"Carter."

A faint voice dragged Carter from her restless sleep. She stirred, still clinging to the fog of her dreams.

"Carter, hun, it's time to get up," Maggie said, gently shaking her shoulder.

She shifted, moving out of Maggie's grasp.

"Carter."

Reality seeped into Carter's mind through the beeping of a monitor and the smell of cleaning solutions. The constant beep cut through her sleep. She opened her eyes, instantly awake. She jerked her head towards the bed where her father lay asleep, his head turned away from her. She let out a sigh of relief, and untucked her feet from beneath her. Every muscle protested the movement, the cramped position she had taken while sleeping, stiffening every joint.

"Come on, I'll take you home so you can shower and change," Maggie said.

Carter cautiously stretched, hiding a grimace at the pain. For a moment, she watched her father's chest raise and fall, reassuring herself that he was still okay. He hadn't left her.

"I want to stay," she whispered.

Maggie squatted beside Carter's chair.

"I know you do, hun, but he's going to need a lot of time to sleep and recover. I'll bring you back after school," she said.

Carter gripped the chair's armrests, looking at her father, seized by a fear of leaving him. Maggie put a thin, callused hand on top of Carter's.

"He's going to be okay," she said.

Carter relaxed and nodded, pulling her gaze away. Maggie stood and picked up Carter's bag.

"Let's go before we wake him," she said.

Silently, Carter stood, giving her father one last look before following Maggie out.

A shower, change of uniform and a car ride later, Carter stepped out in front of the school, feeling as battered as she had when she woke up. The air smelled of rain soaked grass. Pale sunlight coated the school, it's heat stolen by the chill breeze, stirring the blooming trees.

"I'll see you this afternoon, alright?" Maggie said.

"Okay," Carter said, her voice hoarse.

Maggie gave Carter's disheveled hair and ragged face a concerned look. Carter stepped back and closed the door, the sound ringing in the silent grounds. She turned and climbed the stairs, her body heavy and her mind even heavier with thoughts of her father and the loneliness of lunch time.

The hallways were empty, classes already in motion, the students lost in boredom or in the lesson. Carter's footsteps resounded on the tile floor as she made her way to history. She was just turning the corner when a guy stepped out of class. He smirked as he took in her rumbled state.

"Whose bed did you wake up on the wrong side of?" he asked.

Carter glanced at him taking in his flushed expression and tiny pupils, before looking away.

"Haven't you over dosed yet?" she asked, her voice toneless.

The guy's fingers flinched and Carter walked past him, not bothering to see how her words affected him. The sound of Mr. Philips's voice slipped beneath the door and filled the hallway as Carter approached her classroom. With a tired sigh, she opened the door. Mr. Philips fell silent and every head turned to look at her.

"Carter," he said, "I'm glad you could make it. Please take your seat so I can continue."

Carter made no reply, surprising the class. She moved to her seat and slid in. Link was watching her with a confused expression. Donovan looked over at her, but Carter didn't notice. Mr. Philips picked up his lesson, his voice pulling everyone's attention away from Carter. Everyone's except Link and Donovan's.

When the bell rang, Carter picked up her bag; she hadn't even bothered taking notes. Students poured out of the classroom, flooding the hallways. Carter had just broken free from the initial wave of students, when the sound of her name stopped her. She was about to turn around, when Lucas appeared before her, surrounded by a group of his friends.

"Owens," he said, a laugh already filling his voice. "What happened? I didn't think it was possible for you to look any uglier. I guess I was wrong."

The group let out a round of loud laughs, causing heads to turn. Lucas accepted a low high five from the guy next to him. Carter stared at them, her face unreadable. Lucas gave her a mock sympathetic look.

"What? Did you discover your daddy doesn't love you and left you?" he asked.

Anger burned away Carter's exhaustion and she pulled back her hand, curling her finger into a tight fist. She swung. There was a loud smack as her fist was stopped by a strong hand. She looked over to find Donovan staring at her, his fingers gripping her fist.

"Don't do it," he said.

Carter wrenched her fist free of Donovan's grasp and leveled Lucas with passionless eyes. Lucas smirked, the look boiling Carter's blood. He looked to Donovan.

"You should keep a shorter leash on your b-"

The insult died in Lucas's throat as Donovan spun around and decked him in the jaw. The loud crack turned heads. Lucas blacked out for a second and crashed into a set of lockers. When he came to, Donovan was standing over him with an emotionless gaze.

"Say one word about this and the principal will be wondering why they discovered a bong in your locker, understand?" he asked, his voice unconcerned.

Lucas nodded, wincing at the pain.

"You should be careful where you walk next time, running into doors can leave nasty bruises," Donovan said.

Lucas scowled as Donovan turned around. Carter was glaring at him, her arms crossed.

"And why did you get to punch him and not me?" she asked.

Donovan took her upper arm and led her away from the group of guys, Link following.

"Because you couldn't afford another infraction on your school record," Donovan said.

Carter looked at him, puzzled, then clarity dawned on her.

"Right. You read my school file."

Donovan didn't answer and he didn't need to. He pushed through the library doors and guided Carter to the furtherest corner and released her. Link stopped a few feet back, his arms crossed, his face a mixture of concern and the last of his frustration towards her.

"What's going on?" Donovan asked.

Carter leaned against the wall, crossing her ankles and stuffing her hands into her pockets. She shrugged.

"What ever do you mean?" she asked. "I usually get into fights to wake myself up."

"No, you normally insult them," Donovan said. "Making some comment about the size of their IQ."

"What can I say? Actions speak louder than words," Carter said.

Link took a step forward, standing beside Donovan.

"Cut the crap Carter," he said. "The only reason I'm even standing here is because you look like hell and almost got into a fight."

Carter met Link's gaze and her whole body slumped under the intensity of his stare. Her fatigue came back to her as the strength her anger had given her disappeared. She dropped her head.

Letting out a weary sigh, the facade of her uncaring demeanor was tossed aside.

"My father was shot last night," she said, in a quiet voice.

"Jeez Carter, is he okay? What happened?" Link asked, all his frustration gone, pushed away by his worry.

"He's fine," Carter said, forcing herself to look up.

Link's expression was riddled with concern and Donovan's normally blank face was softened with sympathy. Carter sank to the ground, the weight of her thoughts seeming to drag her down. She rested her head against the hall, staring up at them.

"He was hit in the shoulder. It went through and he's recovering. I spent the night by his bed in a chair. That's why I look this awful."

Carter studied her hands, as if she couldn't bare the weight of either guy's expressions and thoughts that lay beyond.

"For a second I thought I had lost him. For a second I was so alone," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

For a long moment no one said anything, Carter's words hanging in the still air. She looked up.

"Look Link," she started but paused, her thoughts untangling themselves. "I don't know how to do apologies. If you haven't figured it out yet, I don't really know how to do friendship either."

Link crossed his arms, looking at her in silence, some of his hurt returning.

"I am sorry for what I did," she said. "For pushing you into telling me and all because I wanted to be right. I didn't mean to hurt you and I'm sorry that I did."

Link's stance softened.

"You don't have anything to fear," Carter said. "No one will ever know who you are from me."

She stared at Link, reading his hesitancy and finally his acceptance. He dropped his arms and gave her a small smile. She returned it and held out a hand.

"Friends?" she asked.

Link settled onto the floor and accepted her hand.

"Friends."

Donovan joined them.

"Look...Carter," Link started. He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry about what I said. You aren't like others and I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

Carter nodded. "Forgiven."

A beat of silence passed between them then Link shifted.

"How did you know?" Link asked.

Carter sank back against the wall, her relief and exhaustion mixing together to leaden her body.

"It was when I tackled you," she said. "I finally saw the freckles in your eyes, same as your father's. With your glasses on they aren't as noticeable. Once I saw that it all clicked. You have the same nose, mouth and chin."

Carter shrugged.

"Then everything else fell into place. Your dislike of Mason. Your startled reaction when I referred to Donovan as your body guard, since that is actually what he is. Avoiding my gaze when I talked about the Senator Keller having a illegitimate daughter. All of it."

"You figured that all out because you saw freckles in my eyes?" Link asked.

Carter nodded.

"Your face is narrower than your father's, so that's why I didn't see it right away," she said.

Donovan laughed and Carter looked over at him, shocked. The sound was low and filled with amusement. He rested against a bookcase, his legs out stretched and his hands hidden in his pockets.

"That explains it," he said. "After that first lunch with you I was convinced you would figure it out sooner. My estimation of you was wrong."

Carter didn't respond, staring at Donovan, eyebrows raised in astonishment at his animated face.

"And the statue is human," she said.

Donovan smiled, the expression looking foreign on his usually placid face. Carter laughed.

"Of course," she said. "The moody persona."

Donovan gave a single nod.

"It was the thing we found worked the best," he said. "The hard exterior keeps others at bay and draws attention away from Link."

She looked between the two, feeling as if she were really seeing them as the false persona's melted away. She gave the surrounding library a furtive glance, then leaned forward, lowering her voice.

"How long have you been his body guard?" she asked.

"Six years," Donovan said. "Since Douglas took the title of President."

Carter nodded and looked at Link.

"Did you always know?" she asked.

A faint frown appeared between Link's eyebrows, voicing his thoughts.

"No," he said, a hint of unresolved anger simmering beneath his words. "I was told when Douglas was in the running for President." He nodded to Donovan. "For security reasons I was then given a body guard. Only a small few actually know about it."

"And you and Mason..."

Link rubbed the back of his neck, scowling.

"I don't think he was ever officially told but I've seen my dad enough times and Mason has seen me with him, that I think he suspects."

"It must really be terrible having to go to school with him," Carter said.

Link dropped his gaze and seemed to contemplate the floor.

"Yeah, it's not the best."

Carter slapped Link on the arm and smiled.

"Well," she said. "Let's go to lunch and if we're lucky he'll choke on his chicken."

Link looked up and grinned.

"Lunch sounds good," Donovan said.

Carter smirked.

"Don't want to keep your fan club waiting, I see," she said.

Donovan scowled and shook his head.

"Those girls are nauseating," he said.

He stood and reached out his hand to Carter. She took it and he easily pulled her to her feet, as if she weighed nothing. Link pushed himself up. Carter looked at him then smiled back at Donovan.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'll sit with you and keep them at bay with my charm."

"You must have a different definition of charm than I am currently aware of. Your charm is more on the level of insulting."

Carter shrugged. "Fine, charm, insults they amount to the same thing in my book. They are both used for a specific purpose."

"Fair enough," Donovan said.

She turned to Link.

"How did yesterday go with Maddy?" she asked.

Link rubbed the back of his neck, staring down at the floor.

"It's a work in progress," he said.

"Need help?" she asked.

Link looked at her, relief flooding his face.

"You mind?"

She laughed. "Not at all. What are friends for?"

Link smiled. Carter echoed the look, noticing as the last of his hurt vanished.

**********************************************************************

What's up wackadoos! (I'm sorry, is that insulting? I'm a wackadoo myself.)

Who loves Donovan right now? Raise your hands! Some of you are dancing around and screaming, that totally works too!

Don't you wish you had a guy who would punch another guy for you? *sighs*

All team Donovan now?

Let me just sit on my porch (I don't have a porch) and gaze out into the distance thinking about Donovan and wishing I had someone like him. *hugs knees and looks longing at nothing.*

Woah! Don't even know where I went, but I'm back. Okay! Hora de preguntar! (I apologize if that is incorrect) This question is from the beautiful Bibliophile2468: How do you come up with these really witty comebacks?

Answer: So you might not like me for this answer and I apologize for that. (Just think of Donovan, he will help calm you down) Honestly, I don't know. It's going to sound weird, but I don't write it, my characters tell me what they are saying.

(Wow, I sound completely nuts right now)

I'm serious though. No lie I'm not funny, witty or fast on my feet. I laugh halfway through my own joke or flip words around or drop words out completely. Where this dialogue comes from is probably me storing it up from countless dinners with my family and all the crazy, hilarious stuff they said. Really it was like being surrounded by nine comedians. They were always funny. I guess it comes from being silent and listening to it all. I'm sorry this isn't a better reply and it's super long. Sorry.

Question for you! How many joymoment books have you read?

I'm not judging if this is the only one, (you chose wisely) I'm just super curious to know!

Find a man, get in a fight with another man, have the first one punch the second!

In other words, vote, comment, follow!