"Oh, well," said Jade eventually. "What will be, will be."
"True."
"Hungry?"
"Yeah."
"Come in then, and I'll make you some late lunch."
Jade and Darryl moved inside.

***

KatE dropped Kat off at her house, and Kat entered the empty house with a sigh. She closed the door behind her, and leaned against it. She really liked KatE, and Sarah and Maya were nice, but things were different here, and took some getting used to. Meeting Marc's mother that afternoon had reminded her exactly how much she missed her own mother. Kat walked into her bedroom, tossed her purchases carelessly onto her bed, and removed her photo album from the bedside table. Kat sat for a moment, stroking the velvet cover. She had made the photo album herself, shortly after her mother had died last year. The velvet was already showing a bit of wear on the corners. Kat opened the photo album, and frequent use caused the book to open to her mother's bridal portrait. Her mother had been a beautiful woman, Kat thought. The next page revealed her mother, proudly holding her new-born daughter. The following pages revealed her mother as Kat grew up, the dramatic haircut that had caused Erick to walk right past his wife in a crowded supermarket. Kat turned to the final page, and stared for a long moment at the final picture. It had been taken the final morning of her mother's life. She and Erick were standing in each other's arms, in the kitchen. They'd been dancing to some old song in the kitchen, and Lucia was laughing at something Erick had said. She had been so alive, Kat thought as the hot tears started trickling down her cheeks. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that her mother, a beautiful, vibrant woman, had died so suddenly. Gone for a walk down to the shops for a couple of litres of milk so that they'd be able to have breakfast in the morning at dusk, and having a drunk-driver jump the curb in his car, ending her mother's life, and destroying Kat and Erick's in the process. Kat threw the album violently across the room, screaming in frustration, then fell on the bed, weeping inconsolably.

***

Marc arrived home after closing up the shop, and headed for the shower. He heard Jade suggesting to his mother that they invite the new neighbours for dinner as he passed the kitchen, and called that he was home as he closed the bathroom door. After attending to getting clean, Marc leaned against the wall with the water running hot over his chest, and thought about his relationship with Irene. He'd met her through KatE, over a year ago now. Marc had been bowled over by her looks, and the fact that she was actually interested in him... That Jade hadn't really liked her hadn't lessened the initial attraction he'd felt. Marc tried to remember the last time he'd felt spontaneously attracted to Irene, but gave up after about five minutes, and sighed. And she'd been so nasty, trying to manipulate Jade, and insulting his other friends.... Their relationship seemed to be missing something recently, and he didn't know what he could do to get that back. He was supposed to be going to her house tomorrow, he thought, perhaps they'd discuss it then. That, or the relationship could end. Marc pushed that thought away, and turned off the water. They'd discuss it tomorrow, he was sure. He quickly toweled off, and headed to his room, studiously avoiding thinking about dumping Irene.

***

By the time Erick arrived home, the evidence of tears was gone, the album back in the drawer, and Kat was only slightly more subdued than usual. Erick said he'd met Catie, their neighbour, and she'd invited Kat and Erick to come for dinner that night, which Erick had accepted. Erick and Kat both showered and changed, Kat carefully picking out a pair of jeans and nice button-up top. They walked over to the Bradshaw's house just before 6:00, and Marc met them at the door.
"Hi, Kat. You must be Erick," Marc greeted them, introducing himself before showing them through to the kitchen. "This is my Dad, Chris. Dad, Erick, and Kat."
Catie and Jade were chatting as they made dinner, and Kat felt the lump in her throat return as Marc got their fathers a beer, and his mother and Jade a glass of wine.
"Drink?" he offered.
Kat nodded, not yet trusting herself to speak. A couple of sips of the wine helped her to relax, and she talked to Marc about Art and English, which they had together. Dinner was served, and the six of them sat around the table and talked about life in Rodenville.
Towards the end of the meal, Catie innocently turned to Erick, and asked, "And your wife couldn't join us this evening?"
Kat's knife clattered loudly on her plate as she dropped it, causing everyone at the table to look at her as she pushed back from the table.
"Kat..." Erick began, but the sound of her father's voice only brought the tears that had been threatening all evening closer to the surface, and Kat turned and walked quickly from the room.
Erick sighed, and Kat heard him say, "I'm sorry. My wife was killed 6 months ago, today..."
Kat heard Catie and Jade's horrified gasps as she pushed through the back door and ran into the backyard. She stumbled towards the trees, choking on tears. He was right. Today was exactly 6 months since her mother's death, and Kat hadn't realised. Behind her, the door opened and closed again, and Kat slipped into the trees. Eventually, her sobbing meant she couldn't get the breath to run any more, and she wrapped her arms around the nearest tree, using it to hold herself up as she cried. Six months without her mother...
"Why?" Kat whispered to the tree. "It's not fair."
"Kat?"
Kat froze.
"Kat, are you okay?"
Marc approached cautiously, and she still didn't move. A silent sob shook her body, and she clutched the tree harder.
"Kat," Marc said, gently touching her back. "It's ok. Your Dad explained..."
Marc stopped talking as Kat's grip on the tree sagged, and he quickly moved to support her as the sobbing started again. He hooked her arms around his neck, and wrapped his arms around her to support her as she cried. Not really knowing what to do, he gently stroked her hair. Eventually, he heard her softly whispering something.
"What's that?"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why? How could she?"
"How could she what, Kat?"
"How could she think I could possibly live without her?"
She tears started in a flood again, and Marc tightened his arms around her.
"I hate her for leaving me."
Marc gently rocked her from side to side as she released her fear, grief, pain and loss. The ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble with the strength of emotion she was emanating.
"It's ok," he soothed.
"No, it's not ok," she sobbed. "She left me here, and I can't live without her."
"I'm here," he soothed, stroking her back and holding her tightly. "It's ok to let it go. Just let it go..."

Marc leaned back against the tree trunk, holding Kat to him, stroking her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. The branches of the trees swayed, and seemed to form a barrier around them, protecting them from the outside world. Time ticked by slowly, and ever so slowly, Kat's gasping sobs slowed, until eventually, she sighed, and was still. Marc didn't move, except for the gentle stroking of her back. Eventually, she stirred, and Marc reached into his pocket and produced a hanky, which he shook out as Kat lifted her face from his shoulder. One handed, he gently wiped her eyes and cheeks, then held it to her nose.
"Blow."
She followed his instructions obediently, and Marc slipped his hanky back into his pocket. Kat's head fell heavily forward again, her forehead thumping gently into his chest as he wrapped his arm around her again. The stroking continued, until Kat sighed, and raised her head a second time. This time, she seemed to focus on Marc, and a slow blush began creeping up her neck.
"Hi there," he said softly, with a smile.
"Hi," Kat replied. Then, "I'm sorry."
"It's ok," he soothed, gently brushing a lock of hair off her face.
"It's not, really," she sighed, and Marc gently stroked her hair back behind her ear.
"It is, really," he corrected.

Kat looked down, and Marc studied her cheek-bones, and the crescents of dark eyelashes, damp and clumped together with tears. He ran his thumb gently around her ear, and down her jaw, and when he reached her chin, she lifted her head to look at him again. Marc studied her face in the moonlight. There was tiny worry lines between her gently arched eyebrows, and he lifted one finger to gently smooth them away. Her eyes were wide and dark in the moonlight, the last traces of tears still evident in the slight glistening of her eyes, and the slight pinkness of her nose. Her mouth was soft, and perfectly symmetrical, though still looked sad, not up tilted in a smile. Marc cupped her face with one hand, then gently lowered his mouth to hers.

Her lips trembled under his, before softly parting. His lips gently explored hers, her eyes drooped closed as he gathered her closer and he shivered as the very tip of her tongue touched his. Marc gathered her body to his as their tongues gently touched. Kat trembled in his arms, and Marc suddenly realised the effect she was having on his body. She whimpered softly as he parted their mouths, and cradled her in his arms.

She was hurt, and vulnerable, he scolded himself. He should not have kissed her at that moment. He was still dating Irene. It was just that she looked so sad and fragile... Kat shifted in his arms. Marc shifted back, in order to keep the physical evidence of his discomfort from her, and Kat glanced up at him again. He gently stroked her jaw, and neck.
"We should be getting back," he whispered, slightly hoarsely.
Kat nodded, and gently pulled back from the circle of his arms.
Then she looked at him again.
"Thank you," she said, softly, leaning in and kissing him squarely on his mouth again.
Marc trembled, and forced himself not to gather her against him again.
Kat broke the kiss, and looked at the tree behind him.
"Thank you," she said again, and leaned in and gently placed her lips on the smooth bark of the tree.
Marc raised his eyebrows slightly, but his eyes widened in surprise as one branch bent down to lightly touch Kat's hair, then all the branches lifted again, removing the protective circle they had been standing in. The night air had cooled considerably since they'd left the house, Marc noticed. Kat stood straight again, and looked at Marc.
"Ready?" he asked.
She nodded, shivering slightly in the breeze.
Marc removed his jacket, wrapped it around her shoulders, then firmly took her hand and led her back to the house.

***

Jade placed the tea-towel on the drying rack, and wiped down the sink. Chris and Catie were sitting in the lounge room, quietly talking, and Marc had vanished upstairs shortly after Kat and Erick had left. Jade sighed. She'd had no idea that Kat's mother wasn't around any longer, and she knew her mother was feeling upset about her - to her own eyes - thoughtless comment. Kat had been ok when Marc had brought her back, and the rest of the evening had passed without incident, but Jade could tell Catie felt badly about upsetting her guests. Chris was surely talking sense into her though, with his "at least now we know" logic. Jade's thoughts turned to her own parents. She wondered who they had been, but knew that she wouldn't ever know anything more than what she already did. A single Mum, unable to cope with having a baby, had given her up for adoption at the hospital after Jade had been born. Catie and Chris had adopted her shortly after, and only a few short months after they'd brought her home, Catie discovered she was pregnant. Jade counted herself lucky that Catie and Chris had decided to keep her - she'd heard too many stories about people returning children after becoming pregnant themselves, and Catie and Chris had been wonderful parents, never distinguishing between their adopted daughter and biological son. Jade slipped into the lounge-room, and kissed her parents goodnight before heading upstairs to Marc's bedroom. He wasn't in there, so Jade headed up further to her room, and out onto the roof.
"Marc?"
"Yeah."
Jade turned and clambered indelicately up the roof to the flat area that was Marc's area of the roof, by unspoken agreement.
"Hi."
"Hi."
He was looking out over the trees, towards Kat's house.
"Well?" Jade prodded.
"The trees moved to comfort her," he told her, softly. "And the earth moved when she was crying in my arms."
Jade smiled.
"Sure that wasn't just you?" she teased.
"Yes," he replied seriously, and Jade lost her smile.
"What's troubling you?" she asked, sitting carefully on the roof.
The silence of the night stretched between them.
"I don't know," he replied eventually. "I just know I could have held her forever."
Jade opened her mouth to reply, but her brother stood up.
"I have to go to Irene's in the morning, I need to sleep. Goodnight, Jade."
Marc walked with surefooted grace over the roof, and vanished back through her window, and Jade sighed.
"Goodnight, Marc," she whispered, then looked over towards Kat's house. "Be gentle with him," she pleaded into the night.
The night breeze seemed to reassure her, and Jade went to bed.

***

Sunday morning dawned with the hint of a storm on the horizon. Marc awoke at dawn, collected the axe, and went out to the woodpile, knowing that his version of "morning" was not Irene's. The morning sun was hazy through the storm clouds, and the atmosphere muggy as he chopped. After half an hour he'd removed his shirt, and hung it on the branch of a near by tree. As the sun moved across the sky, the pile of uncut wood diminished significantly.

"Good morning."
Marc jumped, and spun around, leaving the Axe embedded in the chopping block.
"Kat," he said with a gasp. "You startled the life out of me."
"Sorry," she apologised. "I was going for a walk when I heard you."
"Came to tell me off again?" he teased, and she flushed.
Marc grinned at her, and she smiled back, her eyes wandering across his chest and stomach, before snapping back to his face with another slight flush.
"Alright this morning?" he asked, quietly.
"Aye," she nodded. "Alright. Last night... helped. Thank you. The hole doesn't seem so.... dark, any more."
Marc picked up a loose strand of her hair, and twisted it around his fingers.
"She must have been beautiful," he commented, "to have a daughter like you."
Kat blushed, and crossed her arms across her stomach self-consciously. Then she surprised herself by saying, "Would you like to see her?"
Marc raised an eyebrow, but nodded, and grabbed his shirt off the tree.

Kat turned and led the way back to her house. As she walked, she pondered the wisdom of what she'd just done. She knew Marc had a girlfriend, and she knew that if Irene found out that she'd invited him over, she'd kill her... but there was just some sort of a connection there, and she'd offered without thinking. Marc slipped the shirt on, but didn't do up the buttons as he followed Kat back to her house.
"Is your Dad home?"
"He'll still be asleep. He drank a bit last night, and he always sleeps late on the weekend."
Marc nodded, and glanced up at the house as they approached.
"Have you been here before?"
He nodded.
"Once before, yes. We came to look when it was being sold."
Kat unlocked the back door, and held it open for him. Marc smiled, and reached over her head to hold the second door open for her. She smiled as they moved inside, and then Kat slipped past him to lead the way to her bedroom. Marc looked around the house as he followed her, noticing that there weren't many knick-knacks, or pictures up on the walls yet, and still boxes waiting to be unpacked. Kat opened the door to her room and entered, standing by the door as he followed, and then pushed it closed again as Marc stopped and viewed her bedroom. His eyes rested on the messy, unmade bed, and Kat moved over to the bedside table, determined not to be embarrassed. Marc walked over then sat beside her, and Kat placed the velvet photo album on his lap.
"My mother," she said, softly, and Marc opened the album to the first page.

As he slowly turned the pages, he noticed exactly how similar Kat looked to her mother. He could only imagine how that would make Erick feel, to have his daughter looking almost exactly like his recently departed wife. As he turned some more, he became aware of the soft press of Kat's breast on his back, and the tickle of her hair on his chest as she leaned in to look at the pictures. Marc glanced at her, and realised it was entirely unconscious, as she was completely focused on the photos. Marc kept turning pages, until he got to the final page. Kat placed her hand on top of his, to stop him from closing the book, and sighed.
"That was the morning of the day she died," she said, softly. "And this is the first time in six months that I've been able to look at these photos without crying."
Marc gently closed the album, and Kat placed it on the bedside table, and gave him a half smile. Marc stared at her mouth. He could kiss her, he thought. She wouldn't resist. Just lean over, kiss her, press back onto the bed that looked like she'd had someone sharing it with her, slide one hand up that top.... Feel her fingers on his chest, and her bare skin under his hands...
Kat stood up, and Marc realised he'd been staring at her mouth, and blushed.
"Would you like some lunch?" Kat offered lightly.
"Lunch?"
"Yes, it's 12:30. Dad will be up soon."
"12:30? Argh, I'm late. I can't, sorry."
Kat looked surprised, but nodded, and led him out of her room to the back door. He paused on the doorstep, and looked down at her.
"Thank you for showing me your mother."
"Thank you for caring," Kat replied.
Marc looked at her a moment longer, then visibly shook himself. He nodded goodbye, then turned and jogged back towards his house. Kat watched him go, then gently shut the door and went to make herself some lunch.

***

It was almost 2:00 by the time he got to Irene's. He'd collected the axe, returned it to the house, quickly rinsed off in the shower and changed, then borrowed the car and drove to Irene's. He jogged up to her front door, and she opened it before he could knock. Her "you just caught me getting out of the shower" look was slightly ruined by the fact that her hair was almost completely dry, and the complete lack of water on her person.
"You," she said quietly, "are very late."
"I know, I'm sorry."
"Never mind, come inside."