Title: All Is For the Best

Author: phoebenpiper (Cordelia Willis, with help and ideas from Kelly Lima and shrrshrr)

Email: [email protected]

Category: Jake/Hamilton (though everyone's in it, but it originates from my love for J&H)

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Summary: As the summer ends and the gang returns to Rawley, their lives imitate fiction as terrible catastrophes start to befall them ala Candide.

Author's Notes: This takes place after my story "Sleepless in New Rawley". There's some carry-over, although this isn't a direct sequel and can be read by itself. The book the "boys" are reading is Candide, by Voltaire, and I highly recommend it - it's very over-the-top and very funny (and very short!)

Hamilton sighed as he sat on the window ledge with his camera, his mind wandering. This had always been his favorite spot for taking photos, or just getting away from it all. Being above everything certainly gave him an interesting perspective, a way of being in the midst of everything and yet still alone.

Alone. That's certainly how he was feeling right now. School didn't start for almost two more weeks, and Hamilton couldn't wait for the other students to arrive.

Okay, not all of them. Mainly just Jake. He wanted to see her, to kiss her, to touch her....

Hamilton heard the roar of a motorcycle, and automatically his heart started to pound. He scolded himself for getting his hopes up - Jake wasn't due back for at least a week. And Hamilton knew it was gonna be the longest week of his life.

The motorcycle got louder, and Hamilton allowed himself to look. The motorcycle was headed towards the school. Hamilton squinted, trying to make out the driver. He then remembered the telephoto lens on his camera and quickly took a look.

Hamilton was so surprised at what he saw, he almost fell off his perch. He couldn't believe his eyes. Could it really be Jake? What was she doing here? Although he longed to jump off the roof and run to her, to hold her, to never let her go, Hamilton was so stunned that he couldn't even move.

The motorcycle approached the building and slowed. Jake, for now Hamilton could clearly see it was her, got off the bike and set the kickstand. As she took off her helmet, she lifted her gaze up towards Hamilton and smiled.

"Hey Boy!" she called up to him as she walked towards the building.

"Jake," was all Hamilton could manage.

Jake smiled. "That's a good sign - at least you remember my name." When Hamilton continued to sit there, not moving, Jake added, "Ever plan on coming down from there?"

This jolted Hamilton back to reality. "Oh right! I'll be right down!" Hamilton stood and stepped in through the window, carefully dodging the workmen as he ran through the dorm hallway and down the stairs. Jake was already waiting for him inside by the door, and Hamilton rushed to her, practically knocking her over with his embrace.

"Hamilton!" Jake said, pulling away nervously. "What if someone sees?"

"No one's here," Hamilton said, kissing her passionately. She pulled away again as a man in overalls lumbered by with a hammer and some wood, but Hamilton brushed away her concern. "No one that matters, that is." He kissed her again, and again, and again.

"Glad to see me?" Jake teased.

Hamilton hugged her tightly. "God I've missed you. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come back." A thought suddenly struck him and he pulled back. "Wait, what are you doing here? School doesn't start for two weeks."

"I know," Jake said, picking up her bag from where she'd set it on the floor and walking with Hamilton towards the stairs. "And I was trying to think of elaborate excuses for my mother about why I needed to come back early. And then I realized: she's gone, she doesn't know when school starts, and she wouldn't care anyway! So I packed up my things and came straight here. I'm having Consuela send my other stuff - I decided I definitely needed a bigger wardrobe this semester," she said, grinning.

Hamilton nodded, not really listening, still caught up in the excitement of seeing her. "I can't believe you're here."

Jake laughed. "I'm getting that. And just think - we'll have almost two weeks to kill before everyone else arrives. We can hang out, be alone, enjoy the nice weather....what the hell?" Jake stopped at the top of the stairs and dropped her bag, amazed at what she saw. The place was swarming with workmen, hammering and sawing all over what used to be the dorm's main hallway.

It took Hamilton a moment to realize that Jake didn't know what was going on. "Oh, remember how we had to leave New York early, on account of an emergency?" Hamilton waved his arms around at the chaos. "THIS was the emergency. The sprinklers went off on the second and third floors - they still don't know why - and it totally soaked through EVERYTHING. They're having to replace all the floors and the furniture, and repaint everything."

Jake turned, shocked, towards Hamilton. "And where am I supposed to sleep for the next two weeks?"

Hamilton looked blankly back at Jake. He hadn't even thought about it.

****

Bella's head was buried under the hood of a Geo when she heard a voice say, "Hey, got change for a Coke?"

Bella stood up suddenly, recognizing the owner of the voice, and cracked her head against the hood.

"Careful!" Will said, grabbing the hood with one hand and Bella's shoulder with the other.

"Will!" Bella said, giving him a friendly hug. "When'd you get back?"

Will shrugged. "Just now, pretty much. I haven't even been home yet."

"And....Scout?" Bella asked, trying to look disinterested as she glanced around.

"He's home with his folks," Will said. "They wanted to spend a week of 'quality family time' before Scout returns for the fall semester."

"'Quality family time' - that's rather a foreign concept," Bella said as she watched her sister Grace exit the building and start down the street. Calling after her, Bella yelled, "Grace! You promised you'd watch the station at three."

Grace pretended to look at her watch, saying, "I'll be back by three."

Bella sighed frustratedly as Will checked his own watch. "It's a quarter till right now."

"I know," Bella said, rolling her eyes. "She's so irresponsible."

"Speaking of irresponsible, I better get home." Bella gave him a confused look, and Will explained. "I doubt my dad'll be very pleased that I spent all my summer income on my trip to St. Martins."

"But the important thing is you had FUN," Bella said, smiling.

"Yeah, I'll try to remember that when he's yelling at me," Will said lightly. "I'll call you later."

Bella nodded and watched Will walk away, worried about how his dad would be. She then turned back to the Geo, burying her head under the hood, trying to locate the source of the squealing.

She never found it, for a moment later she was interrupted again.

"Jake!" Bella said, giving her friend a big hug as she climbed off her motorcycle. "It's so good to see you. What are you doing back so early?"

"I'll explain that later. But first I need to ask you a really big favor."

"Shoot," Bella said.

"I....uh....I need a place to stay for awhile."

Bella got a look of panic on her face. "Are they kicking you out?! Did they find out about....?" Bella gestured towards Jake's chest, which was bound down under her boy clothes.

Jake shook her head. "No no no, nothing like that! But there was a....thing....at the dorms, and they're being worked on and won't be done till classes start, so I don't have any place to stay in the meantime."

"Well, what about Hamilton?"

Jake looked confused. "What about him?"

"Couldn't you stay with him?"

"Well, he offered, but I didn't think it was good idea, considering his dad is the DEAN!"

"Oh, right," Bella said, realizing the implications.

"So....can I stay?" Jake asked hesitantly.

"Oh, of course," Bella said instantly, allaying Jake's fears. "It'll be fun. We can do the whole 'slumber party' thing."

Jake's eyes lit up. "Painting our nails? Discussing guys?"

Bella nodded. "Putting Grace's bra in the freezer," she said, realizing it was now three o'clock and Grace was nowhere to be found. "It'll be a ball."

"Great!" Jake said, getting on her bike. "I'll come by later with all my stuff."

"Where are you off to now?" When Jake blushed, Bella laughed and added, "Tell Hamilton hi."

****

As the credits started to roll, Bella grabbed the remote control and turned off the video.

"Joseph Fiennes is so hot," Jake said, blowing on her freshly-painted toenails.

"Well, Gwyneth is fairly cute, too," Bella teased as she bit into a piece of pizza.

"Yeah, well, at least she got to go HOME at night. Pretty soon I'll be back at the dorms - boyhood 24-7."

"You know, JACQUELINE is always welcome here."

Jake grinned. "I'll DEFINITELY be taking you up on that." A thought struck her and she asked, "But what about HERE?" she asked, gesturing around the living room. "Did your mom come through after all?"

Bella shook her head. "That would've been out of character for her. No, we ended up getting a loan." When Jake looked inquiringly at her, Bella nodded, "Yeah, Scout helped. But it's a loan, a REAL loan, through a bank, so...."

"So you don't feel so guilty about it," Jake finished for her.

Bella smiled and shrugged. "No, I still do, but....it'll be okay."

Knocking was heard on the door downstairs, and Jake looked at Bella. "A late-night gas emergency?"

Bella stood up, walking carefully so as not to disturb her still-wet toenails. "No, it's probably just Grace. She NEVER remembers her key. I'll be right back."

Bella hopped down the stairs, perpetually annoyed with her irresponsible sister. She unlocked the door, saying, "Grace, can't you ever remem-" She stopped mid-word when she saw who was on the doorstep. "Will! What are you doing here?"

"Can I stay the night?" Will asked breathlessly.

"Of course," Bella said without even thinking. "What happened?" she asked, worried, as Will stepped inside.

"My dad," Will said as they started upstairs. "I knew it was gonna be a bad scene, but...." He trailed off.

Bella stopped on the stairs and put her hand on Will's shoulder, turning him towards her. "Did he hit you?"

Will shrugged out of her grasp and continued up the stairs. "I'll be fine. I just...I can't stay at home anymore. Tomorrow I'll get my stuff and move back into-" He stopped as he entered the living room to find Jake sitting in her tank top and boxers, waving a Seventeen over her toenails to help them dry. "Jake!"

"Will," Jake said, looking as surprised as him. "What are YOU doing here?"

"He, uh, decided he wanted to join our little slumber party," Bella jumped in, not wanting Will to have to explain anything if he didn't want to.

Jake didn't push the subject. "Well, c'mon in. The pizza's cold, but we've got plenty of nail polish."

Will laughed as he set down his stuff. "I think I'll pass on the polish. But what are YOU doing back in town so soon - school doesn't start for, what, almost two weeks?"

Jake blushed, and Bella quickly said on her behalf, "Jake missed New Rawley."

Will smiled knowingly. "And a certain Dean's son?"

Jake smiled and nodded. "But the dorms are a mess, so I'm stuck here for now."

"What?" Will asked frantically. "What do you mean?"

Jake shrugged, oblivious to Will's panic. "The sprinklers went off, and they're having to redo everything, and it won't be done till school actually starts, so...."

"You're welcome to stay here, Will," Bella said quickly.

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

"Of course. It'll be fun, the three of us."

Jake looked thoughtful. "You know....if Hamilton finds out, he'll probably-"

"Tell him he's welcome, too," Bella said cheerfully. "The more, the merrier."

"Won't Charlie mind?" Will asked anxiously.

Bella shook her head. "He's so glad that the place is actually OURS now, he'd probably let me invite all of New Rawley to stay."

"Cool!"

The three of them looked towards the sound and saw Grace flirtatiously leaning on the doorframe.

"So do I get any say in who we invite?" Grace asked as she slunk into the room, smiling coyly at Will.

"You're NOT inviting anyone over, Grace," Bella said angrily. "Will and Jake are only here because it's an emergency."

"Oh, right, an emergency that causes you to invite two boys over to spend the night."

Jake looked self-consciously down at her unbound chest.

But Bella wasn't in the mood to squabble over details. "Grace, it IS an emergency. And dad already okayed it, so lay off.""

Grace rolled her eyes as she headed towards her bedroom. "Whatever." She turned around in the doorway and flashed Will a smile. "If you need me, you know where I'll be."

Bella stormed over and slammed the door after Grace. "Argh! I could just KILL her sometimes."

But Jake was still hung up on Grace's comment. "Don't I LOOK like a girl?" she asked self-consciously, gesturing to her pink tank top and painted toenails. "I mean, this is about as girly as I get."

"Of course you look like a girl," Bella said dismissively, still too angry with Grace to really pay attention.

Will looked at Jake and raised an eyebrow, grinning.

"Whaaat?!" Jake asked defensively, noticing the look.

Will shook his head. "Nothing. All I've gotta say is, I can understand why Hamilton was willing to risk the reputation."

Jake blushed and smiled.

****

"So Will, have you read this yet?" Hamilton asked, holding up the book he was reading, Voltaire's "Candide". He, Will, Bella, and Jake had gathered at the Towne Square to share a picnic lunch outside in the late August sunshine.

"Wait," Bella said. "You guys spent all summer in classes, and yet you STILL have homework?"

"Yeah, thanks to Finn," Jake said sarcastically. "He can't pass up any opportunity to 'edify' us, even if it means ruining our vacation."

"Hey," Will said defensively, "I LIKE Finn."

"Yeah, we've noticed," Hamilton said snidely under his breath.

Will gave Hamilton a look. "What's THAT supposed to mean?"

Jake stepped in before things got ugly. "I read it when I was still in New York. Thought I'd fall off the roof laughing."

Hamilton furrowed his brow, confused. "You thought it was FUNNY?"

"It is a satire," Will pointed out.

Hamilton crinkled his forehead and started paging through the book.

"I've never read it. What's it about?" Bella asked.

"It's about a young philosopher named Candide and his friends," Will explained. "But really it's a satire on optimism, the philosophy of the day, that 'all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds'."

Hamilton was still confused. "But Candide just got separated from his true love, and kidnapped into the army, and now he's just found out Cunah-whatever is dead. When does it get funny?"

"That IS funny, Hamilton," Jake said. "Don't you get it? Their tragedies are so ludicrous, and yet they continue to spout off about how 'all is for the best'. It's poking fun at how optimistic Candide is."

Hamilton shook his head, not convinced.

"Maybe it'll make more sense after you get past chapter 3," Will teased.

Hamilton shrugged. "At least it's SHORT," he said, paging forward to the end. "A hundred and twenty-five pages."

"That's the kind of book *I* like," Bella joked. "We'll probably have to read it in school anyway; maybe I should read it now and we can all discuss it at our 'slumber parties'."

"Oh, hey, Jake....mentioned....?" Hamilton hinted.

"Yeah, you can come too, Hamilton," Bella said, rolling her eyes. "But no one else better come - we're running out of floor space."

"We can 'double up'," Hamilton said suggestively, hugging Jake tightly.

Jake hit him playfully. "You'll have to behave, or Bella will kick us out."

Hamilton smiled and growled, causing Jake to laugh and push him away.

Will glanced at his watch and stood up. "I better go. I've gotta get back to work."

"Yeah. And I've got an engine I need to rebuild this afternoon."

"Ooh, fun," Hamilton teased.

"So, Jake, we still on for later?" Bella asked.

Jake nodded. "Three o'clock?"

Hamilton looked confusedly back and forth between the two girls. "What are you two doing at three?"

"Nothing," Bella said dismissively. "A girl bonding thing."

Hamilton raised his eyebrows and growled. "Can I watch?"

Jake hit him playfully. "Not BONDAGE! Bonding!"

"Oh, like painting your nails, baking cookies, mall shopping? That kind of thing?"

Jake and Bella shared an amused look. "Uh, yeah, something like that," Bella said. "So I'll see you at three?"

Jake nodded as Bella started to walk away. "I'll be there." Once Will and Bella were gone, Jake turned to Hamilton. "So, we've got a few hours to kill....Any ideas?"

Hamilton held up his book. "I think I better get reading - I want to get to where this thing gets funny."

Jake just laughed.

****

"Sorry I'm late," Jake said, running up to Bella at the garage.

Bella smiled knowingly at her friend. "Have trouble getting away?"

"Uh....yeah," Jake said, smiling. "But I finally succeeded in sending him off to go take photos of the construction."

Bella nodded as she wiped her greasy hands on a towel. "So now it's 'girl bonding time' - where do you wanna start?"

Jake shrugged. "It's YOUR garage - you decide."

Bella nodded and led her over to a Honda which had its hood up. "I can't believe you don't know anything about cars."

"Hey, I grew up in New York City - it's amazing I even know what a car IS."

Bella laughed as she leaned over the car. "Okay, we'll start with something easy - checking the oil."

The lesson proceeded, and the girls got so engrossed that they didn't even hear Sean approach.

"I should've known I'd find you hanging with yet another Rawley guy," Sean teased, hugging Bella from behind as Jake grinned at him, her cheek smudged with grease.

"Hey, Will's back," Bella said, looking up at Sean, a smear of grease on her nose.

"Yeah, I just talked to him." Sean looked down at the ground. "He told me 'bout his dad."

"Will's gonna stay with me till the dorms open," Bella said.

Sean nodded gravely. "I think it's for the best. I guess it's good he's goin' back to Rawley, huh?"

Jake had been listening quietly to this exchange, staring at Bella's nose. Now she said, "You've got grease on your nose."

"Thanks," Bella said, wiping her nose against her upper sleeve and making it even worse. "You know, the boys NEVER tell me, and I end up walking around for hours looking like a dork."

Jake laughed. "Here," she said, reaching over and wiping the smear off Bella's nose with the cuff of her sleeve.

"You've got some, too," Bella said, reaching over and cleaning off Jake's cheek.

Sean watched the two of them and laughed. "This is quickly turning into some girl bonding thing, so I best be going."

Bella laughed and kissed Sean goodbye. "C'mon over tonight. Jake's staying with me, too, so we'll probably get pizza or something."

Sean nodded as he backed away. "Okay. See ya, Jake."

Jake nodded as Sean turned and walked away. She then turned to Bella and smiled knowingly at her.

"What?" Bella asked, blushing.

"Nothing," Jake said as the two of them started giggling.

"C'mon, we need to get serious," Bella said lightly. "This catalytic converter is calling our name."

****

"So how's the book coming, Hamilton?" Bella asked that night as they all gathered to eat their pizza.

Hamilton wrinkled his forehead in consternation. "Well, Candide ran into his old tutor, who was dying of some weird venereal disease, and then they went to Lisbon, where their boat sank right before a terrible earthquake."

Sean shook his head. "Strange book."

"Oh great," Will said frustratedly as he read the letter he'd just opened.

"What is that?" Bella asked.

"My mom brought this by work for me," Will said, shaking the envelope. "It's from Rawley. It says I owe a hundred and twenty bucks - something about a lab fee?"

Hamilton looked up. "You taking bio this semester?" When Will nodded, Hamilton explained, "Yeah, they make you pay for the frogs and stuff. It's standard."

"Won't your scholarship cover it?" Sean asked.

Will shook his head and sighed. "I don't know where I'm gonna get that kind of money."

"Why don't you just get your parents to - OW!" Hamilton stopped and looked at Jake, who gave him a "shut up, I'll explain later" look.

"What about your job at Friendly's?" Sean asked.

Will shrugged. "I spent everything I'd saved in St. Martins. And there's no way I'll make that much in tips before school starts."

Bella patted him comfortingly on the back. "We'll figure something out."

"Yeah," Hamilton said. "I mean, all is for the best, right?"

Everyone turned and looked at him.

"Hamilton, are you kidding?" Jake asked.

"No. I mean, just think about it. If the sprinklers hadn't gone off at the dorm, we wouldn't all be here together. So I'm sure this lab fee thing will work out, too."

Bella nodded. "Maybe Hamilton's right. Maybe these disasters ARE for the best."

As if on cue, knocking was suddenly heard on the door below.

Will laughed. "Speaking of disasters...."

Sean stood up. "I'll go let Grace in." He disappeared down the stairs, and soon muffled voices could be heard.

"But what are you doing HERE?" Sean was heard to say, and everyone shared a curious look. Bella stood and raced down the stairs.

"Scout! What are you doing here?"

Scout smiled when he saw Bella. "It's a long story."

"Then maybe you can tell it LATER," Sean said, subtly starting to shut the door on Scout.

"Sean! C'mon in, Scout. Will, Hamilton, and Jake are upstairs."

The three of them hurried up the stairs.

"Hey, guys," Scout said as he walked into the living room and set down his bag.

"Scout, what are you-" Jake started, but Scout finished, "Doing here?"

Will looked confused. "I thought you were spending 'quality family time' till school started."

"We were s'posed to. But some big scandal came up, something about campaign spending or something, and my parents had to rush off to D.C. So they decided to send me back to school early, but when I went by Rawley...."

"Yeah, the dorms won't be ready till school starts," Jake explained.

"So I went by Will's," he said, looking to his best friend, "and your mom said you were here."

"I guess we'll have to make room for one more on the floor," Bella said.

"You're gonna let him STAY here?" Sean asked, more surprised than angry.

"What do you expect me to do, Sean, throw him out? He's got no place to go."

Jake turned to Hamilton. "It is getting pretty crowded here - maybe you should go back home."

"And miss all the fun?" Hamilton said. "No way! This is DEFINITELY for the best."

Scout looked inquisitively at Will, who explained, "Candide."

Scout nodded. "I haven't even started reading it yet. Is it any good?"

Hamilton shrugged.

"So now that you're staying, Scout," Will said, "pull up some floor. We've got plenty of pizza."

"And videos," Bella said. "We rented 'The Beach'."

"Who's in that?" Scout asked.

"Leonardo!" Jake and Bella said in unison.

The guys all rolled their eyes. "Tomorrow night, NO chick flicks," Hamilton said, and the others all agreed.

****

The next morning, everyone dispersed, agreeing to meet at noon for lunch. Scout went with Will, hoping to get some extra shifts at Friendly's. Bella and Charlie each had cars that needed working on. And Grace was just returning home and had an appointment with her bed. Jake and Hamilton, however, had no place they had to be, and they wandered aimlessly across Rawley's campus, finally coming to rest under a tree.

"So...." Jake began, snuggling against Hamilton, "we've got a few hours to kill." She kissed him tenderly, asking, "What do you want to do?"

Hamilton sighed as he absently kissed her back. "I think I should read some more."

Jake pulled back and looked at him. "Are you KIDDING?"

Hamilton furrowed his brow, confused at her response.

"Hamilton, I came back from New York early so that we could spend time TOGETHER, as ourselves, before school starts. This is our opportunity to be together - why are you so intent on this stupid book?"

"I...." Hamilton lowered his eyes. "I just...."

Jake ducked her head so she could look him in the eye.

Hamilton licked his lips self-consciously and then quietly blurted out, "I don't want you to think I'm stupid."

Jake was completely taken aback. "What?!" She stared at him, trying to comprehend, but he refused to meet her gaze. "Hamilton, what are you talking about?"

Hamilton shrugged moodily. "Well, you and Will are all into this literature stuff, and I....," he squinted at Jake, "....I just don't get it. And I'm just afraid...." He trailed off, looking away uncomfortably.

Jake was still lost. "Afraid of what?"

Hamilton looked at her with puppy dog eyes that bared his soul: "Afraid you won't like me anymore."

It took a moment for Jake to regain her voice. "Hamilton, first of all, I would NEVER think you're stupid, especially over some stupid assignment for Finn! And secondly...." she looked him straight in the eye, "there is nothing you could do to make me stop liking you." She paused and then corrected, "LOVING you."

Hamilton blushed and grinned bashfully. "Nothing?"

Jake pursed her lips as she thought. "Well....maybe one or two things," she teased.

Hamilton grinned, almost back to his old self, and kissed Jake. "Like...." [kiss] "....what....?" [kiss]

"You don't...." [kiss] "...want to know...." [kiss]

A chirping noise interrupted them. They both looked up to see some baby birds in a nest above.

"Awwww," Jake said. "Look how cute they are." She then turned to Hamilton. "That would make such a cute picture."

Hamilton shook his head. "They're too high up - I couldn't get a good angle."

"Just climb the...." Jake trailed off, remembering height issues. "I know," she said, taking charge. "I'll climb the tree and take the picture." She grabbed Hamilton's camera, which he'd placed carefully besides him on the ground, and started to remove it from its case.

"Careful!" Hamilton said, taking it from her and gently getting it out.

"Right," Jake said. "So show me what to do."

Hamilton stared at Jake, aghast. "You don't know how to use a camera?"

"Well, not a fancy one. Just show me - it can't be too hard, right?" Jake instantly regretted saying it. "I didn't mean it like...."

Hamilton nodded his head. "It's okay. I'll go ahead and set the f-stop and put it on auto-exposure. So all you need to do is focus through here and click the shutter."

Jake nodded. She grabbed the camera, putting the shoulder strap around her neck, and started to climb the tree. She got to the branch where the birds' nest was and gingerly edged out on it. Hamilton stood below, cringing nervously.

Jake steadied herself on the branch and pulled out the camera. She focused back and forth several times, and then whispered down to Hamilton, "It won't focus."

Hamilton crinkled his forehead, confused. "Just....focus it. Like I showed you."

Jake tried a few more times and then sighed frustratedly. "Hamilton, it's not working."

Hamilton stared up at the camera. "Oh, my telephoto lens is still on it. You need the 135mm. C'mon down and I'll change it."

Jake shook her head. "Just hand it up to me and I'll switch it." Hamilton looked skeptical, but Jake persisted. "C'mon. I'll be careful."

Hamilton reluctantly agreed and dug the lens out of his backpack.

****

"Hey, where's Hamilton?" Will asked as he bounded into Bella's living room, oblivious to the air of depression that hung in the room.

"He had to attend some dinner thing with his 'rents," Jake explained somberly. "He'll be by later."

"Hopefully in time for ice cream," Will said, flopping onto the couch.

"Scout wants us there around 8:30 'cuz that's when it starts to get...." Will faded out as he finally became aware of his surroundings, for the first time noticing Bella, her nose red, her cheeks tear-stained, huddling in Sean's embrace. "Oh my god, what's happened?" Will asked, rushing to Bella's side.

Bella shook her head, too numb to answer.

"CANDIDE happened," Jake said ruefully.

Will gave Jake a questioning glance, and Sean explained. "Charlie may lose the gas station after all."

"What?!" Will couldn't believe it. "But how?!"

"The loan didn't EXACTLY cover everything," Sean said.

"How MUCH exactly?" Will asked warily.

Bella took a deep breath before answering, "Almost four thousand dollars."

"What?!"

"And they need it by the end of next week," Sean explained further, "or else they'll lose everything."

"I can't believe it," Will said, shaking his head. "Have you told Scout?"

"NO!!" Bella yelled frantically, facing Will. She then regained some control and repeated, "No, Will, I DON'T want Scout to know." Then she added softly, "He's done enough already."

A steady and persistent knocking was heard on the door downstairs.

"It's probably Hamilton," Jake said, slowly standing up. "I'll go get him."

Jake disappeared down the stairs, and the three remaining friends sat huddled together in silence, the only noise an occasional sniffle from Bella.

As Hamilton reached the top of the stairs, he said, "Oh, Bella, I'm sorry."

Bella smiled. "Thanks, Hamilton."

"If it makes you feel any better, my dad's having a worse day than you."

Everyone stared at Hamilton, finding his words hard to believe.

"What are you talking about?" Jake asked.

"My dad found out tonight that the dorms aren't gonna be done before school starts."

"What?!" Will and Jake asked in unison.

Hamilton nodded. "Apparently the contractors way over-extended themselves, like they completely forgot how many people take vacations at the end of summer. So tonight they told my dad that they won't have time to finish all the painting."

"Then where are we supposed to stay?" Will asked anxiously.

"Don't freak, man," Hamilton said. "They'll be done with the second floor, just not the third. So they'll just have everyone double-up in the dorms for the first few weeks till everything's done."

"What?!" Jake asked, near hysteria.

Hamilton crinkled his forehead, not understanding her reaction.

"Hamilton, I CAN'T double-up." When Hamilton still looked lost, she said, "My roommates might notice that I wear a BRA!!!"

"Oh yeah," Hamilton said, realization dawning. He stared at Jake. "What're we gonna do?"

"We'll figure something out," Sean said calmly, and everyone turned to him. "We can get through this - ALL of this - if we just stick together."

"Hello Candide," Jake said sarcastically.

"Wait," Will said, an idea starting to form. "Maybe Sean's right. And maybe CANDIDE'S right, too."

Hamilton squinted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Like you said yesterday, Ham, maybe the disaster at the school IS all for the best. The dorms need to be painted, right? And no doubt a lot of money is involved?"

Hamilton nodded. "About five thousand dollars, I think. But it's not really a question of money -- they just don't have enough PEOPLE to complete the job in time."

"Then WE'LL be the people." Hamilton still didn't see where Will was going with this, but Jake smiled as Will continued, "We all need money now...."

Jake nodded, doing a quick calculation in her head. "Five thousand would cover EVERYTHING-my bike...." Jake looked at each person in turn, "-your lab fees, your camera lens, your football stuff-"

Bella smiled as Jake looked at her, saying with her, "The garage."

Hamilton shook his head, still not following. "But we're not contractors."

Sean shrugged. "How hard can painting be?"

Hamilton nodded, finally catching on. "And all the equipment's already there."

"Exactly," Will said. "We can work all day, every day, until school starts. And with five of us-"

"I'm sure Scout'll help, too," Bella interrupted.

"-SIX of us working together, we should be able to do it." Will turned to Hamilton and asked seriously, "Do you think your dad'll go for it?"

"I think he'd pay MONKEYS to paint it if they were available," Hamilton said drily. "ANYTHING to get it done before classes start."

"Then monkeys it is," Will said, and everyone laughed for the first time all evening.

****

"Okay," Jake clapped her hands once, "we need to get organized."

Everyone gathered at the top of the stairwell, dressed in their painting attire which consisted of tank tops, shorts, and no shoes.

Hamilton squinted at Jake. "Why are you in charge?" Jake shot him a look that said "do YOU want to do this?" and Hamilton quickly acquiesced. "Go ahead."

"All right, what we gotta do is paint each room with primer and regular paint. And that's walls as well as ceilings."

"Sean and I can do those," Will volunteered.

Jake nodded. "Since we need to finish as many rooms as possible before school starts-"

Hamilton interrupted, "We need to finish ALL of them."

"I know, Hamilton, but we have to realistic. If we CAN'T finish all of them, we need to get as many done as possible so we don't have to double up."

Bella nodded in understanding. "So we gotta do a kinda tag-team painting."

Scout sighed. "I wish I coulda gotten in touch with my dad. Then we wouldn't have to be doing ANY kinda painting."

Sean rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut.

Bella, however, scolded, "Scout! You can't always rely on money to solve all your problems."

Scout looked confused. "But I thought our problems WERE money."

"That's right," Jake said. "And we can solve them ourselves."

"Hey," Sean asked, looking around. "Do we have ladders and stuff?"

Hamilton knew the answer to that one. "The contractors said we could use all their stuff. As long as we're careful, and none of it leaves the building."

Will laughed. "Where are we gonna go with paint trays?"

"Oh, and look at this," Jake said, excitedly picking up a paint roller with a cord and a tube attached. "It's a POWER roller. No more paint trays!"

Bella smiled, impressed. "Cool!"

Will nodded impatiently. "Let's get going. Where's the paint?"

Hamilton gestured, "Downstairs."

Sean started down, motioning for Will to follow. "We'll go bring it up."

Jake turned to the others. "And the rest of us can start papering the floors."

As they began picking up the stacks of newspapers , Bella asked, "What about the trim?"

Jake gestured at Hamilton. "His mom's the art teacher, so he's pretty handy with a brush." Jake grinned slyly at him, but he merely smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.

Sean and Will struggled to the top of the stairs, each carrying a 5-gallon bucket of paint.

Setting his bucket down, Sean asked, "Where should we put these?"

Jake gestured with her head, "My room."

Everyone turned and stared at her.

"Whaaat?" she asked. "We have to start SOMEwhere!"

****

Bella grabbed another slice of pizza, saying, "I can't believe how far we got today."

Sean nodded and smiled. "Shows you what teamwork'll do."

"Yeah," Jake said with her mouth full. "Finn would be eating this up."

Will smiled but then got lost in a thought. "Hey, whatever happened between you and Finn and the whole..." he waved his hands toward Jake's chest, "....girl thing?"

"Oh yeah," Scout said. "They ARE letting you come back, aren't they?"

Jake turned to Hamilton, not knowing what to say. She was sure that he wouldn't want the others to know the truth, to know that Finn was hiding a secret, too. Jake knew how much Hamilton's relationship with his mother had been strained since he'd found out about the affair, and Jake was certain he didn't want the others to find out.

Hamilton stared at the floor, finally answering, "Let's just say it's been taken care of."

"That's a relief," Scout said. "I'd hate for us to hafta get a new coxswain - we rule with you in charge."

Hamilton glanced up at Jake, raising his eyebrows and smiling wickedly. "I couldn't agree more."

****

"This looks wonderful, Munchie."

Jake froze the instant she recognized the voice, in a momentary state of panic: what was Mrs. Fleming doing here? Jake hadn't been wearing her binder while she painted these last few days because, well, because it was annoying, and she could move and breathe easier without it. She hadn't expected anyone to see her, except the men working on the floor below, and they wouldn't know she was supposed to be a boy anyway. But if Mrs. Fleming saw her - and recognized her - it would all be over.

"Thanks, mom."

Jake grabbed her power roller and bucket and slowly tried to inch her way towards the door.

"And I see YOU're doing the trim. Excellent work, honey."

If Jake could just make it to the door, she could sneak out and go hide elsewhere until Mrs. Fleming left.

"I had an EXCELLENT teacher."

Jake noticed that Hamilton was being way nicer to his mom than he had been lately, ever since he'd found about out her and Finn. Jake realized that he must be trying to distract his mom, and she appreciated the effort on her behalf. She was almost to the door, almost home free.

"And you're working so fast. Do you think you'll be done in time?"

Jake had forgotten that the power rollers did have one disadvantage - they had to be plugged in. As Jake started to hurry through the door, the cord caught, and the roller flew out of her hand, crashing to the floor. Mrs. Fleming and Hamilton turned to Jake, who was frantically trying to release the cord, all the while attempting to hide her face.

"Can we help?" Mrs. Fleming asked, starting towards her.

"He-She'll be fine," Hamilton said, grabbing his mom's arm and dragging her over to the windowsill. "Look at how well I painted this."

Jake sighed in relief at the distraction. She hurriedly collected the roller and its cord and hurried out the door.

"That's great, honey. You know, actually, I came here to ask you for a favor."

The words made Jake pause just outside the door. She hid around the corner, clutching the roller and eavesdropping.

"What kind of favor?"

"Your father and I have to go to this Board of Trustees dinner tonight, but your father wants someone home to answer the phone because of this whole contractor mess."

"But mom," Hamilton whined, "I was gonna spend the evening with my friends."

"You've been spending EVERY evening with your friends, Munchie. Tonight we need you to stay home. But if you want, you can invite one of your friends over - but only ONE - like Jake or someone. Speaking of Jake, is he here helping you today?"

Jake took this as her sign to bolt. She grabbed up her bucket of paint and hurried into another room, hiding just inside the door. In a moment, she heard Hamilton and Mrs. Fleming exiting the first room and heading for the stairs.

"So I'll expect you home around 5:30," Mrs. Fleming said.

"I'll be there, mom" Hamilton called after her.

After a moment, Hamilton appeared in the doorway of the room where Jake was hiding. He looked at her, grinned, and teased, "Graceful."

"Shut up."

"So," Hamilton said, smiling wickedly. "Wanna....come to MY place for dinner?"

Jake smiled and kissed him. "Thought you'd never ask."

****

Hamilton heard the water running and rapped softly on the half-open bathroom door, peering inside. "Can I....come in?"

Jake looked up from where she was perched on the edge of the bathtub. "Yeah, get in here. We gotta clean up - we don't wanna track paint all over your parents' house."

Hamilton crinkled his forehead in confusion. Jake crossed her right leg over her left knee, showing him the bottom of her foot, which was covered in paint.

"Ew!" Hamilton said, stepping immediately into the bathtub. "Scoot over."

Jake slid over, allowing Hamilton to sit next to her on the edge of the tub. "Here," she said, handing him a washcloth she'd gotten from the cabinet.

Hamilton took it and held it under the running water for a moment. "Let me get that foot for you," he teased, wiping the bottom of her foot, which still lay across her knee. Jake flinched and pulled her foot away, and Hamilton's eyes gleamed. "I didn't know you were ticklish."

"I'm not," Jake said, quickly putting her foot into the pooling water and scrubbing it clean herself. "Are you?"

"Nope," Hamilton said, brazenly crossing his foot over his knee. "Go ahead," he said daringly. "Wash it."

Jake shook her head and dunked her washcloth. "That's okay, Hamilton. You can wash your OWN smelly feet."

Hamilton leaned over and took a deep whiff of his foot. "It's not smelly," he said, confused by her comment. "It just smells like paint."

Jake rolled her eyes, laughing. "Just WASH it, Hamilton."

Hamilton put his foot back into the water and began to scrub the paint off. For several minutes the two of them were silent as they washed themselves, the tub water slowly filling.

"There," Jake announced, ringing out her washcloth. "All done."

Hamilton looked at her and laughed. "Hardly."

Jake looked at him, confused, and Hamilton reached over with his washcloth towards the underside of her thigh, which was still covered in paint. Jake watched as he gently wiped the paint way, completely mesmerized by his touch. When Hamilton finished, he glanced up and, seeing her staring at him, instantly blushed and looked away.

Jake smiled. "Here," she said, wanting to share the experience. "Let me help you."

She took her washcloth and ran it across his upper arm, feeling the muscles tighten with chill under the damp cloth. Hamilton's breath caught as she moved from his arm to his chest, rubbing away the paint he had splattered above his tank top. Jake's eyes momentarily looked up from the task at hand, and their eyes locked. Jake's hand froze in place as the two of them stared at each other, the only sounds the water running from the faucet and their heightened breathing.

After an eternity, Jake broke the stillness. She shook her head, as if trying to wake herself from a trance, and pulled the washcloth from his chest. Smiling, she said, "You have paint on your face."

But Hamilton wasn't ready for the moment to end. As she reached to wipe the paint from his cheek, he put his hand over hers and, turning his head slightly, kissed her hand. Jake leaned in to him as his kisses slowly moved past her wrist and up her arm. A chill went through her as, in one swift motion, he moved to her chest, gently kissing the pale skin exposed above her tank top. Her arm, no longer needed, dropped to his thigh, causing him to shudder unconsciously.

With her free hand, Jake gripped the edge of the tub to steady herself as the kissing became more forceful and passionate, exploring places only her binder ever went.

The water was growing ever higher as the faucet continued to run, but they were too involved to notice. Finally, though, Jake's rational side fought through, and she let out a barely perceptible moan, "Water."

Hamilton must've been subconsciously noticing the water as well because he actually understood her. Not letting up, he blindly felt behind him for the faucet. Finding the knob, he turned it all the way. Unfortunately, it was the wrong way, and the water began to pour out even faster, and much colder.

"Hamilton," Jake moaned, and he reached back blindly again, this time intent on releasing the drain so that the water level could at least go down. He groped around the faucet, his hands finally settling on the lever....

And they were immediately doused by a shower of cold water.

Jake leapt out of the tub, frantically grabbing for towels, as Hamilton clumsily dealt with the faucet. In a moment, the water was off, and the tub was beginning to drain. Hamilton turned to Jake; the instant their eyes met, they dissolved into laughter.

When Jake was finally able to speak again, she looked at Hamilton and shook her head. "Think maybe it was a SIGN?"

Hamilton blushed and nodded. "Definitely!"

****

"So what should we do for dinner?" Jake asked, having changed out of her wet clothes into a pair of his sweats. "Order pizza again?"

"I never thought I'd say this," Hamilton said, "but I'm actually starting to get sick of pizza."

Jake chuckled. "Then what? Chinese take-out?"

"Haven't you SEEN New Rawley? Friendly's is about as ethnic as it gets. But don't worry - I'll fix us something."

Jake looked at him and laughed. "You cook?" she asked incredulously.

Hamilton shook his head. "I wouldn't call it COOKING! More like stirring packaged foods together."

"Sounds nutritious," Jake teased, following him into the kitchen.

Hamilton noticed her and said, "You go wait in the living room. I'll fix it and bring it out to you."

"Let me help, Hamilton."

"No. I wanna do this for you." He blushed after saying it and looked away.

Jake found this endearing. "Okay," she smiled, walking out of the kitchen and flopping down on the couch in the living room. "But let me know if I can do anything."

Hamilton followed her. "Here, let me put on some music." He went to the stereo and put on a cd of Jeremy Tovack.

"Hey, isn't this OUR song?" Jake teased as "Perfect From the Start" started to play through the speakers. Hamilton had pointed out the song when he'd visited her in New York, and she instantly recognized it.

"Uh, yeah," Hamilton said, hurrying out of the room. Returning to the kitchen, Hamilton searched the cupboards for something to make. He wanted this to be special - their first dinner together at his house - but he was no Frugal Gourmet. He finally settled on Kraft macaroni-and-cheese - it wasn't exactly romantic, but at least it'd be edible.

But one thing Hamilton had learned from all his reading about Feng Shui was that it was all about placement and atmosphere. Mac and cheese COULD be romantic if presented right. He started the pasta boiling and then quickly went to his mom's china cabinet. He took out two of her best plates, two crystal champagne glasses, the silver, and three tall candles, which he set on the dining table.

"Do you want me to help set the table or something?" Jake hollered in, startling Hamilton.

"No," he called back, wanting to surprise her. "Just relax."

He hurried back in to check on the pasta, which was boiling over. He frantically turned the burner down, cleaned up the mess, and returned to the dining room. He lit the three candles and then turned down the lights. He set out the silver and cracked open a Coca Cola, pouring it into the champagne glasses. Stepping back, he smiled at the room, impressed - at fifteen, you couldn't get much more romantic than this.

"It's almost ready," Hamilton hollered into Jake as he returned to the kitchen. He drained the pasta and then added the milk, butter, and cheesy powder. After stirring, he placed it in a serving bowl with a large spoon and took it out to the table.

"Okay," he said, wiping his hands together as he walked into the living room. "Dinner is.....ready....." Hamilton trailed off. Jake was lying on the couch, her legs stretched out, fast asleep.

Hamilton stood there a moment, his thoughts conflicted. Why did she have to fall asleep? He wanted to wake her, to show off his romantic dinner. This was THEIR time, alone together, and he didn't want it to go to waste.

But his compassionate side eventually won out. He walked over, turned off the table lamp above her head, and covered her tenderly with a blanket. He then stood there in the dark, staring at her sleeping form, for several more minutes before going in to clean up the kitchen.

****

The gang stood in the hallway, staring at the last two rooms that needed to be painted.

Will shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe we're actually gonna make it."

"I talked to my dad last night," Hamilton said, "and he said he'd pay us extra if we helped move all the furniture back into the rooms, too."

Sean instantly looked interested. "How MUCH extra?"

Hamilton shrugged.

"Who cares?" Bella said. "Anything would be great."

Jake nodded. "Agreed. So I guess we'll finish up these two rooms and then start moving stuff?"

Scout smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

****

Jake carried her freshly washed brushes from the bathroom into the hallway, setting them down with the others.

"Hey, Jake," Hamilton voice was heard calling. "C'mere."

"Hamilton, where ARE you?" Jake asked, wandering down the hallway.

"In YOUR room."

Jake walked to her dorm room and stood in the doorway, looking around. It looked so empty without the furniture. And without Hamilton - she couldn't see him anywhere.

"Where?"

"In the closet."

Jake walked to the closet and glanced inside, laughing. "You do realize the irony here, don't you?" she teased.

"Just get in here," Hamilton said, grabbing her hand and pulling her down to the floor next to him. "There's something I want to do."

Jake grinned and leaned in close to him. "And what might that be?"

"I want to put our handprints on the wall."

This wasn't what Jake had been expecting. She stopped and stared at him in the dim light, "What?"

"Here," Hamilton said, gesturing to the closet wall in front of them. "I want to put our handprints here. As a momento of....you know...." Hamilton blushed and looked down, "....our love."

Jake was touched, "Wow." But then reality hit. "But I won't be here forever, Hamilton. What happens when someone new gets this room?"

Hamilton shrugged. "That's why the closet - no one will notice. And even if they do, it'll just be hands - no one will care."

Jake smiled at his thoughtfulness. "I love it. Let's do it. I'll go get some paint."

She started to stand, but Hamilton grabbed her hand. "I've got some," he said, gesturing to the paint tray next to him on the floor.

Jake smiled. "You thought of everything. So how do we want to do this?"

"Well, I thought I'd do my right hand and you could do your left, and we'd just put them side by side."

Jake smiled. "Excellent."

They both put their hands into the paint, getting them good and wet. They then posed their hands in front of the wall, waiting for the signal. Hamilton stared at Jake, momentarily getting lost in her eyes, before smiling shyly and nodding ever so slightly. They simultaneously pressed their hands against the wall, holding them there for a moment before pulling them back to examine their handiwork.

Jake nodded and smiled. "Perfect."

"Yeah," Hamilton smiled as he looked at her, not the hands.

Jake blushed and leaned towards him for a kiss. She was about to put her hand on his neck to deepen the kiss when she stopped and pulled back. Hamilton squinted in confusion at her abruptness, and she smiled.

"Perhaps we should go WASH?" she explained, holding up her painted hand, and he nodded.

"Jake?" Will called, walking into the room. "Hamilton? You in here?"

"We're here," Jake said as she and Hamilton emerged from the closet.

Will grinned broadly. "Hey, Hamilton, coming out of-?"

"DON'T say it," Hamilton said, blushing.

Will just laughed.

****

Sean allowed the mattress to fall onto the bedframe, and Bella quickly straightened it out.

Hamilton walked in, brushing his hands together. "That's it. Everything's moved."

Bella smiled as the others came in. "I can't believe we did it."

Sean nodded. "With a day to spare."

"Yeah," Scout said. "One last day of freedom before classes start."

Jake looked skeptical. "Not exactly. Some of us need to pack and move out of Bella's."

"And SOME of us still need to read Candide," Will teased, nudging Scout.

"Oh yeah," Scout said, "I completely forgot."

Hamilton shrugged. "Maybe Finn'll give us points for LIVING it instead."

Everyone laughed.

"Well, I've gotta get back to the station," Bella said. "My dad's gotten really far behind with me working here this past week."

"Yeah," said Will as everyone started out of the room, "and Scout and I gotta go see if Friendly's wants us back."

Hamilton nodded. "And I gotta go pack."

Everyone stopped in their tracks.

Jake just stared at him. "What are you talking about, Hamilton?"

Hamilton shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm moving in."

Jake practically exploded. "What?! Hamilton, we TALKED about this. I DON'T think-"

"Relax," Hamilton said, putting a calming hand on her shoulder. "I'm not moving in with YOU. Just into the dorms." Jake looked confused, and Hamilton explained, "This summer I got to thinking about it, and all that stuff I told my mom, about getting the complete experience here, was true. So my parents discussed it and agreed it was a good idea."

"'Then who's gonna be your roommate?" Scout asked.

Hamilton shrugged. "I don't know yet. But whoever it is, I'm sure it'll all be for the best."

And everyone laughed.

THE END