Dean couldn't sleep. Everything he learned in the past 24 hours has been a lot to digest, but that wasn't it. What really was keeping him up was, Amaya. She had been ignoring him, when she wasn't ignoring him, she was passing rude or sarcastic comments on him. She was never mean to him. Not while they were kids, not while they were teenagers, until now.

Dean failed to understand why he was feeling this way. Why had Amaya suddenly got all his attention? He kissed TJ for god sakes! That should matter, or how to find Aunt Calista, but no!

Amaya's words and actions bothered him.

Amaya had always been an important part of his life, but he never thought about her this much.

Did he take her for granted for so long?

She was always important, but Dean did nothing to show her that. Now when she is distancing herself, Dean regretted not telling her what she means to him.

She was always there for him, but Dean did nothing but make fun of her when she couldn't perform well. He never told her those encouraging words she always told him, without fail. Amaya had a golden heart, and Dean used it. He was surprised when she fought and won against Miriam. How did she become this good? Was Amaya right? Did he really stop giving her importance since TJ arrived? Of course, he did, how could he miss the improvement then?

TJ...the kiss was not what Dean expected. There was nothing good about touching TJ's lips with his. Yes, she didn't kiss him back, but it was not even close to what he imagined. It was awkward and weird like he was kissing a friend...a sister. Meaningless and vain. But he had a crush on her right? It shouldn't have been like that, even though TJ pushed him, he should have felt something. Hurt? Pain? Heartbreak?

He wasn't even sad. He apologized to TJ after dinner today and she forgave him. Of course, Asher had to make her talk to him, TJ wouldn't even look at him until he apologized. She kept looking at Asher and Amaya, more at Amaya who was concentrating on a book in front of her. Amaya didn't spare him a glace.

Didn't she know that Dean needed her the most right now? Why would she be rude to him then?

He was doing it again, he was thinking about TJ and then it automatically shifted towards Amaya. Asher told him that everyone knew why Amaya wasn't talking to him. Why couldn't he see that? He had to ask her, but how? What should he do?

He wished Aunt Calista was here, she would have told her what to do. She always knew what to do.

Once when he accidentally spoiled Amaya's doll, Aunt Calista knew how to apologize to her. She and Dean made a similar doll making Dean use his powers in making them, it wasn't as pretty as the one he spoiled but Amaya loved it. She still kept it, Dean saw it when he was in her dorm one day.

Dean retraced his memories and it stopped at the Ball. He couldn't even recognize it was Amaya he had been dancing with all night until she called her 'D'.

How could he not recognize her? He had seen her all his life, why not at the Ball? He had never complimented her, but he did last night, why?

All these questions were clogging up his brain making it hard to sleep. He had to sleep, they had to practice, they had no time to waste. Dean decided that if he can't sleep, he should not waste time. He decided to go to the ground and practice. He took out the spear from the weapon room and walked towards the practice ground.

Dean was almost there when he saw someone fighting. Someone was using the dummy, whoever it was, was doing pretty good. Their offense was good, the person was all over the place, there was no chance for the opponent to attack. The person was fast, suddenly he saw the person do a backflip and their fingers sparkled and the dummy was blown away.

The sparkle was baby pink.

It was Amaya!

When did she become so good? It was better than what she did in the fight with Miriam, and the backflip? Where did she learn to do that? What was happening? Why was everything about Amaya new to him? Did she really change for the better and he didn't realize? He was a shitty friend, no wonder Amaya won't talk to him.

"Stop staring at my ass, asshole" Amaya said, not turning and Dean realized he was staring Amaya's back. "If you want to stare, let's duel..." Amaya turned and her smirk turned into a frown as she saw Dean. "Oh, it's you," She said and picked her spear up tightly, standing straight.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Dean asked her with curiosity.

"I wasn't expecting someone. I don't have time to expect someone while we have important things to do," Amaya told him. She was walking away from Dean.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked.

"To my house, duh," Amaya said sarcastically not turning back.

"House? Are you not living in your dorm like TJ?" Dean asked her and Amaya turned to him. Her eyes had sadness in them.

"You should pay attention to your surroundings and not just playing lovesick around TJ," Amaya said and sighed. "The school is closed down, remember? All the students have been sent home till Ms. Calista arrives, that's why I and Rafael have gone home too," Amaya told him a bit rudely and Dean felt bad.

"I...I didn't know," Dean told her. He was sorry for not paying attention. Everything was too complicated for him.

"Of course you didn't. Even TJ and Asher are not living in their dorms anymore. We were here to get some of our stuff. TJ is upstairs with Asher and Rafael, I was bored so I decided to practice," Amaya told him.

"Where are TJ and Asher staying then?" Dean asked. Did he not know anything?

"At Mayor Thorton's place. Seriously Moriarty, where were you when this conversation was happening?" Amaya asked as if it was something unbelievable. She was calling him from his last name. Why was she doing that?

"I...I don't know," Dean was clueless.

"You spaced out again, didn't ..." Amaya was asking but stopped mid-sentence. She knew him too well. "I should go, they might be waiting for me," Amaya told him, backing away.

"Wait, Maya," Dean called out and Amaya's head snapped up at him. He had to listen to his heart. "Don't you want to duel?" He asked.

Amaya raised her eyebrows but said nothing. She took in a breath and exhaled, it seemed it did something as she smirked at Dean, holding up her spear.

"You're on," She said and Dean smiled. At least she wasn't that distant.

Dean picked a spare spear and took his position on across Amaya. He stood in an attack position with his spear covering him. Within seconds he saw Amaya rushing towards him with her spear. She attacked and he blocked it from his spear. She attacked again but he blocked it. Amaya attacked from the sides, Dean turned and blocked it from the middle of his spear. Amaya kept attacking him and Dean hit her spear to the right, then left then right.

Seeing an opening when Amaya was attacking, Dean bent down and rolled over to Amaya and hit her leg making her stumble, but she didn't fall. Instead, she backed away and used the sharp end to cover her and hit Dean in the middle of the spear as she pushed him away.

Dean lunged towards Amaya, she held her spear in a way that the middle part would defend his blows. Dean attacked and Amaya blocked it and pushed Dean. She titled her spear with the pointy end towards Dean as he attacked and she blocked each of his attacks as she backed away.

Dean was getting tired but Amaya was still blocking everything. He pushed the spear in front of her and she ducked it by bending backward. Amaya used her spear to misbalance Dean as she attacked his feet and Dean fell down. Amaya used the pointy end of the spear and kept on Dean's throat. She was just above him with a challenging look and Dean laid back on the ground and closed his eyes. As soon as he felt Amaya relaxing, he tripped her making her land on the ground beside him.

Dean turned and pinned her hands to the ground with his hands and her legs between his. He smirked as Amaya's eyes widened.

"You cheater!" Amaya exclaimed.

"I totally won," Dean said arrogantly.

"No, you didn't! You cheated!" Amaya argued.

"I didn't!" Dean countered.

"The fight was over. I beat your ass and you cheated and tripped me. It's not fair!" Amaya complained her eyes accusing him. Amaya's green eyes were expressive. It said what she didn't, Dean saw that.

Dean felt her eyes pulling him in, he didn't realize he was very close to Amaya. So close that there was almost no space between their lips.

"All is fair in love and war," Dean whispered but it came out a bit husky due to his ragged breath. He felt breathless as Amaya started back at him with an expression he had never seen.

Dean's eyes traveled from her eyes to her mouth, her lips were apart. Her breathing was uneven just like his. He noticed that there were light freckles on the side of her nose. They were so light that it won't be visible if you didn't see it this close, even in bright daylight.

Why hadn't he seen it till now? Amaya wasn't just cute, she was gorgeous, breathtaking even.

"You have freckles," Dean said unintelligently. "I'm sorry I never noticed," He confessed. Amaya blinked as if realizing what Dean just said.

"D..." She whispered. It was so soft and so low that Dean thought he was imagining. He smiled, and his grip on her hands loosened.

Suddenly Amaya held his hands and turned, now she was on top and Dean was beneath her. Her hair fanned on his cheek and Dean realized the hair tie was lost in the fight.

"All is fair in love and war, right? I win," Amaya said as she let go of Dean and stood up. "Good night, Moriarty," Amaya said as she ran inside the dormitory.

It took a few minutes to realize what had happened. Amaya beat him at spear fighting and tricked him back. It bothered him, not losing of course. It bothered him how Amaya affected him and he had never seen it. She left him lying like that, wanting for more of that...closeness. Did she not feel anything?

Because Dean surely felt something, something he never thought he could feel with Amaya. His heart was beating loudly even at the thought of the little space between them.

What if he closed the gap? Even the thought did something to his gut.

What the hell was happening? What did he just do?

"You're going on the right track," A voice said in his head. Conscious? No, it was Asher. Dean snapped to reality as he saw Asher standing in front of him.

"Sorry about that. I saw Amaya run back to the dorms, she didn't even acknowledge me so I was curious. I didn't mean to read your mind," Asher apologized as he sat beside Dean.

"It's okay. I don't know what to say anyway," Dean muttered, looking back at the dust.

"I know the feeling. You'll realize soon. You're on the right track, say you passed the first step," Asher told him.

"What step?" Dean asked and Asher chuckled.

"And I thought Annie was unobservant," He shook his head.

"What unobservant?" Dean was confused. Asher laughed.

"You haven't realized what you feel yet, Dean, that's being unobservant. You haven't figured out why Amaya is suddenly distant, that's being unobservant. You did not realize it was Amaya in the Ball until she said something that made you realize, that's being unobservant. You did not realize that you thought you were attracted to Annie because she was new and different. It was just temporary that's why all your attention on Annie faded after you kissed her. It wasn't because she didn't kiss you back, it was because your heart realized that it wanted someone else that night. "Dean, you're a great guy, but you have to open your eyes and start noticing things. Did you realize that you didn't even talk to Annie except for asking for an apology? She is Ms. Calista's daughter and it didn't affect you at all. You don't care for her as much, Dean. You didn't even ask her to dance until I mentioned. Dean, you don't have to just see things, you have to look at them, observe," Asher told him.

Dean's mouth was wide open, Asher was right. He didn't even talk to TJ about how she was handling everything. He didn't care if she shifted from the dorms to Mayor Mason's house. All he was thinking was how to get his revenge and bring Calista back. And of course, wondering why Amaya was rude to him. Then he realized...

"How do you know I didn't realize it was Amaya at the Ball?" Dean asked and Asher smiled.

"I noticed," Asher said simply. "You are not perfect, Dean, neither am I nor is Annie or anyone. You know I had no idea who Annie was until I saw her in detention one day? I did not care who went to school with me, or who studied in the same class as mine. After I saw her, I realized we had almost all the classes together. She was all over the school, the most famous girl and I had no idea who she was. I joined the school 3 years before we met and we did not know who we both were. But when I met her, I made sure I noticed everything I missed. She notices these things too. Being unobservant is not that bad until it harms you and it is harming you, Dean. It is harming your friendship with Amaya," Asher told him.

Dean thought for a while. He really needed to sort this stuff, but before he had to focus on getting Calista back.

"I will, Asher. I will try but I need my Aunt back first. Feelings and observations can wait, she is more important than anything. I am just confused about my feelings right now, but I am sure I need my Aunt more than anything," Dean told him and Asher nodded.

"I hope you see it soon, Dean. You might lose everything if you are too late," Asher said and stood up. He gave Dean a hand and he took it and stood up too, dusting his clothes. "I gotta go, Annie is calling me, Rafael found what he was looking for," Asher told him.

"Can I come along?" Dean asked and Asher nodded.

"Of course, you didn't have to ask, dude," Asher told him as they walked towards Asher and Rafael's dorm.

Feelings can wait...or maybe not.

***

Lets hope this makes up for long waits!

Until next time...

Racs