SATELLITE [STEVE HARRINGTON]

i need you

"YOU GUYS ARE OUTTA YOUR MIND IF YOU THINK I'M BABYSITTING AGAIN." Steve marched angrily behind Nancy, Robin, and Ginny as they walked into Nancy's room.

Nancy whirled on him. "First of all, they're not babies anymore, and Max is in real danger, she needs people around her—"

"I know but why does it always have to be me?"

"Oh, my God, you have a Tom Cruise poster," Robin squealed. She grinned at Nancy. "You have a Tom Cruise poster."

"That's— old— it's just—" Nancy blushed and Robin cackled, kneeling beside her bed and messing with the casette tapes on her nightstand. "Can you please not touch anything!"

"I just— I can't do anything here," Steve insisted, his eyes prying at Ginny as Nancy rifled through the closet. "Maybe I can be helpful with this asylum director dude. I don't know, I could like— turn on my... my charm—"

Nancy smiled apologetically at him. "Not the kind of charm we need."

"Ouch."

"No, just—" Nancy sighed. "I did a little digging last night, and it turns out this Dr. Hatch is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Harvard visiting scholar, okay? This is a lifelong student of the world, and if we're going to win him over, we're gonna have to convince him that we are too. That, like him, we are true academic scholars."

Robin giggled as she opened Nancy's jewelry box; a little ballerina twirled around inside. "Ho-ly shit, there's a little ballerina in here," she whispered, showing it to Steve and Ginny.

Ginny just shook her head, smiling as much as she could. Steve looked back at Nancy. "Academic scholar? She's giving you an academic scholar vibe?"

Robin rolled her eyes and shut the box.

"No," Nancy said, "But..." She pulled a pink, frilly dress out of her closet. "She will."

Robin's smile fell instantly. "Oh, please tell me you're joking."

Ginny stood from where she was leaning on the doorway and sighed. "I'm not going," she told them. "I'm not leaving Max." She handed Nancy the file.

"Great!" Steve said, snatching it before Nancy could grab it. "I'll go instead."

Nancy gave him another sorry smile. "You don't seem like a Tiffany to me."

Robin snorted. "He's more of a Stella... or a Gertrude."

"Oh, ha ha, Robin, you're so funny— just reprint it!" Steve countered, rolling his eyes at his best friend.

Nancy shook her head. "There's no time. Besides, maybe we should split it even— two of us with the kids, two of us to the Pennhurst. It's the smartest way—"

Steve rolled his eyes again. "Smartest way—"

Ginny took his hand, stopping him mid-sentence. "Steve. Please." Her eyes were the softest he'd seen them in months. They pleaded with him.

She lowered her voice and said, "Max needs you. I need you."

If they were too late— if they couldn't break the curse— if something happened to Max— she would need him even more than she already did. Steve knew that.

His expression softened and he melted to her touch. "Okay... Okay, I'll stay." He directed his attention to Nancy and Robin. "But you guys better be careful, and hurry the hell up."

Robin saluted him. "Aye, aye Captain."

｡･:*:･ﾟ★ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

"I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE STARING AT ME."