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She moved away as he tried to move her trying not to cry. "Knew? What do you mean? What should I have known?" I thought we were becoming friends, but I don't know, I've never had any." She stated almost harshly. She stepped away not understanding what was going on. They all knew something about Locke's feelings towards her yet she was left in the dark. "I don't want to go back." She said after another moment. She kept moving away looking around. She felt a need to get away, like a game was being played on her. She moved quickly and took off running fast. She needed to be alone and knew she would have to hide. She looked around as she ran soon realizing as she stopped she had lost Jack. She looked around more soon finding a grouping of rocks and hid near a little cove it made, bringing her knees to her chest and her head down.

He looked about still sighing at the thought of the girl. "We may have to be careful. She seems stop and go on an emotional scale. Could have an indication of when she had been put to sleep. Same with her magic. It's too erratic, even if she were a teen at the time." The thought worried him but a smile would appear as one thought occurred to him. "At least she trusts you, and tries to keep you close. It seems the only grasps of reality is with you around to help her."

Drake looked about as they walked back having come up empty for the most part. Noise ahead brought his attentions to Jack and took quick note the girl wasn't with him. Great. he thought to himself. He placed a hand on Locke's shoulder a moment to try and calm him quickly. "It will be fine. We're good trackers, we can find her." He then looked to Jack. "What was said so we have an idea of how to defuse her?" He asked knowing if they didn't want her to run or keep possibly hiding that they couldn't approach her blindly of the situation.

She sat where she was hiding by the rocks. She was confused unsure of what Jack was trying to tell her. Were they friends or did they simply just have her around so the Order couldn't have her? She kept to her thoughts in silence and her face hidden.

He sighed shaking his head hearing what had happened and Locke's reaction. He would watch Locke run off and and would take a spot beside Jack. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come along, lets do some damage control and makes a fool of himself." He said finally starting to follow after Locke. "Besides, someone has to stop him from making this worse."

Drake slowed seeing Locke and shook his head. "Stop Locke. It's not the end of the world. Lets find Andrea first, let her talk, see what exactly triggered her outburst, and asses it from there." He said moving to stand beside him. He looked about seeing the trail and looked to Jack a moment before continuing. "All right, stay calm both of you. Locke, say nothing right now and simply listen. Jack,how did the conversation go? In the beginning, what was said, roughly, what did you say that seemed to escalate it, her reaction.. and following." He knew they had to be calm. She was a risk they all took. Her emotions were strange and unpredictable, as was her magic it seemed. "We have to remember, she's our friend, but she could also have a trigger. Not that I want to think that way, but one of us has to."

Drake felt puzzled as Jack told them what happened. He kept shooting glances at Locke to remind him to be calm. "Jack, in all honesty, I don't see why she would be upset at Locke liking her. What did she say during all this. Phrases, words, anything that could help. Seeing what she did to that one creature, I really would prefer not to be on that end." He said. His own patience was running out knowing there had to be a better reason that she had gotten upset. He would sigh eventually and lower his head in thought. Locke was one he knew could keep her balance, but wondered if he should be the one to try and calm her down, since he was the topic. "All right, lets try this, Locke, being the topic, let me try with her. See if i can calm her enough to talk. I don't want to see you get blasted by her. she relate to you a bit and that would just not be good." He said after a moment then would begin to follow Andrea's trail. He hoped the others would stay back and hoped Locke would understand without getting more angry then he already was. "And don't kill Jack!" He called over his shoulder. He would follow the tracks soon seeing a rock grouping and no more trail. He groaned in frustration till a faint noise caught his ears. "Andrea?" He looked around the rocks seeing her crouched down within herself. He sighed a moment taking a seat beside her and remaining silent for a moment looking ahead of them. "So, want to talk about it?"

She heard a noise and looked up realizing Drake was beside her. She shrugged moving a bit away but wouldn't run. "You all don't like me do you? I'm weak and in the way and you're all going to be hunted because of me."

He looked to her wondering where she would get that idea. "Andrea, where would you get such a thought?"

She shook her head. "Jack, he said that Locke needed guts to tell me something. He made it sound like he didn't like me, but then he did, then he said he and you saw it too and thought I knew what he was talking about but I don't!" She felt herself starting to cry once more and hiding her face. "I don't know anything, I barely remember anything, and I don't even recognize myself."


"Hey, hey, easy there kiddo. It's all right. calm down okay? Let me explain Jack, he's what we call an oaf."

She slowed herself down a moment and looked to him as she sniffled. "An oaf?"

Drake chuckled a bit at her reaction. "Yes, an oaf. Let me explain, it's an expression used for people who have a tendency to stick their foot in their mouths. As Jack seems to have done." He would motion a bit closer to her hoping he was helping her. "Jack wasn't conveying how we felt in a good way. He's awkward with talking to others. We all care about you Andrea. We all want to see you safe and free from a life of running."

"But what did he mean about noticing Locke? Or that you both noticed something? I'm confused." She looked to him resting her head on his shoulder. She felt a little better but was still very confused.

He patted her head lightly. "I'm going to make it plain for you. Locke won't like it, but he'll get over it. And before you go wracking your mind on that, its in no way a bad thing, nor have you done anything wrong. He likes you, always has, but now it's changing. You're familiar with what friendship is right? Well, what Locke feels is stronger for you." He looked to her seeing her mind processing the thought. "You're our friend Andrea. We care about how you're feeling and keeping you safe."

"So, he never hated me? Then why would Jack say he didn't want to be friends?" She thought she was understanding but was still confused.

He chuckled and sighed, moving to stand and help her to her feet. "Because Jack is an oaf. Locke is an old friend of his. He wanted to know how you felt about Locke. Put plainly he didn't want to see either of you hurt and was how we call it, testing the waters. We think Locke may be in love with you. That being said, he doesn't want to pressure you or make you uncomfortably either."

"Oh," She said as she walked with him. The thought sunk in quickly though was confused about one thing. "Then why couldn't Jack say Locke may love me? It wouldn't have made me feel like something was wrong." She asked looking to him and saw a strange smile before chuckling herself. "Because he is an oaf?" She watched Drake nod and began understanding the term. She walked back with Drake soon hearing strange noises and stood closer to Drake. As they got closer she could make out the two fighting. She ran to them hoping to stop it. She moved quick behind Locke and hugging him behind. "Don't fight, please don't fight. Drake says he's just an oaf and doesn't know what to say." She held him tight hoping it would help temper his anger though didn't know why he was.

Drake ran after her hoping to stop her from possibly getting hurt, though would laugh at her comment and take a moment to help collect Jack to his feet. "Sorry man, I had to teach her a new phrase to help ease things." He said apologetically. He knew he would make it up to him somehow, just wasn't sure on the how part. "Well, at least you didn't kill each other like I asked."

She looked to them all as they laughed wondering what she had said this time. As everyone seemed to be wanting a break she would join them. She looked over at locke as he turned to her and shrugged. "Its all right. I shouldn't have reacted like that. I'm sorry." She looked to the leaves of the treetops as she thought to herself. "I'm not good with others. I don't what to say or do around people." She turned on her side to face him using her arm like a pillow.

Drake would watch everyone a moment before deciding to sneak away before they could notice. He smiled knowing after all this running around and emotions, everyone would be hungry. He decided he should let them be and find food for them knowing it more then likely won't get done at the rate the others were currently going.