Disclaimer: I still don't own Everwood.

A/N: I know, I know! You all hate me. I'm a horrible person who doesn't deserve the lovely reviews you're leaving her. I'm really sorry for the endless delay but I have five ongoing story now and I'm a college student so it's really hard to find a balance. But I promise to try harder.

Anyway, here's chapter 8 of 'Meant to be'. I hope you'll like it. Please let me know what you thought.

Chapter eight: Lucas.

Casually and to no one's surprise, things settled down pretty easily.

Ephram had gone back to Florence a week after Alberto, Francesca and Paul. Knowing that he was going to be busy like crazy, Andy offered him to keep Ella with them. It had been a difficult decision to make but he knew it was in everyone's interest to accept his father's offer. That way, he would be able to work on the house and the moving without worrying about his daughter. Andy also knew that it was going to be tough for his son to leave everything he had build so far behind; he would certainly need some time alone with his memories, whether they were good or not. Ephram had been afraid to leave Ella alone with them because even if they were her family, they also were quasi-strangers. It could have been a traumatic experience for her but Ephram trusted Nina and his father, he knew they would do anything to make things easier for her. The parting had been difficult but once the shock of seeing her father go away on the plane; Ella quickly got used to live in the Browns household. Ephram had called everyday, sometimes even twice a day to make sure that she would not forget the sound of his voice. She would ramble for long minutes about her new life in Everwood, how great everybody was and how well treated she was. He only lived for these minutes on the phone with her.

As predicted, the month he spent alone in his soon-to-be-old-home had been overwhelming. Each box he had packed was a step away from the life he had cherished. Sure, losing Carla was the hardest thing that happened to him but he still loved this place. It was the place he grew in as a man, it was Ella's first home and they was no word strong enough to express how much he was going to miss this place. The hardest thing he had done was saying good-bye to his Italian family. Many tears had fallen but they assured him that it was the best decision he had ever made and that they will come as often as possible.

Now he was back to Everwood and after a rather exhausting month, it was like a long and relaxing night of sleep to be back home. With the help of Rose, he had found a pretty house, which happened to be in Amy's neighbourhood.

It was late at night; he had not finished settling down and that kept him from sleeping. He decided it was high time to hang the hall chandelier that was waiting in the middle of the entrance hall for a week. He knew he should be waiting for Bright or his father to help him but his ego took over his rational thinking. He climbed on a chair, holding the rather massive chandelier above his head.

He should have waited for some help… Ten minutes later, Amy was awoken by a knock at her door. She got out of bed, trying not to wake Lucas, put on a dressing gown and headed downstairs, cursing under her breath. She opened her door, ready to yell at the person who standing behind it but she instead of screaming, her mouth hung open and her eyes widened. Ephram was standing in front her, with an apologetic look on his face. His face and t-shirt were covered with blood. He was holding a piece of tissue on his head over what seemed to be a deep wound. She quickly stepped aside and let him come inside.

"What happened?" she said her voice full of concern. She came closer and carefully took away the tissue. She was so close to him that for a brief second he got lost in his her sweet chocolate eyes. It was 1AM and she looked absolutely stunning. Her silk dressing gown was loosening a little and he could see her bare legs. He averted his eyes and tried to focus on the present but it was really hard, having her this close, touching him and her breath tickling his skin. The concern in her eyes was almost too much for him to handle. "Ephram?" she asked worried. He might be badly injured.

"I'm stupid." He said with a smile and her features softened a little. "I couldn't sleep and thought that it could be a good idea to hang a chandelier on my own." He explained sarcasm obvious in his voice. She shook her head in disbelief but was not able to hide the smile that made his way on her face.

"Men." She mumbled and he chuckled, causing a wave of pain to wash over him. He cringed and her smile faded. "Come on; let's take a look at it." She said leading him to the kitchen. He sat on one the chair and she headed to the bathroom to get the first-aid kit. She quickly came back and sat next to him. He turned to face her and she put each of her legs at his sides, as if she wanted to keep him from moving. She leaned forward and took a better look at his wound. She made a face and he smiled, thinking it was very cute.

"This is really deep. Ephram why on earth would you do that?" she asked frowning with exasperation.

"I guess my stupid male ego is the reason for this entire ordeal." He said sighing and she smiled.

"Where's Ella?" she asked.

"Delia is home with her. I didn't wake them up." She nodded. "I'm sorry to bother in the middle of the night…" he was cut short by a male voice coming from behind them.

"Amy, what's wrong?" an almost naked man asked, standing in the frame of the door. He was tall, blond, in good shape and he was only wearing only boxers. He was looking at Ephram with confusion. "Who is this?" he asked looking back at Amy. She got up, clearly embarrassed. She averted her eyes away from Ephram and tightened her dressing gown around herself in a protective manner.

"Lucas, this is my old friend Ephram. Ephram this is uh…" she hesitated.

"Lucas, her boyfriend." Lucas said turning his attention back to Ephram and emphasising the last word. Ephram glanced at Amy who was suddenly interested by her bare foot.

"Uh… Nice to meet you." Ephram replied and Lucas nodded as a response. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to bother you guys. I didn't know you had company." He added looking back at Amy who finally looked at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes. He did not know if it was embarrassment or guilt, maybe both. "I uh just didn't know where else to go." He added just to avoid the embarrassing silence.

"It's ok, man." Lucas said with a genuine smile. "I'll go back to bed. Nice to meet you and I hope you'll be ok." He said smiling again and put a quick peck on Amy's cheek before living her alone with Ephram. Ephram felt a pang of jealousy in his stomach and it brought him back 13 years ago. They looked at each other, waiting for the other one to speak first but neither knew how to react or what to say. Amy decided it would be safe to get her attention back to the wound. Ephram had stopped bleeding but it was pretty deep.

"Uh- I'm gonna go to my car take some medical supply, you need stitches." She said almost running from the kitchen. Ephram sat back on his chair and had to fight the urge to leave. He could not do that. Why would he? They were friends and he was not supposed to be jealous. He had spent ten years away from her and now that she was back in his life, he was not going to ruin everything by acting like a jealous freak. He had grown up and now he knew that when you are an adult, things are a little more complicated than in high school. He sighed sadly and wished things were different.

He took a decision.

He would be Amy's friend, even if it meant looking her having a life with some one else. After all, he had done the same thing. From now on, they would be friends and with a sad smile, he thought that it could be worse.

A/N: I know it's short, but it's an update nonetheless. I'm not very happy with this chapter. I could have done better, I think. Please give me your opinion, they're the one that matter.