of the Lawson call. Ben wasn't sure of what to make of a girl who was so quiet yet had expressive eyes that showed she had a lot to tell.

"Rob? A moment?" Kenny asked, leaning on the table looking from him to the girl.

Ben eyed him. He was one he wanted a moment with. "Nikki. Why don't you go play one of the video games?" Ben suggested, reaching into his pocket and pulled out a handful of quarters.

She shrugged, took the change, and went to the machines in the corner of the shop.

"Heard you were looking," Kenny said, slipping into her seat.

"Got something on you?" Rob asked, leaning in.

"Cost ya a fifty."

Rob reached in his wallet and pulled out three twenties. He palmed them in his hand and slipped them to Kenny discreetly.

"Bathroom," Kenny said, getting up.

Rob followed him and stopped by Nikki at the arcade machines. "Just hitting the bathroom. Stay here, okay?"

"Whatever," she answered, not looking away from the game.

Ben made use of the facilities and washed his hands. Kenny handed him a paper towel to dry and left the bathroom. He felt a plastic envelope under the towel and quickly slipped the marijuana in his pocket.

When he came out of the bathroom Nikki was gone from her spot at the games. She wasn't at their table either. He stepped out the front of the restaurant, but he didn't see her.

Panic filled him. He lost Xavier's sister. If the guy disliked him before, he was really going to hate him now. He went back to the restaurant and saw her coming out of the ladies room. He took a big breath of relief.

They found Joe and Larry in the living room playing video games. The young men looked up questioningly at them.

"Hey, guys this is Nikki," Rob introduced.

"Hi," They said curiously, wondering who the kid was.

"Hi," she answered back studying them.

"That's Joe and Larry," Rob said, pointing them out.

Nikki nodded and picked up her backpack. She went into Ryan's bedroom and sat down on her bed. Rob followed her in. Nikki had laid her jacket at the end of the bed and was pulling a Harry Potter book out of her bag. She laid down and opened the book, ignoring him.

"Make yourself at home," he told her. She nodded.

Rob let her be and went back into the living room.

"Who's she?" Joe asked.

"Xavier's sister," Rob said, sitting on the couch.

"Ryan's Xavier?" Joe asked.

Rob cringed at the term. "Yeah."

"Why's she here?" Larry asked.

"Xavier asked me to watch her. Guess he got a last minute, hot date," he said with a shrug.

"Man, you're a better guy than me. If it were me, I'd tell him to get lost," Joe said.

Rob shrugged. "Had nothing else to do."

"What about Liz Manning?" Larry asked.

Rob shrugged. "I don't have the energy to keep up with her every night," he said, stretching.

"You going to break up with her?" Joe asked.

"I don't know, maybe," Rob said, rubbing his eyes.

Ben went into his room, contemplating going to bed. Nikki was already asleep, lying on Ryan's bed, clutching something to her chest.

His brow wrinkled as to what it was. He slipped it out of her hand. It was a picture of a guy. A guy much older than her. The guy was about thirty five, blond hair, well built, nice friendly smile. Definitely not a relative, she was too dark skinned. This guy was white as white could be.

Ben looked at her, Nikki was very pretty; she was going to be a knockout when she grew up, he could tell. He hoped the girl hadn't gotten involved with some child molester or something.

Ben heard of it all the time from the internet agents. Young teenage girls were being lured away from their homes by these sick older men pretending to be young teenage boys online. When the girl met up with them it was a horrible fate.

He'd talk to Ryan about it. See what she knew. Ben slipped the picture back into the girl's hand. He felt uncomfortable getting into his bed with a strange young girl in the bed next to him. But he was exhausted and fell asleep quickly.

"Nikki, get in," Ryan said, pushing at her. "Nicola," Ryan said, raising her voice.

Nikki grumbled and put her legs under the covers. "This bed sucks."

"Tell me about it," Ryan said, getting in. "Are you still wearing jeans?"

"Uh-huh."

"Go get changed."

"I'm too tired."

"Takes two seconds."

"I don't have any clothes anyways."

"Grab a tee-shirt out of my drawer."

Nikki grumbled and climbed out of bed, walking towards the dresser.

"What's this?" Ryan said, pulling what felt like a thick piece of smooth paper out of the blankets.

"What?"

Ryan held it into the light. "Oh, Dougie," she said, looking at it. Nikki took the picture from her. "It's alright to have it you know."

"I know," Nikki said, going into the bathroom to change.

Rob listened without moving. So, this girl apparently knew Ryan's friend Doug, which meant that Xavier also knew him, which meant that Ryan and Xavier knew each other before this Doug died at Halloween.

 It also explained somewhat why the other friend, Lawson, had been calling Nikki. Maybe Xavier had called him also to watch Nikki. 

Why didn't Ryan tell him that she and Xavier knew each other before he came here? He'd thought they'd always been honest with each other. Well, he'd been as honest as much as he could be.