Baze picks Lux up from school. She usually looks forward to spending some alone time with her dad, but with everything that has been happening with Jones, she's not feeling very social at the moment, and would actually prefer to go home and crash out in front of a silly movie. It doesn't help that Baze
doesn't know about the latest developments.
"Hey kiddo, how was school?" he asks, smiling as she climbs into his truck.
"School was fine," she replies, forcing a smile onto her face. She knows she isn't very convincing, but she can't help it.
"What's happened?" he asks.
Lux tells him the full story with Jones, watching as her father listens intently.
"So, where are the two of you now?" he asks.
"We're nowhere. Everyone thinks I should leave him alone and not bother him."
"And what do you think?"
"I think they're probably right, but it's just hard. I'm so used to spending a lot of time with him, it's difficult to go from that to not seeing him at all. I miss him already," she says, battling tears.
Baze moves to his daughters side, throwing his arms around her, pulling her into one of his bear hugs.
"I understand. It's really tough being so close to someone, and then suddenly, your world falls apart and you can't see them anymore. But it does get better, believe me."
Lux wipes a tear from her eye. She knows he's talking about himself and Emma, but she doesn't have the strength to question him. Right now, she's just happy in her father's arms. This is the place that always makes everything feel better.
"Lux is having dinner with Baze, so it's just the two of us. Any preferences?" asks Cate, taking a seat beside her husband at the kitchen table. His eyes are trained on the computer screen in front of him.
"What's so interesting?" she says, putting the coffee on.
"Julia has emailed me some photos from the family vacation. Look at Matthew, he looks like he's having a fantastic time," he replies, turning the laptop for Cate to see. The photos feature Julia and Matthew giggling for the camera, and playing at the beach.
"He's adorable," she says, sadly watching her husband grimace at the photos.
"I know you miss him, but the vacation is half over, isn't it? He'll be home soon."
"Yeah, and it can't happen quickly enough."
Cate goes to her husband, kissing her husband on the top of his head.
"So, I'm starved. Do you want anything in particular?" she says.
"How about something fast like pizza? I'm actually really hungry too," he replies, closing his laptop.
"Perfect. How about you order the pizza, and I'll go down to the video store and pick up a movie. We have the house to ourselves for a while, so we should enjoy the peace and quiet?" she grins.
"I do love the way you think?" he grins back
Lux, Baze, Jamie and Math are having a rollicking game of Halo. She was never a big game player, but Baze has managed to turn her head. Now, having four competitive people under one roof makes their game play more than a little interesting. And noisy.
The three guys soon regret their decision to bring Lux into their little gaming community when she totally annihilates them.
"How did you learn to be that good?" asks Jamie, looking at her with a horrified look on his face.
"Good teachers," she grins. "Plus, I'm just the best," she says, the grin getting bigger.
Jamie and Math mumble something that she can't quite work out, but she is very confident that they're swearing. They are both very competitive, and hate to lose, especially to a little girl who just learned how to play the game like five minutes before.
"Well, time for work. Math, do you want to give me a hand for a while?" asks Jamie.
The two men head downstairs, leaving Baze and Lux alone.
"So, do you want something to eat?" asks Baze, moving into the kitchen. He hadn't realised the time had gone forward so much, and now it was long past time for food.
"Yeah, that sounds great. Pizza?" she offers.
"Great minds think alike. Here, order whichever one you want for yourself. I'll just have my usual," he says, handing his daughter the telephone.
Movie night at the Cassidy/Thomas home is going down a treat. Cate had picked a funny movie for them to enjoy. She usually picks a horror movie, knowing full well that, since Ryan hates them, they always use the opportunity to snuggle under a blanket while sipping some wine. But she's not in the mood for anything scary, even though she could use a little cuddle fest.
Thankfully, Ryan is in the same mood as her. As soon as she puts the dvd on, Ryan comes out of the bedroom with a large patchwork quilt in his hands. She looks up at him, a massive smile on her face. This is one of the reasons she married him: he comes up with the best ideas. He sits down beside her, unfurls the blanket and wraps it around the two of them.
"Now this is the perfect evening," he says. Cate leans over and kisses her husband. Perhaps the nightmare of the past couple of days has come to a final end, and things are now starting to look brighter.
The next morning, Lux wakes up in her bed in Baze's loft. She can't remember getting into bed. She climbs to her feet and throws open the shower curtains that make up her bedroom wall. She finds Math standing in the kitchen, making breakfast.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, I did. I didn't go home last night?"
"No. When the bar closed, I came up here to find you fast asleep on one side of the couch, and your dad unconscious on the other. You must have fallen asleep in front of some stupid movie."
She looks over at the television. Now she remembers.
"Oh that's right. We were watching some television show on surfing in Australia or something."
"Surfing in Australia?" asks Math, laughing.
"Yeah, I know, weird choice, but it was actually pretty good. Cute boys in not much clothing equals a big win," she grins.
"I'm sure your dad loved that."
"He was more interested in the beach. Turns out he spent a couple of summers hanging out at some beach."
"Those were the best summers," replies Math, his mind heading off to a very happy place. Those summers at the beach will eternally remain some of his most beloved memories. "Do you want some toast?" he asks.
"Yes please," she says, joining him in the kitchen. "So, how are things with you and Alice?" she asks, pouring herself some orange juice.
"Things are great. She's such a lovely woman, don't you think?" he asks, beaming at the mere mention of her name.
"Yeah, she's great. I'm glad things are working out between you two. You make such a cute couple."
Math considers correcting her, but he doesn't have the heart to do it. He likes that Lux thinks of them as a couple, even if it isn't strictly true. He knows he might be setting himself up for disappointment, but he has to remain hopeful about their future together. You never know what will happen in the future, and that's what he likes to remember.