Disclaimer: Jane Austen's works are Fair Use publications with no existing Copyright. Also, I'm a dork.

Catherine awoke early to take a run. The mountain air was cool and clear so early and she enjoyed not having to cut through the heavy humidity that usually hung in the air all hours of the day during the summer back in Maryland. When she returned to the cabin she took a shower and emerged in a fresh floral print cotton dress to find the Allens enjoying breakfast while a woman worked away in the kitchen.

"Lupe, please make Cathy some eggs," Mrs. Allen called to the woman in the kitchen. "Cathy, how do you take your eggs?"

"Um, scrambled, please." Catherine sat down and pulled a piece of toast off of the stack on the table and started slathering it with strawberry jam. There was a platter piled high with home fries and bacon and she wondered if they would be eating this way every morning. She'd definitely need to play some kind of sport every day to stay in shape for Basketball.

"I didn't realize we'd be eating here at all," Catherine said between mouthfuls.

"Only for breakfast. We retain Lupe every year for the month. She stays in the unoccupied room and has the rest of the day free once she's tidied up a bit and done the laundry. I don't know what I'd do without her." Catherine thought it sort of defeated the purpose of staying in a cabin resort, but kept her mouth shut. She'd sampled some of Cathy Allen's cooking and knew it was not something she needed to do ever again.

At that moment a plate of scrambled eggs was set down in front of her and she spooned some potatoes onto the plate and took a slice of bacon.

"What's on the schedule today?" Catherine asked.

"Mr. Allen has a golf game and I thought you and I could go to a Yoga class."

"Oh, um, sure. I guess so."

"I picked out a wonderful outfit for just for that type of thing. No worries. They'll have mats there."

"Is it before the soccer game?" Catherine asked

"Now Catherine, do you really think that Henry Tilney is going to appreciate the fact that you enjoy kicking a soccer ball around? Men like him want their women to be feminine and delicate. You'd do better to go to Yoga instead of playing soccer."

Catherine was torn for a moment between admitting that her godmother was right and the feeling that this was a vacation and she'd like to do something she enjoys. Remembering Henry's smile from the night before and her relief at having made an effort to look nice she decided that she'd achieve her summer romance more easily if she didn't spend the whole time on the soccer field or the basketball court. Though when it came to basketball, she didn't give a flying fig who cared, she was going to play. It was her first love after all.

Grudgingly, she changed into the outfit Mrs. Allen handed her which consisted of nothing but spandex and pulled herself into it. It did an excellent job of showing the world just how flat-chested she was.

*~*

"Now arms up to the ceiling and together in front of your chest, breathe in and arms up and out, exhale as you bend at the waist. Hands on your shins if you can't reach the floor ladies."

Catherine considered herself flexible, but apparently not flexible enough. She followed the girl in front of her, who seemed to know what she was doing as the whole class stepped one foot out and then the other before laying on the floor.

"Now push through your feet and hands and lift your buttocks to the sky. Try and keep your feet flat."

After an hour of this torture, Catherine lay on her back staring at the ceiling of the studio and wishing she hadn't wasted her time on a shower already. Mrs. Allen was busy chatting with someone she had met by the mat bin and the girl who she had been following was sitting nearby and bossing around two other girls.

"No, Sophie, you look wretched in Pink, when we get back you have to take that polish off. I've got a dark red that will look great."

"But dark red will make me look like my toes are bleeding!"

Catherine couldn't fight the smirk creeping up. She detested all things girly and only painted her nails under duress. Looking over at Mrs. Allen, Catherine saw her godmother hurrying over to her with the other woman.

"Cathy, this is an old friend of mine, Mrs. Thorpe."

Catherine stood up and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Thorpe."

"Please call me Sally," Mrs. Thorpe exclaimed taking her hand. "You just have to meet my girls. Isabelle! Sophia! Francesca! Come over here and meet my dear, old friend Cathy Allen."

The three girls who had been sitting very close by jumped at their mother's shouting and hurried over to meet their new acquaintance.

"Cathy, these are my daughters. Belle, Sophie, Fran, this is Cathy Allen and Cathy Morland."

"You can call me Catherine," Cathy the younger said. She peeked at her godmother and found a puzzled look. Quickly she added, "to avoid any confusion."

"Of course," Cathy Allen said.

"How about Cath?" Isabelle suggested. "No point in making your name longer."

"Um, sure, I guess. If you want to call me Cath." Personally, she felt it sounded too much like some medical term she had heard on Grey's Anatomy, but she didn't want to rebuff a possible friend.

"Well, Cath," Mrs. Allen said, trying on the new nickname, "Sally and I go way back. We were in Prep school together. We have a lot of catching up to do. Why don't you and I go back to the cabin and freshen up and Sally and the girls can meet us for lunch. Sound good?"

"Sure," Catherine (thankyouverymuch) shrugged and couldn't see a problem with that. They were awfully girly, but that might be for the best if she was going to attract Henry Tilney.

*~*

Lunch was a long and ridiculous affair in which Mrs. Thorpe bragged about her five children and Mrs. Allen bragged about her five fur coats. Sophia and Francesca were twins and were off immediately after they finished eating which left Isabelle and Catherine to their own devices. Isabelle suggested a walk and Catherine readily agreed.

"When I first saw you," Isabelle said after an awkward silence, "I knew you must be a Morland."

"Really?" Catherine looked at her curiously, forgetting to keep a look out for Henry.

"You look just like your brother," she said.

"Which brother?" Catherine had three brothers and a sister. There was no knowing of which brother she spoke.

"James of course! He goes to Brown with my brother John. He spent spring break with us in Connecticut last semester.

"Oh! Right! I remember now. He told my parents about it. What a small world."

"I know. I couldn't believe it when I saw you," Isabelle smiled brightly for her. After another pause she spoke up. "I notice that you've been looking for someone. Anyone I might know?"

"Oh, um, probably not. It's nothing."

"Aw, that blush tells me it's not nothing. What's his name?"

"Henry," Catherine could feel her face flush even more and watched the ground as she walked.

"Tell me all about him."

Catherine filled her in on the details of her first, and only, encounter with Henry Tilney. She felt herself blushing every time she said his name and wished her face would stop betraying her. When she finished she looked at Isabelle who had a smirk on her face.

"You're in love!"

"After one meeting? I don't think so."

"Well, if not now, then soon. He sounds awesome. I can't wait to meet him!"

"If I ever see him again," Catherine stated.

Catherine wasn't so sure that she wanted to introduce Henry to her new friend who had a perfect figure and flawless skin and beautiful, wavy chestnut hair and bright green eyes. Isabelle was the type of girl usually cast in romance novels. She was reluctant to introduce her Hero to a possible Heroine.

"You'll see him again. This place isn't that big. Anyway, I need to make sure he's good enough for my new friend. I can't have you stuck with some dud."

"Oh he's good enough for me. I'd say too good for me, actually."

Isabelle surveyed the grounds and found two young men tossing a football back and forth and directed their walk that way. She felt their eyes on her and tossed her mane of hair back before smiling sweetly for Catherine.

"There's no way he could possibly be too good for you." They walked a while longer and Isabelle put her arm companionably through Catherine's. "Look there at those two boys."

Catherine looked in the direction Isabelle indicated.

"What about them?" The shorter one had a good arm.

"They've been staring at us. Can you believe it? As if."

Catherine thought for someone who seemed upset about being watched she was doing an awful lot of hair tossing. "Do you want to talk to them?"

"No, of course not! I've only got eyes for one man right now. We should walk this way and avoid them."

Catherine allowed herself to be pulled along and realized that the boys were essentially following them. After a few minutes the boys headed off to the main lodge and Isabelle surreptitiously guided Catherine in the same direction. Catherine was somewhat naïve in the ways of love, but she could recognize when she was following someone and for some reason Isabelle was following these boys. She wondered how close this girl was to her brother. Of if it was even her brother who she had eyes for. She hadn't said and Catherine didn't care enough to ask. Just as they were about to overtake the two football playing boys, Isabelle stopped suddenly with an "Oh my God!"

Catherine followed Isabelle's gaze and gasped.

"James!" she shouted running towards her favorite brother. He met her with open arms and hugged her tightly for a moment. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a job as a lifeguard," he said to Catherine while his gaze never left Isabelle who was pretending to look off into the distance. "What are you doing here?"

"The Allens brought me as a graduation gift. Didn't Mom tell you?"

"I haven't spoken to Mom recently." The man next to her brother jabbed him in the ribs causing him to jump. "Cathy, this is John Thorpe my roommate at school."

"Hi John," she said holding out her hand.

"Hello Cathy," he took her hand and kissed it, just as Henry had the night before only this time it made her skin crawl instead of making her knees week. She took her hand back and turned to James who had begun walking towards Isabelle.

Isabelle turned her 100-Watt smile on James as he approached.

"James tells me you're a basketball star," John said with more smarm than charm. John Thorpe was wearing Bermuda shorts, a golf shirt which was unbuttoned, with the collar popped up and too much gel in his hair. He had a gold chain around his neck and his shirt wasn't tucked in.

Catherine Morland didn't know much about boys, but she knew a douche bag when she saw one. The fact that he was her brother's friend and her new friend's brother meant they'd be spending much more time together than she would have cared to, but for James she would suffer. She didn't get to see him nearly as much as she wanted to after all.

"Um, yeah, I got a partial scholarship to Maryland to play with them."

"That's a pretty highly ranked team there, congratulations."

"Thanks," she blushed at the praise and surprise at finding out he actually knew the stats for the women's team.

"We were just heading to our cabin. What are you two up to?"

"Belle and I were just walking. We left Mrs. Allen and your mother in the dining room."

"Oh yeah, I should go see Mom. Belle!" He shouted at his sister. "Let's go find Mom."

"No need to shout," she said pleasantly as she bid goodbye to James and followed her brother.

"I can't believe you're here!" Catherine said to her older brother. "This is going to be so much fun. What are your hours like?"

"I've got the morning shift at the pool so I'm free at one. I suppose I should go say hello to the Allens."

Catherine agreed and they walked the same trail that John and Isabelle had taken to the dining room. "Why didn't you tell me about Isabelle?"

"There's nothing to tell. I like her a lot, but I haven't spent much time with her. I'm glad she's here and that you're friends with her. She's really nice and I'll bet she'll be a good influence on you."

"I guess you're hoping her girly-girl ways will rub off on me?"

"Maybe. A little anyway. You're a woman now, you know. You should start acting like one."

"You're just saying that because I beat you at everything," she smirked.

"Except swimming," he retorted.

"Yeah, yeah," she said wearily, "except swimming. Thanks for the reminder Michael Phelps."

"Good to know that no matter how many top ranked teams you get recruited to, you're still my annoying kid sister." He laughed at her as they walked into the dining room.

James made a beeline for the Thorpes and said hello to Mr. and Mrs. Allen giving Mrs. Allen an affectionate peck on the cheek and Mr. Allen a hearty handshake. When Catherine joined them they were making plans to meet tonight for dinner and the movie on the lawn. There were many things about the situation that Catherine wished were different, but she had James now and she had the idea that Henry would appear again and for those two things alone she was willing to put up with Isabelle's weird behavior and John's douchebaggery.

The Allens invited James to come stay in their cabin, but he had signed a contract with the resort and was required to sleep in the employee's quarters which weren't bad, but certainly weren't luxury cabins. So they parted ways outside of the dining room. Catherine went back to the cabin and checked the afternoon itinerary only to find that the only thing planned was horseshoes and croquet on the front lawn, neither of which appealed to her. She settled for reading her newest book curled up in the huge sofa in the living room.

She tried to focus on the words, but couldn't help comparing Henry to the Hero in the book, Lord Rafe Pellingham. After awhile she had forgotten that Henry didn't stand 6'5" tall and that he didn't have a broad chest and shoulders capable of crushing his lady love to him in a fit of passion. She forgot that Henry didn't have cheekbones that could cut glass and an aquiline nose handed down from the Roman Gods.

It wasn't until it was time to dress when Catherine had to put her book away that she remembered what he really looked like and realized she liked his actual personage better than any romantic Hero she'd ever read about.

The revelation made her smile.

A/N: I've enabled anonymous reviews now so hopefully, if anyone is actually reading the story, you can give me some feedback. Are you bored to death? Are you enjoying it? These are the great mysteries of my life right now. Sad, huh?