[25th February]

Again Anya asked herself why the hell she was doing this. She turned the long cocktail glass filled with 'Chi-Chi' in her fingers. It was her Birthday and some of her friends - even though 'friends' was a too strong word for them she decided and so she settled for acquaintances - insisted to go out for drinks. Which itself wasn't bad but as always, she realized her hobbies and the things she enjoyed didn't match theirs much – again raising the question: how on earth did Anya and them hanging out happen in the first place. Her nerdness was tolerated but soon the talks went on to something else, letting Anya float in the background. A tiny part of her had hoped Ben would have shown up. They had spoken about her plans and she gave him an open invite if he felt like it because then at least someone would get her jokes. But he had already declined. In the end, when her friends proposed a change in location, Anya used the chance to bow out. She just wanted to finish her cocktail and go home - it was a workday tomorrow after all. After they all said their goodbyes and made her promise, she would text them so they knew she arrived home safely, Anya was alone and took a deep breath.

When she finally took a large sip, she knew immediately something was very wrong - it tasted different than before. Now she realized little bubbles... did someone spike her drink? Who? Just now or a while ago and she just hadn't noticed? How much had she had of it? She needed help. Someone she trusted. Without thinking much she went for her phone and looking for Bens contact. When her thumb graced the call button and the phone started dialing, her hand and phone was pushed on the table head down. "Your friends left you here all alone… at your Birthday as I heard... That's mean." A man sat beside her. Anya tried to blink the coming dizziness away "I prefer to be alone but thanks for your concern." She tried to politely turn him down realizing she was kind of drunk.

"Come on… give me a chance…" he slid closer to her instead of leaving "I'm Sean…" he smiled "I'm not interested..." Anya was as firm as she could in her drunk/drugged state, her words started to get slurry.

"Give me some more minutes and you will think otherwise…" he tried to put an arm around her but Anya pulled back "Come on sweet cheeks…"

It was that moment Anya noticed Ben at the bar scanning the room with a determined expression and his phone in his hand until he locked eyes with her. She never felt so relived in her life. "Bennjamiiin…" she greeted him overly enthusiastic so if a fight ensued it would be clear for the audience who of the guys she'd belong with.

"Thank god you are here Benji…" she whispered gave him an awkward hug.

Confused at why she called him Benjamin, Ben looked down at her "Decided to come for a drink after all… and then you butt called me…" he gave the guy a glare because he had heard what had been spoken.

"Dude, she is with me…" Sean dared to challenge Ben "She clearly told you 'Not interested'" Ben towered the man, gently shoving Anya behind himself, letting his snow leopard play in his tattoo and showing off his golden eyes, daring Sean to attack him. He waved his phone at him, the active call to Anya still visible. As intended Sean backed down "I hate shifters…" he mumbled while going away "…thinking everything belongs to them…" While Ben put away his phone he watched this Sean closely not that he changed his mind midway.

Finally Ben grabbed Anya's jacket from the chair and phone from the table, put an arm around her and led her outside.

"Your drink was spiked, right? I take you to a doctor." he offered after he gently cupped her face for a second, checking her eyes for her pupils, realizing how shaken she still was "No… no thank you Benji… I'm fine…ish. Just had one sip I guess and it made me somehow …drunk? Dizzy? Both…" It was a statement and question the same time. "ER would be over the top for this…" she added

Ben regarded her with skepticism "I can call our Tribes Doc. I'm sure she wouldn't mind coming around to have a look. Alanis is really nice." he really wanted her to see a doctor but Anya shook her head "Thank you but I just need a hot chocolate to sober up and sleep…" she was sure.

"If you are sure then let's go to the diner and get you one…" He proposed with the hidden agenda to keep an eye on her a while longer - maybe she would change her mind. Ben smirked while he led the way "Ben is short for Bennet by the way… not Benjamin."

"Bennet, huh?" in her current state she didn't realize the implications of her mistake.

"Here you go…" Ben put a cup of hot chocolate before Anya on the table, taking the seat opposite her with his own cup. "What happened?" He wanted to know

"Not sure… The others left for another club… I just wanted to…" she tried to concentrate "…to finish my drink and go home." She rubbed her temple "I must have been distracted when we said goodbye and someone used the chance to spike the drink…" she reached for her cup and took a sip "I tried to call you but that dipshit…" she giggled, then laughed, completely forgot the thought "Dipshit is a good word right?" she looked at her phone, suddenly sad "'Nobody cares a fuck about you…' that's what my uncle always said…" she started to babble.

"He sounds like an ass…" Ben commented, patiently going with her derailing from her story and Anya nodded "He is… but he is right…" she showed him her screen "I had to promise my friends to text them when I'm home. That should have been…" she slurred her words "an hour ago. No.one.checked.with.me.yet." she pronounced every word of the last sentence as if it stood on its own.

"Well… I care about you." Ben stated and surprised himself with that "Work is more fun with you around…" he added and Anya smiled and whispered "Thank you…"

"And I have not the urge to constantly watch my back around you…" Anya had got him into talking mood too "What does that mean?" Anya frowned and Ben sighed "Usually in my experience women are all smiles and sweet until they have what they want or you have no more use for them. Then they just disappear, dump you or try to ruin your life."

"You…" Anya pointed a finger from the cup she was holding at Ben "…are not wrong…" she admitted and tried not to burp "That's why I went into computer science." She explained "I was sick of all the drama and manipulating…" she stated and drained her hot chocolate.

"I think I should go home now, sorry I kept you and thank you for saving my butt." Anya decided and stood up and Ben followed suite

"I'll take you." Ben smiled "You called me for help and so you receive the full package." He stated and refrained from bringing up the Doctor again. She really seemed ok now and more sober.

When Anya reached the Lair the next morning she was late and hungover. "You look like shit…" Ben greeted her with a mixture of teasing and worry. Anya looked at him for a second and just hugged his sitting figure "Thank you for caring for me…" she whispered sitting down at her desk after she released him. She hid her face in her hands.

"Feeling ok?" Ben wanted to make sure "Yeah… Waiting for the painkillers to get rid of my headache but at least I don't have a black out…" she tried to look at the bright side.

"So if you remember yesterday evening…you really thought my full name is 'Benjamin'?" he grinned and Anya blushed rubbing her face "I'm sooooo sorry… this is embarrassing… five month of us working together and I didn't even know your fucking name." she sighed "I'm just one of those superficial boobs-for-brains after all I guess…"

That she really blamed herself for this made him skip further teasing.

"Don't fret about it. Bennet is mainly used on me when I pissed someone off, so you couldn't know…" he smiled.

"So you are not mad at me?" she wanted to make sure and peeked from under her hands "funnily enough, not at all… I don't even mind you calling me Benji." He shrugged then looked at her for a minute, unsure to ask her about something she said the night before which somehow still riled him. Anya, noticing his gaze upon her, slowly growing insecure "Did I do something else?" she asked wincing which made Ben shake his head "No, just… Your uncle really said that no one gives a fuck about you?" he asked in disbelief.

Anya leaned back in her chair, looking towards the ceiling, hands rubbing the side of her neck "Yeah… among other things." She sighed "Let's just say my whole family isn't very… loving… towards me because I don't agree with them on… many things." She told him "That's why I'm happily no contact with them and that's all about it." She shrugged.

"You are definitely better off without them if they tell you bullshit like that…" he answered and it was the first time he realized he had started to care for her. He cursed himself for it because it never ended well - women and him.