Author's note - made a small error, and realised that, according to canon, Lucas was 19 in the third season, not 18, but since I don't want to go back and change it in 'Crashing Down', let's just pretend that it's a slight AU! Many, many thanks to my reviewers! You made my day, I'm glad to know someone is enjoying it!

What Nick and Lucas didn't know, was that Gina was changing in the fitting room beside them and could hear every word.

At first, like Lucas, she had been frozen in horror, and then by embarrassment, as Nick alluded to her crush on Lucas. But when he talked about selling the house, she sank to the floor in shock. She stood there, listening to her uncle talk about selling her home...

Then she realized that Lucas was talking. He would help them, he would do that for them, but his voice sounded so...odd. No emotion at all. She was angry now, she was furious, but he just sounded...resigned. That was it.

She realized they had moved away, and she quickly dressed and ran out of the dressing room. She looked around for Lucas, but couldn't see him. She saw her mother and ran to her.

"Mom, where's Lucas?"

"I don't know, Honey, I haven't seen him...what's wrong?"

"He was talking to Nick, and Nick said...he said..." Her words were tumbling out, too fast, and to her embarrassment she stated to cry. "He said awful things to him, and I don't know where he went! I was in the dressing room, and he said...he said..."

Angie knew her brother to well to know that whatever it was, it was probably worse than anything she could imagine. She saw a passing sales clerk.

"Excuse me! We're looking for our friend, a boy in a wheelchair, blond hair?"

"Oh, yeah, sure, I saw him. I think he went outside."

They looked out the door at the falling snow.

"Gina, honey, I know you want to help right now, but let me go and find him and see how he is first, okay? Will you wait here?"

Gina nodded and wiped her tears, while Angie walked to the door.

It was freezing outside, but sure enough there was Lucas. He had a thin veil of snow coating him, and she couldn't tell if he was shuddering from the cold or crying. Probably both, she thought.

"Lucas?"

She kneeled beside him and put her hand on his chin to look at him. He was cold to the touch and his skin had a pale blue pallor, but his eyes looked a million miles away. She didn't think he'd even noticed the snow. Whatever she was going to do, she had to do it quickly and hope that he hadn't already caught his death of cold.

"Lucas, I know Nick said some things, and I don't know what, but it doesn't matter. You've got to come inside now, it's freezing."

He looked as though he was having trouble holding everything together. "Gina's worried about you, will you come inside? We can sort this out later."

He nodded, and started to move his chair, but instead she took it and started pushing him towards the doors.

Gina ran towards them as they came in, and still crying threw her arms around him. She drew back in horror.

"Mom, he's freezing!"

He spoke through chattering teeth, "I'm f..f..fine. Just needed some a..air."

"Mom?"

"Gina, go and buy the first towel you see and a blanket." She looked around for somewhere to go. "We'll be over there in that restroom."

Once again, she purposefully grabbed his chair and wheeled him into the restroom. She took off his jacket and started to shake off the snow, and gave him a fistful of handtowels.

"Here, use these, start drying yourself off."

In a moment of inspiration, she saw the hand dryer and positioned it towards him. Now he was definitely shaking from the cold. She rubbed his arms up and down, as her own mother would when she was a child. Gina ran in with a cheap towel and a sturdy looking blanket. She tucked the blanket around his shoulders while her mother proceeded to dry his hair with the towel.

After about ten minutes, his shivering began to subside. Tremors still ran throughout his body, but they were muted, and his skin was starting to lose its blueish tinge.

"You look better. There's a coffee shop in here, let's all get a cup."

They trooped out. Self conscious, Lucas tried to pull the blanket from his shoulders, but Gina insisted he leave it on and he didn't have the energy to fight. They ordered three cups of coffee, and sat in the warm café. He was looking better, but he seemed drained. Gina too, looked pale and red eyed.

"Mom, can we go home now?"

"Yes, I think that's an excellent idea. I'm going to take Lucas to the van, you round up the others, tell them we're leaving now. Anyone not in the van in ten minutes can make their own way home. Oh, and Gina...don't worry to much if you can't find your Uncle Nick. I'm sure he'll manage."

They shared a smile, and Gina ran off.

When Gina reached the arcade, She found them all drinking cokes talking about the games they played. She was relieved that she wouldn't have to fight any of them to stop playing.

"Hey Guys, we're going home. Mom says anyone not in the van in the next ten minutes has to walk home."

Ricky and Eddie looked annoyed.

"Gina, we was gonna play some more."

"Well, now you can't 'cause we're leaving. Come on!"

Tony noticed her pale face and red eyes. "Everything okay, Gina?" If Lucas had said or done anything to upset her, then so help him, Lucas would have another injury to nurse.

"I just wanna go home. Come on, guys!" She started pulling them out of their chairs.

"Alright, alright, we're coming!"

She hurried before them, and Tony rushed to catch up with her.

"Gina, what happened?"

She flashed an angry look at him. "Your father, that's what happened. Now come on!"

Now he was completely confused...what would his father have done that would cause Gina to be so upset that she was rushing out of the mall? And where were Angie and Lucas and his parents? He hurried along beside her, wondering what was going on.

His confusion didn't clear when he arrived at the van, where a very angry Angie was waiting for them, tapping her foot.

She didn't smile when she saw them. Whatever had happened, he couldn't remember ever seeing her this angry before in his life.

"Okay, everybody, get in."

Tony climbed in to see Lucas already seated and staring at his feet. He had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and didn't look up while they took their seats. His parents were walking towards the van and gesturing.

"Hey, Aunt Angie, wait up a minute, here's Mom and Dad."

He saw Gina and Lucas go pale. Angie started the van, and said through gritted teeth, "Well, they'd better hurry up then, because we're leaving!"

Tony couldn't believe it. He leaned out of the van and shouted to them to hurry.

The ride back to the house was terrible. Every attempt at conversation was shot down until they reverted to total silence. Angie and Gina seemed to radiate temper, and Lucas never spoke or looked up. They boys were familiar with their mother's temper, and although they didn't see it often, they knew enough to keep their heads down and say nothing. Even Nick was unusually silent, although unlike the rest of them, he seemed to be in a very good mood.

When they arrived at the house, Angie told the boys to go to their rooms and stay their until they were called for dinner. They gladly fled, happy that whatever this was about, it didn't involve them.

Angie fixed the rest of them with a steady glare.

"We all need to talk. All of you, in the living room, now!" Tony started to ask her again what was wrong, but she just repeated, "Living room, now!"

In a softer tone, she turned to Dagwood, who was now looking very worried, afraid that some of this anger would be directed towards him.

"Dagwood, would you please help Lucas to his room? Make sure he has a hot shower and puts something warm on, and get him into bed." She looked gently at Lucas, "Is that alright?"

He nodded gratefully.

"I'll bring you something to eat in a little while, okay?"

Tony noticed that he needed Dagwood's help to get out of the van. Now he was getting worried.

"What is this? What's going on?"

She marched into the living room, and stood before them. She folded her arms and demanded, "So...who wants to be the first to tell me what happened today?"

Tony felt guilty under her furious gaze. "Is this about what I said to Lucas?"

Angie looked at him in surprise.

"What did you say to him?"

"Nick mentioned the way he is with Gina, and I got a little angry. He sat beside me at lunch, and said he thought she was 'funny'. I thought that was patronizing, so I told him he needed to treat her with respect. An' then I went to sit with Mom and Dad."

"Nick started this?"

"Well, he said something, then I saw how it was."

Angie turned to her brother, and said in an acid tone, 'My, my, Big Brother, you have been busy today, haven't you?"

Gina turned on Tony angrily. "You idiot! He told me he doesn't know any jokes, so I've been telling him jokes all day! Knock knock jokes, and lightbulb jokes! He said I was really funny, and I should be on TV, you moron!"

Tony felt like a heel. "I'm sorry, I just thought..."

"Yes, we know what you thought. And why. So Nick, care to explain what happened next? And why?"

He made the mistake of trying to bluster his way out of it.

"I didn't do or say anything, I don't know what you heard, but I didn't do anything."

"Is that right? Okay then, we'll just sit back and let Gina tell us what happened."

All eyes turned to Gina. She licked her lips and started to speak.

"I was trying on some clothes in the fitting room, and I heard Uncle Nick and Lucas outside."

Tony was watching his father, and saw the sudden guilty look on his face.

"Uncle Nick started telling Lucas that he should give you some money for Christmas, because you didn't join SeaQuest to become his nanny and have to look after him all the time, and you weren't doing it just for his 'gratitude'."

Tony felt like hed been punched. "No, Nick, tell me you didn't say that..."

"Then he made some comments about...well, about...whether or not you had to, you know...do everything for him," she blushed deep red, "like take him to the bathroom and stuff. He said he didn't know how much of him 'worked', and maybe you didn't have to worry about me at all."

Everyone stared at Nick in horror. Tony felt sick. "Oh, God..."

"Then he said that he owed some people some money, and that we'd have to sell the house, and if Lucas was really grateful to you, then he'd give us the money so we could keep living here."

Marie looked at her husband, horrified. "Nick...you told him THAT? You asked that boy for money? How could you?"

Gina looked at her mother. "Is it true?"

"It was something that we talked about, yes. Your uncle wants his share of the house, and it is his by right. He's entitled to ask for it whenever he wants." She went over and took her daughter's hand. "Don't worry, whatever happens, we'll be fine."

Nick spoke up. "Hey, it's okay, he said he'd give us the money!"

They all looked at him, incredulous. Angie recovered first.

"On what planet does that make anything 'okay'! You made an eighteen year old disabled boy feel that he was a burden, told him he should pay his friends to help him, insulted his manhood and then asked him for money, did I get everything? Do you have no shame at all? What is wrong with you?!"

"Hey, I did it for all of us! Tony's always doing stuff for him, helping him out, carrying his stuff, staying up nights..."

He shouldn't have mentioned the last part, because it reminded Gina.

"Oh! Yes! He said that too! He told him that you complained that you and Dagwood didn't get any sleep at night because of his 'moaning and crying and nightmares'!"

Tony looked horror struck. "I didn't mean it like that! I wasn't complaining! I felt bad for him 'cause he doesn't get much rest at night!"

Tony turned, stricken, to Angie and Gina. "What did he do?"

"He said he'd give Nick the money, but his voice sounded really weird. Then I don't know what he did. Mom found him outside, he was freezing!"

"I don't think he knew what he was doing. When I found him, he was covered in snow - soaked to the bone and ice cold. We'll be lucky if he didn't catch his death out there!"

Nick tried to bluster again. "He'll be fine, you worry too much! Besides, he said he'd give us the money, you get to keep the house! Isn't that the important thing?"

Tony stood up.

"No, Nick, it isn't. But I have no idea how to explain that to you. For now, I think it would just be better if you went home."

"Tony..."

"Nick, just go home. I don't want to deal with you right now."

His mother stood up as well. "I think your father and I need to have a little talk. Call me in the morning, and tell me how everything is?"

Tony nodded, and kissed his mother as they left.