"Home Sweet Home," I muttered sarcastically as we drove passed the familiar sign reading 'Welcome to Summer Bay'.
"Oh come on, Mattie. You know how much you grew to love this place before. We physically had to drag you away from it when you came to live with us," Scott spoke softly, knowing all too well how badly I reacted to his decision to apply for full custody of me, bringing me to live in France with him.
"Yeah well things change!" I snapped. "Now I'd die happy if I never saw this place again in my life," I said a little quieter this time, knowing that this was not completely true.
Three Years Earlier…"She's gone Tony, we'll never see her again!" I sobbed into Tony's shoulder. "Why her? Why us? People always say everything happens for a reason, I'd just like to know what the reasoning behind this was!" I screamed, not even thinking about how I may have just deafened my stepfather.
"I know Tilly, I know…" Tony's words were barely a whisper. He drew circles on my back with his hand, soothing me slightly.
Kit sat there in shock, no tears, no change in expression… nothing. I could hear gasps from outside my sister's hospital room. Rachel had obviously told everyone what had happened. How my mum had been taken from me forever… how the mistakes of a truck driver had taken her life.
-x-
The memories from that day still stay surprisingly clear in my mind. The shocked faces, the silent tears, the not-so-silent tears and the grief that hung over our heads, like a big black cloud raining down on us.
I was a wreck. Pushing everyone away and shutting myself out was my way of dealing with the death of my mother.
Only, one person never gave up though, never let me close the door on our relationship and led me through, what seemed at the beginning, to be a never-ending tunnel of grief.
I was in love, completely in love with my best friend, my boyfriend, my Ric…
-x-
"Mattie wait! You can't keep running away from me. You can't run away from everything that scares you" With that last comment I stopped running down the beach and spun around to be met with his face.
"You think I'm scared, Ric?" I snapped. "You really think that's why I've been acting like this?" I decided to continue my rant, not aware of the hurt in his eyes. "My mum was killed, Ric, killed! How would you react if the one person in the world that you relied on and trusted the most was ripped out of your life so suddenly, so unexpectedly!" I was screaming by that stage, letting the bottled up feelings from the previous weeks flow out. Tears streamed down my face but I was too caught up in the moment to think about wiping them away. "I'll never get to tell her that I love her again, Ric. Never…" and with that last word my voice broke and Ric's strong and protective arms wrapped around my small frame, supporting my weight as my legs gave in.
"It's alright, it's alright, I'm here," he whispered his soothing words softly in my ear. Stroking my hair and wiping away the continual flow of tears, we sat there, on the beach in silence. Listening to the crashing of the waves on the shore.
I leant my head on Ric's chest, listening to the beating of his heart. I felt safe in his arms; it was almost like a bubble formed around me. Protecting me from the tragedies that seemed to happen around me, and the pain I felt.
-x-
After that night, I learned to deal with my grief. There was no doubt about it, everything was still so painful, it was just easier and I knew it was down to Ric. The funeral in Adelaide, the Memorial Service and the departure of Kit, my sister with Kim and my baby nephew, Archie, he was there every step of the way.
Eventually, I became happy again. I felt less guilty when I smiled and laughed. After many weeks of crying and moping around things went back to normal. The 'Fantastic Four' were back together again – Cassie, Lucas, Ric and I.
Little did I know that the hurt I had been feeling before, would return one night when I got home, in the form of a phone call from my brother, Scott.
-x-
A/N: Well that's the first chapter guys! Hope you liked it. I'm kind of new to this whole fan fiction thing so any tips would be extremely appreciated. Please review!!