This is actually the last chapter, at least of the original story I had in mind. There are some other ideas knocking around which I'm going to experiment with, both about Madison and John, and about Nancy - don't hate on her, she has a whole backstory nobody knows about yet - even John. Thanks for all the reviews and follows :)

The all-but silent car journey came to a halt. John had made some remarks at periodic intervals about the way the car drove, speaking as though he really knew what he was talking about. At any other time, Madison might have probed a bit further, found yet another hidden depth to somebody she had until recently dismissed as a deadbeat. Right now, she was barely even listening to him.

The hospital was an ugly building, made uglier by what Madison knew lay beyond the doors. She wondered if people who had happier news saw it in a different way, whether having a baby there beautified the place. It wasn't something she expected she'd ever find out. Now that she was here, she wished she'd fought a bit harder back at Shermer High.

Several minutes passed as they sat in the parking space. Madison picked at a split end as though it was vitally important she get rid of it, whilst John drummed on the steering wheel absent-mindedly, for once not intending to be irritating. She wondered how long they could sit here before he'd take matters into his own hands and simply drive away. It would be a welcome relief. Perhaps from now on she could turn her entire life over to John Bender and let him make the decisions. Strangely, it didn't seem such a bad idea.

'Do you want me to come up with you?'

She wrenched her eyes up from her hair. 'What?'

'Do you want me to come up with you?' John repeated.

She blinked a couple of times and he was still there, still waiting for an answer. She couldn't remember the last time someone had waited for her like this.

Slowly, she nodded her head.

He smiled. 'Let's go then then.'

Without John, Madison knew she would never have made it this far. She'd yet to really broach the subject of where this whole idea had some from and now he was pretty much leading the way to the children's ward. Why he was putting aside so much of his day to help her, she had no idea. What she couldn't deny was that she was pleased he was here.

Even so, with each step that took her closer to her brother, Madison's reluctance grew. By the time they reached the third floor of the hospital, she was dragging her heels in a way which was most unlike her. Just beyond those doors lay the future, and she wasn't sure she was going to like it. Being in English would be so much easier.

'My project,' she suddenly said.

John turned back and frowned at her.

'My English project. I've… I've left Brian on his own and it's due next week. I… I should go back.'

He stared at her for several seconds and she heard her own words back: she sounded insane. It was as though she was prioritising her school work over her sick brother. John had every right to leave her here; any normal person would.

'Brian will be fine.' His voice was a million miles away from his usual quips and sarcasm. 'Come on, Twinkie. You can't bring me this close to meeting your mom and then bail on me.' Then he did something entirely unexpected, and reached for her hand, looping his fingers through hers as though it was normal and natural. 'Come on.' With the minimum pressure, he guided her forwards and through the double doors.

The children's ward had become a part of the Lawrences' lives over the past five years. It was worrying to admit that more nurses at the hospital probably knew Madison by sight than teachers at Shermer High. Now, they barely made it more than five steps inside the ward before she was recognised.

'Madison?' The same ward sister who had chivvied her out the door almost three weeks ago sounded surprised to see her now. 'Long time no see! We've missed you around here!

It was a lie; the nurse was making it sound as though Madison was the life and soul of the place, when all she did was sit quietly beside her brother's bed every Sunday. The likelihood of anybody here missing her was incredibly slight. Old habits died hard though, and she found it impossible to interrupt the flow of words coming from the nurse's mouth, about how they'd been talking about her only that morning and wondering when she was next coming in. Even with John's fingers threaded through hers, she found any of her courage faltering.

'Madison?'

She whipped around to see her mom standing behind them, the exhaustion she'd been hiding for weeks painted all over her face for anybody to see. In a reflex action, she detangled herself from John, feeling horrible for doing it, but not having any other choice right now. One glance at Laura made her feel thirteen again, the first time bad news about Zach had been broken to her. Back then, her mom had been able to cushion the blows, coax her into believing it would all be okay. Five years later, too much had happened and Madison couldn't believe in happy endings anymore. It didn't stop her wanting to though.

'Mom?' Her voice sounded small and child-like even to her.

For once, Laura misjudged the situation. 'What are you doing here? You should be at school. How did you get here?' When Madison didn't answer, she said, 'Mads?'

'Mom, what's wrong with Zach? And don't say nothing.' Madison felt her bottom lip tremble and caught it between her teeth. She wanted her mom to think she was mature enough to hear the truth, old enough to cope with what she was certain would be awful news. Instead, she was on the verge of crying, collapsing to the ground in hysterics as her life crashed down around her for the second time.

The silence seemed to last forever. Then Laura finally said, 'He's having his transplant. Today.' Sighing heavily, she took a step towards her daughter, placing her hands on her arms in the gesture she should have used in the first place. 'I'm sorry, Mads, I should have told you.'

And like that, Madison felt her knees buckle and she fell into her mom's embrace, all pretence at being grown-up gone. All she heard over the top of her shuddering sobs was Laura repeating, 'I'm so sorry, honey. I should have told you.'

Madison saw parts of the hospital that day that she had never even known existed, yet Laura seemed to know her way around well. Some nurses in another ward even gave her a genuine-seeming smile, as though she was well-known and liked in places other than the children's ward. For the first time, Madison realised that being at this hospital was another life for Laura as well as Zach. No wonder she looked so tired.

The search out of state for compatible bone marrow had gone well; barely a week after Madison had last seen her brother, there had been a suggestion that his transplant could take place much sooner than anybody had been expecting. Since then, Zach had undergone some intensive chemotherapy to nuke his system and prepare it for the new cells it would have to assimilate. He'd reacted badly to the drugs and it sounded as though Laura had spent the past week comforting a miserable and nauseous young boy. Madison did not envy her that.

'And I know I should have told you,' Laura said for what felt like the millionth time as they sat on a bench in the remembrance garden at the very heart of the hospital. It was only now they were outside the building that Madison realised how stressful it was inside. It was hardly surprising that her mom knew of all these other places to escape to. 'I just didn't want to worry you,' she explained, and Madison couldn't hold it against her. She'd had more than enough on her plate with Zach, and Madison hadn't made it easy on her so far, between the Saturday detentions and her latest Claire-related misdemeanour.

'Not that it stopped you worrying much,' Laura said now, shooting her daughter an affectionate glance. 'Why didn't you say anything, Mads? I thought you could always talk to me.'

'I can.' Madison nodded, anxious not to make her mom feel any worse than she already did. 'It… it didn't bother me too much.' It was a weak excuse and she knew it was as soon as Laura's eyes landed on her sceptically. 'Well, only a little bit anyway.'

'Enough to skip school,' Laura remarked. With a smile, she said, 'I suppose I should probably contact the school, actually, or you'll be in detention until graduation.'

'Detention!' Madison's eyes widened as she realised for the first time quite what she'd done by putting her life into John's hands. Mr Walker had trusted her to serve her time in her after- school detentions; somehow she doubted he'd look favourably on her skipping one. Her permanent record looked precarious again.

'I'm sure I can find some excuse for you.' Laura raised her eyebrows. 'Great planning on your part there, though, Mads.'

'It wasn't really my idea.'

'No, I'd gathered as much. I take it that's the John who stayed over last night?' When Madison didn't reply, she probed further. 'And I'd also guess he's the not-really-a-date from last weekend?' Finally eliciting a reluctant nod from her daughter, Laura smiled.

'What?' Madison frowned at her. 'Why are you smiling?'

'Am I not allowed to smile now?' Laura rolled her eyes, her mouth still stretched into a grin.

'Not like that. He's just a friend.'

'Who said he was anything more?' Madison felt her face flush bright red as her mom caught her out. 'Anyway. He seems nice.'

'He's bad news.' Fiddling with the cuffs of her sweatshirt, Madison didn't know why she was saying this, as though she had to put some sort of distance between John and herself. The truth was that her hand was still burning where his fingers had curled around it and ever since they'd gone for a walk around the hospital, she'd been unable to stop her mind from wondering where he'd got to. This wasn't how she usually behaved, though, and she felt ashamed of herself for being so easily distracted when her brother was going through his transplant at that moment.

Now, she stood up. 'Can we go and check on Zach?'

It was a sure-fire way to change the subject, as Laura agreed readily to check on her son's progress. A fresh wave of shame swept over Madison at using her brother in this way, but it was true she wanted to see him anyway. If it would stop Laura probing any further into what exactly was going on between her daughter and John Bender, so much the better.

The ward sister greeted them on their return.

'He's done. It went well,' she added, and Madison felt relief flood through her. 'He's tired, but he'd probably like some visitors. You'll have to gown and mask up and you can't stay too long – he needs to rest.'

Right then, Madison would have agreed to walk on her hands and only speak in the rudimentary Spanish she knew if she could just see her little brother for one minute. As she pulled her hair back into the surgical cap she was handed, she thought again of the first real conversation she and John had shared in that detention, where she'd stated how cool she thought Zach was. It had been true then, and it was even truer now: if cool was being calm and strong and brave, Zach was one of the coolest people she'd ever met.

It was best not to think about how much she was currently missing the only person who might challenge him for the title.

Madison's sudden overwhelming affection for her brother carried her through the first few seconds of seeing him. It was strange how quickly things could become normal. As long as she could remember, her brother had been thin and pale and his hair had been cropped so short that every lump and bump of his head had been visible at a distance. Yet today it seemed different: he was thinner and paler and if she hadn't known better, she would have sworn he was sicker too. Part of her knew it was the chemotherapy which had taken its toll, but a small part of her was still scared. It was like her brother had slipped away from her ever so slightly.

Then he opened his eyes, and despite the dark shadows underneath them, they sparkled mischievously as he cleared his throat and said, 'You out on parole?'

'Something like that.' Madison smiled and then found herself hugging him, taking both of them by surprise. A little embarrassed, she dropped back from the bed and allowed Laura the chance to fuss over her little boy, as much as Laura ever fussed. Hugging was something she and Zach never did, despite everything that had happened over the last few years. She didn't quite know what had come over her.

'You want me to stay tonight?' Laura was saying now, her question light-hearted and without any hint of the exhaustion that Madison was certain Zach would be able to read on her face. If he wanted her to stay, there'd be no hesitation on her part.

But he was shaking his head, almost asleep himself, looking so much younger than his fifteen years. For the first time in years, Madison allowed herself to wonder where they might all be in a year's time. Thinking about the alternative lives they could have had if their father hadn't left, if Zach hadn't got sick, had grown old long ago. You couldn't change the past. But suddenly the future seemed that little bit brighter.

Zach had fallen into a deep partially-drug-fuelled sleep by the time they left him and headed out to the family room where the doctor was going to meet them and give a full report over the procedure so far. All Madison could think about was slumping on the sofa, unable to remember the last time she'd felt this tired. It was as though the worry and anger and angst that she'd carried around for so long had been all that was keeping her going. Her eyes were puffy and sore and she wished she had a pair of shades like John to hide the damage. Not for the first time, she wondered where the Criminal had gone.

She didn't have to wonder long. The family room was deserted except for one comatose body hunched up in one corner, the beloved shades slipping down his nose and revealing the ordeals he'd gone through in the past twenty-four hours. Madison allowed herself to feel a pang of sympathy for him, certain that there was no way he'd catch her out this time.

There was a long period of silence in the room, broken only by John's deep breathing. It was the most peaceful she'd ever seen him look. She wished he could always look so young and innocent.

'Has he had that eye looked at?' Laura asked eventually, and Madison realised that her own preoccupation with John hadn't gone unnoticed.

'I… helped him clean it up.' Turning sharply to her mother, she added, 'Does it look okay to you?'

'I've seen worse.' Laura was non-committal but after a closer inspection, during which Madison panicked that he might wake up, she nodded. 'Looks painful but no lasting damage.' Her daughter's relief wasn't lost on her. 'So what does the other guy look like?'

It took a few seconds for Madison to process what her mom was saying. Her defence was startlingly violent, even to her. 'Oh no. He didn't… it wasn't… like a fight or anything, he….' She tailed off, suddenly loathe to give away all of John's darkest secrets, even to Laura. This wasn't for her to say. For a long moment, she held her mom's gaze and then she ducked her head down, studying her sweater cuffs. 'It's a long story,' she said, hoping that would be enough.

Laura continued to gaze at the boy lying on the sofa next to them, the interloper into their lives. At length she said, 'So I'm guessing I shouldn't contact his parents and let them know he's okay?'

Madison raised her head and looked at her mom, seeing the understanding on her face, and knowing she didn't need to betray John in anyway; his face had already done that for him. Shaking her head, she felt tears rise in her eyes again, wondering at the sheer unfairness of life that gave her Laura when John had nobody.

Laura fell silent again. Then, eventually, she said, 'He's a good-looking boy.'

Trying to combat her blush, Madison shrugged. 'He's…okay.'

'I mean it. If I was twenty years younger.'

'Mom!' Despite herself Madison gave a small giggle, still hoping John wouldn't wake up. Trying to remain in control, she said, 'He's always in trouble. I met him in detention.'

'You're a fine one to talk about that right now,' Laura said, with a pointed eyebrow raise.

It was a fair point and Madison gave it the respect and moment it deserved. 'He's just some guy I know,' she said quietly, after a pause. Her mom's jaw dropped open. 'What?'

'That boy has just skipped school for you. By the sounds of it, he doesn't need any more hassle in his life right now. And he's still here now. Mads, he is not just "some guy you know". He clearly cares about you. A lot. And why wouldn't he?' she added, her tone changing to a much gentler one now that she'd made her point. 'There's a lot to like about you, sweetheart.'

Embarrassed, Madison dropped her eyes to her lap again. Even as she tried to block them out, her mom's words raced through her mind. Here John was, hours after they'd got here. He'd risked further detentions and possibly even expulsion in order to stay here. Thinking back now, she couldn't help remembering all those other times he'd put himself out for her: coming to find her after her fight with Claire, bringing her that burger last Sunday morning, even gaining himself Saturday detentions to match and rival hers. Perhaps it really had all been his way of caring. She'd been so careful not to allow herself to think anything of the sort, fighting against the racing of her heart each time he looked in her direction. It seemed so unlikely to her.

Just as she was about to ask a further question, find out whether her mom really believed what she was saying, the door to the family room crashed open under the hand of an exhausted senior consultant. The noise startled John awake, his shades clattering to the floor, and the tranquillity Madison had so enjoyed seeing on his face vanished, replaced with a startled wariness, more animal than human. She wondered how often he'd had to react like that in his life, living on his nerves and wits. He looked so lost.

'John.' Her voice was soft and gentle, yet she startled herself and him. She could already feel the blood rushing to her face when he turned and looked at her. The panic in his eyes dissipated and that familiar smile spread across his face. Madison wondered if it was possible for a day to get any better.

Madison took a deep breath of the cool night air as she stepped outside the hospital. The bitter scent of anaesthetics and disinfectants still clung to the back of her throat and her head was beginning to ache from the harsh strip lighting she'd been staring at for the past few hours, but it was nice to be outside again.

She glanced across at where John was standing, a smile on his face as he looked back in her direction. Or at least, she presumed he was looking at her, his eyes still hidden by his shades which looked even more incongruous at this time of night.

'You know you look ridiculous, right?' she ventured.

He shrugged.

'And you're so not driving with them on.'

He raised his eyebrows. 'And you'd be a much safer driver, right, after the day you've had?' It was a valid point that she'd struggle to argue against, and in the next moment he prevented her from having to: the shades disappeared into his jacket pocket and he revealed his eyes again. Twirling the keys in his hand, he gestured towards Andrew's car. 'Better get going.'

Predictably, Laura had wanted to stay at the hospital. It had been half on Madison's tongue to point out that Zach had as good as said she could go home tonight and anyway, there was nothing she could do if she stayed. And on her tongue it had remained; it wasn't really the time for Madison to pitch a fit.

'You'll be okay for a lift home?' Laura had asked. 'Because I could call Mike…'

'I'll be fine.'

An awkward pause had followed as Laura stared into her teenage daughter's eyes. 'If John still needs somewhere to stay, you know there's room at ours. Might be nice for you not to be alone.'

'Yeah, sure.' Madison had nodded half-heartedly and been pleased when she was able to escape from the conversation.

Now, looking at John as they climbed into Andrew's car, she tried to recapture the feigned disinterest in what happened to this boy after he dropped her home this evening; it was a lot less complicated than what was going on inside her brain right now. As yet she hadn't extended her mom's invitation to him and even John Bender couldn't be rude enough to invite himself to stay. Perhaps especially John Bender couldn't be rude enough to invite himself to stay; being rejected twice in two days by two different girls probably wasn't high on his list of desires. Even so, she found herself wincing inwardly as she briefly allowed her mind to dwell on what might be waiting for him at home.

John pulled out of the parking space and headed for the parking lot exit. Pausing at the stop sign and signalling right, he glanced across at her. 'You want to go straight home?'

It took a moment for her to look across at him. Blinking, she shrugged. 'I… don't know. Where else…?' Her eyelids felt so heavy all she wanted to do was close them, but this was something new, something different. Remembering her earlier thoughts, she handed over responsibility again. 'I don't mind.'

There was a pause as a car drove past them, illuminating John's face as he gave that funny twisted smile which his split lip only emphasised further. It was only three weeks ago that she'd seen him smile for the first time, an ugly cruel smirk which had frightened and angered her. He'd seemed so out of control and dangerous. Now there was no malice present in his face. She wondered when it had changed.

Then, without another word, he cancelled his signal right and turned left. Madison didn't ask any questions. Within five minutes, the motion of the car had sent her to sleep.

'So I'm guessing you like it?'

Madison finally tore her eyes away from the night-sky, feeling giddy as the blood rushed back through her body. She was unable to hide her grin from John as she said, 'What do you think? How did you…?'

'I know where to take all the girls.' John shrugged nonchalantly as he leaned against the bonnet of the car and fiddled with a cigarette and his lighter.

The spot was certainly the sort of place Madison could guess boys at school would bring their girlfriends. They'd travelled out of the suburbs for almost an hour judging by her watch. It was secluded and isolated. She was surprised it was as deserted as it seemed on this Friday night; perhaps this was prime Bender territory and nobody else dared to use it. She wondered if he'd brought Claire up here.

Then, in a much more serious tone, John added, 'When you asked how I escaped.' He threw an arm open to the few metres in front of the car before the ground dropped away into a steep hill. 'This is it.'

Crossing the short distance between them, Madison joined him at the car. 'I've never seen the stars like this before.' Tilting her head backwards, she tried to take in the whole night sky. 'It's amazing. But… you don't even like physics!'

'Neither do you,' he reminded her. 'Anyway, it's not physics is it? It's…' He left the sentence unfinished and Madison didn't press him on it, because he was right. All those years of having that poster above her bed hadn't prepared her for what the night sky could look like in reality, the enormity and eternity which surrounded them at all times that she'd never really considered. She found the confusion and stress of the day dropping away from her, her mind calming as she gazed up at the lights coming from so far away.

After a long period of comfortable silence, she looked back at where John was still flicking his lighter aimlessly. 'Are you going to light that or not?'

It was as though he hadn't even been aware he was doing it, the unlit cigarette still hanging in his mouth. Removing it, he thrust it unceremoniously into his pocket. 'I've quit.'

'Since when?'

'Couple of weeks.'

Madison frowned. 'But… I've seen you… you've…' Her mind scrambled back over the last few weeks. Always, she pictured him with a cigarette in his hand, could smell the smoke on his clothes. It was the image of John Bender. Yet now she wondered if she'd been fooling herself all along.

'I quit two weeks ago. When my old man busted my ribs.' He pushed the dirt underneath his feet, folding his arms and avoiding looking at her. 'Danger of infection. Or something.' With an ironic snort he said, 'So at least I've got an excuse for being a dick recently.'

The humour was lost on Madison. Smoking was such a part of who John was, or who Madison and the rest of the school had always thought he was. It was his shield and armour, like Claire's lipstick and Andrew's letterman. How had she not even noticed this? A sudden sadness settled over her again and it was all she could do to force her next words past the lump in her throat that she knew he'd hate her for.

'Don't go home.'

He gave another small snort. 'Where else am I gonna go?'

'With me.' He turned to look at her so fast she was surprised he didn't give himself whiplash. 'My mom said you could stay… you know, it's only me there tonight and… I don't mind you being there.' She bit her lip, aware how it sounded, as though she was doing him a grudging favour because her mom had asked her to. She wished she could add something else, say what she'd been trying to ignore for longer than she cared to think; maybe ever since she'd followed him through the library three Saturdays ago. That just wasn't what she did though.

Now that mocking smile was on his face again as he built a wall up again. 'Your mom's too nice.'

It was true, but she refused to see that as a bad thing. 'She's just saying thank you for what you did today.' In a small wavering voice, she added, 'So am I.'

'You're about as good at saying thank you as I am at saying sorry, Twinks.'

That was also true. 'I haven't had much of a chance to practise.'

Now John shook himself, as though the sentimentality of the moment was beyond him. 'Anyway, you don't need to thank me. It was just pay-back. For last night. You ever think about going into nursing?'

It was a deliberate subject change and she bit her lip, half-frustrated, half-grateful. 'I don't have the patience.'

'They'd find you,' John grinned triumphantly and emptily at his pun.

'That's awful.'

A silence descended again, devoid of any of the easy camaraderie they'd experienced earlier. Tears rose in Madison's eyes again, as real as those she'd shed over Zach earlier that afternoon. John had already detached himself from her, as easily as breathing. The strange security she'd always found in his presence had gone and her stomach turned uneasily. She hadn't thought she had the capacity to be this worried.

Abruptly, John launched himself upright. 'We better go.'

Madison could no longer control herself. 'You're going to go back, aren't you? To your dad, I mean.'

John turned back from where his hand was already on the car handle. 'What choice do I have?'

'I've just given you one.' John smirked at the double entendre. 'Don't.'

All traces of humour vanished from his face. 'I'm not a charity case. I don't need somebody's mom to invite me to stay because my own mom is fucking useless.'

'I didn't say that!'

'I thought you got it, Twinkie, I thought you understood. I'm not going to sleep on your sofa or in your spare bed because it'll make you feel better, make your mom feel she's doing something to help the needy. I'm not a telethon kid!' His words were laced with barbed wire. 'You can just forget about it. I'll be fine.'

'You can't know that!'

'I know a lot fucking more than you do, so why don't you just quit it?' He opened his door. 'Get in the car.'

'No, not if you're going to be this stupid!'

'Get in the fucking car!'

'No!' Madison shook her head. 'You can go without me, because I'm not letting you do this, I'm not letting you… I can't…' Her words drowned in the tears which flowed down her face, unhindered and unchecked. She cupped her hands over her mouth, containing the sobs which wracked through her, ugly and uncomfortable. Embarrassed, she turned away, expecting any second to hear the door slam shut behind him and the engine kick into gear. She had no idea where she was, no idea how she'd ever get home. Her mind went to her mom back at the hospital, thinking her only daughter was home and safe now. It only made her cry harder.

The car door slammed shut and she fought against screaming.

And then a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her as John crushed her into his body. That leftover swimmer's physique was as hard as she had imagined, yet in its very solidity she found a comfort. Like earlier with her mother, she gave into the embrace, relinquishing any control she'd pretended to have, her whole body giving into the shuddering sobs as John held her close, murmuring unintelligible words into her ear. All she was capable of right then was clinging onto him as though her life depended on it.

She came to a halting hiccupping stop at last, her head firmly buried into his shoulder, his shirt soaked through with her tears. His hand ran over her hair and back, smoothing it down.

At last, he spoke, and the earlier anger and irritation had gone, replaced with the kindness she'd found so surprising the first time she'd seen it, and the inevitable sarcasm. 'You know, if you wanted to rub up against me, you only had to ask.'

She let out a small coughing laugh but didn't raise her head, embarrassed at her outburst but unwilling to break out of his hold.

'Twinks.' John placed a tiny kiss on the top of her head before sighing into her hair. 'Twinks, I don't know what this is.'

'Me either,' she mumbled into his shirt.

'I'm bad news.'

'I know.'

'You're a nice girl. You should be dating somebody nice. Like Brian.' His face stretched into a grin as she lifted her head and gave him an alarmed look. 'Okay. Maybe not quite Brian. But Twinks… I'm a mess. I mean, so are you. But you're a hot mess.'

She filed that one away for later, instead blurting out, 'I'm not Claire.'

'No.' His smile forced one onto her own face. 'That's a good thing. But Twinks… you shouldn't do this.'

She ignored him. 'Don't go home.'

He stared at her for a long moment. Then said, 'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't.'

'Because I want you to come home with me.'

There it was, laid out neatly in front of them both, and Madison's breath caught in her chest as they stared at each other, eyes wide with surprise. Her fingers curled into fists as she waited for some reply from him and his hands froze on her waistline.

Then his body softened and a lazy smile spread over his face. 'Okay. Okay. I'll… come with you.' The way he said it made it sound like he was doing her a favour, and maybe he was, she reasoned now. His being within spitting distance of his father was a situation she knew would never equal a good night's sleep for her. 'But I'm a lousy room-mate. Like, I can't cook or clean and I'm really untidy.'

A giggle bubbled out of her mouth. 'I don't mind.'

'And I can be a real dick in the mornings.'

'Oh, your mornings last twenty-four hours?'

He flashed her a mock-frown which was soon displaced by that smile again. 'And I won't apologise if I piss you off.' He pressed his forehead against hers, lowering his voice to a whisper. 'Twinks, are you sure?'

A nod would be disastrous at this close proximity and so she opted for another way of sealing the deal. As her lips pressed against his, she wondered why they'd waited so long.

Clearly the title of this story comes from Kelly Clarkson's 'Because of You' - I think it fits Madison pretty well. I also think Taylor Swift's 'White Horse' fits her quite well, in some parts of this story.