A/N: I'd like to thank Gorgeous, Betty-boo, Jet and Dani for reviewing.. and reading of course.. and thankyou to all the others that have read too. Your feedback means the world to me. Very inspiring and whatnot.

Leon hooked his finger beneath the strap of Ruby's bikini top, his hand snaking beneath it to rub the cool sun tan lotion into her skin. He looked to the side as he did so, watching Cade playing with Bethany and one of her friends – one of the nice ones.

Ruby winced when his fingers dug in slightly. "Le – watch it, babe."

He looked back at her and saw the red mark against her skin, immediately feeling bad for harming her. He seemed to be doing that a lot.

It was now three weeks after he'd gotten his nipple pierced, one since he'd had his cast removed and he'd promised Cade a trip to the beach with Ruby and Bethany. He was growing more confident in the water and wanted to try a real beach instead of just the ocean baths. Unfortunately Beth's friends had decided to tag along and with each passing moment Leon was becoming more and more irritated with them. Sure she had a few decent ones, but they were far outnumbered by the bitchy ones. He could feel his skin crawling with the knowledge that her little friend Marissa was still hanging around and had in fact accompanied them on their little outing.

Ruby turned beneath his hands and in his distraction he didn't notice until she was facing him and his hands were dangerously close to her breasts. She flushed pink and looked at his hands, then his face.

"I never picked you for an exhibitionist."

He cleared his throat and slid them higher, his skin still slick with the coconut scented lotion.

"Accident." He replied quietly, working the sweet smelling substance into her shoulders. "I can't believe they're here."

Ruby didn't even glance at them, too busy retying the ties on the hips of her bikini bottoms. Her fingers twisted in the off white suede like material.

"Ignore them – we're here to have fun with Cade, not the slut puppies."

He chuckled at her use of words and shook his head, stepping back and away from her. He looked her over.

"One decent wave and that top is gone."

Ruby waved him off. "Oh, who's going to see anyway?" she rechecked the ties on her bottoms and stood up straighter, "Did you need any help with your back?"

He screwed up his nose. "Why would I bother?"

She looked at the healthy bronze glow his skin had and made a murmured sound of agreement. Her eyes honed in on the piercing and she grinned. "Has he seen that yet?"

Leon gave her an 'are you stupid?' look and shook his head. "Nobody but you knows about it," he glanced at the gaggle of teens out of the corner of his eye, "-though I get the feeling it's going to make the six o clock news later once they find out."

Ruby laughed, turning to walk toward Bethany, Cade and her friend, Shelley. "Oh the horror." She turned, walking backward. "It looks sexy, Le – show it off."

He frowned, kicking his scuffs off. "Yeah great – another reason to be stared at." He muttered to himself, bending to gather Ruby's scattered clothing and set it aside with his and Cade's things. He looked up when he heard his name being called. More specifically, 'daddy' being called. Cade was slung over Ruby's shoulder and she was making for the shore line with the screaming and giggling little boy wriggling in her arms. Cade was reaching toward him, still laughing, but calling him to be saved.

Leon smirked and started after them at a light jog, easily plucking Cade from Ruby's shoulders before setting him on the damp sand and hoisting Ruby up into his arms.

She screamed. "Leon! What are you doing!" her arms clung feebly around his neck as he swung her out in front of him and pitched her into the water, her outraged shouting amusing not only him, but Cade was in fits of laughter.

Bethany was standing beside the little boy holding his hand and shaking her head. "That was harsh, big brother."

He lifted a brow and started toward her, snatching her from beside Cade and doing much the same thing to her as he'd done to Ruby. He stood innocently beside his son, tiny hand in his, as the two sodden women emerged.

Cade tugged on his hand and he looked down. Big brown eyes stared up at him hopefully. "Me too?"

Leon carefully scooped Cade up into his arms and walked a little ways out to Ruby. She saw his intentions and crouched in the water, ready to grab Cade as soon as he went under.

"One, two, three.." he threw him to Ruby, the little boys delighted laughter bringing a smile to his face.

Bethany stood nearby with a couple of her friends. "I didn't think you knew how to do that, Leon."

He frowned. "What? Throw someone?"

She shook her head, tying her long blonde locks back so they didn't get all tangled. "No – smile."

Ruby giggled from her seat in the water, a splashing Cade held to her chest. "He smiles all the time."

"Not at home he doesn't."

Leon looked around self consciously, ignoring the strange looks the teens were giving him. He reached for Cade and helped Ruby up, long fingers carefully righting a twisted strap on her top. She watched, grinning.

"I have a hand maid."

He snorted in disbelief. "You did not just call me a hand maid." He looked at Cade. "We get her?"

The little boy nodded, already loving it. "Get Miss Ruby."

Her eyes widened and she took off running, slowed dramatically by the water. Leon looked at Cade.

"Do you mind going to Bethy while I catch her?"

He shook his head and his arms were already reaching for Bethany. She took him with a smile of adoration – she loved her little pseudo nephew.

Backing up in the water, Leon gave Cade a grin. "Tackle her?"

"Yeah!"

"Ok – be right back and then we'll swim." He spun on his heel and took off after her, easily catching up. His arms curled around her waist as he lunged at her, dragging her down into the water with him.

Ruby screamed, laughing the whole time. Her arms curled around his neck when she noticed his smile dim slightly and his eyes settle on the water.

"What's the matter, precious?" She asked, concerned. He lay his head against her chest for a moment, his breath hot against her wet skin.

"I'm having fun." He mumbled. "It's not supposed to be fun like this."

Ruby pressed her cheek to the top of his head, sitting in his lap in the water. "You're allowed to live, Leon." Her fingers ran through his hair. "It's not going to kill you if you're happy and it means no disrespect either. It means you're accepting things."

He sniffled. "I don't want to accept it." He lifted his head, "I miss her – Cade's getting so big and she's missing everything." He looked back toward where Bethany was waiting with Cade, watching them. "He'll never know her."

Ruby smiled gently at him, climbing to her feet. "He'll know her through you, Leon. All you have to do is tell him about her when he asks and you wont need to worry about them being strangers."

Leon looked up at her from the water, still sitting on his ass. Water lapped at his chest. "You're my best friend, Ruby. You really are."

She smiled brightly at him and held out her hand. When he'd first told her that she'd had her doubts about how sincere he'd been, being drunk and all, but hearing it from him while he was sober as a judge lifted her spirits. Things were still fragile between them, but he was talking a little more now and actively trying not to be a total jerk – not to say that he wasn't still a jerk occasionally, just not a total one like he'd been in the past.

"Come on, Cade's waiting."

He looked toward Cade and nodded, taking her hand to stand up. No sooner was he standing when he staggered forward slightly. Ruby had jumped on his back. His hands automatically took a hold of her thighs as they slipped round his waist and he was all too aware of her breasts pressed to his back. He stomped down the guilt at feeling that way about his friend and looked back slightly.

"On?"

She wriggled slightly and tightened her legs around him. "Yep! Hi ho silver."

Leon shook his head, starting back toward Cade, Bethany and his worst nightmares. "You're a freak." He flinched as her hand slapped down on his wet chest and left a bright red welt behind. "Oh, I'm going to kill you.."

She giggled in his ear. "Ooh – with?"

He shook his head, trying not to smile. "Again – you're a freak."

Bethany watched in quiet contemplation as Leon and Ruby made their way back toward them, talking quietly amongst themselves. She could tell they were genuinely at ease with each other and that's what made her wonder.

Leon really didn't like to be touched – he'd go as far as almost throwing himself in the opposite direction to avoid even an accidental brushing of hands, yet he was perfectly comfortable with Ruby being draped over him at present moment. Bethany grinned to herself. Either they were secretly together, or sometime soon they would be. He smiled more when Ruby was around, became more animated. They were always touching each other and although she knew Ruby was a genuinely affectionate person, Leon wasn't. It warmed her to know that he was healing, it was happening slowly, but he was finally starting to heal.

Her mother told her that Leon had become the way he was after his lover had died giving birth to Cade and now to see him finally starting to brighten made them happier than he knew. For a while there they, the family, had been concerned that he was going to do himself some harm, especially in the days leading up to Cade's birthday. Then Ruby had showed up and it was like his foundations strengthened, he'd become just that little bit more stable. He was slowly starting to come out of his shell – though he was still that broken youth she'd met so many years ago in the hospital.

She remembered it clear as day. She had fallen off her bike and cut her leg on the pedal so her mother had taken her to the hospital. It had all been so frightening for her. Being five and in such a great big place with so many people had been scary and she had spent the first ten minutes with her head buried in her mothers side crying. Then she had seen him, Leon, sitting in the bay next to her.

He was watching her quietly, his eyes so dark and lonely that she had been unable to ignore the pull toward him. He'd been topless and his jaw was an angry red where he'd just had some stitches removed, his side covered in tiny little blue stitches and raised lines of scar tissue. When she asked what he'd done, he'd told her he fell down and her mother's face had nearly crumpled. At the time Bethany didn't know what he'd meant, but now she did. He hadn't fallen at all – he'd been thrown. To an outsider now they had no clue of what he'd been through, all they saw was an arrogant man who had little regard for others feelings. But she knew better – she knew beneath it all he was a kind, genuinely wonderful person. All he had to do was find level ground before he could start showing it – from what she was seeing, Ruby seemed to be that level ground.

Cade's hand slipped from hers as Leon got closer and he held his arms out to his father, timidly walking through the shallow water toward him.

Ruby dropped from Leon's back and he bent to scoop his little boy into his arms, holding him up in the air above his head.

"You want to swim now?"

Cade was giggling and kicking his legs in the air, holding onto Leon's wrists. "Yeah – Miss Ruby too?"

Leon nodded, beaming up at his son. "Maybe if you ask her real nicely she'll say yes," he winked, "- works for me." He laughed when Ruby's hand connected with his arm.

Bethany watched with a grin on her face as the pair bantered back and forth, walking off to do their own thing with Cade while she hung with her friends.

Marissa appeared at her side. Her face had a sour look on it. "Are they dating?"

She turned and looked at her friend, wondering why she still even spoke to her. She rolled her eyes.

"He's made it abundantly clear how he feels about you, Marissa. Give it up. Like he said," she started to wade into deeper water, "- a real man wouldn't be interested in a child."

"That didn't answer my question!"

Bethany rolled her eyes. "Oh for gods sake.. I don't know! Who cares if they are or aren't. All I know is that they're good friends. Stop making a fool of yourself."

Marissa huffed. "I am not making a fool of myself!"

Shelley, one of the only select few of Bethany's friends that Leon could stand, growled angrily.

"He hates you, Marissa! Get over it and go and find someone else to stalk!"

Leon slid his arm around Ruby's waist, leaning down to press a slow, lazy kiss to her cheekbone. She leant up into it, grinning. Everyone was feeling mellow and relaxed from the long day of kicking back on the beach.

"I'll drop the girls off, get Cade all bathed and into bed then I'll come over." He drew back from her, "Is that ok?"

Ruby looked up at him, slowly nodding. "If I'm not in the house I'll probably be on the patio or in the hammock."

He nodded, lifting Cade so he could give her a hug and kiss goodbye.

Ruby cuddled the little boy to her, kissing his cheek. "You be good for Daddy now, alright?"

Cade yawned against her shoulder, snuggling in. "'es Miss Ruby." He made a sound of protest when Leon's big hands curled around him and lifted him away from her, but he was soon nestled against his father's wide shoulder and dozing contently.

Leon ran his hand over Cade's head but looked at Ruby. "I'll see you in a few."

"Alright, precious. Drive carefully."

He smirked, backing toward the car. "Always."