So, busy week. But I did have my second surf lesson down at Torquay on a beautiful, sunny Saturday, and am proud to say, sucked less. So there's that. - Grey

'Over there!' Thea yell-instructed, clipboard to purple brocaded breast, Queen bee to drones.

The Queen estate flurried with workers erecting her vision - ladders propped, stage mounted, sound checked, tables dotted - a lawned minicity swarming with purpose.

'Speedy! What's up?' Tommy sauntered from his midnight blue sportscar towards the commanding brunette, open necked shirt, dark sunglasses in place against the brightness of the day.

'Oh, hi Tommy. 'Up' is getting ready for the party tonight. What are you doing here?'

'I could tell you that I've come to help with the manual labour, but we both know that's untrue,' Tommy smirked.

Thea rolled her eyes and began to walk up the path towards the mansion, Tommy in tow.

'So Merlyn, why are you really here?'

'Well, I just wondered if you'd seen or heard from your brother in the last few days. He's not answering my calls.'

'No, sorry,' Thea said distractedly, 'I've been busy with all this party planning. I haven't seen him.'

Tommy pursed his lips, nodding, holding open the oak front door as a line of waiting staff paraded past.

Thea stopped and swivelled, brow angling down, clipboard dropped away. 'Why, are you worried?'

'Me? Noooo,' Tommy deflected. 'Just that I needed to talk to him about our costumes for tonight and, you know, it's been a few days.'

'I'm sure he's fine, Tommy. Felicity said he's been really busy, and he hadn't even had time to visit her.'

'What do you mean?'

'Oh. She got...,' Thea paused, bracing for it, 'a very mild cold. A sniffle really.'

Tommy whooped, laughter bursting. 'After youuuu stuck her up on the roof. She must be pissed!'

Thea glared back at him as she walked down the hallway to the kitchen, agile-ing around working bodies like a dodgeball virtuoso.

'She was - somewhat unimpressed, and in dire need of a shower, can I just say - but I her brought her some soup, and we hung out a bit, and she's fine now.'

'You made soup?' Tommy's voice read: did I step into an alternate reality?

'It was Raisa's soup, obviously. And, it worked, cos she texted me yesterday to say she's feeling much better and will be able to make it tonight. So we're cool.'

Tommy wouldn't be budged from unconvinced. 'I can't believe she forgave you so fast. If you tried that stunt with me and got me sick, I would hunt you down and make you pay,' he said, poking her collarbone on the last three words.

'God, get off me Merlyn. I'm not a little kid anymore.' Slapping at his poking.

'Awww, twentieth birthdays aside, you'll always be an annoying little kid to me, Speedy,' he cajoled, ruffling her perfect hair as she screeched and ducked away from him, running backwards into the kitchen.

She knocked into the bench and around a exiting worker; Tommy following in hot pursuit, a clasp of grapes scooped from the crystal fruit bowl.

'Tommy, stop! Don't you dare,' Thea warned, pointing at him from the other side of the kitchen.

Tommy smiled innocently. And started pelting her with pale green missiles.

'God, Tommy!' Thea scampered from the squishy onslaught, trying stern, wanting to laugh.

'Grapes of wrath, little one.'

Tommy snorted at Thea's 'that was terrible' look. He pitched another grape at her and bounced it off her forehead.

He felt his equilibrium topple as his ear was yanked down by an unseen hand, head following ear, body following head.

'Mr Tommy. What are you doing in my kitchen?'

'Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow,' he intoned, caught, pained.

Thea laughed delightedly and scooted safely onto a bench stool, picking orphaned grapes from the bowl and popping them in her mouth as she settled in to watch the show.

'I said, what are you doing in my kitchen?' Raisa asked, jerking on Tommy's viced ear.

'Sorry, Raisa, I shouldn't have thrown food.' Tommy's body angled over as he tried to drop to alleviate the pain.

'No you shouldn't have, Mr Tommy. And?'

'And...I won't do it again?' Tommy began to ease up to his height, testing the forgiveness of the stern woman beside him in inches.

His head was jerked downwards again.

'And?'

'Ow!' Tommy looked imploringly at Thea, who was grinning and swinging in her seat. She threw a grape at his head.

'Hey!...ow-ow-ow, okay. And...I'll clean it up?' he half-shrugged, pitching in the dark.

'Yes you will, Mr Tommy,' Raisa released his ear, and wiped her hands on her red apron.

She turned back to the bench and began laying out fresh ingredients from cotton shopping bags.

Tommy stood there, unsure. Raisa turned, raised her eyebrow at him, and he dropped to the floor on hands and knees, collecting discarded grapes.

The kitchen door swung open and Oliver walked in, running a hand wearily over his scalp.

'Hey Raisa. Hey Thea. How's all the party stuff going?' Oliver asked back over his shoulder as he headed towards the fridge. He stumbled, tripping over Tommy's hand outreached for an errant grape.

'Jesus Tommy, what are you doing down there?'

Thea snickered.

'Picking up grapes,' Tommy's muffled reply.

Oliver smiled, bemused. 'Can I ask why, or do I not want to know?'

'Had a grape fight.'

'So, yeah, I didn't want to know.'

Tommy stood up carefully, hands cupping a mound of grapes, and walked to the bin to discard. Raisa glanced around the floor and nodded to Tommy, releasing him from his servitude.

Oliver shook his head as he opened a chilled water plucked from the fridge, and downed it in gulps, throat working, head tilted back.

'Geez, thirsty much Ollie? What have you been doing?' Thea asked, gaze taking in his wired state.

'Ah, just a workout. Nothing...special.'

Tommy perched himself on the stool next to Thea. 'Where have you been man? You haven't gotten back to me for days.'

'Ah sorry, just really busy.'

'So I heard. Thea said she hasn't seen you, and you hadn't even been by to check on Felicity.'

Oliver stilled. Failing nonchalant. 'You, ah, went to see Felicity?' he asked his sister, replacing the cap on the empty water bottle.

Thea's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at her brother's demeanour.

'Yes.' Vaulting her information. Seeing how much he was willing to work for it.

Oliver bit his lips together and nodded, meandering slightly as he neared the kitchen bench. Tommy, sensing interesting, kept quiet, the sound of Raisa pounding dough the only noise filling the room.

Thea popped another grape in her mouth.

Oliver reached for a grape of his own. 'So...how is she?'

'Fine.'

Tommy harnessed his laugh, cottoning on.

'So, she's feeling better?' Oliver attempted again.

'Yes.' Rare Thea of the monosyllable.

'That's good.' Breaking skin, spritzing juice.

'Yes.'

Oliver looked around the room, then back at Thea. Golden brows raised, 'So...is she coming tonight?'

'Why?' Thea brow raised back.

'What do you mean, why? I was just asking.' Awkward tone, awkward shrug.

'I mean, Ollie, why aren't you asking her yourself? You two are constantly on the phone to each other. I thought you'd know her movements.'

'Oh...I've...I just- wanted to leave her alone to get some rest, you know, to get better.'

Thea looked him up and down, considering.

'Well, she's better now, Ollie, so you can call and ask her yourself.'

Oliver stared at his sister, not buying her guileless response.

'Right. I'll do that. Thanks.'

'No problemo, big bro. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a birthday party to get ready for.' Thea swivelled off the bench seat, clipboard clasped, and strode from the kitchen, all industry.

Two sets of eyes followed her departing form, then met in mutual 'let's move on' understanding.

'So, what were you trying to get a hold of me for?' Oliver asked.

Tommy smiled, hands out, salesman-like.

'Well, you know how you put me in charge of costumes?'

Oliver vaguely remembered something.

'Yeah, sure.'

'Weeeeellllllll, I've kinda made an executive decision. Since you didn't return my calls.'

'Tom-my.' Years of misadventures jostling to the fore.

'Don't worry. You're gonna love it.'

Oliver closed his lids in foreshadowed regret; re-opening to his friend's wide, charming smile.

Uncharmed, he sighed out the air from his body, and gave up.

'Well, I'm heading upstairs for a shower. I'll see you later on,' Oliver clapped his hand on Tommy's shoulder as he passed.

Tommy grabbed the last of the tortured grapes from the bowl, flung it into the air, and captured it in his mouth.

Laughing victoriously as he crunched the grape, he looked to Raisa for witness, and maybe a little applause.

She shook her greying head at him, smiling slightly, and went back to kneading on her kitchen bench.

Felicity didn't know what she was doing.

She walked around her bedroom, hands on velvet corseted ribs, gnawing on her bottom ruby-red lip. Energy zinged, indecision reigned.

'Okay, I just won't go,' she said to her mirrored reflection. 'I'll call Thea and apologise. And I'll see Oliver on Monday. We'll have a talk and he'll say it was a mistake. And that will be that.'

It was Saturday night. She didn't want to wait for Monday. She'd already waited all week. And Oliver would be at Thea's party.

'Shiiiiit!' Felicity recommenced pacing, frustrated with herself.

After another two circuits she stopped herself again in front of the mirror. Little Red Riding Hood stared back.

Black high-heeled mary-janes. Knee high white socks. The clean flesh of toned thighs sneaking up under a flared red mini-skirt, black corset crossing white, capped-sleaved shirt. Red, red hooded cloak. Hair loose, eyes huge and contacted. Top lip darker than the bottom, where the lipstick had been smudged away.

Felicity thought the costume looked cute. She looked a little insane around the eyes, but cute.

'Still, what am I doing?' she asked herself. She couldn't have a serious conversation with Oliver in this get-up.

Decided, she undid the hood and felt the fabric slide down her arms to the floor. She reached for her corset ribbon, tugged, and jumped as her phone rang.

Felicity reached for her phone. Saw it was the last person she wanted to speak to at that moment. Well, maybe second last. Nope, last, definitely-

'Felicity, it's Thea.'

Felicity felt her nervousness scamper away, bullied by resignation.

'Hi Thea.'

'So just checking you were still coming tonight. And if you need a lift or anything?'

Did this girl have a sixth sense? Cameras in her bedroom? What the hell?

'Yep, yep, still coming,' Felicity's fingers began retying her corset.

'Fantastic. It's gonna be awesome. Are you alright to get here? Or I can send Tommy by to pick you up?'

'No, no, thanks, I'm fine. I can get there on my own.'

'Well, great. I looking forward to seeing you. And Ollie was asking about you before, so I'm sure he'll be happy to see you too.' Iron in fire.

'Oh.' Felicity, word-lost.

On the other side of the city, Thea smiled.

'Are you okay Felicity?'

'Yes. Yes, sure, fine. Um, I have to go and finish getting ready. I'll see you - soon.'

'Okay, bye Felicity.'

'Bye, Thea.'

End call.

End Oliver avoidance.

End week from the hell of purgatory. Hopefully.

'I need a drink.'

Felicity's reflection concurred.