Ok here's the next chap of Footloose, I do once again apologise severly for my lateness!.

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She sat down on the couch, the message not registering in her brain. Drew came waltzing back into the living room, a bottle of water in his hand.

"You alright?", He wondered glancing at her.

"My mom's dead", Eden said her voice deadpan.

"What?", He said placing the bottle on the table.

"She's dead, some doctor called me and said she's dead", Eden said to him.

Drew looked uneasy, "Are you ok?", He wondered.

"San Francisco, She was in San Francisco. We lived there once when I was seven", Eden said rambling.

The phone rang and Eden picked it up and wandered outside with it, Drew sat back on the couch wondering what he could say to her when she came back in.

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Eden didn't know how long she'd outside staring at the ocean but she knew she'd lost track of time. Car accident, her mother's car with an artic lorry. Her mother never stood a chance.

"Are you ok?", came Drew's soft voice.

"I'm fine", She replied.

"Do you want to talk about it".

"No not really, I've got to go to bed. I've got work in the morning", Eden said getting up.

"Need me to stay?", Drew asked her.

"If you want, I gotta go night", She said hurrying off.

Drew sighed and made a mental note to call Anne-Marie in the morning. He followed her in silently.

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"Hello?".

"Anne-Marie?", Drew asked.

"Drew?, What are you calling me for?".

"I need to talk to you".

"Sure go on".

"Eden got a call last night, Her mom's died", He said plainly.

"She what!?, Well is she ok?. Is she there?", Anne-Marie said asking too many questions at once.

"No she headed off to work early this morning, I don't know she seemed ok, I mean she hasn't said anything about it".

Anne-Marie cut him off, "Of course she wouldn't its Eden, She wouldn't tell you anything. She won't tell you're her emotions she's gonna hide them. You're going to have to wait for her to tell you, and if I know Eden she'll do that when's she ready".

"She did seem kinda of distant last night, and this morning she just got up and went to work like nothing", Drew said worried.

"I don't know why she didn't tell me, We're best friends", Anne-Marie said concerned.

"Your doing a surfing competition in Tahiti, She doesn't want to worry you. She knows that you'd probably jump on the first plane back here", Drew said to her.

"Of course I would Drew, you know I would".

Drew gave a sigh, "And that's why she hasn't told you. Look I'll talk to her, get her to call you tonight".

"Thanks Drew, take care of her", Anne-Marie said hanging up.

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She placed another finished board on the rack to let it dry, place the paint pot back on the shelf and took a sip of her bottled water. Closing up the work shop she made her way back in to the shack and sat down on the couch. Drew had finally gone home, after she had convinced him that she was ok.

Sitting down Eden picked up the phone and dialled a number which was picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?".

"Hey how you doin?", Eden said trying to make her voice sound cheery.

"I'm ok, the first round went good today. Some good waves, nines across the board", Anne-Marie told her.

"Really that's great, I uh I was gonna call you last night but I didn't. My mom died", Eden said loudly.

"I'm sorry, how did it happen?", Anne-Marie wondered.

"Car Accident, She never would have made it".

"You ok?".

"Fine, Look I'm sorry I shouldn't be bothering you with this. Your got a big day tomorrow", Eden started.

"Don't you dare, you're not bothering me. You've been busy many times before and sat down and listened to me now its my turn are you ok?", Anne-Marie asked her.

"I'm fine, really I am. I'm just a bit shocked that's all".

"Are you sure your ok, I can come back if you need me too", She offered.

"No you've trained hard all year for this and your not going to waste it by coming back here. I am fine. I can take care of myself", Eden reassured her.

"If your sure".

"I am".

"Right well call me later on, take care", Anne-Marie told her.

"You too, Bye", Eden said hanging up.

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He stood there by the house a bag of mangoes in his hand, looking up at a scowl on his face. When he used to walk past here at night to get home, He could hear the screams from the house. Drew knew what was going on, he wasn't stupid. But when Eden would come to school the next door with bruises all over her body, She wouldn't say anything. She'd use the excuse it happened when she went surfing or she tripped and fell. But he knew what had gone on in that house. And it made him angry because she never used to ask for help from anyone, She let it carry on. Then it happened again when her mom left. She became more defensive.

Drew had known that Eden had never had very good relationships in the past, most of them never lasting longer than a week but one lasted a couple of months with an American guy. Drew and the guys never did like him, they treated Eden like one of their sisters as they'd all grown up together. They told her that he was no good, and she told them where to get. It turned out he was cheating on Eden. This hurt her a lot and made her trust in men fall even deeper.

Without even thinking, he'd turned up at her door. He knew today was her day off so he had planned to come round and see if she needed to talk.

She was sat outside in a chair looking at the ocean, Her head resting on her knees that had she had brought up to her chest.

"Hey", He said to her softly.

"Hey Drew", She said looking towards him. She saw the bag and gave a small smile, "Feeling guilty for stealing our food huh?".

"You're favourites I hear", He said handing her the bag not before taking one for himself.

"They are my favourites, thank you", She said popping a piece in her mouth.

Drew sat down on the floor next to her, "You can talk to me, you know that don't you?".

She nodded, "I know you are, but I don't feel like talking", She said to her.

He nodded back knowing that she'd talk when she was ready and not sooner.

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The shoe box was tattered and fairly dusty when she pulled it down from its hiding place. She took of the lid and unwrapped the tissue paper and stared at the contents. All it contained was a few pictures of her mother and her, one of their old house in Florida. And the letter that her mom left Eden. She spotted something shiny in the corner and reached in to grab it.

It was a tiny silver identity bracelet, Eden touched it and ran her finger over the engraved name. It was her's, her mom had mentioned something about Eden wearing it when she was a toddler. She gently placed it back in the box and got out the photos, looking through each one carefully. In each photograph her mom and her looked happily, smiling away at the camera. There was one of Eden when she was about nine the second in Hawaii and they were stood on the beach, Eden holding on proudly to her surf board a smile on her face. The waves as a great backdrop.

Telling herself that memories were just that, she placed them back in the box covered it up again and placed it back in its hiding place.

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Drew had been watching her for the past ten minutes, She was pushing herself to the limits with her surfing even it was only on the sandbar. Wiping out on a nasty move, she fell back into the water. She paddled to the shore, and climbed off her board and walked up the showers. First rinsing off her board, she then stepped under the shower herself.

"I'm perfectly able to be on my own Drew", Eden told him.

"I know you are, or was just walking past and I saw you and I thought I'd say hey", Drew explained.

"You always were a shit liar Drew, I know your just trying to help and I appreciate it", She told him squeezing the water from her ponytail.

"I thought maybe we could hang out tonight, you know movie, pizza", Drew suggested.

She stepped out from under the spray and grabbed her board, "Yeah that'd be nice".

"All right I'll come round about six", Drew said.

"See you later", Eden said walking off.

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The movie had ended awhile ago, and now they were just sat quietly eating their slices of pizza. Drew wanted to talk to her, ask her how she was feeling but he knew he might not get anything out of her.

"Do you want a drink?", Eden asked him.

He nodded, "Yeah thanks".

She got up and wandered towards the kitchen, Reaching into the refrigerator she pulled out two beers and popped off the tops. Eden went to put them in the trash.

With no reason at all she just burst into tears, angrily wiping the tears from her cheeks as quick as she could she tried to calm herself down.

"Eden?, you ok?", came Drew's voice. She couldn't answer him, more tears welling up in her eyes. A lump rising in her throat.

Taking a deep breath and wiping the fresh tears away, She didn't notice that he'd entered the kitchen.

"Are you ok?, You've been in here a long time?", Drew asked her.

"Yeah I'm fine, here's your beer", Eden said handing him the drink.

"You sure you ok?", He said accepting the bottle from her.

"I'm fine ok!", Eden snapped, her voice angry. Grabbing her own drink she stalked out onto the porch. He took a sip of his before following her.

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'Foregodsake get a grip!', She ordered herself as more tears cascaded down her face replacing the old tear tracks with new. Drinking more of her beer, She tried to calm herself down.

"Its ok to be upset you know", Drew told her quietly.

"I'm not upset", She bit back defensively.

"Then why are you crying?", He quizzed.

Wiping away the tears again, "I am not crying!", She said her voice rising.

Drew went to place an arm on her shoulder but she shrugged him away, "I think you should go", She said to him.

"Eden…", He began.

"Just go!", Eden cried.

Placing his beer down, He turned on his foot and stormed out leaving Eden alone to cry out on the porch.

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Eden had spent most of the night tossing and turning. Punching the pillow into a better shape she laid her head down on it and tried to relax. Sighing deeply she ran a hand through her hair.

This was no use, Get up she wandered to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water and gulping it down in one go she stared back at the empty glass.

She wandered back into her room and sat on her bed, and after a while of staring up at the ceiling she reached for the phone and dialled a familiar number.

"'Lo?", came a sleepy voice.

"I wanna talk about it", She said loudly.

"I'll be there in ten".

She ended the call and placed the phone back. Now she'd admitted she was ready to talk, she'd have to admit a lot of other things too.

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He saw her sat on the couch nervously fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist, a beer opened but nothing drank out of it. A shoe box sat next to it. He wandered in and she looked up giving him a weak smile.

"I knows it late", She started but he cut off and he sat down next to her.

"Don't, I said you could talk to me so talk".

"When she left I was really angry, I didn't know what to say or do. Its just it really messed me up. She was always there, and we were close since my dad left when I was five. And then she was gone, you know?", Eden told him. "She was bit of normality, and I was pissed off that she left not cause she left me I knew I'd be ok. But she left with him!", She spat. Eden hated bringing up Jared's name, it made her angry.

"She left to live with the man who hospitalised her for two weeks, and that wasn't the first time. Nobody else knows this not even Anne-Marie or Lena. But he used to get drunk, and when he was drunk that's when he'd lash out usually on me. She never stood up for herself. Punch after punch, She'd keep telling herself that he didn't mean it that he wasn't thinking straight. He meant it all right", She told him pausing to sip her beer.

"My mom wasn't the perfect mom, We were always moving around a lot usually when she had shacked up with some new guy and when we moved here it was probably the first place that I've felt at home. When I got that call, I didn't know what to do. To me she's been dead seven years anyway that was just a confirmation. She died the day she walked out, not a phone call, a birthday card since…..", She trailed off beginning to get upset. She stopped to try and get a hold of myself.

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what to do", Eden said tears falling freely down her cheek.

Drew was shocked this was Eden Jordan woman of stone, She never cried. He never seen her cry not all the years he'd known her. Sure he'd seen her get upset and angry but never cry.

"I hate crying", She admitted.

"Why?", He asked, so badly wanting to comfort her and tell her everything was ok.

"It makes me weak, when I cry I'm not in control of my emotions and that's a bad thing", Eden told him slowly.

"Its just… I never realised how much I missed her. I always tried to ignore it, but she's dead she's really dead", Eden said crying a little bit more this time.

"Hey come on", He said soothingly putting an arm round her. This time she didn't shake it off she just leaned into his embrace.

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Picking up the phone she dialled the number on the piece of paper, She looked at a sleeping Drew as she walked outside.

"San Francisco Bay General?".

"Can I speak to Dr Kamsira?", Eden asked.

"Yeah hang on", The phone was placed down and then picked up seconds later.

"Dr Kamsira".

"My name is Eden Jordan, you rang me a few days ago to talk about my mother?".

"Oh Miss Jordan yes, I know it must have been a terrible shock. As I said in my message your mother sustained massive injuries from a car accident. And we I'm afraid could not save her".

"Do you know how it happened?", Eden asked him as she sat down on the floor just outside the living room.

"We don't know anymore than what I told you, The only thing I do know that your father Mr King survived the accident with minimal injuries".

"He is not my father, my mother remarried!", She said sharper than she had intended.

"He has already identified the body, and its is requested that you come to San Francisco for her funeral which I am told is to be in a weeks time".

"Oh right, well thank you for telling me".

"If you get in contact with Mr King I'm sure he will give you more information".

"Thank you again Doctor", Eden said hanging up.

She placed the phone on the floor and ran a hand through her loose hair and sighed.

The tears started to flow again but these were tears of anger, He had survived whilst her mother had died.

Tasting the salty tear on her lip, She licked it away. And blinked some tears away.

"Hey where'd you creep off too?", Drew asked her.

"I had to make a call, anyway you were sleeping like a baby", She told him.

"Everything ok?".

"Just talking to the doctor, She wouldn't have made it. But she was in the car with him!".

"Oh and did he?".

"He survived, I've got to fly out there next week. Find some money from somewhere, Oh god I'm late for work!", Eden panicked standing up.

"Don't worry I called Nikki and told her what happened, She's given you some time off", Drew explained.

"Thank you, Do you want anything to eat?", She asked him.

"Yeah that would be nice thanks, I'll help you".

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She looked at her watch, Anne-Marie, Lena and Penny should be walking through the door any minute now. Eden had missed them like crazy over the past few days, she didn't think she would but she did.

She heard the car pull up, and stood up. Anne-Marie came through the door first. She flew towards to Eden and pulled her into a hug.

"You ok?", She asked her.

Eden smiled, "I'm gonna start charging a dollar every time someone asks me that, I hope you came home to tell me you kicked some ass".

"Second place, not bad huh?", Anne-Marie asked her. Eden gave a clap, "Really!, Well done!. Who beat you?".

"Keala Kennelly but that was too be expected", Anne-Marie told her.

"Where's Lena and Penny?", Eden wondered looking to the door.

"Lena's outside talking with JJ, and Penny has gone to get something to eat for tonight", Anne-Marie informed.

"In that case, how about a paddle and you relax?", Eden suggested.

Anne-Marie grinned, "Let's go!", She said heading over to the boards.

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"So Drew's been over a lot ?", Anne-Marie said as her and Eden laid back on the boards..

"He's been over a few times yeah", Eden answered.

"Stayed over, or so I've heard", Anne-Marie said giving her a smile.

"That he did, but don't worry nothing happened. Not that anything would have happened, because I'm not interested in him that way", Eden told her.

"Of course not, I wasn't thinking that anyway".

"Liar!", She said splashing water on her.

"Drew's a sweetheart underneath that Tough Guy exterior. But he can be an asshole sometimes", Anne-Marie said slowly.

"Don't I know it, but he's been pretty good to me over the past couple of days", Eden admitted.

"If you need to talk or to cry about anything, you know I'm here don't you?", Anne-Marie asked her.

"Yeah I know, but I think I've done enough crying. Well for now anyway", Eden smiled.

"You would have liked Tahiti, great waves, even better weather", Anne-Marie said to her.

"And Matt, did he call like he said?".

Anne-Marie giggled, "He called and sent me flowers, He's coming over in two weeks time, for a month. I can't wait, I've missed him so much".

"Good for you too, your been driving us all insane anyway".

"You can't talk!".

"Excuse me?".

"You and Mr Stud of Oahu".

"Like I have told you before and like I keep telling you, There is nothing going on between me and Drew. And nothing will go on, I do not like him in that way and he doesn't like me in that way".

Anne-Marie tutted, and get splashing the water gently with her hand.

"And what was that for?", Eden asked.

"What?".

"The tutting?".

"I did not tut".

"Oh please there was tutting, Me and Drew would never work. We are complete opposites", Eden said to her.

"You know what they say opposites attract", Anne-Marie nodded.

"Its not gonna happen, so you'd better stop dreaming", Eden warned.

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This was a hard chap for me to write, I kept getting sidetracked with School Coursework and Exams. And constant writer's block!, what a mean but my Hawaiian muse Mo'o assures me that my writer's block is now cured! (lol).

Hope you enjoyed

Thanks for reading!

Luv and Cookies

QM01

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