Author's Notes: Thanks to all of you for your support and patience as I got adjusted to all this. Your positive feedback really helped and I'm glad some of you liked the story. I've got plenty of ideas for future stories, but all of that depends on the comments I get for this last chapter. So enjoy Friday, and please share your thoughts!

Friday

Amy shifted uncomfortably to the right - suddenly tense as her eyes fell on the clock at the other end of the room. 12:10. Suddenly, she pulled away from Ephram's arms.

            "I-I can't do this…"

            Ephram sourly looked down. 

            Amy adjusted a lock of her hair and turned away. "It's not you…I just…I can't do this right now…"

            Ephram shook his head and started to walk upstairs. "Nothing new…"

            Amy tailed after him. "Ephram, wait…" She clutched the sleeve of his shirt.

            Ephram aggressively pulled away from her grip. "No. I'm through waiting." His eyes burned with scorn. "You lure me into thinking I might have a chance with you, and then you rip away and treat me like crap for week, barely exchanging glances across the hallway as if I'd done something wrong. Then you do it again. And again. I've had enough. You won't give up on Colin, that's fair. But toying with me in the process?" Ephram stomped upstairs and darted into his room, slamming the door behind him.

            Amy's legs collapsed on her and she slid against the wall of the staircase, hitting the floor with a thud. Her hands cupping her face, Amy quietly whimpered. What Ephram had said was true.

****

            Andy, wary to be as silent as possible, slowly closed the door behind him. The lights were still on but the house was quite. Almost. Seated on the third step of the staircase, Amy Abbott sat lightly crying, hands cupping face.

            "Ephram's cooking was that bad?" Andy asked, trying to get a smile on her face.

            Amy chuckled lightly, rubbing tears out of her eyes. "No, not that."

            Andy sat down by Amy. "Homesick?"

            Amy shook her head. "Not even a bit."

            Andy rubbed his tired eyes. "He kissed you, didn't he?"

            Amy shook her head again and pointed to herself with her thumb. "I kissed him."

            Andy stared blank for a second, dazed at what he'd just heard. "Okay…um…why?

            Amy shrugged, cupping her face in her hands again. "I…I don't know. I asked him to play the piano for me. He started showing me how to play the piano. One thing led to another, and I kissed him."

            Andy rolled his eyes, trying not to picture her description. "And now you're sad. Is that it?"

            Amy glanced away from Andy's open but prying eyes. "I pulled away – again."

            Andy shrugged. "You feared you were betraying Colin. That's natural."

            Amy kept her eyes away from Andy. "No, not that. Colin…Colin broke up with me this afternoon." Amy tried to regain her composure as another wave of emotional pain washed over her. "I-I pulled away because things were happening too quickly. Massive blizzard hits Everwood, my parents disappear, I get trapped overnight in a truck, I get rescued, I'm rushed here for you to examine me, spend most of a day on the phone searching for my parents, finally contact my parents…" Amy took a deep breath before continuing. "Got dumped by Colin, spent the afternoon in tears, kiss Ephram, pull away from him, and receive the long-coming wrath of his frustration towards me."

            Andy nodded. "Rapid series of traumatic events over a short period of time can push your mental stability to its limits."

            Amy finally made eye contact with Dr. Brown. "You must think I'm horrible for toying with your son."

            Andy smiled and shook his head. "You're not toying with him. You've just spent the last few months in utter confusion, not sure what to do. It's natural for you to do something and take it back an instant later."

            "Dr. Brown, you have to know that I like your son very much. I really do. Every time I'm with him, all my problems seem to dissolve. And I would like nothing more than to be with him. But right now, I just…I'm not ready yet."

            Andy gave her a knowing nod. "Then you're better off telling him that."

****

            Rose Abbott opened the door and smiled warmly as she exchanged greetings with the crowd coming in for dinner. Edna and Irv, back from a day's worth of plowing. Nina Feeney and her little Sam. Dr. Brown and his daughter Delia.

            As you took Andy's coat, she noticed someone was missing. "Where's your son?"

            Andy grabbed his daughter's coat and wiped snow off of it before hanging it. "He didn't feel like coming."

            Sharon Hart, Colin's mom, set the last setting on the table and joined the crowd. "What a shame. I'm sure Colin would have enjoyed his company."

            Andy walked into the kitchen and set the pie he brought down on the counter. "'Evening, Harold."

            Dr. Abbott, apparently swiping a bite from one of the platters, nearly spat the food in his mouth when he saw Andy. "Y-you? You're here! In my kitchen!"

            Rose playfully punched Harold in the arm. "Be nice, Harold. You know we owe Dr. Brown a serious debt of gratitude for rescuing our children and taking care of them for three days."

            Andy shook his head. "Honestly, they were no trouble at all. Colin included." Andy added, spotting James Hart walking in with a bottle of scotch.

            Andy glanced at Delia, who was helping Amy fold napkins. Colin and Bright were watching Samurai Jack in the other room, Bright's deep giddy laughter echoing through the house.

            Edna joined Amy in folding the napkins for the dinner. Delia had already gotten bored and was watching cartoons with Bright and Colin. "I hear you were stationed at the Brown's house for the past few days."

            "Yeah."

            "Well?" Edna grinned devilishly.

            Amy gave a blank glance back. "Nothing happened."

            Edna patted her treasured granddaughter's back. "Did you want something to?"

            Amy gave a wary nod.

            Edna felt sorry for the teen. Looking around she knew it wasn't right. "You shouldn't be here. You know that. Go on, find him."  

            Amy looked around. Though everything seemed so happy, so peaceful, it wasn't right. Because she wasn't happy or peaceful. Things needed to be fixed.

            Amy started to answer Edna. "O-Okay…I'm gonna…tell mom and dad-"

            Edna stopped her and grabbed her shaking hands. "Don't worry about it, Grover. I'll take care of it. You just do what you think is right."

            Amy grabbed her coat and ran out of the house, determined to make things right.

****

Ephram stood alone on the porch, staring up at the midnight sky, half-hoping to see the "big guy" in all his might and glory. Ephram swallowed hard, gathering his thoughts.

            "I never had a father until recently. You took my mom to your 'grand kingdom' up above almost a year ago. And since then I thought I'd never be happy again - until six months ago. That's when I met her. That's when for the first time in an eternity, I saw the glass as half-full. I met her, and the pain from mom's absence wasn't quite so strong. Things just weren't so hard. I had a reason to belong here in this town you brought us to." Ephram's voice wavered slightly as he tried to hold back his mixed frustration and pain. "So why did I meet her? Huh? Was it just coincidence that our fates crossed? Did you bring me to this town so I could have my dad bring Colin back?" Ephram's legs collapsed and he stood on his knees, still staring up. His breath grew faster. "Please. I've got to know. Why did I meet her? Now-now I've got a dead mom, a trying but clueless father, a sister that needs a mom. I'm in love with a girl who was in love with a guy in a coma, who's now free of that commitment and yet I still can't be with her. I know that you never promised a life on this world full of joy. I know that life is never going to be an endless line of happiness. But how long am I supposed to harbor all this pain?" Ephram shut his eyes, trying to retain his emotional composure. "I always thought that if you really existed, there'd be something gained from all these obstacles – that maybe for once your 'grace' would make things good. Not an enduring 'great.' Just good."

            A voice solemnly echoed out from behind him. "Maybe he did. Maybe he sent me here."

            Ephram turned around, trying to focus his tear-filled eyes. "Amy?"

            Amy pressed two fingers to his lips to silence him and replaced the fingers with her lips, her arms grabbing onto him. The two held each other for several seconds, feeling they could do it forever. Ephram was the first to pull away.

             "I don't understand."

            Amy smiled cupping his hand with both of hers. "You don't need to. You've been the sure one since we met. I think it's my turn." She wiped the last tear out of his eye and kissed him again.

            Ephram nodded, grinning. They continued to embrace each other, the moonlight illuminating their figures standing on the porch. Both were truly happy for the first time in an eternity. The clock struck twelve and the end of the week arrived.

THE END