Author's Note: Since my computer died and took with it all my notes and in progress chapters (yes I write out of order :p), I have been in writing depression. My files are recoverable and I wanted to wait until they were transferred to my laptop, but I judged that it was taking too long. I didn't want to lose too much momentum.

Long story short I revised (again) the first chapter- broke it into a second chapter, all so that I could write this third chapter. :)

So go back and read those chapter (again). As always let me know what you think.

Friends and Lovers

Ssj_hotaru

Chapter Three

The golden hues of the late afternoon were transitioning to the fiery pink and orange of sunset as they pulled into the driveway. Sora gazed through the window to get her first glimpse of the house as Matt parked behind the other cars.

The place looked surprisingly homey with it's log cabin exterior and deep covered porch, she thought. Rows of large picture windows looked out onto the driveway and the dense forest beyond from both stories. She could see the lake through the trees surrounding the house and spied a short wooden dock extending into the water from the back deck. Rose bushes flanked the short stairs to the front porch and a carved wooden plaque hung from the beam over the top step. Not at all the elegant retreat she'd imagined.

She opened the rear door as the guys piled out of the front and peeled her bare legs off the leather seat. She looked over the top of the car to see Matt watching her, his eyes unreadable. When he noticed her attention he lifted a mocking eyebrow, then deliberately turned away and walked up the front steps to the house.

He was acting as if he was angry with her, but what could she have done to him? She hadn't seen or spoken to him in six years. Frowning, she stared after him. Nothing had gone the way she'd hoped it would when she gave in to Joe and agreed to come. She was practically a stranger here and she had no one to blame but herself. A weight pressed against her chest- a sadness that was more than tears.

She remembered that she wasn't alone and turned to see Joe looking at her with an odd expression. She smiled at him before bending to retrieve her bags from the back seat.

"You don't have to worry Doctor," She teased, straightening to see that he was still watching her. "I really am okay."

Joe smiled and shook his head as he came around to take one of her bags. "I don't know about that," he teased back, "but I'm only medical."

"Ha-ha."

Sora started toward the front steps and he fell into step beside her.

"So are we going to talk about what happened to your car?" He asked. She felt her cheeks flush red and cursed her complexion, but she kept her eyes forward, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Nope."

"How about what you're wearing?" Her face grew even hotter.

"Absolutely nope."

Joe chuckled at her as they started up the stairs and Sora saw that the plaque read "ANYWHERE WE GATHER IS HOME."

We'll see about that She thought, crossing the porch and stepping into the house.

From a cursory glance the homey exterior continued its promise inside. The front door opened onto a small foyer lit by the sunlight streaming through the windows on either side of the entrance and Sora could see that the space contained an old fashioned wood bench beside an open coat closet. Just beyond were two doors, one closed and one slightly ajar. Closer, she peered through the crack and by the wall of books visible assumed it must be some kind of office or library.

Joe moved further into the house and she followed him as the room opened out into one large space that made her gasp as she took it in.

Taking center stage was a large, overstuffed sectional facing an impressive stone fireplace and the equally impressive flat screen mounted above. Across the room stood an identical stone fireplace with a large formal dining room. The stairs led up to a loft hallway and tucked beneath that was a huge galley style kitchen, complete with breakfast nook, separated from the rest of the room by a long wooden bar. There were no walls, only exposed log beams for support.

Dominating the entire space was the two story wall of windows looking out onto the lake, which at this moment was painted with the breathtaking colors of the setting sun.

Through the windows Sora could see Taichi and Matt standing on the deck and she couldn't help smiling at their familiar body language. She watched as Taichi gestured wildly while Matt stood, his posture radiating indifference. It was clear they were having one of their famous disagreements.

Joe set her bag down at the bottom of the stairs and she followed his example before trailing behind him into the big room and through the glass doors.

Taichi noticed her as soon as she stepped onto the deck and broke off whatever he'd been saying to Matt.

"Sora!" He swept her up into a bear hug that threatened to crack her ribs and spun them both in circles until she begged him to stop, breathless and laughing. "We thought you ran away." He said as he lowered her back to her feet.

He didn't say it, but she heard the unspoken again and grimaced. Was this going to be her weekend? She'd had her humiliating flight brought up more times in the past few hours than in the previous six years combined.

She met his eyes and shrugged. "Not this time, these days I run into things instead." Then she grinned at Joe's choked laughter.

Taichi smiled good naturedly, not aware of her car accident, but Matt openly scowled at her. Try as she might she could not decipher his bad mood and she hated to admit it, even to herself, but his behavior hurt her. Irked, she stuck her tongue out at him and watched his expression darken before he turned and stalked down the steps toward the lake shore just as TK and Hikari appeared out of the line of trees, following a trail leading back to the house.

They both waved enthusiastically and Sora waved back, the tight knot of anxiety in her stomach easing. She'd kept in contact with everyone here except Matt, and she had her reasons for trying to cut him from her life. Maybe she wasn't such a stranger after all.

Joe asked about Izzy and Sora turned her focus to their conversation as Taichi answered.

"He took the boat across the lake to get groceries for the weekend." As he spoke Taichi looked at her, then did a double take, his eyes sweeping up her dress to meet hers as he really saw her for the first time. "What are you wearing?" His voice was incredulous.

Sora felt the hot flush heat her skin and she cursed her complexion, forcing herself to hold his gaze. She was reminded once again of the day she ran away, a day which hadn't haunted her so much in years; but she had no reason to feel the shame that heated her face and set her hands to shaking. She raised her chin.

"A dress." She said and was relieved to hear her voice was steady and not too defensive. "One of my designs. I was hoping to get Mimi's professional opinion."

Taichi's eyes swept down the length of her too short dress again and he flashed her a quick smile, his brown eyes teasing. "Want my professional opinion?"

"No thanks." She said dryly, rolling her eyes.

He laughed and clapped his hands together. "Well then, let me give you the tour. Seriously, this place is Awesome."

She followed Taichi back inside and he took in the main room with a wide, sweeping gesture. The living room on one side, the dining room on the other, and the kitchen behind it all nestled beneath the loft. He walked back towards the entrance and pointed out the two doors she had seen earlier as an office and a downstairs bathroom.

"With a laundry room," he added, "but I doubt we will be using it."

He turned the handle on a door hidden back by the stairs and opened it with a flourish. "This is the master bedroom."

Just like the big main room behind her this room was dominated by floor to ceiling windows that looked past the deck out into the shadowy forest beyond. A king size iron bed barely filled half the room and in the corner she saw a small stone fireplace with an antique love seat arranged for cozy sitting. On the far wall she could see french doors that looked like they led into a master bathroom.

"It's gorgeous." she breathed and tried to take a step into the room, but Taichi pulled the door closed on her before she could enter.

"Yeah, that's where TK and Hikari are staying, since they're the love birds and all. Lets head upstairs and I can show you your room."

They paused to collect her bags at the base of the stairs and when they reached the top Taichi pointed out the first door as Joe and Izzy's room, the second as the room he and Matt were sharing, and finally he opened the last door and stood back for her to proceed him into the room.

"This is for you and Mimi," he said as she looked around. "It's the only other room with just one bed, but we thought you wouldn't mind sharing."

It did only have one bed, she noted as she surveyed the room. A queen size bed took up most of the space, looking very feminine with a white four post frame and lacy duvet. Mismatched white tables with glass lamps sat on either side of the bed to serve as nightstands and a cute dresser, light blue with six drawers, claw feet, and an oval mirror sat opposite the bed between two of the room's three windows.

She sat her bags on the bed and turned to smile at Taichi.

"I love it." She said, and meant it. She was in love with everything she'd seen in the house. Taichi smiled back and sat her biggest bag just inside the door.

He pointed to the door along the interior wall. "That's a shared bathroom, so you have to remember to lock both doors when you're in there."

Sora nodded and he left her to get settled, closing the door on his way out. She fell backwards on to the bed as soon as he was gone and marveled at how much better she felt just getting away. So much had weighed her down even before her mother passed away last year, it had never occured to her to take a break. It was so nice to lay back and not have to do anything, after a moment though, she sighed and sat up. She had to rejoin the group at some point and she did have some things to take care of.

It didn't take her long, she only unpacked a few necessities and then made a phone call to AAA about her car. She replaced the landline receiver in the wall cradle and let out a relieved breath, glad it had been easy enough to arrange the towing of her car to a local mechanic.

She leaned against the railing and gazed out through the tall windows, marveling at the view. The sky was darkening into deep purple with streaks of red in the clouds which the water reflected on it's still surface. A sense of peace filled her, so profound it brought tears to her eyes. She could happily stay here for the rest of her life.

She noticed a small boat coming straight for the little dock off the back deck, manned by a familiar head of auburn hair. She watched Matt and Taichi leap out onto the dock, preparing to tie off the craft, and she saw Joe, TK, and finally Hikari line up to help with the groceries.

Looks like the gangs all here. She thought, then frowned as she realized who was missing.

She pushed away from the railing and hurried down the stairs to join her friends.

Over the course of the night Sora contributed very little to the conversations around her, content to simply enjoy the company of her friends all together after so long. Matt had even been civil to her while they helped cook dinner.

Afterwards they took advantage of the beautiful built in bar and made drinks out on the deck.

The night air was cool against her skin and she welcomed the warmth of Joe on the swing beside her as she let the sound of her friends easy conversation mixed with the sounds of the water soothe her. Sora sipped her mixed drink and honestly could not remember the last time she had felt so at peace.

Over the course of the night she couldn't help stealing glances at Matt where he sat on the deck railing, a beer bottle hanging loose in his grip while he listened to TK and Izzy talk about aliens. No matter how many times she tried to bring her attention back to Joe and Taichi, her eyes were involuntarily pulled to him and she felt warmth suffuse her body just looking at him. How would it feel to touch him- to press herself against him- to run her hands through his hair or down his chest? How would it feel if he touched her?

She should be upset with herself for being so pathetic, but he was all she could ever remember wanting. She'd tried to quit him, but it seemed the obsession had only grown stronger in his absence.

She forced herself to look away and she saw TK with Hikari curled up against him. A soft smile spread as she watched them and a desire to have what they had welled up within her.

She wanted romance, she wanted a family of her own, she wanted love. Her eyes had drifted back to Matt of their own volition. She watched the column of his throat hungrily as he took a swig of beer, longing to press her lips to the skin there. His golden blond hair fell into his eyes, begging her to run her fingers through it, brush it back so she could look in his eyes. She wanted his love. No other man could get into her heart. She'd never forgotten him, even for a moment, and it didn't matter that she had no chance with him. Seeing him, hearing his voice, the small touches just from being near him brought her alive in a way she hadn't been alive since she left him.

If only she had stayed... if only she'd had the courage to fight for him... maybe things would be different right now. She'd missed out on so much all these years by giving into fear. Maybe they could have been the couple cuddled together beneath the night sky planning their wedding. Her heart ached.

She inhaled sharply as Joe's arm came around her and she stiffened as he pulled her closer. She didn't know if he was touching her more often or if she was only now noticing it because he wasn't Matt, and her skin recoiled at the unwelcome invasion into her fantasy. She struggled to hide her distaste before she met his eyes.

"Cold?" He asked and she felt instantly guilty. Of course, this was Joe, not some creeper at the club. He was concerned about her in her ridiculously short dress. She forced a smile and leaned into him gratefully.

"Not anymore."

He smiled back and gave her arm an intimate squeeze that left her feeling uncomfortable for reasons she couldn't put her finger on, probably her out of control hormones.

Matt was watching her. Shocked, she quickly looked away, but not before she saw his expression was dark, almost angry. Confused, she looked to see that even Taichi was eyeing her, his expression speculative. Did she do something wrong?

"So how'd you guys find this house?" Joe asked, seemingly oblivious of their attention. Taichi's glance shifted to Joe as he answered and Sora breathed a little easier, though she dared not glance in Matt's direction again.

"My boss actually. He's been talking about selling the place so I asked if we could rent it for the weekend before he put it on the market."

Sora leaned forward eagerly as an exciting idea sparked to life. "He's selling This- why?"

Taichi shrugged. "We're going to be out of the country for a few years and it's only a vacation home anyway. They rarely use it now that his kids are teenagers since you can't get WiFi up here."

"I have WiFi," Izzy said, breaking off his conversation with TK to point to his laptop.

"You could get WiFi on the moon." Joe said, pushing his glasses up, and everyone laughed. Izzy's superior computer skills were well known.

Under the cover of their banter Sora leaned closer to Taichi and asked if he could pass along her information and let his boss know she was interested.

"Why," Joe asked, his tone playfully mocking as he overheard her request. "You planning on buying it?"

"Maybe." she said quietly, she hadn't wanted attention drawn to something that was barely even an idea.

"You have that kind of money?" Taichi asked, genuinely curious. She wanted to roll her eyes at them. Briefly she thought about mentioning her tentative plans to sell the flower shop, but after a quick glance at Joe she decided she wasn't ready to have that conversation yet.

Neither was she willing to talk about the money her mom had left her.

Instead she shrugged, hoping they would drop the topic. "Probably not, I was just interested is all." She made a mental note to speak with Taichi again in private.

Before either of them could ask any more questions a loud pop song about being bad, but being good at it cut through the quiet night and everyone stopped to look at it's source. Matt visibly flinched and fumbled in his pocket for his phone.

"Mimi?" TK asked, and Sora was surprised to detect a note of sympathy in his question.

"Yep." Matt answered, grimacing as he hopped down from the railing.

"Where is she anyway?" Sora asked, "I thought she would be here."

Matt shook his head as he walked by her, headed towards the door. "Who knows, probably partying it up in Paris." He touched the screen and snapped a greeting as he disappeared into the house.

Sora looked after him, puzzled by his tone and the sudden under current of embarrassment everyone seemed to feel. Something was going on with Mimi that the rest of the group was aware of, but no one was saying anything. She would have to ask Joe what was going on when they were alone.

The conversation resumed, forced at first and then more natural as more drinks were poured and everyone was just a little too giggly. Sora was on edge as Joe kept touching her in little ways that were beginning to feel too affectionate and she was beginning to feel a little too uncomfortable.

She stood while everyone laughed at something TK was recounting from one of his book signings and Joe stood as well, planning on following her. She frowned and waved him back.

"Bathroom." She pointed at the house for emphasis and he reclaimed his seat. She sighed in relief. Was he always so clingy? she wondered, walking through the house, and was she only just bothered with it now because of Matt? She tried to think if she had ever noticed his behavior before and was ashamed to realize that when it came to Joe she just didn't pay that much attention.

It was Matt's touch she wanted, she burned with the desire to feel his hands on her, to run her own hands over him. Every time Joe touched her it was so wrong and different from what she yearned for that she instinctively recoiled. Poor Joe probably wasn't doing anything different, but with her body hyper aware of Matt, she shrank away from any caress that wasn't his.

Sora realized she was probably a little too tipsy when she had to steady herself on the back of the couch.

No driving home for me she thought, then giggled because she'd crashed her car.

She made her way into the foyer and pushed through the door Taichi had pointed out earlier, then stopped dead when she saw Matt.

He stood hunched over the washing machine, his head bowed and his hands clenched into fists. His cell phone lay dark on top of the appliance and his whole body radiated tension. He looked like a caged animal, she thought.

She must have gasped or made some kind of noise because he turned to look at her where she stood in the doorway. Her heart beat faster as she met his eyes. There was anger there, burning inside him, but Sora thought she glimpsed in him the boy she use to know. Behind the anger she saw hurt and a sense of helpless frustration. Part of her wanted to retreat, but another part of her, emboldened by desire and alcohol, wanted to soothe the beast.

"Running away?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. She held his sardonic gaze and lifted a finger at the door behind him.

"All the way to the bathroom, you caught me."

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the washer. His expression mocked her as she mimicked his posture, propping her hip against the door frame.

"I'm surprised you're speaking to me. Is the end of the world coming?"

She narrowed her eyes at him "What are you talking about?" She snapped.

"I'm talking about six years." He said. His hands dropped to his side as he came toward her. "You ran away and I haven't heard a word from you in six years." He stopped just inches away and she had to crane her head back to see his face. She forced herself not to step away from him, but her eyes widened at the bitterness she heard in his voice.

"You're mad at me for leaving?" She asked dumbly, her voice incredulous. He laughed harshly.

"You never even thought about how we felt, did you? You think after six years any of us even want you here?"

"Wh-what?" Sora hugged herself and felt tears prick her eyes as he hit the mark on her anxiety... they really didn't want her here? "That's not true." She said, but her voice sounded small... uncertain.

He bent until his nose was almost touching hers and she took an involuntary step back, looking away to hide her tears. Before he could say anything more, his phone rang out from behind him with the song about being bad and, impossibly, she saw his body grow tighter with anger.

"Run away little girl," he told her cruelly, "it's what you're good at."

She obeyed.