A/N: I won't lie, this is mostly fluff. But sometimes that's nice to write instead of hardcore drama. I messed up in the second chapter and went between saying Jamie would be in Santa Carla for the first week and the first two weeks. It's supposed to be one week - sorry, guys! I'm also sorry this took so long, but hopefully the length makes up for it a bit.

There's a note on my profile about my other stories in this fandom for those who read my other stuff - tl;dr I'm on a bit of a hiatus from them until sometime next year. Life post-graduation & trying to make it as a legit author is a time and energy drainer. As far as this little collection goes, though, I'm happy to take requests for Paul/Cat oneshots (or even just Lost Boy/OC oneshots, that I'd post separately) if there's anything in particular you guys want to see from them/a scenario you want to see them and the rest of the boys in - otherwise I'll just continue either using one word prompts or writing whatever idea pops into my head. Thank you guys so much for all of your patience with me, I'm completely grateful.

They'd barely taken two steps down the beach when Jamie grabbed Cat's arm, making her jump in surprise as she spun around.

"What's up?" she tried to hide her impatience, concerned by the resigned look on his face.

"I'm, uh, gonna go to the bar for a bit," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What?" she shot a quick look to David who was waiting impatiently a few feet away, before turning back to Jamie, frowning in concern "Why?! Don't you want to meet-"

"Oh, trust me, I will," he interrupted, holding a hand up to stop her "But I think it's very clear that you're welcome here, so go have your big happy reunion and then come find me."

Cat bit her lip, seeing his point but reluctant to agree. The last thing she wanted was for her brother to feel shoved out in any way - after all, if not for him she wouldn't be back in Santa Carla at all.

"Jamie, they'll want to meet you," she protested.

"Honestly, don't worry about it," he chuckled, taking a half step backwards "Just come and find me once you've caught everybody up. It'll save them trying to work out why you've got your brute of a brother with you."

"Are you sure?" Cat asked doubtfully, turning her head slightly when David gave an impatient whistle from where he was waiting.

"I'm positive. I need a drink anyway - and not the shite they're drinking," he gestured to the beers in her arms "I'll see you soon, yeah? Have fun."

Before she could protest further he was walking away, leaving her to catch up to David.

"I see Big Brother is no longer watching you," he commented, waiting for her to get closer before continuing down the beach.

"It was never me that he was watching. I guess he decided you're unlikely enough to be a serial killer to leave us to it, for now."

"Good to know my cover's working," he smirked "We're set up just a ways down the beach there."

When the Lost Boys came into sight, she was powerless to stop the grin that threatened to split her face in half. Sitting in a semicircle around a small fire, Marko and Paul were facing away from her, but Dwayne wasn't. He noticed David when they were a few feet away, his eyes flickering to Cat for half a second as she walked a little behind David, still trying to work out what she might say. It seemed to take a moment for the sight of her to register, but then his eyes widened and were glued back on her, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. Stifling a laugh, she bit her lip as Dwayne turned his stare to Paul and then visibly schooled his features, although there was now an unmistakable level of anticipation lighting up his eyes.

Cat stopped around a foot or so behind the boys as David continued on, rounding on them as he came to the front of the semicircle, dropping the beers in the sand.

"You only got one pack?" Marko sounded unimpressed "Starter move, bro."

"'Course not," David rolled his eyes despite the smirk that had firmly embedded itself on his lips before he nodded in her direction "Just enlisted some help, is all."

At that point Cat wasn't sure she'd be able to move if she tried, time seeming to move at a snail's pace as Marko and Paul turned their heads to see who David was talking about - Dwayne now grinning openly at her. Her eyes were fixed on the back of Paul's head, trying to seek out eye contact the moment she could, even as he gave an unamused murmur at David's crypticness. Heart racing so much that it was all she could hear, Cat held her breath in anticipation. When he did see her, though, she almost wished she'd had a camera to capture his reaction.

At first he reacted similarly to Dwayne, the sight of her taking a moment to register in his brain, and then taking another second to truly believe his eyes as they widened to the size of saucepans and he blinked almost owlishly. After that, however, Cat barely had time to drop the beers before he was on her, yanking her into a hug that knocked the wind out of her and threatened to crush her ribs. Torn between astonishment at how fast he'd moved, and delight at his reaction, she clung to him as he spun her around, sputtering out a laugh which was muffled by his jacket.

When he finally stopped and put her down, she had to hold onto his lapels to keep her balance, eyes lighting up at the small circular Scottish flag keyring she found pinned there. She ran her index finger over it, suddenly lost for words as Paul curled a lock of her hair around his fingertips as he grinned down at her. God, she'd missed that grin.

"You're here."

"That, or you've graduated to acid," she teased.

Cat tugged on the keyring, and his smile suddenly became mischievous as he gently took her hand in his and guided it into the inner pocket of his jacket where she was met with a familiar lacy material. Scandalised, her cheeks burned as she pulled her hand away and pressed her face against his chest to disguise her laughter.

"Welcome home, babe," he murmured into her ear, hold tightening.

"Home, is it?" She teased, pulling back a little so she could look up at him.

Before responding, he seized the opportunity to kiss her. Dumb as the worry sounded, Cat almost worried that it might not all feel as natural as it had the last time they'd been together - memories of her first ever kiss and how she still cringed at the thought filling her head. Her worries, of course, were unfounded, as any tension seemed to vanish from her body, leaning into him as he cupped her jaw and deepened the kiss.

"Don't pretend you didn't miss me," he murmured cockily when they parted, thumb running gently over her lower lip.

"And you didn't miss me?" She challenged, amused.

"He's been damn unbearable," Marko's voice reminded her that they weren't alone, and Cat stepped out of the embrace somewhat sheepishly in order to greet the remaining two Lost Boys.

Both offered her hugs - and much less begrudging ones than David, at that - but just as sincere "Welcome back"s.

"Well, looks like a celebration is in order...which calls for stronger drinks," David announced "Whose turn is it?"

"We will," Cat offered immediately - it would be the perfect opportunity to fill Paul in on the situation at hand.

"Stay safe," Marko snickered in parting as Paul already began to tug her in the direction of the boardwalk.

"Remember, public indecency is illegal, kids," David called.

"All the more reason to do it," Paul called back smugly.

"You got a hotel room?" Paul wasted no time in asking the second they climbed the stairs from the beach.

He walked backwards, facing her with a cheeky grin. Somehow he managed to avoid walking into anybody, but she doubted he'd care much if he did.

"Yes, but-"

"What d'you say we make good use of it before we move your shit into the cave? The guys probably won't expect us back anytime soon anyway," he wriggled his eyebrows comically.

"Uh...not unless you want an audience," Cat winced.

"Oh christ, don't tell me you brought those girls back again," he groaned, face scrunching in mock pain as he slowed to a stop.

"No, no, it's not all as bad at that. Well...Depending on your viewpoint," she gave a short, nervous laugh "Come on, there's a lot to explain."

Squeezing his hand, she led him over to one of the wooden benches where they sat as she recounted her tale of what had happened since they'd last seen each other, and how she'd been able to return to Santa Carla - although she couldn't help but sugarcoat how she'd coped back home. Watching him nervously, she waited for a reaction. He'd been delighted when she explained how Jamie had weaseled the money - impressed, even, which was a lot coming from a Lost Boy. That, however, didn't necessarily mean he'd be keen to spend the first week or so of their reunion under the scrutiny of her older brother. For that, she couldn't blame him.

"So he's here for the first week?"

"Yep."

"And after that, you're here all summer?"

"You've got five months of enduring me on your hands, I'm afraid," she gave a small smile.

His face remained thoughtful for a few moments, and just as Cat was getting ready to begin reassuring him, he sat up and shrugged.

"All right."

"All right?" she blinked.

"Yeah, all right. I'll be on good...ish behaviour - when he's around - scout's honour...Wait, we can still get baked though, right?"

"He'd hardly approve of you if you didn't."

"My kinda man," he grinned "Okay, we got ourselves a deal."

"You're a star," she chuckled, leaning against him with a contented sigh "Thank you, though. Seriously. You're making my life a whole lot easier."

"You'll find a way to thank me properly later," he shrugged happily, shooting her a teasing smirk "C'mon, we should find your brother before I get a real drink in me."

"I don't know, you make a rather charming drunk," she rose with him.

"It comes naturally to me," he slung an arm around her shoulders "So what should I expect from this...uh...job interview?"

"I'm a job now? Ouch," she nudged him with her elbow, snickering "Honestly I have no idea. I've never done this before."

"Me either," he shrugged, unfazed.

Cat tilted her head to look up at him, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"C'mon," he chuckled "I'm not the 'bring home to mom and dad' type."

"Touché."

"Thank you," he grinned without a trace of sarcasm "Because those guys are assholes - 'Oh, Mrs MacKenzie, I can see where Cat got her good looks...and her phenomenal as-"

"Stop!" Cat laughed "And for the love of god, don't say that to Jamie. But if he starts with any kind of speech about intentions, I'll kick his ass myself."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he grinned.

"Well if your intentions were bad, you'd hardly admit it, would you?" she joked and then snorted at the look she got in response "Who am I kidding? Of course you would."

"What can I say? Honesty is the best policy."

"Don't let David hear you say that. He'll kick you out of the club."

In truth, Cat was positively giddy at how easily they'd fallen back in with each other. It was like they'd never parted, and the giddiness almost outweighed her nerves over what was ahead.

Walking into the bar with Paul in tow, it took Cat a moment to remember that the boys commanded much of the attention of any room they were in - for better or worse. It would take some time to get used to it again, and the curious glances being sent her way were making her feel more than a little uneasy. For his part, Paul didn't seem to notice any of the attention he drew, even alone. She imagined he was used to it by now. On the bright side, the fact that the bartender said nothing upon their entrance meant that this was one of the few bars in Santa Carla that the boys weren't banned from - yet.

The room was dimly lit and filled with smoke, although it (thankfully) was nowhere near as crowded as the boardwalk, with Alice Cooper playing just quietly enough to make conversation possible without shouting. Jamie was easy to spot from where he sat at the bar, facing the door. He caught sight of them almost immediately but rather than wave for their attention, he cast a scrutinising gaze over Paul. In truth, she was more nervous than she'd ever admit to Paul. It wasn't that she didn't think he was worthy of her brother's high opinion - far from it - but with Jamie, it didn't take much to make a bad impression if he was feeling pedantic enough. One of their cousins' boyfriends got an immediate thumbs down just by wearing a scarf indoors. Cat had a feeling, however, that Paul was more his type of person.

Jamie stood when they approached, not quite eye-level with the tallest Lost Boy, although he gave no hint that he noticed this as he appeared to size him up. Cat knew him well enough to know that he was sussing out whether he'd be able to kick his ass if he decided it was necessary. Being the burlier of the two, he seemed to decide that he liked his chances and gave a relaxed smile. For his part, Paul seemed well aware of her brother's train of thought, a slightly condescending smirk tugging at one corner of his lips.

Unsure of where the interaction might lead, Cat chose that moment to jump in and make the introductions.

"Jamie, this is Paul of the infamous Lost Boys, Paul, meet my brother, Jamie," she gestured between the two of them as she spoke.

A macho handshake was exchanged, as well as a couple of "what's up, man?"'s, and to Cat's great relief she found herself starting to relax. By the time they selected an empty booth and slid into it, Jamie on one side and she with Paul on the other, her good mood was overtaking her nerves. Her entire body was buzzing with the joy she felt at being back in Santa Carla, to the point where she felt a little drunk, and in any other company she'd have probably deposited herself into Paul's lap by now, just to celebrate the fact that she finally could. As it was, it wasn't quite the first impression she wanted Jamie to have of her new relationship, and so she settled for pressing her leg against his beneath the table. It was a slight consolation that he seemed to be going through the same thing, restless and twitchy in the booth beside her. In the end, she settled for holding his hand underneath the table and willed herself not to smile like a schoolgirl with a crush.

In the end, she wasn't entirely successful and her face betrayed a bit more of her giddiness than she would have liked, if the way Jamie looked between them curiously was anything to go by.

"You know, Cat spoke a lot about you, but didn't actually say a whole lot," Jamie sipped his drink, apparently uncaring of how untrusting he sounded.

"I'm an open book, man," Paul shrugged, leaning back with a hint of challenge glimmering in his eyes "Ask away."

In truth, Cat was relieved to see that usual cockiness that she found so endearing riddled throughout both his face and his body language. Of course she wanted her brother to approve, but she wanted him to meet the real Paul - not Paul pretending to be whoever he thought her brother would deem worthy. Luckily, it was hardly in Paul's nature to do such a thing. While she suspected that part of him would like her brother's stamp of approval, if only for an easier life, she also knew that he'd fight tooth and nail (perhaps literally) against Jamie if he disapproved and tried to do anything about that. She respected that, no matter how much she hoped it wouldn't come to that - and hoped Jamie would too.

"How did you two meet?"

"Cat didn't tell you?"

"She gave me the basics - but why would you go out of your way to be nice to somebody you didn't know at all?"

Jamie's tone told her that he had his suspicions of why.

"Couldn't have her leaving with a bad impression of my town, could I?" he echoed the words he'd spoken to her on the night they'd first met.

A wave of nostalgia hit her and she smiled a little. Jamie, however, didn't appear convinced.

"And you're on the board of tourism, are you?" he snarked.

Paul chuckled and leaned back, interrupting any attempt she was about to make at cutting in.

"Obviously I thought she was hot," he shrugged happily "But it wasn't just that, man - believe it or not, that's up to you. She looked bummed out, was obviously new in a town that isn't real safe...What kinda monster would I be if I didn't step in? Me n' my friends were hanging out on the boardwalk all night, figured she could join if she wanted to."

Jamie's eyebrow twitched in surprise at his honesty. Hopefully that was a sign that he was impressed, and not irritated. However, she also noticed the slight blip in Paul's "honesty" - he had failed to mention that she'd gone back to the cave with them then and there, much to her relief. It was something she'd made a point of not disclosing to her brother, knowing it would only earn her an admittedly well-deserved lecture on stranger danger.

"And what is it you do?" he asked, seeming to accept Paul's words.

"This n' that," it was here where Paul became guarded, not seeming to know how much honesty would be too much.

"None of it legal," Cat added with a smirk to nudge him in the right direction.

Jamie had always appreciated results, not the means of which those results were achieved. Hell, he'd probably view her as being in more capable hands if he knew those hands would happily break the law if the situation called for it. His own criminal record was hardly short.

"Way I see it, somebody out there has my money in their pocket - my job is getting it," he grinned, taking her hint easily.

Cat snorted, and the corners of Jamie's lips quirked upwards.

"One more question, and then I'll stop giving you a hard time," his posture loosened a little as he took a gulp of his drink "I've asked Catriona this too, so don't take it too personally. You've got a whole host of girls right at your fingertips. Clearly you're happy to see her, so this isn't a hobby of yours...But why go through all the trouble? You've only known each other two weeks, really."

"That's all it took," Paul replied with such frankness that even Cat was surprised.

Jamie considered him for a long moment before nodding and reaching across the table to shake his hand.

"Did he get the job?" Cat asked sarcastically at his business-like manner.

Ignoring her words, Jamie grasped Paul's hand for a moment after the handshake was done "If it doesn't last, I won't be angry. Shit happens, I get that. But do something to actively hurt her and I'll knock your teeth out."

"James," she snapped, horrified at the sudden admission.

Paul, however, seemed neither surprised nor intimidated. He smiled, not mockingly but as if Jamie had just earned his own approval, before shrugging "It'll last."

The logical-bordering-on-cynical part of Cat knew that he couldn't promise such things. Nobody could. No broken up couple ever got together with the intention of not making things last - or, well, very few did. However, Paul spoke with such confidence that it only stoked her own faith in whatever this strange connection was that they had, and she found herself believing his words.

Seriousness settled over them for half a moment longer, before Paul drained the last of his drink and shrugged, looking between the two of them "What do we say we get Jamie here introduced to the guys, then take this party back to the cave?"

When it seemed that Jamie wasn't going to leap to his feet and start throwing punches at the boys in some sort of fit of big brotherly rage, Cat's mind hopped to her next worry - their living situation. It would be one thing for him to accept her living alone with four men who were unfamiliar to him (which would be a miracle in itself), it would be another thing entirely for him to accept that once they added the fact that said living would take place in a cave. Sure, it was a pimped out cave that, despite the cold, was probably more comfortable than her student housing, but there was no distracting from the fact that it was still a cave. Not if the constant roar of the ocean was anything to go by, anyway.

Despite this, she was still excited to see it again, and even the unamused look on her brother's face when they got there couldn't dampen her spirits. It felt like returning home.

"Well, on the bright side, they won't have much of a journey to dump your body in the ocean if I'm wrong about them and they are serial killers," he joked grimly under his breath, eyeing the mouth of the cave.

"Optimism! That's what I like to hear!" David responded with a grin.

For his part, Jamie didn't even pretend to be abashed at being caught out, turning to David with an eyebrow cocked.

"She failed to mention you live in a cave."

"Paul mentioned it, actually. Back at the bar," she said, knowing her facade of innocence was entirely transparent.

"I thought it was a figure of speech," Jamie replied with an unamused stare.

"Come on, isn't this what students do?" David said "Travel the world, stay in unique places with strange people?"

"Aha!" Paul exclaimed from where he was kneeling, surrounded by tapes.

It seemed David's words had given him an idea. Seizing one of the tapes from the many piles, he ignored the avalanche it caused and put it into the boombox. Within moments The Doors' People Are Strange was echoing throughout the cave. Cat stifled a giggle - the rest of the boys didn't bother. A sort of begrudging amusement even showed on her brother's face as he eyed the mural of Jim Morrison.

"Cat'll get her own bedroom, of course, we aren't complete savages," Paul gestured to the alcove she'd slept in last time - the mattress still in there "We'll, uh, spruce it up a bit."

Luckily, whatever comment Jamie might have made in response to that was quickly forgotten when he spotted the guitar Marco was moving in order to clear more room to sit "Hey - is that a Les Paul?"

After that any protests were abandoned in favour of guitar talk, as he quickly skirted the fountain to accept the guitar from the Lost Boy. Cat grinned. That was a step in the right direction, at least. In any case, she had a feeling that by the time they'd lit all of the oil drums, gotten a little baked and settled down, he'd be seeing just how homey the cave could be - in its own way. She could always argue that their living situation would make for a good story, at least.

Leaving her brother to it, Cat made her way over to the trestle table littered with an assortment of different alcohols.

"Fancy seeing you here," Paul appeared at her side, a mischievous glint in his eyes that could only mean trouble.

"You come here often, handsome?" she shot back before groaning at the dirty laugh he gave, racing to interrupt before he could respond "Remember your promise, before you seize that opportunity for innuendo."

Raising his hands in mock innocence, his eyes followed her every move with a predatory glint.

"So, you wanna know the onesilver lining of the time we spent cruelly separated?" he asked conversationally, glancing back in the direction of the others to make sure he wouldn't be overheard.

"Do tell," she emptied a can of pepsi to the vodka in her cup and took a sip.

"A lot of time to decide exactly what I'm gonna do to you when I finally get you alone," he shrugged.

Cat choked on her drink, spluttering and clamping a hand over her mouth as she tried to regain her composure. Paul chuckled, earning himself a glare, before he took the drink from her hands so she could collect herself. Before she could retaliate, David called over from across the cave.

"You okay over there, Cat?" he sent Paul a knowing look.

"Just made it a little bit too strong," she croaked once she managed to regain her composure.

"Lightweight," Jamie teased before returning to whatever conversation he was having with the boys.

Paul handed her back the cup, smug grin still fixed to his face.

"So, did you get any bright ideas?" she asked quietly, pretending to fiddle with the different mixers in case Jamie happened to glance over.

For a brief moment he seemed surprised by the question - clearly he'd expected to come over, get her all flustered and then saunter off, victorious. As if she'd let that happen. However, he was hardly disappointed by the turn of events, smile turning devious.

"Did I get any ideas?" he scoffed as though affronted by the question "That wasn't the hard part-"

"I'm sure it wasn't."

"Hey! If I'm on an innuendo ban, so are you," he mock-scolded, earning a snicker, before shrugging "The struggle was choosing one idea to settle for."

"Why settle for just one?" she asked nonchalantly, fighting to keep her face impassive.

"Huh?"

"I mean, I can keep up," she took a casual sip of her drink "Why not a top three? Unless, of course, you're not up to it…"

Paul opened his mouth to retort, but didn't quite get a chance before she continued, blinking innocently "And anyway it's a little bit risky, isn't it? Making such plans without me? What if I decide not to go along with them?"

Chuckling darkly, Paul leaned in closer to her side and Cat had only a moment or two to remember just who she was dealing with before he murmured lowly in her ear.

"Then I'll just tie you down."

The noise that sounded from the back of her throat was somewhere between a choked gasp and a squeak - and entirely involuntary.

"Too strong again?" Marko called over.

The shit-eating smirk on his face told her that he knew exactly what was going on.

"Something like that," she gave Paul a pointed look, hoping that the flush on her face wasn't too obvious.

Before he could say anything more, she scurried back over towards the others, all too aware of his eyes on her back as she walked away. He gave a low whistle and she spun as she walked, giving him a warning look and struggling not to laugh when he quickly turned the whistle into some kind of half-assed tune, grabbing another beer before following her.

After leaving the boys to return to their hotel for the night, silence fell over Cat and her brother. It would be a lie to say it wasn't making her nervous. Every time she looked at him he had thoughtful look on his face, which, even though he was hardly a meathead, wasn't like him. If Jamie had something on his mind, he shared it. With her, at least. The fact that he wasn't doing so had her wondering if she wouldn't like his thoughts.

But the night had gone so well - hadn't it? The boys had been as amicable as she could have hoped for, and by the end of the night they got along so well that Cat didn't wonder if he'd decide to stay the full summer after all. The Lost Boys seemed to particularly revel in Jamie's stories of his less-than-legal escapades, and by the look on his face she suspected David had gotten an idea or two from them. Overall, her biggest worry was that the boys' reputation might mean that Jamie would decide he didn't want her anywhere near them, and perhaps he was just waiting until they were out of sight to drag her kicking and screaming back to Britain.

It wasn't until she'd stepped out of the bathroom after changing into her pyjamas that she finally snapped.

"Well?" she asked with a little more attitude than she intended, perching on the end of his bed.

Jamie looked at her, sighed heavily...and then promptly burst into laughter.

"You should see the look on your face! Honestly Catriona, even if I didn't like him, what could I do? Lock you up in the house until a suitable husband came along? Put together a neat little dowry for you?" he snorted, shaking his head "I came along to support whatever you decided to do - not to tell you what to do."

"I know you couldn't stop me," she rolled her eyes, fiddling with her wristband "But I still want you to like him - all of them. Everybody back home has been treating me like I've lost my mind for wanting to be here so badly, you know? I know they're not the most straight-laced group, but…"

"I can see why you like it here so much," he said kindly "And it's good that they're a bit rough around the edges, no? Nobody fucks with the girlfriend of the guy who nobody fucks with. Always worried you'd end up with some specky sod who couldn't throw a punch to save his life."

"Put so poetically. So you approve?" she couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips as hope swelled in her chest.

"I'd approve more if he calmed himself down a bit when it comes to driving that bike," he shrugged "But...I like them all a lot more than I expected to."

Cat grinned and sprang up, pulling her brother into a tight hug which he returned with a forced air of nonchalance.

"Just don't go rushing into anything, you hear? I'm happy for you, but I'm not ready to have a brother in law quite yet," he teased, patting her on the back.

Just as she let him go, a knock sounded on the door. Before Cat could even ask him to get it, Jamie was grabbing his bag of toiletries and making for the bathroom, giving the most unapologetic apologetic shrug she'd ever seen. Groaning in annoyance (and wondering if they'd managed to piss off the hotel staff without even knowing it) she padded towards the door. Of course, when it swung open to reveal Paul, she was grateful for her brother's avoidance tactics.

"What are-" she quickly stopped when he held a finger to his lips.

The question she'd barely been able to ask was answered when he held out a hotel room key, with '406' printed on it in bold golden lettering. Only when the tap started running in the bathroom did she speak again, hoping it would be enough to drown out her words.

"You're unbelievable," she said, unsure whether she should be exasperated or pleased.

"Thank you," he grinned, giving a mocking bow "Nice PJ's. Guess I really did have the element of surprise."

Cat glanced down at the unicorns adorning her pyjama shorts and sighed. She briefly considered informing him that they were the national animal of Scotland, but decided against it - either way she'd be hearing about this from the boys for weeks to come. At least it meant she'd be able to wear them around the cave with no fear.

"I wore them with you in mind," she said instead "I don't know how long I can get away for."

"Good thing I forgot the rope then, huh?" he teased "C'mon, just tell him you're going for a walk."

"At 1am in this town? There's no way he'll let me go alone."

"So tell him you're gonna go get your world rocked by-"

"Okay, okay, I'll think of something," she interrupted just so she wouldn't laugh "I'll be up soon."

With a grin and a wink he was swaggering down the hallway and a silly grin was spreading across her face. Who said romance was dead?

"So…" Paul sighed into her hair a couple of hours later "I've been wondering…"

At his surprisingly serious tone, she frowned and sat up so she could face him properly, holding the covers to her chest.

"When you went back home, was there anyone…." he trailed off meaningfully.

"Was there anyone in Britain? Yes, Paul, one or two people, just to keep things running," she shot back.

"You know what I mean," he rolled his eyes.

She did, but it didn't mean she particularly wanted to answer. Shifting, she sat amongst the sheets with her legs crossed before inhaling deeply.

"One," she admitted "I went on one date."

"Oh."

There was none of the fury or disgust the most pessimistic part of her mind had feared on his face - just a small trace of disappointment, and she had a feeling that had more to do than the worry on her face.

"How'd it go?" he asked next and she gave him an exasperated look.

"You have to understand, I had my mum in my ear ever since she found out the full extent of...this," she waved a hand between them "Constantly going on and on. 'You've never had a proper boyfriend before this, Catriona. You're just getting caught up in all of it. It's puppy love!' blah, blah, blah. As if I'd fallen head over heels for the half-decent person who wandered into my path. As if any of it was easy on me."

She raked her hand through her hair in annoyance at the memory "So when one of the guys in my post-war fiction class asked me out for coffee afterwards, I said yes. He was decent enough, and I figured if mum was right and things started going similarly, I'd drag myself to the first therapist I could find to work out whatever weird issue I had when it came to guys. If not, I'd prove myself right."

"And?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" she snorted, allowing him to pull her back towards him "It was terrible. It was just so awkward. He wouldn't shut up about some novel he was working on - how he was reinventing science fiction as a genre and all sorts. Completely insufferable. I nearly cheered when it was over - nothing like what we had at all, and then at the end he tried to kiss me but I stepped away and started on this big long bullshit rant about how I had to put my studies first and that really pissed him off, so then I had to change seats in class just so it wasn't unbearable and- and you can stop looking so smug now!"

"I'm trying, but I can't," he snickered, a look of pride on his face "Ruined for all other guys, huh?"

"I could always ask you the same question, you know," she said sharply.

Not that she would. She didn't want to know. What didn't help was that she immediately felt bad for her response, knowing her irritation was borne of her own discomfort at his line of questioning. He'd made it more than clear by now that she had a place here. With the Lost Boys. With him.

"I'm here, aren't I?" he echoed her own words back at her, but stopped his teasing "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Glad to hear it," she sighed before forcing a teasing conspiratorial tone into her voice to lighten the mood "You know I had a nightmare that I came back and you'd had some shotgun wedding to a gorgeous leggy blond called Candy."

At this, he positively guffawed "Candy? Was she sweet?"

"Yes, Candy," she said in mock indignance "A Miss USA contestant."

"With the name of a stripper."

"That was her side-job - great pole work," she replied "Are you telling me you didn't have the same nightmares?"

"What, that you were shacked up with a Miss USA contestant? I dunno if I'd call a dream about two hot girls going at it a nightmare-."

"Stooop. You know what I meant," she nudged him.

"Ahh, so you want to know about Winston."

"Winston?" she repeated "You were worried I'd abandon you for somebody called Winston?"

"Isn't that what all the English guys are called?" he frowned in mock-thoughtfulness.

"Only if they're not Vincent or Monty," she replied, fully relaxing now any trace of seriousness was long gone from their conversation.

"Those were his friends."

"So tell me about this dashing Winston. Was his surname Churchill?"

"No, but he had glasses and was the type of guy to wear a scarf indoors."

"What, a cold one?"

"- And he used words like...like...I dunno, fuckin', braggadocious. Oh, and he'd read you poetry."

"I hate poetry."

"Hey, I never said he was a good boyfriend, babe."

"Clearly dream-me needs to get her act together and improve her taste," she was doing a terrible job of stifling her laughter.

"Definitely," he agreed "Real-you has excellent taste, though, as you've shown by coming back."

Humming in agreement, she craned her neck to kiss the side of his jaw before settling back down again, practically purring in contentment as his fingertips skimmed up and down her back. As she lay there, happier than she'd been in a long time, she couldn't help but remember how they'd parted and how much upset it had caused her. If she could have looked into the future and saw this scene, she wouldn't have worried half as much.

As though reading her mind, Paul spoke up again, speaking softly into the darkness "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too," she sighed.

A/N: This was the final part of the alternative ending, so let me know if there's anything in particular that you want to see next! Til then, I go where the plot bunnies take me (which seems to be the Harry Potter fandom, currently, so if any of you are interested in a Sirius Black/OC fic feel free to check that out!).