Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not Home and Away, nor the movie used in this chapter. Snaps for whoever can guess the movie (and my sister isn't allowed to guess, as she knows it).

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Seduction of Summer

Chapter 13: Giving in or giving up?

That I love you, I have loved you all along
And I miss you, Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go

Stop breathing if, I don't see you anymore

-Nickelback, Far Away

Pulling up the car quietly, I looked at Maddie's huddled figure in the passenger seat. Her face was stained with mascara and tears, and she looked restless as if she were having a nightmare instead of dreaming.

It felt wrong to watch Maddie like this and not comfort her, I thought, picking her up, taking her from the car and heading for the house.

Quietly unlocking the front door, I wasn't surprised to find all lights turned off, an eerie sense of calm overcoming the house. Turning down the hallway, I began to walk towards Maddie's room before I felt her struggle against my grip for a few seconds before calming once more.

"No Luke,' she mumbled softly, 'Don't go."

Sighing to myself and pulling her closer to me, I knew she was speaking to her dreams, but I couldn't help and believe that she really was speaking to me. Turing into my own room instead of going further to hers, I set her down on the bed and gently began taking off her shoes. She snuggled closer into her side of the bed as I took her dress off, leaving her in a strapless bra and underwear. Knowing it would be useless to put pajamas on her, I left her like this, tucking her into the bed before grabbing a towel and heading towards the shower.

Turning the hot water on and shedding my clothing, I stepped into the shower and let the heat ease the tension in my body.

This had been four days of drama, of tears, of heartbreak and of dull aching pain.

They were four days I wouldn't ever want to relive, but couldn't help reliving in my mind. I couldn't forget Maddie kissing Ric, nor could I forget Maddie's heartbreaking apology in the bathtub, or her heart stopping entrance into the party.

Finally, I couldn't forget her tear-stained face tonight in the car, or the way she had clung to me as soon as she was put into my arms.

Turning around in the shower, I thought of Hilary's lips on my own, and how that could technically be considered cheating because I hadn't pushed her away. I hadn't initiated the kiss either, I thought to myself, but was still disgusted that I had allowed it to continue for so long.

As I climbed out of the shower, I imagined Maddies sleeping body lying in my bed, waiting for someone to come and hold her, to soothe her, to watch over her in her dreams. Tying my towel around my waist, I walked slowly back to the room, pausing in the doorway to watch her.

The vulnerable look had been replaced by a look of contentment, as if she knew where she was. Walking over to her and crouching down, I brushed some hair out of her face and left my hand on her cheek for a short while, which produced a small smile on Maddie while she slept.

Yawning from pure exhaustion I grabbed a spare pair of boxers from my drawer and quickly changed into them before climbing into the bed. My final thoughts lingered on Maddie as I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her, falling into a deep sleep, better than those I had had for the last few nights.

Alcohol is evil and must be destroyed, I thought cynically as I rolled over the next morning, or possibly afternoon, with a pounding headache and a stomach that felt like it was ready to explode.

I will not be sick, I willed myself to believe as I contemplated getting out of bed, but the weakness of my arms put a instant flaw in that plan. Glancing around the room, I realised I was in my own bed in our house, and wondered how in the hell I had gotten here.

Shutting my eyes in the hopes that the world would stop spinning if it weren't there any more, I fought against the headache trying to remember what happened last night. However, it was all in vain, as I realised I had drawn a blank. Once again opening my eyes, I looked to my bedside table and realised there was a glass of something reddish looking along with two tablets and an unsigned note which was so obviously written in Ric's handwriting.

Taking the tablets and swallowing them quickly, while trying not to gag on the horrible drink he had left me, I considered whether or not I should read the note. Obviously he had had something to do with my returning last night, but then again, I couldn't be one hundred percent sure because my memory was failing me for the first time when I actually needed to remember.

That's just brilliant isn't it, I thought before taking another swig of the horrible concoction.

Sighing, I mulled over everything until I began to feel my headache subside, and the pains in my stomach reduce. Still not feeling ready to attempt to leave the bed, I once again shut my eyes with the hopes of figuring out what happened last night.

There was more luck this time, as flashes of events came to me until I was able to piece most of the night together with some satisfaction, until I actually figured out what had happened.

Then I groaned in horror, at my actions, at Ric's actions, at Henry's actions.

Everything had turned out wrong.

I saw Maddie taking Ric's hand and leading him away, the strained look on both their faces, after they had seen Luke and I were so clearly out with other people so soon after everything.

Henry had kept handing me drink after drink. Then we'd danced, then he'd tried the moves, but I'd run out on him to outside, where Luke had found me, then there was nothing.

I had passed out.

Great, apart from being able to hold a steady relationship, add crap drunk to the list.

Didn't I learn from a couple of nights ago that I can't hold my booze? Apparently not, considering I still couldn't remember how I had wound up with my pajama's on in my own bed.

Using the power of deduction, I concentrated on figuring out the biggest mystery of them all. Surely it hadn't been Luke who had brought me here. And Henry wouldn't of wanted to come close to me after I ran off on him like that, could he?

I was left with one plausible option, but I didn't want to believe it.

Ric had got me from Luke and brought me home, taking care of me once again. He always managed to do that didn't he? Care about me when I was trying to forget about him, push him out of my life once and for all.

Couldn't he just be a bastard and be done with it.

Suddenly the door creaked open.

Speak of the devil, and the devil doth appear.

Shit.

That's how I felt and that's how I looked.

And that's how shocked I was to find myself waking up in Luke's bed, looking like he'd slept there next to me, again.

Just like the night of the party.

But he wasn't there. The only sign that he had been there was the fact that I was curled up on my side of the bed, which, in retrospect, meant very little.

Wondering why there was no splitting headache, I retraced the steps of last night. In a car with Ric, walking into the party, being completely and utterly shocked when I saw them together.

My grade A meltdown while locked in a room with Ric, and finally the numbness I had felt by the end of the night, while I was curled up in his arms, as he went to take me home.

But Ric wouldn't have brought me home. He would've taken me back to his house so I could come home as planned the next day. And no matter how out of it, I wouldn't have let Henry touch me, not after the sick stunt he pulled last night. Which left one option.

And I was very scared to imagine it.

There was always a chance that Ric had found Luke and convinced him to bring me home. But that still didn't explain how I ended up in his bed and not mine.

He wouldn't have put me here, not when he was evidently enjoying his date with skankface Hilary.

Stupid bitch.

Groaning, I rolled out of bed and headed for the shower, hoping that I would feel better having showered, and maybe it would also help me to forget everything that had happened in the last couple of days.

Walking into the bathroom, I almost ran into Luke who was coming out. We stared at each other awkwardly for some time, neither of us willing to move out of the way.

Or neither of us wanting to move out of the way.

I wasn't sure any more.

Once upon a time I would've used this current situation to my advantage. We still obviously wanted one another; there was this attraction that never seemed to falter between Luke and I.

But that was before I realised why Luke was contemplating me like he was.

I had stared intently back at him before I realised that I was standing in my underwear with mascara stained on my face.

Shrieking slightly, I pushed past him to run into the bathroom before slamming the door behind him. Breathing quickly, I leant against the door, closing my eyes and trying to calm myself down. I knew Luke was on the other side doing exactly the same thing for a completely different reason.

This was all turning out to be harder than I thought.

Cassie didn't throw me out as soon as I opened the door, nor did she scream at me when I shut the door behind me and walked into the room, so I took that as a semi good sign.

Walking over to her, I placed the tray off food I had prepared for Cassie on the bed next to her, but was still surprised to see Cassie staring at me, as if she couldn't decide what her next move would be.

Instead, I made the next move for her.

"Eat something Cass. You had a rough night last night. Maybe one too many drinks with Henry." I said, maybe to spite her, maybe because I needed to let it out. I wasn't too sure at that stage.

Cassie looked towards me angrily.

At least that was an improvement on no reaction at all.

"Like you had fun with Maddie." She spat towards me.

"Nothing happened with Maddie. Nothing will ever happen with Maddie. She's one of my best friends. She's like my sister. You know that, you've known that all along. So don't even go there Cass, I'm starting to get sick of it." I screamed back at her.

She shrank back away from me after hearing these words. It was as if I had burned her. And I began to regret ever coming in to the room with her.

"You're right.' She began finally. 'I won't go there. I don't need to. This obviously is wrong Ric. If your so sick of it, then I will be too. Maybe Henry will want to take me out again tonight." She finished, slumping back into bed and shutting her eyes, essentially putting an end to any conversation.

Sighing, I stood up and walked out of the room.

I was beginning to think she was right. What was the point of trying when I could never say anything right when I was with her?

What was the point in trying if we always ended up fighting like just now?

I wandered downstairs into the living room, and sat on the couch pondering this thought.

Love was supposed to be easy, wasn't it? I mean, I know there are rough times, but it wasn't always supposed to take this much effort.

To cause that many tears.

Mulling this over, I lay down on the couch and flicked through the channels on the TV. It had become a prime hobby, channel surfing, when I was bored and Cassie was out with Maddie shopping. However, today I couldn't concentrate on anything but the events of the last few days.

All this concentrating was beginning to make my head hurt, so I gave up and closed my eyes, hoping a good afternoon nap would solve my problems, but the world hated me today.

Next to me, my phone had begun incessantly beeping, as if the message was dying to be read. I tried ignoring it, but it just wouldn't shut up. God I hated inanimate objects sometimes.

Picking it up, I scanned the message quickly before getting up and going to the computer. Waiting for me was an email, detailing what was promised to be the event of the summer. I quickly checked my MSN list to see if Maddie was online. She needed to know about this, and pronto.

Walking through the hallway, I could hear voices in the living room. Rounding the corner, they became louder and louder.

I didn't enter the room immediately, listening to figure out where the voices were coming from.

"Verena, it looks like this thing is going to happen whether we want it to or not so we're just going to have to adjust."


"Adjust? Where would we be today if President Kennedy had said 'Oh well, we'll just have to ADJUST to living in the shadow of nuclear warheads on Cuba?'"

"There ya go."

"They're just boys, Verena, not communists."

"I'm not going to live in the shadow of the hairy bird."

I heard a snort of laughter from the lounge room and knew it was safe to enter.

Maddie had this habit of blocking out the world when she was annoyed by watching her favourite movies. Today she'd chosen a classic.

There had been countless times when I'd found Maddie alone on a couch quoting along with the movie. It was the kind that once you became addicted to, it never stopped being addictive. She knew ever line off by heart, and would often break out into quoting the movie in a situation when she thought it called for it.

That was just something else I loved about her.

As I went to walk into the room, I heard her phone begin to ring. I knew she would pause the movie and wait for the conversation to be over, and in my current position I was able to listen in to one side of her phone call.

That was if I was going to be rude enough to listen into her phone call.

"Hey Ric." I heard from the living room.

Oh, I was so listening.

"Mmhmm, Details please."

Details about what?

"Sounds alright. Do you think there will be something of the sort again, or a one off?"

Is what a one off?

"Well, I think you've just about sold it to me. As long as there are no meltdowns like there was last night. You and I deserve a good night out."

So they were going out. Great detective work here Luke.

"I'll meet you at the Yabbie Creek shopping centre when it's closing and we'll walk to the warehouse from there. This better go off like they said it would or I'm going to be sorely disappointed."

Finally, some details and an actual place.

"Uh huh. Okay, cya tomorrow." Maddie finished, flipping her phone shut before beginning the movie once more.

Standing back against the wall, I wondered what I should do with this information. I could let Maddie and Ric go, I mean, who was I to stop them?

But that wasn't to say that I couldn't follow them. Or conveniently end up at the same place as them. Without Henry's intervention this time.

I just wanted to keep an eye on Maddie, I reasoned with myself. That was totally it. I didn't want her to get into any trouble.

Walking back into my room, I was to involved with my own thoughts not to notice someone had been watching me for the entire time.

Three down, one to go.

Smiling evilly to myself, I flipped open my phone before punching in a short message.

Tomorrow night.

You and me.

Just as friends.

It's gunna be fun.

Promise.

You in?

Already knowing what the response would be, I sat back and silently congratulated myself on manipulating them once more.

More to the point, they had basically done it themselves this time.

Now all that was left for me to do was sit back and watch the fireworks and explosions.

Life was grand once more.

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AN: Shorter chapter, its all coming to a climax now… any guesses for what happens in the next chapter? Or where everyone is going? As always, read and review please.