Sometimes It's Okay To Cry

by herogary

A story I wrote a while ago but deleted from this site. A sweet Jack and Martha story. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this story, except Steven Lawrence. All the other characters are owned by the Home & Away writers or producers or something.

Just a couple of quick notes about this story:

1. It starts just before the Holden's moved to the Bay. It is only Jack and Lucas. Tony died when their mum did. (I don't know whether this would really work, but in my story, Jack is Lucas' guardian and has been like his father). Also, there is no Harry Chambers and Jack shooting thing.

2. Rachel already lives in the Bay and lives with Kim in the same apartment building as Jack and Lucas.

3. Because it is set back a bit, Tasha has never been involved in the Believers or anything and she is not pregnant.

4. Martha lives by herself in a small apartment in the Bay, but not in the same building as Jack and Lucas and Kim and Rachel.

5. Peter lives in the Bay also.

Sometimes It's Okay To Cry

-1-

It was a hot summer night in Summer Bay. There was no wind and the sun had just set over the ocean, creating one of the most beautiful sunsets ever seen by the residents of the Bay. Many people were still down on the beach, walking or sitting on the sand. The whole town seemed happy; everything was peaceful. The police station had no reports and was very quiet with only two officers on duty. The Diner was slowly acquiring more customers as the sun had set for the day and people were ready to fill their stomachs. Noah's Bar begun to fill with young people, looking to end what had been a relaxing summer's day in the best way they knew how; having a few beers with their mates.

Martha McKenzie had just finished her shift at the bar as she strolled along the beach, happily wondering what the rest of the summer would bring. She was wishing and hoping that this summer would be when she would meet the guy who was made for her. It had been a while since she had had a serious boyfriend and was looking for someone who could complete her. She watched how happy her friends were; they were all lucky enough to be in love and she knew she wanted that. She didn't want, however, to be set up or rushed into anything. She learnt that when her best friend Tasha and her husband Robbie had tried to set her up with a couple of friends of their. It had been a disaster. She wasn't upset that they didn't work out. Firstly because she knew that the two bachelors they had set her up with were not the type of guys she could see herself with. Secondly because she was sure that when the time was right, she would find happiness of her own.

She walked along the beach, considering what he might be like. She wanted a guy who could make her laugh; who wasn't afraid to tell her how he felt; who would always know what she was thinking; and who would be as in love with her and she would be with him. She would have thought that this was the type of romance that only happens in stories, but she had seen real life examples herself in Robbie and Tasha and Kim and Rachel. They proved to her that true love did exist and no one could take that away form her. She was lucky, to have so much faith. She had no idea how the coming events would crush her faith so much. She would find it difficult to trust a guy again; she would feel insecure whenever around them; she would be scared at every corner, all because she was too stubborn to ask for a ride home. That was one thing about Martha; she was as stubborn as anybody, as trait she got from her grandfather, Alf Stewart.

-2-

Martha slowed strolled down the beach, in her own little world. She didn't notice that someone was following her. She also didn't notice that she had walked further than she should have. She was now entering more remote territory which was deserted of people. To her left, the water crashed to the shore in beats that were like music to the ears. They were perfectly in time and the 'hush' sound of the crash was very calming. To her right was bushland. Scrubs, tall trees and rocky ground was all that was situated in the area next to her. She was 'asking for it' you could say, she was doing exactly what a young, attractive girl like herself, had been warned not to do, walking in the dark, by herself, in areas with not many people around. People liked to think that you didn't have to worry about that kind of thing in Summer Bay, but the reality was, wherever you are, it's always a possibility and it's best not to risk it.

She finally came out of her daydream and realised she had walked too far. She shook her head to herself, realising her mistake and turned around to walk back towards her home. She started to walk briskly back towards civilization. She noticed a dark figure sitting on the beach 50 metres in front of her but didn't think much of it. She just figured it was another one of the Bay's residents enjoying the beauty of the ocean that they were blessed with. She happily strolled past the figure and continued back on her way home. She had walked another 50 metres when she realised the figure was walking close behind her. She took a quick glance over her shoulder to see if she could see who it was; after all, this was Summer Bay. Everyone knew everyone around here. She couldn't make out a face and continued walking down the beach until she realised the person was walking right behind her. It startled her a first, she turned around, jumping. The young man stood with a wicked smile on his face.

"Hi Martha," he said, evilly.

"Ah, hi," she said, sounding unsure. "Do I know you?"

"Not yet," he said, giving her a wicked grin. There was something about this guy that was off; badness to him that made Martha scared, which was a rare thing.

She laughed nervously. "Um, okay. Bye." She turned around quickly and started to walk as fast as she could away from this creep.

He grabbed her around her waist.

"Where do you think you're going gorgeous?" he asked, not wanting an answer. "You're coming with me."

"Put me down!" Martha screamed, but there was no point, no one could hear her.

-3-

"Jack this is so not funny!" Lucas Holden shouted to Jack, who had been his only family since their parents had died. "Jack!" he shouted again. It was pitch black and Jack had led him out into the bush which was next to the beach, then hidden from him in a pathetic attempt to scare him. "Come on, Jack," Lucas complained, "You can't scare me like when I was a kid."

The moment, Jack jumped out from behind and tree and scared the living daylight out of Lucas. At the same time, Lucas whacked Jack in the stomach, winding him slightly.

"Damn it Lucas!" Jack cursed. "That hurt! I have to start work tomorrow!"

Lucas let out a slight giggle. "Well you shouldn't go around scaring people in the dark."

"Come on," Jack told his little brother, "Let's just go home. I need my beauty sleep."

"Of course you do, Jackie," Lucas joked.

Jack shook his head and ignored his little brother's comment. He hoped that they would finally find peace and happiness in Summer Bay and from what he had seen so far, he was sure they were in with a big shot. They walked back towards their house, guessing their way there. Neither of them knew exactly where they were, they just had to use their sense of direction. Jack led them along a slight path which ran, what they thought, was parallel to the beach. It should bring them out to the main road, they guessed. They walked through some scrub when Lucas stopped.

"Did you hear something?" he asked.

"Are you hearing things again, Luc?" Jack joked.

"Shut up Jack. I'm being serious. It sounded like someone crying," Lucas said very sincerely to his brother.

Jack sighed and they both hushed. They then both heard what Lucas had heard before. It was very faint sobs and sniffles coming from somewhere in front of them.

"Hello?" Jack called. "Who's there?"

There was no answer. They continued to listen. The noise had stopped.

"Hello?" Jack called again. Lucas looked to him; Jack was a police officer after all. He should know what to do.

Jack shrugged. What could he do? They couldn't see anything and no one had asked for help. They continued walking in the direction of their house.

-4-

Martha heard a male's voice call out. She didn't answer. It could have been him. She wasn't going to let him get to her, not again. She tried to hold in her sobs. She couldn't risk letting one escape. She heard footsteps coming closer to her and she wanted to move but she couldn't make herself, plus she figured she'd be just as safe staying put. At least then he couldn't tell exactly where she was, and it wasn't like he had a torch or any sort of light. It was pitch black. The trees were blocking out any light that the moon would bring and she could be sitting next to a kangaroo for all she knew. She knew that once she couldn't hear him anymore, she would have to run. Towards the beach, that was her best bet. She could make it quickly out there; then she would be out in the open and could try her best to run to safety.

She sat, leaning against a tree she had felt out. She held her knees into her chest and quivered quietly. She could still hear footsteps and they sounded as though they were getting closer. She held her breath as the footsteps became louder and louder.

"Are you still worried about that?" the voice she had heard earlier asked. She wondered who he was talking to. He had not been with anyone, as far as she could remember and there was no mobile phone reception out here.

"I know what I heard," a younger male's voice replied.

"I told you, it's probably nothing. A kid who's just broken up with someone or something," the first voice responded.

This was the first time that Martha wondered whether it wasn't actually him. Maybe this was someone else? But wouldn't they have heard her screaming earlier? Maybe the creep did have a friend who she just didn't see? There were so many possibilities and there was too much of a risk to call out to them.

The two voices were coming closer to her. They were very close in fact, so close that she could smell the cologne of one. She hadn't smelt any cologne earlier. Maybe it really wasn't him?

She stayed put and pulled her knees closer to her chest. She was afraid. Usually Martha was a fighter, but tonight, any energy she had had been taken away from her.

-5-

Jack and Lucas walked back towards their house, silently. Lucas was still worried about the sobs they had heard, but no one had called for their help so there wasn't much they could do.

They slowed walked back, trying their best not to trip up or hurt themselves. Jack lead with Lucas following close behind. They had been making their way along quite well until Jack tripped on something. As soon as he hit it, they heard a scream. It had been a young woman's leg.

"Get away from me! Get off me! Creep!" she squealed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm sorry, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you," Jack tried to reassure her.

Martha realised it wasn't her attacker and broke down in tears. From her reaction, Jack thought he knew what had happened.

"Go and get help," he ordered Lucas. Lucas hesitated slightly, before hurrying off to find some help. Jack stood back from the young woman, not wanting to scare her anymore by coming too close.

"My name's Jack. I'm a police officer," Jack explained.Martha became unsure again. She had never heard of a police officer called Jack and now he had sent the other guy off somewhere; he could grab her right now and take her off and hurt her again.

"I've never heard of you," Martha said as sternly as she could.

"I'm new in town. My brother and I arrived here yesterday. Are you okay?" Jack asked, still concerned for the poor young woman.

Martha didn't answer. She was still suspicious of this guy and didn't want to tell him that she was feeling weak and vulnerable. Tears started to flood her eyes. She had been raped. Some guy had forced himself inside her. Oh, my God, she thought, I could be pregnant to this guy. Tears streamed down her eyes and she sobbed quietly.

"Lucas will be back in a minute with some help," Jack said. He knew not to approach her. They had been taught that at the police academy. The last thing a male police officer should do is go close to a rape victim, it only scared them more. He had never been able to understand why some guys could do this to a woman? What was so screwed up in their minds that they enjoyed forcing themselves onto a woman? Jack couldn't understand it and never would.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Martha hesitated slightly, but decided to tell him. "It's Martha."

"Martha, can you tell me what happened?" Jack asked, trying not to upset her.

Martha didn't answer. She couldn't get it out. The nightmare kept running through her head again and again. He stalked, he caught and he attacked. It was like something a lion would do, not a human being. He treated her like an object, not a person. Tears continued to stream down her face. She hated to feel like this; so weak, so pathetic, so vulnerable, so alone.

Jack stood feeling so unhelpful. He didn't know what to do. In his few years working on the police force, he had never seen a rape case first hand. He had heard about them from colleagues but they would usually send female officers out.

"It's okay," he said, trying to comfort her, "Everything will be okay."

-6-

Lucas had found the beach and was running along it when he ran into Kim and Rachel going for a walk. He and Jack had met them the night before, as they had moved into the same apartment building as him. Lucas was puffing but quickly told them what had happened and they followed him back to where Martha and Jack were.

"Something's happened…a young woman…she's hurt…I think she's been raped," Lucas said between puffs.

"Lucas, calm down. Where is she?" Rachel had asked and he told them to follow him. They all ran down the beach and up into the scrubland. Lucas tried to retrace his steps back to his brother. He was unsure so he called out.

"Jack?!" he shouted. He pulled out his phone and shone the light for them to see.

"Over here," Jack called from a few metres away. Rachel and Kim rushed over. Rachel bent down on the ground next to Martha.

"Martha?" she asked when she realised that it was Martha. "Oh my goodness. What happened?"

Martha burst into more tears.

"Did someone force themselves on you?" Rachel asked Martha.

Martha nodded and let out a quiet, "Yes," between tears.

"Alright," Rachel said, taking charge. "Kim, get into phone range and call an ambulance. Jack, Lucas, go and wait by the main road for the ambulance and show them where we are."

The three guys followed her orders. Rachel, still kneeled next to Martha, put her arms around her.

"It's okay Martha," she said, warmly. "We've got you now. You'll be alright. You're going to be alright."

Martha cried into her arms. She wasn't sure everything would be alright. Not in the short-term and she wasn't even sure it would be in the long-term. She had been attacked and abused. She had been assaulted, almost tortured by a man who was hungry for … who knows what. She couldn't understand what was going on in his mind and would never be able to. She did know one thing for sure; it would take her a long time to get over this, if she was ever able to.

-7-

The ambulance arrived and Rachel rode with Martha to the hospital. Kim followed in his car. They had also called the police and two officers were meeting Rachel and Martha at the hospital; another couple were going to the scene of the crime. Jack and Lucas waited where they had found Martha so they could show the officers exactly where they had found her. One of the ambulance officers had given Jack a torch so he flashed it when the police arrived. The two male constables went over to them, along with a detective.

"Detective Peter Baker," the detective said to Jack, reaching his arm out as he arrived at the scene of the crime.

"Jack Holden. Constable Jack Holden. This is my brother Lucas Holden," Jack explained.

"Jack, you're our new transfer," Peter noted.

"Yeah," Jack nodded.

"Welcome to the Bay," Peter said, before going to talk to his two constables.

One constable went to Lucas and Jack. He had to get their statements. Detective Baker and the other constable surveyed the ground, looking for anything that might help them with their investigation. Jack and Lucas told them how they stumbled across Martha and how Lucas had gone to get help while Jack stayed with Martha. They then told how Rachel had come and they had then called the ambulance and police. Once the constable was finished with them, he allowed them to leave.

"Can we go to the hospital, please Jack?" Lucas asked. He wanted to see how Martha was. He wanted to make sure she was okay. He wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.

"Yeah, sure," Jack agreed. He also wanted to go and see how Martha was. He wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing she would be okay. It broke his heart to see her so shattered and traumatized. He frequently saw victims of horrifying crimes, but she was different and he didn't know why.

-8-

At the hospital, Rachel was taking some tests. She had done a full rape kit, a blood test to check for any STDs and taken x-rays to check for broken bones or any fractures she might have. She sensed Martha's discomfort.

"It'll all be over in a second," she said. "All done," she said once she had all she needed. She then heard Kim talking to two familiar voices. Jack and Lucas had come to the hospital. There was a knock at the door. It was two female police officers.

"Can we take a statement now?" they asked.

"Yep. Sure," Rachel agreed. "Martha, if you need anything, just press this buzzer," Rachel said, putting the buzzer firmly in Martha's hand.

"Will you stay? Please," Martha said nervously.

Rachel looked to the two constables and they nodded an okay. She took a seat next to Martha's bed.

Outside, Tasha and Robbie came rushing in.

"Is she okay?" Tasha asked Kim fearfully.

"She's with Rachel and two police officers who are questioning her. You can go in and see her afterwards," he told her.

Robbie shook his head in disbelief. "Who would do something like this?" he wondered out loud.

They all agreed with silence. Tasha looked to Jack and Lucas, then to Kim, with a look of confusion on her face. She wondered who these two guys were.

"Ah, Tash, Robbie, this is Jack and Lucas Holden. Jack and Lucas found Martha," Kim explained.

Tasha nodded but was unsure. She hadn't ever seen these two around before and was suspicious. She had no time to question them as the police came out of Martha's room, followed by Rachel.

"How is she?" Tasha asked, rushing up to her.

"I think she could really use your support," Rachel told her. Tasha rushed into Martha's room and Robbie went to follow. Rachel stopped him.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she suggested. "She's a bit hesitant around men at the moment."

Robbie couldn't understand why Martha would possibly be afraid of him, but followed Rachel's instructions.

-9-

"Tash!" Martha exclaimed on the verge of tears. Her friend met her with a warm embrace.

"Mac, are you alright?" Tasha asked concerned.

Martha nodded her head slightly, before shaking it harshly. She was far from okay and she couldn't lie about it. She was terrified; shaken up, frightened. She had never imagined that something like this would happen to her. And she couldn't have ever imagined feeling like this. So much fear, so much insecurity; it was a nightmare.

"Aw, Mac," Tasha said, squeezing her friend tighter.

Martha was weeping from fear. "I'm so scared, Tash," she said, tears running from her eyes. "I've never felt so frightened. I couldn't even make myself move. I couldn't get him off…" Martha trailed out. She couldn't get the words out. She kept reliving the incident over and over and every time scared her just as much.

"When can she go home?" Tasha asked Rachel as she came in.

"She can go home now. She just needs to sign a couple of papers, but then she's all yours. Tasha, can I talk to you for a minute?" Rachel asked, signalling her outside.

"Sure. I'll be back in a minute, Mac," Tasha said, before following Martha out of the room.

"Do you think she can stay at your house tonight? Or you go to her house? It's just not the best idea if she stays by herself tonight," Rachel told Tasha.

"Yeah, no, absolutely I'll stay with her. Does that mean Robbie should do somewhere else?" Tash asked.

"Maybe if he stays in another room and doesn't try to touch her. How about we see now how she feels around him?" Rachel suggested.

"Yep. Sure," Tasha agreed. She went to get Robbie, who was sitting in the waiting room with Kim, Jack and Lucas.

"How is she?" Kim asked as she came over.

"She's not too good. Rachel has asked if we can stay with her tonight," Tasha informed Robbie.

"Is she okay around me?" he asked, remembering what Rachel had said earlier.

"We actually wanted to see now, while she's here and then if she's not you can go with Kim or something. Kim is that okay?" Tasha asked.

"Yeah. Sure. However we can help," Kim agreed.

"Okay. Come with me," Tasha said, leading Robbie to Martha's room. Tasha entered first and went to stand by Martha. Robbie walked in hesitantly. He didn't know what to do. Should he not smile because she might get creeped out, but then he thought if he had a serious look on his face it might scare her. He decided just to do his best to be himself.

"Hey, Martha. How are you doing?" he asked, warmly.

"I'm alright," Martha said, trying to put on a brave face in front of him.

Robbie nodded. "All right," he said, not knowing what to say next.

"Mac, how would you like to stay with us tonight?" Tasha suggested.

Usually Martha would tell them that she was fine and they didn't have to worry, but tonight she knew she needed people who loved her by her side.

"Thanks," she said, forcing a smile. All she wanted to do now was have a shower and wash this creep off her.

-10-

That night Martha hardly slept a wink. Tasha was sleeping on the floor next to her and Robbie was on the couch in the living room. She was too scared to close her eyes. She didn't want to see him. She already saw him in the dark. She didn't want to her to see him when she was sleeping too. She hugged her knees, trying to protect herself from him. She was afraid of being so afraid. She felt so weak, helpless and pathetic. She didn't want to have to depend on people. She wanted to know that she could walk down the street without being constantly fearful. The shower hadn't helped. However much she scrubbed, she still felt him on her. She had spent ages scrubbing, until Tasha knocked on the door, worried about her.

The morning came, slowly but with a little bit of relief. The sunlight eased her a little, but she hadn't been outside yet and frankly, she didn't want to. She was happy inside. She felt safest inside. Plus, inside, she could forget about the real world; the big, scary world which never used to scare her in the slightest. Now, it terrified her.

Rachel and Kim came around at 8 o'clock, with an offer of breakfast.

"No thank you," Martha declined, leaving the room. Going out for breakfast was the last thing she wanted to do.

"It's probably a bit too soon," Rachel said quietly to Kim.

"I just wanted to help," he shrugged.

"Do you know how you can help, how about you go and pick us up some breakfast from The Diner," Rachel suggested. "You go with Robbie."

"Alright," Kim and Robbie agreed. Anything they could do to help, they were willing to do.

Kim and Robbie headed down to The Diner, to pick up breakfast, leaving Tasha and Rachel with Martha.

"So how are you this morning, Martha?" Rachel asked once the two boys had left.

"I'm not too bad," Martha said, "I'm just going to go have a shower." She was avoiding their questions, they all knew it.

"Has she been doing that since you got back from the hospital?" Rachel asked.

Tasha nodded. "Is that normal?" she asked.

"Yeah. Withdrawal is very common among rape victims. A lot of them think that they caused it to happen so they think they don't deserve their friends."

"That's ridiculous," Tasha said, shaking her head. She couldn't understand how Martha could think something like this.

"Just, be there for her as much as you can," Rachel suggested.

At The Diner, Robbie and Kim bumped into Jack, who was on his way to work.

"Hey," Robbie said when they saw him.

"Hey guys. How's Martha?" Jack asked, concerned.

"She's doing alright; putting on a brave face in true Martha style. She's scared though, I can tell,"Robbie admitted.

"She gets a bit on edge around us, which is a bit worrying but we're doing our best," Kim explained.

"Yeah. Well Lucas was worried about her all night, he hardly slept and it's his first day of school today," Jack explained. "I'll let him know she's doing alright. I've got to go but I'll see you guys 'round."

"Jack," Robbie called, wanting to catch him before he left.

"Yeah?" Jack asked, turning at the door.

"Will you let us know when they get any information about who did this to her?"

"Yeah, sure. See ya."

Robbie and Kim got the breakfast then headed back to Robbie and Tasha's apartment.

-11-

The day went slowly for everybody. Robbie and Tasha took the day off school and Rachel and Kim both didn't have to work, so Martha had a lot of support around her. Martha basically spend the day in bed, trying to sleep and ignore the past nights events. She wasn't ready to talk about it with everyone. Especially since there were so many of them, at least that's how it felt. Tash, Robbie, Kim, Rachel. Then there were those two guys who found her. She wondered what had happened to them. They probably didn't think about it anymore.

---

Lucas couldn't help but snigger when his Health teacher, Mr Baker, announced that they would be studying sexual education in Health class. He was thinking about Martha, the girl he and his brother Jack had found the night before, raped.

"I bet that guy didn't use protection," Lucas thought to himself. He couldn't get his head around how sick the guy that did this to her must've been. To take advantage of her like that, what had she done to him? He took a mental note to ask Jack whether there was any kind of relationship between these two before he attacked her. Did she know him or did he just pick a poor random girl? Was it the first girl he saw who was alone? Was it the one he thought was the prettiest? The most vulnerable? The easiest? He also wondered about the life of the attacker. What had it been like? Had he been abused as a child? Is that why he thought it was okay to abuse Martha the way he did? Lucas sat wondering for most of the class until Mr Baker noticed his disinterest in what he was saying.

"Lucas? Lucas?"

"Oh. Huh? Sorry?"

"Have you been paying attention to what I've been saying?" Mr Baker asked.

"Um…yeah. You were talking about protection…" Lucas guessed.

"That's right. I was saying how many woman nowadays are using the pill which stops then from getting pregnant compared to 10 or 20 years ago when the most common form of protection was a condom. Now, I'm not saying that condoms have become uncommon, in fact they're safer than going on the pill, but the number of woman on the pill is growing."

"Why is it safer to use a condom instead of the pill?" someone from the back row who was pretending to be interested asked.

"I'm glad you asked that, you see, the condom stops the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, unlike the pill…"

Lucas stopped listening again. He already knew most of this stuff. Not that he was 'getting any', but he had learnt all this at his old school anyway, and Jack was always telling him random facts in the hope of when he does start 'getting some action', he will be safe.

At the end of the class, Mr Baker told the class that they would have to do a research assignment on a sexually transmitted disease. He handed out a sheet as the class left.

"Excuse me, Mr Baker," Lucas asked once all the other students had left.

"Yes, Lucas?"

"I was wondering if I could possibly do this assignment on something else."

"Well that depends what you want to do it on."

"Rape," Lucas said, causing Mr Baker to pay full attention.

"May I ask why?"

"Um, well my brother and I found a girl last night who had been…raped, and…"

Mr Baker cut him off. "You and your brother found Martha?" he asked.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah."

Mr Baker didn't say anything as though processing the information. "Look, Lucas," he said finally. He paused again, as though he had changed his mind. "You know what, that'd be fine. I'll let you make the questions up yourself, and we'll see how you go."

"Thank you," Mr Baker, Lucas said thankfully.

"I'm glad to see a student take some initiative," Mr Baker said to Lucas as he left.

"Thank you, Mr Baker." Lucas left, ready to go home and do some research.

-12-

At the police station, Jack was helping Detective Baker and Constable Lara Wright with the investigation of the rape. They had just received the test results back, confirming their suspicions of the attacker's identity.

Peter shook his head in disgust at the name. "Lawrence," he said. "Steven Lawrence. He's a 19 year old kid from Yabbie Creek. Been in here a couple of times for theft. I can't believe even he would stoop this low."

"Should we bring him in?" Jack asked, in his usual eager tone.

"You and Wright go and inform the victim that we've found her attacker and ask her to come and identify him. I'll handle Lawrence," Peter informed him.

"Shouldn't we wait til we've got the guy locked up before we tell her we've got him?" Jack asked. "Plus, shouldn't someone else go, you know, like a female officer."

"Do you see any other female officers?" Peter asked Jack obviously. It was true; Lara was the only female officer on duty.

"Alright," Jack agreed. "But you do the talking," he said to Lara, "I don't wanna creep her out. But, still shouldn't we wait?"

"Trust me, I know where he is. It'll be fine."

"How can you be so sure?" Jack asked curiously.

"You ask too many questions constable," Peter laughed.

Jack studied his face for answers.

Peter rolled his eyes at Jack's eagerness. "He's in a cell."

"What? Since when?" Jack asked, confused.

"We brought him in late last night for questioning about an armed robbery and he won't speak til his lawyer gets here, which won't be until later today."

"Can I sit in on the interview?" Jack asked.

"You're going to get Martha. Now quit with the questions and get a move on," Peter ordered.

Jack sighed. "Alright," he agreed.

-13-

Martha was sitting by herself on Tasha and Robbie's bed, thinking about the incident and how helpless she had felt. Usually she was tough and could handle anything, or anyone, she needed to, but that night, she felt so weak and pathetic. If Jack and Lucas hadn't found her when they did she didn't know she would've been able to get herself up and go to get help. She made a mental note to thank them. Maybe she could invite them over for dinner one day, but, maybe not for a while. She hadn't left the room all day and Tasha and Rachel were continually coming in, asking if she was alright, until she snapped and told them she was fine and that they should leave her alone. Then they stopped checking on her. She hadn't heard from them for a couple of hours when Tasha knocked on the door to tell her that Constables Wright and Holden were there to talk to her. Now would be the perfect time to thank Jack, she thought.

"Hello Martha," Constable Wright said as Martha entered the living room.

"Hi," Martha said shyly.

"We're here to let you know that we have caught your attacker and he's behind bars."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief except Martha.

"Are you sure it's him?" she asked.

"We matched his DNA to the samples found on your body and we were hoping you would come down to the station and ID him for us, just to consolidate the case."

Martha nodded. "Okay. When?"

"Well you can come with us now if you like. You can bring someone with you, too, if that would make it easier."

"No I'll be fine," Martha said, her pride kicking in. She could face him, she thought. It's not like it's just going to be the two of them in a room. She probably wouldn't have to be in the same room as him, plus it would be at a police station. Where else could be safer than a police station?

"I don't mind coming," Tasha offered.

"Tash, seriously, I'll be fine," Martha assured her.

Tasha knew she wouldn't win, but made Martha promise that if it became too much she would tell Lara or Jack.

"I will," Martha assured her.

"Alright," Tasha agreed reluctantly. "Well we'll be here when you get back."

"Okay. I'll be back soon," Martha said, following Lara and Jack out the door. How hard could this be?

-14-

On the ride to the station, Martha didn't say much. She was thinking about facing this guy again. She didn't know how she would react. Would she be scared? Could it really make her feel better to see him? Would it give her some kind of closure? All questions which would have answers once this trip to the police station was over.

"If you just wait here, we'll call you through in a second," Jack told her, offering her a seat in Detective Bakers office. He didn't want to leave her in the waiting room because anyone could go in. "Do you need anything?" he asked.

"No thank you," Martha said, shyly.

"Alright," Jack said, about to head out to get Steven Lawrence into the interview room.

"Jack," Martha called just before he was out the door. "Thank you, for finding me. And thank your brother for me too."

"That's okay. It's kind of my job," Jack said, not wanting to be too friendly in case it scared her.

Martha sensed his nerves around her. She gave him a thankful smile.

He nodded, and then went to get Lawrence.

Once Lawrence was set up in the interview room, Jack briefed Martha on what she would have to do.

"Basically, we'll take you into a smallish room which is has a window. It's like you see in movies. Where you can see them but they can't see you. He's just sitting in there and just tell me 'yes that's him' or 'no it's not'," Jack explained. "Then you can leave and we'll take you home."

Martha nodded. She crossed her arms, as though to protect herself from what was coming and walked into the room behind Jack.

As she walked in, Steven was facing the other way, but when he turned around, Martha got a big shock. It was him and his face brought back a thousand memories. She covered her eyes with her hands, she didn't want to see him anymore.

Jack could tell from her reaction that it was him. She had tears streaming from her eyes. He didn't know what to do. Should he hug her? Should he talk to her? He didn't know. Luckily he didn't need to find out the answer, she gave it to him. She moved over and buried her head in his chest, trying to escape the situation she was in. The night continued going through and through her head, over and over again. Replaying and replaying, scaring her every time.

"Come on," Jack said, leading her outside. She stayed buried in his chest. She didn't want to leave it because she knew she would be back in reality. There was something comforting and safe about Jack and she didn't want to leave him, not yet. His embrace was warm, safe and strong. Everything she needed right now. She was afraid to let go because of the insecurity she would feel.

Jack didn't know what to do. He didn't want to let go of her because he could sense she needed him, but why? What was it that was making her feel safe? Why did she trust him so much? He wasn't even sure she knew.

When they were out of the small room, which was full of terror, Martha made herself pull away. She knew she couldn't keep relying on Jack for comfort. She would have to face reality sooner or later and she wanted to try and get it over with quickly.

"Sorry," she said as she pulled away, tears still swelled in her eyes.

"That's okay," Jack said sympathetically. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine thanks. Um, can I go home now?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll just get Lara and we'll take you back to Tasha and Robbie's," Jack said.

"No. I want to go back to my house. Please," Martha asked.

Jack nodded. "Okay."

-15-

After work, Jack arrived home to find Lucas looking up rape on the internet.

"What are you doing?" he asked his little brother as he took his jacket off and flung it over the couch.

"I have research assignment in Health and I'm doing mine on rape," Lucas explained.

"Okay," Jack said, not wanting to discourage his brother's enthusiasm. "We arrested the guy who attacked Martha today," Jack said as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Lucas moved his attention from the computer and onto his brother.

"Really? Who was it?" Lucas asked, curiously.

"Some guy from Yabbie Creek. He's had a couple of priors for robbery but this was the first time he'd hurt someone," Jack explained.

"How's Martha? Do you know?" Lucas asked. He was still worried about her. He had been ever since they found her, which felt like days ago, but was only last night.

"She's coping. She's still pretty shaken up though. Not that she'd admit it. She made us take her back to her own place so she'll be by herself tonight."

"You don't think that's a good idea?" Lucas asked.

"I'm just not sure she's ready to be alone tonight. Today when she identified the guy, she broke down and couldn't look at him," Jack explained. "I just don't think she's ready to deal with things by herself."

"Why didn't you take her back to her friends' house?" Lucas asked.

"Because she asked to go home and we have to respect her wishes," Jack told him.

"Well maybe you should go and see them and suggest that they go and stay with her tonight," Lucas suggested.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I might do that. Good idea Luke," he smiled.

"Anything I can do to help," Lucas said with a grin.

-16-

Martha was sitting on her couch, 'watching' Today Tonight and thinking about the day when there was a knock at her door. The knock scared her. She wasn't expecting anyone and she couldn't help but be scared of who it might be.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"Mac, it's Tash," Tash called back.

Martha opened the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I thought you might want some company," Tasha said.

"Tash, seriously, I'm fine," Martha said, walking into the lounge room and sitting on her couch.

"Mac, please, don't lie to me." Tasha paused. "Jack told me what happened at the police station today."

Martha sighed.

"Mac, he was just worried about you. We all are. Nobody expects you to be able to cope with this by yourself," Tasha explained. "Please, just let me stay, tonight at least."

Martha rolled her eyes. "Fine. But, just tonight."

"Fine," Tasha agreed. At least she had agreed to her staying that night. She could work on her more tomorrow.

Tash sat herself down on the couch next to Martha.

"What are you watching?" she asked.

"Today Tonight," Martha said unenthusiastically.

"Well how about we go and get a movie and some dinner from The Diner and we can have a bit of a girl's night like we used to," Tash suggested enthusiastically.

"Thanks Tash, but I think I'm just going to go to bed. It's been a long day."

Tasha thought this was a bit odd, as it was 6.45 but if it was what Martha wanted she wasn't going to say anything.

"Alright. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Night," Martha said as she walked to her room. She sat down on her bed. She hadn't slept in her own bed since the night before last, which was before the incident. She thought back to before it had happened. She was looking forward to the summer so much, she was so hopeful that love would find her. Now, she had lost her faith. She was almost sure that she would never find true love, not in this lifetime. She wasn't even sure she would learn to trust again. She remembered back to the police station when she had seen Steven Lawrence, he attacker. The terror that inhabited her when she saw his face again, it was too great. She couldn't handle it alone. The fortunate thing was she didn't have to. Jack was there. Jack. He was a mystery to her. The new guy in town. She didn't know him. All she knew was that he was a police officer and had a brother called Lucas. Yet, somehow, when she was in his arms, her hope and faith returned. His embrace made her believe again. Believe that she could get through it, believe that she would trust again; he gave her faith.

She wondered how she could feel like this. Be so afraid, yet have so much hope around someone. She had just been raped. How could she not be afraid of him? She'd seen things on TV and in movies before, she'd heard about it on the news, she should be afraid of men who have just come into her life so soon after being attacked, but strangely she wasn't afraid of Jack.

This was confusing her. She couldn't like Jack like that? Not so soon. It was too soon. She was still too afraid to love. She couldn't give herself to him like she may want to. A part of her was ripped away that night and it wasn't coming back. She wasn't ready for love; for someone to come into her life like this. But, hang on; was she getting ahead of herself? Jack had not made her think he was even interested, but she had just been raped so no guys would show her affection.

Martha was too confused. She didn't know what to think. She wasn't even sure what she had concluded. She didn't know how she felt about Jack. She didn't know how she felt with herself. She didn't know how he felt. There were so many questions. She threw her head onto the pillow. She wasn't ready to deal with all this.

-17-

It had been a week since the incident. Martha hadn't been outside her apartment and Tasha had stayed with her every night. She had been visited by many people; Robbie, Rachel, Kim, Leah, Dan, Colleen, Irene, Ric, Beth. Everyone she knew. All with support and love. She couldn't be help but be a little disappointed that Jack didn't show up. She wanted to get to know him but she couldn't go and visit him. She didn't want to leave the house.

"Martha, wake up," Tasha called from outside the door.

Martha ignored her. Tasha opened the door and came inside. "Mac, get up and get ready. We're going out."

Martha groaned. "I really don't feel like going anywhere, Tash."

"Mac, you haven't left the house in a week. You have to face the outside world. Plus, it's Kim's birthday and he'll be very disappointed if you don't make his birthday breakfast."

Martha sighed. She knew she would have to leave the house eventually, but she didn't think it would have to be today.

"Come on," Tasha said, not taking no for an answer. "Get dressed and we'll get going."

Martha flopped out of bed. She opened her wardrobe and fumbled through her clothes, looking for something suitable to wear. She settled with a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. She didn't want to wear much. She tied her hair back in a pony tail then went out to Tasha who was in the kitchen.

"Great," Tasha said with surprise. "You're ready. Let's go."

Martha followed Tasha out the door, locking up her house behind her.

-18-

When they arrived at Kim and Rachel's apartment building, Tasha went bounding in, excited for two reasons. Firstly, that she had managed to get Martha out of the house, but secondly because of Kim's birthday. It was his 20th birthday which meant he was no longer a teenager. Rachel was happy that people could no longer say she was dating a teenager. Martha tried catching up with her and in the process, ran straight into Lucas, giving her a huge fright.

"Oh, my gosh," she squealed.

"I'm so sorry," Lucas said, his hand covering his mouth.

"That's okay," Martha said, clearly a bit shaken up.

Jack came out behind Lucas, to see what was going on.

"Martha," he said, sounding surprised when he saw her.

"Hi," she said, smiling shyly.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Jack said.

"Yeah, well it's Kim's birthday so I came for him," she said, almost feeling guilty.

"That's great," Jack said, smiling.

There was a pause.

"Do you wanna come?" Martha asked, her face lighting up.

"Me?" Jack asked, surprised.

"No, the person behind you," she joked. Wow, she thought, I think that's the first joke I've cracked since last week.

Jack laughed. "I dunno. I mean, I don't really know the guy," Jack said, coyly.

"Well now's your chance to meet him," Martha said. "Come on. You too, Lucas."

Jack closed the door to his apartment and follow Martha to Kim and Rachel's.

Everyone was surprised when Martha walked in with Jack and Lucas.

"I hope you don't mind. I brought a couple of extra guests," Martha said as she entered.

"Oh, nah that's fine," Kim said, surprised. "Hey, Jack, Lucas."

"Hey. Sorry to crash your party," Jack said.

"Nah, you're not crashing. We're glad to have you," Tasha said, realising that Martha wanted them here.

"I'll just go and get a couple of extra plates," Rachel said, going into the kitchen.

"Here, I'll help," Kim said, getting up and following her.

"I'm actually just going to call Robbie," Tasha said, pulling out her phone from her pocket and walking out of the room.

"Yeah. They seem really glad to have us," Jack said sarcastically. "I think we're just gonna go. Come on, Luke."

"No. Please. Stay," Martha begged. "I mean, I'd like for you to stay."

Jack couldn't say no. "Alright. But, I feel a little unwelcome."

"I'll straighten them out," Martha said, heading for Kim and Rachel in the kitchen.

-19-

Martha walked into the kitchen to find Kim and Rachel in a deep kiss.

She cleared her throat loudly to let them know she was there. They both turned from each other and looked to Martha.

"Are you guys uncomfortable with Jack and Lucas being here?" she asked.

They both looked at her surprised. They didn't realise they had made Jack and Lucas feel so unwelcome.

"Not at all," Rachel said, "We're happy they're here."

"Are you sure?" Martha asked.

"Yeah. One hundred per cent," Kim reassured her.

"Okay. Cool," Martha said, leaving the room feeling a lot more happy about the situation. She found Jack and Lucas talking to Tasha and Robbie, who had just arrived, in the lounge room. She smiled at the fact that they seemed to be getting on well.

"Hey, Martha," Robbie said when he saw her.

"Hey, Rob," she said, less cheerfully than usual, but more cheerfully than she had in the past week.

"Who's hungry?" Kim asked, coming out from the kitchen.

"Oh, I'm starving," Lucas blurted out, making everyone laugh.

They sat down at the table; Kim at the head, Rachel at the other end, Tasha, Robbie and Martha on one side and Lucas and Jack opposite them.

Martha would occasionally look up and give Jack, who was sitting opposite her, a small smile, but she spent most of the breakfast with her head looking down to her food, not saying much.

Lucas didn't say much because he felt as though he and Jack were imposing. Jack didn't say a lot, as he also felt a little uncomfortable.

Tasha, Robbie, Kim and Rachel did all the talking and none of them seemed to notice the awkwardness that the other three were feeling.

-20-

After breakfast, Jack and Lucas both offered to help clean up, but after they rejected their offers several times, they quickly left, trying to escape the weird atmosphere that was surrounding them at Kim and Rachel's apartment.

They went home, only to have a knock on their door a minute later. It was Martha. Lucas answered the door.

"Hey, Lucas. Is Jack home?" she asked.

"Yeah. He's in his room. Come in," Lucas said, inviting her in. Martha stepped inside and immediately noticed the smell of cologne which she had smelt that night. For the first time since the incident, a reminder didn't scare her too much.

"It's the second door on the right," Lucas said, pointing down a narrow hallway.

Martha walked down to the door and knocked, then waited for a reply.

No answer.

She knocked again.

Still no answer.

She slowly turned the handle and opened the door.

The first thing she saw was a bed with no one sitting on it. She opened the door further and realised Jack was not inside. She also noticed a large 'Endless Summer II' poster on the wall above his bed.

"He must love surfing," she thought to herself, smiling. She always liked guys that surfed; they had that laid-back, carefree attitude which she always loved in a guy. She looked around his room some more and noticed an '8' billiard ball sitting on his bedside table. She smiled, she knew she would have to play him one day; she'd kick his arse at it too, she was sure of it. Next to the billiard ball was a book. She picked it up. It was 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. Always a classic, she thought. It was amazing how much you could learn about someone by just looking in their room. Then she realised, she was snooping around his room. She turned around, closing the door with her.

She walked out into the living room, looking for Lucas. He was slumped on the couch, iPod in both ears, the TV on mute. He didn't notice her standing in the corridor.

"Lucas?" she called out.

He quickly turned his attention to her and pulled the earphones out of his ears.

"Um, sorry, but Jack's not in his room."

"Oh," Lucas said, surprised, "He was before." He stood up. "I'll just go and see if he's in the bathroom," he said, heading down the hallway.

Lucas knocked on the door. "Jack?" he called.

"What?" Jack asked when he heard Lucas call his name. "I was just about to have a shower."

"Martha's here to see you," Lucas called from outside the door.

Jack flung the door open. He was standing shirtless in the shorts he had been wearing at breakfast. Obviously he hadn't expected Martha to be standing close behind Lucas as he looked startled when he saw her.

"Hey," he said. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he walked towards his bedroom to get a t-shirt.

That is a good question, Martha thought, what was she doing? Why had she come?

"Ah…I just wanted to invite you to Kim's party tonight," she said. "It's at Noah's. There's going to be more people there and it's a sorta bring whoever you want type thing, so if you want to come, I'd love you too." Had she just said she'd love for him to come? Was that too obvious?

"Oh. Ah…"

"He'd love to come," Lucas interrupted.

Jack looked to his brother, a little bewildered by the situation.

"Great," Martha said, smiling. "Sorry, Lucas, I'd invite you, but you're under age."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Lucas said, "Now if you'll excuse me I have to get back to my music," Lucas said, wanting to leave Jack and Martha.

Jack walked into his room and grabbed a t-shirt off a chair, then pulled it quickly over his head. Martha couldn't help but watch him closely as he did this and she couldn't help but be a little disappointed that he was covering up his ripped torso.

"So what time it is tonight?" Jack asked, while rearranging his hair.

"Well it starts at 8, but anytime after that would be fine," Martha informed him. "I'll probably be there at 8 because I'm going with Tash and she's always early," Martha joked.

Jack smiled. "Okay. Well I'll see you tonight, then," he said.

"Okay," Martha said, nodding. She stood in the hallway for a minute, then realised Jack was probably trying to get rid of her.

"Okay," she said again. "Cool. Well I'll see you then." She turned around and headed for the door.

"Bye," Jack said before going back into the bathroom for his shower.

-21-

"Martha," Jack called. He had stood in the bathroom for about five seconds then realised he did the wrong thing turning her away, so he chased after her.

She swung around, surprised to hear his voice behind her. She was already half way down the hall.

"Ah, hi," she said, not sure what this was about.

"I was wondering if maybe before the party tonight you wanted to grab some dinner. You know, so then you don't have to go with Tasha and get there early," he said, trying to find a reason for his offer.

Martha's face lit up. "I'd love to," she said, smiling shyly.

"Alright," he said, happy that she had said yes. "Great. Um, I'll pick you up at about 7."

"Okay," Martha said, smiling sweetly. "See you then."

Jack smiled too. "Bye."

They both turned away, very happily.

At 7 that night, Jack arrived on Martha's doorstep, feeling nervous. He was anxious about the night; he was scared that he was going to do or say something wrong and upset her or scare her. He didn't want to stuff this up because he really liked Martha. And he wanted to at least be her friend. He knocked on the door and stood waiting for someone to answer it.

He heard the sound of shoes, coming towards the door. Then they stopped, but no one answered.

On the other side, Martha was nervously trying to make herself answer the door. She had no idea what it was that they were doing. Was this a date? Were they just friends? Did he even like her or was he only hanging out with her out of pity? She knew the only way she would find out would be to open the door that she was standing in front of.

She swung the door open and saw him standing close to it.

"Hi," she said, as though she wasn't expecting him to be there.

"Hey, um, I'm not too early am I?" Jack asked.

"No, not at all. I'll just go and get my bag. Come in."

Jack smiled and stepped in the door. It couldn't help but notice it was very dark inside, as though reflecting her mood. Martha picked up her bag off the kitchen table and walked to the door.

"Let's go," she said to Jack.

"Let's go," he repeated.

-22-

"So where do you wanna go?" Jack asked as they walked down the stairs from Martha's apartment.

"I don't mind," Martha said shyly.

"Um, well, we could get some food from the Diner and eat it on the beach? It's a really nice night tonight," Jack suggested.

"That sounds good," Martha agreed.

"Are you sure? 'Cause some people don't like to eat on the beach. You know, 'cause of the sand," Jack said nervously.

"Well I say those people are crazy," Martha said. It was true. She loved to eat on the beach, in the evening especially, while the sun was setting. You could say it was one of her favourite things in the world to do, watch the sun set on the beach while eating some good food and good company was a bonus. After all, Martha thought Jack was very good company.

They bought their food then headed down to the beach.

"Um, I have a question," Martha stated as they walked towards the beach.

"Okay…" Jack said.

"I was wondering what this is," Martha stated.

"That's a statement, not a question," Jack teased.

"I'm trying to be serious here!" Martha exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. But, what do you mean?"

"Well, like, what are we doing?"

"Um, taking some dinner down to eat on the beach," Jack informed her.

She rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"Well what did you mean?"

"What are we doing? You and I? Are we, for example, going out as friends? Or something else?" Martha asked, trying not to make out as though she wanted it to be a date.

"Um, I dunno. We're just hanging out, I guess," Jack said, not wanting to embarrass himself, besides, he was sure Martha wouldn't be ready to go on a date. It was too soon.

"Okay," Martha said, trying not to sound disappointed.

"What did you think it was?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. That's what I thought, I was just checking," Martha lied.

"Alright," Jack nodded. And they continued walking towards the beach, both trying to read between the lines of the conversation they had just had.

-23-

"Should we sit here?" was the first words spoken since the awkward conversation. Jack had asked Martha about where to sit.

"Sure," she agreed politely.

Both had realised the awkward air that surrounded them. Jack couldn't work out whether Martha wanted it to be a date or not? Would she have asked if not? Or did she only ask because she wanted to clarify it with me? So many questions he wanted answered but was too afraid to ask. He didn't want to be rejected, especially not by her. He decided if they had any hope of going somewhere, someone would have to say something and he would have to be the one to do it.

Martha felt embarrassed. Had she been obvious? Was he going to stay away from her from now on? Why was he being so quiet? Even though he had answered her question, there were still so many questions to be unanswered. She needed to ask more.

They both said each others name at the same time.

"You go," they again said at the same time. They both sighed at how difficult this had become.

"Look Jack," Martha said before he could interrupt. "I lied before…"

Jack looked at her confused. What had she lied about, he wondered.

"When I said this wasn't a date. Well, I mean, I don't know if it is, but I want it to be."

"Oh," was all Jack could say.

Martha felt so embarrassed. "He obviously doesn't feel the same," she thought.

"I'm just gonna go," Martha said, turning away feeling stupid.

"Martha," Jack called. "Don't leave. Please."

Please. The way he had said it melted her heart, it was almost like he was begging. She turned around, waiting for him to say more.

Jack was searching for the right words.

"What?" Martha asked, staring at him with sad eyes.

"I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay here, with me."

With me. Why did he keep doing this, Martha thought. He was melting her heart with small words and he didn't even know it. She couldn't say no, even though she still felt embarrassed.

Jack sat down on the sand, Martha stayed standing. He looked up to her. He saw the confusion and sadness in her eyes.

"Look, Martha," he started saying, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Martha asked.

"This whole night. The way it's been. I didn't mean to make it so weird. And before when you said that you wanted this to be a date, I didn't say what I really wanted. What I really wanted to say was that I want this to be a date too, I just wasn't sure if you're ready. It's so soon since…" Jack didn't want to say 'the rape', "that night and I don't want to pressure you and push you away. That's what I was most afraid of, scaring you."

Martha nodded to let him know she understood. She wasn't even sure herself that she was completely ready to be with someone again, but she couldn't let Jack go. She sat down next to him. "You're not pressuring me," she said.

"But I am," Jack said sorrily.

Martha looked into his eyes with confusion.

"Just being here is pressure on you. I'm making things more complicated. I know that. And I'm sorry for it. But, I wanted to at least be your friend, so I could try to help you."

Martha's pride told her to tell him she didn't need help, but she knew she had to ignore it. She couldn't let her pride ruin this. Jack was being completely honest with her and she wouldn't let herself damage that. "Thank you," she said. "For wanting to help me."

Jack smiled. "I don't think I've really been any help though," he said.

Martha let out an ironic laugh. "You've been the person to help me the most. You've been teaching me how to trust again. You've been teaching me how to laugh again. You've been…" It was coming. She knew it was coming and she couldn't stop it. "…teaching me how to love again."

Jack didn't say anything. He didn't want to ruin the moment. He just sat, listening.

"I never really understood what people go through when this happens to them. I felt so scared, so vulnerable, so helpless and so stupid. But, I guess I was luckier than others."

"Why's that?" Jack asked.

"Because I had someone to teach me not to be scared." Martha felt herself about to pour out her heart and she couldn't stop it.

Jack knew she was talking about him. He had no idea he had had such an effect on her.

"I don't know what it was about you Jack, but I trusted you. I didn't even trust Kim and Robbie entirely, even though in my mind knew I could. I think if anyone else had of found me that night, I would've run, but you looked so scared yourself and I knew you weren't going to hurt me. It was like you were more scared of me than I was of you." Martha managed to smile at this. Jack had been scared to go near her. He didn't want to scare her. "I guess I'm trying to thank you, but also, I want you to not be scared of me, Jack. I don't want you to look at me with pity. I don't want you to be afraid of hurting me. I just want you to treat me like you do everyone else."

Jack smiled. "I couldn't ever treat you like I do everyone else, Martha." He paused for a second. "That's not good enough for you."

Martha breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid of what he was going to say, but he managed to kill all her fears. She felt a tear run down her face.

"Don't cry," he said, gazing into her eyes with sorrow. He reached to wipe the tear off her face, then hesitated when he realised that would involved touching her until he remembered what she had just said about not being afraid of her. He gently wiped the tear off her soft cheek. Martha watched his hand move up to her face and wipe the tear off her cheek. As soon as he touched her, she felt confused. No one had touched her since that night, other than the doctors and Tasha.

"It's just Jack," she told herself repeatedly. "It's just Jack."

"I'm sorry," Martha said, jumping up, tears swelling in her eyes. She turned away and started running down the beach. Jack first instinct was to chase after her, but he thought it would be best if he left her. He buried his head in his hands. He had just done what he was most fearful of doing, he had scared her.

-24-

Martha had run a couple of hundred metres down the beach when she realised that she was alone; alone and on the beach. All the memories of that night came flooding back. She knelt down and cried and cried. All she wanted was to feel safe, like she used to.

Jack looked up to see Martha knelt down on the beach a few hundred metres up. He decided against going over to her himself so he rang Tasha.

"Hey, Tasha, it's Jack…It's Martha. She's upset and it's all my fault. I'm so sorry. But, she needs you, Tash. Can you come down to the beach, please." Tasha came rushing down to the beach as quick as she could. She saw Jack sitting up on the sand and Martha knelt down, closer to the water a few hundred metres down. She ran towards Martha.

"Mac," she called out. "Are you okay?"

Martha looked up to her with tears streaming down her face. Neither of them said anymore. Tasha just stood, hugging Martha and comforting her. It was all she could do. Jack watched from the distance, feeling awful.

Kim, Rachel and Robbie all arrived. They saw Martha crying into Tasha's arms down the beach and Jack sitting on the sand, looking distressed.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Kim asked angrily.

Jack didn't reply. He felt ashamed.

"If you so much as touched her," Kim warned with a particularly angry tone in his voice.

Jack flinched at the word 'touched'. That was exactly what he had done. He touched her. She was raped a week ago and he just touched her. He couldn't stop cursing himself. He was so stupid, he thought. How could he have done something like that? He stood up and ran home. He flung the front door open, slammed it behind him and charged down the hallway and went straight into his room.

Lucas was sitting on the couch looking confused at his brother's behaviour, but he knew not to bother him.

Jack collapsed onto his bed and cried. He was confused and angry and in love with someone who he shouldn't have been. He knew it had been a bad idea to chase after Martha that morning; he should have just left it. He kept cursing himself at his stupidity. He rolled over and saw To Kill A Mockingbird sitting on his bedside table. He picked it up and threw it across the room.

At the beach, Martha finally spoke. "He didn't hurt me," she mumbled. Tasha waited for her to say more, but she didn't.

"Well then what is it?" she asked, concerned.

"I thought I was ready. And now I've just stuffed things up even more."

Jack came out of his room with his bag packed.

"What's that?" Lucas asked when he saw it.

"I have to go. I'll be back in a few days probably, but I can't be here right now." Jack opened his wallet and pulled out some money. "Here," he said, handing it to Lucas. "That should cover you for a bit. I'll have my phone if you need me, but please only call if it's an emergency."

"Jack, what's happened?" Lucas asked.

"It's nothing. I just have to go. I should be back by the end of the week," Jack told him, before quickly leaving.

Lucas stood stunned. Jack had never been one to run away, now he had left him and he didn't know where he had gone. For the first time since their parents had died, Lucas felt abandoned.

Jack made his way to Martha's apartment. He hoped she wasn't home, that would ruin things even more. He gently slid a letter under the door and made a quick getaway. He got into his car and drove out of Summer Bay, unsure of where he was heading.

-25-

The night, Martha stayed at Tasha and Robbie's, but early the next morning she went to her apartment to get showered and dressed. She felt much better about the situation the next morning, having spent most of the night sitting up with Tasha and Rachel, talking things through. She opened the door and saw a piece of paper sitting on the floor with 'Martha' written across the front. She picked it up and stood in her doorway reading it.

Dear Martha,

Words can't express how sorry I am about what just happened. I did what I was most fearful of doing and that is scaring you. I think it's best now for me to just leave you to deal with this without me because I only make things more complicated. I haven't told anyone where I've gone so don't bother trying to find me. I'll come back when I feel it's best.

I'm so sorry, again,

Jack.

Martha was ready to cry as she read the letter. She'd just driven him out of town. And after talking about it last night with Tasha and Rachel, she realised she needed him here to get through this. She wanted him to help her, slowly. Now she would have to wait.

--

Several days past before anybody heard from Jack. Lucas was the first one to hear from him. He told him that if anyone from the station came to tell them he was sleeping and that he told them he's got a virus. Lucas told him that Martha had been around a couple of times to see if he was home. Jack didn't say much to Lucas about it, he just changed the subject. Jack knew he would have to come home soon; firstly, he would have to face Martha sooner or later, secondly because of work and thirdly because he couldn't leave Lucas alone for much longer, even though he knew he could take care of himself. Since their parents had died, he had promised himself he would do everything he could to make sure Lucas had a good upbringing and so far he thought he'd been doing an alright job, now he'd just up and left him, something he felt bad about.

-26-

The next afternoon, Jack arrived home. He didn't tell anyone he was coming back, especially not Martha. He didn't think he'd given her enough time and he hadn't spoken to her since anyway. Lucas was still at school, he had planned it that way, and he slowly walked into his room, only to find Martha asleep on his bed.

Martha? he thought. He decided not to wake her. He had to work out what he was going to make of this first. Why would she be asleep on his bed? How did she get in? How long had she been there?

He went out into the lounge, put his bag on the floor and went into the kitchen to get a drink. He sat on the couch, thinking, something he had done a lot of lately. He sat thinking and thinking until he was sick of it. He needed facts. He was sick of what ifs. He had to wake her.

He cautiously walked into the room and tried to wake her. He wasn't going to touch her, he knew that. He'd already made that mistake.

"Martha," he said her name, loudly.

She slowly woke up, then realised she was asleep on Jack's bed, with him looking at her. She jumped up.

"Ah, sorry," she said as she got up.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was waiting for you," she answered honestly.

"How long have you been here?" He was throwing her all the questions in his head.

"Um, since a bit before Lucas left for school. I was hoping you'd come home today. You've been gone for almost 5 days," Martha said.

"I know. I wanted to give you more time but I had to come back for Lucas," Jack said.

Martha took a step closer to him. She had been preparing herself for this for days. She slowly reached out and touched his hand. She picked it up and put it on her arm. Jack watched tentatively.

"I'm glad you're home," she said. Jack didn't say anything. She released his hand, but it stayed on her arm. Jack didn't know whether to move it or not. He wasn't sure what she was doing. He studied her face for answers.

Martha sighed when she realised how confused he was. "I'm trying to show you I'm not so afraid anymore," she told him. Jack was still unsure. "You don't need to be afraid of me, Jack. If I feel uncomfortable I'll tell you. I just want you to help me through this. Please."

This wasn't going how Martha was expecting, then she realised maybe he hadn't left just for her. Maybe he was scared himself, scared of her.

"Jack, don't doubt yourself. I trust you. You should learn to trust you too," Martha said.

It was like she was reading his mind. He didn't trust himself. He couldn't. Not when he was feeling how he did. But he knew he couldn't lose her, so he would have to try.

"Okay," he said gently. "Okay." He slowly reached over and touched her hand gently with his. "I'll do what I can."

-27-

Jack was sitting in the Diner after a long days work, devouring a hamburger, chips and salad when Martha walked in. He didn't see her at first, and she stood watching him. He really seemed to be enjoying his food; it was like he was carefree, just gulping down his food with no worries in the world. He finally looked up from his food and saw Martha watching him.

"Hi," he tried to say, but had difficulty getting it out because of all the food in his mouth.

Martha laughed. "Hi," she said.

"Take a seat," Jack said after swallowing his mouthful.

"Thanks," she said, sitting down opposite him. "Hungry?" she teased.

Jack smiled embarrassedly. "Little bit."

"How was your day?" Martha asked. She wanted to have a normal conversation with Jack. It had been something they had seemed to skip.

"Busy," Jack replied. Martha had hoped for a bit more information, but didn't want to push him.

"Okay. Anything going on in the streets of Summer Bay that I should know about?" she asked.

"Nope," Jack said, taking a bite from his hamburger. Martha laughed at how much he was enjoying it.

Jack looked at her laughing at him. He loved to see her smile and he loved that he could make her smile.

"Jack," Lucas said excitedly, as he bounced into the Diner. "Guess what!"

"What?" Jack asked his little brother.

"I got an A on my project in health!" Lucas said, beaming.

Jack looked at Martha. She was looking at Lucas and the joy on his face. He knew she was going to ask about it. "Oh, that's great. Who would've known that eating well would be your forte," Jack pretended to joke.

Lucas looked at him blankly for a second then remembered that Jack had warned him not to say anything to Martha about his project. "Oh…yeah, I know," Lucas said, very unconvincingly.

Martha raised an eyebrow at Lucas, then looked to Jack would was giving her a fake smile. "What's going on?" she asked.

"What? Nothing," Jack lied.

"I'm not stupid Jack. What was your project on, Luc?" she asked.

"Healthy eating," Lucas tried to say surely.

"Don't lie to me, Luc. You promised me you'd be my friend." This was news to Jack. Since when had Martha and his brother been so close? They hardly knew each other. Or did they?

Jack and Martha both waited for Lucas' answer. Lucas sighed. "I did it on rape."

"Luc!" Jack exclaimed.

"Why didn't you tell me that?" Martha asked.

"We thought it might upset you," Lucas told her.

Martha looked to Jack. She noticed that Lucas had said we.

Jack had a sorry look on his face.

"I'm just gonna go home," Lucas said, trying to avoid the situation. "See ya, guys." He hurried out of the Diner.

"Jack," Martha said. "You didn't need to hide that from me."

"Well, I just didn't want to keep reminding you of it. And when he started it, it was all so fresh, I didn't want you to keep being reminded of it."

Martha couldn't be angry. She knew Jack had been trying to protect her. "That's alright. But, just remember I don't need you to keep things like this from me anymore."

Jack nodded. "I'm sorry."

Martha gave him a sympathetic smile. She didn't want him to feel bad, but she also needed him to know that he shouldn't hide things like this from her.

"Can I get you anything?" Jack asked.

"Oh, no, you're finished. Don't worry about it."

"Well I was just thinking about dessert, if you're interested?"

"Alright," Martha smiled.

"Great. What do you want?"

"Ah…you choose," she said. She wanted to see what Jack would pick for her.

-28-

Jack walked over to the counter and ordered off Irene. He was talking to Irene when a young man walked in. He had a sleazy look about him which would make any girl feel uncomfortable. He sat down; his legs spread apart in a cocky way. He noticed Martha sitting by herself at a booth. He gave her a sleazy smile. She ignored it and stared downwards.

She looked up again and realised he was still staring at her. Martha looked behind her to see where Jack was. He wasn't at the counter anymore and she couldn't see him. Martha began to worry. It had been alright when she thought Jack was there, but now he wasn't and she felt scared. This guy didn't look like one to back off. He called out, "Any chance of getting some service here?"

"Alright, keep your hair on," Irene said, walking over to him with a pad and paper. "What can I get ya?"

"I'll have a piece of that chocolate cake you got over there. And get one for the lady over there too," he said, pointing to Martha.

Martha looked up and watched the goings on between Irene and the cocky guy. Irene didn't seem too happy with him.

"You can have your cake, but Martha's already got something on order," Irene told him.

"I don't care. I asked for it so I get what I want. The customer is always right. Is this how you treat all your customers?" he asked.

"Don't you get smart with me young man. Now you can have your cake for yourself, or you can leave, take your pick," Irene ordered.

"Fine. I'll have my cake," the cocky guy said. "I don't want to make trouble."

Irene scoffed and went to get his cake. Martha looked back down at the table, wishing Jack would come back.

She sensed a shadow coming near her. She looked up to see the cocky guy standing right next to her.

"I'm Hugo," he said. His voice was gruff and sleazy.

"I have to go," Martha said, getting up. He stopped her by standing right in front of her.

"Move," Martha squealed. She was really scared now. She couldn't help but think back to the night she had been raped. The way this guy was reminded her of Steven Lawrence. Martha was about to cry and she had her arms hugging her body as if to protect herself.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jack shouted to Hugo.

"I was just trying to buy the pretty lady a piece of cake," he said, defensively.

"Get out of here," Jack ordered, shooing the guy to the door.

"Sorry," he said, unsure of why he had scared Martha so much.

"Martha, are you okay?" Jack asked.

She hid herself in his chest. She wasn't.

"Jack?" she asked with worry in her eyes. "Will I ever be able to get past this?"

Jack sighed. "Of course you will. It's still only recent. Just give it time."

-29-

A month had passed since that fateful night in Summer Bay and life was going on as usual. School kids were on school holidays and enjoying the summer, surfers were enjoying the great waves that this summer had brought; families were bonding and lovers falling deeper. Residents of the Bay were enjoying the bliss that this summer had brought. Martha was slowly moving on. She had gone back to work and survived two shifts without any drama. Jack stayed at Noah's bar for her whole first shift, something which she was very grateful for, as it was a way of easing her back. She had made it through the second shift by herself, greeting the familiar faces of the residents of the Bay.

Each day, Martha and Jack would learn more and more things about each other and with Jack's help, Martha was moving forward in leaps and bounds. Then the big test came.

"Lucas and I are going on a camping trip for a few days," Jack informed Martha during her third shift at the bar.

"Oh," she said, not wanting to sound disappointed, even though she was. Although she had lived here for so long without him, the possibility of being in Summer Bay without Jack scared her.

"We were wondering if you were interested in coming," Jack added.

"Oh," Martha said in a higher pitched voice. "When are you going?"

"We're leaving tomorrow morning."

"And how long are you going for?"

"Two nights, three days."

"Well that works for me," Martha said happily.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Great," Jack said happily. "You sure you're up for it?"

"Yeah. Of course."

--

"You could've told me we were going to be hiking Mt Everest," Martha complained as she followed Jack and Lucas through steep bushland.

Jack laughed. "This is hardly Mt Everest," he laughed.

"We've climbed Mt Kosciusko," Lucas added.

Martha rolled her eyes. "You guys are crazy," she said, puffing.

"You didn't have to come," Jack said, still amused.

"Well if I had have known it was going to be like this, I wouldn't have," Martha huffed. That was a lie. She would've come no matter what. The fact was the prospect of being without Jack for even a few days still scared her. She needed him, almost too much.

"We're nearly there," Lucas assured her.

They hiked for about 5 more minutes, until they reached a flat spot which had a beautiful view of the bush.

Martha stood with her hands on her hips, looking out.

Jack came up behind her. "See that bit of cleared ground over there," he said, pointing. He was standing behind her and his arm was above her shoulder, his head next to hers.

She nodded.

"That's where we started," he told her.

Martha was surprised. She knew that had walked quite a distance, but she had no idea it had been that far. She was proud of herself. A small smile grew on her face.

"See, feels good doesn't it," Jack said, smiling.

She nodded. "It does."

"Jack, do you have the food in your pack?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," Jack said, turning around and walking to his pack.

"I'm starving," Lucas groaned.

Martha turned away from the breathtaking view. Tonight, she would tell him.

-30-

It was dark. Jack, Lucas and Martha were sitting around the fire they had made, silently watching it slowly burn.

"Do you know what one of my old friends used to say," Lucas said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Jack asked his little brother.

"Everyone's a pyromaniac at heart."

Jack laughed. "Why's that?"

"Well, who doesn't love to watch a fire burn? I mean, sure, there's the ones who burn things other than wood, which is stupid, but just watching a camp fire burn down, it's fascinating."

Martha and Jack considered what he had said.

"It's like watching two people in love," Lucas added.

Jack and Martha both looked at him.

"You watch them get grow and eventually they burn out, but the longer you keep them ignited, the better they are." It was an interesting philosophy.

"So do you think true love can ever burn out?" Martha asked.

"Never. I think true love always has ignition, even when people don't want it to. They can try as hard as they want to put it out, but it keeps burning."

Martha smiled. She liked Lucas' way of thinking. "Me too," she added. "Have you ever been in love, Lucas?" Martha asked.

"No," he replied.

"Then how come you have such strong beliefs about it?"

"Because I've seen it before, in the people around me."

Everyone was silent. They all knew who Lucas was talking about.

"I'm going to sleep," Lucas said. He wasn't really tired but he wanted to leave his brother and Martha alone.

"Goodnight," Martha said.

"Night," Jack also said.

"Goodnight," Lucas said as he walked to him and his brother's tent.

Martha and Jack both sat silently, eyes on the fire.

"How did we get from everybody being a pyromaniac to love?" Jack asked jokingly. He was nervous. He had butterflies in his stomach. All he knew to do was joke. He'd never been in this deep before.

"Jack," Martha said seriously. "I have to talk to you."

"Okay," Jack said, nervously. He was pretty sure he knew what was coming.

"Okay," Martha started. She was finding it hard to breathe. She was so scared. She was almost sure he felt the same way, but if he didn't she would be out here with him for two more days. I can't do this…she thought and chickened out. "It's nothing."

Jack sighed. He realised she was about to say what he thought. He wanted to tell her himself, but he didn't know how. They weren't even a couple, how could he tell her he was in love with her. Deeper love than he'd ever felt before.

They both sat silently, watching the fire. They were both going crazy. Martha shivered, it was getting cold. Jack hesitated, but then took his jacket off and put it over her shoulders. His touch no longer scared her, it melted her. She wasn't sure which was worse – being scared of him or losing herself over him.

God damn it, she thought. Just tell him.

"I'm going to bed," Jack said before Martha could bring herself to say anything.

"Alright," she said quietly, "Me too. Goodnight, Jack."

"Night," Jack said as he slowly unzipped the tent that he and Lucas were sharing. Martha hopped into her tent and zipped it up.

Jack sighed, "God damn it, Luc," he whispered angrily. Lucas had spread himself out across the whole tent, leaving no room for Jack. "Oh, you little…" Jack cursed. Jack kicked Lucas' side.

"Jack!" he whispered angrily. "That hurt!"

"Well stop hogging the tent," Jack shouted back, louder than he had meant to.

"It's not my fault I'm too tall for this stupid tent now," Lucas shouted back. "I told you we needed a new one!"

"I got one, you idiot!" Jack shouted again. "Martha's sleeping in it."

"Why couldn't we give her this one?"

"Because this one has holes in it, plus she's taller than you anyway."

"Same height," Lucas shouted back defensively.

"Oh, my god, Lucas," Jack cursed. "Take the stupid tent. I'll sleep outside."

"Good," Lucas shouted back.

"Good," Jack shouted. He grabbed his sleeping bag and took it outside. He set it up on the ground, near the camp fire. It was going to be a long night.

-31-

Martha woke up the next morning and felt the warmth of Jack's body snuggled next to her. She remembered back to the night before. Lucas and Jack had had a fight, leaving Jack to sleep outside. Martha couldn't help but feel a bit responsible so she invited Jack to sleep in her tent. He had reluctantly agreed; he didn't want to invade her space, but she had assured him she wasn't going to let him sleep outside. They fell asleep and in their sleep, must've rolled into each others arms. Martha didn't know if Jack was awake yet, and she didn't want to. She pretended to still be asleep so she could continue being warm and feeling safe in his arms.

Jack woke up soon after and realised he had Martha in his arms. He could see her eyes were closed so he decided to stay where he was; he didn't want to wake her up, at least that's what he used as his excuse. He stayed lying with her until they both heard their tent being opened. When they both looked up to see who it was, they realised that neither of them had been sleeping.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Jack, we have a problem," Lucas said regrettably. Jack and Martha looked so adorable together he hated to be the one to break them apart.

"What's up?" Jack asked, rolling over and sitting up.

"Um, well, did you bring any wet weather gear?" Lucas asked.

"What are you talking about? It's not…you've got to be kidding me," Jack said when Lucas showed him the weather outside. Big dark clouds were circling above them and it looked as though a storm was on the way.

"Did you?" Lucas asked, still waiting for an answer.

Jack shook his head regrettably. "The forecast said the change wasn't due until after we got back."

"Jack," Lucas reminded him, "Since when do you trust weather forecasters so much?"

Jack sighed. "Well I guess we have to get back then," he said.

"I'll start packing things up," Lucas said, leaving the tent.

"Sorry about this," Jack said to Martha.

"Oh, nah, don't worry about it. It's not like I brought any wet weather gear either. Besides, we can still have fun at home. We've both got a couple more days off," Martha reminded him.

Jack smiled at her positivism. "Oh, about this morning, me…yeah, you know, sorry I didn't mean…"

"Jack," Martha interrupted. "It's okay. I know."

Jack nodded. "Okay. Great. Now, I better start packing things up."

Martha was sad to be going, but she was glad that she and Jack still had some days off work that they could spend together. One thing was for certain though; she would always remember this spot.

"So do you think we will make it back in time?" she asked Jack.

"Do you want me to answer honestly or not?"

"Honestly," Martha said, biting her lip.

"Probably not. The way the clouds are looking and the fact that it took us so long to get here in the first place, we'll probably get soaked."

Martha laughed. "You didn't have to be so honest."

"Sorry," Jack said.

"No, don't worry it's not your fault. Now let's hurry because I don't want to get wet," Martha said, tapping Jack's shirt before turning back into the tent.

She's so gorgeous, Jack though as he watched her. When am I going to tell her?

-32-

It had been three hours since Lucas, Jack and Martha had left and things weren't going too well. They had misread the map and travelled a kilometre in the wrong direction and then Lucas had tripped over and had blood virtually pouring out of his knee. Jack was playing doctor, something which Martha found adorable. He was gently dabbing the cut with a tissue to get rid of the blood which was surrounding the cut, then he slowly put some antiseptic cream on it, trying his best not to hurt Lucas too much, even though it was inevitable that it would sting and finally he gently wrapped a bandage around his leg.

"I can't walk properly," Lucas complained when he was standing up.

"Well, what am I supposed to do about it?" Jack asked.

"Why couldn't we have just driven to the campsite, then we wouldn't be stuck out here and about to get soaking wet," Lucas grumbled.

"Excuse me!" Jack said defensively, "I didn't hear you saying you wanted to bring the car. I only got into this stupid bushwalking because of you."

"So now you think it's stupid?" Lucas asked.

"Well you seem to think so," Jack snapped back.

"Hey, boys," Martha interrupted. She didn't want them to be fighting. "Come on. We don't need this. Let's just get going. Lucas, you walk as fast as you can. Jack, guide the way."

"At least somebody knows how to be sympathetic," Lucas said under his breath.

Jack was about to snap back when Martha stopped him. "Just leave it," she said to him quietly.

Jack admired the way Martha had taken hold of the situation. He was almost proud of her, after all she had been through, she still was able to stand up to guys like Lucas and himself. But then again, it was just him and Lucas.

They had been slowly making their way home when it started to pour down on them. All they could do was keep on walking. They couldn't get under shelter – there wasn't any. They couldn't wait for it pass – it would be past dark by the time it did. They couldn't call for help – there was no way of getting to them. They slowly trudged through the bushland, praying that the rain would stop and that they were heading in the right direction.

It was close to 4 o'clock when they arrived back in the Bay. They had parked Jack's car at a small car park on the outskirts of town. They were all so relieved to see the car. Each one of them was completely soaked from head to toe and their packs had water dripping off them.

"If I catch pneumonia it's all your fault," Lucas said to Jack. They were still snappy with each other.

"You won't catch pneumonia," Jack cussed at his brother.

Lucas scoffed. "I'm soaked from head to toe and freezing; I could catch pneumonia."

Jack decided to ignore his little brother, something he had been doing a lot of during the day.

"Finally," Lucas said as they approached Jack's car. Jack unlocked the car, they put their packs in the boot and then all jumped in. The first things Jack did once turning on the ignition was turn the heater onto full blast.

"You know, it's not that cold," Martha giggled.

Jack smiled. She was so gorgeous when she giggled, he thought.

Jack drove cautiously to Martha's apartment; however the storm didn't seem as heavy in the Bay. It was passing through. He decided he would drop her home because he and Lucas weren't being very good company. As they turned into her street, they got a shock to see fire engines, police cars and ambulances surrounding Martha's apartment building.

"What's going on?" Martha asked as she jumped out of the car.

"There's been a fire. Most of the building's been burnt out," an onlooker told her.

-33-

"Excuse me miss, but I'm going to have to ask you to step back," a police officer told Martha as she walked closer to her apartment block.

"Stewy, what happened?" Jack asked his colleague.

"It looks like the building's been struck by lightening, but we're still investigating," the constable told him. "Do you live here, Jack?" he asked.

"I don't, but Martha does," Jack explained.

"Okay, well, I suggest you find somewhere else to stay for a while 'cause this block is useless now," Stewy informed Martha. "If you leave the number of the place you're gonna stay with me, I'll give you a call to let you know more. That is once we've worked it out ourselves."

"Um…" Martha said. She didn't know where she was going to stay. This was all so sudden. "I guess…"

"You can stay with us," Jack offered.

"Are you sure? 'Cause I'm sure Tash wouldn't mind having me," Martha said.

"No, no, no. You stay with us," Jack said certainly. "Plus I need someone to stop me from strangling Lucas," Jack added under his breath, only Martha heard. She laughed.

"Thanks, Jack."

"No problem," he said smiling sweetly.

--

"You can stay in here," Jack said as he opened the door of his room for Martha.

"Where are you going to sleep?" she asked.

"Um…" Jack hadn't thought that far ahead, but he was more than willing to give up his bed for Martha.

"On the couch, I guess," Jack said, scratching his head.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I can sleep on the couch," Martha said politely.

"No, you sleep in here," Jack said sternly enough to make her aware that he wasn't going to change his mind

"Alright," Martha said reluctantly.

"Now, I'll let you get settled. I'll go and get us some dinner 'cause I'm staving," Jack said, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Martha stood looking around his room. There was something about it that felt very homely and she liked it. She put her pack onto the chair in the back corner, opening it up to get out some dry clothes. She knew she would have to visit Tash in the morning because all her clothes had been in her apartment, which meant they would have gone up into flames. She would get around to shopping sooner or later.

She didn't really have any warm clothes, other than one jumper which she had taken and that was drenched. She pulled on a fresh pair of shirts and a dry singlet top. She sat down on Jack's bed, taking in all that was around her.

--

In the kitchen, Jack and Lucas had both changed into dry clothes and were getting dinner ready.

"You realise you're not going to be able to sleep on that couch," Lucas said to Jack. "It's like half your height."

"I'll manage," Jack said, while cutting up a lettuce.

"Why don't you just sleep in your bed, with Martha," Lucas teased.

Jack stopped what he was doing and turned to his brother.

"Stop. Now," Jack warned.

"What? It's not like you guys haven't slept together before. Last night ring any bells," Lucas said cheekily.

"Lucas, don't push this," Jack warned him again.

"All I'm saying is, you guys are obviously comfortable enough with each other now, and she's going to be all lonely in a big double bed while you will be getting no sleep on our tiny couch, why not just bunk in together." Lucas was really enjoying himself now.

Jack found himself pointing the knife in his hand at his little brother.

"Geez, Jack," Lucas joked. "No need to get angry."

Jack put the knife on the bench. "Lucas," he said. "Stop it. Please."

"Oh, my God," Lucas said, his face turning serious.

-34-

"What?" Jack asked innocently.

"Oh, my God," Lucas said again. "You've really fallen for her, haven't you?"

Jack turned back to the lettuce and started chopping it, ignoring Lucas' question.

"Are you gonna tell her?" Lucas asked.

"Luc, I'm not talking about this, okay?"

"Jack, you've got to tell her," Lucas advised his brother.

"Just drop it," Jack said; his face serious.

Lucas decided not to push it. He knew how he didn't like it when Jack pushed him about things like this.

"Mmmmm looks good," Martha said as she walked into the kitchen. Jack immediately worried that maybe she had heard the conversation between him and his brother.

"Jack's a whiz in the kitchen," Lucas informed her.

"Well I can't wait then," she said, smiling politely. Martha had a feeling she had just walked in on something she shouldn't have, but had no idea what it was.

Jack noticed she looked cold. "Can I get you a jumper or something?" he asked.

"Oh, um, okay. Thanks," Martha smiled.

"No problem," Jack said, walking out of the kitchen and going to his bedroom. He noticed she hadn't moved anything. He pack was sitting on the chair by the wall, but she hadn't taken anything out of it. He opened his wardrobe and took out his smallest jumper. It would have been a better idea to give her one of Lucas' jumpers, but Jack liked the idea of her wearing one of his. He walked back out into the kitchen and handed it to her. Martha gracefully pulled it over her head and into her arms, finally pulling her hair out from the back. The whole motion seemed as though it was in slow motion to Jack. Every movement to him was so beautiful. He had to pull himself out of the trance before she noticed.

"So, ah, let's eat, shall we," Jack said, putting the salad he had made on the table.

Throughout dinner, Jack would take glances of Martha when she wasn't looking. Martha would do the same and they of course looked at each other when the other was talking, however that wasn't a lot because Lucas seemed to be talking the whole time. Whether it be about school, music, movies, books, Lucas didn't seem to stop. Both Martha and Jack were thankful though, because it saved them from any awkward moments that could have possibly arisen. Jack couldn't help but wonder whether his brother was doing this on purpose, he wasn't usually so talkative.

After dinner everyone helped clean up and soon after Lucas retreated to his room, leaving Jack and Martha sitting on the couch, watching TV.

Martha yawned. "I think I'm gonna go to bed too."

"Alright. Goodnight."

"Night." Martha walked into 'her' room and pulled her pyjamas out from her pack. She put them on, then went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. She always liked to have a drink beside her bed at night as she usually woke up thirsty.

On her way to the couch, she saw Jack trying to get comfortable on the couch, which seemed smaller than it had earlier. She felt guilty. If she wasn't sleeping in his bed, he would be able to get a good night sleep.

"Jack," she said as she walked back towards his bedroom.

"Yeah?" Jack asked. She couldn't help but noticed how good he looked, lying shirtless.

"This is stupid," she said.

"What is?" he asked, sitting up and turning to her.

"You sleeping on this puny couch while I sleep in your big bed."

Jack though he knew where she was going with his, but he didn't want to get ahead of himself.

"Why don't you just sleep in your bed," she said.

"Martha, I'm not gonna make you sleep on the couch," Jack told her.

"I'm not asking you to."

-35-

Jack picked himself up off the couch and walked over to Martha. "What are you saying?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Come and sleep in your bed with me," she said, tyring to be cool.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Absolutely. Plus, I don't want you to have no sleep and be grumpy in the morning," Martha teased before walking back to Jack's bedroom. Jack followed close behind.

They both got into his bed and Martha turned out the light.

"Night, Jack," she said.

"Goodnight," Jack replied.

They both lay wide awake, on opposite sides of the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Martha," Jack said suddenly.

"Yeah?" Martha asked.

"What is this?"

Martha sighed. She knew that question would be coming sooner or later. She rolled over to she was facing Jack. She felt her heart racing. "I guess…well, if you want, I'd like us to be more than friends," Martha said hesitantly, only looking at him after she had said it.

Jack lay, gazing into her eyes.

Martha became worried. He hadn't said anything.

"I'd like that too," he said.

Martha smiled. She felt so relieved. Finally they were getting somewhere.

"But, um, Jack," Martha said. "I don't know if I'm ready…"

Jack stopped her. "I will wait as long as you need, Martha. And never be afraid to tell me if you're uncomfortable."

Martha nodded. "Okay," she said, smiling.

"I do have one question though," Jack said.

"What is it?" Martha asked.

"Would I be able to give you a kiss goodnight?" Jack asked, hopefully.

Martha felt herself blushing. She leant closer to Jack, giving him the okay. Slowly he leant in and softly and sweetly kissed her on the lips. It was gentle and tender, just what she had expected from him.

"I love you," Martha said softly.

"I love you, too," Jack replied.

Martha rolled over and Jack took her in his arms. Together they lay, not wanting the moment to end.

-36-

Jack woke up before Martha the next morning, but he didn't get up. He just lay, admiring her and thinking about how glad he was that she felt the same way he did. He'd never felt this way about anybody before.

When Martha finally woke from her sleep, she smiled to feel Jack's arms around her. They were so secure and warm and they made her happy. He made her happy.

"Good morning," Jack said softly.

She turned to face him. "Morning," she said, her smile wide.

Jack lent down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"What do you want for breakfast?" he asked after pulling away.

Martha smiled. "Nothing yet," she said, giving Jack a kiss.

Jack was surprised, he hadn't expected Martha do be so comfortable with him. He had thought it would take much more time.

"I'm just happy here, with you."

Jack smiled and gave her yet another kiss.

-

When Jack and Martha got up, it was already midday. They didn't need to worry about Lucas finding out because they had heard him leave earlier. Jack found a note sitting on the table, addressed to Martha.

Martha,

I've just gone out for a while. I don't know where Jack is, but make yourself at home. There's plenty of food in the cupboard so help yourself. I hope you had a goodnights sleep.

From Lucas.

Jack smiled as his brother's thoughtfulness. He had to admit, Lucas was much more thoughtful and caring than he was sometimes.

"Lucas left you a note," Jack told Martha when she came out of the bathroom.

"What did it say?" she asked.

"Here," Jack said, handing it to her with a grin on his face.

Martha smiled as she read it. "Do you think we should tell him?" she asked.

"He'll find out sooner or later and if we tell him, we won't have to sneak around," Jack suggested.

Martha smiled at the thought of her and Jack sneaking around behind Lucas' and others backs, but agreed that they should tell him.

-37-

Jack and Martha were both dressed when Lucas arrived home and sitting at the table in the kitchen, close to each other.

"Luke, can you come here please," Jack called.

Lucas entered the kitchen and saw Jack and Martha sitting at the table. "What's going on?" he asked.

"We, um, we just wanted to let you know, um…" Jack wasn't sure how to put it.

Martha decided to help him out. "We're a couple, now," she told Luke.

Lucas smiled. "Finally," he joked. "Geez, I was about ready to smash both your heads together for not seeing what a great couple you would make."

Martha and Jack both smiled at each other lovingly.

"I think we knew," Jack said, still gazing into Martha's eyes.

"Yeah," Martha agreed playfully.

"Okay well I'm gonna go have a shower, then I'm meeting this guy I met down at the Diner for lunch, so you guys don't have to worry about me," Luke said.

"Okay," Jack said, nodding, but not taking his gaze off Martha.

Lucas shook his head at them as he left. Love did funny things to people.

Martha and Jack were interrupted by the phone ringing.

"Hello?" Jack answered.

"Jack, hey, it's Stewy. Is Martha there, mate?"

"Yeah she is I'll just get her." Jack handed Martha the phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Martha, hi, this is Constable Stewart from Yabbie Creek Police. I'm just calling about your flat. We've found the cause. It seems one of the old ladies on the 2nd floor went out and left her heater on. The owner has told us that he doesn't have insurance and won't be rebuilding it so it looks like you'll have to find somewhere else to live."

"Oh," Martha said, surprised. "Um, okay. Well thanks for letting me know."

"No problem. Bye."

"Bye," Martha said.

"What did he say?" Jack asked eagerly.

"Well some old lady went out and left the heater on, that's how the fire started. And the owner isn't planning on rebuilding 'cause he didn't have insurance so I have to find another place to live. I guess I'll have to go house hunting," Martha said, unenthusiastically.

"Stay here," Jack said keenly.

"What?"

"You can live here, with me and Luke."

Martha hesitated for a second. "I'm not sure…"

"Look, don't give me an answer now," Jack said sweetly. "Just let me know once you've made up your mind."

Martha shook her head. "No. It's okay. I already know."

Jack tried to work out her answer from the expression on her face and she gave it to him as soon as it lit up.

"I'd love to stay with you," she said, smiling brightly and jumping into his arms.