Disclaimer: See chapter 1

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Chapter 27

On the Lake

Shane sat leaning back against one of the canoes, song book balanced on his knees. He was sitting in such a way he had his head on the canoe, his face turned up to the sun and blue sky. To all appearances, he appeared to be enjoying the sunny day and the rare opportunity of being alone, especially since Nate and Jason had arrived at camp.

His thoughts however were not on the song he had just finished but on the conversation that he and Jason had had only that morning. One of the most important conversations he had ever had in his life and yes, he was placing it above the conversation that gave them their record deal.

Everything that he had told Jason had been the truth but for one thing that he had left out, and if he was honest with himself, the most important thing.

He was pretty sure that he was half-way in love with one of his best friends' sister.

He turned back to his song book, pulling his pencil out of his pocket and started to fine tune the song that he been writing. "Turn on the radio…"

Coming up on the lakeside path, Mitchie grinned to herself as she heard him singing. Pulling her hands out of her pockets, she jumped off the wooden path and moved down to the canoes. Dropping down to her knees, she leant on the canoe and over his shoulder, brushing back the hair from her face.

"Hey you, does your voice sound better over here?"

The smirk was clear in her voice and Shane leant backwards to look up at her, grinning himself.

"Why don't we take one of these out and find out."

"Are you crazy, Shane?" She laughed, reaching over to push his shoulder. "With our luck, we'll turn it upside down and end up in the Lake."

"Dare you!" He threw back as he rose to his feet before holding out a hand to Mitchie to help her up. "Come on, Mitchie, you know you want to."

"You do know that if I drown, Jason will promptly kill you." Mitchie stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's the second time today someone's threatened to kill me." Shane replied almost absently as he started to pull the canoe down to the lake shore. "And for once, I really don't think I did anything, well at least yet, to deserve it."

"You're mumbling, Gray." Mitchie called after him as she returned with life jackets.

"Don't forget the oars, Torres!" He only just managed to stop himself calling her Richmond.

One of the first things that had been agreed upon on discovering that Mitchie was indeed Jason's lost sister was that she would continue to use the Torres name for what was left of Camp. There were other reasons which Jason had refused to go into, saying that he had to speak to someone first, only saying that it was safer for Mitchie to continue with it.

Both her foster parents had been remarkably quick to agree, reminding Mitchie of the reporter that was looking for her. Mitchie had merely rolled her eyes at them all and had replied. "I wasn't going to argue with you, anyway, can you imagine what a certain blonde would be saying if it was suddenly announced that I was Jason's sister. I really could do without that."

Putting on their life jackets, the pair jumped into the canoe and started moving out onto the lake.

It wasn't long before the pair of them broke into laughter. No matter what they did, they somehow managed to move out onto the lake going round in circles.

Mitchie finally broke down in giggles, dropping her oar in the canoe. "I don't think we're very good at this canoeing thing, Shane."

"What, you don't like circles?" Shane shot back at her as he put his own oar in the canoe as well, "And with Jason for a brother as well, shame on you."

That had Mitchie really breaking into laughter as she slipped off her seat and into the bottom of the canoe. Once there, she sighed and looked up into the sky, taking the opportunity to enjoy the gentle breeze coming off the lake surface as it rustled through her hair.

"This is nice." She said softly, looking up at him. "I haven't felt like this for a while."

"Feeling a little pressured, Mitch."

"No, not pressured." Mitchie shook her head slightly, sitting up slightly and leaning her elbows on her bench seat. She shook her head and then turned it to one side, "Was that another new song, Mr Gray?"

"Indeed it was, Ms Torres." Shane replied with the same formal tone before laughing. "And no, this time you're going to have to wait. Nate and Jason get to hear this one first. You have to wait for Beach Jam."

"Shane! You're going to use the Campers as your guinea pigs." Mitchie exclaimed with a broad smile. "I am so proud of you."

"Can you think of a better target audience?"

"Well there is that." She agreed, before a puzzled look crossed her face.

Shane caught it and slipped carefully into the bottom of the canoe with her. "What?"

"Have you done anything about finding that girl you heard singing? You know, the one you said helped you remember." She looked at him through veiled lashes, wondering at the strange feeling she suddenly felt in her stomach.

"Jealous!" He asked, with a very peculiar look in his eyes. There was something in the way that she was looking at him that he found completely adorable and he had to fist his hands to stop himself reaching out to her.

"Jerk," She shot back, trying to suppress the weird sensation again at even thinking of someone else being with him like this.

"Hey being's a jerk part of the rock star image."

"That's pop star, Shane Gray, try to get it right." She stuck her tongue out at him "And it's something you're not anymore and you know it."

"Don't stick your tongue out at me, young lady." Shane gently pushed her leg. "And in answer to your question, no and you know that, Mitch. Word would have shot round the C.G like a shot if I had done something."

"But I thought you wanted to find her." Mitchie sat up, a puzzled look in her brown eyes as she bit her lip slightly. She found herself looking into his eyes and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks as she turned away slightly, suddenly shy before looking at him again.

For ever after, when asked, Shane swore that was the precise moment when he fell completely in love with Mitchie Torres-Richmond.

He swallowed, and then found that he had to swallow again. "Are you saying that I should use the C.G to find her?"

"Of course," Mitchie then grinned evilly. "I'm looking forward to the entertainment of watching the entire female population trying to convince you they are your girl with the voice."

"You are evil, Mitchie Torres, very evil." A wicked smile appeared on his face as sitting back on his seat; he reached over the side of the boat and splashed her.

"Oh you so did not do that. Gray, you are dead." Mitchie immediately pulled herself up onto her seat and promptly grabbed her oar.

As the pair indulged in their water fight, they remained unaware of the eyes once again watching them from the banks of the lake.

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Here we go, a pure Smitchie chapter.

Some of you have commented on just how mature Jason and Shane were in the previous chapter, well, this is Shane and Jason after all.
I sincerely believe they live to shock people, me especially. I had no idea they were going to be this way until the words fell from my
fingers.

Well I hope you all enjoy your new chapter (and I'm sure all of you know the identity of one of the watchers, so no competition here.)

Look forward to the shouts of glee as always