I dearly apologize for getting this up here so late. I ended up working 9 hours today and then went to see the Avengers again and then found out Amendment 1 passed—which now means that if I'm every physically abused by a man, I have to marry him to be eligible for protection against him.)

So here's a little bit about America, for those readers who don't live here in this country of "freedom."

A lot of people here are freaking out over that whole "The world is gonna end on December 21, 2012" thing. Is that as big in other countries as it is here?

Our country is made up of 50 states. I live in North Carolina. I have memorized all 50 in alphabetical order :P

America is pretty religious, hence the whole controversy over same-sex marriages.

We get mail on Saturdays in addition to the weekdays and it is picked up and delivered at the end of my driveway in a big black mailbox.

The American school year is from late August/Early September (depending on the state) until Late May/Early June. Schools are required to be in session for 180 days. So snow days usually take away days from breaks. And we also have bright yellow buses for kids who can't walk or get a ride to school. I rode one for all of middle and most of high school.

We tip people for EVERYTHING. Pizza deliveries, waiters/waitresses…etc.

We drive on the right side of the road.

You don't HAVE to vote on things here. There's a state voting for same-sex marriages tomorrow that I've opted not to participate in.

Sports in high school are INTENSE. School spirit is more or less mandatory, as annoying as it was for me. There were points where I wouldn't drive my own car to school because kids from rival schools would tag cars in the parking lot with spray paint.

We heat up water on the stove because electronic water heaters are EXPENSIVE.

But the most shocking difference I found on the internet was just that—internet usage. Here in America we have something called cable internet. This gives us free usage of the internet for one monthly payment. No download limits, no time limits. Nothing.

And the last thing: It's currently

Sorry the author not is so long. I'm sure I'll think of new things to add next chapter—I WILL MAKE UP FOR IT WITH A LONG CHAPTER FULL OF AMAZING HEATH/FLY-NESS.

Hours later, the front door opened and let loose several chattering, loud teenagers. Bags dropped to the floor and shoes were abandoned.

"Alright everyone," Bec announced as she bounced down the stairs, Edge, Matt, and Perri following closely behind. "Homework, then training." She turned around and noticed Heath asleep on the couch. "Why, what's with him?"

"He's probably tired," Perri muttered.

"He got no sleep last night and then went surfing for five straight hours," Matt added.

"Wha a pansy," Edge stated loudly. "Can't keep up with us for even 24 hours, huh?" Without rolling over, Heath tossed his pillow, but Edge caught it easily. "You think you'd learn, mate."

"I don't need it," he grumbled into the cushion.

Edge looked at the others before walking over to Heath and sitting on his back. "You're here for a month. We will have no bitching, no moaning, and no complaining."

"No moping, no girlie feelings from you," Matt agreeing, joining him.

"Wow, Edge," Heath breathed. "Your fat ass seems to have gained some weight since I last saw you."

Matt Leaned down and ran his finger across the bottom of Heath's foot, while Edge jammed a finger into his side just beneath his ribcage. The combined efforts caused Heath to yell out and jerk beneath them.

Maybe they were right. Fly wasn't the only one he'd missed in seven years. Here were two other best friends he'd made. And they were seriously going to get it. Heath gathered all the strength he could and pushed himself up off the couch, easily knocking Matt to the floor. Edge was still holding on.

"Oh, so he does still have some fight in him," Perri laughed.

"Don't break anything," Bec sighed. She turned and sat down at the kitchen table with the three remaining kids to offer her help with assignments.

"I propose a pool tournament," Matt declared.

"Loser has to take a shower with Bec," Heath agreed, pushing Edge off of him.

"Excuse me?" Bec turned in her chair. "What?"

"That's not how the last game went?" Matt feigned confusion, looking from Edge to Bec and back again.

"No, I'm pretty sure that's how it went," Heath nodded, playing along. "Poor Edge." The man in question wrapped Heath in a headlock.

"Me and Perri against you two," Matt challenged.

"Deal." Heath jumped up. "You're at a disadvantage, Matt. You have the fairy princess," he mocked, poking Perri in the cheek as he passed her.

"Who's the fairy princess, Mr. Longhair?" Perri snapped back with a smirk.

"Oh, snap!" They all filed down the hall.

XXX

"Alright, well, the kids should be out of the water now, so I suggest surfing?" Perri stretched, bored with pool. An hour later and her back hurt from leaning over the table. She needed to stretch it.

"Is that a suggestion or an invitation to join you?" Matt asked.

"An invitation," she pretended to contemplate this. "On second thought, it would probably be easier for me if you didn't come."

"Why's that?" Matt asked, looking slightly hurt.

"Then I wouldn't have to worry about you getting in my way," she smirked and fled down the hall as Matt took off after her.

"You coming, mate?" Edge asked Heath from the doorway.

"Nah, I was out all morning. Think I'll hang out here." Edge gave him a smile and left.

Heath took his time. He needed something to pick him back up, he just wasn't sure exactly what. Seven years ago, what would he have done? And then it hit him. He had all of this footage of their group from seven years ago, why not shoot a month's worth of their reunion?

"The year is 2012. The occasion, is our first reunion after we all left seven years ago. The setting, Solar Blue. The subjects," Heath smiled into his camera before turning it around and pointing it towards his friends in the water. "The best group of people I've ever met—Solar Blue Surf Academy's class of 2005."

He found a place in the sand and picked out each person. His mental roll call confirmed that Fly had in fact been avoiding him all day, seeing as she was out there tearing it up with the rest of them.

"We've got Edge. Real name Dean Edgely, male winner of the Solar Blue wildcard. He's not as angry as he was years ago." He shifted the camera as a new surfer took up a wave. "Perri Lawe, still the Gold Coast Fairy Princess." Perri jumped off her board suddenly as she passed Matt, sending a smile wave of water into his face. "That brings us to Matt, the genius of the group. Which is probably how he found a way to make the fairy princess fall for him."

He waited until a new set of waves started and someone new mounted their board. "Bec Sanderson. Head of the Solar Blue surf academy since 2008, I think." He switched gears and turned the camera on himself. "Anna's not here at the moment, but I've been told she'll join us whenever little miss champion kite boarder gets a spare moment."

He knew he couldn't avoid it any longer, but leaving her out would be not only mean, but low. And low he was not. Heath had said he'd get over her, so to do that, he needed to fake it. Fake it 'til you make it. So until she didn't matter to him, he would pretend she was just another one of the guys.

"Last but certainly not least, we have Fly." He focused on the blond in question as she stood up on her board, her wet hair flying, a gorgeous smile plastered on her face. It was always obvious to anyone who watched her surf just how much she loved the sport, because she wore it on her face. Heath realized he'd been staring and cleared his throat.

"Real name Fiona, but more importantly, winner of the girl's wildcard. She might be small, but she's the best surfer I've ever known. And the thing I love the most about her—" Heath caught himself and quickly shut the camera off. He let out a sigh of relief when, the second he set the camera in its case, Fly hopped off her board and began to wade through the water to shore. And if he wasn't mistaken, her trajectory was right at him.

She sat down in the sand next to him and undid the strap on her ankle. "I think I need to apologize."

"No need," he told her, taking a deep breath and staring out into the waves. "You were just…letting me know how you felt and I respect that."

"It was the way that I said it that I need to apologize about," she sighed. "No matter what happened, I had no right to yell at you the way I did." Heath said nothing. "I was hoping we could be civil with each other. At least for the sake of everyone in the house if not for ourselves."

Civil. Not friends. Not even acquaintances. Civil. Fine. She wanted civil, he could be civil. "I think I can uphold to that."

She gave him a smile but said nothing, and he found himself wondering what she was thinking about. Did she regret everything they had had once upon a time? No, he couldn't see her regretting it, but he also couldn't see her looking back at it too often. Once, she had been and extremely forgiving person. Maybe she had gotten over that, too.

"You still recording everything?" she asked suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," he smiled, lifting it back out of its case and turning it on. He angled it at her and gave her a sideways smile he would give anyone. Just another one of the guys, just another one of the guys, he chanted.

You want to kill a plant, you stop watering it—this right here is water, he thought to himself.

"So what has the great Fiona Watson, winner and pro surfer been doing with her life for the past seven years?"

"I was in the circuit for about five years, now I'm a personal coach like Bec."

"Such a short answer," he mused.

"Yeah, well, not much other than that has been going on. Those are the highlights." She turned away from him and glanced down the beach." Suddenly, she took the camera from him. Afraid she would rewind it or worse—watch what he'd already taped, he reached to take it back, but she jerked it away from him.

Suddenly, Heath found himself on the other end of the lens. "What are you doing?" He watched as she found and hit the record button.

"So, Heath. Your viewers are dying to know what you've been up to these past seven years." She was looking at him through the digital screen.

He pursed his lips in thought, trying to come up with just as short an answer as she had given. "This and that," he replied with a shit-eating grin.

"Oh, come on," Fly groaned. "Even I gave more than that. Seriously."

"Okay," he drawling. "I left Solar Blue after playing nanny, got a job as a professional photographer, I love it and have been climbing the ladder ever since, and now here I am, back at Solar Blue."

Fly smiled and nodded, shutting it off and replacing it where it had been when she sat down. "I think I'm gonna go catch a wave or two before it gets dark. You gonna be here a while?"

Fly nodded. "I needed a break. My wrist was starting to hurt."

"Right. Watch my stuff?" he asked. Was that something you asked a…civil buddy to do? Either way, she agreed and he took off down to the water with his board. Kill the plant. Stop watering it.

Too bad they both lived near the ocean.

XXX

Fly let out a shuddering breath she didn't know she was holding and slipped Heath's camera into the opened pouch and zipped it closed. Hopefully he wouldn't watch it any time soon. Everyone was gathering their things and heading back towards the house, so she grabbed her stuff and Heath's camera and headed in to join them.