Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

A/N: Well, it's been awhile, but I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far; feedback is always appreciated!

Take My Hand

Madison's heart raced and her breathing was accelerated as her feet smacked the pavement. There was something relaxing and peaceful about jogging outdoors. She normally ran on her mother's treadmill in their basement, but the spring weather was too nice to waste. The temperature had finally risen to the mid-sixties, giving Madison the motivation to go to the park in Briarwood and jog laps around the track.

When she grew tired of running, she slowed down to a walk and strolled outside the confines of the track. Briarwood's park was bumbling with activity. Several groups of teenagers were playing basketball or baseball or football. Younger kids were throwing pieces of bread at ducklings on the lake, and parents were pushing children on swingsets. Madison stopped to sit on a bench and take in her surroundings. It would have been a fun scene to film on camera, a change from her coworkers at Rock Porium who normally comprised most of the footage she shot. She was contemplating returning home to retrieve her videocamera when someone called her name.

"Hey, Madison! What are you doing here?"

The accent was all too recognizable. Madison looked up and saw Xander smiling down at her, carrying a skateboard and donning a black helmet and elbow pads. She grinned back. "I just finished jogging some laps. How about you?"

He gestured to his skateboard. "My board was getting tired of sitting in the house, and my mom was tired of yelling at me for riding in the living room."

Madison laughed; his passion for skateboarding was one of the first things she had learned about him, and even though he was seventeen, it didn't surprise her that he would try to skateboard in the house. Briarwood didn't have severe winters, but even forty-degree weather was a bit too cold for outdoor activities. She studied the skateboard he was holding – it wasn't the one she remembered him using before winter had arrived. "Is that a new skateboard?"

Nodding proudly, Xander replied, "Yup. I just bought it a couple weeks ago." He hesitated, then his face lit up. "Hey, do you want to try it?"

The shy girl blinked a few times and looked up at him. The question had taken her by surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Skateboarding. Do you want to give it a shot? I'll help you."

Madison looked uncertainly at Xander's skateboard. She had never been interested in sports, and she hardly thought jogging regularly made her an athlete. Vida had always been the athletic sister, until she discovered turntables. "I don't know. I've never been good at sports."

"It's not that hard. And I'll be right here with you. And I'm a good teacher. Don't you trust me?"

As Madison spent more time with Xander, she found it harder to resist his charm, especially the innocent, pleading looks he gave when he wanted something. He gave her one of those looks now, and she knew she wouldn't say no. Plus, she never passed up opportunities to spend time with him alone, so she wasn't going to do it this time. Taking a deep breath, she reluctantly agreed. "Okay. I'll try it."

Her companion grinned and unfastened his helmet. "Great. Here, you might need this." He placed it on her head and helped her adjust it to fit under her chin. Madison had never been superficial, but she was sure she looked silly sporting a male's skateboarding helmet.

"All right, let's start with the basics." Xander held up his board. "This is a skateboard. It's used by standing on it with both feet-"

Madison swatted his arm playfully and interrupted him. "Xander! I'm not an athlete, but I do have common sense."

"I know, I know. I'm just kidding with you," he told her, a teasing grin on his face. He set the board on the ground and stepped on it with his left foot. "Okay, look. If you stand like this, with your left foot forward, it's called regular. But, if you stand with your right foot forward, it's called goofy. Or, you can do a fakie, which is standing regular but riding backwards. Got that?"

"I think so."

Xander laughed, obviously not oblivious to the confusion in her voice – and probably on her face, too. "Well, for now, you can just stand however you're most comfortable," he told her. He continued explaining the art of pushing off the ground and controlling the board.

"And that's all there is to it," Xander concluded as he rode a short distance away from her. "Do you think you can do it?"

"Sure, I guess. As long as you make sure I don't fall."

"Of course. I told you that you could trust me, didn't I?"

Madison nodded. She knew she was probably taking her uncertainties too far, since she wasn't doing anything death-defying, but she also knew skateboarding wasn't as easy as Xander made it seem. The butterflies in her stomach were like the ones she had felt when she and Vida first learned how to ride bikes without training wheels.

Xander set the board on the ground in front of her, and Madison hesitantly positioned one foot on it the way he had showed her. "Don't be too nervous, or else you won't be able to concentrate," he told her. He held out his right hand. "Here, take my hand."

Madison's shaky hand gripped Xander's strong one as she pushed off the ground gingerly and started riding. Just as he'd said, Xander kept holding her hand and walked quickly beside her.

They hadn't gone very far when Madison lost her balance for the first time. She felt herself falling backwards and let out a nervous cry, but her 'teacher' had immediately reached behind her to steady her before she could fall. Once she regained her balance, she stepped off the skateboard.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all right," she answered. She realized she was frustrated at herself for doing poorly, and she was surprised. Somewhere between where they stood now and their starting point ten feet away, she must have decided that she wanted to actually do good at the task. "I told you I'm not cut out for sports, though."

"You're doing fine!" the Australian assured her. He still had an arm wrapped around her and gave her waist a squeeze. He pointed out the things she had done wrong and showed her how to fix them.

After a minute, Madison positioned her foot on the skateboard for the second time. Xander held her hand again, this time also keeping his other arm outstretched in anticipation of another fall. Which was a good thought, because the skateboard hit a bump in the sidewalk after Madison had ridden only a couple of feet. She wobbled on the board for a moment, and it looked like she would regain her balance on her own, but she fell forward. Xander caught her with both arms and held her close to him, helping her get steady on her feet.

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly when he released her from his grasp. She knew she was blushing furiously, so she kept her head down and smoothed her shirt to avoid looking at him. When she did glance up at his face, she saw a hint of red fading from his cheeks, too.

Xander waved off the apology and jogged off to retrieve the board, which had continued rolling away. Madison took a moment to catch her breath. She wasn't sure if it was the fall that had left her breathless, or if it was from being tangled in Xander's arms. Maybe it was both.

Madison's third attempt on the skateboard was a lot more successful; Madison managed to ride a much longer distance before she spotted another bump in the sidewalk and quickly jumped off the board to avoid hitting it. Still, having to jump off was better than falling and hurting herself.

"Hey, that was great!" Xander praised her. He picked up the board and grinned at her. "You're almost a pro, Madison. Pretty soon you'll be as good as I am."

Madison rolled her eyes at the cocky comment although she couldn't keep herself from smiling. She wanted to try it again, but a look at her watch told her she needed to go home and get ready for her shift at Rock Porium. "Oh. I better go. I have to be at work in an hour."

"Okay. Come on, I'll walk you home."

The Rocca house was not even ten minutes away from the park, but she gladly accepted. It wasn't until they were standing on Madison's front porch when she realized she had been wearing his helmet the entire way home. Happy that they hadn't run into anyone they knew, she unfastened it and handed it back to him. "Here you go. Thanks."

"Hey, no problem. You know, you were getting really good at the end. Maybe next time I can teach you some tricks."

"I don't know about that," Madison dismissed that idea quickly, "but it was fun."

They exchanged a smile before Xander walked down the porch steps. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm working a late shift at the store, so I'll probably see you there."

"Okay." She waved as he assumed his position on the skateboard. "Bye, Xander."

"Talk to you later. 'Bye, Madison." He waved back, winked, and rode away.

Madison smiled faintly as she watched him skateboard down the street, remembering the events that transpired all of ninety minutes ago. The spontaneous lesson had been fun. And Xander had shown so much dedication and loyalty. He was supportive and encouraging and didn't let her hurt herself. He had been right by her side to catch her each time she fell.

That gave her another thought. She walked through her front door, her head swimming. Sure, he didn't let her hit the concrete. That would just be cruel if he did, and Xander wasn't a cruel person.

But he was a huge flirt, and he loved floating from one girl to the next without committing to anyone in particular. A loyal friend, he was. A loyal romantic companion, he wasn't. As much as she liked him, Madison couldn't deny that fact.

He had caught her when she fell off the skateboard. But would he catch her if she ever fell in love with him?