A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's taken me a while to get this update up, and sorry it's not as long as my other ones. Shame on me. BUT, hopefully the content of the chapter itself will make up for it's shortness- read on, and you'll get my meaning:) I'm going to try and get the next chapter up soon as well, so please stay with the story. I'm going to throw my disclaimer in here just because it's been a while: I don't own Wuthering Heights or the characters in it. Emily Bronte (a very amazing woman) does. I've just decided to write a fanfic with my own little modern twist on those timeless characters. So unfortunately, I can't claim any artistic genius. Nope, I sure can't. To those who read and review, thank you so very much. You are appreciated. Now have a sugar cookie! tosses out cookies to readers/reviewers Toodles, luvs!

Jess

Chapter Twelve: Consequences

Cat watched from her window the following morning as Henry and her dad drove off in the truck to the school, where Henry would make his confession of his cheating. On his face was a look of utter misery. Will's face was like stone; hard and unyielding.

The outcome was predictable; Henry was permanently expelled from the school district, and also faced with the possibility of criminal charges for the hacking of the school computer system. His confession also incriminated Greg, and he too was given the same punishment, along with the attempted rape charges that Will was bringing against him. Her mother had pleaded and raged, but Will had firmly asserted that if Henry was convicted, he would do little if anything at all to try and get him out of the punishment- he deserved it, so he said, for shaming their family and himself.

In the end it was only Greg that got in trouble. Henry was still expelled from the district, but he wouldn't face any criminal charges. Cat honestly believed that it was because of the great admiration for her father that there was in the community that nothing had really happened to her brother; no one wanted to have to see Will Ernshawl sitting in a courtroom listening to the trial of his own son, head up, but shame written across his face. No one probably thought it was worth it.

The house was so quiet for the next few days after that. Will was solemn and brisk, showing none of his familiar, light hearted behavior. As if sensing his resolve, Tina was also subdued, though her eyes were still red rimmed. Henry stayed in his room, except for the occasional trips to the bathroom and liquor store, while Cat and Heath finished the last remaining days of school.

What bothered Cat the most in all of this was the separation that Heath kept between the two of them. She couldn't understand why he was allowing what her mother has said keep them apart. He wouldn't speak to her, when he came home he worked with her dad in the shop. And when he wasn't there he stayed up in his room, doing what she could only assume was painting. Cat had waited until it was late one night and sneaked out of her window and went over to his, crouching outside and tapping on the pane. He didn't answer, but she knew he heard her. She stayed out there for what seemed like forever, calling out for him to let her in, but she was met with only silence.

Dejected and lonely, Cat kept to the outdoors. Chrissy became her only company as she spent her time in the cave, at her tree or beside the river, trying to readapt to having no one to talk or joke with. It wasn't easy. She hadn't realized how much Heath's company had come to mean to her, and now…

One day, she couldn't take it any longer.

Waiting for a time she knew he would be in The Heights, Cat managed to sneak into Heath's room one evening by scurrying out of her window and into his open one, planning to wait for him to come back.

A little while passed, and the door opened. Heath's brows only rose briefly at seeing her, and he said nothing for a loing moment, then, "You really don't let anything stop you, do you?"

Cat smiled, shaking her head as she walked towards him, "I've always been a disobedient child, didn't you know?" she answered, "And I've been bored as hell spending all this time by myself. She put her arms around his neck, and looked up into his face. "So here I am."

Heath didn't look angry, but his face was cautious, "You could get in trouble with your mom for being here," he added, "Both of us could."

"I'm not afraid if you're not," she said simply, "And I missed you…are you mad at me?"

He shook his head with a slow smile, "No….I missed you too." He tugged on her ponytail so that her head tipped back, "I'm glad you came."

About an hour later, the two of them were stretched out on Heath's bed side by side, as they played a familiar game played in the past called Truth and Lies. One of them would tell a story, then the other would try and determine if the story was the truth or a lie,

"I think…lie!" Cat said decisively, after Heath had gotten done telling one of his stories. To her surprise, he shook his head. "What?" she gushed, "You mean it's true?!"

"Mmhmm," Heath said, "It was a stupid thing to do, but I didn't see it that way at the time. Don't ever try it." He gently nudged her in the side, "Your turn."

Cat hesitantly leaned back down against the bed and thought for a moment, then chuckled lightly, "Okay, here's one. When I was eight years old, my mom got pregnant again. When she told me and Henry that we were going to have a little brother, I asked her where babies come from, and she told me that they came from tummies. So, of course, I wanted to prove that she was telling the truth. One day I snuck into the kitchen and got out a knife, and cut my stomach open to try and find a baby."

Heath laughed out in disbelief, "What?!"

She nodded, "Yep. There was blood everywhere, and I started screaming for my dad. My mom almost fainted when they came running in and saw me standing in a pool of my own blood. Turned out that it looked a lot worse than it was. I really only nicked myself up a little bit. A few stitches at the hospital and I was fine. But boy did my dad give it to me when we got home- I couldn't sit down for a week!"

Heath shook his head dismissively, "No way, Cat. That's a lie, and you know it!"

"It's true, I swear!" she objected, "I couldn't come up with a story like that!"

"Yeah right you couldn't!"

"You want me to prove it?" she challenged, "I've still got the scar on my stomach- look!" Pulling up her shirt just below her bra, Cat pointed to a long, faded gash on her upper belly, "See?"

Heath smiled mischievously, "Yeah? You mean here?" Reaching out he swept his fingers across the skin of her stomach lightly, causing her to shriek in ticklish surprise, "Or here? How bout here?" he asked as he tickled her across the waist. Cat laughed and tried to grab hold of his wrists, but his reflexes were too quick and he eluded her grasp.

When his hands at last stilled, Heath propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her she panted for breath, "Sure it was true," he said, "It's just like you… you'd try anything!"

Cat shrugged, "Maybe not anything."

He used his fingertip to trace the outline of her face, and was quiet for a long time.

"What is it?" she asked.

Heath smiled lightly and shook his head, "You're so beautiful."

Cat laughed out loud, "What?! Yeah right!"

"No, it's true, Cat." he said simply, "You're beautiful… and you don't even know it. You have no idea…"

Cat smiled playfully, "It's your turn, Heath. Tell me another story."

Heath turned his lips up lightly, "Okay…" his eyes suddenly changed and ran down the length of her body, then back up to her eyes, "I'm going to kiss you right now. Truth or Lie?"

Cat's smile gently faded as her pulse quickened. Wanting to mask her surprise, she faked a brash smile and retorted, "Lie!"

Heath paused for a moment, then swiftly brought his lips down onto hers, moving against them steadily. Startled, Cat tried to push him back, but he pushed against her more firmly, holding her face between his hands. For the next few seconds, she lay there paralyzed, not sure what to do. But then she allowed her eyes to drift shut, and slowly opened her mouth, kissing him back. Reaching up her hands, she snaked her arms around the back of his neck, and spread her fingers out in his hair. It was almost like silk, it was soft. Just when she thought he was going to pull away, he only kissed her harder, and Cat was quickly running out of breath. At last, with a final, brief peck, Heath pulled back to look down at her. He traced his fingers across her still bare stomach lightly and she shivered. Smiling, he whispered, "You lose."

Cat licked her lips and started to answer, but stopped short when she looked past Heath and at the door. Her heart began hammering hard.

Tina was standing in the doorway to Heath's room.