I'm In Love with Sof!

Chapter 7: Advice, Apologies, and a Confrontation

Summary: Prince James has been having strange thoughts about Princess Sofia lately. Eventually he realizes he's fallen in love with her, but knowing they can never be he struggles to keep from acting on his feelings. It gets harder and harder for him to do so as the days go by, and the more he's around her, the stronger his feelings become. Meanwhile, Amber and friends struggle to find love and Ruby and Jade compete for Prince James's affection.

TO THE GUEST REVIEWERS: I just want you all to know how grateful I am to receive your reviews! Unfortunately, I can't respond to your reviews independently to show my gratitude, since you all aren't members of , but just know your reviews haven't gone unnoticed by me and are very important. So guest reviewers keep reviewing my fic. I love your reviews just as much as reviews from those who are members! You guys rock!

/*StF*/

"I asked you a couple of days ago if you were in love with Sofia and what did you say?" Lucinda questioned Prince James.

James mumbled a response.

"What was that Prince James?! I couldn't hear you!" Lucinda asked as she cupped a hand over her ear and leaned closer to him.

James sighed.

"I freaked out and denied my feelings for Sofia and told you that you were wrong." He said louder this time as he rolled his eyes at her.

Lucinda smirked.

"That's right! When will you people realize that Lucinda is always right?!"

James, upon realizing his feelings for Sofia, found his parents as quickly as he could and informed them that he would be visiting Lucinda in Dunwiddie and that he would be back before dinner was served. Once they'd given him their permission, he went to the stables and told Edmund to take him to the village immediately and to get him there as fast as possible. They arrived at the village in record time, and after telling the coachman to wait for him until he returned, he ran off searching for his female best friend. He'd searched for her for about fifteen minutes before he found her in the marketplace and luckily she was alone. He walked up to her, and after telling her that he needed to talk with her about something important, she nodded and suggested they go for a walk. They walked for quite a while before they finally reached their destination, a medium-sized hill on the outskirts of the village. They took a seat on the hilltop and once she told him she was all ears, he began to tell her everything that went on between him and Sofia that day.

He'd only just finished explaining things to her a few seconds ago, and she'd reacted just as he expected her to.

"I knew you were going to rub this in my face! I get it already! You're always right and I'll never doubt you again!" James grumbled as he crossed his arms and frowned at her.

"Aww cheer up! No one likes a pouty prince!" Lucinda said with a laugh as she punched his arm lightly in a playful manner.

"How can I cheer up when I'm in love with my freaking sister?!" James asked her as he pulled at his blonde hair in frustration.

"Stepsister." Lucinda pointed out.

"It doesn't matter if she isn't my actual sister Lucinda. We still can never be together." James said depressed as he held his head down and sighed deeply.

"And why not?!" Lucinda asked angrily as she frowned at him.

"We would hurt and disgust a lot of people if we became a couple. We could always hide our relationship I suppose, but I'm the type of man who doesn't want to hide how much I'm in love with someone, especially a woman as wonderful as Sofia." James explained to Lucinda with his head still down.

"Then don't hide it. Be proud of your love." Lucinda replied.

James laughed.

"You make it sound so easy, and it would be if I didn't care about hurting mom, dad, Amber, Baileywick, Zandar, Aunt Tilly, Cedric, and my other friends, but the simple fact of the matter is I do."

Lucinda sighed.

"Look Prince James I get it, you don't want to hurt your friends and family, but if you're ever going to be with Sofia it's going to happen eventually. I mean some of them may support your love, or maybe none of them will at all, but if you want to be truly happy with her then you'll have to be willing to take that risk."

James sighed.

"Why did it have to be her Lucinda?! Why did I have to fall in love with Sofia of all people?!"

"They say you can't help who you fall in love with. Unfortunately for you, you happened to fall in love with your stepsister." Lucinda replied.

"Unfortunately indeed. She's just so amazing though Lucinda that I couldn't help but to fall in love with her. She's captured my heart and there's no setting it free. If mom is as amazing as Sofia then I can see why dad fell for her." He laughed bitterly. "It seems I inherited my taste in women from him. He loves the mother and I love the daughter. Ironic isn't it?" He growled and smashed his right fist down onto the grassy hill. "God I'm sick! If Sof knew how I really felt about her she'd never want to have anything to do with me again!"

"You're not sick Prince James. If you had fallen for Princess Amber instead then you'd be sick."

"Eww gross! When you put it like that falling in love with Sof doesn't seem so bad after all." James said with a disgusted look on his face.

"Really?!" Lucinda asked hopefully.

"Of course not, falling in love with Sof is the worst…second worst thing that could have ever happened!" James yelled at Lucinda as he frowned at her.

"Alright, jeez, no need to yell at me!" Lucinda yelled back as she crossed her arms and frowned at him as well.

James sighed.

"Sorry Lucinda. You're right, as usual, I was totally out of line and I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I'm just so frustrated right now and I unfairly took it out on you."

Lucinda instantly brightened.

"I guess you're forgiven. You're lucky you're so handsome or else I never would have forgiven you." She joked as she grinned at him.

James laughed boisterously.

"You're the best Lucinda! I know who to come to now when I need a good laugh!" He suddenly grew serious and asked himself. "Why couldn't I have fallen for you instead? Things would have been so much easier."

"You didn't fall for me because you weren't meant to, besides you know as well as I do that we're better off friends than lovers. I mean the thought of the two of us being all lovey-dovey with each other is laughable and quite frankly it creeps me out." Lucinda said in reply as she laughed.

James laughed as well.

"You're right; again, I was just being irrational. Looking for an easy way out, you know."

"I understand that, but there's no easy way out I'm afraid. You're in love with Sofia. You have to face the facts." Lucinda said as she looked him the eyes with a serious expression on her face.

"I won't! I'm going to fight these feelings with all I've got!" James said stubbornly with a serious look on his face as well.

Lucinda rolled her eyes.

"You really think that's going to work?" She asked him skeptically.

"Yes, because I'm going to make it work." James said determination shining in his green eyes.

"Fighting your feelings for Sofia may work for a while but it's only a temporary solution. They're going to get stronger the more you're around her, and let's face it, that's going to be all the time. Unless of course you plan on avoiding her but that's going to be impossible."

"I'm not going to avoid Sof. I'm going to act like nothing has changed between us and get a girlfriend to get my mind off of her. One of Amber's best friends, Princess Clio, has a crush on me so she'll be perfect." James explained.

Lucinda frowned.

"I don't like this plan of yours Prince James. I don't like it at all. This Princess Clio's not the one you love, Sofia is, and nothing is going to change that. You're going to end up breaking her heart if you start dating her just to try and get over Sofia. Are you really okay with that?"

"I won't break her heart if she never finds out I'm not in love with her. Hopefully in time I really will fall for her. I mean she's pretty and nice so…"

"You idiot! Don't you realize that no matter what you do you'll never be able to stop loving Sofia?! You can fight your feelings for her, pretend like nothing's changed between the two of you, and get a girlfriend to distract yourself from her all you want but neither of those things will work in the end! Just be a man and tell her you're freaking in love with her already!" Lucinda yelled as she got in his face.

"There's no way I can do that Lucinda. I appreciate all of the advice you've given me but I've just got to do things my own way." James said calmly.

Lucinda growled and pushed him harshly onto his back.

"Man you're stubborn! Fine, do what you want, it's not like I can stop you anyway! I don't know why you came to me for advice if you're not going to listen to me anyway!" Lucinda grumbled and complained as she crossed her arms and glared at him.

James sat up and wrapped his arms around the angry witch in a hug.

"Don't be angry with me Lucinda. It's not that I wasn't listening to your advice, I just can't take it. Being in love with Sof is wrong, it's a sin, and as I said before I can't hurt my family and friends, but more importantly I can't bear the thought of Sofia hating me, because I know she will if she finds out her beloved big brother is a pervert who's in love with her."

Lucinda shrugged him off and stood up.

"I'm not angry Prince James. I just want you to be happy. I may not agree with the decisions you've made but I will respect them. I'm always here to lend an ear and I guess offer my advice even though you never seem to listen." She said to him as she offered him a hand.

James took it without a second thought and Lucinda pulled him up with surprising strength.

"Thanks Lucinda. You really are the best friend a guy can have. You and my other best friend, Prince Zandar, should meet someday. I think you two would get along great."

"Sure. Now come on. We've kept your coachman waiting long enough."

James nodded and the two of them headed down the hill and back to the village.

/*StF*/

Sofia was laying in her bad thinking about what went on between her and James when there was a knock at the door.

"Sofia it's Amber, may I come in?!"

"Sure."

Sofia's bedroom door opened and Amber entered

"How did things go with you and James?" She asked as she quickly made her way over to Sofia.

Sofia sat up.

"Oh Amber it was the worst argument we've ever had!" She told her sister with a distressed look on her face.

Amber took a seat beside her on the bed.

"There, there, Sofia, tell your big sister all about it." She said as she wrapped an arm around Sofia and pulled her closer to her in a comforting gesture.

Sofia nodded.

It took her about ten minutes to explain everything but once she was done Amber was shocked nearly speechless.

"Wow! James was really out of line this time Sofia!" Amber said with a deep frown on her face.

"Well, I was being difficult too so…"

Amber pushed Sofia away from her and stood up.

"I can't believe you're making excuses for his behavior Sofia! It is never acceptable for a prince to lay a hand on a princess no matter how angry the princess may have made him, especially when that princess is his little sister!" Amber yelled at Sofia as she glared down at her with her arms crossed just under her breasts.

"I'm not making excuses. You're absolutely right after all. It's just that despite how furious I was with him a while ago I've had time to cool down now and I realize that I was just as much out of line as he was. Don't just blame him Amber, blame the both of us." Sofia said to the blonde.

"But Sofia!" Amber whined as she pouted and stomped her foot on the floor like a child who hadn't gotten their way.

Sofia got off the bed and headed toward the exit.

"No buts Amber. Now of you'll excuse me I'm going to go and apologize to him right now."

"He's not here." Amber said as she ran slightly to catch up to her.

Sofia stopped walking and turned to face her.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Mother informed me that he said he was going to the village to visit that witch friend of you alls. I can't recall her name." Amber replied.

Lucinda.

He probably went to go vent to her. Usually she was the one he talked to whenever he had a fight with Zandar, or Amber, or whoever, but since she was the one he was fighting with he very well couldn't talk with her about herself. She was glad he had someone else he could express himself to besides Zandar and herself. They couldn't always be there for him, especially since Zandar lived so far away from Enchancia, so she was glad he'd found a best friend in Lucinda and that she was in his life.

"I'll go sit on the front steps and wait for his return. He never misses a meal so I'm sure he'll be back before dinner is served." Sofia said to Amber.

She walked out of her bedroom bidding Amber farewell.

Amber didn't bother chasing after her. She had already made up her mind to apologize to James and she was far too stubborn to let anyone sway her.

Amber frowned as she headed out of Sofia's bedroom.

She was going to have a serious talk with James tonight about his behavior with Sofia.

She gently closed Sofia's door before she headed down the hallway and back to her own bedroom.

/*StF*/

"Sofia is going to love that bouquet of lilies. I still say you don't need it in order for her to forgive you but hey a little gift never hurt when you're trying to get on somebody's good side again." Lucinda told Prince James as they came to a stop at the carriage where Edmund sat patiently at the reins.

"Ah, you have finally returned my prince and a good evening to you as well Miss Lucinda." Edmund greeted the prince and witch as he bowed to James and smiled at Lucinda.

"Evening Edmund!" Lucinda happily greeted the coachman with a grin as she waved enthusiastically at him.

"You really think she's going to love them?" James asked Lucinda nervously.

"Oh yeah! Sofia's a sucker for flowers!" Lucinda assured him with a smile.

"What do you think Edmund?" James asked the coachman as he looked up at him since he was sitting rather high.

"It's a beautiful bouquet of lilies Prince James. Princess Sofia will surely love them as Miss Lucinda said." Edmund said as he smiled down at him.

James nodded pleased with their answers.

"You get going now Prince James. Sofia's most likely waiting for you and you need to hurry up and get back to her so you can make amends." Lucinda said as she opened the carriage door for him.

"Alright Ms. Bossy I'm going!" James said with a laugh as he easily climbed into the carriage. "Oh yeah, and I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now, but it's alright with me if you just call me James. Since we are best friends now I feel like Prince James is far too formal. All of my other friends call me James so you should to."

"Well, it's going to take some getting used to but very well…James. Oh, I rather like the sound of that!" Lucinda said with a smirk.

James grinned.

God he loved this girl! In a completely platonic way of course!

"I'm glad you do! See you Lucinda!"

"See you handsome!" She said as she winked at him.

He faced forward, cleared his throat, and commanded Edmund.

"Take us home Edmund and make haste."

The coachman whipped the reins and after a minute or so the coach was in the air and flying at high speeds in the direction of the Enchancian Royal Palace.

Once she could no longer see the coach she turned around and began to head home.

Ruby and Jade had to stay afterschool today to finish up an assignment. She was sure by now that word had even spread to the schoolhouse and that they were aware that Prince James had paid a visit to their village and that he'd spent the entire time with her.

She sighed.

She was not looking forward to seeing them later.

A jealous Ruby and Jade was hard to deal with.

/*StF*/

King Roland, Queen Miranda, and Amber walked out of the front doors of their castle. They immediately spotted Sofia sitting patiently on the steps waiting for James to return.

"Sofia, Amber told me and your father that you and James had a fight, and that you've been sitting out here all this time waiting for him to return so you can apologize to him. It's been two hours, and he hasn't returned yet, so why don't you come inside." Miranda said to her daughter with a worried look on her face.

"Yes Sofia, listen to your mother. You've missed dinner and I'm sure you're hungry so come inside so you can eat. James said he would be back before dinner was served but apparently something has come up and he's running late. You can always wait for him inside and once he gets back you can apologize to him then." Roland said as he placed his large hand on her small shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"I'm sorry mom and dad but I can't do that. I'm not really hungry right now anyway. I'll wait to eat with James." Sofia said as she kept her eyes trained on the sky hoping to see a flying coach.

Amber sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Stop being so stubborn Sofia! It's not like you sitting here looking up at the sky is going to…"

The flying coach that was carrying James and that was driven by Edmund came into the views of Sofia, Roland, Miranda, and Amber.

"…I stand corrected." Amber finished with a frown.

"It's James! He's back!" Sofia said happily as she stood up with a grin on her face.

"We have arrived at the palace Prince James." Edmund announced once they'd landed safely before the front steps of the castle. He bowed to show his respect to the rest of the royal family.

James opened the door to the carriage and got out with the bouquet of lilies in his hands.

"Thanks a lot Edmund! Don't tell the other coachmen this but you've always been my fav…"

"James!" Sofia yelled in delight as she ran toward him and tackled him into a hug that brought both of them to the ground.

Edmund took this as his cue to leave and took to the skies heading back to the stables.

"Sof?! What are you doing out here?!" James asked surprised as he looked up at her. Despite his shock he still managed to wrap an arm around her waist returning her hug.

"I've been waiting on the front steps for you to get back." Sofia answered him.

"How long were you waiting?" He asked.

He rather liked the position they were in. Her being on top of him was…No James get a hold of yourself! You're trying to stop thinking about Sofia as you would a woman! Think of her as your little sister like you're supposed to!

"She's been out here for over two hours! We were trying to convince her to come inside but she refused, saying she wouldn't leave from this spot until you returned!" Amber answered for Sofia with a frown on her face.

James craned his neck to look around Sofia's beautiful face and noticed for the first time his parents and Amber standing on the front steps.

God was he really that into Sofia that he didn't notice anyone else around him but her?! This was bad! Really bad! It was going to be harder to get over her than he thought it would be.

"You waited out here for me for over two hours?! Why would you do that after the fight we had?! Aren't you still mad at me?!" James asked confused and touched.

Sofia stood up and James followed her lead miraculously still holding the bouquet.

"No, I'm not mad anymore, and I bet you're not mad at me anymore either, are you?"

"No, I calmed down after about thirty minutes." James replied.

They looked at each other and laughed.

"We never could stay mad at each other for long could we?!" Sofia asked while grinning at him.

"No, and this was the biggest fight we've had yet so I guess that's a good thing." James said with a smile.

He then grew serious and handed Sofia the bouquet of lilies.

"What are these for?" Sofia asked him confused as she accepted the bouquet.

"They're an I'm-sorry-I-was-such-a-jerk-to-you gift. I said and did some horrible things to you earlier and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me!" James explained as he pleaded with her to forgive him with a distressed look on his face. He noticed the look on her face and winced. "Crap! You don't look like you like them! If you don't…"

"Relax James. I like them, love them even, but it just wasn't necessary for you to get me a gift, and of course I forgive you. I actually wanted to apologize to you as well. That's why I sat out here so long waiting for you to get back." Sofia explained to him as she brought the bouquet of flowers up to her face and sniffed them with a smile on her face.

They smelled lovely and they were quite beautiful to look at as well.

"Why didn't you just wait in the castle?" James asked confused.

"I thought you would be back sooner so I decided I'd just wait for you outside so that I would be the first person you saw when you got back."

James's eyes widened.

"You wanted to see me that badly?!" He asked her surprised.

"Of course, I missed you." Sofia said as she smiled sweetly at him.

"I missed you too Sof." James said softly with a smile of his own on his face.

Amber frowned as she stared at them.

Why didn't James ever bring her flowers whenever they had a fight?! She really was beginning to think James loved Sofia more than he loved her!

"Listen James, I said some things earlier in my anger that I'm not too proud of. I just want you to know that I…"

James placed a finger to her lips effectively silencing her.

"Let's just pretend like it never happened. We were both in the wrong and now we're both sorry so let's just leave it at that."

Sofia nodded with a smile.

"I like the sound of that."

Roland clapped his hands loudly getting everyone's attention.

"Well! I'm glad you two have made up!" Roland said as he smiled at them.

"Yes, brothers and sisters should never fight." Miranda said agreeing with her husband.

"Now that this soap opera is over I'm going back inside!" Amber said annoyed as she turned her back to them and reentered the castle.

"We should go too Rollie." Miranda said.

Roland nodded and taking the queen's arm in his he began to lead her back into the castle.

"Well I don't know about you James but I'm starving! Let's go eat dinner! We'll have the dining room to ourselves since mom, dad, and Amber have already eaten." Sofia said as she began walking up the steps.

"It's like you read my mind! I hope the cooks cooked a good meal." James said as he ran up the steps in order to catch up to her.

"They're meals are always good." Sofia pointed out with a laugh.

"True."

They walked up the rest of the steps in contented silence.

"Have you accepted the fact that I'm not going to stop being friends with Hugo?" Sofia asked once they'd reached the top of the steps.

James sighed.

"No I haven't accepted it, and I don't think I ever will, but I will try and be more tolerable of it. I still say it's a bad idea, and that you're going to end up getting hurt, but you usually have good instincts so I'm going to trust you on this one. Only you though. I'll never trust scum like him."

Sofia squealed in delight and brought James into her arms hugging him tightly.

"Thanks a lot James! I love you so much!" She said before she pulled away from him but not before kissing him on the cheek. "I'm going to go put these lilies in a vase and then I'll meet you in the dining room."

She entered the castle singing with a bright smile on her face.

James sighed as he headed inside as well.

I love you too Sofia. More than you will ever know…

…so much that it hurts.

/*StF*/

"Goodnight Sof! I had fun tonight!" James said to his sister as he smiled at her and opened the door to his bedroom preparing to enter.

"Goodnight James and I did too!" Sofia said as she smiled back at him while walking backwards down the large, long hallway headed to her own bedroom.

James watched to make sure she got into her room safely before he entered his own with a grin a mile wide on his face.

He'd had dinner alone with Sofia, and since neither of them wanted to go their separate ways after dinner, they decided to go for a walk in the garden and eventually ended up sitting in the courtyard. They talked, laughed, played, and joked around like they hadn't had a major fight a few hours before. James liked that and he was sure Sofia did too. Even though he tried to fight the feeling at first he couldn't help but feel like he was on a date with Sofia the entire time. The way he saw it he could pretend at least this once. It wasn't like he would ever be able to go on a real date with her anyway no matter how much he want…He wasn't going to even finish that thought. He was trying to get over her and going down that train of thought wasn't helping him get over her in the slightest.

"Well it's about time you decided to grace your room with your presence James! Do you know how long I've been waiting in here for you?!"

James frowned as he saw Amber lying in his bed like it was her own. She wasn't dressed in her gown but instead in a pair of light pink, silk pajamas since it was so late and time for bed.

"What are you doing in my room Amber, and lying in my bed like it's your own no less?! You have got some nerve!"

Amber frowned and sat up quickly.

"So it's alright for Sofia to wait for you but not me?!"

"I don't mind you waiting for me. I just don't like the fact that you came into my room without my permission. Sofia didn't do that that's why I wasn't angry with her." James said as he walked over to his closet and pulled out his pair of royal blue pajamas.

"Whatever! Did you have fun with your precious Sofia?!" Amber asked bitterly as she crossed her arms and glared at him.

James couldn't keep the grin from appearing on his face at Amber's question.

"Yeah, I had the best time! I always have fun when I'm with Sofia though."

That was indeed the truth. It seemed like this time; however, he'd had more fun with her than he ever had before.

"Oh goody!" Amber said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"Amber what's your problem?! I've been sensing attitude from you since I walked in! Usually you have an attitude with me for a reason but this time I can't figure out what I could have done to make you angry! Talk to me!" James said to his sister annoyed as he walked over to his bed where she was still sitting.

"You want me to talk you insensitive jerk?! Fine, I'll talk! I'm sick and tired of you showing favoritism to Sofia! I'm just as much your sister as she is, even more so considering I'm your biological, twin sibling, but I feel like you love Sofia much more than you love me! If I'm wrong please tell me but I don't think I am!" Amber yelled at him as she got off the bed and stood up looking up at him with a fire in her eyes.

James sighed.

If this had been anytime before he'd realized his feelings for Sofia he would have agreed with Amber without a second thought, he used to think he loved Sofia more than her too, but he understood now that wasn't the case. He saw both Amber and Sofia in two totally different ways.

In Amber's case he saw her as his annoying sister and as a result he treated her the way most brothers treat their sisters. He'd fight with her, tease her, and make her life miserable, and she would do the same things with him, but at the end of the day they both loved each other as brothers and sisters should. They had each others backs no matter what and they had a bond that was unbreakable. She was his twin and they had a bond unlike any other.

In the case of Sofia, he saw her the way other princes and male peasants did, as a beautiful woman. He didn't just love her; he was in love with her, and as a result he did things for and with Sofia that he would with a princess he was interested in, a princess that wasn't his stepsister. He gave her gifts; the ring and bouquet of lilies were just the most recent gifts he's given her over the years. Although it was the princely thing to do, to open doors for princesses, pull out their chairs, and do other gentlemanly things for them, he did it more often for Sofia than he did with any other princess. He looked for ways to be alone with her, and he loved it even more when it just happens, like tonight when they had dinner in the dining room alone together and went for a walk in the garden.

On the other hand, he only got Amber a gift on their birthday; he can't remember a time he's ever pulled out a chair for her, or opened a door just for her, or did any other gentlemanly thing, and he looked for ways to avoid being with her at all cost.

He could see where Amber was coming from, and why she was so angry with him. He did treat Sofia better than her, but he didn't love Sofia more, he just loved them in different ways. He couldn't tell her that though because he was sure as smart as Amber was she would catch on to what he meant and that would not be good.

"Don't have an answer do you?! I guess that means I'm right! Am I really that horrible of a sister to you?! Is Sofia that much better at being a sister to you than I am?!" She questioned him with tears in her eyes.

She hated crying in front of anyone. She always felt weak. But the pain she felt was too much for her to bear and she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

James immediately wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"I've really hurt you this time haven't I?"

Amber merely nodded. She was too busy crying to answer him verbally.

"I'm sorry for that. Really I am. I hate it when you cry and I hate it even more when I'm the reason you're crying. I don't love Sofia more than you either, and if it seemed that way then I'm sorry for that as well." He said to her as he continued to hug her.

Amber sniffed and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

"You really mean that?"

"I really mean it Amber. Twin's Promise."

Amber laughed and pulled back slightly so she could look at him.

"Twin's Promise huh? We haven't made one of those in years. I suppose I have no choice but to believe you if you made one of those." She said fondly as she smiled softly at him.

James had a small smile on his face as well.

"I just have one more question. If you love me and Sofia equally why do you treat us so differently?"

He was afraid she would ask him that! Time for some quick thinking!

"Well, to be honest with you I don't know. I suppose the best reason I can give you is that she's so sweet and fragile that I feel the need to dote on her more than I do you, considering you're so tough and all."

Amber smirked.

"Well, that makes sense I suppose. I am tougher than Sofia so she would require more of your attention and protection than I would." She said smugly as she fully released herself from his arms and began to head toward the entrance/exit of his bedroom. "Now that I understand continue to treat Sofia as you always have."

James nodded glad that she wasn't upset and crying anymore.

"Oh and James…" Amber said with her hand resting on the doorknob and her back to him.

"Yeah?"

She turned her head to the side to look at him and continued with a smirk on her face.

"…I expect to receive more gifts from you. It's not fair for you to give Sofia gifts all the time and only give me a gift on our birthday. I expect to receive the first of my many gifts sometime before the week is over."

James laughed.

"You expect huh? There's that pompous attitude of yours that I love oh so much. As for getting you a gift before the week is over…we'll see."

"Oh please! You and I both know you're going to get me something before the week is over! You're just being difficult as usual!" Amber said as she opened the door.

"I know you're not calling me difficult?! You're the queen of difficulty!" James teased as he grinned at her.

"I can't disagree with you there. Goodnight baby brother. I love you." Amber said as she smiled sweetly at him.

James smiled back at her.

"Goodnight Amber and I love you too."

She walked out of his room closing the door behind her.

James headed to his bathroom with pajamas in hand to get ready for bed himself.

He sighed.

If only his situation with Sofia was as easy to deal with as Amber was.

He walked into his bathroom closing the door behind him.

/*StF*/

"Nice flowers Sofia! Did your friend Clarence give them to you again?" Clover asked as he lay on her bed looking at the lilies sitting in a vase on her bedside table beside the roses, also in a vase, that Clarence had given her a couple of days ago.

Sofia shook her head.

"No, the lilies were a gift from James."

"Oh ok." Clover said while yawning as he closed his eyes. "Goodnight Sofia."

"Goodnight Clover." Sofia told the rabbit as she looked at him with a sweet smile on her face.

She stared at him a little while longer before she focused her attention on the two vases of flowers before her.

She'd been happy when Clarence had given her the bouquet of roses but she had been even happier when James gave her the bouquet of lilies. She thought both bouquets were beautiful but she was biased toward the lilies. Was it wrong for her to feel that way? She supposed it was but she found she couldn't find it in herself to care. It's not that she didn't like Clarence, on the contrary she was quite fond of him, but no man could compete with James in her book, besides her father that is but they had a different kind of relationship. James was the only guy she was totally comfortable around and she felt like she could be herself around him. She could tell him anything and he would always listen to her and offer her the best advice he could. He was always there for her no matter what and was rather protective of her, most times she liked it, but at times he could be so overprotective that it was annoying. She always had the best time when she was with him too.

She was glad such a great guy was her brother and she imagined that whenever she did get ready to start dating she'd want her boyfriend to be just like James.

She got into bed and looked at the vase of lilies.

Until that time came however she was more than happy to spend her days with the real deal. There was nothing like the original after all.

She closed her eyes and went to sleep thinking about James with a smile on her face.

/*StF*/

Well that was Chapter 7 guys; I hope you all enjoyed it! I am so sorry for the long time it has taken me to update, but I've made this chapter really long to make up for that. Anyway, review and tell me what you thought of the chapter, follow me as an author or this story, or add me to your favorite author's list or this story to you favorite stories lists! Just do something to let me know you like it so that I may continue to update!

Thanks to all of those who have reviewed, followed, or favorited I'm In Love with Sof! And to those who have followed and/or favorited me as an author! You all are the best and keep me motivated to write this fic!