I do not own Summerland. I do own Teresa Coleman, her family, friends and story.

Ok, so I haven't updateed this since the beginning of JANUARY!!! What's the matter with me!!?? Blame it on writer's block, y'all! I am SO sorry, I promise not to take this long to update again!!! Hope you're still reading:)

Varinia: Oh my GOSH!!!!! This is the best you've read!! Wow!! I am so honored, so honored!!! Thank you so much!!! And about your idea... hmm.. I like it... I might use it but I might not cause I already know what I want to happen... but maybe! And don't stop suggesting, I only know what I want to happen for the next few chapters so I might use somebody's idea yet:) Thanks again and I hope you're still reading!! I'm so, so, so, SO sorry for the long wait!!

froggy2045: Hey!! Thanks so much!! Did you know you're my most faithful reviewer? Thank you for that!! So sorry about the super, super long wait!! It won't happen again, ok? Hope you're stil reading!! And thanks for the review!!

ChrissyD: Thanks! I wanted to throw everyone off!! Looks like it worked too!! Yeah!! Ok, I'll stop now. But thanks so much for the review and you'll just have to keep reading to find out what they're gonna do:) And I'm so very, very sorry about the REALLY long wait!!

chelsea: Haha! I really threw y'all off didn't I? Well, that's good cause I meant to! ;) Ok, thank you so much for the review!!! And when you said "you have to post more soon" uh... did you mean a month and a half was soon? No? Oh... I am seriously so sorry for making you wait this long!!!!! Well, I hope you're still reading cause here's an update!!

Krissy: Thank you so much or the review and for loving this story!!! I'm sorry, very, very sorry that I didn't update sooner!!! I peomise I won't take this long next time!!! Hope you're still reading and liking it!! Here's an update!

Alright, there ya go, everyone! Hope you're all still reading!!! Here's the next chapter!

Chapter XVII

Aren't Happy To See Me?

"Bradin! Come on, give it to me!" Teresa shouted as she chased Bradin down the beach. He had her cell phone and wouldn't give it back, "Bradin!" she was starting to get pissed.

"Okay, okay! Chill out, here." He handed her the phone just as it rang, she looked at the ID, Sexy Chicka, it said, she picked it up, "Hey Beth! What's up?" Teresa said sounding more cheerful than she had to Bradin.

"Hey girl, I was just wondering the same thing! Ha, ha, actually... Jake asked me to that dance I was telling you about and well..." Bethany said on one end of the phone line.

"Go with him girl! This is your chance! Take it, grab it by the horns, don't let the guy get away!" Teresa exclaimed, "TAKE THE CHANCE!" she repeated.

"Alright, alight! Sheesh, I'll go!" Bethany laughed, "I just wanted your approval... hmm... guess I got it, huh?

"Do I have to answer that?" Teresa made a look.

"Ha, ha, nah, I guess not..." Bethany and Teresa both burst out laughing, "So, what you doin'?"

"Hanging out with Bradin," Teresa ran her hand across Bradin's cheek and under his chin making him smile. "What about you?"

"No, no, no! Resa, you have to tell me exactly what you're doing, exactly who is there, exactly what time it is, climate, weather, and exactly where you are! Here, I'll go first, I'm on my way to my uncle's, no one is here, except for about 100 other people, it's," Bethany looked at her watch, "9:00pm, it's like, really cold, about 55 degrees, you know, New York is colder than I expected," Bethany babbled on, "it's clear as a bell, not a cloud in the sky and I'm in Downtown New York City walking down 23rd street." Bethany took a breath, "Now, what about you?"

"Ha, ha! I'm sitting on the beach with Bradin, it's, 6:00pm, it's about 75 degrees, it looks like it's gonna rain any minute, and as I already said, I'm on the beach! Detailed enough?" Teresa laughed.

Bradin could only hear one side of Teresa's conversation, which was annoying him, and he was wishing she would hang up so he could be with her alone for a little while before they went to his house to eat. He really wanted to tell her something, but no, she had to talk! "Reese..." Bradin ventured after listening to about 30 more minutes of her, one sided, conversation, "Reese, are we gonna go, I mean, it really looks like it's about to rain and it's started thundering."

"Oh, you're right," Teresa said just as a loud crack of thunder startled the two teens, she realized they were about the only people left on the, now deserted, beach. "Beth, I gotta go, I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, love ya, bye." Bethany closed her phone and walked into her uncle's apartment, "Mmm, what smells so good, Uncle Stew?"

"Love you too, bye!" Teresa shut her phone and got up with Bradin just as it started to rain, they took off running, it wasn't far to the beach house, but it was far enough to get them soaked. They stopped on the porch laughing and trying to catch their breath as lightning flashed through the sky. "Come on, let's go in, Bradin, this lightning isn't exactly comforting..." Ever since the night her father died, Teresa hadn't liked storms...

Bradin seemed to understand because he took her in his arms and held her close as they entered the kitchen. He swung her around in front of him so that their eyes met. Teresa felt herself blush knowing that his family was around them in the kitchen, but she couldn't help but feel lost in those beautiful blue eyes of his. They looked so happy, so content, so... free, something she'd only seen in Bradin's eyes once before. There was also pain and hurt, obviously he had been cut deep at some point. And there was a sort of mystery in his eyes which Teresa felt she had to unravel... Suddenly she realized he was no longer looking at her, instead he was staring intently behind her and his look of happiness and freedom quickly changed to distress and fear, he squeezed her hand in his. She jerked around to see Jerry standing in the kitchen talking to Johnny as if he were an old friend. Her mouth fell open, but no sound came out, she shut it quickly and looked back at Bradin. He was still staring, Jerry hadn't seen them yet, and his free hand was clenched into a fist, Teresa pulled close to him and turned back around so that her back was against his chest and his left arm was wrapped around her as she held his left hand in both of hers. She was anxiously awaiting what would happen next.

Bradin stared into Teresa's captivating green eyes... they shone like the sun, he thought, and they were full of joy, love, happiness and a care free spirit... something he wished he could give more of to her. Bradin shifted his eyes to look behind Teresa as he noticed someone who looked familiar talking to Johnny... the man's back was turned but still- The recognition hit Bradin like a ton of bricks making his head feel like it was spinning. What the hell was Jerry Brown doing in his house!? He felt Teresa push her back against him and hold his hand tightly, and he could see his aunt giving him a funny look from where she was sitting at the table. Still, he didn't take his eyes from the man talking to Johnny, how could he? He had hurt him so badly before... Jerry turned around abruptly, laughing that, I'm-such-a-nice-guy, laugh of his which made Bradin feel sick inside, what an act, nice guy!? Ha, the Devil's apprentice is more like it! Jerry's eyes caught Bradin's and for nearly a whole minute no one spoke, everyone else in the room became so silent you could have heard a pin drop.

Jerry finally broke the silence saying in his loud, care-free tone, "Bradin Westerly! Wow! It's nice to see a familiar face in a new town! When did you move here?"

Bradin clenched his jaw, "Almost 3 months ago... after my parents died. When did you?"

"About 2 and a half weeks ago... Johnny here befriended me pretty quick. He gave Johnny some sort of look which Bradin couldn't tell what it meant.

"Oh." Was all he said, he wanted to kill the damn bastard but he knew to hold back, "How long are you staying here er... that is, why'd you move?"

"I got a job out here, could be staying forever, you know... I like it out here." He got a wistful look on his face for a second, then looked back at Bradin, "Well... I remember all the good times we had together... and some other times," he shot Bradin a look that said he was talking about having raped him, "maybe we could have some more?" He chuckled.

Bradin tensed as Jerry stepped close to him and put his hand on his shoulder, "Like I said, could be forever, I'd love to get to know you again, Bradin, maybe we could get close again... too." Jerry smiled wickedly for a split second then returned the look of good-guy to his face, "What do you think?"

To say that Bradin felt sick would be an enormous understatement. No. No, no, no! Bradin felt far more than sick, there wasn't a word to describe it, and when, after 15 seconds, Jerry didn't remove his hand from Bradin's shoulder, Bradin found his own clenched fist colliding with Jerry's jaw, "You fucking bastard! Why the hell do you think that I would ever want to get close to you again!? Are you totally and completely out of your damn mind!? Though I'm not real sure you even have one!" Bradin screamed at him and didn't care that his aunt was yelling at him to stop like a maniac. "And here's another thing, dude, if you so much as look at my sister, look, I'll have your fucking head." Bradin hissed looking down at the man he had just hit so hard that he fell to the ground, "Do you understand?" Bradin paused between each syllable for emphasis.

Jerry looked at him disdainfully, "Oh sure buddy, and who's gonna get you my head?" He stood up and faced Bradin, "Cause I know it sure as hell ain't gonna be you, you puny punk!"

"Now hold on just a minute! Jerry, Bradin's not-"

"Shut up Johnny, you have no clue what this is about, so shut up and stay out," Bradin snapped at Johnny.

Ava and Nikki gathered into one corner of the room and Johnny came up to stand sort of "between" the teen and the older man.

Bradin pushed Teresa away from him and she screeched, "Bradin, please be careful! He's totally insane, you should know that!"

Jerry looked from Bradin to Teresa then back at Bradin, "Oh so you told someone, huh? Well... I guess I'll get to find out who's gonna get you my head after all because you do remember what I told you, right?" Jerry sneered.

Bradin punched him in the gut knocking him down while saying, "Oh yeah, I remember all right! There's just one problem with that; I have already warned you're not to so much as look, man, you are dead. But, you wanna take the chance, be my guest, I would thoroughly enjoy killing you... slowly." Bradin said with disgust.

"Bradin Westerly, what on earth has gotten into you!?" Ava exclaimed to the teenager coming forward and helping up the older man whose face was now twisted in pain.

"Aunt Ava, you don't even know what this is about! You can't ask me what's gotten into me! Nothing has... except anger for something evil and the will to do something about the source." Bradin looked at Nikki, "And stop it from hurting anyone else... anymore."

Nikki ran over to Bradin and grabbed his arm, "Brea, don't hit him again, it'll only make things... worse," she whispered into his ear.

Bradin nodded grimly, "But don't you want me to kill him?" he whispered back.

"Hell yeah!"

Bradin smiled, making Nikki smile back, "Okay, you got me on that one!" she laughed. They then both turned their attention back to Jerry and their aunt.."

Jerry, who was now standing, looked at the two siblings and said, "Okay, Bradin Westerly, you win!" he laughed casually then came closer to the two teens and whispered, "I warned you Bradin, so just remember that and don't be surprised when something happens, and I warned you of something too little girl," he looked directly at Nikki, "well, now both of the things I warned you two about are going to become a reality." His voice was so low that no one but Bradin and Nikki heard him. With that he turned to Johnny and acted as if nothing had just happened.

Bradin grabbed Nikki by the hand, motioned to Teresa to follow him and walked into the living room. "Where's Derrick?" he asked.

"He's in you guys' room," Nikki said, "Bradin, let's get out of here!"

Thunder cracked loudly outside, "No, Nik, we better stay in... but you keep your eyes on Derrick and make sure Jerry doesn't get around him. I will too."

Nikki nodded, "Bradin, please, don't let him hurt you again!"

This time it was Bradin's turn to nod and say, "You either, okay."

"Okay."

Well, there it is!! the LONG awaited update! Won't take that long again, I promise!! IF you'll review and tell me what you thought!!! Thanks so much!!

Anna Christie AKA SecondStarToTheRight15