Love's Dance

by Marianna Roberg

  Mary-Jane grinned. "In here, in here?"

  His cheeks reddened.

  "All I can say is, it's about time, you dork!" Mary-Jane flounced out.

  Colin rubbed his hand over his face, muttering, "Sisters, sisters, everywhere... I need a drink."

  ♥♥♥

  Jaina had the day off, since her sister was coming to town, and Colin wasn't filming, either. Jason called a little after eight, rather frantic at discovering his sister gone. She spent some time calming him down, then told him how to get to Colin's house.

  After a hot shower and an equally hot breakfast, despite Colin's best efforts to delay her, Jaina dressed in a brown sweater with a wide cream colored stripe running around the bottom hem, around the v-neck, and around the wrists. Green leaves meandered through the stripe. Her favorite black jeans and her boots went with it.

  They spent the morning moving some of her boxes into the house, getting her kitchen supplies sorted, and then getting her computer set up. Of course, it being a laptop, that didn't take very long at all. It was figuring out a way to get a network set up with a PC and a Mac that was the hard part.

  They were celebrating their success when the doorbell rang. Laughing, Jaina grabbed her coat. "That's Jason. I gotta go."

  She handed him her car keys. "I'll unpack the rest when I get home."

  "Sure. I'll just move everything into the house." Colin grabbed her for a kiss. "Love you."

  "Love you, too. Bye."

  The doorbell rang again. Jaina rolled her eyes. "I'm coming, Jason!" she said. "Dinner at Jason's, don't forget."

  "I won't."

  She went down the stairs and to the door. Jaina pulled it open to reveal a disgruntled Jason about to ring the bell yet again. Teniel wasn't present, she noted.

  "Teniel's not coming?" Jaina asked.

  "She wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home with the kids."

  They got in the car. "You have trouble finding the place?" Jaina asked.

  "Not much. Your directions were good." Jason glanced at his sister. "You sure about living with Pierce?"

  She smiled. "I'm sure. I know you relish being the protective older brother, Jase, but it's really not necessary. I know what I'm doing. And I've never been happier."

  He reluctantly returned her smile. "That's good. And Colin's not a bad guy. I mean, I don't want to be... overbearing, but I don't want you to get hurt."

  "I appreciate the thought."

  "But not the execution?" Jason was rueful. "You're right. You're old enough to take care of yourself. And make your own decisions. I just..."

  Jaina nodded. "I know. But I really didn't like you verbally attacking Colin. I love him, like Mom and Dad love each other, and like you love Teniel. You'd never put up with me saying anything like that to Teniel. Not that I would, but still."

  Jason was quiet for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

  "It's okay. I'd probably do the same thing with Emily, actually."

  They lapsed into silence for a few minutes.

  "A Dr. Grey called yesterday," Jason said suddenly. "She wanted to check up on you and see how the pills were doing."

  Jaina heard the curiosity and veiled accusation in her brother's voice. She sighed and said, "While you guys were in Wellington, Colin was over for dinner, because I didn't want to be alone in the house. I passed out, and he took me to the hospital."

  He nearly plowed into the car in front of them. "What?!"

  It was perhaps best to edit out the part about her having sex with Colin. Let him wonder when that had entered into things. "I'm fine. I guess. I was just anemic. The pills are to temporarily suppress my immune system so I can buildup platelets again."

  "Is it that... whatever? That you had before?"

  Jaina shrugged. She didn’t want to mention the possible Lupus hanging over her head. "I dunno. Possibly. I'm only supposed to take then for another week, and go back for a checkup."

  Jason grunted, but didn't comment. He stayed silent until they reached the airport.

  "Why are we here three hours early?" she asked. "Em's flight isn't due until five."

  "Because it might be early," her brother said. "And I wanted plenty of time to talk to you. You freaked me out when I went into your room and found you'd left."

  "Sorry. I... I had to be with Colin."

  "Enough to leave in the middle of the night like that?"

  "Yeah. Yeah, it was enough that I had to."

  They got to the terminal, strangely enough the same one that Jason had picked Jaina up from five months before. Jaina settled into a chair and prepared to wait.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Emily's plane, to Jason's smugness, was early. Jaina pointed out, though, that it was only by 25 minutes.

  They both stood, side by side, waiting for their little sister to appear. Jaina figured that most of the passengers had exited before a young woman, shorter than Jaina by about an inch and a half, with shoulder-length, curly dark brown hair--exactly like Jason's but longer--and brown eyes appeared. She was wearing a white tank top with "It's fun to be Evil across it, and blue and green tie-dye capri pants with white tennis shoes.

  She saw them and squealed, dashing forward and throwing her arms around Jason. "I got to ride on the Frodo plane!"

  Immediately after, she said, "I'm cold."

  Jason rolled his eyes and sighed. 'Emily, do you remember when you called earlier in the week?"

  Emily nodded, curls bobbing. "Yeah."

  "I told you it was winter here. Did that just go in one ear and out the other?"

  She shook her head. "It was 110 in LA when I left. And the AC on the plane was broken."

  "You're crazy," her brother said.

  "You had doubts?" she responded. Then she turned to Jaina. "Jaya!"

  Jaina managed to extricate herself from the bone-crushing hug. "Hi, Em. I take it you've missed us?"

  "Well, I kind of like being an only child, since I get all the allowance money, but yeah."

  Jason was impatient to get back to his wife. "Let's get your stuff, rugrat."

  "Rugrat?!" Emily stamped her foot. Of course, her being to his armpit in height didn't help her to be intimidating. "I told you to stop calling me that!"

  "Don't worry," Jaina said soothingly. "You'll have two months in which to exact your revenge."

  Emily grinned.

  ♥♥♥

  In the car, Jaina drove while Jason read the letter their father had sent to him along with the youngest of the three McGregor children. Emily sat behind him.

  "Jason," she complained. "Gimme your jacket."

  "No," Jason said, not taking his eyes off the letter.

  "Yes," she said.

  "No," he said. "You were stupid, you pay the consequences."

  "Yes," she insisted, "Or..."

  He closed his eyes, "Or what? You'll do what?"

  "I'll tell Dad," she said triumphantly. "You know how easily I get sick. I feel a sniffle coming on."

  Heaven save him from sisters. Jaina had told him about Mary-Jane earlier, but he knew he had it a hundred times worse. "No."

  Emily lightly smacked the back of his head. "Yes!"

  "Emily!" Jaina scolded. "What's gotten into you?"

  "I'm cold!"

  Jaina used the red light as an opportunity to turn around and stare at her sister. "Then you should have brought a jacket! You're not in LA anymore, and Jason isn't Dad, who fulfills your every wish."

  "Except which college I wanted to go to," Emily grumbled.

  "You're going to Oxford, aren't you?"

  Emily stopped. "Well... yeah."

  Jaina turned her eyes back to the road. Emily humphed and slumped in her seat.

  "Guys are supposed to be chivalrous," she muttered.

  Jason sighed, exasperated, and shrugged off his coat. "If it will shut you up, fine!"

  He tossed her the coat and she happily shrugged into it. "Thank you, Jasa!"

  As he settled back, Ja
ina felt sorry for her brother... and glad she had moved out. The coming battle of wills was something she'd gladly miss.

  ♥♥♥

  Jaina got the last of Emily's suitcases hauled up the stairs and dumped it on the floor. Her sister was already setting up her Powerbook G4.

  Emily glanced over. "So where are you staying?"

  "Well, I was in here, but now I'm not," Jaina said, stalling as she tried to catch her breath.

  Em's eyes narrowed. "Where, on the couch? In with the twins? In Jasa's study?"

  Jaina straightened and looked around. The room looked a lot different than when she'd left that morning. It was no longer hers. Perhaps had never been hers.

  "I moved out. Colin's letting me stay at his place."

  "Oh."

  The surprise in her sister's voice made Jaina look over. "What?"

  "Oh, I just... You stopped talking about him... Are you over him, or something? Living with him's gotta be difficult."

  "No, not over him."

  "So now you're under him?" Emily frowned. "Does he know?"

  "Yeah. He knows. I told him a couple weeks ago." Jaina was amazed. Only two weeks before!

  Her sibling turned back to the computer. "How'd he take it?"

  "Surprisingly well, actually."

  "So he knows that you like him, and he's letting you stay in his house?" Emily shook her head. "Wow. Have you seen him naked yet?"

  Em's out-of-nowhere question caught Jaina off-guard and she blushed hotly. "Uh..."

  "You have!" Emily shrieked.

  "Look, I... Yes, all right, I've seen him naked." She firmly shoved back thoughts of the many occasions on which she'd seen him thus. And when was she planning on telling her sister the truth?

  There was a knock on the door. they both looked up to see a secretly amused Teniel there. "Come help with dinner, would you?"

  "Sure." Jaina bolted from the room.

  She ran into Jason downstairs. "Don't tell Em about me and Colin."

  "I won't," her brother said.

  "'Cause that's my news."

  Teniel came in. "Emily's on her way, she wanted to brush her hair."

  "Don't tell Em about Colin," Jaina repeated.

  Her sister-in-law smiled. "Certainly not. I think we all want to see her face."

  "You have a streak of evil in you," Jason said, eyeing his wife.

  "Married to me eight years and you only just figured that out?"

  Jaina got the silverware and plates and began setting the table. She was still in the process of that when Emily came to help her.

  Emily eyed the table. "Seven settings? But there are six of us."

  Teniel slyly looked at Jaina. "Jaina's boyfriend is coming to dinner."

  Huge brown eyes fixed on Jaina. "Boyfriend?! You have a boyfriend?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

  Jaina concentrated on the forks. "It's a recent development. Really recent. Like, two weeks ago, recent."

  "Before you found out that I was coming?"

  "Um. Yeah."

  "What's his name? C'mon, spill it, Jaya!" Her eyes narrowed. "And what about Gay Boy? You're seeing some guy you haven't told me about, and you're in lust with Colin?"

  Behind Emily, Teniel was trying not to laugh. She muffled a laugh in her hot pad and ducked back into the kitchen.

  Jaina bit her lip. "Look, I... I'll explain later. I..."

  Outside, they heard a car door slam. It sounded close, like in the driveway. Emily ran to the window, while Jaina went to the door.

  "Nice car!" Emily said.

  Jaina jerked the door open. Colin stood outside, one hand raised to press the bell. He grinned when he saw her.

  "Hi," she said softly, going all mushy inside and feeling stupid.

  "Hey. You gonna let me in?"

  She stepped back and held the door. He had snow on his head, she noticed with a laugh.

  Emily was staring outside, eyes wide. "Cool! It's all weird outside."

  "It's called snow, Em," Jaina called as she pulled Colin into the dining area.

  Emily turned around. She blinked in surprise at Colin. "Hey, you're Colin!"

  He laughed. "And you're Emily."

  She looked around, feeling a touch confused. "But... Teniel said Jaina's boyfriend was coming over..."

  Jaina took Colin's hand and pulled him forward. "Em... This ismy boyfriend."

  ♥♥♥

  "Dude," Emily said. "Dude. No way. Isn't he gay?"

  "Nope," Colin said. He pulled Jaina close and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Not gay."

  Emily looked at him like he's grown a second head. "So you're not gay, you two are an item, and you're living with him?"

  Her eyes narrowed. "Are you sleeping together?"

  Colin pinkened and began stammering. Jaina laughed self-consciously.

  "They are," Jason said. He was pulling on his coat and walking towards the door. "I'm going to pick up the twins."

  "Where are the midgets?" Emily asked.

  "With the neighbors." Jason left.

  Jaina pulled Colin towards the couch and sat on his lap. "I missed you."

  "It's been five hours."

  "So? I still missed you."

  Emily made a gagging noise. "Stop! You'll make me sick!"

  Jaina stuck her tongue out at her sister, then intentionally kissed Colin thoroughly. Em made a face and went into the kitchen.

  A couple minutes later, Jason came back, twins in tow. Emily came out to meet them. To Jaina, it worried her when the twins instantly took to Emily.

  "The takeover has begun," Colin murmured in her ear.

  Jaina fought a laugh and poked him in the stomach. "Quiet."

  Teniel came into the living room. "Dinner's ready."

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  At the end of dinner, Teniel surprised Jaina by bringing out a birthday cake.

  "I know, I know, your birthday isn't until Monday. But I figured that we had four reasons to celebrate tonight." Teniel grinned. "First of all, Jaina's turning twenty-two in a few days. And I'm sure you'll want to be spending that day with Colin."

  "I work," Jaina groaned.

  "Reason number two, Emily's arrived. And we're happy to have you," Teniel continued.

  "If it'll keep her out of trouble," Jason said darkly.

  His wife didn't spare him a glance. "Third, it's July 4th, and for you Americans, Independence Day."

  Emily frowned. "No fireworks, though."

  "Like we're letting you blow anything up," Jaina said.

  Jason snorted. "And four?"

  Teniel set the cake on the table. "Reason four... In about six months... We're adding a new brother or sister to the family." She smiled at her children as she said it.

  Clarissa squealed.

  Jaina smiled and looked over at Colin, sitting next to her. He was looking at her closely. She wondered what he was thinking.

  "Coolness!" Emily said. "That's around Christmas, right?"

  "End of January," Jason corrected.

  His youngest sister grinned. "Awesome. So... reason number five, Jaina finally got some."

  "Got some what?" Christian asked.

  Jaina, who had just been taking a sip of water, choked.

  Colin smiled at the youngster at his side, between himself and Jason. "Recognition for her talents as a makeup artist," he said smoothly.

  Chris looked disappointed. "Oh."

  "Nice save, Pierce," Jaina whispered in her boyfriend's ear.

  Clarissa was looking with skepticism at Colin. "Are you Jaina's boyfriend yet?" she demanded.

  Colin giggled. "Should I be?" he asked her.

  "Yes!" she said emphatically.

  "Okay, then. I am if you say so."

  Next to him, Jaina laughed quietly as Rissa beamed at them.

  Teniel and Jason had taken the cake back into the kitchen, and they came out now with it loaded with candles. Everyone sang to Jaina, Colin included. After cake and ice cream, the twins gave Jaina drawings they'd made, then t
heir parents sent them to bed.

  Teniel handed Jaina a wrapped gift while Jason was off finding his. "Wait until you get home to open that," she said with a wink.

  "Ew," Emily interjected.

  "Something bother you?" Colin asked her.

  She looked at him and fell silent. He wondered if it was because of who he was, or the fact that he was her sister's boyfriend.

  Jason came back into the room. He had a red-wrapped package in his hands. It was lumpy and tied with string. "Here. Happy birthday."

  She grinned at the sight of the typical Jason-wrapped gift. Teniel, on the other hand, sighed and said, "You should have let me wrap it."

  "No, no, it's a tradition," Jaina said. "We've always wrapped them as messily and weird as possible. One year, I wrapped Jason's present in a Victoria's Secret box, and then ten layers of newspaper and duct tape."

  "She did, too." Jason glanced at Colin. "Beware, when your birthday rolls around."

  Jaina pulled the wrapping off and gasped. "The Bare Flame!" The book was the long-awaited sequel to The Sea Of Swords trilogy.

  "I figured you'd want that, since you're into the series. I've had it preordered online for ages."

  She smiled. "Thanks. Now I have all of them."

  Emily leaned forward. "So, when can I see Colin's place?"

  Jaina glanced at Colin, who said, "Tuesday. We aren't filming, so we can show her around Auckland."

  "Cool!" Em grinned.

  Jaina looked at her watch, then stood. "I hate to dash out like this, but Colin and I have stuff to do tomorrow, so we've gotta go."

  "Okay," Emily said. She hugged her sister.

  Colin headed towards the door. Jaina followed, then went back and hugged Teniel and Jason.

  "I'll call you later," she told Emily.

  The door closed behind them.

  Emily said, "You realize they're just going home to do it, right?"

  "Emily," Teniel said.

  "Yes?"

  "Go help Jason with the dishes."

  ♥♥♥

  "What do we have to do tomorrow?" Colin asked as he started the car.

  Jaina was fiddling with the radio. "Well, I was thinking... Since we aren't doing the biking, with it being all cold and stuff... Maybe we could take ballroom lessons. There's a class that starts tomorrow evening at some place downtown."