Zac sat in his window, just as he had the night before, hoping to see her.

As if by appointment, Vienna showed up at around the same time. Zac felt a sense of relief when he saw her.

She was standing at her window, one hand on it's frame. When she saw him, she smiled and waved, lightly.

He waved back through his open window and shifted to sit with his legs hanging out, his back to his room.

Vienna pulled her window open and, in one movement, she slipped out then walked to the roof's edge.

"Zac. Hello." she sounded as if she were more resigned to talk to him than willing.

"Vienna, I'm so glad to see you again." relief and happiness were obvious in his voice. She nodded. "Do you wanna come in?" he asked.

She stared at him for a moment and he could see fear and worry in her eyes. She shook her head.

"Maybe I shouldn't."

Avoidance. Zac noted that. She wanted to, he could see it. Something clearly wasen't right.

"Okay." he said, "Then I'll come to you." he hopped over onto her roof and took her hands to pull her down with him as he sat. Vienna shook her head.

"Zac..." she started, standing back up again. Zac immediately followed, waiting for her to continue her sentence, but she didn't.

"What is it?" he finally asked, 'There's something wrong, isn't there?" Another drawn out moment of eye contact.

"No." she said, "I'm just tired, it's been a long day. Look, maybe I'll see you tomorrow. I just wanted to say 'hi'. I'm gonna go to sleep." They watched each other's eyes a second longer. Zac sighed and nodded.

Vienna walked away from him and climbed back in through her window. She pushed the glass panel down, shutting the window, and looked out at him for a moment.

He stood on her roof, watching her curiously, until she closed the blinds and the lights went out behind them.

~~~~

Zac didn't leave his room after waking up and dressing, the next morning. He kept waiting for some sign of the girl he was suddenly obsessed with. She had not opened her window shades yet that morning. He felt like a stalker, but he couldn't help being scared for her. There was something very wrong with the way her and that man had been arguing, and Zac had not been raised to ignore a problem if there was a way to help.

At around ten thirty, Vienna pulled her shades open and looked over to his window. When she saw him there, she shoved the window open and scampered out, coming over to him quickly.

He opened his window and reached out for her, catching her at the waist and pulling her inside the room.

Once inside, she let out a breath, turning to him.

"You know, I really wasen't prepared to fly across a gap half as long as I am."

Zac laughed.

"Sorry, you looked like you were hurrying. I guess I caught a sense of urgency."

She smiled.

"I like you, Zac Hanson. You're one of very few guys I've come across in my life that are genuinely nice."

He laughed, watching her settle on the floor, leaning against the bed.

"No good guys in Jersey? No wonder this states got such a bad rep."

She raised her eyebrows.

"For such a hated state, we're very over populated, aren't we?" she chuckled, tightening the laces of black combat boots that reached almost to her knees. "My father, oh it made me so angry, he would scare the hell out of any boy who got anywhere near me or either of my sisters. He could appear really intimidating when he wanted to. They'd run on barely a word from him. He set really high standards for us, no one was good enough." she laughed, caught in the memory, "He found that most Americans of our generation had been raised wrong. I thought it was just that he had different morals, raised in Austria. When he wasen't there to protect me anymore, I realized he was right." she looked up at him, playing with the ring on her middle finger. "The average American guy is basically a jerk...sometimes I wish we'd never had come here." she smiled.

"Did you live in Austria too?" he asked, in surprise, "I just assumed you were born after they came here. Stupid of me, really, you do have a bit of an accent. I didn't notice it the other night."

She nodded.

"We came over when I was three." she gestured towards her throat, "I learned to speak there, so..." sweet smile, "It's faded out a lot over the past fourteen years."

She looked at him and he grinned.

"What?" she questioned.

"It's cute."

She threw some random carpet lint at him.

"Shut up, it is not!"

He laughed for the first time in a long time.

"Fine. Whatever you say."

"Thank you." she said, exasperated. He grinned again. More carpet lint was pitched at him.

"Sorry." he said, "Actually, we're getting off topic."

She raised an eyebrow cooly.

"Did you have a ciriculum for this conversation?"

He laughed, defeated.

"I just wanted to ask you who you live with now.."

"Oh. My uncle."

"Ah." he nodded, "He's Austrian?"

"Nope." she said, casually, "We share no blood between us. He's my uncle by marriage, that which being to my mother's sister. She's gone to cancer though. Years ago. Uncle Ron is my only relative left in this country. It was really good of him to take me..." she trailed off and shrugged at Zac.

"One of us horrible American guys, huh?"

She laughed and broke eye contact.

"He's a good guy. He works hard." Vienna sighed, "And drinks..a lot." she admitted, "But he doesn't let it get in his way. Working alcoholic."

He watched her for a while. It felt like forever to her but she stood it out, avoiding his eyes, staying away from his trap.

"He's nice to you, then?" Zac finally asked.

She smiled. "What a silly question. Yeah, he's a good guy."

"Okay." said Zac,"..wanna go downstairs and meet my family?"

"No." she said, automatically.

He laughed, taken aback by the abruptness of her answer.

"Why not?"

"I'm not good at metting people."
"You did okay with me." he reasoned.

She searched for a rejoinder.

"Okay, you got me there. I'm just not up to it today. Kind of tired."

Zac thought a second.

"That's what you said last night, didn't you sleep?"

"Yeah.." she got a little defensive, "Well no...not too well."

"Why not?"

"I just couldn't fall alseep."

"I thought you were tired."

"Wh-why are you interigating me?"

"Are you okay?"

They looked at each other, both very confused. Then she started to laugh. She laughed hard and loud and for no apparent reason at all.

"Zac?" came Taylor's voice, from outside the door, "Either you've mastered the female laugh or.." he stopped, door open far enough for him to see them. "Or there's a girl in your room."

He looked back and forth from Vienna to Zac then back again, for a moment. "Huh." he said.

Isaac came up behind him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"There's a girl in Zac's room." Tay shrugged

"Doing what?"

"The tango, Ike. With a vacuum."

"Oh." said Isaac.

"You guys.." Zac started, "Come in..and shut the door..okay?" he said this with a tone that suggested he was teaching them that two plus two equals four.

They looked at each other.

Isaac shrugged, shoved Taylor inside the room, came in, and shut the door.

"So are we just accepting this random girl in the room thing, no questions asked?" Isaac questioned.

"Hey, it's been, like, five minutes and he hasen't even tried to explain this." Taylor shrugged, "I'm just gonna assume the worst...or best? Well, whatever it's rating, that's what I'm assuming."

Vienna looked around at the three boys.

"Okay." she said, ''If no one else is going to start this...Hello, my name is Vienna. Don't tell me yours, I'm pretty sure I know them already. I live right next to you." she looked around at them again. No one spoke. "Over there." she said, pointing in the direction of her house.

"Okay." said Isaac, as if this were perfectly normal.

Taylor glanced around, "Yeeaahh, pretty much still assuming the worst."

"I'm assuming she's a fairy who flew in through the window." said Isaac, "Cause I'm pretty sure I'd have noticed a girl walking in the front door."

"Yeah, and you'd run, you wanker." Taylor teased.

"She did, actually." said Zac, who had remained quiet up until then, enjoying his brothers' reactions. "Come in through the window, I mean."

"Oh." said Isaac, moving his eyes to her, "Climbed up the drain pipe, didn't you?"

"There's no drain pipe." Taylor said.

"What?" asked Isaac.

"There's no drain pipe on this side of the house."

Ike shook his head, astounded, then smacked his brother in the back of the head. He walked over to the window and peered out.

"Oh." he nodded, "I get it."

Taylor flopped down on the bed.

"I'm surprised, Zac."

"Yeah, or jealous. And anyway, we're just talking."

"Oh it's always 'just talking', isn't it?" Isaac sighed, teasingly. "I suppose you were 'having coffee' too?"

"New tangent." Taylor cut in. He fixed his eyes on her, "Interegation. Vienna. What's your last name? And how old are you? You're not originally from here, are you? Where are you from? How long have you and Zacky known each other? And tell us about your family."

Vienna took him in for a second before going along with his game.

"Whitney, seventeen, No I'm not, I'm from Austria, about two and a quarter days, and I haven't any family." she raised her eyebrows at him, "Anything else?"

"Yeah, actually." said Taylor, "All that raises a lot more questions-"

"Taylor, knock it off." Zac cut in. "Mind your own business."

Tay laughed at him.

"I think a random girl in your room is at least a little my business."

They went off on this argument as Vienna stood up.

"I'm just gonna go now, okay?" she cut in.

"Oh, see? You scared her away, Tay." Zac accused.

"I didn't do it, it was Ike!" Taylor laughed.

"Me? What did I do?"

"You're standing there being all creepy!"

Vienna listened, longingly, to their joking around as crawled outside and crossed the rooftop to her window. Memories rushed through her head of her late sisters and the similar way that they used to interact.

She shook her head sharply. Don't think about the good times, it won't help.

Vienna shed a tear at the memories of heaven, that she wiped away as she climbed through the window into hell.

~~~~~

Vienna stared up at the ceiling from where she lay, on her back, on the bed. Her room was dark. It was always dark, even during the day, she never turned the light on. Her Uncle Ron would often kid that it were dark enough for her to be growing mushrooms in there. She would laugh, though she didn't know why, it wasn't funny. She felt that she owed it to him to pretend his jokes were funny, rather than admit that her happiness was never genuine. But it was very in order in her head. Vienna had an excuse for everything. She maintained that her uncle drank everynight because he worked so hard all day. And he was only untamed after coming home from the bar, so it was only the fault of the alcohol.

Everything was okay, she was use to the act. When she was in school, with her friends and her teachers, everything was fine. Whenever she left the house, everything was fine.

Zac had really caught her off guard the night before, she hadn't had time to put up her sheild. Vienna cursed herself. She'd have to be more careful.

But these days couldn't have been worse. It was winter break, so she was stuck home alone all day. When she was alone, she'd think back to the way it use to be. Her sisters were both older than her; one by two years, the other by four.

The three of them, and their parents, would go home to Austria on Christmas and over the summer, to see their family.

The three little girls were always such a hit with everyone. Beautiful features, the same yet different; delicate curls in their hair.

But that, all of that, had died in a car crash. It has all gone up in flames, in a black B&W, on the one Christmas that they hadn't gone home for.

The front door opened. Uncle Ron was home.

Vienna checked the clock, knowing he got off work at seven.

"Vienna!" he called.

She tensed up slightly. It was eight o'clock. He was probably just a little buzzed, she thought, relaxing.

"Vienna? Are you here, Via? I got pizza!"

"I'm coming, Uncle Ron!" she called back.

~~~~

"DINNER'S READY-Y-Y-Y!" announced Mackenzie, from the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh, did you have to do that?" his father complained, "Couldn't you have just collected everyone in a nice, civilized manner?"

"This way was easier."

"Can't argue with you there," Walker muttered to himself, "Come on, guys!"

Once they all settled around the table, Taylor shit Zac a maniac look, before making his blunt announcement.

"Zac has a girlfriend!"

Zac threw a french fry at him.

"I do not!" he exclaimed, "You're just jealous because you don't."

"Ha!" Taylor caught him, "So she is your girlfriend."

"No." Zac said, "But if she were, you would be."

"I'm married." said Taylor, incredulously.

"Yeah. So she's not your girlfriend."

"How could Zac have a girlfriend?" Walker asked.

Everyone laughed.

"Sleep with your eyes open, all of you." Zac threatened.

"What I meant was.." Walker managed, through his laughter, "He hasn't left the house since we moved here."

"Oh, he doesn't have to." Isaac said, "She delivers." he ducked as a french fry flew through the air in his direction.

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Walker.

They all looked at him.

"Dad...if you don't know what that's supposed to mean.."

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about!"

"Excuse me." Zac cut into their laughter, "She is only my friend, if that, and she's extremely nice so don't talk about her like that."

"She's also extremely hot." Taylor mock-muttered, thwarting another fry with his arm.

"You know," said Walker, "You have siblings here who are not quite ready for this conversation."

Zac looked at them for a second.

"Well, cover your ears already, guys!"

"Where did she come from all of a sudden?" their father asked.

"AU-stria!" put in Isaac, teasingly.

Walker raised his eyebrows.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"And did she land on our roof? Again I must point out that our Zachary has not left the house."

"She lives next door. My window looks into hers."

His father sighed.

"Please no spying on the girls, Zac, I don't need any angry fathers with shot guns knocking on the door."

"She lives with her uncle."

"Well, they have shot guns too."

~~~~

After sweeping up the french fries he had thrown, Zac made it up to his room.

As he'd done the night before, he went to the window to see if Vienna was around. He felt pathetic, thinking it wasen't as if she just stands in the window all the time and wait for him. The idea flashed through his head that he may be becoming obsessed with her.

Zac backed away from the window, trying to think about other things, to get his mind off the girl.

He picked up a magazine and flopped down on his stomach, across the bed, putting on his head phones. He flipped through, with no conviction about it being Jessie's teen girl magazine, trying to concentrate on not thinking.

Ways to save your hair from the harsh winter air.

Vienna had gorgeous hair. So thick and shinny and golden..Stop. No.

How to make good Christmas gifts when you don't have the cash to buy them.

God, Vienna must dread Christmas. No, back to the magazine.

Lose ten pounds by New Years...new friend..AhZac closed the magazine and turned off his walkman. He got up and went to the window.

He could see Vienna, inside her room, searching through desk drawers for something. When she found it, she took whatever it was and turned her back to the window, walking in the other direction.

She was fumbling with it, he could see her hands moving, but the object was gone when she turned around again.

Vienna layed down on her bed, facing the window, and stared off at nothing, her eyes unfocusing. She looked sad and lonely and lost.

Zac hated it, he wanted to go to her. He wanted to pick her up and cradle her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay because he's here now and he wouldn't let anything happen to her. But all he could do was watch her, feeling like a stalker, as she lay there in pain.

~~~~~~~

"Vienna.." Zac whispered, looking in from where he was kneeling outside her window. It was near midnight, and she was asleep, laying on her made bed, fully clothed.

He tapped lightly on the glass, wanting to wake her but not her uncle. "Vienna!" he whispered again, sharply. She wouldn't wake.

Zac thought about just giving up and going home but, for some reason that he couldn't explain, he had an overwhelming desire to be near her.

He pressed his hands against the glass pane of her window and pushed it up. It opened slightly and he stuck his fingers under to open it the rest of the way then slid inside.

He went to sit beside her, slowly, on the edge of the bed. Zac watched her sleep for a long moment before reaching out, gently, to touch her. His fingers met with a strand of her hair, which he tucked behind her ear, lightly stroking the side of her face.

Vienna opened her eyes and looked up at him. Her mouth formed the question she didn't have to ask.

"Sh, it's okay." Zac whispered. He meant to take his hand off her but couldn't make himself do it. "Look at you." he sighed. He slid down her bed to her feet and untied the laces of her boots, sliding them off her feet, followed by her socks. "How did you manage to fall asleep like this?" he pulled her arms out of her bulky sweater and slipped it over her head.

With her arms exposed from the sleeveless t-shirt she was left with, she shivered.

"Close the window." she whispered, and he did.

Zac turned toward her again, looking her over. He noticed, for the first time, there was an ace bandage wrapped around her wrist.

He studied her face for a minute before asking.

"What happened?"

She took the same pause then answered him.

"It's nothing." she dismissed it, "My uncle, we were joking around..we're not really physically matched.." she smiled. He just stared at her.

"What?" she asked, after a moment.

"Why aren't you moving?" he asked, watching her face.

"What do you mean?" she laughed, rather falsely.

"You haven't moved at all."

"Just tired." she shrugged.

"Vienna, are we friends?" he asked, abruptly, coming back over to kneel next to her.

"Zac, wha--?"

"We've only known each other three days, so just clear it up for me, are we?"

"Of course we are, do you think I let everybody get away with climbing through my window while I'm sleeping?"

He shook his head. "Then why are you lying to me?"

She didn't show any reaction.

ZAc didn't back down, looking her dead in the eyes.

She sighed deeply, searching the ceiling. When she looked back at him, her eyes were over bright.

Vienna put her unbandaged hand, lightly, on her stomach, then pushed her shirt up, exposing a large bruise covering most of her lower abdomin.

Zac tried to stifle a gasp, as his eyes fell on the damaged flesh.

"Vienna.." he looked up at her. She had stray tears running down the sides of her face.

"You uncle...?" he started.

"He dosen't mean to." she defended, quickly. "Sometimes he drinks too much. It's the alcohol, it's not him."

Zac kept shaking his head.

"Vienna...it dosen't matter. No one can make an alcoholic stop drinking if they're resistant..but if his drinking is a threat to you..Vienna, you have to tell someone..."

Vienna sat up quickly. The pain this caused flickered briefly through her eyes, but she ignored it, grabbing hold of his arms.

"Zac, you cannot tell anyone. You can't." she said urgently, staring deep into his eyes as if she were trying to intimidate him into listening to her. "If you want to be my friend and have me trust you, you have to trust me." she held her gaze for a second before going on. "It looks bad, I know, but it's not the way you think. Zac, I will be okay." she said, gently, begging him with her eyes. "If anyone finds out, things will only get worse. Trust me."

She used her grasp on his arms to push herself further upward, into a sitting position. Zac tried to help her but decided he couldn't do anything without her.

Vienna settled her back against the pillows and there was silence for a moment, before she sighed.

"Zac, you're the first person I've ever told. None of my school friends know, and I've known them a lot longer than I've known you. I like you a lot, but if I thought I couldn't trust you..."

Zac nodded. "Alright." he sighed, "I won't tell anyone, but only if it dosen't get worse."

"Okay..okay.." she was nodding, "Okay.."

"I really don't want you to get hurt."

"I know..I know.." consistent nodding. "Thankyou."

He smiled. "Okay." he said, recovering his normal Zac-tone. He glanced at her clock. "It's one am." he stated.

She nodded.

He did too.

So she did again.

And he did too.

It gradually came to an end and they looked at each other.

Zac could see the pain and fear still fresh in her eyes. Abruptly, his expression broke down, as he reached out for her and pulled her close to him. He could feel the tension ease from her body as she settled into his embrace.

He held her there for a long time and she eventually fell asleep. She looked so peaceful and ungarded, he didn't dare disturb her. He shifted so he could rest against the headboard and watched her sleep for a long time.

God, she was beautiful. Zac couldn't remember ever caring this much for someone outside of his family. And her body felt so warm.

He watched her until his eyes fogged over with tired and he fell asleep too.