Chapter Fourteen:

The next morning, Lady Capulet woke up from a terrible nightmare. In her dream, the act that the Montagues and the Capulets were putting on became real. Lady Montague actually touched her and called her by her first name. Indeed, a frightful dream. Lady Capulet shook her sleeping husband awake.

"Honey, we have to stop this."

"What?" Lord Capulet drowsily replied.

"This act, if I have to have another cup of tea with Lady Montague and the Prince while smiling till my cheeks hurt, I'll go mad, absolutely mad."

"Please, it's just tea. Compared to what I have to say to Lord Montague in front of the Prince, tea would be quite nice. Thou are only exaggerating."

"Exaggerating! Do you know how that woman hides her insults in thick finger sandwiches and lustrous words! She a villain! She tricks every one into thinking she's the victim, but she's a villain, an utter villain!"

"Peace! Be still, and quiet!" Lord Capulet yelled at his wife. Lady Capulet bit her tongue and got out of bed. She called for a maid and told her to tell the cooks to start cooking. A hour or so later, the Capulets were gathered around the table, feasting on a delicious breakfast. Lady Capulet peeked over to see Juliet touch nothing on her plate.

"Juliet? Why are ye not eating?" Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"Still full from last night I guess." Juliet sighed and pushed her plate away.

"But you barely ate anything last night." Tybalt reminded everyone.

"That's right, you didn't even lay a finger on the venison. Juliet, why aren't you eating?" Lady Capulet strangled her hankie, a cloth used for emergency.

"Tis nothing, really." Juliet's tone hinted that it was end of discussion, and just to satisfy her mother, Juliet took the plate and shoved all the food into her mouth. Lady Capulet looked at this display in disgust.

"Juliet! Is that any way a lady eats her meals!?"

"I didn't know spending a couple of months living with a single man was lady like." Juliet shrugged. Lady Capulet's eyes grew into slits, she became red all the way to the ears and her lips pursed together, making them completely disappear.

"Don't you ever say anything to do with those Montagues or their retched son. Juliet, that house should be burned for the way they act."

"And what is the way they act, mother? You seem to know them so well, it's almost like you're part of the Montague family." Juliet did it now, Lady Capulet stood up, slamming her hands on the table. Even Tybalt had to shake a little.

"We only cooperated with those people for your sake. Better to sleep with the snakes then to leave you alone with them."

"You can't hide it forever, the fact that you hate them. What will you do when this charade becomes transparent? Beg?" Juliet threw her napkin on the plate and pranced out of the room. The men didn't know what to think of what they had just witnessed. But Juliet's words had Lord Capulet worried, and Lady Capulet felt trapped. Lord Capulet glanced at Tybalt and Tybalt chased after Juliet down the stoney halls.

"Juliet! Wait Juliet!" Tybalt finally caught up and grabbed her arm. Juliet didn't want to talk to Tybalt, her mother, or anybody at all. "What's gotten into you? Last night you were overcome with joy and now you're acting like it's the end of the world."

"Tybalt, I don't want to hear it."

"What did he do to you out there?"

"I said, I don't want to hear it!" Juliet slapped Tybalt's hand away.

"Juliet.." Tybalt was hushed, Juliet's face was very pale and weary, she felt distant to him. "Why won't you talk to me anymore?"

Juliet laughed, she rolled her eyes and looked out the window into the wilderness surrounding the Capulets' home stead. "Even if I told you, you wouldn't listen."

"Try me."

"No."

"Juliet." Tybalt growled threatening, he was a very straightforward man who hated secrets, exceptional ones so obviously involving the Montagues.

"Tybalt, have y6ou ever been in love?"

"Love?"

"Yeah, inapplicable, unrealistically, and uncompromising love?"

"You mean Paris?"

"Never mind. Fare well Tybalt." Juliet continued her walk without giving Tybalt a second thought. Juliet spent the rest of the morning avoiding anything that could talk or breath and finally felt so constricted that she had to get out. So it was time to do some shopping with Cordelia and unfortunately, Paris as well.

The streets of Verona were wide awake by eleven thirty and erupted with noise. Children running around, vendors yelling and selling, guards keeping watch out for any shoplifters, and Cordelia humming in delight as she scanned the array of fruits and vegetables. She finally picked up an apple when Juliet scoffed.

"Not ripe enough."

"And when did you become an expert at this?"

"Since I had to take care of a man." Juliet groaned, Paris opened his mouth, "Oh no need to worry, I took no joy in it." Since arriving back to Verona, lying had become unsettling easy for Juliet. She felt like everything was a heavy lie now and the more she told the more she sunk deeper into this pit.

"Oh I wasn't worried at all, after all, you and I will one day be joined. I was simply preparing to compliment you on being so knowledgeable about such small things. Noble women don't realize the importance of these things." It was hard to tell if Paris's comment was really meant to be a compliment, at least to Juliet. Cordelia nudged Juliet and Juliet let out a squeal.

"Yes well, I used to have to do all of Romeo's shopping." She smiled, just saying his name made Juliet's thoughts turn to life on Mantua with Romeo and all the things they went through.

"Romeo? He sounds very important to you." Paris felt threatened by the sound of his name, considering how much time Juliet spent with Romeo at the dinner last night. Ever since he met her, he heard nothing from her mouth but Romeo. Paris himself never really hated the Montagues, but the way that Juliet fawned over Romeo didn't sit right in Paris's heart.

"Not really, more like a brother." Juliet glanced at Cordelia and Cordelia nodded. The three left the stall and continued their journey further down. It was mostly small talk, about the weather and such. Non of it really meant anything to Juliet, but hearing her speak made Paris go up to cloud nine. He was falling deep and felt like the luckiest man in the world. Which is very unfortunate for Juliet.

"I noticed the necklace around your neck." Paris pointed to Romeo's gift on Juliet's collar bone.

"Oh this old thing?" Juliet blushed slightly.

"It's a rather dull jewel for a woman of your stature, don't you think?"

"Come again?" Juliet growled, Cordelia pinched Juliet's hand in warning to keep it cool. Paris smiled widely and pulled out a silver embroidered box.

"When I saw it, I thought this would suit you better." He opened the box to expose a large sapphire stone on a heavy chain. The stone was as big as Juliet's head and sparkled when the sun hit it. It must have cost a fortune and well worth the money, for it's beauty was beyond compare and far more delightful to look at than Romeo's dinky little pearl. However, Juliet was no ordinary noble woman and hated how big it looked.

"Thank you but I'm fine with this."

"No please, I insist." Paris didn't wait for another rejection and put the chain around Juliet's neck, the jewel plopped on her chest and she felt an extra three pounds way her down. Paris also took off the simple necklace and attempted to throw it away. Although, on it's travel to the cobble stone path, a gentle hand caught it.

"Now that's no way to treat a lady's accessories." Romeo flashed a wicked smile at Paris and Paris had to curse underneath his breath.

"Good day Romeo." Juliet curtsed and Romeo bowed.

"A good day to you Juliet, Cordelia."

"Romeo." Cordelia's tone insinuated that she wasn't pleased with the way he treated Paris. Romeo shook off her glaring eyes and took Juliet's hand.

"Your 'jewel' m'lady." He let the pearl drop into her hand. "So doing a little shopping today?"

"Oh yes, apparently all the fruit in my room has rotten since I last saw them."

"That and Juliet volunteered to make dinner tonight." Cordelia bumped into Juliet and the two friends giggled a little. Paris glared down at Romeo's hand which has still holding onto Juliet.

"Juliet cooking huh? I have to admit I miss her cooking."

"Oh please, you used to complain about my cooking all the time."

"That's only when you started cooking. After a month or so, it became the food of the Gods."

"Is that so?" Paris interrupted, his hand reached up and ripped Juliet's hand from Romeo's.

"Yeah," Romeo stared at Paris with murderous intent, something had learned from Tybalt's glares. There was a long silence as the two had a staring contest, winner take all. Benvolio could smell a confrontation and pushed Romeo a little to tell him to 'snap out of it!'.

"Why don't we all go shopping together! Romeo and I were looking for some new blades." Benvolio glanced at Cordelia for help.

"Yes! We should, Paris, weren't you telling me last night how much you loved swords?"

"I hear that you, Juliet, also have an interest in the weapon." Paris squeezed Juliet's hand.

"I think you are mistaken, Paris, I have no interest in weapons, just the fight." Juliet forced her hand out of Paris's grip. The five walked to a stall at the town center, it seemed so surreal to Juliet to be returning to this place. Where it all began, where she first saw Romeo.

The stall itself was rather large with a overhang, it a large variety, beginning with wide blades even to the smallest dagger. As one could imagine, Benvolio and Romeo became entranced with the objects, Paris however was more concerned with Romeo. While Romeo was pointing out a war sword to Benvolio, Paris was contemplating Romeo's intentions toward Juliet. Cordelia saw this and wondered how poor Paris would react if he knew that Romeo and Juliet were already deep in love. It made her sigh, heavy in heart with being the only outsider to know about the exchange. It had been more than enough that Juliet had grown to be such a tomboy, Cordelia must have realized she would also become the only Capulet in the history to ever fall for a Montague. The whole thing sounded just right for Juliet's character.

Juliet tugged at the collar that caused her so much grief since Paris put it around her neck. She tried her best to enjoy looking at the new items but it was difficult to bend over, the chain would tug harder whenever she leaned.

"Give me a break." She cursed under her breath.

"That's quite the... thing you have there." Romeo whispered, he had casually worked his way around Paris and Benvolio to be at Juliet's side.

"He's driving me crazy."

"He isn't that bad. Maybe a little too serious."

"I'm sure he's worse than your fiancee."

"I haven't even met her yet, and I don't plan to, you can count on that." Romeo smiled at Juliet and hidden by the shade, took her hand gently in his.

"I see." Juliet felt such a force to touch Romeo more, but the presence of Paris trying to catch a glimpse was too much for her. "I've got to get this thing off me."

"I don't know about that, it has a certain appeal." Romeo joked.

"Romeo." Juliet growled.

"Yes, m'lady?" He chuckled. It made Juliet angrier every moment that he joked about this. That was all he seemed to do since they got back. She felt frustrated that he didn't feel frustrated. She wondered if he even cared either way. Didn't Romeo hate seeing Paris take Juliet's hand, or talk about marriage? Was he hiding his emotions or did he really think that all was well.

"Be angry, darn it." Juliet thought.