Rick turned the page of the book he was reading. His eyes quickly looked over the cover, into the half opened bathroom door, his wife's back only just visible as she stood before the mirror, putting some sort of cream on her face.

"I sent the blueprints down today…….." Rick called out to her.

"Hmmm" came the muffled reply from the bathroom.

"Sent them down to Philadelphia…….." he clarified, just in case Lily didn't understand.

"Hmmm"

"I'm sending down a few people from the office to take care of the project……..I have too many things on my plate right now and cant take time off………."

"Hmmm"

"I told you that already, didn't I? Last week?"

"Hmmm"

Rick closed his book, frustrated. He practically slammed it down on the nightstand, and crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at the bathroom door- waiting for his wife to come into bed.

"Are you coming?" he called out after a moment.

"In a minute" Lily replied, sharply.

Rick huffed, and kicked at the covers- tangling his feet.

Lily appeared, and watched as Rick struggled with the bed sheets- unamused, she rolled her eyes, flicked off the bathroom light, and strolled across the room towards the bed.

Rick, now in a full-out battle with the mangled sheets that were strangling his feet, didn't notice as Lily walked towards him- and he lost his opportunity to throw her a glare.

Lily tossed the covers off her side of the bed, and slipped in.

Rick gave up on the covers, and turned to his wife, just as she snuggled down beneath the covers, outstretching her arm as she flicked off her bedside lamp.

"Lil" Rick spoke through gritted teeth.

"Hmmm?" she replied in a deep murmur.

Rick was sure he'd burst if he got that reply from her one-more-time.

"We need to talk!"

"Hmmm?"

Rick quickly leaned across his wife's body, stretching out his arm; he turned on her bedside lamp.

Lily sat up abruptly and turned to her him; "perhaps I don't want to talk Rick!" she spat, "maybe I would rather sleep!"

"But Lil, we need to talk!" he said again, sternly.

Lily adjusted her pillows, leaning back into them, crossing her arms over her chest- she sat, pouting for a moment; "so talk then!" she finally snapped, turning to Rick.

He sighed, "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, what's wrong?"

"You haven't talked to me for three straight days………and I cant handle it any more!" Rick rubbed his forehead, "what have I done?"

Lily turned away from him; "its what you haven't done!" was her riddled reply.

He scoffed, "what's that supposed to mean exactly?"

Lily turned back to him, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed- "you let Karen walk all over you………yet again!"

"Oh Lily………"

"Don't oh Lily me!" she spat out, interrupting him before he could go on; "on this matter, concerning Jessie, you were 100 right! You're daughter does not need to see a psychiatrist! Not when it comes to her relationship with that Katie girl! As far as I can see………because of her………Jessie has never been better! But, yet again, you let Karen beat you down…………and now look where you are………where WE are……….Jessie isn't talking to us!"

Rick sighed, "I know, I know!" he murmured.

"No you don't know, Rick! If you did, you'd tell Karen that she is wrong, and that what you're child wants should come before any discomfort she feels over having a lesbian daughter!"

"Lil…….." Rick tried again, but Lily was on a roll.

"Now, I may not be mother-of-the year………I admit that……….but atleast I can see when my children are happy………atleast I don't try and change who they are for my own sake! Atleast I accept them…………!"

"Now Lily!" Rick cut in, "Karen accepts Jessie………she loves her………"

"Loving and accepting are two very different things Rick………of course she loves Jessie, I have no doubt about that……….but does she accept who she is, as a person? Or who she is becoming as a woman?"

He fell silent, and Lily knew she'd said all she needed to- "I think you three need to sit down and have a long talk about all this………..and soon!" she cautioned, and sunk back down beneath the covers, reaching out, and turning off her light.

"Goodnight my dear" she murmured.

"Night" Rick replied, still fazed by her words as he sat in the darkness.


Eli clumsily strummed his guitar- a familiar 'clash' song, called London calling- a song he'd once perfected, but now, sounded awkward and unfamiliar to him.

Grace didn't seem to notice though, she only smiled approvingly as her eyes darted from Eli's face of concentration, to his fingers as they found their way to the strings, and back again- completely in awe of him-, which only fuelled Eli's frustration.

GRACE I'm at this really great place at the moment. I'm in love, and finally feel as though there is someone out there who 'gets me'………who can look into my eyes and know exactly what I'm thinking with a simple glance………….and at the same time, being in love is scary, because there are so many twists and turns.

"Dammit" Eli hushed under his breath as he strummed the wrong note.

Eli was sitting on his bed, back against the headboard, his guitar resting comfortably in his arms.

Grace was sitting at the other end of his bed- watching as Eli tried tuning his guitar, as if that were the problem with his less-than-perfect playing.

Grace creased her brow as she watched his fingers fumble with the tuning knobs- but she restrained from asking him how often he'd been practicing lately………she could tell by his playing that it wasn't regularly………..but she didn't want to rub it in.

Instead, she slid off the bed, and walked towards his chest of drawers- where there were one or two bottles of cologne, pieces of paper with scribbling lyrics, 3 or 4 guitar picks, and a shoe box sitting on top………….

"Goddamit!" Eli mumbled again.

Grace turned around briefly, flashing him a sympathetic smile- then turned back to the top of the chest, reaching out, and opening the shoebox, that was filled with photographs.

Eli had dug around in his closet the night before, searching for the shoebox that he intended to take away with him to Philadelphia. His own box of memories.

Grace picked up a hand full, studying them carefully.

The first few were of her mother and Rick's wedding. One of the newly wed couple. Jessie singing. Grace, Jessie and Zoe- the bridesmaid. The whole family. Jessie and Eli posing.

The others were happy family snaps- taken when Jessie and Eli were much younger- 7 or 8- Rick and Karen had fresh, happy faces, and the photo's all showed a close, beautiful family.

It was sort of sad, as Grace flicked through pictures of summer vacations, weekends up in the snow- Eli and Jessie licking ice cream off their hands as it melted in the hot sun, and rugged up from head to toe, so only their red little noses were poking out of snow jackets as they built snow men- it was sad because that family didn't exist anymore, and the photo's were just that………photo's……..faded memories that were re-explored every once in a while when Eli pulled the shoe box out and rifled through them, remembering the good times.

Then came baby snaps- the first few were of a toothless, 5-year-old Eli, cradling his baby sister, Jessie, all bundled up in a yellow blanket.

There were one or two with Karen and Rick aswell, the whole family- new, baby Jessie included, smiling happily into the camera.

Grace smiled as she came to the baby pictures of Eli. Karen holding her newborn son in her arms at the hospital- Rick doing the same.

Eli, naked in the bathtub with Rick. Baby Eli, with a head of thick, brown hair, sleeping soundly in his cot. Wearing nothing more than a white diaper- his adorable rolls of baby fat making Grace giggle.

And then Eli and Jessie grew up, as Grace went through more photos. The siblings building a sand castle together, Jessie only 3 years old, Eli about 7- Jessie wearing a frilly bikini, and Eli in little board shorts, zinc across their noses.

One or two birthday pictures, blowing out candles, unwrapping gifts.

Christmas was the same, family posing by the tree- Jessie and Eli holding up their new presents.

A few school pictures, with Eli and a school bag that was twice his size, strapped to his back- but smiling none the less.

Jessie posing with Karen on her first day of school, then with her father- and finally, with older brother Eli- looking very clean cut in his perfect uniform. They both looked so young……….Grace smiled as she thought of the people they'd grown to be………..

A few high school photos came next. Eli sitting with his friends by the pool, at someone's house. One or two pictures of Eli when he was 13 or so, learning to play guitar. A few group shots with friends- he still looked young, with a bowl type haircut, and still looking clean-cut.

When he came to around 15, he started looking more like the Eli she now knew. Scruffy hair, no smiles as he posed with friends- going for the serious look was way more 'cool'.

Singing into a mic- no doubt as he imagined the rocker he would become.

Grace bit her lip as she thought- when he was 15 or 16, Eli's parents split up. It was sad looking at the photos of the still happy family……….and Grace wondered if they knew then, what was going to happen……….by the looks on their faces, and the smiles……….she guessed that they didn't.

She held her breath slightly, as a picture of a smiling Jennifer came next. She looked pretty, Eli had taken a close up of her, smiling- white teeth, pink lips, dazzling brown eyes……….Grace shoved it back in the box. Only to find more pictures of past girlfriends, these ones included Eli posing with the beautiful girls- blondes, brunettes, raven hairs- and one girl with blue streaks.

Eli was kissing them in some shots, or hugging them tight. They were all very pretty, with small waists and perfect faces. Grace only recognised a few of them as seniors.

Perhaps she was over exaggerating, there were only 5 or so girls……..but there were a lot of photos of them………and Eli.

"Grace?"

She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard Eli call her name out the second time- she was so enthralled in the photos; she hadn't heard him the first time.

"Yes?" she said, stuffing the photos back in the shoebox.

"I said I'm giving up on this" Eli motioned to his guitar that was now

propped up against the bed.

She creased her brow and Eli smiled, "for tonight" he added, and then sighed- running a hand through his hair.

"What you doing over there?" he asked, turning back to her.

She bit her bottom lip, and stepped aside so Eli could see the scattered photos ontop of his chest.

He nodded, "Oh……you found the album then".

Grace nodded, turning back; she picked the box up and walked to his bed, sitting close to him again, and placing the box between them.

"Who's this?" she asked, holding up a picture of a pretty girl with long black hair and olive skin, as Eli held her hand- the beach in the background.

"Tamara" Eli said after a moment of jogging his memory.

"How old were you?"

"We went out for a few weeks in year nine…….."

"Nothing serious then?"

Eli laughed, "nothing serious" he clarified.

"And this girl?" Grace asked, holding up a photo of a tall blonde girl with wavy hair and deep blue eyes, Eli was holding her close.

"Ah" Eli took the photo from Grace and examined it closely.

"Amelia" he said, a small smile creeping across his lips.

"Amelia?" Grace repeated with a smile and romantic tone- putting on a French accent as she said the girl's name.

Eli looked up, handing the photo back to her "yeah- Amelia" he said, warmly.

Grace raised an eyebrow, "and what was so special about Amelia? Was she the first girl that let you grope her or something?" she asked, sarcastically.

ELI (bites his lip embarrassed, turns slightly red)

"She was just………funny………" Eli finally filled in the silence.

Grace nodded knowingly- "Jennifer?" she asked, holding up the photo.

Eli nodded, "Jennifer" he repeated.

"Was she the first girl you ever loved?" Grace asked, looking down and studying her smiling face in the photo.

Eli shook his head; and reached out, rummaging through the shoebox, he pulled out a photo and handed it to Grace, who studied it with a smile.

It was a class photo from year 8; "which one was Eli Sammler's first love?" Grace asked, scanning the photo.

Eli pointed to the teacher with the blonde bob standing to the side; Grace looked up and smiled, "no way" she laughed.

Eli nodded, "I swear……….I had the biggest crush on her……..Miss Honey!"

"What an appropriate name!" Grace laughed again, examining the pretty teachers face.

Eli looked at Grace, a small smile creeping across his lips.

"Actually………I don't have a really good picture of the girl I truly love………." He said slowly, and Grace looked up- not quite understanding him.

Eli reached over to his bedside table, opening one of the drawers and pulling out a black camera, which he held to his eye.

Grace smiled warmly, "oh" she mumbled softly.

She positioned herself so she was face on to the camera- flicked her hair back, and smiled, and Eli clicked the camera.

"Now I do," he said, lowering the camera.

Grace put her hand out, "I want one of my first crush aswell," she said, and Eli handed it to her.

He gave a cheesy, but cute grin- and Grace snapped instantly.

Eli tugged on her arm, pulling her across to him, she snuggled up closely- resting her head on his chest- he held the camera out, and snapped a photo of the two of them. And then another as Grace leaned in for a kiss.

"Perfect" he smiled, leaning in for another warm embrace.