Chase Collins was not the most observant guy around. Especially when it involved his brother Blake. So it was no surprise that the night his reclusive brother brought a date to one of his formal events that Chase didn't notice.
That night Andie was wearing a the most beautiful green dress that Chase had ever seen. Any other observer would describe it as an emerald green A-line dress that was honestly rather plain, but to Chase it was stunning.
Chase as usual was so zeroed in on his girlfriend that he failed to notice that his brother also had a date on his arm. To the other guests at the party she was the jewel of the night. This mystery woman was wearing a loose fitting scarlet red dress that hung from all the right places with no back and a rather high slit up her right thigh. The woman had pulled her hair up into a tight bun so as to show off her diamond stud earrings and naturally had many pictures taken of her and compliments thrown her way.
Throughout the night many noticed the small touches and gestures that the couple seemed to employ. The small looks here, the hands placed there. To many people this would seem like normal behavior but all that knew Blake Collins knew that he never interacted with anyone like this.
Chase noticed none of this.
It was only as he was coming home did he notice her.
He had been dropping Andie off at her home (and ended up staying far past reasonable hours) when he came home to find an unusual sight. His prim and proper brother was asleep in a large armchair in the living room (that in itself was not unusual for Blake often fell asleep in odd places after a harrowing days work) slouched over to accommodate for his rather lovely date. Her hair had started to fall out of its bun and her heels lay haphazard on the floor as she cuddled to the chest of his brother.
They lay there with his head on top of hers and her legs over the opposite armchair of the couch in such an intimate pose that Chase had to blink before he registered what he was seeing. Blake's usual half way full (or as Blake would say half empty) glass of whatever he deemed appropriate for the night (hard liquor for stressful days and wine for normal ones) sat on the coffee table and was joined by another glass (tonight was wine Chase noticed absently). The reading glasses Chase had grown accustomed to seeing on Blake's face lay untouched by his unopened work briefcase.
Yes, the usual pieces were there but so changed that Chase was dumbstruck in the entryway.
Then Chase's mind began to process everything. The woman herself was quite unusual. While it wasn't strange for Blake to have dates and the like for parties like the one they had just come from it was strange for Blake to do more than drop her off at her apartment. Normally if he called the next day it wasn't to arrange a second date but to give back that 'forgotten' purse or scarf or what have yous that women normally left around on the off chance that she can 'stop by' to pick it up.
Even when Chase had been small, before his brother had run away to London, did his brother ever bring home girls. On phone calls and visits when Chase became old enough to understand that girls weren't so bad and begun asking his brother about them did Blake ever mention a girl of his own. In fact, when Blake came back to take over as Director at MSA Chase just assumed he was running away from someone he had left behind. But those thoughts had left his head once he realized that his brother was an utter arse and that living with him meant that Chase did whatever he could to be out of the house.
Chase was so stunned by the appearances of the girl that it took him all together too long before he noticed the object the girl was wearing.
Once Chase took in the fact that she was even there did Chase notice that her dress had ridden up to an indecent amount (he was a guy after all and that slit did not help hide anything) and whats more he saw some sort of belt around the upper thigh of her left leg.
For the first time in what seemed like hours since Chase had gotten home he moved forward. There, strapped on tightly was a gun. A very small one, but a gun none the less. The girl was wearing a weapon! Alarm bells began to ring in Chase's head but before he got a chance to do anything productive his brother began to stir.
Chase quickly remembered that it was hours past his curfew and ran quick as he could up the stairs to his room. Once there he threw off his suit and pulled on a pair of sweats and a tee shirt to sleep in. Not that his brother checked on him in the night or anything but he normally woke him up before he left for work and would not be happy to see him sleeping in the expensive designer suit. Before going to bed however Chase peeked back downstairs just in time to see his brother carrying the woman to his room before coming back to the living room with a blanket and a pillow. It seemed Blake was a gentleman at heart.
The next morning Chase woke up to his brother shaking him and telling him he had slept through his alarm again and Chase was so busy running about grabbing his things for school that he completely forgot about the strange woman from the night before. He had practice with Andie today after all and that was all he could think about.
The next time Chase saw her was at school weeks later. He had gone to ask for his brother's permission to use one of the dance studios that weekend to help prepare Andie and his performance in the upcoming Senior Showcase. When he got to his office however Blake's secretary stopped him.
"Director Collins is very busy right now Mr Collins and asked not to be disturbed."
"Mrs Marsh, we've gone over this a thousand and one times. Blake is my brother and shouldn't mind speaking with me for just a few moments."
"Director Collins has asked not to be disturbed! Mr Collins! You can't go in there!"
Chase, naturally, had not heeded the secretary's word and had neatly sidestepped the aging woman and walked right into his older brother's office. What he saw made him pause. Sitting there on the other side of the desk was the woman. She had her hair pulled back into a high pony tail and was wearing a smart business suit but there was no mistaking her.
"I'm terribly sorry Director, he didn't listen and just-"
"Not to worry Mrs Marsh I was just finishing up and I'm sure that my dear brother was his usual impertinent self and just invited himself in as usual." Blake's cold gaze made Chase want to shrink in on himself but he just gave his usual cocky smile and sat down on one of the chairs in the office. Blake's eye roll made Chase smile all the more but his smile quickly faded as the woman got up to leave.
"Thank you for taking the time to see me Director but I really must be going." She smiled and gathered her papers before reaching across the table to shake his brother's hand. Chase didn't notice the small smile Blake gave her nor did he notice the way they both seemed to savor their handshake. He was too busy watching Mrs Marsh scuttle back to her desk and wondering why she wore heels when she couldn't walk in them.
Chase was startled out of his thoughts when the mystery woman blocked his line of sight in the doorway and quickly make her way out. Glancing at his brother he noticed that Blake had been staring after the woman too but all thoughts of that quickly left when Blake snapped his attention back to his younger brother and launched into a lecture on politeness and to not slouch and so other thing that Chase didn't bother listening too.
The end of first semester was rapidly approaching before Chase saw the woman again.
MSA didn't do any performance over the Holiday Break to give the other schools of dance a time to shine and (the real reason) the students desperately needed a break by the time the Holiday Season came about. Andie and Chase had both gotten offers from many dance troupes from around the country after their performance at the Showcase and both were living off the high that being King and Queen of School offered.
Chase had been extremely surprised when Blake had told him how proud he was of him one evening and had been more surprised when he offered to take him on a trip to London over the upcoming break. Chase knew that his brother had been planning to go for months because Blake's old company, the London Ballet, was doing a performance of Swan Lake and had sent him tickets. Chase was so excited at the prospect of going to London that he forgot that he made plans with Andie. When Chase told Blake of this he expected his older brother to say he could stay home if he wanted or something along those lines. But what he got instead was a sigh and two sentences.
"I figured you'd want to spend time with her so I already bought an extra plane ticket for her to come with us. Don't make me regret it Chase."
So here they were. Andie and Chase were standing next to one another at the check in counter while Blake parked his car in the long term lot.
Andie had griped and moaned that she had to wear fancy dresses to all the parties they were to go to and hated the idea of a long plane ride but Chase knew she was just as excited as he was. She had decided to wear her normal dance clothes for the plane ride and could tell that Blake thought it looked scandalous outside of the studio. In fact, now that Chase thought about it that was probably exactly why she had chosen to wear the ripped up cropped tee and shorts bra that she was wearing now. Her low rise dance pants were tucked into her normal kicks and her hair was hidden under her cap but Chase thought she looked sexy as hell.
He was so engrossed in the curves and lines of Andie's abs that he failed to notice that his brother had come back and wasn't alone. It was only when Andie hip bumped him and jerked her head did Chase look up and see the woman.
It was her all right. This time she had chosen to wear a pair of light wash jeans tucked into brown knee high boots with no heel and a floral looking tunic top. Her chestnut hair hung free and curled prettily past her shoulder blades. Chase had to admit she was beautiful but couldn't figure out why she was here. It took him another second to notice that his brother's dark figure walked next to her.
Blake introduced her to Andie and Chase as a certain Ms Sandra Lee Cardwell ("Please call me Lee") an associate who was accompanying them to London. Andie and Chase had politely introduced themselves and when Blake and Lee had moved to collect her luggage they gave each other a raised eyebrow look. Suddenly Chase remembered the first night he had seen her and decided to tell Andie as soon as he could.
Chase and Blake were practically opposites of one another in dress and standing together in the airport security line it showed. Blake's crisp dark dress pants and navy button up shirt was a complete 180 to Chase's baggy jeans and tee shirt with a baggy bright yellow and red jacket to top it off. When he tried to wear his cap on backwards Blake had quickly snatched it off his head and told him to get in the car. Chase didn't push it because they had been on their way to pick up Andie and he didn't want to mess up their chance together. Andie and Chase had both decided to bring bulky looking backpacks onto the plane with them. When they got up to the security desk Blake and Lee went through first.
Chase being the unobservant guy that he is didn't notice that she had her passport in a special little wallet or that when she flipped it closed you could see the glint of something metal flash before she put it into her over-sized travel purse. He did notice however that when the guard asked her to have a good flight he used her name and that many of the security officers farther down the ramp seemed to recognize her.
Getting into one of the lines waiting to go through the scanners he did see her several rows down put her bags onto the conveyor belt and walk through the scanner. Chase also noticed the way one of the younger looking officers pointed at something on the screen excitedly but then it was his turn in line. He was too busy removing his all this metal items, shoes, belt, and jacket to notice that one of the older officers just patted the young one of the back and showed him something on a piece of paper before Lee grabbed her bags and smiled at everyone before waiting for Blake to get through.
Lee and Andie made a bathroom run together before they boarded he plane and Chase went to go buy some snacks leaving his brother watching his stuff. When they all finally got onto the plane Chase and Andie sat together a few rows behind Blake and Lee. Chase finally got ready to tell Andie all about the strange woman who had been hanging around his brother when Andie beat him to the punch.
"There's something different about her." At Chase's surprised look she continued, "In the bathroom i could here her pulling something out of her purse and lots shuffle-y noises. I thought from all the moving that she was changing into something more comfortable for the plane but when I got out she was wearing the same thing! I like her a lot but somethings fishy." Chase could only nod as he tried to process what his girlfriend was saying.
Before he for to tell her all his 'observations' the stewardess was coming by making them move their backpacks and telling them to buckle their seatbelts. Soon after that they were taking off and Chase learned of Andie's fear of flying (she never said so but her iron tight grip on his arm proved it). When Chase finally got the chance Andie had already put her headphones on and was trying to doze off. Tomorrow he would tell her. For now he settled for watching the in flight movie.
A few seats up a couple lounged against their seats with his arm around her shoulders and her head on his chest. The picture perfect couple softly talking about his days in the Royal Ballet.
Hey Everyone! I know this is a small portion of the fanfiction community but I thought Id try my hands at a Step Up story. Hope you like and there is more coming if I get any reviews! Even just one and a new chapter will be up within the week! Thanks for reading!
~Mysterious Little Person