Set in episode 11 (Eolas) of series 1.

What if the argument between Maddy and Rhydian had gone a different way?

Late nights:

The little town of stoneybridge was quiet as usual. The trees marking the outskirts of the surrounding forest rustled slightly in the late night breeze and the bracken occasionally cracked under the weight of light footfalls. The heavily wrapped up girl was shivering despite her coat and the blanket around her shoulders and ever so quietly cursed the boy in the bedroom above for being such a heavy sleeper.

Rhydian Morris stirred from his restful sleep his long fingers reaching across the cold sheets to reach for his mobile phone where it was perched on the bedside table. The screen clearly read that it was just after one in the morning (He had double checked amazed that anything could have woken him when he was deeply asleep.) He sighed rubbing his blue eyes and wondering what the hell had him up at such a ridiculous time. At the rather loud rap at his window he realised that he wouldn't have to wonder for long. He gazed rather intensely at the barely visible dust mark on the spotless glass left by the precisely thrown pebble.

He felt like he was in the plot of some ridiculous Romantic plotline, throwing pebbles at the window! How cliché! Of course he was never going to tell that to Maddy, she would never let it go that he had watched Romeo and Juliet at his own will.

Rhydian sighed and quickly grabbed his trainers from beside his bed he wouldn't want to face the wrath of Maddy if he kept her waiting too long.

He couldn't be sure it was Maddy. Rhydian shook himself free of that thought.

Who else would be knocking at his window at this time of night? Besides as he crept further downstairs he could faintly smell her distinctive scent, earthy but so astoundingly feminine. He mentally scolded himself almost forgetting to carefully avoid the creaky floorboard on his way to the front door he carefully creaked it open having to gather himself slightly at the sight of her there tear drops silently making there way from her chocolate eyes down her creamy cheeks which where tinged pink due to the cold she wasn't looking at him yet but still gazing at his vacated bedroom window he took a moment to observe her wondering flittingly for a second how she knew which window was his bedroom then banishing the thought revelling in the opportunity to scrutinize her when her guard was down.

Maddy sighed deeply her small legs tucked under her on her perch on the wall in some futile effort to keep warm she tugged the thin blanket tighter around her. Rhydian saw her jump slightly despite the fact he made deliberate noise approaching her shuddering figure.

He didn't trust his voice as he gazed at her wanting desperately to convey his emotions but he couldn't for a number of reasons.

He was Rhydian Morris; she was Maddy Smith, his best friend and confidant his main tether here at Stoneybridge and most importantly it was too late at night or early in the morning ,or whatever, to be supporting.

So instead his idiotic mouth spurted out in a totally irrational, Rhydian type way:

"What are you doing here?"

"I had an argument at home."

He had expected this and desperately fought with whether or not to offer her a hug he decided against it pretty as she was (He found it hard to believe she really hadn't noticed her own pleasant appearance.) He wasn't about to ruin there friendship by making her uncomfortable, even if she had kissed him in the past. All be it on the cheek.

"What happened?" Rhydian asked her she felt his bare arm against her own and wondered how he was managing to maintain his calm demeanour when it was so cold.

"They wouldn't let me use Eolas." She sighed a little making him wonder what else was bothering her. He waited for her to voice it when finally it came bubbling from her throat with such raw emotion it tore him apart inside.

"They're arguing." He didn't say anything just raised his dark eyebrows inviting her, urging her silently to continue.

"Mam and Dad." She said as way of explanation. "And it's my entire fault; I caused this… I couldn't sleep, they have been shouting at each other for hours non stop. They didn't even realise I'd gone."

"They will be realising pretty soon Maddy, they'll track you here, they will kill me if they realise I'm in a close vicinity to you." Rhydian said.

"I wouldn't let them," Maddy told him automatically, unthinkingly.

Rhydian sighed "Go home Madds"

"I can't." He didn't want her to, not really he had decided the moment her mother had warned him about her that he was going to treasure every moment he had in the presence of Maddy Smith.

"You have to Maddy."

"Rhydian, please. I won't be any trouble."

He caught on to her meaning. "You can't stay here!"

"Mam's driving me mad; I can't live with her anymore!"

"Do you have any idea what she would do to me?"

"No one would have to know."

"Has she told you what she said to me?"

"Yeah! That I'm not aloud to see you outside of school, it's ridiculous." Rhydian shrugged desperately but he was glad she was as annoyed as he was with the new boundaries.

"Well…" his brain hurt from over thinking. "…Maybe you should take it all under on the chin. Huddle down for a few days and wait until she calms down." He ignored the rather painful pang in his chest at this idea.

"No." She looked close to tears again. "All I want to do is live my life as a wolfblood. Which I am! I'm sick of being lied to and manipulated." He caught her small hands as they gestured to embellish her words.

His heart clenched at the tears running down her already wet cheeks. "You know your parents love you Madds, even if they have got a weird way of showing it." This extracted a small smile from her.

"They're scared of being something different, something out of the ordinary, I'm tired of it."

"I'd give my canines to have what you have Maddy." He said feeling her extract her hands from his tight grip on them. His arms swung uselessly at his sides as she brushed past him slowly pulling her hood over the waterfalls of dark hair.

"Hold on!" he watched her walk into the shadows. "Where you going?"

"Away" she said simply her silhouette disappearing against the gloom.

Rhydian stood there for a moment contemplating following after her he shivered as the wind picked up and quickly dashed in to grab a jacket before trailing after Maddy.

It took longer than expected to find her; the girl could be cunning when she wanted to be her scent was winded around trees, rocks and any distinguishable land marks.

Rhydian opened his mouth to call for her and then it hit him, he wanted to kick himself for being such an idiot. He could use Eolas!

He cursed himself for being so clueless; Eolas was the thing that had caused all this drama and he had forgotten all about it when it actually mattered. Typical.

Heaving himself onto his knees he concentrated on his surroundings, he could see perfectly despite it being almost pitch black now, every crack of a twig or branch had him wincing and losing his focus once more but eventually he managed smiling despite the situation at the sheet of twinkling stars above him.

Taking a deep breath before pushing himself to his feet and brushing off the twigs that had stuck to the damp knees of his trousers Rhydian set off in the direction his chest was pulling him, he couldn't see Maddy yet and he had never been so desperate to see her it had been well over an hour since she had left and he was growing increasingly nervous after all he and Maddy hadn't got the best history with the woods at night.

Rhydian relaxed drastically as Maddy's sweet scent filled his nostrils once more. His shoulders sagged and he wanted to cry out in relief he didn't of course he didn't want to seem that much of an idiot. He released a sigh instead and set off in a sprint coming to a halt almost as quickly as he started.

This time he did release an almost silent "Whoop" of joy there she was lying curled against a tree pieces of bracken and leaves stuck in her thick locks making him desperate to delve his hands in the tresses and remove the obtrusions. Yeah to remove the leaves, that's the only reason you want to touch her hair.

He leant over the sleeping girl and tucked the thin blanket tighter around her shoulders gazing for a minute at her sleeping face before leaning to scoop her into his arms.

Rhydian stiffened when Maddy's arms winded around his neck. He checked the girl for anymore signs of movement and almost tripped over an inconveniently placed tree root in surprise when her brown eyes slowly cracked open.

"Rhydian?" she murmured, he could tell from her thick voice she was still half asleep.

"Why's the ground moving?" she whispered closing her eyes again.

Rhydian smiled and rested his forehead against her own where it lay on his shoulder.

"Go to sleep Madds." His only answer was a small hum of agreement.

Rhydian quietly opened the front door of the Vaughn's house with his foot and, shifting Maddy in his arms, quickly made his way up the two flights of stairs to his room.

He didn't know why the sudden feel of nervousness settled in his chest. It wasn't as if she hadn't been in his bedroom before and him in hers for that matter. He supposed it was because of the lack of sleeping arrangements.

He kicked himself for the millionth time that night and forced himself to open his bedroom door and reach to place Maddy on the covers.

She wouldn't mind he told himself, they had practically shared the same sleeping bag the night of Shannon's latest sleepover/beast hunt. Rhydian smiled at the memory of waking up to Maddy wrapped around him, having moved closer during her sleep.

He quickly glanced back at the sleeping girl as she shifted in her sleep closer to the pillows.

Rhydian carefully pulled off Maddy's muddied boots and climbed slowly into the empty side of the bed kicking off his trainers in the process.

He gradually let himself fall asleep his hand moving closer to Maddy's and winding is fingers through her own.

It was the best night's sleep he'd had in years... Rhydian pondered to himself the next morning having extracted himself from Maddy's death grip on his waist. … Or possibly ever

Please R&R :) x