AN: G'day and Welcome to the 1st part to 'History: It's Just One Thing After Another'.

I know that some of you will notice a small connection between my story and 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' but when i began writing this it was before I'd even heard of Avatar... yes I am a novice to the Avatar world... so I apologize but i will not be making a disclaimer towards Avatar in any of my chapters as i believe that my story is pretty far removed from the Avatar world.

I must, in fact, make a disclaimer towards my story title, 'History: It's Just One Thing After Another', as I borrowed it from the play 'History Boys' even though i tweaked it a little bit. I do not own anything towards that play.

Ok so seeing as my story is an original piece and i am Aussie i must inform you all that yes it is set in Australia, Melbourne in fact, on a little island called French Island (which i have changed to Pan Island). Also for all those Americans out there, there are a fair few parts with Aussie slang... if u don' understand then i will post a glossary for you. Also there are many references to British history but the time is the present, 2006-7, so just bare with the history jumps.

So here it is... and I wanna thank my lovely Monkeys for helping mi out... they are angles!

Ch 1: The Flight of Consciousness

'How long has she been out of the hospital?'

'Around five day's doctor.'

'Hmm, yes, well if you see a change in her, please call me.'

'Of course.' A door quietly closes, the pin snaps into place.

'Do you reckon, when she wakes up…'

'Oh hunny, I doubt that wont be for a while yet. Best not to think such things...' A door opens. '…Keep an eye on her for me will you?'

'Yeah, sure.'

The door closes once again. Darkness returns.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Candice, ever so slowly, made her way to the kitchen in hope of making a cup of tea to sooth her already frail nerves. But she never made it. The news report in the TV caught her eye. There was a segment on the accident her adoptive daughter was involved in.

It brought a tear to her eye knowing how much her daughter was suffering and that she could do nothing to relieve her of it. She was numb with fear and remorse. But time did not permit her to dwell on the emotions that consumed her heart, as there came an unexpected interruption from the door.

Gradually, Candice made her way over to greet their guest. After the conversation with the doctor earlier that day Candice didn't feel much like entertaining. She hoped the visitor wouldn't stay long.

As she reached the door the knocking became suddenly louder and more impatient that Candice jumped at the noise. She opened the door to reveal a dark haired man who burst in all most knocking the poor woman down.

'Is she ok?' He looked around, all flustered, half expecting his sister to be in sight. The man couldn't have been older then twenty-two and yet the dark rims around his eyes begged to differ. He appeared as if he had just woken up from a bad dream.

'Calm down Tom. Breathe.' Instructed Candice as she tried to calm the disgruntled man, but it was fruitless.

'Please Candice, I have to see if Serena is ok.' Tom tried to urge an answer out of the old woman as he took hold of her shoulders to stress his urgency.

Candice patted his hands. 'Tom don't worry, I will take you to her … and since when did I start being Candice?'

'I'm sorry mum. But when I heard what had happened I …' Tom was on the verge of a nervous breaking down. His little sister meant the world to him and if anything happened to her he would never forgive him self.

'It's ok dear, come.' Candice led poor Tom into the room that housed the unconscious girl. Tom rushed over to the bedside of his sister. He moved so quickly that the figure on the other side of the room went unacknowledged.

'She's been like that for the past week.'

Tom jumped like a cat that just had its tail pulled. His heart raced at the unknown voice.

'Oh Bloody Hell Reilly! Honestly, geez, don't do that.'

The boy smiled secretly. Tom's heartbeat was still working over time when he found the breath to ask about the doctors' take on Serena's condition.

'Well he said that the nasty bump on her head caused the unconsciousness and perhaps some amnesia,' Reilly informed him, 'but we won't know to what extent until she wakes up. The doctor said that she could remember everything bar the last few days, or only something's. But he said there is also a likely chance she may remember nothing, not even us.'

Candice's heart split in two as all the emotion from the past week came flooding to the surface. She had tried so hard to keep her emotions to her self. She collapsed into the post of the bed that contained the lifeless body of her adoptive daughter.

'Oh mum, its ok. It wasn't your fault.' Reilly comforted the old woman that took him in all those years ago. Near the window, he gave up his chair for her. The fresh air would do her some good.

'But if I hadn't had … she never would have …' Candice, after trying so hard to compose her self, burst into tears once more.

Seeing his mum completely loose her self, Reilly thought it best that she lay down for a while, away from the cause of her emotions.

'Come on, you need some rest.' Reilly grabbed the woman's arm to support her and she made no objection to the stability his arm gave her. The two went out of the room, leaving Tom to think in peace.

Reilly came back to the awaiting room to find Tom out on the balcony that was attached to the room. Reilly quietly stood beside his life long mate and gave him a friendly nudge. 'She's going to be fine,' he insisted as he stared into the face of a depressed man.

'No, she isn't. She may not remember any thing. Serena won't remember mum, you, or me or even what you guys had together. How can you just stand there and be fine with letting something like that be forgotten forever?'

'Because it won't be.' Reilly turned to face the sun setting in ablaze of blood red. 'No matter what happens I will always remember, even if she doesn't. If she does wake up to remember nothing, I will be there to remind her of all the memories and good times.'

'Oh, geez man.' Toms face contorted into a grimace. 'You have got to stop reading ma's old books.' Tom smiled as they both broke into laughter.

Tom left an hour later. He had a meeting at the university he attended in Queensferry that he couldn't afford to miss. So knowing that Serena was in safe, caring hands he left promising that he will visit in a few days.

Reilly thought this was strange because out of the five kids, Tom and Serena had been the closest. It wasn't like him to leave with out being forced to.

A week passed with no improvement. Tom slowly began to lose faith in Serena's recovery and his visits stopped shortly after. Reilly couldn't help but being to feel the same way. Candice, how ever, wasn't so quick to give up hope. She insisted that Reilly spend a few hours every day with Serena. Candice believed with all her heart that she could feel his presence.

After a week of moping Reilly gave into his adoptive mothers persistent nagging.

As Reilly sat there, staring at the unconscious body of his dearest friend, years of memories came flooding back to him.

How could he have been so thoughtless, this was the time that she needed him most and there he was already accepting worst? Reilly crouched beside her bed and took her hand in his; it was so lifeless yet it was as warm as the day of the accident.

It was cold day in winter and it had been raining hard. Reilly and Serena planned to go visit Tom in Queensferry as he was leaving for Adelaide late that night. Tom promised that he would let them steal his laptop and car while he was gone. Candice didn't wont to go with them, as she didn't like being in the car while either of them drove.

In Corinella most of the roads went through the countryside and both kids were allowed to drive on their own. Serena was still learning and she usually drove with Brian, their eldest brother, who had recently moved out. She knew the roads like off the back of her hand and it wasn't the first time she'd have to drive in heavy rain. So she was planning to drive back on her own as it would only take 45 minutes and Reilly could keep an eye on her.

When they arrived at Tom's place he was already moving out of the door. Throwing the keys to Reilly, he said a few short good-byes and left with a friend who was taking him to the airport. It hadn't taken them long to pile all of Tom's stuff they wanted into the two cars. What are adopted siblings for any way.

Serena got into Tom's car, the better of the two, and proposed a race home. Reilly was all for it but asked if she was sure, she had only been driving for nine months. She smiled and told him that she would be fine.

They both drove off.

Reilly made it home first. He knew she was still wary of the car and was probably too scared to go much faster then twenty over the limit. Time passed with no sign of Serena. Reilly tried her mobile a few times but she didn't pick up. It wasn't long until the police rang to tell them of the accident. The car had lost control on the wet road and went head on into an on coming delivery truck.

The hospital was the most depressing place. Both Candice and Reilly felt uneasy about it. Serena was in there for two weeks before Candice was asked if she could be sent home. It was a small hospital and they needed beds. They were provided everything that Serena would need and there wasn't really any further treatment required. Serena was only in a coma and just weekly check-ups were enough.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- It be dark, pitch black. My eyes art too heavy to lift. I think I have been awake for days, but I cannot be sure. All I am able to do is lie here, too weak to talk or move. I feel pain, more so then I have ever felt before, but it be numbed in some way. My throat be dry as the river in a drought.

The only thing I hear be a boy talking, just talking. At first I could not understand what he wast saying but now I can recognize his voice in a heartbeat. I am not sure what it be that he talks about, the past I guess. I do not know who he be or whom he talks about but the stories art comforting. I can hear all the emotion in his voice; happiness in the stories he remembered and sadness, like something terrible happened to the characters in the stories.

Every so often he'd leave and come back a little later with a new story to tell. Every night I could hear him come in and tell another story or say nothing and sit silently. I am glad for his company, who ever he be-

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Darling, you have been in here every night for the past three weeks. Please take a moment to have some dinner with me.' Candice sighed when he didn't move from his place. She left the room knowing that her efforts were pointless.

Ever since she suggested that he spent a little time every day with Serena, she rarely saw him. After work and school he'd go and sit with her till the very early hours of the morning. Because he was always gone before she got up Candice noticed that her adoptive son was fast becoming absent from her every day life.

Reilly knew that his mum was trying her hardest to help him. But when he sat there with Serena, telling her stories of their childhood with their three other brothers, he couldn't stop. It was like when he retold them to her, he was not only hoping she'd remember them, but it also seemed as though the five of them never grew up. He missed the old days.

Reilly had just finished the story of the day their youngest brother, Felix, came to live with them, when he decided to turn in for the night. He slowly opened the door, trying to make as little noise as possible.

'Mmm,' Serena moaned, 'nay.'

Reilly spun around. He didn't quite catch what she had said as she was still very weak, but the fact that she tried to say something sparked new hope in him. But she was in a coma she couldn't speak.

He went back to her and took up her hand. 'I'm sorry, but could you say that again?' He had to make sure he wasn't going crazy. He just sat there waiting for a response, his hope dwindling with every passing minute. When he didn't receive one he got up again. But this time her hand tightened around his just before he let go, stopping him, it was faint but it was definitely there.

'Serena? Wake up, wake up it's me.' He whispered as he wiped the hair away from her brow with his free hand. As he urged her to open her eyes she groaned, trying, but she lacked the strength.

Reilly got up and ran to the door as he called for Candice. Running back to the bedside, he gave up on waiting for the old woman to get out of bed.

Candice stumbled her way through the door way, half asleep and still in her pajamas. Annoyed to have been woken up at such an ungodly hour.

'What? What happened Reilly?'

'She's waking up! Serena is waking up!'

'Oh Reilly…' She went over to him and studied his tired, sleep starved face, 'you have been in here for too long, go and get some air.' She patted him on the shoulder, implying for him to get up.

'No, mum. Honestly, she's waking up.' Reilly didn't understand. Candice was all ways more hopeful of Serena's recovery then he was. So why didn't she believe him?

'Reilly, stop it! I won't have you messing around like this, it isn't funny!' She was fed up. She was sick and tired of her mixed emotions in this matter.

Serena groaned again at all the noise they were making. They were, of cause, yelling.

Reilly went back to her. Candice stood there, stunned. Not in her wildest dreams of late did she imagine her daughter to wake up, and now that she has, Candice couldn't fathom the idea.

'Serena.' Reilly whispered to her.

'Reilly.' She was so quiet that Candice couldn't hear her.

'Yes, yes it's me.' Reilly grabbed the glass of water on her bedside table. 'Here, drink.' He went to support her head, hoping that he could get her to take a sip. She shook her head.

The darkness came again.