I'm SO sorry for such a slow update! But I've been really busy with keeping up with school (new classes in seven or eight school days, yay!) and I'm juggling two jobs, so I haven't had much time to write! I've also been having a lot of difficulty with time lapses for this story. It was first supposed to be set over only a summer; then I thought I could make it a summer and Roger's senior year; then I thought I'd make it go until after he graduates, for specific future purposes... and now I just don't know what I want to do. I'll keep adding chapters as long as they work out, but I don't know how long that'll be. Please continue to be patient with me and continue to R&R like you have been! Thanks!

Here's the next chapter, a month into Andy and Roger's relationship. I know things will be rather rushed, but that's intentional (and you'll see why it happens, anyway.) Oh, by the way, the title is borrowed from the movie with the same name, but for a different reason. You'll see. Enjoy.

Chapter 3

A few weeks later, at the end of June, Andy woke to a knock on her window. She slipped into her nightgown and went over to it. Roger was standing on the slanted roof.

"Roger!" she hissed in surprise, looking up at him, and she opened the window quickly. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," Roger whispered, stepping through the window onto her bedroom floor. He stepped so close to her, he could have kissed her at any moment. "Come with me, Andy, while the night is young and the day is still ours." Slowly and seductively, Roger slid his hand inside her robe and gently caressed her chest.

"Where will we go?" Andy asked him, feelings shivers go through her whole body at his touch.

"How about we go to the lake?" He leaned in even closer to her. "No one will find us there."

Andy considered this for a moment. Then she nodded. "OK, let's do it," she said.

"What about your dad?"

"You're worrying about him now?" Andy almost laughed, and she playfully shoved Roger toward the window. He tripped slightly and she fell on top of him. Then she glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, I see now. He's not here." She indicated to the metal structure that was constructed on the side of her house, on which Roger had climbed to get to her. She, however, disregarded this and followed him into the moonlight.

"I love you, Andy," Roger said, as they lay together on a quilt, listening to the sounds of the crickets chirping and the waves crashing against the shore. Two champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne lay abandoned on the sand. They'd forgotten all about it after a while.

"I love you, too, Roger," Andy replied. She looked up slowly at him and realized he was looking at her like he never had before. She also realized she was quickly getting drunk; Roger, too. Andy gently stroked Roger's calloused hands. "Calloused hands," she said quietly, "artist's hands." She kissed his hands and looked up at him. "Put your hands on me, Roger."

Roger kissed her passionately and they lay down together. Slowly, they undressed each other. But before they could do anything further, Roger suddenly stopped, breathing heavily.

"It's OK," Andy whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you, Roger. It's OK. I know you won't hurt me. You don't have to be afraid of that."

"I would never hurt you, Andy," Roger said.

He kissed her again and they began to make love. When they were done, they lay there together and fell asleep. They awoke when the sun rose, burning red and gold on the horizon, just like their passionate love for each other.

Andy slowly opened the kitchen window from the outside, unlocked the door from the inside, and entered her house. She listened for any sound of her father, but heard nothing, so she suspected he was passed out on the couch again. Shutting the door, she was crossing the kitchen, when she gasped with surprise as someone grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around.

"Where have you been?" her father demanded.

"Like you care," Andy snapped, wrenching herself out of his grasp, "passed out on the couch all the time, when you're not working!" Mr. Conway raised his hand, as though to slap her. Andy flinched and gave in. "OK, OK, I was out with Roger."

"Out with your bastard, huh?" Mr. Conway snarled. "Doing what? Being a whore to him… being a whore to that… that gutter rat?"

"I'd rather be his whore than your daughter!" Andy yelled. But then her father's hand connected with her face. She flew backward, hit the wall, and the last thing she saw was her father coming at her, his fists flying.

"Oh, my God, Andy, what happened to you?" Roger asked, when he saw her the next day.

Andy touched her face gingerly. It still hurt where her father had hit her, and now a bruise was starting to show. No, scratch that, her whole body hurt. The night before had been the most severe beating he'd ever given her, and for what— for her being with the only man who had ever made her happy in her life.

"It was my dad, Roger," Andy said, beginning to cry. "He asked me where I'd been and I said I'd been out with you. I wouldn't tell him what we'd done and he beat me. It was so bad, Roger. I've never seen him like that. I thought he was gonna kill me."

"OK, that's it," Roger snarled. "I'm gonna do something about him, Andy. I'm gonna put him behind bars or kill him or something." He gently kissed her, careful not to hurt her. "You are not going back there again, do you understand me?"

"I know, Roger, I know," Andy said breathlessly through her tears. "But what are we gonna do? Your dad—"

"Forget my dad, OK?" Roger said. "You're more important. I'll talk to my mom. I'll talk to Mark. I'll talk to Collins, to Benny. Baby, I'll do anything to get you away from your dad. You know that, right?" He looked down at her seriously.

"Yes," Andy said, "I know. Roger, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Me neither, baby," Roger said, pulling her close to him.

"Andy, we really should tell my parents about this, you know," Roger said to her, as they walked into his house ten minutes later.

"What for, Roger?" she asked him. "What can they do? I'm not 18 yet; I'd have to get emancipated just to get away from my dad, and he'd have to agree to the emancipation, wouldn't he? And if Social Services get involved with this, things will just get so much worse and embarrassing."

"Andy, you need to get away from your dad, no matter how you do that. If my parents can't take you in, you know I'll ask everyone for help, even Maureen. Baby, just as long as you're OK, that's all I want."

Andy looked up at Roger and hesitated. "OK," she said, her voice rising almost to a yell, "so let's say it works, Roger, and I stay with you and your parents. If my dad goes to jail for this, he's gonna get out eventually. Then, no matter how old I am, I'm still just gonna be running from him."

"Baby, we can get you protection or something; my mom will see to that," Roger said reasonably. "Don't yell at me, OK? My dad may be a bastard sometimes, but my mom isn't."

"But I thought our parents didn't want us to be together?" Andy asked him, starting to cry.

"Forget them, baby," Roger said. "You've thought about me, your father, you've thought about everyone else… all right. But what about you?" He looked down at her, grasping her gently. "What do you want?"

Andy looked up at Roger and leaned closer to him. "I want you," she said.

Roger smiled and kissed her. "Come on," he said, "let's go talk to my mom."

"OK, Roger, you win," Andy said, wiping her eyes before following him.

Next chapter will be up as soon as possible. I really am trying to get this story posted up quickly. But if 'soon' doesn't happen, then it won't. Sorry.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07