G'day fine readers! Sorry about the wait, I wished it to be up sooner but year 12 work sucks...majorly. Bleh. Anyways this was a bit rushed, I did it all in a couple of days so I am a bit worried...but a lot of thought and effort went into it so I hope you guys like it :P

Warning- does include naughty, naughty language. I wonder who THAT could be from -glares at Dingo accusingly-

One thing it doesn't have is not a lot of 3/4 :( Sorry 3/4 lovers, it just didn't fit in in this chapter, but I promise more romance later ;P

By the way, I don't know how my writing has changed recently because I recently went through a breakup :S I hope my romance scenes don't suck because of it! I do accept constructive criticism! Feel free to point out any faults :P

REVIEWERS! (How I love thee...let me count thy ways...)

E-D-Songy-12 : Hehe! What can I say, I try to actually shorten it so it's less confusing, but I cant help but cram everything in...I'm like that, you should see my car :P Lol! I hope you have a good year (: Enjoy the chapter :D

hellopandaluver : GAH! Long review :D :D :D Lol, yes. I keep imagining that moment as something that you would see on the Jerry Springer/Maury Povich show, but of course it will be much more classy ;p. Hehe, THANK YOU! And you deserve it. A ranga is an Australian term (I think that's where it came from, idk) for a redhead, means 'orangatang' (sp?) It can be offensive, but it is widely accepted in some instances. Lee is...Lee, like Sonya/Lee. I didn't know his last name so I made up the most common one on the spot :P let me know if it's wrong and I'll edit it in. Ugh, the puppy story was sad, the saddest thing being some guy actually did that at my friend's school one year, in front of everyone just to show off (lit a kitten in a plastic bag) didn't even get expelled... Anyways, Abby's baby is currently nameless, though I have been asking around :P let me know if you find any good names :P .WOW long reply, enjoy the chapter! :P

Laurie43: :D Thank you! Ah, Hoagie is a mystery, currently I have many ideas on where he'll end up...nothing definate yet :P Bonnie annoys me, even though I created her and all. Trent definately does have plans for Mushi...though nothing defined too much in this chapter :P Thanks for your support, means a lot :P I may need help soon :D Hope you enjoy the chappie!

simi838: Weew! :P I'm back in Sydney now, so that's a relief. I was over visiting my mum on the west coast, was fun but it's great being back in good Aussie summer :P...no suburn as of yet. Hehe :D Hope you like the update!

itsaDoggyDogworld : Well I did it! I don't know how sucessfully, but I did it! I love requents and challenges :P Awesome word by the way, I used it the other day and I could just tell all my friends were simply amazed at my charisma :P Lol love the review! Hope you like this chapter :P

sstoons3425 : I do love writing Abby, though further along I think I'm making her a little more OCCish, the more scared she gets. I always imagine her as a strong character though, and I can't write her as a mother :P. Wow...when that happens it is going to be...! Not long now :P Hope you like the chapter :D

Foxy-chan09 : Lol, not too much 3/4 romance here I'm afraid, but more will be arriving soon once I brush up on my fluff :S I do love writing them though, they are so CUTE! :D. Hmm yes, Hoagie is a mystery...I think he should be the subject of my next poll...who shall he end up with? Lol, have a great year! Hope you like the update (:

shejams : Yeah I wasn't sure about Mushi's age, so I made her about 16. Of course I feel a bit weird writing romance with a 16/20 year old, because legally it's like...pedophilia, almost...but anyways, shouldn't be anything TOO dramatic. *Sigh* Lol, I'm glad you like my OCs...even though they can be a bit weird at times ;) Let me know what you think :P

Joydream: Yay! I'm glad :D Thanks for the review, I hope you like this new update, let me know what you think :D

Numbuh 321: Naw, bad that I'm keeping you up, but love how you're loving the story :D! Hehe, do love Bandit, he is definately one of my favs. Ah yes...Abby is in for a wild ride ;) Lol, hope you like the new chapter :D

A storm was brewing. Light, almost feeble flashes of lightning were flashing across the dark sky, lighting the room for a split second and casting it back into darkness again. Abby drew lazy circles in the black bed sheet beneath her, listening to the faint rumble of thunder that followed the flashes of lightning. Her and Dingo were sitting quietly on his bed. For the first time, Abby thought faintly to herself, they had sat in a complete awkward silence. The two usually had plenty to say to each other, fighting or not.

Abby looked over at the boy next to her, his back against the headboard and his head and shoulders hunched, moodily tugging at the rips in his torn jeans. They were stumped at what to say, because so much had already been said. Abby cleared her throat, and bravely made a stab at a conversation, Jake's words echoing in her mind.

"So…let me get this straight…" Abby muttered, her eyebrows rising at Dingo, who was still hunched over, silent and anxious. "You're…Wally's half cousin, half brother?"

Dingo nodded.

"And Jake is…your Dad?"

Again, he nodded solemnly.

"And Jake is Wallabee's father's brother, but they haven't spoken in years because Jake had an affair with you and Wallabee's mother?"

Dingo nodded once again, looking sulky.

"Yep."

Abby frowned, now lost. "I…had no idea."

"Barely anyone does," He muttered back. Abby swallowed. "The rest of the family does, back home, but seeing as he-" He spat that out venomously- "purposely distanced himself from the family, it doesn't really matter."

"Does Wallabee know?"

Dingo scoffed, his eyebrows rising as he turned to her. "Nup"

Abby gave him a half smile, one side of her lips curling upward as she looked back down sheepishly. She smirked, tilting her head towards the boy beside her. "Jake seems really cool…I can understand you're related."

Dingo gave a small scoff, but smirked all the same. Anyone else he would have considered it an attack, but coming from Abby it seemed as though it was a polite compliment.

"Thanks" He muttered, still smirking. "He's all I've got sometimes."

She swallowed nervously, a lump forming in her throat as she thought back to Jake, the knowing look in his deep dark eyes and his sly smirk as he introduced himself. She turned back to Dingo, tilting her head gently.

"So Jake knows?"

"Yeah" Dingo snarled bitterly, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. "He's barely been here a day and he already put 2 and 2 together."

Abby fidgeted again, winding her fingers together and nibbling on her bottom lip. "Is that why you were so upset today?"

Dingo stiffened. "No." He snarled. "That wasn't why."

Abby hesitated, but then dropped her shoulders and lay down beside him on his bed, her head resting on his pillows. She put her hands to her stomach, which had inflated so much when she did lay down a baby bump was prominent through her shirt.

"You don't have to tell me."

Dingo growled, frustrated. He wanted to tell her, he wanted to tell her everything from the very beginning so he could bitch and moan and she could make him feel better, like he knew she would. He rolled over onto his stomach so he was closer to her, and gently snuggled his face to her stomach, resting gently on her baby bump.

"I'm never going to forgive her for what she did" He snarled to her, but his eyes seemed far away, as if his mind was elsewhere. "You know…for abandoning me like that. I didn't get why and…" He swallowed, a lump building in his throat. He realised he'd never told anybody but his father and his best friend this, and even then it was the hardest thing to say. "I didn't know why…she didn't love me and….why she wasn't there."

Abby looked down, overcome with emotion. She hated it when her sister scoffed at her, for being so impulsive and stupid and falling for 'a guy who thinks with his pants, not his head'. Cree, upon meeting Dingo, automatically thought that shacking up with Wally's brother was an act of revenge, just as a bed buddy and never as a relationship. But Abby knew she was wrong in thinking that, but she couldn't explain or prove why. She just knew Dingo was more than just her lover, and he was more than Wallabee's older brother. She always seemed to look past those cold deep green eyes and see more. She reached down and ran a few fingers through his hair as he swallowed awkwardly, pouring more of his heart out to her.

"I still hate her" He forced a snarl. "I really do. Seeing her again just set me off, you know? I grew up without her an- and my Dad was the only one to explain why. I hate him too and my stupid brother. It's why I hate Wallabee so much, you know? He had everything and…I didn't even have a mother." He broke off, his eyes still downcast. Abby sighed, looking towards the ceiling.

"You can't blame Wally for what happened between your Mom and Jake, you know."

"I can" Dingo growled back. "He was the reason I was kicked out in the first place."

"Your Mom only wanted what's best for you…" Abby muttered back, sitting up and gazing at him. "I…can understand where she's coming from…" She added delicately. Dingo immediately stiffened, his furious glare locking on her face.

"So what?!" He suddenly yelled, sitting up and glaring at her. "You'd kick me out too? Send me somewhere else? You'd get rid of your own kid?"

"No…" Abby mumbled delicately, reaching out a few fingers and running them down his arm. He blinked, trying as hard as he could not to soften, as he always seemed to when she soothed him like that. "I'm just saying that…well, would you rather live in constant competition with your half brother, or would you rather actually meet Jake, your own dad?"

Her brown eyes locked with his, and he had to look away from the intensity of her stare.

"I do love Jake" He muttered earnestly. "I do, I mean…for the longest time I was convinced he was the only person who could love me, and he was the only person I could love in return."

"He must know you better than anyone else…" Abby mumbled, looking down at her stomach, her eyes quickly filling with tears and a small smile creeping onto her face. "I mean, he caught on faster than anyone else did, right?"

"Yeah" Dingo returned her watery smile, looking down sadly. He sighed deeply, and eventually looked up. He cupped her chin as he gazed at her longingly, his emerald eyes dewy and swimming with emotion.

"I wish you were mine, Abby." He said to her. "I've never wanted anything else as much as I want you…"

Abby sniffed, overcome with tears as her stomach fluttered with every word. Her deep chocolate eyes were overflowing with tears, and she couldn't bring herself to tear her tearstained face away from his own.

"You already have me, Dingo" She whispered back, sniffing. "You know that."

"Nobody else does" He snarled back, frustrated as he pulled his hand away. "I hate that, you know. I can't call you mine."

Abby shook her head, unable to say anything else. Dingo turned to her, frowning.

"Do you think of me, like…differently now?" He mumbled, stiffening nervously. "Now that, you know, Jake and everything?"

Abby shook her head again, looking into his face. "I don't." She muttered. "I'm just a little confused, that's all."

They sat in an awkward silence. Abby eventually sniffed shyly.

"I told my parents."

Dingo pulled her into a hug wordlessly, and Abby relaxed in his warmth. She swallowed, looking into his face and blurting out something she knew he didn't want to hear.

"Dingo, we have to tell her."

Dingo snarled, his eyes flashing ominously in the dark as he growled at her. "No way"

"She's your mother…" Abby mumbled. She remembered how relieved and happy she felt after she eventually told her own mother. The second she was embraced in a hug from her family she knew everything would be okay. She wanted Dingo to feel the same, the closeness to the rest of his family, not the bitterness he always seemed to carry with him.

"Besides…" Abby said carefully. "I think she already knows…"

Dingo's dark eyes sharply met hers, his growing wider. "What? Don't tell me you told her!" He snapped irritably. Abby's own eyes darkened dangerously.

"No, I didn't." She snarled back darkly. "She just spotted me today in the baby section at the mall and I-"

"Wait" Dingo muttered, his eyes narrowing. Abby groaned, knowing that meant danger. He gave her a careful, and as Abby noticed an almost hurt look. "You…went baby shopping? Without me?"

"Well…no" Abby muttered, slightly taken aback. She never knew Dingo to be almost saddened by that statement, she never imagined him as the proud, chirpy, happy traditional parent coming from the 1950's tradition…fussing over what colour the baby toys were, that sort of thing. He looked pissed off. "I was just looking" She muttered, frowning. "You know, thinking and everything."

"When am I going to get involved in my kid's life?" Dingo shot back, annoyed. "You never include me in anything. You're ashamed of me and this kid."

"Stop putting words in my mouth" Abby snarled back, just as fierce. Her pregnancy hormones were starting to get the better of her, as she noticed how quick and exaggerated her emotions had become. "I don't feel that way, and you know it."

Dingo gave her a stern look, snarling slightly and looking away. He slid down slightly to lay on his bed, his eyes to the ceiling. Abby fidgeted slightly, frowning. She knew Dingo was out to make her feel guilty, ever since they started a relationship he'd always fought to have the upper hand, whether it was pouting to make her stay another night or give another kiss, it didn't matter. Abby mostly gave in, but suddenly she turned to him, her own eyes stern and her own concern on her mind.

"Dingo…besides from this, have you always been 100% honest with me?"

Dingo froze, hearing his own heartbeat pound against his ribcage. Honest…yes, he had been completely honest with the girl beside him…Except, of course, for the fact that he had been in and out of jail since he was 15, the small fact he was in a gang, he had been in the drug selling business since he was 16, worked up a notorious reputation for himself and his gang for that reason back in Sydney, has had numerous serious court offences, and the fact that Abby's own brother and law had helped he and his friends commit an international offence by migrating here illegally in the first place. He swallowed the lump in his throat, remembering Jake's fierce warning he had given him before Abby arrived.

"You're bound to her now…" Jake muttered, half smirking and half scowling. "You have to be honest with her, D. It's not just your life and hers you can screw up…"

"No, Babe." Dingo finally muttered, his eyes locking with hers. Guilt pumped through his veins as he added "I'd never lie to you…"

Allie shut off her car with a sense of foreboding, sitting in her driveway and staring up at her house nervously. She had nothing to fear, she knew this, she just didn't know what to feel or what to think…so many things were running through her mind and she didn't know what to do. Jake had kissed her, and even though it seemed like an innocent gesture, at the same time it felt so wrong.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as she thought of Derek, her husband. She knew he'd be home by now from his trip, and she knew she had to explain everything to him- Jake, Dingo…everything finally out. She didn't know whether or not to be relieved, or completely freaked out. Heaving a shaky sigh, she got out of the car and made her way up the damp brick path to the front door, wincing as it began to rain. With a sense of foreboding the climbed the steps, slowly and unsurely stepping across the now rain splattered front porch, and opened her front door.

"Hey Mom!"

Allie jumped as her youngest son bounded down the stairs, brandishing what looked like a small samurai sword around, beaming.

"Look what Dad got me from his trip!"

Allie forced what she hoped was a realistic smile as her eyes widened. She closed the front door behind her and shook off her coat.

"Great" She gave him a stern look. "You be careful with that, Joey-"

"Yeah, yeah." Joey scoffed, his emerald green eyes rolling towards the ceiling. "Whatever, Mom." He walked away, brandishing his new toy with vigorous energy, muttering under his breath in a faint Asian accent, "You killed my mother, you killed my father, and now you come for me…but you will not succeed! Waahhhh-ya!"

Allie sighed again, hugging her sides as she watched Joey skip around the living room excitedly. Maybe Joey already told Derek…maybe he already knew…

"Evening, Beautiful."

She jumped slightly as a pair of familiar arms embraced her from behind, his warm breath sending tingles down her neck as he planted a kiss on her cheek, his arms tightening around her form. Despite her worries, a smile graced her face as she turned, coming face to face with her husband for the first time in weeks.

"Derek" She sighed in composure as she looked up into his hazel eyes, his blond bangs brushing into his face. Her smile widened as he hugged her closer and Allie sighed in composure, her head drooping to his chest. She draped her arms around his neck, welcoming his body warmth. "How was your trip?"

"Long" He grunted, kissing her forehead. "It's good to be home."

"Yeah…" She smiled, her eyes sparkling as she gazed up at her husband. She had missed him, she felt so much better when her entire family was together. It warmed her heart to have her family close by, they were a part of who she was. Derek grinned back at her as they closed the distance between them, pulling his wife into a romantic kiss.

"Ugh, gross!"

They broke apart and turned to Joey, who was sticking his tongue out at his parents, his nose wrinkled. "Public displays of affection…" He snarled, smirking. "Ew!"

Derek smirked at him. "Bed, Joey."

Joey rolled his eyes in annoyance, but sighed in defeat anyway. "Fine" He muttered, bounding up the stairs with his present. His parents watched him go.

"And be careful with that!" Derek yelled after him up the stairs. Allie rolled her own eyes.

"I can't believe you got him that…" She tutted, her arms folding protectively. Derek sniggered at her, his embrace tightening around her form.

"I guess I'm weak like that." He grinned at her, nuzzling his nose against her neck. "Anyway, how have you been?"

The familiar cold, nervous butterflies returned to her stomach as Allie's eyes widened, remembering. She bit her lip, turning back to her husband with a foreboding feeling in her chest.

"Oh, I'm…fine." She murmured off-handedly. "Actually, Derek, there's something I need to talk to you about-"

He leaned forward and slowly began to kiss her exposed neck, leaving trails of light kisses along her skin. Allie paused, the tight feeling in her chest disappearing with every securing show of affection. She closed her eyes, remembering what she had to do, but thoughts of Jake immediately disappeared when Derek pulled her into a tighter loving embrace, his lips going to her ear.

"Can't it wait?" He cooed into her ear. Allie shivered, but with a new found feeling. She nodded as the couple kissed once again.

"Yeah…" Allie muttered, smiling. "It can wait."

Mushi awoke with a start, a gasp caught in her throat as she jolted out of her nightmare, her eyes rolling in their sockets as she tried to remember where she was. She gripped the stiff white sheets beneath her as she settled back into her pillow, a frown still etched in her face. She rolled over carefully, cautiously, and bit back another startled gasp as she saw who was beside her.

Trent (Jack) was spread out next to her, lying limply on his side as if he had simply collapsed there. His lips were agape and he was snoring slightly, a small stream of drool escaping his lips and pooling onto the pillow. A muscular arm was thrown over her protectively and she watched the rest of his form rise and fall with his snores, the tattoos on his torso and arms seemed to snarl at her menacingly in the red light of dawn. She gulped, twitching under his limp, heavy arm. He growled in his sleep, frowning and twitching. She froze, almost feeling as though she was poking a sleeping lion, but Trent stilled again and returned to his heavy snores. Mushi let out a small sigh of relief. She still wasn't sure about her new abode, and the stranger she was now living with still scared her slightly.

She slipped out of bed quickly and smoothly and stood, rotating her head curiously. She quickly picked up a random sweatshirt from a pile of clothes on the floor and slipped it on, her toes curling on the cold floorboards. She walked over, watching the still snoring figure out of the corner of her eye, and gently pressed on the bedroom door, opening it cautiously. She frowned, hearing music- the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar mixed with the voice of a seemingly drunk vocalist.

"…I tried so hard just to get through to you,
But your head's so far
from the realness of truth…"

She frowned, her curious face poking out into the hallway and cautiously stepping out, closing the door gently behind her. She tiptoed into the kitchen, following the quiet music as it steadily got louder and clearer.

"…Was it just a come on in the dark
Wasn't meant to last long…
I think you've worn your welcome honey,
I'll just see you along,
As I sing you this song…"

Mushi's wide bright blue eyes poked out from behind the wall as she snuck a look into the kitchen, where the music was coming from. She frowned.

A figure was spread out across the counter on his stomach, singing along to the words of the song playing in the background. He jilted his head to the words as he mixed a huge bowl of batter, stopping every few strokes to pull the spatula out and watch the brown batter drip back into the bowl. Mushi noticed he was tall and muscular, with broad shoulders (probably double of her own) and shaggy jet black hair, crushed under a hunting hat. He was dressed in a long baggy pair of grey sweatpants with a dark navy singlet, which showed his muscular arms and chest, adorned with many symbols and shapes of black and blue ink. She was so startled by the figure that she stood staring as he mumbled along the rest of the verse calmly, swaying his head to the rhythm as he stirred.

"…Time can pass slowly,
things always change
You day's been numbered
And I've read your last page
You was just a temporary lover
Honey you ain't the first
Lots of others came before you woman
Said but you been the worst
…Sa' you been the worst…"

Mushi swallowed, eventually pushing herself out of her hiding place and into view. He looked up, his sharp dark blue eyes locking with hers suspiciously. She stiffened, her heart racing. Suddenly his face broke into a large grin at the prospect of meeting someone knew, and he pushed himself up eagerly off the bench, stumbling to his feet awkwardly.

"Hi!" He greeted, bounding towards her. She stepped back, apprehensive. He didn't seem to notice as he grabbed her hand anyway. "I'm Bandit!"

"I'm…Mushi" She mumbled back as Bandit released her hand. She yanked it back stiffly, unsure of what to do next. The two gazed at each other in slight awe for several long seconds before Bandit's eyes widened curiously at her, reminding Mushi of an apprehensive 4 year old boy.

Mushi… He thought to himself vaguely. I know that name from somewhere…

He took notice of the fearful expression on her face, and smirked.

"You know…" He mumbled to her. "I don't bite."

"I know" She muttered back, completely stumped at what to say. "I…I'm…Jack's friend, I'm staying here."

Bandit frowned, his eyes narrowing. "Jack's friend?"

Mushi nodded, her fear returning. "Y-yeah."

Bandit's frown deepened as he gazed at the trembling girl in front of him. He knew Trent, he especially knew how impulsive and almost stupid Trent could be when he screws around with a girl. He felt himself stiffen at Trent's own code name, knowing there was a specific reason he only wanted Mushi to know him by that…and now she was here… She didn't recognize him, and he didn't recognize her. He rolled his eyes carefully and shook his head, his familiar grin returning as he grabbed the young girl's hand.

"C'mon" He smirked at her. "Do you want breakfast? I just made some!"

She stumbled along as he skipped off back to the counter, vaulting onto the surface with ease and gesturing to his bowl. It was Mushi's turn to frown suspiciously, looking into the glass bowl.

"Is that…"

"Brownie Mix!" Bandit beamed at her excitedly, licking at the chocolate covered spatula gleefully. He licked his lips and held it out to her. "Want some?"

"Uh…no thanks." Mushi mumbled, a gentle grin suddenly tugging at her lips. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled, but looking up into Bandit's gleaming navy eyes made her want to match his wide grin. "I think I'll make my own, thanks."

"Suit yourself." Bandit shrugged, licking at his fingers. "We do have cookie dough too, you know."

"Cookie dough?" Mushi repeated, her smile widening. "Seriously?"

"Yeah…" Bandit muttered, almost pouting. His wide eyes looked solemn. "We've run out of Lucky Charms though…that's gay."

Mushi smirked, Bandit's hyperactivity contagious. "You could say it's…oobergaytasticle!"

Bandit paused, frowning as he looked up, his eyes wide. Mushi blushed as Bandit smirked, muttering an unintelligible "Huh?"

"Well…" Mushi blushed. "It's like…gay…as in, bad…but…really gay…tasticle!"

Bandit chewed thoughtfully on his spatula, giving the girl a strange look.

"So…you just make up words just randomly to suit everyday situations?"

Mushi sighed, suddenly feeling stupid. "Well, yeah."

Bandit perked up, his own grin returning. "Awesomesauce!"

Mushi laughed, and suddenly she felt her heart lift as she accepted Bandit's offering of Brownie batter for breakfast. It seemed to Bandit that here was the first person to ever understand his constant excitement and hyperactivity.

"You know…I like you already, Mushmonster."

Mushi smirked, chocolate smeared across her lips.

I think I could get used to this…

Abby winced as she stumbled out of Dingo's bedroom, the bright morning sun singing her eyes and the crisp morning air causing her to shiver. She wrapped one of Dingo's black jackets around her form and ran a hand through her hair, frowning as she made out the blurry image of Dodge smirking at her from the kitchen table.

"Morning, Abby" He grinned at her lazily from over his coffee. "Do I have to do the 'walk of shame' chant?"

Abby rolled her eyes at Dodge, giving him an exasperated sigh as she hugged Dingo's jacket closer to her body. She raised her own eyebrows at Dodge, who was sitting in front of her wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and a too-confident smirk.

"What about you?" She muttered back, giving him a sly smirk. "Telltale bed hair."

Dodge's own cheeks went a dull pink as a nervous hand jumped to his chestnut hair, which had been teased and knotted due to his night with his girl. He glared at her, his warm blue eyes narrowing jokingly. He liked Abby, and could understand why Dingo was so keen on her.

"Ha Ha, Abs." He grinned at her, but his smile faltered as he watched her get herself together, fixing her hair and gathering her stuff. "Leaving so soon?"

"Have to" Abby muttered back, heaving a deep sigh. "Got a lot to do…"

"Right" Dodge smirked. "You should stay, you could meet my girlfriend."

Abby gave him a shy smirk, her deep chocolate brown eyes apologetic. "I'm sure she's a total gem, Dodge." She gave him a look, which caused Dodge to judge on whether she was teasing him or not. "But I have to finish off the last of my assignment."

Dodge rolled his eyes as she disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. As soon as she did his own door opened, and Fanny stepped out, her eyes sleepy and her hair a mess but yet, fully clothed. Dodge's eyes widened.

"Hey!" He snarled, his arms folding across his chest. He gave her a stern look, his blue eyes cold. "What's wrong with this picture?"

Fanny rolled her eyes at him, blushing under his gaze as she slowly made her way over guiltily, straightening her skirt as she went. Dodge growled at her.

"Get those clothes off, Missy!" He scolded her, his eyes narrowing. She snickered, pulling her jacket on over her shirt.

"I have to go" She explained to him earnestly, trying to ignore his pout. "I wish I could stay, but-"

"Fine" Dodge scowled, his eyes rolling. "But-" He snuck towards her, his eyes mischevious. "I'll only let you go…under one condition."

Fanny's eyes narrowed suspiciously as Dodge crept towards her, his arms encasing around her waist. He dropped his demeanor as she looked up at him, her wide eyes causing his stomach to drop and throat to go dry. She seemed too perfect to him, even when she'd just woken up, her face clear of makeup and her hair teased and knotted; she still looked as beautiful as she did last night. She smiled at him, a small blush appearing on her cheeks as he watched her with those wide, crystal blue eyes.

"What's that?" She asked, her arms wrapping around his own waist. He smirked at her.

"I can't believe I'm saying this…" He muttered, groaning. "But…I want you to meet me tonight, at the garage."

"The garage?" She frowned. "Why?"

Dodge shrugged, doubts already flying into his mind. "Just…something of a date…" His icy blue eyes locked with hers nervously. "That is…if you want to…"

"Of course" Fanny smirked at him. "And thanks, by the way…for meeting-"

"I've had worse" Dodge muttered, his eyes wide. "A couple have included a shotgun, you can't beat that."

"I can try" She smirked, pulling him into a kiss. Dodge accepted, his hands sliding down her back and gripping her butt in the process. She squealed, pulling away laughing. As she grinned at him, a sudden thought entered her mind. "By the way…" She muttered, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. "I was just wondering- no biggie, or anything…" She looked down at the floor, suddenly nervous. "My…my friend, well, she's getting married soon and everyone was invited, you know, to the ceremony, and she said I could bring a guest so…" She looked up, her eyes wide. "Did you, you know, want to…come?"

Dodge smirked sheepishly. "I've never really been to anything that formal, before."

Fanny shrugged. "Neither have I, really. I don't really fit in, or anything-"

"Well as long as I don't fit in with you…" Dodge muttered, sniggering. "Then yeah, sure Babe."

Fanny beamed at him, unable to hold in her sudden excitement. She'd never been in a relationship like this before, and she'd never had anyone to bring out as well. She was nervous about telling her friends, but at the same time she was excited. She couldn't resist but bring him into another passionate kiss, jumping on him in the process. The romance was short lived when she opened her eye to spot the time on her watch.

"I gotta go!" She muttered, blushing. "Put me down."

Dodge pouted. "Aw…"

She glared at him, smirking.

"Fine" He sighed, putting her down. She pulled him into a quick hug as she walked to the door, opening it. She scrunched her lips in sudden hesitation, and turned back to him. He smirked at her, and she suddenly blurted it out.

"I…Love you."

His face showed a quick flash of mild surprise before she shut the door quickly, rushing down the hall without looking back. Her face felt as though it was on fire and she gritted her teeth in angry annoyance.

'Idiot, Fanny!' She thought to herself. 'Stupid, Stupid, Stupid-'

Dodge stared, blinking at the closed door, an unfamiliar feeling entering his chest. He suddenly grinned as Abby opened the bathroom door, her face newly made up and her hair pulled into a loose side ponytail. Dodge shook himself out of his stupor.

"You really have to go?" he muttered, still slightly dazed. "I have to deal with him when you leave, you know."

"Then I'd escape soon if I were you…" She muttered back, smiling shyly. She looked down at the jacket she was wearing, one of Dingo's favourites. It was only one size too big, and it felt so warm and snug against her, but she regretfully pulled it off, knowing she shouldn't take his things.

"Listen, Abs…" Dodge muttered carefully, frowning. He had to know, he couldn't bear to see his friend in such a position if it wasn't worth it. Abby was fantastic, but she wasn't worth it if-

"I gotta know…" He mumbled, leaning against the wall behind him. Abby seemed to flinch, she wasn't used to seeing Dodge looking so serious. He groaned, kicking the wall behind him, his eyes stern. "Do you seriously love Dingo? I mean…really?"

Abby frowned at him, slightly affronted. "I- B- Dodge-"

"I just gotta know…" He muttered, frowning. "I know you're pregnant, I know you guys had your little fling beforehand, and I know his appeal to you, especially coming from the relationship with his brother…" He sighed. "But, aside from that, Abby, do you seriously love him…for who he is and…whoever he turns out to be?"

Abby tilted her head, Dodge's words hitting her like a ton of stone. She knew his words, she had been asked the same thing, from Cree, from her own mother…she had asked herself the same thing over and over for a long time, and every time she had come up with the same answer.

"Dodge..." Abby looked up, her deep eyes wide and earnest. Nobody could deny that look, it was so intense and deep her promises seemed solid. "No matter how much I try I can't…physically…stop loving him." A small, shy smile appeared on her lips. "And, I know I've tried, but I can't help it…I can't help that I love him more than anything in the world…and it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do…"

"I know the feeling, Abs." Dodge smirked at her. "By the way, I'd keep the jacket if I were you."

Abby's expression morphed into one of confusion as she looked down. Her baby bump was clearly visible under her tight blue shirt with her black tights. She bit her lip and grabbed Dingo's hoodie again, zipping it up so it hid her stomach.

"When you gonna come clean?"

"I'm working on it…" Abby muttered, and it was half-true. She wanted more than anything to move away and never have to face the growing issue ever again, but she knew this was virtually impossible. Her family insisted she come clean soon, as it wasn't safe for her to walk around hiding her pregnancy, it caused too much stress on her and she was running out of excuses. She knew putting it off made it worse, but she knew her courage was secretly growing…she'd find the right time sooner or later.

She shook her head, sighing. "Anyways, I'll see you later, Dodge."

Dodge pulled her into a hug as she passed, snickering into her ear.

"You're practically family now, Abs." He joked with her, rubbing his fist into her hair and saying, as Aussie- like as possible, "Catch'ya lata', Mate."

Wallabee opened his eyes and sleepily tried to make out the bright neon red lights that told him the time. He growled as he withdrew his arm from the warmth of his bed to swat at the now bleeping digital clock. He hit it once, twice, three times- and with a rough pull completely yanked the alarm clock out of the wall. It finally silenced. With a slight groan he dragged himself out of bed, pulling on one of his familiar orange hoodies and yawning.

As he stumbled into the kitchen, he blinked in sudden alarm, sure he was still dreaming.

"What the crud?"

A girl was sitting on their couch calmly, a few early-rising dormies casting her wide eyed, awed looks as they passed. She had a bowl of cereal in her hands and was dressed in nothing but, from what Wally could tell, was his friend's navy blue sweatshirt. She looked up at him sweetly, her wide brown eyes smeared with leftover eyeshadow and eyeliner.

"What?" She sneered. "There's still some cereal left."

Wallabee frowned, immediately recognizing her. One of the girls at the club…he could tell by her slathered on tan, her chopped shoulder length brown hair and her innocent demeanor. He growled, crossing his arms over his chest and snarling at the girl, who had turned her attention back to cartoons.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He growled at her, frowning.

Bonny scoffed, her mouth dropping open as she turned to him. She suddenly smirked slyly, rising to her feet and placing her hand on her slender hips. Wally issued her with a careful, cautious glare, stepping back awkwardly. Hoagie's sweatshirt only just reached upper thigh, and she didn't look as though she was wearing anything underneath.

"Feisty, feisty." She teased him, her voice almost lecturing. She grinned. "You're more like your brother than you think, you know."

"Shutup" Wallabee snarled at her, growling. "You have no business being here, get out."

Bonny sneered, a sarcastic scoff escaping her throat. "For your information, I have more business here than you think." She smirked and, with a flip of her hair, flounced off towards his best friend's room, swaggering as she went. Wallabee growled, watching her go with venom in his eyes as she entered the room he knew was his best friend's, closing it sharply behind her.

Allie gazed out of her kitchen window blankly, basking in the warm sunlight that was streaming through the window. She nursed her cup of tea gratefully in her hands, letting the steam warm her lips as she attempted to figure out what she should say to her husband. Now was the time, and she knew deep within her heart she couldn't keep it in any longer. She knew her responsibilities; it wasn't fair to live up to them.

"Mom…Mom…Mom!"

She jumped; her eyes wide as she turned to the yells of Joey, who was giving her a strange look as he sat at the counter.

"Sorry" She muttered, shaking her head lightly. "What is it, Joey?"

"Is it okay if I go hang out with my friends?" He asked her, smirking. "We were going to go to the mall and play some videogames at the arcade."

Secretly, he was ready for a top secret mission at KND Moonbase, but of course he wasn't ready to tell his own mother that.

"Sure, Joey." She muttered. "Of course you can, go have fun."

Joey gave her a quick hug goodbye before he bounded out the door with a "Bye Dad!" and a second later, Derek walked into the kitchen. He still looked sleepy, though his golden hair was damp from his shower. Allie stiffened, her palms already damp.

"Morning" He muttered to her gruffly as he kissed her lightly on the cheek. She bit her lip as he yawned, grabbing the pot of coffee on the counter and pouring himself a cup. "It's cold this morning."

"It is…" She mumbled back, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. "So…did you sleep well?"

"Best sleep I've had in ages" He smirked back, giving her a knowing wink. "It's good to be home again."

"Yeah…" Allie muttered, swallowing the lump that already seemed to be forming in her throat. "Uh, listen-"

"So what's been happening?" Derek asked her with interest, leaning on the counter and grabbing the morning paper. "Anything new?"

"Uh…" Allie drew in a shaky breath. "Well…there has been a few things…actually, um-"

Before she could blurt it out, she jumped as the phone rang sharply and Derek made a move to get it, but Allie stopped him.

"Just leave it" She muttered, her eyes wide. "This is important, Derek."

He frowned but withdrew his hand, hearing the urgency in his wife's voice. Allie sighed deeply, trying to form the right words in her mind as the ringer automatically transferred to the answering machine.

"Uh…well, you see-"

"Please leave a message after the tone."

Allie sighed again, the nerves in her stomach twisting and turning as her eyes met with her husband's. She took a deep breath-

"Hey Allie it's…well you know who it is…Anyways we have to talk about what happened yesterday, because now this shit is really fucked up, if you know what I'm saying…There's more than you think in this, and I really gotta talk to you, Allie…By the way you didn't tell me when Derek was coming back. That would be pretty freakin' awkward, ya know, did you call him up n' tell him I was here? Anyway you knew I wouldn't be calling if it wasn't urgent, Allie, so you know it is. We have to talk. Same place? Bye."

The house was filled with a thick silence, the only sound being the dial tone on the machine as Jake hung up. Allie's mouth fell open as it all seemed to crash down around her, and all she could manage to do was swallow and look up into her husband's now furious face.

"Uh…" She managed to issue him a small, shy smile. "Jake's back?"

Hoagie opened his eyes groggily, looking around the room with faint confusion. He didn't remember how he got to his bedroom; all he knew was that he was now in it. He groaned again, his head throbbing as he looked over at the time on his nightstand- 9:22am. He ran his hands through his hair and sat up, quickly wondering where his clothes went. He frowned as he looked down at his naked, pale chest. A small ripped piece of paper had slid down his torso from where someone had placed it oh-so delicately on his chest. He frowned, blinking a couple of times so he could make out the flirty scribble.

Thanks for a great night!
Anytime,
xxxxx

Below the scribble was a phone number, followed by a kiss mark, the paper stained with the deep plum lipstick mark. He smirked as he realised the lipstick was scented, giving off the faint scent of berries.

So that's what the smell was.

He settled back into his pillow, the paper still locked firmly in his hand as he gazed at his wrinkled bed sheets, a smirk spreading onto his face as he slowly fell back into a deep slumber.

"Gross profit equals sales minus cost of goods sold…net profit equals gross profit minus expenses…"

Kuki looked straight ahead at the opposite wall of the library, muttering her formulas to herself. Beside her was Rachel, going over her history notes and secretly sneaking crispy M&M's from her pencil case. Across from her was Fanny, reading over her notes from yesterday and adding corrections to her essay on Sylvia Plath poetry. Next to her was Abby, her chin propped up with her palm as she read over her notes that she'd copied out onto her laptop. It was a regular, dull study session for the four girlfriends, only broken a few minutes later by Abby snapping her laptop shut and sighing, her head resting on the closed screen. Rachel looked over, smirking.

"Had enough, Abs?"

"Enough to last me the entire week" Abby mumbled back, her voice muffled by her sleeve.

Rachel smirked proudly, zipping up her pencil case and stacking her books neatly, her hazel eyes wide. "Do I propose a study break?"

"As long as it lasts for the entire day" Kuki grinned back, closing her own folder. "I'm in!"

Rachel turned to her redhead friend. "What about you, Fanny? Had enough?"

"Definitely" She muttered, throwing down her pen. "I'm done. Where do you want to go?"

"I'm hungry…" Abby mumbled, a hand going to her stomach. Rachel smirked at her, a light giggle escaping her lips.

"You're always hungry, Abs! It's amazing how you have such a great figure."

Abby flushed a deep crimson, a shy smirk hiding the fact her stomach was doing nervous flip-flops.

"I'm hungry too" Kuki said, chewing on the end of her pen. Fanny spoke up.

"I start work in an hour." She muttered, shrugging. "You guys feel like going to the diner?"

"Sounds like a plan" Rachel grinned. "Do they feel like making waffles at lunchtime?"

Fanny rolled her eyes as they stood, throwing their things in their bags and tucking their books under their arms. "Breakfast- 24/7. It's what the diner's known for."

Mushi stared at the movie in front of her with slight confusion and interest as she plunged her hand into the bowl of popcorn once more, her hand now slathered with butter. Bandit was beside her, thrilled at finding someone who loved scary movies as much as him. The pair had barely made it through breakfast when Bandit had decided that this girl was not like the traditional bimbos that seemed to bunk with them.

"So…I don't get it…" Mushi mumbled, chewing. "Where are they going?"

"To Darwin" Bandit explained, throwing more popcorn in his mouth. "Then they're going to Cairns."

"And where is…"

"To get to Darwin you have to go through this whole heap of desert and follow a highway, 'cuz it's a capital city n' all, and all you meet along the way is alotta' semis. Then you have to go around the border to the top of the country which is Cape York, the top of Queensland."

"And Queensland is-"

"Another state" Bandit grinned at her mockingly. "You don't need to know this stuff, they aren't gonna make it anyway."

Mushi nodded, and settled down to watching the rest of the movie. For once she actually felt like it was her own home, or a friend's home she was visiting, not the stranger's apartment she was being forced to reside in. As she reached for more popcorn, she felt more and more relaxed…but steadily more terrified as she realised the three protagonists in the gore film they were watching did not have a charming Australian vacation ahead of them. She perked up with interest, however, at seeing the bad guy.

"He's wearing a blue tank top" She pointed out, turning to Dingo. "The same one you're wearing."

Bandit snarled at her, snickering. "It isn't a tank top" He smirked proudly. "It's a blue singlet, and it's an Aussie custom."

"But the bad guy's wearing one."

Bandit shrugged. "He's gotta be one of my favourite villains…the creepiest, most awesome laugh I've ever heard. True accent, too."

As the morning wore on, so did the movie. Mushi became steadily more sick and scared, grabbing Bandit's arm and gasping midway through.

"Oh" Bandit grinned at her, excited. "This is the best part!"

The dark atmosphere, the creepy, suspenseful music, the protagonist almost looking too safe…then-

"RAWR!"

Both of them screamed and jumped, Mushi throwing the popcorn in the air and Bandit gripping her form tightly. They paused, looking around with their hearts pounding in their ears. Hollie was standing behind them, doubling over with laughter.

"HOLLIE!" Bandit hollered at her, furious. "DO NOT SCARE ME LIKE THAT!"

Hollie snickered, casually picking out a piece of popcorn from her hair and chewing it gleefully. "I couldn't resist" She smirked. "What are you guys watching?"

"Wolf Creek" Bandit muttered awkwardly. Mushi was still trembling. "Until you wrecked it."

"Oh, as if" Hollie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Besides, don't you have somewhere to be?"

Bandit glared at her. "Not until-" He checked the timee. "-Oh, right."

Hollie shot him a knowing look.

Bandit groaned and vaulted over the couch, grabbing his hoodie off the floor as he went. Hollie turned to the girl on the couch, her eyes narrowing.

"So..." She smirked. "You're Trent's new pet, huh?"

Mushi frowned, confused. "W-what? What are you talking about?"

Hollie grinned, her eyebrows rising gleefully. "You'll find out soon enough."

With that, she giggled. Just then the door opened to reveal Bonny, her shirt askew and attempting to flatten her hair.

"Why, hello" Hollie greeted mockingly. "Aren't you a bit late?"

Bonny rolled her eyes at her friend, smirking. "Maybe I am" She muttered back, her tongue between her teeth. "It was a big evening, after all."

"Oo" Hollie leaned forward across the table eagerly. "Do tell?"

Bonny frowned, looking over towards the couch curiously. "And that is…?"

"Who knows..." Hollie muttered back. "Anyway, continue."

Bonnie smirked, flicking her hair sweetly. "Well…"

"I'm off!" Bandit bounded through the apartment and towards the front door. "See ya!" Mushi looked after him with a feeling of mild sadness. Bandit was fun, for a while he made her forget that she was only a stranger in this household. She looked down at the empty bowl of popcorn sadly.

"What are you doing?"

Mushi looked up, alarmed, as 'Jack' stood over her, his cold grey eyes narrowed and his hands on his hips. She swallowed, shrugging her slim shoulders.

"I was just watching a movie…" She muttered, feeling almost angry at his suspicious glare. His gaze seemed to soften, however, and he gave her a careful look, examining her closely.

"Okay…" He muttered, dropping his gaze. "Listen, I have to…" He rolled his eyes, pondering. "Go…do some stuff, okay?"

"Right…" Mushi muttered. "Why are you telling me?"

He grinned eagerly. "'Cuz I can't leave you alone!" He nodded towards Bonny and Hollie, who were still in a heated conversation about last night's events. "Good luck with those two."

Hollie perked up and suddenly bounded forward eagerly, a tube of liquid eyeliner in one hand and a scary looking eyelash curler in the other.

"MAKEOVERS!"

"You should have told me."

"But I was just about to-"

"You should have said something."

"I wanted to but-"

"You should have fucking said something Allison!"

Allie winced, gnawing on her tongue to prevent the flood of words that seemed to be forming in her throat. Derek was livid, his hazel eyes darkening to a deep, dark brown and his hands clenched into fists, held at his sides. He twitched with pure anger, his brother's voice still ringing in his ears. He felt violated and strangely sick, among the prominent feeling of fury that was now pumping through his system. Allie sighed, trying again.

"It's not what it looks like" She explained, her eyes wide and pleading. "I didn't ask him to come-"

"Oh, Really?" Derek snarled at her. "But the second he does show up, he goes straight to you." His eyes narrowed into small slits. "Or did you go to him?"

"It isn't like that!" Allie suddenly hollered, stamping her foot in annoyance. Her face flushed angrily. "I'm not seventeen years old anymore, Derek!"

"Really? Because you're acting like it." Derek hissed back. Allie's livid eyes widened.

"ME?! More like you!" She yelled back furiously. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, eventually opening her eyes again. "Look…" She growled, folding her arms calmly. "Me and Jake have a history, and that's not about to go away just like that. I went to talk to him about Dingo, Derek. Nothing else."

"How can you expect me to be okay with that?" Derek spat back at her, seething. "You think fucking around with my little brother is something I can just get over?!"

"You know I would take it back if I could..." Allie mumbled with defeat. "But I can't, and I have a responsibility to him-"

"Responsibility to HIM?!" Derek hollered, his eyes wide and enraged. His muscles tightened and he was breathing heavily, tensing as he loomed over her. "HIM? What about ME?! You're my WIFE!"

"I KNOW!" Allie yelled back, matching his volume. Furious tears were now forming in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. "But what about Dingo, hmm? What's he supposed to do?"

Derek gave a furious, exasperated groan, stamping his food against the hard floorboards as he threw his hands up in the air.

"He's in his goddamn 20's Allison! You gave him up YEARS ago! We were fucking DONE with him and the drama Jake caused! It's ANCIENT HISTORY ALLISON!"

"It's not ancient history!" Allie screamed back, sniffing. She refused to break down into sobs, instead remained tall and strong with a trail of tears down her face. "I-I thought I could forget about him but I can't! He's my child!"

"And he's my nephew, Allison." Derek snarled back with venom. He folded his arms stubbornly across his chest. "You know how much it kills me to see him as that? Huh?"

Allie sniffed, but her eyes never left his. "Not as much as it kills me not being there as his mother…" She muttered back, shaking her head with despair. "I have to see him, I have to be with him…I have to see Jake, I can't let this go and act as though it never happened. It isn't fair to Jake, and it isn't fair to Dingo. He needs the truth."

Derek turned back to her, his hands tight, tense fists. "You want the truth?!" He snarled viciously, folding his arms rightly across his body. "Jake's an idiot! He still acts like he hasn't left the AC/DC concert he was BORN IN!"

The couple was engulfed with silence, Derek's furious deep breaths and Allie's silent tears being the only indication of life between them.

"Fuck, Allison" Derek suddenly growled, his brown eyes flashing angrily. Allie stiffened. She wasn't used to hearing him swear, it took a lot to make her husband swear like that. He walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, his eyes glaring at her furiously, but at the same time pleadingly.

"Don't go to him" he muttered to her sharply, his chest rising and falling with heavy breathing. His own upset gaze locked on her own. "That'll just seem like…Jake won, you know? You may have married me but Jake's still got you right where he wants you."

Allie sighed, her eyes sad. "Jake doesn't want me…" She muttered. "Really, Derek…he isn't a threat to you, I love you and you know that."

"It isn't the point" Derek snarled back. "We loved each other back then, and look what happened over one little mistake."

"It wasn't just one little mistake." Allie growled back, her own eyes narrowing. "I realise what I did was wrong, not just with Jake but with Dingo too. I shouldn't have dumped him like that-"

"You shouldn't blame yourself for-"

"I'm his mother!" Allie spat back, her eyes wide. "Who could have more blame?!"

"It's in the past, Allison!" Derek gripped her shoulders, his eyes pleading. "We took care of it, you don't have to go back to that. Don't go to him…" He looked deep into her eyes. "Please, don't go."

Allison hesitated, her mind working. No logical reason could change it, nor any reasonable excuse. She raised her hands and gently pushed her husband away, Jake's words still ringing clear in her mind.

We have to talk.

"I'm sorry, Derek…" She murmured softly, her eyes downcast as more tears formed. She sniffed, and quickly grabbed her handbag from the hall table. She turned to him, and tried to ignore that lost, infuriated look on his face. "I'll be back."

The four friends sat together in the Grandstand at their local oval, a residential sports area in their neighbourhood that they used frequently as their own meeting place. Not many visited it, and already they had claimed it as their own. They were only 15, but old enough to intimidate and scare people.

They were still clad in their school uniforms…or what was left of them. Bandit's navy tie was wrapped around his head, which was now becoming almost a ritual with him lately. Dodge's white shirt was unbuttoned, exposing the black singlet underneath, Trent's shirt was completely off and was instead wearing his trademark white wifebeater, and Dingo was busy drawing new patterns on the ripped knee of his jeans with a black permanent marker. They were 15 years old, halfway through year 9 at their local high school and skipping the afternoon detention they had been issued the day before. Dingo's idea.

"My dad's gonna kill me if he finds out." Dodge scowled at him, narrowing his dark eyes at his friend. Dingo shrugged, passing the cigarette back to Bandit.

"Just stay at mine." He said. "Dad won't care."

"Yeah right." Dodge muttered, his eyebrows disappearing into his long brown hair. "You sure your dad aint sick of me yet?"

"Nah" Dingo grinned cockily. "You're like the good brother I never had, whenever he knows you're comin' round he always orders pizza, or sumthin'. Whenever you don't I have to tolerate the 'experiments' he calls recipes."

Bandit cackled with laughter, but Dodge gave his friend a stern look.

"Ya Dad's alright, Dingo." He muttered. "You know that right?"

"Yeah" Dingo nodded, grinning to himself. "He's all I got."

Bandit twitched suddenly on his perch, shaking the fence slightly. He scowled at the group of kids who were on the other side of the field, looking their way.

"WHAT?" He yelled, raising his arms. "WHAT KIDDIES? HUH?"

"Bando." Dodge scowled in irritation. "They're children."

"So?!" Bandit snapped back, narrowing his eyes at the 'children', who turned back to their huddle. "They're starin' at us!"

Dingo rolled his eyes at his friend and scoffed. "What? Afraid they'll bite ya?"

Bandit rolled his eyes as his he pushed himself off the railing and instead planted himself next to Dodge, lighting a fresh cigarette and issuing them with a growl.

"You going to Chantelle's party tonight?" Trent asked them proudly, smirking. "Guess who is?"

"Oh shut up" Bandit snarled, rolling his eyes. "You know I'm grounded."

"Naw." Dingo pouted in mock sympathy. "Poor you"

Bandit made a random swipe at him but missed, Dingo's quick reflexes proving the better of Bandit's quick punch. Dingo smirked back in triumph, his tongue between his teeth.

"Don't worry" He muttered, still smirking. "I'm grounded this weekend too, this time Dad's serious."

"Really?" Dodge frowned. "What for?"

Dingo growled, looking ashamed as he looked towards the floor of the grandstand. He sneered moodily as he answered. "He caught me with his stash again, he keeps telling me he hates me doing it, but he does it too! It's freakin' stupid."

"He's only trying to look out for you." Dodge muttered, his eyebrows raised. Dingo snarled.

"Yeah, I know, it just pisses me off how he acts so self-rightous about it…" He bit his lip. "I know he's right, that's why I hate it so much."

The four friends sat in silence, hearing nothing but the autumn winds whistling around them and the sound of the kids at the other end of the oval talking and giggling with each other. Trent eventually sighed, leaning forward and stamping both feet onto the floor.

"I gotta ask, D." Trent eventually muttered, giving Dingo a cautious look. "Why do you hate your Dad so much?"

Dingo looked alarmed, blinking his eyes in mild amazement. "I don't hate my Dad."

"Yeah you do" Bandit muttered with interest. "You're always saying you…you know, you hate him and that."

"Not my dad" Dingo snarled dangerously. "The…mmm…" He growled, his eyes flashing. "Don' worry."

"Nah" Trent perked up, his eyes wide. "What?"

"C'mon D" Bandit smirked. "You can tell us."

Dingo twisted his lips viciously, but eventually turned to Dodge for silent support. Dodge shrugged, giving him a small smile.

"I hate my uncle…" Dingo eventually snarled, looking furious. "Like…he's my uncle but he's also my stepdad."

"Wait..." Trent frowned. "I'm confused."

"My family tree's fucked, to put it blankly." Dingo muttered, looking solemn. "Basically my mum was…like…well…" He played with the hole of his jeans, his eyes downcast. "My dad said she was like, really pretty, and they met when he was hitchikin' round the US, when he was only 16…she was only 17, or somethin'…anyways they met n' kinda hit it off…" He paused, wrinkling his nose with slight disgust. "And then…I was born."

The three friends paused, digesting this newfound information.

"So…" Bandit shrugged, tilting his head. "What's the big deal?"

Dingo swallowed, and as he looked up his eyes were angry. "My mum…it turned out she was married to my dad's brother, and they hadn't spoken in so long because he pissed off to the US when he got a decent education. My mum and him had split up the engagement when he cheated on her so she got into a relationship with my dad…but she didn't expect me…and my dad didn't know and…well, basically I was left with an uncle and stepdad who hated me and my mum."

"Heavy."

"Yeah…" He muttered, his eyes darkening dangerously. He looked pissed off, furious. The guys wondered if they'd ever seen him look so angry, even the time he got an F on his geography assignment. "I fucking hate him so much."

They hesitated, and only Bandit was brave enough to eventually ask why.

Dingo hesitated, looking away and gnawing on his bottom lip. Only his dad knew this, and he wasn't brave enough to draw attention to himself to tell anyone else, in fact it was embarrassing, and showed weakness. He hated that. But as he looked around his small but reliable group of friends, he realised with a sinking heart that they had all revealed to him their own secrets, he should feel secured to do the same. He took a deep breath and turned back, his emerald eyes now flaming.

"My Mum sent me here" He growled, narrowing his eyes. "'Cuz…'Cuz he hated me and…thought I was a threat to their kid…my brother-slash-cousin." He swallowed as his palms suddenly felt damp. His heart thudded in his chest and pounded against his ribs. He sighed shakily and looked up, his expression unreadable. "And he hit me."

The three friends were silent at Dingo's confession. Of course, none of them were unfamiliar with the concept of violence within a household- especially with Dodge's constant half-hearted excuses and Trent's issues, but Dingo- their perfect ruler and leader…they never thought he was at the same level.

Trent swallowed.

"You serious?"

"Yeah" Dingo muttered back, his cheeks flushing. "I had the scar until I was eight."

"What'd he do?"

"Lost his temper and threw me into a wall. I was 2, fucking prick."

"Dickhead…"

"Yeah…"

Another silence.

"Dad hates him for it…" Dingo muttered furiously under his breath, lighting another cigarette. "I guess my Mum must have told him, because he hates him for that reason…" A light smile lit up his face. "He always said that if he ever saw him again he'd punch his lights out, for me you know."

"He would." Dodge smirked. "Jake's awesome."

"True that"

Dingo paused, inhaling deeply and sighing. "I'd do the same."

Trent tilted his head curiously. "You would?"

"Yeah" Dingo flexed his hand into a fist and relaxed it again. "Only I'd do worse, I'd aim for the kill…"

"D" Dodge muttered, his eyes narrowing. "You wouldn't go that far…"

"I would" He growled back defensively. "That jerk messed with me when I was younger and caused me so much crap, he was the reason my Mum left me anyway" He snarled to himself venomously, a flash of vivid anger crossing his face. "I don't think I could restrain myself, I'd have to bash his face in."

Bandit smirked. "I wouldn't doubt you on it, D. Must be a real jerk…sounds a lot like my Dad."

"Ditto" Trent blew out an impressive smoke ring from his lips. He grinned as well. "You ever think it'll happen?"

"Maybe" Dingo shrugged, his anger easing into a feeling of comfort as his friends talked so lightly about it to him. He smirked. "All I know is when we do meet again, he's fuckin' dead."

Bandit swung his legs cheerfully as he sat on the brick wall of the school fence, smirking at the crowd of boys in front of him. He had the power, he knew he did, the only problem was getting these little high schoolers to get that through their heads. Bandit was stubborn, but he was probably the easiest guy in the group. But his eyes were still cold and calm as he glared down at Brayden, whose wide eyes were giving him a pleading look.

"Sorry kiddies" Bandit grinned, winding a finger around a strand of his shaggy black hair. "But I said 250"

"You said 200!" Brayden spat back, furious. "You said it!"

"No, because you see…" Bandit held up his fingers for support. "200 dollars is 50 dollars less than 250. Do you see what I mean?"

Brayden growled at him, his mocking voice sounding like something he would use on a toddler.

"We'll get it back to you…in a week" Joel volunteered, giving him a trusting grin. Bandit raised his eyebrows and scoffed.

"'Zif!" he muttered, smirking. "Yeah, my mate'll really like that."

Tommy, Shawnie and Lee stood off from the scene, watching the argument unfold between the three of them. They kept their distance. 'King' looked very intimidating, he was by far the most muscular guy Tommy had seen out of professional wrestling, and he was at least a head taller than all of them. Tommy had noticed straight away that glazed look in his eyes, his pale skin and his wide eyed, twitchy look that seemed to be in his expressions. He could definitely tell this guy was a druggo, either that or very hyperactive.

"Look, sorry kiddos." He growled at them, his voice deepening into a more threatening tone. "But if you dragged me all the way down here for a measly 200 bucks, you're outta luck. You can try behind Toys'R'Us, or something."

Joel glared at him, his pride wounded. Bandit blinked back, an innocent look in those daring dark navy eyes.

"Come back tomorrow" Joel muttered darkly. "We'll have the money then."

Bandit rolled his eyes. "I ain't gonna wonder all the way down here when I could be watchin' a Powerpuff Girls marathon, you know."

Joel snarled, folding his arms and looking as though he could snap at any second. Amy, who was off at the sidelines, quickly stepped in.

"Well, we'll pay for more!" She grinned, her painted teeth dazzling. "We'll buy more then, we'll become regular buyers, promise."

Bandit rolled his eyes, groaning. "Fine" He muttered, jumping off the brick wall and holding himself at full height, snickering down at them. "350 then. And later on, I can't miss midday TV."

"Fine" Brayden muttered, his eyes rolling towards the sky as he held out his hand. "We have a deal?"

"Deal" Bandit grinned, taking his hand. He slipped a cigarette into his mouth as he walked away, smirking and pulling up the hood of his jacket. The seven teenagers- Joel, Brayden, Amy, Tommy, Lee and Shawnie- blinked in mild amazement at what had just unfolded. As soon as he was out of eyesight, Brayden growled in annoyance.

"He's bluffing" He judged, snorting. "I bet he doesn't even have any mates that help him out. If he did they'd be here for backup."

"What do you do now?" Joel snarled at him, but his snarl soon turned to Amy, who jumped. "We'll buy more, yeah, where are we gonna get that money?"

Amy bit her lip, and Tommy was immediately taken with how beautiful she looked, even when she was nervous. "Well… you said we could get it for cheaper!" She sulked, looking upset. "I didn't want to lose the deal…"

"We're not paying any more" Lee growled, folding his arms. Shawnie did the same. "We agreed on an amount, if you guys wanna buy more it's your problem."

Joel made a threatening move towards him, but Brayden quickly stuck out his arm, stiffening.

"Wait…" He muttered, frowning. "I bet we could just take his stash, all we need is a good threat."

"A threat?" Tommy repeated, amazed. "Y-you wanna threaten him?"

"Just a bluff" Brayden muttered, giving a casual eyeball roll. "You know, a heater or a knife. He was unarmed, I could tell, and he looks stupid enough to fool…I bet if you just had a lose threat he'd give you all he's got and run back to his mother." He gave them a proud smirk. "Trust me, my brother's been in the business before. Where he gets his stuff? The guy's a real loser, they usually are."

Tommy frowned. 'King' did not look too much like a loser, he looked as though he could snap their bones as easily as he could snap his fingers. But he looked carefree, almost…stupid. Probably from whatever he took this morning…

"Fine" Tommy eventually muttered, turning to Lee for support. "We'll meet you back here tomorrow then."

Amy turned to him, a dazzling smile on her face that caused the young Gilligan to practically melt.

"And don't worry" She simpered, smirking. "We'll take care of everything…"

"What'll it be?"

Rachel perked up, throwing down her menu. "Chocolate Chip Waffles."

Kuki, her tongue between her teeth as she pondered over her options, grinned as it was her turn. "Veggie burger"

"BLT" Fanny muttered when it was her turn.

Abby bit her lip anxiously, looking over the menu. The waitress turned to her.

"Can I get…" Abby pondered. "A burger with the lot…."

Fanny's eyebrows rose. "Abs, when they say 'the lot', they mean 'the lot', you know-"

"Yeah, Yeah" Abby muttered, her stomach rumbling. "But I want a side order of steak fries as well as regular fries…and…" She frowned. "Can I get some cheese sauce with that?"

The waitress stared at her in mild amazement as she gathered the menus. "Uh…sure."

"Thanks" Abby smirked, oblivious to her friend's wide eyed gazes. Rachel quickly changed the subject.

"Anyways…" She muttered. "How's Cree's wedding planning going Abby? Thanks for the invite, by the way…but are you sure Cree wants us there?"

Abby smirked, twirling the straw in her drink. "Well, you know Cree… she doesn't have as many friends as she thinks…I wonder why?" She muttered sarcastically. The girls giggled quietly to each other.

Abby suddenly stopped, her deep brown eyes narrowing as she looked out of the window, across to the garage next door, where she was sure, positive even, that the figure about 20 yards away could see her, and was glaring at her knowingly. There were two boys, leaning on the brick wall outside smoking, and one of them had his eyes on her, dark green slits. He beckoned her over and she ignored him, a blush appearing on her cheeks.

"We should do this more often" Fanny smirked, sipping her coke. "You know, just us girls."

"I know" Kuki pouted. "It's so great to be back, just like old times!"

"Well, not really" Rachel pointed out, issuing Fanny with a sly look. "You were a right biatch back then, Fannypants."

Fanny's mouth fell open as the rest of her friends laughed at her.

"Was not!" She pouted, growling. "Ok, maybe I was…"

Kuki smirked at her. "Speaking of which, Fanny, I've heard you have a guy we have to lay eyes on…"

Fanny blushed, her cheeks dulling to the colour of her hair. "Maybe" She smirked, a sheepish smile on her face. "We're…pretty much a couple, I guess."

Abby winced, practically feeling the heat of Dingo's intense glare on her skin. She looked back and saw he was glaring at her furiously, his arms folded and his hood up. She growled back at him.

"I can't wait to meet him." Kuki smirked. "When are we going to meet him?"

"No time soon" Fanny muttered hastily.

"Why not?" Kuki perked up with interest.

"He's gorgeous." Rachel suddenly grinned knowingly. "That's why."

"Shutup" Fanny muttered, her cheeks flushing even darker as she nudged her friend. She still smiled to herself shyly. "It's not like that…we just-"

"Sleep" Rachel said slyly, winking at her best friend. "A lot"

Fanny nudged her again as Kuki broke into hysterical giggles, Rachel joining in. Abby finally stood, her eyes wide as she saw Dingo had crept into the diner, giving her a knowing look over her friend's heads. She swallowed nervously as her three friends frowned at her, confused.

"You okay, Abs?"

"Fine" She muttered, attempting a smile. "Just…bathroom."

She walked slowly, casually, to the front door, slipping out when nobody was watching. Immediately she turned sour.

"What are you doing here?!" She spat at Dingo, who was glowering at her from the foot of the steps. "Do you follow me wherever I go?!"

She was pissed, and Dingo could tell she was. Her usually warm eyes had darkened into black, and her mouth was curled into a nervous snarl. He growled back, the fury in his stomach just as solid as it was a few hours ago, where he'd woken up and found she wasn't there.

"Sor-ry Abs" He growled back. "I wouldn't have to follow you if you didn't sneak out all the time!"

"I had stuff to do!" She hissed back as they made their way to the side of the building, where they could continue their argument without drawing unwanted attention. "Dammit, Dingo! You don't trust me! You don't want me to have a life outside of you!"

Dingo stiffened, his face dangerous. "Abby, I thought I warned you…I'm not letting you go that easily. You're having my baby, Abby. Remember?"

"Of course I remember!" Abby yelled back, aware his eyes were on her stomach. "I'm very aware Dingo! I'm taking care of it!"

"I don't think you are!" Dingo hissed back venomously. "You cut me out of everything! I haven't even been to an ultrasound or anything like that! You don't even tell me when you're shopping for it! You haven't even told your friends!"

"It's hard, you know that!" Abby snapped back, her voice showing traces of fear. "I can't tell my friends b-because I'm waiting for the right time, and I told my parents yesterday!"

"Big fucking woop" Dingo growled back, furious. "You feel ashamed of this kid, Abs. You feel ashamed 'cause it's mine."

"You're putting words in my mouth again!" Abby almost screamed, her breaths heavy. "Leave me alone!"

She made a move to push past him but he stopped her, his arm shooting out and trapping her between his two outstretched arms. She glared at him, her eyes fierce.

"Abby" He growled at her. "Last night meant everything to me. I thought we really got somewhere. I shared crap with you that I haven't even shared with anyone else." His bright emerald eyes shone through his black hair. "Does that mean nothing to you?"

"Of course it doesn't…" Her own voice faltered, but her eyes were still angry. "Of course you mean a lot to me, Dingo, but I need my own life too, you know."

"I should have a bigger part in it" He snarled in return. "You better start telling more people about the pregnancy, Abs."

Abby frowned, not liking his tone.

"Why does that sound like a threat?"

"Maybe it is" He growled back, his temper growing. "People are gonna start noticing how big you're gonna get, you know."

"It's my baby!" She yelled at him. "I'll do what I think is right!"

"It better include me!" He yelled back.

"Maybe it won't!" She couldn't help but blurt out. She paused, as did Dingo, when they both realised what she just said. Dingo stiffened, his entire body seeming to swell with visible anger.

"D…" Abby gaped at him, her eyes wide and earnest. "I didn't mean it like that…I-It just came out, I didn't even realise-"

Dingo's eyes widened at her, filled with both fury and hurt.

"I didn't realise what I was saying…" Abby's eyes filled with tears, her own heart swelling with sadness and desperation. She started shaking, her eyes wide with fear. She couldn't lose him…she couldn't… "D-Dingo, I-I'm sorry, I…Please forgive me…" She whimpered pathetically, feeling foolish and embarrassed. Dingo snarled at her, ready to stomp off in fury and leave her there, but he couldn't.

"You really piss me off sometimes, you know." He growled at her furiously, his forehead connecting with hers sweetly. She sniffed. "Just promise you won't say it again…or…" He gave her a pleading look. "Or do it, for that matter."

"I won't" Abby sighed. "I didn't mean it that way, it just came out…I only wanted to hurt you."

"You did" He snarled. "That's the worst thing you could possibly do, Abs, deny me of…what's mine."

Abby groaned, tears trailing down her cheeks. "I know but…you have to trust me." She sniffed. "I'll tell my friends soon, I promise."

"You better" Dingo couldn't help but grumble. Abby pushed him off her out of sheer irritation. He could be such a jerk to her sometimes.

"Don't be like that, Abs."

She ignored him, sniffing up her tears and walking away, stomping back into the diner. Dingo watched her go , fuming. He growled in frustration as he stomped away, jamming his fists in his pockets. Little did the couple know, a figure had been watching them in the distance, not close enough to hear what they were actually arguing about, but close enough to see that it was an argument, and close enough to see Abby walk away in tears as she pushed him off her. It was enough to get him angry, and now he was glaring at Dingo with fierce, flaming emerald green eyes.

19 year old Jake was sitting at his old family kitchen table, slowly tuning out of the strong lecture his mother was giving him. It was the same thing over and over, and he was starting to get discouraged from visiting her.

"…And…Jake! Jake! Jake, are you even listening to me?"

Jake looked up, his eyes glazing over his mother's furious expression, her deep brown eyes narrowed and her golden hair falling into her face. She (at the time) was a quick tempered, but soft, beauty at 38. She folded her arms tightly over her chest, her eyes stern.

"Of course I was listenin', Mum." Jake muttered, rolling his eyes. "You were sayin' something about me being irresponsible, incompetent…idiotic?"

She rolled her eyes as Jake's father, Mick, burst into deep chuckles from the other end of the table, pausing to take another deep breath from his cigarette. He was a burly, dark haired man in his late 30's with deep hazel eyes. Jake had inherited his trademark smirk, hot-headedness and his tendency to be a bit of a 'smartass' in his family's opinion. He grunted, blowing a plume of smoke over the table delicately.

"Settle down, Luce" He muttered to his wife as Jake gave her a defiant smirk. "We love havin' Dingo here." He growled to himself, tapping his cigarette ash into a nearby ashtray. "He's all we got, ain't he?"

Lucy rolled her own eyes, looking down at her youngest son thoughtfully. They knew the whole story, what had happened, what it had resulted in and why they suddenly found out they had a 2 year old grandson. Jake had now had him for 3 months, and already Dingo had warmed their hearts and worked his way into the family. He was now outside the family home, playing in the backyard.

"Yes, well…" She sighed. "I never trusted that girl, anyway."

Jake raised his eyebrows at her, anxious for a change of subject.

"They're still together?"

"Yep" Jake grunted, lighting his own cigarette with a flick of his lighter. "Got their own kid."

"Yeah…" Lucy mumbled cautiously. "I got a picture…"

Jake didn't answer, just stared straight ahead, his eyes darkening dangerously. She looked down. She knew what happened, but she wasn't sure what to say about the entire thing. She was disappointed, of course, but it was hard to choose between her sons, and it was an extremely hard position to be in.

"Don't let your hate get to you, Jake."

"I'm not" He growled at her, twisting his lips in annoyance. Lucy gave her son a knowing look, recognizing those signs of danger anywhere.

"I understand you're angry…" She said carefully. "But you've got Dingo to look after now, and carrying those feelings will cloud you're judgment and…I know what you're like, Jake, and you shouldn't hold a grudge towards your brother when your main priority should be your son-"

"Lucy" Mick growled at her in mild warning. "Drop it."

Jake was already twitching with mild fury, danger signs Mick recognized from his own experience with his son. Lucy nodded, biting her lip and breaking off from her rant.

"I wish you'd do that outside…" She muttered to the both of them disapprovingly. Jake groaned as he and his father grabbed their cans of beer from the table and filed outside to the back porch, gratefully collapsing onto the chairs outside. Jake's glare softened as he spotted Dingo amongst the overgrown grass, tentatively pushing his tiny Hot Wheels cars through the dirt and over the concrete footpath, making trails in the soft earth.

"He's a cute kid, Jake." Jake looked over at his father, who was watching Dingo closely as well. "I know it's hard to think you've missed out on half his life."

Jake shrugged, but he knew it was true. "Yeah…"

"Don't worry about it too much…" He muttered, stubbing out his cigarette on the post. Jake frowned, he wasn't used to getting actual wise advice from his father. "Ya know? He's gonna have just as much hate as you one day for what's happened, 'cuz no one gets over that." He smirked. "Just be grateful you're in his life now."

Jake sighed, blowing his long fringe into the air and leaning back in his chair. Nineteen, his birthday had only been a few weeks ago, and he'd never forget his friend's expressions when he'd turned up with a shy looking toddler on his hip. He never expected this, but he knew he had to take control of it. No matter what Allie suggested in her letter, he was going to take care of Dingo, no matter what.

Jake frowned and jolted back up, hearing a tiny whimper and looking over the porch worriedly. Dingo was bawling in the grass, his hands and arms covered in dirt and tear running down his blotchy cheeks. Jake swore furiously under his breath, turning to his own father with worry.

"I seriously turned away for like, 10 seconds!" He hissed a him, his eyes wide. His dad merely chuckled.

"Welcome to fatherhood, mate."

Jake swore again and jumped off the veranda, running to his baby. Dingo was sniffling and crying, still whimpering slightly as he sat on the earth. Jake skidded to a halt, dropping down to his level.

"Dingo what's wrong? Why are you crying? What-"

He frowned, looking down at him. He was in the middle of an ants nest, crying as what looked like a million ants ran over his hands and arms, probably biting him in the process. He let out a sob, shaking and picking them off. Jake swore again under his breath and grabbed Dingo by his t-shirt, yanking him out of the nest and growling at him.

"They keep biting me!" Dingo sobbed at him, sniveling with pain as he clenched his hands.

"Of course they are!" Jake hissed at him, running his hands over Dingo's. "Why were you in there for? You fu-" He caught himself, swallowing as he looked down at the toddler. Dingo sniffed back pathetically, his eyes wide. Jake pulled him up back onto the veranda, still pushing off the vast amount of ants that were on him.

"Why were you in there for anyway?" Jake snarled at him. "Ants will bite if you trample them, you know."

Dingo hesitated, giving a small sniff as more tears ran down his face. Jake frowned as he noticed Dingo's hand, enclosed and forming a tight fist. Jake glared at him.

"What have you got, D?"

Dingo looked up at him, his bright green eyes wide as his bottom lip trembled.

"I couldn' leave him…" He mumbled under his breath, his voice shaking. "T-they were hurting him…"

Jake's frown deepened. "Who was hurting who?"

Dingo opened a shaky hand, and Jake's eyes widened as he saw in Dingo's pudgy hand, covered in dirt and still writhing, was a long, wriggling worm. Dingo gave him a pathetic, pleading look.

"Can I keep him?"

"Dingo!" Jake groaned, his eyes wide. "You saved that thing from ants? Are you kidding me?!"

Dingo whimpered, recoiling. He brought back his hand, cradling the tiny worm as if it were a baby.

"I already named him…"

Jake growled in annoyance, glaring at the 2 year old in front of him. But, as Dingo continued to avoid his gaze and stroke the still writhing worm, he realised he couldn't stay mad at him…it was just a weakness he felt he'd always have. His gaze softened.

"You really want to keep that worm?" he muttered darkly, cocking an eyebrow. Dingo looked up, his eyes wide.

"Yeah…T-then the ants won't eat him…" He mumbled weakly, sniffing. "T-they were j-just…all over him an'- and biting him and stuff, I had to save him…"

Jake sighed, rolling his eyes but scooping Dingo up anyway, carrying him inside the house to his mother.

"Mum..." He muttered, smirking. "We need a jar of dirt for Dingo's new pet."

Lucy gave him a strange look, frowning at the two boys as Dingo smiled through his tears, holding up his hands excitedly.

"His name's Stanley!"

Allie sighed deeply as she noticed Jake on the street corner, leaning against the sprayed brick wall of the club casually, his hands buried within the pockets of his jeans. It scared her how, even at 37 years of age, Jake still fit in as well as any other teenager that hung around street corners. She swallowed as his brown eyes locked on her car, and she stiffly brought one hand off the steering wheel to signal to him. He walked over to her car and slipped in, slamming the door behind him.

"Hey, Allie."

"Hey, Jake."

The two sat in an awkward silence, Allie nibbling her bottom lip nervously and Jake stumped at what to say. He looked over, frowning as he took a closer look at her.

"Have you been crying?"

"N-no" Allie muttered, shaking her head as she looked away. "It's nothing."

Jake rolled his eyes knowingly. "Allie, I've seen you cry before…I know when you're upset."

"It's nothing, okay?" Allie suddenly snapped, her eyes wide. "You just…rang me at a very bad time, that's all. But I'm here, I'm okay…what's going on?"

Jake's eyes widened at her sudden snap, but shook it off and gave her a serious look.

"Look…It's pretty bad…" He muttered, his eyes downcast. "I don't know if I should tell you…"

"If it's about Dingo, I deserve to know" Allie muttered, looking straight ahead at the diner in front of her. Classy… She thought to herself. "So spill, Jake."

"But that isn't it." Jake explained, running a hand through his shaggy black hair. "It's…it's about Wallabee too, Al. It isn't just about Dingo."

Allie snapped to attention, her hair fanning out as she threw her head around in alarm. Jake blinked back sheepishly.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice lowered to a whisper. "Have…have they got themselves into some sort of trouble, or something?"

"Well…not specifically" Jake muttered, twisting his lips as he thought. He turned back to her, his dark eyes protective. "Allie, you have to swear you won't repeat this to anyone until we figure it out, not even Derek."

Allie's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Because" Jake snarled. "It has nothing to do with him at the moment, it's about Dingo."

"If it's about Wally-"

"Promise me, Allie."

Allie sighed, hesitating before turning back, her eyes earnest. "I promise."

Jake sighed, his teeth grazing across his bottom lip delicately before he replied. He looked deep into his ex-lover's eyes, everytime he did he was reminded of all the great times they shared, not caring that it was a day or even a week, he'd always remember her. He loved her eyes, wide pools of endless green, the same as Dingo's eyes. He swallowed, tearing away from her gaze and staring straight ahead.

"Abby is pregnant, I've met her."

"Really?" Allie frowned, her mind working furiously. "Well, that's great, but what does it have to do with-"

She broke off, Jake shooting her a knowing gaze. She gaped, but Jake had already answered her.

"Let's just say history's starting to repeat itself, Allie."

Dingo sat outside, his arms folded and his eyes murderous. He looked like a sulky toddler, the same glare and the same stance. Dodge smirked from beside him, grinning at his best friend's sulking.

"Chill, D." He muttered, grinning at him. "She's fine, seriously."

"Dodge" Dingo growled under his breath. "She isn't including me in crap! It's like she doesn't even want me to be a father! She said it herself, you know."

"She was angry" Dodge muttered back, his eyebrows raised. "This must be hard on her, you know. You can't just assume she'll take it all fine and dandy, it must be pretty stressful and she has to do so much."

"Whatever…" Dingo mumbled, but he knew Dodge was right. He always was. He stretched out his legs and scuffed his shoes against the concrete moodily as Dodge disappeared back into the workshop, closing the door behind him. Dingo growled to himself, pouting as he propped his chin up on his palm, thinking. He loved Abby, he knew he did, and he knew he always will. The thought of being a dad baffled him, but it was a challenge he was willing to meet. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Abby, and he was sure she was the one for him.

Have you ever lied to me, Dingo?

He swallowed, his throat constricting. He thought of all the stuff he had kept from her, pretty much his life since fifteen years of age. He thought it wasn't a big deal, that it wasn't worth fretting over, but at the same time he felt Abby deserved to know about him, the life he'd lead, the life he still lead and his life up until then. He groaned, feeling a headache coming on. He closed his eyes.

"Dingo"

He frowned, that voice ringing in his ears. He knew that voice, he knew that accent. It was americanised Australian, and then he knew who it was. He opened his eyes, and looked over to find his little brother glaring at him, his emerald eyes narrowed into slits and his shoulders squared, his stance ready. Dingo's anger bubbled in his chest as he eyed him, trying to hold back from leaping to his feet and smashing his face in.

Wallabee's thoughts were no different, it was taking all self control not to throw himself onto his brother, who was looking up at him so innocently, yet he knew there was fire behind those eyes. He saw Dingo threatening Abby, and now he wanted answers. He growled at him, fiercely, his arms folding over his chest.

"I saw you and Abby just then" Wallabee snarled with venom. Dingo's hard glare remained focused. Wallabee swallowed, his eyes fierce. "I saw her walk away cryin'."

Dingo smirked, a sadistic, sly smirk that made Wallabee want to punch his lights out. He stood, slowly and threateningly, and glared at his little brother, leering over him.

"Oh really?" Dingo growled dangerously. "Congratulations to you."

The brothers stood, glaring at each other fiercely. It seemed any second they would leap at each other and tear the other apart. Wallabee snarled, hating him with a passion. He was so spiteful and yet so confident, he had no idea why his brother hated him so much. Dingo snarled back, his eyes hateful. He could hardly stand looking at his younger brother, for the memories that came back just from looking at him. The tension radiated from the both of them, and Wallabee was the first to speak.

"I know you hate me" Wally growled at him, refusing to drop his gaze. "I dunno why, but I know 'ya do."

Dingo sneered at him nastily, his eyes flashing. "Really? And I thought you were supposed to be stupid."

Wallabee stiffened, determined not to let his anger show. He was protective over Abby, and he saw the way Dingo watched her, it almost sickened him. Even when they were going out he could tell Dingo had eyes for her, and more than a couple of times he'd caught Dingo checking her out. Now that they were broken up he still didn't want Abby to get involved with him.

"I'm gonna ask you this nicely" Wallabee growled at him, and even Dingo was taken aback at how fierce he sounded. His usually boyish golden hair, the same as Allie's, fell into his grass green eyes, and it looked forbidding. Dingo growled back. "Stay away from Abby."

"I didn't know she had an owner" Dingo shot back automatically, furious. "Even though she dumped your ass, she's still yours, ay?"

"She's my mate" Wallabee sneered in return, his cheeks flushing a light pink as his anger rose. "And I saw how you upset her; I'll step in before she gets together with you. Besides, from the looks of it she wants nothing to do with you in the first place, if you upset her so much."

Dingo stiffened, but a sly smile appeared on his face at the thought of what Wallabee didn't know, the fact that he had wanted Abby, so he'd taken her. It wasn't just because he wanted to get back at his younger brother, but that thought made it so much more lustful.

"She doesn't need you to make her decisions for her." Dingo snapped back, his voice full of venom. "I'd back off if I were you, little brother."

Wallabee immediately stiffened with rage, his eyes wide and his hands clenched into fists. Dingo smirked proudly, knowing that he was toeing on the last of Wallabee's quick nerves.

"If I were you" Wallabee growled back, just as menacing. "I'd stay away from Abby. She's my friend, and I'll come after you if I ever see you near her again."

"Come after me?" Dingo repeated mockingly with a light scoff, his eyebrows raised and a grin adorning his face. "Oh really? You want me to fuck you up like I did the other day, ay?"

Wally flushed slightly, a pit of pink appearing on his pale face. "No" He snarled, his voice laced with danger. "I'll make sure, Dingo, that you will never see the light of day."

Dingo stepped forward threateningly, but annoyingly his younger brother didn't move, didn't even flinch.

"I'd like to see that" Dingo snarled back angrily. "Why don't you just get me right here?"

He held his arms out at his sides as his eyebrows rose expectantly, daring him to have a go. Wallabee stood his ground, his fists clenched.

"Come on, Wallabee" Dingo growled at him, itching for another fight. "I want to see what you got…I'll let you throw the first punch." He leered at him, his tongue between his teeth as he sneered "You ain't scared are ya?"

Wallabee wanted to, he definitely did. He wanted to wipe that smirk right of Dingo's face, rearrange his face- period. But he knew Kuki was waiting for him in the diner, and he knew he'd be playing right into Dingo's hands. As if on cue, the door to the garage opened and Dodge stepped out, stepping immediately back as he saw and felt the tension going on between the two. His eyes widened as his brown irises travelled from brother to brother, his frown growing steadily deeper. He folded his arms.

"What's going on?" He snarled, specifically at Dingo. Dingo smirked at his brother, relaxing his arms and walking back into the garage with a scoff.

"Nuthin'"

Wally's eyes followed him threateningly, neither one dropping their gaze.

Maurice sat at his desk, listening to the dying chatter of his co-workers as, one by one, they left the building for the day- back to their own homes. Maurice was still left behind, feeling as though he was the only person left on the entire floor. He didn't seem to notice; instead he just tapped his pen on the desk and stared straight ahead, his mind working.

The young cop should have had other things on his mind, but the only thing that was running through his head was the thick file in front of him- the information it held, and how many lives it could change. He thought of his soon to be sister in law, Abby, his friend, his little sister. He loved her like a brother did, and he couldn't bear to see the look on her face when she found out- found out that the father of her baby was nothing other than a not-so-common criminal.

He ran his hands through his dreads, groaning as he stared down at the photo of Dingo in his hand, and sixteen year old Dingo smirked back at him.

But…if he didn't tell her, she would never find out. She'd love someone who wasn't real, who wasn't being honest with her. Maurice knew he would cross a very big line in telling her, but he knew in his heart he had a duty to her and his soon to be neice/nephew. He bit his lip.

Should he tell her?

He swallowed hard, dropping the file back into his bag and standing up, defeated. He had some serious thinking to do.

Chad watched him from afar, from the other end of the office. He watched his partner stand up and walk out, his head down and his eyes dark. He had the same expression he always had when he was in deep thought- like he had to make a decision…a big one.

Chad narrowed his eyes knowingly.

Fanny didn't know what to expect as she walked over to the garage after work. She knew one thing, though, she felt terrible. She caught a glance of herself as she walked out the door and physically winced. Her hair looked an oily mess, her makeup had rubbed off and her beige work uniform was hardly flattering. She nervously ran a few fingers through the ends of her hair as she pulled out her hair band. The only thing that seemed to comfort her, as she finally reached the back door, that Dodge looked even more nervous than she felt. Suddenly she felt anxious…was he breaking it off with her?

She knew it was too good to last…

She felt her heart race at a million beats a minute as she watched him. His light grey t-shirt, a perfect fit across his muscular chest, was stained with black grease and dirt from work, as well as a cute smudge across his cheek. His chestnut hair was scuffed and hanging in his eyes, and he issued her with a shy smile as she approached him anxiously. He jumped down to greet her.

"Uh, Sorry" She muttered before he had the chance to say anything else. She swallowed nervously, fiddling with the hem of her uniform. "I…I didn't get a chance to change after work, you know, and I forgot my makeup and…"

Dodge smirked at her, despite his rising fears. He loved her hair, out, wavy and natural, her cute freckles and wide dark eyes. He'd been thinking of her all day, and her curvy figure still looked amazing in her waitress uniform. He gazed at her longingly, and wishfully wondered what she'd think of him after this was over.

"You look amazing, Cherry" He mumbled truthfully, grinning at her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer and bringing his face to hers. He closed his eyes lazily. "And you smell like burgers."

Fanny smirked, blushing as she buried her own face in his t-shirt. "Thanks…I guess" She muttered back, smirking. "You smell like motor oil."

He grimaced as she grinned at him, breaking apart. "I know" He wrinkled his nose cutely. "It doesn't make a good combo…"

Fanny gulped, her eyes wide. "Is…that a metaphor?"

Dodge frowned, his head tilting. "A what?"

"A…metaphor" Fanny swallowed, her throat constricting as she looked towards the floor. "That…that we're not a good combination together, like… you want to break up with me?"

Dodge's own eyes widened as he put a gentle finger under the girl's chin, lifting her head to face him. "What makes you think that?"

Fanny shrugged. "I…I don't know. It just seems like whenever something good happens to me it never lasts. Maybe you just wanted me for…I don't know, but it just seems weird that we're…meeting here." Her eyes met with his. "Does that mean…we're not?"

"No" Dodge scoffed, taken aback. He bit his lip. "Though…after this, I thought maybe you'd want to break it off with me. I'll understand, just keep that in mind."

Fanny smirked at him cheekily. "I'd never-" She paused, frowning. "Wait…after what?"

"After this." Dodge muttered sheepishly, shrugging. "I thought…you got me to meet your Dad, I thought I'd put you to the ultimate test and get you to meet…my family."

"Oh!" Fanny laughed, her smile causing his heart to lift hopefully. "Of course! No problem…I can handle it."

Dodge issued her with a nervous grimace, his hands slipping into his pockets. "No girl has ever made it, you know…only one or two have ever been able to look at me the same way."

"I already know…your past." Fanny muttered. "Besides, what could be worse than my dad?"

"My family…" Dodge muttered back nervously. He hesitantly held out his hand, which she accepted, and led her back up the stairs, his heart pounding. He'd scarcely reached the door in time, however, when they already heard pounding music and Dingo and Bandit attempting to sing along tipsily. Dodge gulped as Fanny came up behind him curiously. He turned to her. "Er…just tell me if one of them gropes you."

Fanny's eyes widened. "Uh, ok."

Dodge bit his lip anxiously and pushed open the door. "School's Out" by Alive Cooper immediately blasted at them from the stereo and a wave of cigarette smoke and alcohol washed over them. Dodge groaned, leading his girlfriend to what he believed was their doom.

Trent was lazing across the sofa, blowing perfect smoke rings into the air, constantly pausing to take a gulp of the bottle of whiskey in his hand. He was chuckling at Dingo, who was jumping up and down along the other couch singing half-heartedly with another bottle. Bandit was nearby, shaking his head and swaying on the spot drunkenly cigarette in one hand and playing air guitar with the other. He was wearing his trademark bandanna and no shirt. Dodge had the urge to push his girlfriend away from this disaster waiting to happen before it got any worse, but he knew he couldn't go back once Fanny followed him in, her eyes automatically widening.

Dodge took a deep breath and with a flick of his wrist turned off the stereo, so the room was filled with a thick silence (except for Dingo's singing.)

"No more pencils…" He stopped in mid jump as he realised the music was gone. "Oh…" He smirked. "Hey Dodge!"

Bandit vaulted over the couch to join him, ominously shaking a bottle of beer at him.

"Want some?" He grinned, his eyes twinkling. Dodge rolled his eyes and shook his head, gnawing on his bottom lip.

"Uh…guys…" He muttered, sighing. "I want you to meet my girlfriend."

"Finally!" Dingo snarled, grinning. "It's only been…weeks!"

"What? The ranga?" Trent smirked, rolling over onto his stomach. "What does she rate again?"

Bandit, however, took a totally different approach. He twirled around the room chanting "Dodge's got a girlfriend…Dodge's got a girlfriend…"

Dodge slapped his forehead, wondering where in the world he got such a stupid idea to invite the girl of his dreams to meet his mates. Like a lamb to the slaughter, just about.

"Guys!" He growled in warning, and the boys straightened themselves to almost civilized positions. He took a deep breath and pulled her out of the hallway into plain view. Three wide eyed gazes fell on her, and Fanny gulped as she stared back.

"This is…Cherry" He muttered, his eyes narrowing in warning. "She's my girlfriend."

When none of them said anything, just gawked, Fanny nervously tried to say something.

"Uh…hi."

Bandit's grin suddenly widened, Dingo issued her with a trademark smirk and Trent smiled mischievously, sucking on his cigarette. Suddenly it was a wave of half-drunken yells and jeers.

"She's a fuckin' hottie!"

"Dodge where have you been keeping her?!"

"She's sexy for a ranga!"

Bandit broke from them and suddenly pulled her into an enormous bear hug, her feet dangling. She gaped, her eyes wide.

"Welcome to the family!" He smirked at her, putting her back onto the ground. Dodge growled at them, but before he had the chance to say anything Trent had skipped over with a beer.

"Initiation!" He cheered, holding it threateningly. Dodge snarled at him, hiding Fanny from view.

"No" He growled firmly, his eyes narrowing. "No initiation!"

Suddenly Fanny felt a wave of warm liquid being poured over her head, down her hair and drenching her work uniform. Her eyes widened as she smelt it…it smelt like vodka. Dodge gaped as he rounded on his girlfriend, who had been attacked from behind by Dingo, who was holding the empty bottle guiltily.

"TOO LATE!" He snickered, grinning. "She's one of us now!"

"Cherry! Cherry! Cherry!" Bandit jeered, jumping up and down on the couch like a 5 year old. The rest of the guys joined in.

Dodge nibbled on his bottom lip, his eyes wide as he watched his drenched, shocked girlfriend. "Uh…" He swallowed anxiously. "That means they like you."

To Dodge's immense amazement, Fanny laughed, pushing a strand of vodka- drenched hair away from her eyes and smiling at her boyfriend, who simply gazed back.

"Could be worse, I guess." She grinned mischievously.

"Yeah" Dodge snickered with relief, pulling her into a tight embrace gratefully. "It could be a lot worse."

Hehe! I hope you guys liked it :P Let me know what you think!

Oh, btw- I'm sure you guys have noticed (if you've been on my profile) I have a wordpress blog now, mostly devoted to my stories. 10YFN is pretty much done, it has a basic guide to my characters ;) check it out if you're interested :P

And remember- review!

Much Love!!!!

-x-