Hey Guys! Do not fear for Skyffrey! But for now, focus of Jane, and…

All credits go to Jeanne Birdsall, and to all of your comments that keep me writing!

Chapter Eleven

Double Confrontation

Jane sat in bed, listening to music; engrossed in her writing. Sabrina Starr was battling the evil Count of Time- Demiatrus, as Mafiri overlooked, her hands fluttering like butterflies. The door swung open and Jane turned, prepared to see Skye huffing around as she had done since the night before, or Jeffrey, depressed, sadly realized what he did wrong. They were both a sight for sore eyes.

But, instead, she saw a bouquet of flowers and a pair of green jeans. The flowers descended and she was caught in Rex's stare.

"Hello, Jane. I'm sorry about your head." He handed her the flowers, and she placed them on her feet so that she may look at them.

"It's okay, now I can write more."

"A writer as well as a reader?" Rex raised his eyebrows, and pulled up a chair.

Jane nodded, "I write novels."

"A novelist. What is this one about?"

"Well, I focus all of them on Sabrina Starr, a heroine who rescues her love Rodolphus Baker by traveling back in time and writing an inscription into the book he was reading when she met him."

"Was that book perhaps Moby Dick?" Rex smiled, and the smell of mint toothpaste floated toward Jane.

"Well, yes…" Jane looked down.

Rex grinned at her, and kissed her cheek, "I came to invite you to a party my family is throwing for the fourth of July."

Jane nodded, "Yes, I'll come."

"I'll pick you up that night."

Soon Jane was alone again, leaving her to sigh and glance at her flowers every couple of minutes as she continued on through the pages of Mafiri (who was partially evil at the time), Rodolphus (who was throwing a party in the future, and wondering where Sabrina was), and Demiatrus (who was plotting to kill Sabrina before she could finish her quest to save her love).

Before long, Jane was asleep, which was a shame, because she missed all of the excitement.

Jeffrey sat with his head on the piano in his bedroom, watching the road where Skye was showing Timmy how to play soccer, and laughing as Timmy accidentally kicked it into the side of the house. It was in this way that he saw his mother's car drive up past Skye and heard the familiar voice shouting at Skye, calling her Jane.

He rushed downstairs, and alerted Batty, who was sitting with Ben eating yogurt. Aunt Claire, who was out on the porch, made an exclamation and walked inside. Seeing Jeffrey, she smiled and tilted her head towards the door.

"It appears your entourage has appeared." She frowned at the look on his face. "And, you aren't happy."

"I'm sorry. They always show up."

Skye came racing in through the garden door, and frowned when she saw that Jeffrey was there.

"Go, upstairs." she huffed, as Timmy appeared behind her, and sat on a stool next to Batty.

"No." Jeffrey looked away from her and to where Mrs. T-D was getting gracefully out of the car, and looking less gracefully at the house. She wore a glimmering white dress, a great green gem hanging from her neck. Her hair was pulled up into a french twist, her face cold.

"Jeffrey." She frowned as she stepped into the kitchen, and pursed her lips at Iantha, who had just emerged from the upstairs.

"Mother. What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question."

Skye made an angry noise, but Iantha quieted her with a look.

"I'm vacationing with the Penderwicks." Jeffrey raised his chin, the image of denial.

Mrs. T-D snorted rudely, "Well, I can very well see that!"

Jeffrey smiled, all of a sudden grinning, almost laughing in her face. "Go back home, Mother, you won't be able to take me away."

Mrs. T-D froze, "leave you here? Until when… You really think that I'm going to… let you stay?"

Jeffrey nodded. "I'll be back home by the fifth. I promise."

Mrs. T-D pursed her lips again, "are there any adults here anyway?"

Iantha stepped forwards, putting her hand on Jeffrey's shoulder, "I will drive him back to Arundel, personally."

"If he isn't there, I will never release him to school. He'll go to the military academy! I promise you that!" She turned and stalked out to where Dexter was waiting. Skye laughed and ran upstairs to her room.

Jeffrey wasn't sure what she was doing until she heard a scream and a bucket of water spilled down over the roof and onto the car where Mrs. T-D was kissing Dexter.

"Don't come back!" Skye shouted, and they didn't.

After hearing stories of Mrs. T-D's dreadful appearance, Rosalind took Skye for a walk along the beach, and Skye unloaded all she knew.

"Oh dear," Rosalind fretted, her feet bare on the sand. "Did you have to throw water on them?"

"Yes, it was the highlight of the visit!" Skye laughed and did a cartwheel.

As cartwheels were not usually in Skye's style, Rosalind could see how happy she was, so she relented.

"So you're still mad at Jeffrey?"

Skye stopped cartwheeling and looked at Rosalind, "how could you possibly know that I'm mad at Jeffrey?"

"Skye, I hate to break it to you, but you've never exactly been the subtlest person."

"Oh shuttup, Rosy." Skye grinned. "And I'm not exactly mad at him… I'm just, disappointed that he would mess around with… her." She was picking up speed, frowning, far from cartwheeling. "Because she's just wrong, and I thought that he was smart enough to know not to be interested. But he wasn't, and though I can't control stuff like that, but it just disappoints me."

Rosalind nodded, "Just to clarify, you're talking about Melody?"

Skye scowled, and it was answer enough for Rosalind.

Jane awoke with a start to find Jeffrey sitting in Rex's abandoned chair.

"Hi." She smiled.

"My mother sends her best regards."

"What?"

"She showed up, and Skye dumped water on her." He smiled painfully.

"Oh my god, Jeffrey, are you okay?" Jane sat up.

He nodded, "she's still mad at me."

Jane smiled pityingly. "I'm so sorry. Would you like me to read you the heartbreak from Sabrina Starr Rescues Her One Love?"

Jeffrey shrugged, "Do you like it?"

"Oh Jeffrey, It's wonderful… I've started capturing love truly. The ups and downs. But first, tell me about your friend Melody."

"There's nothing to tell. I stayed over at her house and watched a bit of TV, then walked home."

"Did she walk you home?" Jane had an heir that said she already knew.

Jeffrey nodded, "You've already talked to Skye haven't you?"

Jane nodded, putting on her best thoughtful face, "but she could've been exaggerating…?"

Jeffrey shook his head, looking defeated, "her mathematical mind probably accurately captured every second."

Jane opened her notebook, flipped through the pages to one particular glass.

"Sabrina Starr sighed, as she was in an unusually thoughtful mood. Sentimental, she was as she thought sadly of Rodolphus, and the particular manner he drawled when he spoke romantically. Sabrina was sitting with Mafiri on the edge of the Rowan cliff, waiting for Herbert Melville to finish his book. The time was near now, but she couldn't help but wonder whether he was thinking of her now. Was he wondering where she had gone? She sighed again, causing an outburst of speech from Mafiri, but for the first time, Sabrina wasn't paying attention. Her mind was somewhere else; in a different time."

Jeffrey nodded as Jane finished her speech, "that's good Jane."

Jane smiled, "don't beat yourself up, Jeffrey, Aslan shall return and Peter will return to comfort you. He has known heartbreak, if only from his sisters."

Jeffrey grinned, "one day I'll understand you, Jane."

And then he stood up to leave.