a/n: I'm a recent convert to SDBHH. I don't own them, it's prolly the other way around .
just a little bit after conclusions. Comments would be greatly appreciated. I should warn you though, this could get real mature really fast :3
Chapter 1: to whet the appetite
A sudden knock on the door made Lucas Randall jerk from his crouching position under the desk, hitting his head on the wood with considerable force. The circuitry he was wiring shook tauntingly at his face as he tried to collect himself. After giving his shirt a few sniffs, he shrugged and opened his door.
"What the hell, Lucas? Not one bath since graduation?"
"Uh." He was at a loss for words as Josie Trent made her way into the room with a sandwich baggie and soda. She stared at the mess and snorted. "You're worse than I am, and I'm already at the peak of disarray-dom."
"I was kind of busy. Thanks," he said as he ripped open the brown paper and wolfed down the sandwich. "Cheese's a bit burnt though." He watched her over his sandwich as she examined the device on his desk. Josie picked it up, analyzing the flat piece of circuit board adorned with dials and wires. "Is this supposed to get her back?"
"Or at least find her. Which alternate universe she's in, anyway." Lucas swallowed the last bite of sandwich before washing it down with soda. He made a face. "Cherry just to spite me?"
"I missed you too, thanks," Josie retorted while inspecting the device some more. Lucas gulped and turned towards the door, and Josie realized her little slip as her face started to burn a bit. She cleared her throat. "How long will you try and get this thing to work?"
"Two weeks. Then my dad will come out here and drag me to prepare for college. So I have to get busy." He threw the empty soda can in the bag. "You better do some studying too. A year is a long time for someone to be out of school." He threw the bag in the trash bin. "Thanks for this."
"No problem. At least one of us is doing something interesting, if you don't count Corrine and Marshall in Europe and Vaughn bonding with his mom from the future." There was more than a little bitterness in Josie's voice.
Lucas sighed. As he guessed, she still wasn't over Vaughn. But now wasn't the time for that. A life was at stake here. "I'll let you and Z know as soon as I make any progress. But for now, do your best to graduate on time." He gave her a small smile and a pat on the head before turning back to work on his device.
Josie smiled and lingered at the door, looking at Lucas with his wild hair all over the place as he tinkered with his machine. Then she softly closed the door. With any luck she'd see him at dinner this evening. The thought made her smile all through the corridor and down to her next class. He'd been holed up in his room since graduation trying to find a way to get her clone out of limbo that they hardly hung out at all.
She crossed the main hallway just as a shadow fell through the entrance doors. Josie stopped in her tracks.
"Hey, Josie." Vaughn made his way in and leaned on the wall, his hands in his pockets. "Could I talk to you?"
