Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except the drama and tension I'm going to cause. Enjoy.

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Chapter Six

"I'm gonna have to call you back..."
"Okay, just dial HELL and I'll answer."

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The soft light filtered through the window as her eyes fluttered open gently. Stray strands of hair fell over her face as she brushed them away delicately before rolling over and squeezing her eyes shut tight, apparently willing the morning to go away for just a little while longer. I smiled a little as her pale face glimmered in the sunlight, her light brow furrowing as I pushed a strand behind her ear and leant down to kiss her lips tenderly. She responded after a moment, smiling into the kiss before moving her arms around my neck and pulling her to me.

"Mattie." I groaned, as I pulled away, opening my eyes slowly.

-

"Merry Christmas" Beth said eagerly as Sara and I walked into the festively decorated living room. Bella and Matthew were crawling happily around in the remnants of opened wrapping paper while all the adults sat in the lounges lazily, soaking up the joys that Christmas always provided.

All that was, except Mattie. She was crawling around on the floor with Bella and Matthew, playing her own little game with them. The one that no one was ever let in on… the same one that we all wanted to know how she did it. Because she was their favourite everything. Every time she walked into the room they would go to her, no one else. Just her. I smiled down at her as she playfully picked up Bella in her arms and threw her up in the air gently.

"Hey, that's my kid." Jack said jokingly, as Sara tugged on my hand and led us towards a couch.

"I know that Jack." Mattie replied, shaking her head. "She loves it though."

"Yeah." Jack muttered, "Only when you do it though." He grumbled, as Mattie smiled triumphantly.

"We didn't wake you, did we?" Beth asked worriedly as she wandered around, picking up items here and there, until Dad finally took her hand and pulled her down onto the couch with him.

"Wouldn't matter if we did. It was about time these two joined us." He said, as I laughed sarcastically.

"Can't get a moment alone anymore." I replied, as someone rapped on the door.

"Just us." Kit said as she and Kim appeared in the hallway. "We're not late, right?" Kim added, as Dad grinned.

"Are you kidding? These two only just appeared and they live here." He chuckled as Sara's face turned a light shade of pink.

"Don't worry." I whispered in her ear "He's only messing."

She smiled gratefully at me, as Bella, now released from Mattie's arms, crawled towards me. Scooping her up in my arms, I tickled her a little before turning to Sara, asking, "Would you like to meet Bella? She's beautiful, perfect, amazing." I gushed, as Sara grinned widely and held out her arms. Only, as soon as I'd placed Bella in those petite arms, shrill screams escaped from her tiny lips. Mattie, who had just stood up, walked over immediately and pulled her into her own arms, and the screams died down amongst soothing words of love and care.

"It wasn't you." Mattie said to Sara "Bella is just a little wary of anyone new. She'll get used to you soon, won't you bubba."

"Its not fair." Martha murmured, "Mattie just has to hold her and she stops doing whatever it is she's doing. I'm her mother, why doesn't she do that for me?" She finished, pouting a little as Kit began to laugh.

"I'm sure she would, if you'd been given half a chance." She said, as Mattie poked her tongue out at her big sister.

"Hey, I missed out on an entire year with these darlings. I'm making up for lost time. Besides, Martha can have her back eventually, I don't want one of these for a very long time." She said firmly.

"And thank god for that." Beth said, as everyone began to laugh.

"Oh I don't know." Sara said through the laughter "I think it would be kind of sweet to have one."

One way to create an awkward silence on Christmas Morning.

"Of course it will be." Mattie said finally, graciously easing through the tension in the air. "But not yet, right? You want to live life a little, right?" She prompted, as Sara nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh yes, don't get me wrong, I'm not ready just yet." She said, and I swore I saw Beth and Dad sigh in relief.

"That's nice." Mattie offered, before taking Bella and herself into the kitchen.

The chatter returned, but I couldn't help but be shocked by Mattie's behaviour. Not in a bad way though, just in a surprised way. She had yet to really spend any quality time with Sara, having been hired in an instant by the Boutique, and thus, the week leading up to Christmas, she and Cassie had been living there every day.

But what she'd done then, it was nice of her. Sweet even. And I hadn't expected her to be that supportive of Sara. Not just yet.

Excusing myself, I walked towards the kitchen in the hopes of finding Mattie, but instead I ran into Kit who was fixing herself a coffee.

"Little bro." She said, pulling me into a hug. "Long time no see." She said warmly as I returned the hug gratefully. Having gotten to know Kit over the years, she'd really become someone I looked up to, someone I could imagine as my real sister.

"New girlfriend?" She asked, peering around to glimpse at Sara before turning back to me, smiling.

"Yeah." I sighed; sitting down into a chair and ignoring the look she shot me.

"Trouble in paradise?" She asked as she sat down into the chair opposite.

"No, no, nothing like that." I said "More to do with Mattie, and Sara…" I trailed off, and Kit nodded knowingly.

"Kind of awkward, having both of them here together, in Summer Bay, with all those memories you'd tried to forget?" She asked, and I didn't even have to nod, because she just knew.

"And Mattie has been so, good. But so withdrawn. I know she's been busy, but its like she and Cassie will use any excuse not to spend time with the four of us. Its not like they've yelled it aloud, and Ric and I understand that it's hard for them, and they've made the initial effort, I just wish she'd take the chance to really get to know Sara." I sighed, and Kit smiled a little.

"Its hard, you know? Watching someone you want to be with be with someone else. And I'm not saying that Mattie wants to get back with you, but until this year you were all hers, and she didn't have to share you, even if it was just in friendship. And you know Mattie, she really doesn't like to share. Just give her a little bit of time Luke, you know she'll come around eventually, she can't go without you in life, you have to know that by now, right?" She appealed to me, as I shook my head.

"I'm beginning to believe she'd do just fine, as long as she had Cassie, they could cut off the world and be fine together." I said almost bitterly, but Kit threw me a look.

"You don't honestly believe that, do you?" She asked seriously, and I shook my head, knowing that I was simply throwing out accusations for the sake of it, because I really didn't know what to do.

"But what am I supposed to do? Spend the summer waiting for her to be ready? What if she's never ready to accept Sara into her life? I could never even try to make the choice between them… but I really don't want Mattie to make me go there either."

"Have you even talked to her about it?" Kit asked, and I shook my head again.

"We haven't really talked since we've been back. She's been avoiding me too." I said grimly as Kit patted my shoulder. "Well, you know what you have to do then, don't you?" She said, and I smiled up at her.

"Thanks Kit, for everything." I said, standing up and embracing my stepsister once more. "You're a star, if Kim ever lets you go, give me a call." I joked, as she pinched me. "Don't make me get fresh with you young man." She said; as she hugged me back once more before wandering back into the lounge room.

I now had a mission.

And as it turned out, I didn't have that far to go and finish it. I found Mattie sitting on the back veranda with Bella in her arms, cooing to her as the baby giggled in her arms. She looked so at home, so peaceful, so perfect, and for a minute I just watched, unable to find the motivation to interrupt the moment. That was, until Bella giggled and reached out, wanting to be held in my arms, and Mattie turned to find me leaning against the door frame.

"You want to go to Uncle Lucas?" She asked Bella, as she stood up and placed Bella gently in my arms. She gurgled and pulled close to me, tugging gently on my shirt as Mattie watched on. "I think she likes you." She said, as I scoffed at her.

"I should hope so, I'm her favourite Uncle." I said, as Mattie laughed at me.

"I know, but I'm her favourite everything." She retorted playfully, as she began to tickle Bella in my arms.

"That's just what Bella has led you to believe, when really, she secretly loves me more, and when she's older, she'll tell you as such." I replied, as Mattie poked her tongue out at me.

"I think not. You will never take the title of Queen of the babies away from me." She cried, as Bella laughed at the two of us.

She sighed then, almost sadly, before moving to sit back down.

"Its not that hard." I said finally, as I moved to sit by her "For things to go back to friendship. We did it fine then. Why have you been avoiding me Mattie?" I pleaded with her, but she refused to meet my eyes.

"I haven't been ignoring you," She said "Or Sara." She added off the look I sent her way. "I've just been busy."

"Every hour of every day." I cried "Come off it Mattie, something is up, you and I both know it."

"Yeah, but how long did it take you to figure out Luke? We've been back for two weeks, and you confront me on Christmas morning? It would never have taken you this long before Luke, you'd have known in a second. Maybe that's part of the problem." She said softly.

"What problem?" I asked, concerned for Mattie.

"The problem of moving on." She said sadly, and I turned to look at her, opened my mouth to say something, anything, only to be interrupted by Sara who came through the doorway.

"Lucas your parents…" She said loudly, only to halt when she saw Mattie and I together. Taking a moment to collect herself, she continued, "are wondering if you and Matilda would like to begin the present opening now." She said, smiling at Mattie, who smiled shortly back at her.

"I think that would be nice." She said, standing up and taking Bella in her arms. "Wait till you see what Aunty Mattie got you…" She said, walking past Sara back into the house.

"Everything okay?" Sara asked finally, her face almost pained with fear and worry.

"Yeah Honey," I replied, standing up and giving her a chaste kiss on the head "Everything is fine."

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AN: Thanks to Jade for proofing, you are a legend. And thus, the plot thickens… I hope you enjoyed. More soon, I promise!