Abby knew that she should feel guilty about sunbathing on the beach while Connor and Gran tidied up the brunch dishes, but Connor had absolutely insisted and she got the idea he wanted to have a private chat with his Gran, so she'd agreed. Now that she was out here enjoying the hot sun and listening to the waves crash on the shore, it was hard to feel guilty about anything. Anyways, it wasn't like she hadn't done ninety percent of the clean up after they'd made dinner the night before.

She let her thoughts wander back to the kiss they'd shared that morning instead. She wasn't completely sure that Connor had initiated it this time, although she wasn't sure he hadn't either, but there was no question in her mind that Connor had clued in well to her speech about not thinking on this trip. She hadn't expected him to get that, and she definitely hadn't expected him to take so much initiative as he'd been doing, and he seemed to be gaining confidence every hour in regards to how he acted around her. She was loving every second it.

"Gran?" Connor questioned as he cleared the table.

"Hmmm…."

Connor hesitated and looked out the window to where Abby was relaxing on a beach towel in the sand, clad only in her bikini and sunglasses again. "Gran, what's the difference between being together and being a couple?"

Gran followed his gaze outside, an amused smile appearing on her face. "Well now, I thought you knew. Meself I haven't the foggiest."

"Oh."

"Funny that you asked though, as I've been wondering the same thing since you guys showed up here. I asked that girl of yours the same question the other day."

Connor turned from the window in surprise. "Did you? And what'd she say?"

"Well I probably shouldn't tell you that, but I guess I will. She said proper couples make it official by talking about it."

"That's it?" Connor asked incredulously. "We could do that! How hard is it to talk if you're already acting like a couple?"

"Perhaps harder than you think," Gran turned to Connor slowly, as if thinking how to advise him best. "You love her, don't you?"

"Course I do. Abby's too amazing not to love."

"And does she love you?"

Connor hesitated, remembering the conversation he'd overheard between Abby and Rex at the flat. She'd used the word then and she surely wouldn't be acting the way she'd been lately if Rex's answer had been 'no'. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she does. After all, I'm pretty amazing too, don't you think?"

Gran chuckled, "Well, that's debatable. But I think you're right. So then, you'll talk, and you'll make things official. Eventually."

Connor frowned, "Eventually?"

"She also mentioned she wasn't ready for a relationship just yet."

"Did she say why by any chance?"

"No, and I wouldn't tell you if she did."

"I think she's scared, Gran, and talking might make her less scared."

"Maybe."

"Can't you tell me what to do?"

Gran laughed, "No! Anyways, you know her better than I do."

"Yeah," Connor admitted, unsure as to what would be the best course of action. Well, he'd leave it for now, until his mind was made up.

Abby didn't say anything when Connor first approached her, and Connor wondered if she had fallen asleep out here in the sun. He knelt beside her and gently tugged off her shades to see if her eyes were shut.

Immediately she snatched them back. "Connor! Get your own pair!"

He blushed and rocked back onto his heels before sitting beside her. "Sorry, Abby. I was just checking if you were awake or not."

Abby sat up beside him and draped her arm around his bare shoulders. "Oh Con, you know you do go about things in the most complicated of ways sometimes, but it keeps me entertained."

"Glad to be of service," he muttered, hoping it was a compliment. He glanced down at the towel she was sitting on and noticed she had her camera out again. "Abby, how many photos of this spot on the ocean do you have by now?"

She blushed a bit, "Loads I guess, but I had to take more today. Look at the waves, Con! Aren't they neat? Sea's really choppy today."

He followed her gaze to the water and nodded, "It does look neat, powerful really." Then he shrugged and grabbed the camera, "But how many did you take just today?"

"More than you'll approve of," she admitted.

Connor flipped the switch on the back of the camera and started going through them on the small screen. After a bit he frowned and started going through them in reverse instead. "Abs, where are the ones from the other day, with the market, and the sheep… these are all of the waves."

"On other memory cards. I ran out of room."

"Abby, you've got four hundred and two pictures on here."

"Yeah."

"Of the same thing?"

"Possibly."

He raised an eyebrow, "Don't expect anyone to look at your trip pictures with you."

She laughed, "I'll delete some; I promise. When we're back home."

He smiled at her, "You don't have to as long as I don't have to look through all of them and act amazed at each one." He flipped the switch back to the camera setting and stood up. "Smile, Abby."

She did and he took a few of her, happy to have his Abby-in-a-bikini shots, but not so sure as he'd been a few days ago that he'd ever post them for his college buddies on Facebook. He kind of liked the idea of keeping her to himself now that he thought of it. When he sat back down she took the camera from him and held it far in front of them to get one of them together.

Connor smiled at her, "Now those ones I do want to see."

She promised to email them to his computer too and then leaned her head on this shoulder, changing the subject. "Con, is it just me or is it really hot out today."

"It'sreally hot," he agreed, "And a bit muggy or something. We should cool off. I'll make you iced tea if you like."

"I'd rather go swimming again if you're up for it."

Connor grinned at her, "Abby, I'm always up for swimming."

Her swimming muscles were tired and Connor was by far the better swimmer, so the chances of her winning at the little game Connor had invented were slim to say the least, but she was determined not to go down without a fight. To be completely honest, Abby didn't even think the rules were fair. The idea was that whoever held the other person underwater for fifteen seconds straight, won. The problem was that they'd never decided on who was counting and the last time he'd popped up she'd thought she had had him for ten seconds at least, while he swore it was only seven. Connor's advantage in the water was a strong one, but he hadn't managed to win because Abby's years of martial arts had taught her many escape techniques. She rarely caught him, he rarely managed to hold onto her.

At first they'd made a rule that it was best of five, but hours later neither of them had managed to get a single point and so they said the first point wins. They were both having far too much fun chasing each other and hiding beneath the waves to care how long it took. Abby hoped that she'd applied enough sunscreen, but it was something she'd worry about later. Aching muscles and all, she actually never wanted to get out of the water again. She felt Connor grab her ankle and somersaulted under the waves with a laugh to escape his grip and hopefully push him down instead.

Connor thought he'd finally won, but Abby swore it'd only been fourteen seconds and since he didn't really want the game to end just yet, he let it slide. The game continued for another hour as they darted deep in the green water, grabbing at one another. He forgot about the time and everything else but Abby, until he heard it. The distinct rumble coming from above the surface puzzled him enough to let go of Abby's waist intentionally after a count of twelve seconds. He popped his head above the water, kicking at Abby a bit as she grabbed onto his ankle to try and pull him back down. Abby got her way and he was under again in a moment, but he'd seen what he needed to and he shook forcefully free of Abby, darting away underwater while keeping an eye on her to make sure she followed.

He swam far this time, as fast as he thought she could handle, and he saw the puzzled expression on her face even underwater when he didn't try to catch her again. When he noticed her returning to the surface for a bit of air, he went with her.

"Connor!" she gasped out, breathing hard as she reached for his shoulders, not to push him under this time, but to give herself a much-needed rest. Despite the situation, he couldn't resist sneaking a quick kiss onto her cheek and she smiled at him.

"It's time to go back, Abs," he told her.

"But I didn't win yet!"

"I was gonna win anyways, Abs," he chuckled. "I'm saving you from losing here, you know."

"Oh yeah?"

He saw the stubborn challenge in her eyes and knew that she was about to push him under again, but the peal of thunder that interrupted them, startling Abby, told her what he'd been trying to. "Like I said," Connor confirmed, "It's time to go."

Abby glanced nervously back towards the shore, but a wave crashed into them, making her swallow some water and blocking her view. She wasn't a huge fan of thunder on a good day, and she'd always learned growing up that being in the water during a storm was a really, really bad idea. She clutched Connor tighter as a flash of lighting lit up the sky and tried again to find the shore. She panicked when she couldn't see it.

"Connor!" she yelled a bit, despite his nearness, almost panicking.

"It's alright, Abs," he tried to reassure her calmly, knowing that a panic attack in the choppy ocean was a really bad idea, though he was scared himself. "There, look that way, we got turned around a bit is all. We weren't paying attention and we forgot about the current and got too far out. We'll head back quickly."

Abby followed his gaze and tried to fight back tears. "Connor, it's… I don't see the shore."

"Well, maybe the waves are too big yeah, but it's that way, Abs."

A huge wave pushed them back in another direction, splashing up into their faces, and Abby got water up her nose which increased her panic as she clutched at him. "I can't, Con! I'm too tired."

It was far even for him, and he wasn't sure he see the shore either, but he knew where it lay mostly from the way the current and waves were moving. He wasn't about to tell her he didn't like this at all though. "It's better to stay underwater," he informed her instead, "Hide from the waves and the lightning, yeah? Hold onto me then, put don't hold me down if I try to swim up."

She nodded and he ducked underwater with her clutching around his neck.

Abby was normally one of the bravest people he knew, but he also knew that thunder had always made her a bit jumpy and being out of her element in the water far from shore and already tired had really frightened her. For once it was his turn to be the strong one, and he would because she needed him. He ignored his aching muscles and concentrated on two things only, swimming underwater as fast as he could, and making sure that Abby was still holding on to him.

He was actually glad for the moment that she was hanging onto him. It made it harder, but he could swim faster even with her latched onto him, than she could on her own, so they were making better progress now. He popped up for air every now and then, and the third time he was relieved that he could see the shore that had been hidden behind the tall waves before. Abby noticed too and let go of him. "Connor, are you alright?" She sounded less scared with the shore in sight. "I could swim on my own now that I've had a rest."

Connor glanced around them and then nodded, "For a few minutes, Abby, just to give me a break, but then hold on again. And go that way." He pointed off in an angle from the way they'd been swimming at first. Abby frowned at him. There was a rocky outcrop they could swim too, she could see it now, but it wasn't any closer than the shore they'd been making for and it was further, a lot further, from Gran's house by land.

"Connor, why…"

"Because the tide's pulling that way a bit more and the waves will work with us. We'll walk from there Abs."

She nodded and they swam in that direction, Abby alternating between swimming on her own and hanging onto his neck.

It was over a half hour swim still before Connor tested and found he could just touch the bottom again with his eyes and nose still above the water. He could have sobbed with relief for his muscles. Abby'd been swimming on her own a bit, but he immediately reached for her and pulled her to him to give her a rest again. The last stretch had been very slow, fatigue nearly overwhelming them both, but especially Abby, and he felt like she'd barely been moving. He kept thinking that the sudden summer storm would diminish but it'd been raging full swing, and he knew that it was close when the lightning and thunder hit at nearly the same time.

"I can walk now, Abs," Connor told her, holding her against him. He knew it was still above her head, but it wouldn't be long. Abby buried her face into his neck, too tired to respond and he carried her the rest of the way to the rocks. Once there he clambered onto them, sitting on one of the lower ones, relieved to be out of the water. They rested in silence for a long time, pressing themselves as close to the tall towering rocks as possible for shelter.

Abby finally spoke first. "Connor, I don't like this storm. We need to find somewhere safer."

"We need to get back to Gran's," he replied, standing.

"It's gotta be a two mile walk, Connor. Maybe there's a cave or something we can wait out the storm in."

He hesitated. She was right, it was the safer option, but the chances or being struck by lightning were supposed to be miniscule, weren't they? "Abby, it's just, Gran must be really worried about us."

"Yeah, you're right," she agreed, so they set off for the house.