Saturday is the best day to release a chapter if you want reviews, but it just wasn't ready yesterday. I'll be busy next week too, and it seems like a pain to wait to release this chapter just to wait for a Saturday (especially when it took me so long to get to finishing this story in the first place...).

Unwanted Opinions.

Initially, Alice and Marie-Elise found their daughters hangover amusing: after such a long battle with her health, they were happy she was finally able to let loose and have some fun. However, once a week had passed, and Maddie was still suffering from headaches and dizziness, falling asleep at random times in the day and throwing up much of what she ate, their joy had changed to concern.

Convinced she would be better later/this afternoon/tomorrow, Maddie made herself get up and go to class, the effort of just that exhausting her. The group did their best to keep her up, plying her with food, water and nutrient drinks, but on Friday morning her parents, seeing her hardly able to stand, had to put their feet down, carting her off to the hospital for tests.

Needless to say, Matthew was worried sick. Maddie's immune system had been weakened after such a long battle with leukaemia – had all those shots opened up the door to something that had just been waiting to break her down? What if it was something serious, something even worse than leukaemia? Would Maddie be strong enough to fight it? Would he?

"Eat something." Carlos all but ordered, sat across from Matthew at the cafeteria table "It'll be no good if you get sick as well."

"I know." he sighed, picking forlornly at his chicken "I just... hate feeling so helpless."

"I understand." he empathised "But if Maddie is worried about you, it's going to make her worse."

"It doesn't really help me to hear that, Carlos."

"Okay. How about you just suck it up, then?"

Matthew snorted, Carlos smirking as he tried not to laugh.

"You ass." he giggled.

"Finish your food and I'll buy you ice-cream." Carlos bargained "The good stuff from the Cuban deli down town."

"I'll hold you to that." Matthew warned.

Carlos let the conversation lapse a moment so Matthew could get a few decent mouthfuls in. However, Matty's mind soon wandered back to the problem at hand, rate of chewing soon slowing to a stop.

"So, your cousin," Carlos said to distract him "She single?"

"I didn't realise you were a masochist."

It was Carlos' turn to snort, covering his mouth as he tried not to shoot coke out of his nose, whole body rumbling. He allowed himself a giggle after swallowing.

"Jackass." he joked "But seriously, frostbite of the dick isn't really my thing. You cousin seems like such an ice queen, I was wandering what kind of man would put up with her."

"Technically she's my sister-in-law." Matthew corrected "And she's not the type to need a man, especially one that just 'put's up with her'."

"Hey, I respect a strong, independent woman." Carlos insisted "I just wish I didn't get freezer burn on my soul when she looked at me."

"She softens when she gets to know you." Matty swore "Or maybe you just get used to her, I'm not sure. Still, she can afford to be on the cold side: she's crazy smart and her father is crazy rich."

"Oh yeah? What does she do for a living?"

"Art dealer."

"No way!"

"It's true – she can spot a fake at 100 paces. Does a lot of work for galleries and museums too."

"Lots of travelling." Carlos imagined "I bet she didn't think much of those two..."

"Those two?" Matthew picked up, seeing the look in his friends eyes.

"Ah!" he flustered, clearly having thought aloud "Nothing, nothing! Forget I said anything!"

"You mean Amelia and Kevin, don't you?" Matthew knew.

Carlos looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected the thought to have even crossed Matthew's mind. However, he couldn't deny it.

"So she did say something." he knew.

"You don't trust them?" Matty asked.

"Look man, I don't wanna be 'that guy'." Carlos said, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked out of the window "I know those guys were your friends before I was."

"It's okay." he assured, serious "Natalya doesn't trust them either. I want to know what you two see that I don't."

Carlos was clearly uncomfortable, sighing through his nose and fiddling with his fork.

"It's just... I mean... Kevin is clearly one of those types of men." he started.

"Those types?" Matthew asked.

"C'mon, when was the last time we were out with the guy and he didn't try to pick up a girl?"

"Lot's of guys are like that." he defended "My friend Romano back home is like that."

"Your friend Romano ever call a woman a bitch or a whore for turning him down?"

"No."

"He ever used the term 'friendzoned' and meant it?"

"No... but I've never seen Kevin do those things! He's on my course and everything!"

"Yeah, because you'll kick his ass." Carlos knew "You're not the type to keep quiet when something upsets you, and I think blatant misogyny is gonna be on that list."

Matthew thought a moment. Kevin never really spoke to the girls on the course unless he was trying to pick them up. Outside of Amelia and Maddie, he never really spoke to any girl unless he was looking for a date, so it was kind of hard to tell... Matthew's train of thought derailed as it occurred to him that that in itself was probably a clue to the issue. He had never really thought about it – he just thought that Kevin was quiet.

"Look, I'm not saying that he's gonna do something." Carlos defended "But if he did, let's just say I wouldn't be surprised."

"What do you mean, 'do something'? What kind of thing?"

"You know what kind of thing." was all Carlos had to say.

Truth be told, he did, but he didn't want to acknowledge it. He heard about those types of things, but it was never someone you knew doing it, was it? It was always that insidiously dodgy bloke from that other group of friends, and when the news got around you'd always wonder why they hadn't noticed that he was obviously like that.

"It's probably just a misunderstanding." Matthew reasoned "I mean, he is younger than us."

"Only by a year." Carlos pointed out "I wasn't like that a year ago. Were you?"

He wasn't. Matthew found himself still wanting to make excuses for Kevin, but he wasn't sure why. He put that uncomfortable thought aside for later.

"What about Amelia?" he asked "I know you two don't get along..."

"That girl has more ugly faces than a novelty mask shop." Carlos said certainly.

"Steady on!"

"Oh please! That girl is so bitchy, if she were locked alone in a cupboard for an hour she'd pick a fight with her own thumb! She'd slag a widow off for wearing black to her husbands funeral!"

"That's not true." Matthew defended "Amelia is nice!"

"To you." Carlos corrected "Amelia is nice to you. As far as you're concerned, Amelia is your girlfriends best friend, but also your friend and subtly would totally be up for jumping your bones if you ever wanted to."

"She would not!"

Carlos just looked at him.

"She wouldn't!"

He looked at him harder.

"...Seriously?"

He nodded.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded again.

"I don't know how to feel about that." Matthew confessed.

"Petrified." Carlos thought "Lemme put it this way – if you and Maddie had a rabbit, I'd be telling you to keep it away from boiling pots."

"You're exaggerating!"

Carlos gave up, putting up his hands and leaning back in his chair.

"Maybe I am." he said "Maybe I'm just bias. You asked me what I thought and I told you."

"I know." Matthew agreed "I just didn't expect..." he sighed "I don't know what I expected. I'm sorry."

"We cool?"

"Of course we are." he assured "And unless I'm very much mistaken, you owe me ice-cream."

Matthew thought a lot about what Carlos had said – he didn't think he was that bad a judge of character, but now two people had told him... it reminded him far too much of last year, when everyone and their mother had warned him to steer clear of the Kirkland's, and they had been more than right. Despite everything he had experienced, Matthew couldn't let himself be so jaded – he had to give Amelia and Kevin the benefit of the doubt. He would watch them both, very closely, then make up his mind if he had to.

His thoughts were interrupted when the front door opened. He put his laptop on the coffee table and got up from the sofa, reaching the front door just as it closed. To his great relief, all three ladies looked like the weight of the world had been lifted from their shoulders.

"How did it go?" he asked anyway.

"All negative." Marie-Elise sighed, tired but clearly relieved "No precancerous cells, organ- and brain-functions all normal."

"It's probably just a virus." Maddie muttered self-consciously, cheeks going a little red "They gave me some powder to help keep me hydrated and told me to take some time off."

Finally, Matthew was able to let go of all the worry that had been building all week, sighing it out theatrically.

"Thank goodness!" he declared "I'm so relieved!"

Madeline trotted forward, needily putting her arms around him. He returned her embrace, burying his nose in her hair. It faintly smelled of disinfectant from her long day at the hospital, but he didn't care.

"Let's not loiter in the entranceway." Marie-Elise prompted, shooing the love-birds into the living room "Madeline dear, you need your rest. I'm going to make something nutrient packed for dinner."

"With all things considered," Alice said as she followed them "I think it's more likely to be stress than a virus."

"Stress can make you vomit?" Maddie asked.

"Honey, you'd be shocked what stress can do to a body." her mother told her "Some of my patients... well, I can't say, but you can imagine!"

"So what do you suggest?" Madeline asked, curling up on the sofa with Matthew.

"That week off is a good start," she thought, pulling her hair loose as she sat in her usual chair "You've been out of society so long, I'm not surprised you're finding it stressful."

"Well, the winter break is coming up." Maddie reminded her "I'll be sure to get plenty of rest then."

"Yes, about that." Alice mused "I think it would be best if you went to England with Matthew."

"Oh? Really?"

"Of course. I think it's just the break you need. Get out of your head-space, meet Matthew's family, see a new country: I think it's a great full stop on this whole saga and a nice way to start your new life."

"You don't think a long-haul flight might make it worse?" Mattie fretted.

"She'll sleep most of the way." Alice knew.

"Won't it be expensive?" Maddie worried.

"Don't you concern yourself with that." she assured "We can afford it."

"For what it's worth, I think it's a wonderful idea." Marie-Elise agreed, coming in briefly from the kitchen "It's been forever since you've been to a wedding!"

"What do you say, Matthew?" Maddie agreed "It wouldn't be an imposition, would it?"

"Of course not!" he enthused "You were invited, weren't you?"

"Well, that settles it then." Alice finished "All you have to do now is buy yourself a suitcase and find something nice to wear to the wedding."

"Eehh?!" Amelia cried "England?! No way, I'm so jelly!"

"It's not that great." Matthew said.

"No way, it totally is!" she disagreed "Mads, are you gonna have tea with the Queen?!"

"I don't know her personally, you know." he grumbled.

Maddie chuckled, feeling the fabric on the pretty dress that had caught her eye. She had already found a nice suitcase, and her father had slipped $250 into her purse to find herself some nice going away clothes – she had thought it was more than she would ever be able to spend on clothes in her life, which went to show how long it had been since she had actually been shopping. She knew what she liked, but she also knew that what she liked like usually didn't suit her. Unfortunately, Matthew soon proved himself to be equally useless, completely incapable of criticism, hence why Maddie had called Amelia out.

"What will the weather be like at the wedding, do you think?" Maddie asked, not wanting to be cold if caught out in thin fabric.

"You may as well ask me what it's going to be like in 100 years." Matthew told her "The best advice I can give you is to dress in layers."

"Isn't it, like, permanently raining over there?" Amelia thought.

"Not all the time." he said "Sometimes it's drizzling, or gets bastard cold. Occasionally it'll get really hot for a day every few years or so, just to mess with you. We call that summer."

Amelia snorted and started giggling, slapping him playfully on the arm.

"You silly!" she said "So, when do we leave?"

"We?" Matthew repeated.

Madeline's heart sank a little. While she had no objection to Amelia coming, the fact was that she wasn't invited, and a 'plus one' couldn't invite someone else to a wedding. Maddie would've thought that was implied, but Amelia didn't seem to be good at picking up implication. Guilt engulfed her as she tried to think of how to explain it.

"Sorry, Amelia, but it's just going to have to be me and Maddie this time." Matthew insisted, saving her the effort "It's a family occasion, and my brothers are being pretty strict about the guest list."

"Aaaw!" she sulked "You can't make a phone call and ask them? Not even for little ol' me?"

"No."

The unexpected firmness of his reply stopped Amelia in her tracks. She let the idea drop, at least for now. Maddie decided to buy the dress – she had a nice cardigan and shoes at home that she could wear it with, she just had to find some cute stockings to complete the look.

"Hey Mads, you feeling peaky?" Amelia asked when she saw her handing her shopping bags to Matthew.

"A little." Maddie admitted "But we're almost done, I'll be okay."

"You want some coke?" she asked, reaching into her bag and pulling out a bottle.

Amelia held the plastic bottle out for her to take, but Matthew made another surprisingly firm statement by blocking it with is hand.

"Thanks for the offer, Amelia, but I don't think coke is the best thing for her stomach after not being able to eat much."

"But it's the green label stuff." she reasoned "It's totally good for you."

"Even if it were," he disagreed "With her compromised immune system, she shouldn't be sharing drinks with other people."

Sure enough, some of the liquid had already been drunk, Amelia already having the bottle cap in her hand. Maddie hadn't even noticed.

"What?" Amelia cried "I don't have germs!"

"It's okay." Maddie said, fearing a full-blown argument might break out "It's not that you have germs or anything, but the doctor was pretty adamant about it – they gave me some special medicine I need to take, so I can't really drink coke right now."

She pulled the water bottle out of her bag to demonstrate, showing off how the powder had started to settle at the bottom. Amelia pulled a face, reluctantly accepting the facts and recapping the coke, sticking it back in her bag.

When Romano returned from his afternoon lecture, he found Alfred on the floor of their digs, furiously doing sit-ups, panting heavily as he sweated. He must have watched him for a good five minutes before he just had to ask.

"Too much red bull?" he said.

"Matty's coming home for Christmas!" Alfred told him, pausing only briefly "He's bringing Maddie with him!"

"Oh yeah?" Romano said "Makes sense, what with the wedding coming up. I'm looking forward to finally meeting her. That doesn't explain what you're doing, though."

He startled as Alfred suddenly jumped to his feet, nearly dying from shock when he tore off his jogging bottoms and grabbed the jeans from the sofa, pulling them on to demonstrate.

"They don't fit yet!" he declared, trying to pull the button closed "I'm so close! Just a few more inches! I've only got a few weeks!"

"S-seriously?" Romano asked "I mean, Matty's your brother, he knows what you look like."

"I don't want him to know I've gained all this weight!" Alfred insisted "I don't want him to know how useless I am on my own!"

"... You know he's met you, right?"

Alfred just made a frustrated noise, pulling the jeans off again. He didn't even bother to put his jogging bottoms back on before falling back to the ground and resuming his exercises. Romano felt a little sorry for his jibe, seeing how serious Alfred was. He guessed he could understand – he was planning on having his hair cut for the occasion, after all.

With a tired sigh, he dropped his bag down on the sofa, squatting down on the ground and grabbing Alfred's feet, pinning them to the ground. Al looked at him curiously a moment.

"If you're gonna do it, do it right." Romano said "You'll get a stitch."

Al smiled gratefully, eyes lighting up a little. Cute bastard.

"So," he said as he got back to work "How was your day?"

Matthew was obviously looking forward to going home – he was already starting to pack, playing tetris with the gifts he was taking for his family in his big suitcase. Maddie was excited too, but also very nervous – besides never having been on a plane before, meeting Matty's family felt like a massive step, like it was getting all official and stuff. She was finally going to meet all the people Matty had always told her about.

Before that, though, there was a bit of a problem. Both Amelia and Kevin had bought it up with her, confused and concerned, but Maddie could guess the reasons behind it. She didn't tell them, of course – it wasn't her story to tell – but she could at least bring up their feelings with Matthew. After watching him happily packing for a few minutes, completely unaware that she was even there, she knocked lightly on the door. He smiled at her as he looked around.

"Hey there." he greeted "Off to bed?"

"Almost." she said "I wanted to talk first."

"Something on your mind?" Matty asked "Worried about the plane?"

"Not really. I'm more worried about you, actually."

"Me?" he replied, putting the gift he was holding down on the bed.

Happy he was taking her seriously, she walked into his room, fiddling with the cords on his hoodie.

"We've all noticed." she told him "Whenever Amelia or Kevin try to give me something to eat or drink, you stop them."

Matthew went a little stiff, looking away from her.

"You noticed...?"

Pulling on his hoodie cords, she pulled him down to her level, kissing him on the forehead.

"I understand." she told him "I'm getting sick, I'm tired all the time, and I've been something of an airhead the past couple of weeks: just like Arthur when he came back home."

Matthew looked her right in the eyes with an expression that let her know she was spot on. He gently bumped his forehead against hers, their glasses clinking slightly against each other.

"I haven't told them anything." she promised "But your actions are hurting their feelings, you know?"

Matthew let out a quiet, unhappy growl. Maddie kissed him gently on the lips.

"I understand why you feel the way you do, so I won't take anything they give me for a while." she said "But on your side, you have to relax: I'm just a little sick, there's nothing sinister going on."

He grumbled again. He knew he was right, she could tell, but he was still worried.

"Say it with me." Maddie instructed "'I'm just a little sick'."

"You're just a little sick." he repeated.

"'There's nothing sinister going on'."

"There's nothing sinister going on."

"'I trust my friends'."

Matthew paused, making her uncomfortable.

"I want to trust my friends." he said finally.

"You'll feel better once you've seen your family." she was sure "A little distance will put everything in perspective."

After another pause, he kissed her on the lips. She finally released his hoodie cords, letting him stand straight.

"Good night, Matthew." she bid "Don't go to bed too late, okay?"

"Sure." he agreed "G'night, Maddie."

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"One more week." she reminded him.

Finally, he smiled.

"One more week." he repeated.

Ugh, I'm the third day into an 11 day straight week, with one day off for Manchester comicon next Sunday. I've got a week off after that, but I think I may be asleep for most of it. If all goes to plan, I'm going to get some serious writing done so I can put this and the other story I'm working on to bed pretty soon. Although you may not see one next week.

Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please remember to review and I hope you look forward to the next one! Whenever it is...