DISCLAIMER: SeaChange and all its characters belong to Deb Cox and Andrew Knight. I am writing this for entertainment purposes only, but if you want to pay me…

 

I suggest you read New Year @ Pearl Bay before reading this, as I took a paragraph from that fic and elaborated on a previous event that was mentioned. Not much else to say, I just hope you enjoy this!

 

Dedicated to my mate Kate. I know you want a fic dedicated to you, so here you go. Keep smiling chickadee!

 

 

You Can't Get Even

By Casey

 

The house was silent, now only occupied by only one person. Laura stared at the painting on the wall, her mind hazy. What had she just said? Did she really tell Max that she didn't love him? No, Laura thought. I told him I hated him. That had been an intelligent move. Laura regretted ever beginning the argument, although she couldn't exactly remember what it had been about. Something to do with work, which had been Laura's touchy subject for the day. Being unemployed had bored Laura to tears. Essentially, she had absolutely nothing to do during the day except read trashy romance novels and watch daytime TV, which basically was a trashy romance novel adapted for TV.

 

Yawning, Laura stood from her position on the couch to retreat to the kitchen. She rummaged about in the freezer, before producing a tub of strawberry ice cream. Laura had to laugh at the ironicalness of selecting this particular tub. The last time she'd eaten this ice cream was when she and Max had…no need to go there. It only helped bring home just how foolish she'd been. No, Laura thought. He was in the wrong. He was the one who had said all the nasty things about…about…hell she couldn't even remember what exactly it was they had been arguing about.

 

I said some nasty things too, Laura told herself. She hadn't been the only one spitting out the malicious barbs. A lot of words had been said in such spite, which troubled Laura to the day's end and well into the night. She lay in her bed, void of the big figure that regularly hogged two thirds of the mattress. Laura had to laugh at even that, something that she wouldn't miss. But funnily enough, she did miss it. The security of knowing someone else is beside you is unbelievable. Laura never realised just how safe she felt when she knew that Max was by her side. But there was no way she'd be talking to him anytime soon. Not after what he'd said.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Max lay dejectedly on the couch, hoping for a rapid knocking at his door. He knew full well that it wasn't going to happen, though. Max wondered what Laura was doing. He imagined she'd be sitting in front of the TV with a tub of strawberry ice cream in her lap, watching sloppy romance movies. It had become Laura's new way of beating emotions; watching other people get emotional and empathising with them.

 

He was at a loss as to why he was in this situation. What was it that he'd said that caused such conflict? Max stared at the roof, his eyes weary. No matter how hard he tried, he could not remember what it was the argument had been over. It had been petty, he knew that much. Arguments between Laura and himself were always petty. But if there was one thing he could not forget, it was his final words as he walked out that door. They echoed over and over in Max's head, and no matter what he did, he could not shake them from his mind.

 

Unable to handle the sheer boredom, Max stood up, and moved towards his home library. The shelves were crammed with various books, ranging from murder mystery novels to the lives of Afghans. He picked out the newest addition. 'First Time Fatherhood' the title read. Max opened the book up to where he was up to, and began intently reading the advice of men more experienced than he.

'Never upset your partner when she is going through a mood. You will learn quickly that it is best to agree with everything she says rather than disagree with her and end up in dispute over wall colours.'

            "If only I'd read this yesterday"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The house was dark when Miranda entered late that night. She quietly opened the door, and tiptoed towards her bedroom. 'Almost there' she grinned, success was hers…phwop. And Miranda was on the floor.

            "Max…?" the lamp flickered on, and Miranda was busted. She looked at her mother's face, first full of hope and anticipation, then suddenly crumpled and dejected.

            "Mum, why is half the pantry on the floor?" Miranda questioned, looking evilly at the cause of her fall. There was no answer from Laura. Miranda stepped over the flour, and took a seat beside her desolate looking mother. "What happened,"

 

            "And then he left. He said he wasn't coming back!" Laura sobbed on her daughter's shoulder.

            "Just what did you say to him?" Miranda asked.

            "Well…err…I don't quite remember, that little part of it" Laura mumbled.

            "You mean you threw him out of the house for something so petty that you don't even remember it?" Miranda asked incredulously.

Laura looked up at her daughter's unimpressed face. "I've done it again, haven't I?"

            "I hate to be the one to tell you, but yes, mum, you've kind of stuffed up again," Miranda explained.

            "Why do I always muck everything up? What do I do to cause such an uproar?" Laura wailed.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Max's morning swim wasn't the same the following morning. Knowing that there would be no cup of tea awaiting him, knowing that someone's mysterious green eyes were not watching him. The swim wasn't fulfilling when Max knew that the regular treats were not going to occur that day. Max returned to the shore, and was greeted by Angus, surfboard under his arm.

            "Nice in?" Angus queried.

            "Could be better" Max mumbled.

            "Yeah" a silence surrounded the two men.

 

Moments later, more words were spoken.

            "Waves aren't bad this morning" Max observed.

            "Yeah, I'm heading up to the point, things are apparently pounding up there" Angus remarked.

            "Anyways, better let you get up there and make the most of it" Max stated, preparing to leave.

            "See you round then" Angus said. A moment of confusion surrounded Angus, and curiosity caught up with him. "Uh, Max"

            "Yes, Angus?"

            "Why aren't you going to Laura's?"

            "Well…let's just not go there"

 

Max was annoyed. What could he do to make things up to Laura? He didn't dare set foot in the house, not after her last words to him. But surely there was some way to lure her to him. Max returned to his faithful shack, grateful he hadn't bid adieu to it as first planned. And after this incident, his plans were destroyed. There was no way he was going to let go to this place, no way known. Max scrounged around in the fridge, but found nothing that was worthy of eating, be it either unappetising or past its use-by date. Grabbing the shirt that was draped over the back of the chair, Max threw it on, and headed out the door. His destination; the Tropical Star for some palatable food and an astute consultant.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

She could not take the depression anymore. Laura had the house immaculately clean; there was nothing more to be done. Well, that was in cleanliness wise. In regard to relationships, there were mountains of work to be done. Laura knew how foolish she had been to get so worked up over such petty matters. Thinking really hard, Laura realised it was her who had began the spat, and it had been her who ended it in such harsh words. She sat on the couch, and stared at the door. It had all started at that door, and it had all ended there too. Laura glared evilly at the blinds that were strewn on the floor; they had been the cause of the argument.

 

            'Maybe next time, instead of being so bloody independent, you'll let me help you!'

            'I don't need your help, I'm quite capable of doing it myself!'

            'If you're so capable, then how did it end up broken?'

            'Because YOU had to try and help me when it was quite obvious that I was managing on my own!'

            'Fine, just fine. If you think you're so ably independent, I'll leave'

            'Suits me! I can live without you!'

 

Tears sprang to her eyes just remembering Max's voice saying 'I'll leave'. It had sounded so wrong, so forced. It was just not something that Laura ever expected to hear from Max. But it wasn't just what Max had said that disturbed her. It had been her final words that really brought the house down. Laura questioned why she had said something so damn foolish. It was so far from the truth that it bothered her. What on earth had made her say something so false?

            "The truth is, I can't live without you, Max"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Max sat miserably at the bar, picking his way through a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. Meredith, being the ever so observant person she is, noticed his desolate mood immediately, and made it her mission to discover what was wrong.

            "Is there anything troubling you, Max?" she questioned

            "No, nothing too huge, Meredith" Max replied. "That is, if you don't consider being thrown out of the house huge"

            "Oh dear. What happened?"

Max sighed, and placed the fork on the plate. Max weighed up his options. He could tell Meredith and risk being in plunged into the Atlantic Ocean by his significant other, or he could not tell Meredith and the spat would continue.

 

            "Laura's pregnant, Meredith" Max blurted.

            "I knew it!" Meredith exclaimed delightedly. She turned the volume down, and stated, "congratulations, Max! I'm so happy for you!"

Max had a small smile twitching on his lips, but it didn't take long for the small twitching to turn into an inane grin. "Thanks"

            "Now, your problem, let me guess. Laura kicked you out of the house over a petty quarrel" Meredith stated knowingly.

            "Your psychic powers never cease to amaze me, Meredith" Max said mockingly.

            "What else could I use to win you over, Max Connors?"

 

            "You have two options. I can tell you the outcome of this, or I can give you suggestion. But you're quite welcome to take a good guess, if you like" Meredith said.

            "I'll take the outcome, thanks" Max joked.

            "Okay" Meredith moved closer to Max, and spoke in a hushed tone. "She will realise her mistake, even if it wasn't hers to begin with, and come running back to you" Meredith wisely explained.

            "I see. So what could I do to speed up the process?" Max queried.

            "I don't know about speeding up the process, but I do know of something you could do to make the end result memorable" Meredith stated.

            "Continue," Max urged.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Laura lay on the beach, staring up at the sky. The clouds moved slowly, the wind was near non-existent. The waves lapped continuously against the seaweed-covered shore. Rolling onto her side, Laura looked at the shack further up the beach. It wasn't any old shack; it was Max's shack.

            "What have I done?" Laura asked herself incredulously.

I've been such a fool, that's the problem, she thought angrily. Why did I have to open my big mouth? Why do I have to be so damn stubborn? Why is it always me who gets so nasty?

 

It had been her fault. Max wasn't at fault at all; he had only been trying to help. Laura knew that she had to be more lenient towards Max; his tolerance level wasn't the only one that was pretty low. Laura wondered how their relationship had lasted this far. His slightly devious ways were the complete opposite to her by the book mind. So what was it that kept them so hungry for each other? Laura melted; the image of Max sprang to mind. His muscular body, big hands, defined face, piercing blue eyes… No, it wasn't just physical attraction, although Laura couldn't deny that it did play a part in her lust for Max. His sense of humour, however frustrating, did easily lure her. His passion to fight for anything and everything that meant something to someone.

 

What Laura wouldn't do for a good glass of red. It frustrated her that she couldn't touch the stuff, mainly because it wouldn't even reach her stomach before being thrown back up. It was days like these that Laura wondered how she was going to manage parenthood from square one again. Who would have guessed that such a perfect life would eventuate after all the debacles that had occurred in the first half of her life? The thoughts were beginning to scare Laura, as they often did. She honestly had too much time on her hands, and it certainly wasn't healthy. Standing, Laura decided that if anyone was going to front up and make an apology, it should be her.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"She's gonna kill you, Connors" Bob Jelly teased, while grabbing himself a beer. 

"No, Bob, you see that's where you're wrong. She won't kill me, not when I take her off guard like this" Max replied slyly. "Now why don't you get off your rear and help me clean this joint up"

Bob weighed up his options. He could help Max, or he could call someone else to help. "Heather, love, come here" Bob slumped into the couch, and opened the bottle of beer.

            "Yes, darling" Heather sang, and came running to Bob.

            "Help Max clean up, would you?" Bob asked, although Max didn't think of it as a request, more a demand.

Heather grabbed Bob's tie, and pulled him towards her. "You know how to clean, so why don't you help?"

 

Max did have to give Heather credit for her way of handling Bob. Max knew it was an understatement to say that Bob was a domineering male. He was a chauvinistic pig. Max wondered just how Heather had come to be so strong towards him. He knew it had something to do with Meredith. Through long hours together, Heather was becoming more like Meredith by the day. Not that Max thought it a bad thing. It was about time someone stood up to Bob. And if it were to be anyone, it should be his wife. Things had progressed between the pair quite well since their rough patch. It seemed that Bob had realised just how wrong he had been, and day by day the pair were progressing on the road to reconciliation.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Laura rushed out of the house. Tears brimmed her eyes, signs of Max bringing the truth home. Laura knew just how stupid she'd been to even think of arguing with Max. She would be lost without him. His presence in the house was so strong that Laura couldn't stand knowing that Max was angry with her. She knew how stupid it was to be crying over such a trivial dispute. It was the hormones, Laura tried to convince herself. But it wasn't just the hormones. Max's favourite blue shirt had been draped over the back of the couch, crumpled and smelling of Max. In her cleaning frenzy, Laura had picked it up, and on touch she felt the emptiness. The warmth that Max emitted was missing, and Laura had caught onto the absence and realised her utter stupidity.

 

She could see his shack up ahead. She just hoped that he was there. What if he wasn't? What if he'd done a runner and left town? No, Laura told herself. You're just working yourself into a state. And that she was. The fears were surfacing even though there was no need to worry. Laura staggered up the steps, and viciously wiped her eyes. She knocked on the door. It creaked open. Stepping inside, Laura turned on the light and…

            "CONGRATULATIONS!"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

            "You know, if I wasn't in such a good mood I think I'd kill you right here"

            "Well you could do that, but then you're left to fend off the broody women of Pearl Bay all by yourself"

            "Piece of cake. You wait and see"

            "I'll do that"

            "Max"

            "Laura"

            "You do know I'm really sorry for causing that argument, don't you?"

            "Yes, I know"

            "Good. I swear I'll never start one again"

            "We'll see"

 

            "Do you think we'll make it?"

            "What do you mean?"

            "Us, as parents. Do you think we'll survive?"

            "Do you mean to tell me that you're doubting our parenting abilities?"

            "No…just thinking"

            "Between my ordered legal manner and your conniving journalistic career, I don't think this kid is going to have a worry in the world"

            "I don't think it's quite that simple"

            "Well…it's not. I was just trying to reassure you"

 

            "So did I surprise you?"

            "What do you mean?"

            "Were you expecting half the town to know about master Rex this soon?"

            "Hmm…I knew you wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long"

            "Oh, come on Laura, I could've held my silence if I wanted to. Just felt like spreading some joy about the town"

            "I'm sure. Whose idea was it anyway?"

            "Who do you think?"

            "Do you want me to guess or should I just thank Meredith now"

 

           

            "Now I've got to scheme up a plan to get even with you"

            "You can't get even. Not with Max Connors"

            "You wanna make a bet? I can think of a million ways to get back at you"

            "I'm sure. The opportunities are just endless"

            "They certainly are"

            "Okay. You can go on thinking what you like, but I'm standing by my words. You can't get even. Not with me. Not ever"

 

THE END