Note: A few more weeks have past, Brady is healing and still rooming with the Wesely's.

Her hermit crab was lonely.

Correction--Will's hermit crab was lonely. She could tell by the morose way it toyed with its water sponge, dragging it across the neon green gravel bottom of its tiny aquarium, stubbornly pulling it over a littering of marbles and plastic palm trees. Poor lil' thing, Chloe thought, her mind filling with images of white sandy beaches stretching for miles along an endless turquoise ocean, the bright cheerful sun gleaming a refracted light show with the water as strings of kelp wash in amongst the shore rocks eddying into small pools, where happy hermit crab families frolic and feast (and sea monkeys, for some unknown reason, there were hoards of cartoon sea monkeys as well). It made her want to cry.

What must it be like to be torn from everything you've ever known and loved?

Bottom lip quivering, Chloe reached into the cage and tried to help the critter, moving King Neptune out of the way. With an audible click, claws, feelers, and inky beebe eyes instantly retreated deep inside shell armor.

"Feeling a bit anti-social, huh?" Chloe sighed, dropping the figurine and picking up the crab, making her way over to Brady's bed and plopping down, raising her palm bringing the shell eye level.

"I guess they don't call you a hermit for nothing…..

…Come out, come out, where ever you are….

…I promise, I won't hurt you. I'm really very nice, just ask anybody…

…Ok so I'm not nice, I'm horrible and nasty, that' why you won't come out and play, isn't it? After all, animals have instincts for these things. You don't believe me? Get out! You couldn't be more wrong. In fact, I have it on good authority that animals can tell for sure if somebody is nice or not and You are an animal ergo I must be Pond Scum because you aren't even moving a muscle….

….(Sigh)……..

….Nobody likes me everybody hates me. Guess I'll go eat worms. Long, thin, slimy ones. Short, fat, juicy ones. Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy, wuzzy worms."

And like a charm, red chubby claws, busy feathery feelers, and beady black eyes were coaxed back into sight--that is until she stopped singing to smile and giggle.

"Oh so that's the way it is. Playing hard to get, huh? Fine, fine, but you're lucky I'm such a pushover. Down goes the first one. Down goes the second one. Oh, how they wiggle and squirm. Long, thin, slimy ones. Short, fat, juicy ones. Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy, wuzzy worms."

Her audience was blissfully prancing around her hand (it kind of tickled) as she continued to the next verse when suddenly she had that burning 'someone's looking at me' sensation in the back of her neck. Trailing off at 'out comes the second one' she slowly turned to see, and sure enough there was Brady grinning in the doorway.

Needless to say, the surly crab was not pleased as she whisked him back inside the aquarium. To be precise, he thought it was a load of crap, indeed a big pile of seagull droppings that she stopped right at the dramatic climax of the song. How dare she? He decided a sit-in was in order, a nice dark shell encased demonstration; screw the sponge, he'd redecorate later!

For her part, Chloe was nervously fidgeting while Brady crossed the room beaming.

"You have a lovely voice."

"Thank you. Ummm….he likes it when you sing."

"Mm. I like it too."

He moved in very close, taking her hands, slowly caressing her palm with his thumb.

"Plants! Um, plants like to be sung to too. The whole carbon dioxide…thing."

"I'll remember."

And he gave her that smile that almost always tripped up her heart before releasing her to retrieve the aquarium.

"Do you want to come with me? Give Will his pet."

"Yes! I'd like that, very much."

"Excellent….so, he likes music…"

She felt herself go all gooey inside when he winked. Certain it was her soul when he broke into song,' My heart only has you'. The words incomprehensible, it still sent chills down her spine, his voice so amazing.

And to be honest, even the crab enjoyed it, the melody resounding within his shady hide-away most pleasantly, but he vowed never to admit it, immersed in profound protest as he was. Thus, the couple remained ignorant.


My Heart Only has you-Andy Lau (Translated)

In a hurried circumstance I only knew your shadow

The feelings of a person farthest away seems to act in coordination with each other

The most naive eyes hide the finest laughter
My wish for half of a lifetime is to love someone like you

When I turned back, I knew I only had you in my heart
Along the sloping road, love still remains at the origin
Extrodinary days will make me want to reminisce

To think of you, thinking of you, my heart only has you.

The most naive eyes hide the finest laughter
My wish for half of a lifetime is to love someone like you

When I turned back, I knew I only had you in my heart
Along the sloping road, love still remains at the origin
Extraordinary days will make me want to reminisce

To think of you, thinking of you, my heart only has you.