Madison dresses for Mother's charity ball early, not wanting to be late.

She has to actively stop herself from demanding updates from Becky, because this is not her party and Mother's balls are too fabulous for anything to go wrong. Soft music plays in her room as she moves, reaching to pat Winston briefly.

Madison ignores the sixth missed call from her father and slips into the white and gold dress her mother had sent to her.

It's a beautiful lace Chanel dress that hugs her waist, rippling in supple waves around her legs, and the gold drop earrings that she wears sets off the outfit perfectly. Madison leans forward to fix her red lipstick, dabbing delicately at her lips, as she sweeps her brown curls to one side.

Her cheeks flushed with impatience, she wonders briefly, what Nick will look like when he sees her.

At the reminder of Nick comes the soft patter of her heart, before it inevitably speeds up. It feels physically heavy in her chest, like a soft, dull ache. Madison is beginning to realise what it means and once she'd gotten over her initial horror, she'd found that she didn't quite mind it.

Because she likes Nick.

She really likes him.

"I'm such an idiot," Madison moans to herself.

How can she like Nick?

He's... Nick.

He's annoying and brash and stubborn. He drives her utterly crazy and he keeps calling her out on things, refusing to let her manipulate him or even anyone anymore. But even the thought of him brings a soft smile to her lips.

Madison lets out an impatient huff and presses her palms down on the wood of her dressing table, her brows furrowed together. Her reflection frowns back at her and Madison scowls at it. What is she supposed to do, with this uncertain swirl of tumultuous emotions inside her? She feels like a storm wrapped up within her, as though she might open her mouth and say the wrong thing and a torrent of emotion will let loose.

She doesn't know how to act anymore, or even what she'll do when she sees him in the ball. This is not like her. Madison does not do this. She doesn't get tongue-tied and nervous around boys; that's not her.

But even thinking about seeing Nick again makes her heart beat faster in anticipation.

Her phone vibrates, and Madison turns her head.

"Elliot," she says, catching the soft sigh. "Hi. Is everything alright?"

"Madison, you're on speakerphone. Also, you have got to stop thinking everything's wrong whenever I call you," Elliot tells her. "The rest of us are here at the club. Are you sure you can't come?"

"Hi, Madison!" Lula and Maria shout through the phone, happily. "We miss you, sweetie!"

"You know I have to attend this ball," Madison tells them, her lips tugging up into a fond smile. "I miss you all too."

They've all begun to make a conscious effort to communicate and include each other, especially Elliot.

Madison has always suspected that he's always known more than he lets on and she thinks that he might have realised how jealous and lonely she used to be, whenever they left Redwood without her. While the humiliation burns hotly within her, Elliot hasn't said a word about it, but he keeps calling her and making sure that she doesn't feel alone or left out anymore.

It's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for her and she adores him for it.

Elliot is still talking, catching her up.

"...and Maria keeps flirting with the bartender, but it's just making things awkward," he says, before he's muffled. Maria lets out a shout of protest, clearly throwing something at Elliot, and they all dissolve into laughter for a moment, until Elliot pops up again. "Lula is texting Alcott boy -,"

"His name is Theo and -,"

Madison waits to feel bad and left out, but the feelings have completely faded away, and she's never felt so free. She smiles affectionately at the fun her friends are having, as Elliot continues.

"Whatever, Lula," Elliot says, cutting her off, "and we're still waiting for Audrey to come. You know that girl - I bet she got distracted by the Chanel store or something. You sure you don't want us to rescue you from this ball? Lula's great at lying to adults -,"

"She wasn't hugged enough as a child," Maria adds laughingly, and Madison hears Lula shout something incoherent as she dives for Maria. "Alright, alright, fine - Mr and Mrs Worthington are awesome, happy now, bitch?"

Madison is laughing. "They are the sweetest," she agrees. "They never complain, unlike some people I know, Maria."

"Complain about what?" Maria begins, pretending to sound affronted, before Elliot breaks in.

"Where is Audrey?" he says. "I need her to tell me what to say to this girl."

Madison frowns. "Use your usual charm."

Lula bursts into the conversation happily. "It's not working," she says, in a singsong, "because Elliot really likes this girl, Madison! I saw him blushing and everything!"

"And then you told me to tell her that she wasn't as ugly as you thought!"

"You didn't send that?" Madison says, gaping.

"Maria sent it!" Elliot's voice is affronted. "Maria?"

"Huh?" Maria's voice sounds strange. "Oh, yeah, sorry. It was meant to be a joke."

Madison furrows her brows at Maria's subdued voice, and she opens her mouth, before she sees the time. "Guys, I have to go," she tells them, "but keep me updated on everything. Elliot, apologise to the girl and tell her you like her hair or something sappy. Don't listen to Lula or Maria - their advice means nothing!"

She ends on the joke, to the burst of laughter and protests that flow from her phone. Still smiling affectionately, Madison gets ready to go.

*

When she sees Nick, Madison can't catch her breath.

He looks so smart and handsome, in his tux, even with the way that he has loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves. If anything, Madison thinks, feeling hot all of a sudden as her gaze falls on his muscled arms, it just makes him look even better.

"You -," Nick begins, staring at her. It makes her feel rather flushed and Madison tilts her head towards him, waiting. "You look nice."

Nice?

Nice was so vanilla. Nice didn't even mean anything, she thought, her heart crushed.

It only serves to remind her that Nick doesn't like her that way.

"Of course I do," Madison tells him, not missing a beat and hiding her disappointment. "You look good yourself. For once." Her gaze falls on his hands, on the bandaged knuckles. "How are your hands?"

Nick glances down, as though he's forgotten about the fight with Mitchell.

Madison hasn't forgotten.

She still sees the rage rippling across his face sometimes, the sheer crippling strength within his entire build. Nick is always such a goof that she forgets just how physically strong and capable he actually is. She'd never seen him so angry before, never heard that inhuman snarl ground out of his throat before. It had scared her, but somehow, Madison knew that Nick would never turn that strength against her.

"Yeah, they're fine," he tells her, before a goofy grin forms against his face and just like that, the atmosphere turns to something normal between them again. Madison wants to breathe a sigh of relief. "So, are you ready for me to show you up on the dance floor?"

"You're so painfully unfunny it hurts," Madison says, but she's already laughing lightly.

She enters the ballroom with Nick, her cheeks flushed with pleasure.

Usually, Mother's parties, while decadent and perfect, have a tendency to bore her, with their idle talk of business and the like. She feels a bit traitorous even thinking something like that, but Madison can't bring herself to care too much. Now that Nick's beside her, Madison finds herself thinking, she might actually have some fun.

Nick's eyes widen on something, and he gasps.

"Free food!" he says excitedly and promptly makes a dash for the banquet table.

*

"Does your stomach have no end?" Madison scowls at him.

Nick looks down at her and can't stop himself from chuckling over his plate of grilled shrimp. His gaze turns to where she is staring at her mother and then he straightens, covering Mrs Sutton's line of view of Madison.

"You want some?" Nick says.

Madison's gaze lingers on where her mother is, before she promptly ducks into the cover that his large build gives and dives for the plate of shrimp.

Nick is cracking up as Madison eats hungrily. He can always read her, even if they're a little bit awkward with each other now. Clearly, she hasn't eaten for the whole day, with her mother breathing down her neck, he realises as he piles more food on her plate.

God, he thinks, dazed, she looks beautiful it hurts.

And Nick hates that he can't tell her.

Because Madison doesn't feel that way for him.

Nick reaches for more food, his gaze on Madison. He hadn't been able to sleep the whole night, tossing and turning over whether he ought to duck back into Madison's bedroom or stay away from her. At first, he'd regretted questioning anything, but now, Nick knows how she actually feels about. Which is, nothing.

If she had felt anything for him, then she wouldn't have told them they'd be better off as acquaintances.

Even now, Nick shivers at the word.

He doesn't want to be acquaintances with Madison, which is something he never thought he'd be saying, Nick admits to himself. If he had known how much she would come to mean to him, Nick thinks, he'd still do everything all over again. He's greedy, he knows. He wants more. He wants Madison's laughter and her anger and to stare at the way her face brightens when she eats his food - God, he just wants her.

He can't ever do anything about it, though.

He's got to respect what she wants, which isn't him.

It's almost painful, the way his heart aches against his chest, as Nick stares hopelessly at Madison.

"Hey," he begins, as Madison's head lifts to meet his gaze. "Madison, I -,"

"There you are!" Bastien crows happily, reaching for them. "Hiding away amidst the banquet table like a couple of lovers, you're not getting out of your dance that easily - come on, now!"

The French master is surprisingly strong for such a thin and short man, as he grabs both Madison and Nick, ignoring their startled protests. Madison only just manages to clatter her plate to the table, as Bastien chatters away to them. Nick is so surprised he lets Bastien pull them up to the dance floor, to the applause.

"Bastien -," Madison begins, sounding rather breathless. The skirts of her dress float around her legs and Nick has to drag his gaze away, his mouth dry. "Bastien, we're not even prepared -,"

"Nonsense," Bastien says pleasantly. "The two of you could do this dance in your sleep. And you know it, too. Now, chéris, make me proud."

When Nick turns, he realises that Bastien has somehow managed to drag them out to the dance floor, amidst the crowd. His mother is somewhere in that crowd, he thinks dazedly, but he cannot see her over all the patient faces. Everyone stares at them, after Bastien has announced them, but Nick's attention is only on Madison, as ever.

She's looking startled, clearly caught unawares, and it leaves a strange note of vulnerability across her face. Her expression makes Nick want to fold her up into his arms protectively, and when she turns, her gaze falls on her mother. Nick's not sure how to feel about Mrs Sutton. He knows that most of Madison's staff hate her and he's inclined to hate her too, for what she did to Madison with that stupid diet.

But Madison loves her mother fervently and for Madison, Nick would do anything.

The music begins, and Madison misses the first beat, but Nick moves quickly.

He reaches for her, his fingers wrapping around her waist comfortably, and she relaxes, in that familiar motion they're used to, as the steps of the dance come back to them. Nick leads them together, muttering the steps under his breath as Madison whispers the next moves towards him, encouraging him on.

"Now, the spin," Madison murmurs, and she tilts her head up, her eyes bright and sparkling with the challenge.

Nick returns her grin as he reaches to spin her on the spot, her dress flaring beautifully around her. She's a gorgeous vision and he's almost too bowled over to catch her, but catch her, he does. As the crowd clap, Madison can't keep the beam from her lips. Bastien is almost squealing with glee, barely stopping himself from jumping on the spot.

"You're doing well," he tells her, and God, the way her eyes brighten. "Mama Sutton looks happy, anyway."

He blinks, frowning a little.

Nick could have sworn he saw Mrs Sutton in the crowd, with that Moroccan businessman Madison's been moaning about for ages, but now she's nowhere to be seen. If, after everything Madison's done for her, he discovers that Mrs Sutton didn't even watch, he doesn't know what he'll do.

He's bristling, but Madison's hopeful face pulls him back, quickly.

"Does she?" Madison asks immediately, her back straightening as Nick reaches to spin her three times. She's breathless when she comes back into his arms, ignoring the applause this time. "Nick? You're taller than me -,"

"Is my height all I'm good for?" Nick teases her playfully, before he almost stumbles in the steps and Madison catches him quickly, moving them on.

Her lips quirk, but Madison shakes her head.

"Well," she says deliberately, "you do make good food."

Nick chuckles to himself.

"I'll take it," he says. He clears his throat, a little awkward. "So, now that we're acquaintances, I can ask. Did you invite your dad?"

He shouldn't have said anything.

Madison immediately freezes up within his arms, her face frosted over with an iciness that burns.

"Acquaintances mean we're further apart, not closer," Madison says shortly. "Whether I invite my father or not shouldn't mean anything, Nick."

Nick's not sure why he's pushing it.

"But Becky said you went out to dinner with him," he begins, and then realises just how big of a mistake he made when he sees her face.

Madison doesn't even look angry, just so startled that it strikes him.

"Why is my housekeeper speaking to you?" she demands, her voice a hiss, as Nick dips her and pulls her back up in the same breathless moment. "Have you no sense of boundaries? What about your mother then, Nick? You told her that you almost destroyed her beloved business?"

Nick stiffens. If this was one of the worst things about Madison, it's that they know each other so well that they know where the other hurts most.

"You helped me, too, if you could get over yourself enough to remember," he shoots back angrily, as Madison's fingers tighten around his own. She has no strength for it to be painful but the way she pulls him across the dance floor is sharp and angry. "And no, I'm not spying on you. I just don't understand why you're not, at least, giving your dad a chance. It's been years, Madison -,"

"And it's none of your business!" Madison hisses back at him, her eyes blazing angrily. "Just as it's none of my business to push and prod you into telling your mother the truth of it all. That you love her, and you almost killed everything she loves -,"

Nick stops her speaking by lifting her up too early into the dance, anger burning within him. Both of them are practically trembling, just as Bastien begins the resounding applause, and they glare at each other furiously, as Nick sets Madison down.

"You think you have me all figured out, rich girl?" Nick bites back. "I know that you just can't get over your own ego - that's why you can't talk to your dad. And God forbid anyone say anything against Mama Sutton, the Devil in Chantel -,"

"It's Chanel, you uneducated twit," Madison snarls furiously, the atmosphere bubbling over, as the dance finally ends. "And you keep my mother's name out of your mouth - how dare you? As though you could even think of knowing me? Just because we slept together a few times, you think you have the right to tell me how to live? As though you're one to talk - your mother isn't the home you're looking for, Hawthorne boy -,"

"What a fantastic performance!" Bastien says loudly and happily, as the applause becomes resounding.

Startled, both Nick and Madison look up to find Bastien grabbing their arms to make them bow.

The music finished, and they had automatically stopped the dance, to hiss their argument at each other. Clearly, by the look of Bastien's rather strained laughter, he'd noticed their feud and had pushed his way quickly through the crowd, to start the applause.

They're both breathing hard, the atmosphere between them sparking furiously, and Nick is so angry with Madison that he doesn't know what to do. She's glowering at him and when Bastien finally lets them go, Madison turns sharply on one heel and storms off.

Nick throws a dark scowl at her retreating figure, before he turns.

"Nick!" his mother is saying happily, reaching to embrace him. "Nick, that was beautiful. I didn't know you could dance like that - sweetheart, are you alright?"

Nick breathes hard.

"Yeah," he grunts out, as his phone begins to ring. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just let me take this call, Mum."

He picks up, recognising Jacob's name, forcing himself to calm down as best as he can.

"Jake -,"

"Nick, where are you? Why haven't you been picking up?" Jacob's voice is a rush of fear and anger that startles Nick and pulls him up short. "Never mind, Nick - you have to run! You have to get out of that posh town, Nick -,"

"Hey, slow down, slow down," Nick says quickly, his heart beginning to pound, as his mother reaches to pick up her own ringing phone. "Jacob, what's going on? What's happened?"

"Mitchell," Jacob says, by way of answer. "I'm in hospital, mate. He swears he's coming for you."

Nick feels like he might be sick.

"You're in -,"

"Nick, are you listening to me? Mitchell is angry. He's going to kill you, Nick. You have to run now -,"

"Jake, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Nick, but you've got to run," Jacob hisses at him angrily. "You can't fight him, Nick. He's too angry now - he's out for blood."

Nick's mind is blurry, but he knows what he's got to do. Clearly, Mitchell didn't get the message the first time, he thinks, cracking his knuckles.

"Alright," he says, quickly, to calm Jacob. "Yeah, I'll be off, I swear it."

He hangs up, thinking quickly, knowing he has to make a plan. Thoughts whip themselves up into a frenzy in his mind, as Nick slides his phone back into his pocket and opens his mouth to lie to his mother. She is hanging up her own phone, an expression of shock on her features.

"Mum -,"

"Nick," his mother says. "Nick, I have to go - a warehouse is on fire. There are crow feathers everywhere." Nick inhales sharply, recognising Mitchell's mark. He's got to go with her, he thinks to himself. He's got to keep her safe. But she doesn't move, still staring at him. "Nick. Will's father, do you remember him? He's hired a lawsuit."