A/N: Okay, so the reason these came out so fast is that I had them written already and published on another site... now the updates are going to slow down. Not too much I hope, those reviews do keep me motivated.

Monday morning, Andy was awoken by the whir of a small motor outside her bedroom window. At first she thought it might fade out to be background noise, and move away. But every time the weed-whacker started and stopped, she jolted.

The moment she rolled over in her bed, something bright disturbed the black and made her closed eyelids seem red, and she was forced to open her eyes to the line of sunlight peeking through her curtain. All there was to see was harsh white, and she squinted in an attempt to see what was disturbing her. After not too long, she rolled over in her bed again, and tried pressing her spare pillow to her exposed ear to soften the sound.

She rolled around and tried various things to get the disruption to dull, but by the time she started thinking none would work, it stopped for good. She sighed in contentment, settling back into her pillows leisurely. But after trying to return to sleep for only a few minutes, she discovered she was, tragically, wide awake now.

Andy let out a frustrated groan, and sat up like a zombie fresh out of its grave and ripped her elastic band from her wrist before twisting her hair up into a bun and tying it securely. Her jaw opened wide and she let out a yawn and smacked her lips a couple of times, clearing her mouth and throat right after.

While she worked on stretching her eyes open to adjust to the brightness of her room, she wiped away the sleepy crusts that had formed in the corners of her eyes overnight. And once she felt prepared to leave her sanctuary and greet the day, she tossed off the comforter and small green blanket, and stalked over to her bedroom door.

She was almost in the kitchen when she realized she wasn't very well covered up, wearing only her sleep shorts and a camisole, but thought Ruth really wouldn't care. Liberal feminist that she is. So Andy stretched out her arms over her head and continued on to the fridge, hoping to find some juice.

The choices in the fridge were limited to apple, cranberry or grapefruit and Andy wondered what kind of person would have all that and not orange, but eventually she just gave in, going for grapefruit. Next best thing. Something citrus, at the very least.

She glanced out the window, noting that like in all its spring fashion, the weather was drastically different from yesterday. Already she could feel that the sun had been working hard to warm the house, and the rest of sky was open and blue, not a cloud in sight. She stepped out of the sunlight on the floor, and already her feet missed the toasty feel.

While she looked at all the cabinets that hung from the walls, she figured cups would be close to the sink, and thus began her hunt for one. And that's when she heard Ruth coming down the stairs, and the familiar creak of the fifth floor board not too far from the landing. She'd have to be sure to remember that.

"Good morning Andy." Ruth smiled, approaching her desk, and laying a book down on it.

"Mornin'" She mumbled, voice still scratchy, eyes still droopy.

Ruth kept a trained eye on Andy as she dragged her slipper clad feet across the kitchen to where the bread box and toaster sat, and got herself two slices and punched down the button on the machine. Andy then walked to the fridge, searching for condiments to put on her toast. Eventually she pulled out cream cheese, half a tomato, and grabbed a fresh avocado from the fruit bowl on her way back to the toaster.

"Do you want one?" Andy asked over her shoulder, pointing to the bag of bread, feeling bad about her crappy mood.

Ruth shook her head and continued to stare at Andy with concerned eyebrows. Andy tried to shake that off, and went back to her meal, looking around the kitchen for a cutting board.

She found one without much trouble while she listened to the click of Ruth's computer mouse and the ruffling of papers. She began to slice the avocado in half when her grandmother spoke up again.

"I'll be outside in the gazebo if you need me, Dear. Just holler." Ruth said, watching as Andy took a knife and brought it down hard on the core of the avocado, pulling it out more easily than with a spoon.

"Okay."

"And Sam's here, so, you may want to throw on a sweater before going outside."

Right, Sam. Andy had forgotten that he must be the one using the power tools. Considering there isn't a neighbour for miles...

Living in the city, in apartment buildings, the only noise that she's used to being woken to is traffic, or screaming neighbours or sexually active neighbours. She had completely dispelled Sam from her brain while she was sleeping. But remembering him now, his tight red t-shirt, his dimpled smile, she looked down at her own attire, and rushed off to her room. Just as her toast popped.

When she stepped back into the kitchen pulling a hoodie over her head, Ruth was gone, the cream cheese was spread on her toast and the fresh tomato and avocado already sliced. Andy raised her eyebrows and took out a plate, placing them on it without a word and turned to the coffee maker.

Just as she'd noticed that there was no coffee left, the kitchen door opened and where Andy expected to see Ruth, she saw Sam.

He was wearing a white shirt today, paired with jeans, and the same heavy steel toed work boots from the day before. There was a tool belt hanging perfectly from his hips and beads of sweat shone on his forehead and ran down his neck. Her eyes danced over his arm that stood out more today, and she wasn't sure if it was because this shirt was white or not, but it seemed tighter, and it hugged his chest nicely. His biceps were engaged as she noticed him holding an empty glass, and then she realized she'd been staring much too long.

By the time she straightened herself up and looked to his eyes, she noticed he hadn't been looking at hers either. But since he seemed to be paying more attention than she was, his eyes corrected themselves right away, and he offered her a small smile well before she could make out what he was staring at.

He cleared his throat and raised the cup, stepping into the kitchen and approaching the sink.

"Morning." She said, more perkily than she had earlier to her grandmother.

"Hey." He said in reply, voice low, and eye brows turned down, concentrated on the water level rising in his glass.

When he was satisfied with the amount, he pulled it out from the falling water, and raised it to his lips. Andy couldn't help but gaze as his Adam's apple bobbed with every gulp, and a few stray drips of water escaped from his mouth and ran down his stubbly chin.

He lowered it after only a few seconds and took a deep breath to replenish his lungs and then put the glass back under the tap, filling it up again.

Andy was still transfixed when Sam abruptly turned the handle and shut the water off, and sighed.

"Just get up?" He asked, checking the watch on his wrist.

"Yup." She said, a little embarrassed at the way she'd been drinking him in since he came inside.

"Huh. Well, nice of you to join the land of the living."

She thought that she was meeting the same guy who'd scared her yesterday, a sarcastic and smug guy, but he offered her a small smile to let her know it was all in good fun and she snorted in response.

"I thought it'd be nice to grace you with my presence at some point."

Andy opened the cupboard above the coffee machine, looking for coffee grounds as Sam stood by the sink, sipping on his water. She moved things around and stretched up onto the tips of her toes to see passed the items that were stacked high, but was unsuccessful.

"She keeps the coffee beans in the pantry. Grinder's there too." He quipped, voice rather flat.

She wasn't watching him, but she could feels his eyes on her, somehow, and it felt... intense. Well aware that she had and audience, she crouched down to the bottom shelf of the pantry to retrieve the beans, rather than bend. As she stood back up, slowly to stretch her legs, she remembered how bare they were, and that that was what Sam must have been inspecting.

Blushing was not something Andy did. Her cheeks wouldn't colour, and she had her grandmothers olive-y and tan prone skin to thank, but she did feel a little warmer at the realization. Her stomach kind of did a somersault, and she admonished herself for finding flattery in his ogling. But- she ogled him too... really, really shamelessly.

"Want a cup?"

"It's almost noon, I think I'll pass. Thanks though." He laughed.

"Noon!?"

"Yeah, Sleeping Beauty, noon. Lunchtime." Sam smiled as he raised the glass and took another drink.

Andy turned her attention to the clock on the microwave, confirming Sam's statement, and groaned a little, thinking she's now thrown her whole sleep schedule off track.

"Did I wake you? Tried to save the weed whacking on your side of the house for last, figured you'd be up by now."

She nodded, in an attempt to tell him that he did, but that she understood and he did his best to look apologetic, but she could also tell he was plenty amused with her already.

"Okay, well, I'm done over there, so if you want to go back to sleep..."

She smiled at his small tease but was distracted with where her day had gone, where the time had gone.

Andy stared at the stuff she'd just retrieved and realized she really shouldn't be leaning on caffeine after that long a sleep. She considered her options; going back and hiding in her room all day, or getting into a routine, keep busy.

"I was just going to head out on a run, actually. So it's all good. Do what you gotta do. Get 'er done." She rambled awkwardly, hustling to put everything away that she'd gotten out.

He was still watching her when she came back to the counter and grabbed her plate before disappearing into her room to change.

Sam stared on at Andy's retreating form as she turned the corner into her bedroom and only started on his way back outside when her lean and muscled legs disappeared.

Sam was well done with his run to the lumber yard and had just turned onto Ruth's driveway when he flicked the radio off and saw Andy running just up ahead of him. She was dressed in shorts, that weren't much longer than the ones she'd been wearing in the kitchen, and a bright blue tank top, one of those fancy ones from the yoga stores.

She was - interesting. Amusing. Naive, seemingly, but smart too. He wasn't really sure what to make of her just yet. But he wanted to spend more time with her to find out though. And it kind of bothered him. Three weeks he'd been back so far. Was looking forward to a normal visit. See his sister, do some work for Ruth, work through his shit and then go home. Finding interest in a college girl wasn't expected, but it was probably harmless. They'd see each other every day, might as well become as acquainted with her as he is with Ruth. How could that be a harmful thing? She's just nice. Easy to talk to.

He continued to crawl up the driveway behind her, watching the sweat stain on her back become increasingly larger as she raced up the small incline. He briefly wondered why she hadn't heard him or if she was simply ignoring him, but then he took notice to the band around her arm carrying an iPod, and saw the buds in her ears.

She had a steady rhythm going, her breathing was well timed, and he took another look at her legs, watching carefully as each muscle engaged and pushed and then flexed when they landed again. She was no recreational runner, she did this every day.

He pulled a little ahead of her, finally getting her attention. Andy jumped to the side, startled, and then when she noticed it was only Sam, she smiled and took a deep breath.

A nose nudged at Sam's elbow and when he raised it, a golden retriever rested there, under his arm and atop the console.

"Hey, you scared the crap out of me." She laughed, approaching his window.

Sam pet the dogs head and smiled in return.

"Guess we're even."

"Guess so. Who's this?" She asked, resting her front against the truck and grinning at the dog who'd just made his presence known.

"Why don't you hop in, I'll drive you the rest of the way up, you two can get acquainted."

He waited on her answer while she considered the offer, but after drawing her eyebrows together and wrinkling her nose in thought, she shook her head.

"No, I should walk the rest. Stretch out. What's his name?" She began walking forward again.

Sam pressed just lightly on the gas, lurching forward, and then eased off again until the truck was crawling.

"Boo."

She stopped her walk and Sam was forced to brake again, frustrated since he'd only just found the proper weight to put on the gas.

"Boo?! What, did your girlfriend name him?" She chuckled, trying to hide her smirk, only a little.

"Very funny. No. It's Boo, like Boo Radley. You know, To Kill-"

"A Mocking Bird. Yeah, I know. I love that book." She said softly, approval shining in her eyes.

"Yeah. I dunno. I always liked that, for a dog."

He didn't really mean to let that slip, so he just closed his mouth in tight grin and then dropped it, looking over to his whining four legged companion.

The dog's pleas grew more and more urgent, and loud, so Sam sighed and opened up his door. The lab jumped over Sam's lap and down onto the gravel, surprising Andy a little, and whined at her feet, doing his very best to be a good dog and refrain from jumping on her.

Andy's lips turned up as she sunk onto her knees to properly say hello, and Sam watched the dog walk on the spot, tail wagging frantically as his whines got louder, loving the attention. Eventually, Boo calmed and sat leaning against her, mouth open to pant, eyes relaxed, relishing in how thoroughly she scratched at his sides and pet the top of his head in long, firm strokes.

"He's so cute. How old is he?"

"He's only six. I've had him for five years though."

She looked up at him, dodging the dogs searching tongue and her smile stretched.

"You adopted him?"

"Yup. Sarah volunteered at the SPCA up here for a while. She suggested it."

"Wow. That's a pretty great thing to do." She noted, laughing when Boo tried to knock her over with his body, just trying to get closer. "And he's adorable."

"Yeah, he's not bad."

Sam thought about her statement. 'A great thing to do'. Adopting pets seemed a pretty normal thing to do. But here was Andy on the ground, playing with his dog, telling him that it's amazing he opened his door to this animal. Like he was doing Boo a favour, and not the other way around. It had been the other way around.

Sam was all for watching her totally calm the pup, getting him in all the right spots. She scratched up behind his head, tossing it from side to side enough that Boo got playful all over again. He bounded away from her, and crouched his shoulders little, butt up and tail wagging. She laughed at the dog, but stood instead of engage in anymore play.

Boo was obviously disappointed, but brushed by her legs one more time in an attempt to get a little more affection.

"I'm starting to get stiff, I should keep moving."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry to interrupt your run. I'll see you back up at the house."

Sam opened the door to the dog and Boo took a run before jumping up, impressively, and crawled into the back seat again.

He gave her a wave, and watched her wave back before putting weight on the gas and moved up the drive again.

In his rear view mirror he watched her watch the truck. And then she shook out each leg, and kept moving.

She was tempted to keep being Sam's shadow, but he seemed very focused on unloading everything from the flat bed in a timely fashion. So other than the noise his work created, and the occasional call for Boo to lie down, or move, she didn't hear from him for the rest of the afternoon.

Thinking about her last twenty-four hours, she realized that she had hardly interacted with Ruth alone. And while it was all strategic, all by her own design, she felt guilt creeping up on her. She was trying to put as much distance as she could between them, but she knew maybe she needed to tone it down. This was a double edged sword, the distance. It wasn't going to hurt her any less, being distance, than it might to get close.

So after Andy changed out of her sweaty clothes, and had a quick rinse in the shower, she grabbed a book out of her duffle bag and made her way out of the house. She stopped on the porch when she saw Boo lying in the shade, and gave him a quick pat, before continuing on her way to the gazebo.

A breeze picked up while she approached, and the chimes back on the porch chimed softly behind her. Ruth was sitting on the cushioned love seat in the shadiest corner, rocks holding down a file of loose paper on a small wooden table next to her, and she was peering down the edge of her nose through her glasses at her laptop's screen.

She didn't turn her attention to Andy until the stairs made a little noise, giving her away, and Ruth looked up, surprised. But despite that surprise, a smile graced her lips and Andy felt a little more at ease.

"Hey... Gran." She said, hesitant. Ruth looked a little overcome when the word slipped out, and her eyes turned down sadly for just a moment before she was able to compose herself.

"Hello Ducky." She sighed, shifting in the seat to make room for Andy.

Andy took in a sharp breath, hearing herself be called that again. That was a pet name she was used to. That was what she'd been fearing hearing since her grandmother pulled up to her dad's apartment.

She approached the open end of the seat slowly, and her grandmother turned her attention back to her work, almost as if reading the apprehension in Andy's eyes. Without feeling the scrutiny of watching eyes, she sat down, and didn't budge when her arm came into contact with Ruth's.

Ruth simply moved her arm, hanging it over the back of the seat as she read whatever was on her screen.

Andy held her tattered book tightly between two hands, willing herself to pull it open and just read.

But she knew that she'd be doing a lot more than that. This was like going into a time machine. Forgiving anything that has happened in the past without really delving into it. Which was going to be a mistake, she knew it. But she did it anyway. Andy opened her old copy of Jane Eyre. The one Ruth gave her, and buried herself in its pages.

Breathing in the cedar and staring at the print, she was ten years old again.

She was a hundred pages in before they were interrupted by a cloud passing over the sun, darkening their whole little paradise for only a moment. But Andy felt a crick in her back and had the urge to correct it.

It was only then that she'd noticed, she'd been leaning into her grandmother's side, and that Ruth wasn't really doing her own work anymore.

Ruth was running Andy's hair between her fingers, reading along with her, chin perched on her head.

Warmth spread through Andy's veins at the satisfaction she felt. Being comforted like a little girl again, feeling protected and comforted again, like there were no evils in the world.

That's when Andy felt the ache inside her. This unsettling knot that had her wanting to double over and puke at the same time.

That's when Andy had the urge to run.