Every Time You Fall Apart You Can Hide Here In My Arms

"A bonfire," Matt said again as he shifted closer to Austin on the couch.

She turned her head to study his expression. He'd just gotten off the phone with Syn for the second time in ten minutes.

"On the beach?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Syn and Johnny are gonna stop at the store and grab some stuff before they came out."

Austin watched their 'going out for supper' idea fly out the window.

"Alright," she nodded slightly, "but, if you do that, you know that you're going to have to invite everyone right?"

Matt grinned, his trademark dimples appearing, "I know."

"Then you better get at it," she patted him on the knee before getting up.

"Where are you going?" he asked her, grasping onto her wrist and pulling her back down to the couch.

"If we're having all these people over, I'm going to shower," she stated matter of factly.

He shook his head and within a few deft movements he had her pinned to the couch. "I think you should stay right here," her grinned cockily.

She rolled her eyes and laughed softly, "Matt, we don't have - "

She was silenced by the cold metal of his lip ring pressing against her lips. He kissed her softly but repeatedly.

"We don't have much time," she finished her sentence in between kisses.

"Mmm," his lips wandered down her jaw, "if you want me to stop, just say stop."

His raspy voice near her ear sent shivers down to her toes. She growled lightly and turned her head to kiss him. Damn him. He knew exactly what he was doing to her.
God knows how long later the doorbell rang. Out of breath, highly aroused, and with messy hair, Austin leapt off the couch and away from her and Matt's heavy make-out session.

"Fuck," Matt muttered before sitting up, "if it's Brian I'm going to kill him."

Austin frantically ran her fingers through her hair and fixed her clothes before answering the door.

"Hey," Johnny greeted Austin warmly. He was carrying Mattie. Syn was right behind them.

"Hey guys," she smiled back and stepped aside.

Syn chuckled as he eyed her up and down. "Nice," he grinned, "want us to vacate the premesis for a little while longer?"

Austin's eyes widened as she smacked him playfully on the arm.

"Dad!" Mattie squealed, interrupting everyone's thoughts. Johnny set her down and she rushed to join Matt on the couch.

"Hey, babe," he scooped her up and laid back on the couch, the muscles in his arm flexing and tightening as he held her in the air above his body. Mattie giggled with delight causing Austin to smile. The man was truly amazing.

"We brought some food," Johnny broke her thoughts as Syn set the bags he was carrying on the counter. Johnny opened up one of the bags and sifted through it, "you know, hot dogs marshmellows, shit like that."

Syn excused himself and Austin laughed when he returned.

"What?" he grinned and set the two cases of beer on the floor, "bonfires have a tendency to make everyone thirsty."

"Oh," Austin felt like she'd been hit in the head when she remembered, "Matt you haven't called anyone yet."

"Shit," he muttered as he sat up with Maddison now on his lap.

"You swore," she stated bluntly.

"Yeah I did," he fished his phone out of his jean pocket, "sorry, babe."

Austin helped Johnny arrange everything while Syn checked out the house and Matt talked on the phone. Mattie sat contently on the floor watching the television.

"Michelle and I were looking at a house like this," Brian stated as he wandered back into the kitchen, "it's nice."

"Yeah it is," Austin smiled, even though she'd only really gotten around to seeing the bedroom.

"Where do you want these?" Johnny asked of the condiments and hot dogs.

Austin gestured towards the fridge, "in there."

"Oh hell yes!" Brian grinned as he moved towards the dart board that was hung up on the far living room wall.

"Gonna play darts?" Austin laughed as she moved the paper plates aside.

"You bet I'm gonna play darts," Brian grinned devilishly and plucked a dart from the bulls eye and turned back to them with a smile, "beer darts that is."

***

Beer darts. Oh yes.

Shortly after five in the evening everyone was out on the beach. Zacky, Gena, Michelle and Johnny made up one team while Matt, Syn, Rev and Lacey made up the other team. Leana and Austin relaxed in their lawn chairs, sipping the smoothies Austin had made them while watching the others play.

"Jesus," Rev laughed as he glanced down between his legs at the dart stuck in the sand. "If I hadn't moved my leg that dart would be in my shin dude," he plucked it out of the sand and aimed for Johnny's beer can. The dart hit the side, but it didn't puncture it.

"Did you shake it?" Syn asked him.

Johnny shook his head.

"Well fuck you have to shake it or the dart won't ever poke it," Syn laughed. Johnny reached down and shook his can of beer before setting it in the sand again by his chair.

Gena glanced at Michelle and laughed, "let's not shake ours, then we won't have to drink."

"Your turn," Rev reminded Johnny. He picked up the dart and aimed for Lacy's beer can. It popped and sprayed slightly as the dart stuck into the top of her can.

"Oooohh," Zacky grinned, "it's a topper."

Lacy groaned and picked her can up out of the sand and pulled the dart from it.

"Come on Lacy," Gena encouraged her. Lacey groaned and within a few mintues of chugging she'd downed the can of beer.

Syn grabbed her a new one, shook it up, then handed it to her. She placed it down beside her lawn chair to replacethe last one then aimed for Michelle's beer.

"I wished I could play," Leana laughed softly. She was, for as long as Austin had known her, always the life of the party, and to see so down about it was saddening.

"Not for about three more months," Rev smiled at his wife.

"Are you beginning to feel more like a mom?" Austin asked her curiously.

"I'm definately feeling more pregnant," Leana laughed, "but yes, the thought of being a mom is growing on me."

"And me," Rev tossed the dart and it his the side of Zacky's can. Everyone laughed.

"You want to be a mom?" Austin asked him playfully.

He realized then what he'd said. "Well not a mom, but a parent," he glanced at Syn, "dude wouldn't that be fuckin weird if we could get pregnant?"

Syn rolled his eyes. "It'd be horrible."

Leana laughed, "oh it's not that bad."

"Yeah," Syn glanced at her, "not yet, wait till you have to pop that thing out."

Leana turned to Austin and laughed, "such wonderful medical terminology."

"What about when we have kids?" Michelle asked Syn. It broke Syn's concentration and he missed Zacky's beer can.

"We're not having kids for a loooooooong time," he leaned back into his lawn chair.

Michelle laughed, "we'll see."

Speaking of kids.

Austin turned around in her chair to check on Mattie who was playing in the grass not ten feet away. Syn and Johnny had bought her a couple model horses on their shopping trip earlier, and right now, she was making them frolick in the long grass.

Matt picked the dart up out of the sand by his beer can. Zacky's throw hadn't been a good one, "it's not so bad, Syn."

"Well I'll be coming to you for fatherly advice," Rev crossed one leg over the other and leaned back into his chair and glanced at Matt, "and god help us if they're both girls, I won't even let her know what a guy looks like until she's like...sixty."

Austin glanced at Leana and they both shared a smile. Rev wouldn't have to worry about a daughter. Leana knew they were having a son.

Mattie suddenly let out a blood curtling scream that frightened everyone, followed by sobbing and tears. Matt and Austin both leapt out of their lawn chairs sending them flying backwards into the sand.

In mere seconds they were both at her side. Matt swiftly scooped her up, and snuggled her into his strong arms. The little girl instantly buried her face into her dad's neck.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he cooed as Austin checked her over. There weren't any visible signs of injury.

"Is she alright?" Leana asked.

Matt nodded to everyone else and they returned to their seats.

"It was gonna get me," Mattie sobbed.

Austin locked eyes with Matt. Neither knew what the little girl was talking about.

"What was gonna get you?" Matt asked.

Mattie locked her watery eyes with her father's, "it was in the grass and then it was on my leg!"

Austin moved up onto her knees and began looking through the grass with her eyes. She was afraid Mattie had stumbled upon a snake.

"Oh, babe," Matt wiped away her tears. Austin continued sifting through the grass with her eyes, it was then they landed on the culprit.

"Awww, sweetie," Austin laughed softly as she scooped it up into the palm of her hand, and covered it with her other hand.

"What is it?" Matt asked her curiously.

Austin waited until it quit moving then slowly removed her top hand. The small frog, not much bigger than her own thumb nail, sat quietly in the middle of her palm.

Mattie immediately snuggled further into her father's embrace.

Matt smiled and glanced down at Mattie. "It's okay, babe, " he assured her before reaching out and lightly brushing his own fingertips over the frog's back.

Seeing her dad touch the frog seemed to ease her fears. And soon her fear, changed to curiousity.

"Is it gross?" she sniffled.

"Just touch it nicely," Matt warned her as he guided her small chubby hand over the frog, helping her pet the small creature with only her fingertips.

"Ewww," Mattie instantly pulled her hand away.

Matt's deep chuckle filled the air as he stood up with her in his arms.

Austin released the frog back into the damp grass then stood up as well.

"What was it?" Zacky asked.

"A frog," Matt smiled and pulled Mattie's shirt down over her tummy that was starting to appear.

Austin grinned. Yeah, god help her when she became a teenager. Dad wasn't gonna let her do, or show anything.

"Let's go wash your hands."

Austin was a little surprised when Matt passed his daughter to her. She was even more surprised when Mattie didn't protest.

"Go wash up babe, and then we'll build a fire and make hot dogs. How does that sound?"

Maddison grinned and nodded, "good."

Austin glanced at Matt nervously before heading into the house with Mattie in her arms.

"Wow," Johnny grinned, "looks like you're girls are starting to get along."

Matt turned and looked back towards the beach house.

His girls.

He liked the sound of that.