"Because you care what others think more than you let on. You're strong but are also sensitive and easily hurt by those you care for." James replied as he slowly leaned in, "In short, you're a secret sweetheart, you drowned kitty," he whispered with a kind smile.

Yue was silent for a moment as she looked back at James. "... It's impossible for you not to flirt, isn't it?" she said with a sigh before looking away again.

James laughed, "Hey, I'm being honest." he replied "Anyway, who would flirt with you right now? You look like shit." he teased before heading to the jet.

Yue didn't seem to like that very much. "My tablet," she reminded him roughly.

"I know." James hummed in reply, "I'm going to get it after I set the ruffled kitty down." he nodded as he walked up to the Jet.

Yue didn't say anything more.

So James put Yue in her seat before running back for her tablet. He picked it up and then paused for a long moment before touching the screen to see if it was unlocked.

The tablet was password protected. But three guesses what the password was.

James blinked, thinking about it for a moment before typing in "Sheng" as his first guess.

The tablet unlocked. It was currently on a photo gallery of old pictures. The current picture looked like a family portrait. An older Chinese man with greying sat in a chair with a boy about to enter his teens by his side and a little girl sitting on his lap. The little girl was clearly Yue, just as beautiful back then as she was now. Both the young boy and the man had a very rugged and serious look about them.

James peered at it closely before glancing in the direction of the jet. Then he sighed and locked it once more. If Yue caught him with it she'd probably hate him for life. He'd steal a look later if he got the chance. Then he made his way back to the jet.

Yue was waiting patiently, glancing over as James got in.

James handed Yue her tablet and got into his seat, "Why is that so precious to you?" he asked as he started up the jet.

"... All of the memories I cherish are on it," she replied quietly.

James nodded, "Are they backed up somewhere?" he asked.

"... Not exactly," Yue replied sadly. "Gege won't let me make more than one copy of them."

James sighed, "No wonder you clutch that thing so tightly." he mused before falling silent.

Yue was silent too for a long moment. "... Sorry for spoiling your fun," she muttered.

James blinked before smiling a little, "Do you feel better?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

Then James sighed, "Well, I'm sorry for wasting your time then." he stated, sounding rather exhausted as he returned to silently flying the jet.

Yue didn't say anything the rest of the trip back.

Kale was finally around again at nights. It seemed like they had given up on England. He quickly picked up his routine with Blaze once more.

James gave Yue more space than he had before, he was polite but not pushy. If she wanted to stay in her room all day, he let her. He had other things on his mind. And as the days grew on, it was chiefly Laurel.

Laurel continued to call in daily but she was less cheerful with each passing day. Something was definitely wrong. One day she had a swelling on her cheek which she claimed was because she had run into a door. But then came the bruising on her wrist and finally a black eye. James was pretty pissed off that she wasn't explaining.

Cong would know that Laurel's father had grown increasingly violent with his returning strength. At times he was cold and lashed out both verbally and physically at Laurel, who took everything he dished out with silent acceptance. But then he would dissolve into a sobbing mess and Laurel would comfort him for hours until he calmed back down. It was a terrible cycle to watch.

It had been a week since Laurel had tried to get in touch with Nic, she hadn't called again since then.

"So did you hear about the bruises on Laurel?" Kale asked Blaze one night as he ate some chocolate, "It seems to be getting worse. I think James is about ready to fly over there himself to find out what's going on."

Blaze was still a little distant for awhile, but she slowly started to become more comfortable again.

Surprisingly, Yue started spending more time out and about. But it was a gradual change. Her mood hadn't improved too much though. But at least it was a baby step.

Cong interfered very little between Laurel and her father. But he'd treat her injuries when she let him. He wasn't half bad of a guy. He was typically very tired though, like there was a huge weight resting on his shoulders.

Nic hadn't tried contacting Laurel over the past week.

"Her father is beating her," Blaze replied bluntly.

Kale did his best to make her feel comfortable, not bringing up the illness topic again.

James wasn't too busy to notice this change in Yue. But he seemed content to let her take baby steps by herself for now.

Kale blinked at Blaze before nodding, "I had my suspicions." he sighed, "This makes things more complicated. There's no way James will let Laurel stay with her father but with a relationship like theirs... it might literally kill both if we try to separate them." he mused, eyes distancing.

Then suddenly in the middle of the chaos, Yue very intentionally sought James out.

"Laurel's father might kill her if they aren't seperated," Blaze added, not helping in any way.

James was in the small dance studio, perfecting one of his many dance routines.

Kale nodded, "Good point. So it's really a lose-lose situation no matter how you look at it." he noted, "Most abusive relationships are."

Yue knocked on the door, trying to get his attention.

Blaze nodded a little. "They should be separated," she decided. "And her father given mental therapy. Of course the state of things won't make it easy."

James finished his current move before glancing at the door. He blinked as he saw Yue, a little surprised as he motioned for the music to stop and walked over to her.

Kale sighed a bit, "Of course, Laurel won't be removed that easily. She might go mental herself if we try to separate them." he paused, "I suppose they both could go through some therapy."

Yue looked rather emotionless, but at least it was better than being angry. "There's something you should be aware of before this gets much worse," she told him quietly.

"Probably not a bad idea," Blaze replied before drinking some water.

James nodded and dismissed the other dancers with a wave of his hand. Once they were gone he nodded to Yue, "What is it?"

"Not sure what that Nic dude is going to feel about all this though. It's probably a good thing no one's been able to contact him." Kale added before sipping his hot cocoa.

"... If we're fortunate, Nic is still in the dark about what's going on with Laurel and her father. And it would probably be best if he stayed in the dark until its been resolved."

Blaze nodded with a small chuckle. "Yeah, based on his report, we're pretty fortunate he decided to disappear now."

James nodded slowly, "We haven't been able to get ahold of him, so as far as I know he's still in the dark." he stated. "I don't know how quickly we're going to be able to resolve this though." he sighed, "He's going to find out eventually."

Kale blinked, "Why? Would he totally flip if he knew?" he asked as he added a few more marshmallows to his drink.

"Then make sure it gets resolved quickly," Yue replied.

"Uh, sorta," Blaze replied. "Of course all I know was written in a report."

James groaned a little, "What do you want me to do, Yue? Lock her away from her father? That's the only way we're going to be able to separate them quickly." he tried to explain, "And Nic will find out anyway. Laurel can't keep a secret this big away from him for long."

Kale took another sip, "Did he had abusive parents as well or something?" he asked.

"Then you better be prepared to deal with Nic," Yue recommended.

Blaze shrugged. "There wasn't much on his parents, but it seems like it."

James frowned, "What do you mean, 'deal with Nic'?" he demanded, "He's thousands of miles away. What is he gonna do? Ride his motorcycle across the ocean?"

Kale nodded slowly, "Hmm." he replied thoughtfully. "I suppose we better keep him away from Laurel's father if word does reach him. He assume he has a rather violent past." he guessed, looking back at Blaze.

"Possibly," Yue replied, perfectly serious.

Blaze nodded. It looked like she could confirm at least that much.

James let an exasperated sigh as he put a hand over his face, "Seriously?" he replied, "What would he do... kill Laurel's father?" he asked.

Kale nodded back, "Then I hope he doesn't find out for awhile." he agreed, "At least until we can get Laurel away from him."

Yue said nothing, but her face said more than enough.

Blaze nodded. "I'd hate to see things get more violent than they already are."