Submerging her head in the warm, comforting water of the bath, Elizabeth smiled lightly as the water cocooned her, soothed her. She gently tapped the side of the tub, enjoying the dull sound it made through the thick water before carefully moving to touch herself once more, tensing slightly as she did. It was strange. She felt like such a big part of her had changed, like her first time was a big, life changing deal...but at the same time, she felt so normal. She had felt a little swollen and sore upon waking but the warm bath had been a good idea. She was somewhat uncomfortable, nothing more. At first, the pain had been sharp and unrelenting but she had slowly become almost numb to it. Dwayne had been so gentle, so sweet to her..it had been easy to focus on him, to try and drown out the pain with the intensity of everything else she had been feeling.

She had bled a lot, she mused, chest beginning to burn a little. Some of the blood had dried on her thighs and when she first went to the toilet, she had winced as her urine seemed to burn a little and dark, thick blood had made itself known but after that...nothing.

Such a big deal...but her body didn't seem to agree.

Emerging from the water, coughing a little as she did, she blinked away the droplets of water from her eyelashes. She exhaled, smiled and rested her head against the sloping tub, moving her fingers away from her body, her inspection well and truly complete. Now that her body had proven that it wasn't actually such a big deal, she found her thoughts drifting towards the man himself.

It was the most perfect night. It felt like she had known him forever and when she found herself wondering on how her feelings could have possibly exploded like this, how their relationship could have solidified within such a short time...she found she just didn't care. She was head over heels for him and that really was all that mattered.

She couldn't wait to see him again, to spend time with him.

All she wanted was to be with him.

"Liz?" there was a knock at the bathroom door.

She looked at the wooden door in front of her and sighed, wishing she could be alone with her thoughts, her memories for just a few minutes more.

"Lizzie?" the handle shook.

"Yeah..." she replied, glad she'd locked the door.

It was almost lunchtime, she'd slept solidly all morning. She wished she could have more time to herself. Weren't Sam and Michael supposed to be doing something anyway?

"Aren't you supposed to be out?" she asked, wriggling her toes as they poked out of the tub.

"Yeah" Sam replied and she could almost hear him frowning. She could tell that he wasn't happy.

"Are you hungry?" he asked and she flicked some of the water in the tub. She hadn't even thought about food all morning, her thoughts had been well and truly focused on her body, on her memories, on Dwayne, "Yeah, I could eat…"

"I made pasta. Wanna come down?"

"Sure" she replied, tugging the plug with her toes. She couldn't linger in the tub all day and there was no time like the present. The water seemed to make a belching sound as the tub began to slowly drain, "I'm out. Give me twenty?"

She heard Sam made a non-committal noise before he padded down the hall away from her.

Elizabeth stretched over and grabbed a dark towel, wondering for a second how she was going to clean her sheets with the discretion the situation called for before wrapping the towel over her body. She could deal with it later, she doubted Grandpa or either of her brothers were likely to go up to her room and fish around for stuff to throw in the laundry. Even Sam, who was incredibly conscious of his clothes, could happily go without doing any washing for a while.

The bathroom was warm from the heat of the bath and the sunlight beamed in through the bubbled, frosted window. She didn't feel a huge hurry to get dressed, to start her day. She felt so incredibly content...but it sounded like Sammy wanted the company.

She sighed a little again.

Resting on the lid of the toilet was a folded, simple navy dress, a light sweater and some cotton underwear. She'd chosen clothes that were floaty, not tight. She didn't want to irritate herself. She'd read about it in a magazine one time, to wear cotton underwear, loose clothes and no tights in hot weather and when feeling sensitive. She certainly felt a little sensitive at that moment. Elizabeth stepped out of the tub, smiling again at how the information had suddenly become relevant to her.

Drying slowly she slipped on the dress. She roughly towel dried her hair before scooping it up into a messy, wet bun. The family bathroom didn't have a hair dryer but it did have a posed and stuffed snake curled around the shower rail. Very Grandpa. It almost gave her a heart attack when she first saw it.

She left the bathroom and found Sam sat at the kitchen table, frowning over a huge bowl of spaghetti.

"Hey…" she greeted with a smile, poking him in the shoulder. She pulled out the seat beside him and carefully sat down.

"Sam, you need to learn pasta portion control!" she laughed, the family sized bowl in front of them was close to overflowing with buttery spaghetti. He'd smothered it in shredded, melty cheese and scattered a lot of oregano and garlic over it. It smelled amazing. He'd placed four large bread rolls on a plate and opened a jar of creamy tomato paste, "Oh, we're dunking bread? You're the classiest person I know…" she laughed.

She was met with silence.

She reached for a bowl, "this is really nice. Thank you…" she began spooning a heap of the aromatic pasta into it and placed it in front of Sam, doing the same for herself.

"Sammy?" she glanced at him, "I was joking…the bread is good, I love dunking…"

He was staring with a frown into his bowl.

"Sam" she repeated, poking him lightly once more.

He blinked, "Sorry. What were you saying?"

"Uh a whole lot of nothing really…" she picked up a spoon and fork "Sammy, what's up?"

When had her brother been this silent? He was a regular motor mouth. When he and Michael weren't running amok, goofing off and laughing, filling the house with their voices, you could be sure to hear Sammy talking to someone, or himself or even the dog.

Sam sighed and took a bite of pasta, "Michael and I were supposed to go hiking this morning…"

Ah.

"He didn't show?" Elizabeth guessed.

"I didn't hear him come home, I kind of slept like a brick but I did wait up, to listen for him for a bit.." Sam swallowed a mouthful of pasta, looking unenthusiastic about it, "so I went to his room, this morning, right?"

Elizabeth nodded, showing she was listening.

"And he's not even there"

"What?"

"Yeah"

Elizabeth frowned. That just...that didn't sound right. There was no way Michael didn't come home...

"Did he tell you what his plans were the night before?" Elizabeth asked.

"No"

"Was his bed rumpled? Slept in?"

"No"

She took another mouthful of the pasta, enjoying the taste. Sam could scrub up a good meal, "Sammy do you think that he maybe left without you?"

"He's not there!" Sam said with a shake of his head.

"Right, so he couldn't have gone without you? That's what I'm asking.."

"You think that's likely?" Sam asked pointedly and Elizabeth shrugged.

"But last night.." she shook her head a little. She had been sleeping, dozing in and out before sleep truly claimed her but she could have sworn she remembered a door clicking shut, "sorry Sammy but I think he came home..."

"Then where is he?"

Elizabeth shrugged, the pasta suddenly not tasting as nice. Why was Sam so determined to find fault?

"Exactly" he mimicked her shrug, "so I'm gonna figure it out" he told her, biting into a piece of plain bread.

"Pretty sure you said something like that already" Elizabeth reminded him, smiling a little, trying to crack a grin from her brother, "so how was last night? Did you have fun?"

He ignored her question.

"I'm gonna sleep over the Frog Brother's tonight" Sam said instead "I dunno. I mentioned Mike being weird and they said that's a Santa Carla thing…"

"Wait, you're sleeping over their house?" Elizabeth clarified "because you think they have the answers as to why you think Mike's been acting a little off?"

"Yes"

"Michael. Your brother they met briefly one time?"

"Yes"

"The same Michael that you think only think is a little off?"

"You only think is a little off" Sam stressed, "I know and see that he is off…"

"He's just sleeping late and wearing sunglasses…" at the most, she added silently to herself. It really didn't feel like a big deal.

"You noticed that he's sleeping all day? Out all night?"

Elizabeth swallowed some pasta, "He's sleeping until early afternoon at the latest and didn't you come back past 3am the other day?"

"Liz. Can you just support me, please?" Sam asked, hands open in exasperation, fork abandoned in a tangle of pasta, bread resting beside it.

"I do support you" she assured and at his deeper frown added, "I will support you. I actually think it'll be good for you to spend time with your friends-"

"-and figure out Michael's problem" Sam added.

"I love you and I'm going to be straight with you - I don't think there is a problem" she told him bluntly.

"Liz-"

But she shook her head and spoke over him, "no, you need to hear this. I think the problem is..kind of you"

Sammy looked incredulous, "he didn't come home! He didn't hike! He isn't here!"

"I don't know what to say, I'm sorry.." she said, not sure what to say or how to comfort him but she was tired. She had the most amazing night, she was the girlfriend of the most amazing man, she was so happy she thought she could fly...and then when she was with Sam, everything was suddenly negative. It was hard work trying to placate him, to support him when she didn't know why he was so riled up. It felt so silly to her. He didn't ask how her night was, what her plans for the day were. He didn't talk about his night or what he had been up to. He didn't try and find out where Michael was. It was just complaints and conjecture over and over. Elizabeth thought that the Michael situation – if it even could be called a situation – was really grating on him. He was becoming a man obsessed and she didn't get why.

What was Sammy seeing that she wasn't?

"Did you ask Grandpa?"

"Ask him what?"

"If he's seen Michael?"

Sam sighed, "No..."

Sammy really did seem determined to find a problem with Michael, "well maybe that's a good place to start?"

"I guess-"

"-hey, the sleeping beauties are up!"

Both Elizabeth and Sammy turned to face Michael as he stood, sweating and panting in the doorway of the little conservatory. His face was shiny and there was a deep, dark V of sweat running down his chest.

He couldn't have chosen a more perfect time to make himself known.

"Hey!" Elizabeth said through a wide smile, "we were wondering where you went off to!"

He looked really good. Vibrant, full of life. It was good to see him, good to see him looking good and just..healthy.

"I went for that hike. Well, me and Nanook did-" Michael had moved to the sink and quickly downed a glass of water, "-Grandpa came home ridiculously early and Nanook was so riled up-"

"-what did you do to my dog, you asshole?!" Sam exploded, worry etched on his face.

"I took him for our long ass hike and run while you were sleeping?" Michael said, blinking in surprise. He refilled his glass but spoke without anger, "he's outside, cooling off. Go see for yourself-"

But Sammy was already up and walking out of the room, pasta and sister forgotten.

"What bug crawled up his butt?" Michael asked Elizabeth, coming to sit in the seat Sammy had just vacated.

"He thought you hadn't come home" Elizabeth summarized gently with a shrug, "but he made pasta. It's good"

Michael grimaced and rubbed at his stomach, "maybe later. Haven't jogged like that since..." he shrugged and she knew what he meant. He lifted weights but he didn't jog or run or do any serious exercise. He hadn't since he'd quit the track team a few years back.

"But you did come home?" Elizabeth checked and Michael nodded, drinking his water at a more subdued pace, "yeah, course. I had a date but I agreed to met Sammy, so we called it quits early"

"You slept in your bed?"

"Yeah?" Michael frowned a little at her.

"It's just...he was worried because your bed looked you know? Like you hadn't slept in it it?" Elizabeth clarified, trying to be kind and not encourage another fight.

"I made my bed. I can't win with that kid"

Elizabeth smiled at her brother, "he'll feel bad about it" he assured him, "so why were you up so early?"

Michael shrugged, "Grandpa came home at five-ish? Second Nanook got into the house he was going wild, surprised Sammy didn't hear it..I for sure did. Couldn't sleep through it.."

"Riled up?"

"Barking, growling. Kind of itching to get upstairs? Grandpa had to tie him outside and I came down to help"

Elizabeth nodded, "that's weird..."

"Nah, he's just antsy. Probably not being walked enough"

Elizabeth nodded slowly.

"Why was Grandpa back so early?" Elizabeth asked and Michael grinned, looking like he was ready to tell a good story, "Oh, he said the Widow was-"

"-you didn't wake me up" Sammy said, announcing his presence once more, a little frown on his face.

"I knocked twice, came to your room at eight and you were sleeping" Michael explained slowly, holding his empty glass.

"...you didn't take a shower"

Elizabeth looked down into her pasta, hoping Sammy would just cut it out a little.

"...because we were going hiking. Look at me" both Elizabeth and Sammy did. He was dripping with sweat, he'd obviously gone hard on the hike, "..wasn't gonna take a night and a morning shower"

"..well...why?" Sam was floundering a little, now.

"It'll dry out my skin?" Michael said patiently.

Sammy stood on the threshold between the kitchen and the conservatory, looking confused. It was obvious to everyone that he was in the wrong, that he'd jumped to conclusions and there was a creeping look of embarrassment working its way up and over his face as he began to realize it himself.

"Nanook's OK. Sorry I called you an asshole"

"S'ok" Michael said graciously.

Elizabeth reached for some bread and dunked it in the thick, herby tomato sauce.

"Umm..sorry about the hike, too" Sammy said, fidgeting a little.

"No problem" Michael said graciously, "so we getting dinner instead, Sammy?"

"I..." the younger boy rubbed the back of his neck, "I kind of had plans tonight.."

Michael shrugged, "that's fine, too. We'll do it another day, yeah?"

Elizabeth glanced at Sammy and then back to her bread and pasta.

"So if we're good, I'm gonna take a shower? I stink.."

Sammy nodded again, silent.

"Yeah, you do" Elizabeth smiled at Michael and he pulled a face at her.

Michael stood and tucked his chair into the table, he squeezed Elizabeth's shoulder as he passed and she smiled up at him, "glad you didn't go in for a hug"

He pointed a finger at her, "I'll get you next time, I'm tired as well as sweaty" he promised with a playful grin before leaving.

"...he seemed...he seemed good" Sammy said once Michael's dull footfalls could be heard upstairs.

"He seemed great. So are you good?" Elizabeth asked, poking at her pasta.

Sammy said nothing.

"Sam?"

"But he's been so weird..."

"Drop it, Sammy" Elizabeth advised with a shake of her head, "Michael was up and out before all of us. He's clearly not drunk or sleepy or whatever-"

"-whatever he had been the other night?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"You think he's OK?"

"I really do" she told him.

"But-"

"-it's fine! Just have fun with your friends tonight and forget the weirdness from the other day. Focus on having fun with them instead of Michael" Elizabeth implored and Sammy nodded.

"I was so sure he didn't come home..."

"But he did. Come on, Sammy. Let's just reset?"

"Yeah, yeah I guess"

"Is Nanook OK?" Elizabeth asked, trying to steer him towards happier thoughts, "good he got a nice run, huh?"

"Am I the asshole? Really?" Sam leaned against the doorway and Elizabeth laughed with a shake of her head, "oh Sammy. Stop it! Nobody is an asshole. It's been a tense few days, that's all. It's over!"

"He did look good.."

"And we slept in late. That's all - we just missed each other"

"Maybe he didn't see that girl-"

"-no, he did" Elizabeth said with a gentle smile, "but you two had plans so he came home early. Pretty reasonable, huh?"

"Really?"

"Yeah..." she confirmed.

Sammy nodded, admitting with a confused frown, "I kind of feel bad..I mean..he was bad but.."

"I think we're all good" Elizabeth said, "don't dwell on it.."

"I guess so. I'm just gonna go chill" he said in reply, heading through the kitchen, his bowl and bread sitting on the table.

She knew what he meant and she knew what he was going to do. He wasn't going to chill. He was going to linger around his room, find an excuse to enter his and Michael's shared bathroom and then find a reason to chat with Mike. He was going to fumble around an apology. Sam was too proud to outright say 'I'm sorry' but good enough to know that an apology was due all the same.

She watched him go with a little, sad smile and a small shake of her head. She was glad that Sammy had gone upstairs. She loved him to pieces but the drama was so unnecessary.

Michael was fine. Nanook was fine. She was fine. Grandpa was fine. Lucy was fine.

Everything was fine but Sammy had been so set on finding fault.

She hoped that he would be a little calmer now that Michael had proved to be his usual self.

She was so happy. She just couldn't understand what had riled him up so much.

She looked at the still cuckoo clock. No brothers to hang out with, an exhausted dog, no TV, no Lucy...but it wasn't so bad. She could kill a few hours easily enough and then she'd see Dwayne.

"Good things come to those who wait" she told herself, leaving her pasta to step into the conservatory. She flicked on the radio, enjoying the newfound peace of the room. It felt very soothing now that she was alone. Thinking about it, Sammy and Michael, Lucy and Nanook...they could leave her to her own devices all summer and she'd be perfectly happy. Her brothers could keep their drama and fights, Michael could keep Star and Sammy could keep the Frog Brothers.

She loved them both with all her heart but as long as she had her nights, as long as she had Dwayne...she would be happy.

He was all she needed.