Disclaimer: I don't own them, except for the kids!
Changing Seasons, Part 12
Donavon found her in the greenhouse. He stopped for a moment to watch her as she sat on the edge of the indoor fishpond. He took in every inch of her and committed it to his memory as he had done thousands of times during the years. In his own mind, there was no one as special as she was. Her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail that trailed halfway down her back. She was dressed casually, in jeans and a deep red tank top with matching flip-flops. "Randy," he said softly.
Randy lifted her head when she heard him call her name. She knew what his voice sounded like in all tones. She turned to look at him. He was standing amidst the fronds of miniature palms and lush flowers. He looked like a little boy with his hands shoved into the pockets of his cargo shorts and his russet hair flopping over his forehead. "Donavon," she returned quietly as she looked back down at the koi swimming around in the water.
He walked over to her and sat down across from her. He didn't say anything as she brushed her hand over the rippling surface of the water, making the fish shy away. He dipped his hand into the water, his fingers skimming over the water's surface until they touched hers. When she didn't move them, his curved his fingers around hers. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing in particular I suppose," she replied as she looked up at him. "You mostly." She looked at their intertwined fingers. "How well do you think we know each other Donavon?"
"I would say very well. We seem to be able to read each other fairly easily."
"If that's the case, how come you were able to hide your feelings for me, from me? I never even guessed that you did."
"It was something I hid away because I didn't know how you would react if I told you," he said as he watched her face. "You've always meant more to me then anyone else. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you. You know everything about me. And there's nothing that I don't know about you."
"I suppose there isn't much that we don't know about each other," Randy said as the corner of her lip quirked slightly. "There are a few things however that I've never told you. You want to hear it?"
"Sure, why not?" he replied as he lifted their hands out of the water and placed them on the marble between them.
"I had a crush on you when we were little. You were really the first guy I had a crush on. I was probably eight or nine years old when it started. I was glad I was your dance partner in the ballroom dancing classes since it meant that I would always be close to you. It was heaven for me, but I hid it from you because I didn't want you to find out that I liked you."
Donavon's lips parted with surprise. "You had a crush on me?"
She nodded her head. "I was crazy about you, but I didn't tell anyone or else I would've suffered death by teasing by my brothers and your oh so wonderful cousin, Vaughn. But as I got older, it changed a little. I wanted you to notice me, but you never seemed to treat me more then a close friend. Around my sixteenth birthday, I passed it off as a schoolgirl's hopeless crush."
"You just dismissed it?" he asked as he looked into her eyes.
"I did, and I started flirting with your brother. I was naïve enough to go after someone who was several years older then I. But something always stayed with me. It was that little voice inside my head that constantly nagged me about how I used to think I felt about you. Veronica even said I was only using Miles as a substitute since I wouldn't go after you."
"And were you using him as a substitute for me?"
"I don't know. Maybe not consciously. But when you kissed me that night, any doubts that I had about my feelings for you went out the window. I still had those strong feelings for you. Romantic ones that I had denied myself to admit for three years because I was too afraid to lose you if I had you and I didn't want to break your heart and ruin our friendship. Then that night when we got drunk and when I slowly began to remember what had happened," she said as she looked down at their laced fingers. "It took one night and a bottle of Sake to get me to admit what I really felt for you."
"And what was that? I can't seem to remember much after I first kissed you and then you kissing me back."
"I blurted out "I love you." And even though I told you that I would think about it, I know what I said that night was true. I love you Donavon," she said faintly as she closed her eyes.
He sat stock-still. "She really loves me? She really loves me?" He lifted her chin up with his other hand, making her eyes open. He searched her cobalt eyes that he knew so well. He could always tell when she was happy because her eyes would glitter like blue jewels, or when she was sad because they would become cloudy and lose their sparkle, and when she was angry, because they turned black as midnight, sparking with an inner fire. And right now, they were so clear, so honest. "Do you?" he asked, hopefully.
"Yes, I love you. I admit that I do. You're my best friend. You've always been that other half of me and when I'm with you, I just can't explain what it makes me feel."
"And you know how you make me feel?"
"How?"
"You make me feel good inside. Anything you do makes me love you all the more. I love everything about you. There's nothing I don't love about you even when you're acting your worst."
Randy smiled slightly.
"But I know the you that you don't let anyone see unless it's your family. When you lived with me in New York and I got to be with you everyday and every night, I saw what you didn't show everyone else. I saw the softer more feminine side of you that you rarely would let me see," Donavon explained as he stroked her chin with his thumb. "I liked seeing you first thing in the morning, with your hair all messy and you're walking around in boxers and a t-shirt. And seeing you actually wear a dress for no reason at all."
"I felt I could be who I really was with you and Vaughn. Even though he can be a blabber mouth, he can be trusted with some things," she said as she lowered her eyes a little.
"And what I liked the most, was the way you would fall asleep on me if we watched TV late at night. It would feel good having you in my arms, all curled up. Then I would have to carry you to bed and for a moment sometimes, I would just watch you sleep. You looked so innocent, so much like a little girl. Those were the times I loved the most was when it was just the two of us and Vaughn."
"You put me to bed an awful lot I suppose. I never knew that you watched me though. But I did like falling asleep against you. You made a very good pillow," Randy said as her smile grew even more.
Donavon stared into her eyes that he could always lose himself in. Even if she didn't know it, her eyes were like lethal weapons. Once you lost yourself in her eyes, there was no way of getting out. He raked his teeth across his lips as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you Randy. I mean it. You've always been the one that owned my heart and it will always be yours. Nothing will change that. I'll never lie to you or hurt you. I promise you that."
"I know you do. I can see it in your eyes. I know that I love you and now you know that you do. I'm not afraid of you breaking my heart since I know your love will never change. But you did lie to Veronica because you never told her the real reason you broke up with her in the first place," Randy said as she searched his eyes.
"I didn't lie to Veronica. What I basically told her was that I was going through some things that I had to do alone. I cared very much about Veronica. I wanted to show myself that I could be with another girl. But it didn't work and so I broke up with her. My feelings were too conflicting. I was being unfair to her and I didn't want to be. So I broke up with her and for more then two years I watched you with my brother," he said quietly.
She gave him and understanding smile.
"God, I loved you so much then and…"
Randy placed her finger against his lips and shook her head. "Shh…You talk too much Donavon." She leaned forward and kissed him soundly then she leaned away again. "Now, do you have anything more to say?"
He gave her a dazed look.
Randy laughed softly and shook her head. "I didn't think so. You always talk too much when you're nervous. And I believe kissing you is the only effective way to shut you up."
Donavon grinned at her and hauled her onto his lap and kissed her again. He smirked when he lifted his lips from hers. "And I think it's a good way to keep you quiet."
Her smirk turned wicked. "Oh I think you could find other ways to keep me quiet and in line." She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. The rim of it turned beet red. She leaned away with a satisfied smile on her lips. "Well, what do you think?"
His mouth opened but nothing came out. His face was still flaming with color. He shook his head. "And is your mind always that…"
"Oh I think you'll like me having a dirty mind. Trust me."
Donavon gave her a skeptical look.
She sighed and kissed him again, sucking his lower lip between hers.
His hands tightened around her waist. He had always dreamed of her kissing him like this. Her lips parted and he slipped his tongue in, stroking the roof of her mouth. Then he sucked her tongue into his mouth before pulling away. He grinned up at her again. "Does that qualify as being an effective means of keeping you in line?"
Randy licked her lips and gave him an evil smile that only a Maxwell could make. "You think you can discipline me? Come and try it in a more private place and let's see if you can do it."
"All right sweetheart, you're on," Donavon said as he stood up, holding onto her hand tightly.
She followed him out, grasping his hand. They reached the pool. "My room or yours?" she teased.
He looked over his shoulder at her and pulled towards him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again.
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Vaughn sat in the shade of the porch with Jet and Damien. He looked over towards the pool and saw Donavon and Randy kissing. He grinned. "Well look what we have here," he drawled as he stood. He looked over his shoulder at his brother and at Jet. He started his way over to the kissing, oblivious couple.
Damien and Jet looked at each other, having no idea what Vaughn was up to.
Vaughn walked over and observed for a moment, his violet eyes glittering mischievously. "I think I should give them a surprise," he said to himself. And with a few quiet steps he gave them a light push, shoving them both into the water. He burst out into laughter.
Damien rolled his eyes. "Allah, why can't my brother ever grow up?" he sighed.
Jet shook his head. "Nineteen, going on twelve all over again.
Vaughn fell back onto the lounge chair, laughing hysterically.
Randy and Donavon both sputtered as they surfaced, turning their eyes towards Vaughn.
Vaughn peeked his eyes open at them and grinned. "Well I see you two have finally come up for air. And in more ways then one."
"You!" Randy yelled at him, her face coloring slightly.
"Yeah sweetheart?" he asked with more amusement.
Her lips twisted into a devilish grin. She hauled herself out of the pool. She motioned Vaughn towards her with her finger. "Come here blondie."
"Hell no, I'm not crazy," Vaughn said as he climbed out of the chair, standing behind it. He looked towards his cousin, who was in the process of climbing out of the pool. "Can't you control your woman?"
Donavon rolled his eyes. "No."
"Oh shit!" Vaughn exclaimed as Randy made a grab for him.
"Come here Winner! It's time I kicked your skinny ass to the curb!" Randy shouted as she chased after him.
Donavon shook his head and looked up at the sky. "The woman I love is a maniac. Oh well, can't have her sweet all the time," he sighed.
"WINNER GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!"
"COLD DAY IN HELL!"
Their shouting brought out many of the others. And they all couldn't conceal their amusement as Randy chased Vaughn around the pool into the house and out again, then through the compound before they came running back.
Vaughn leapt into the pool to save himself, with Randy close behind.
Donavon caught her around the waist before she vaulted herself into the pool after his hapless cousin. "All right love, that's enough."
Her hair was hanging in limp cords around her face. "That little weasel has yet to have his butt kicked by yours truly. And I'm not passing up this opportunity. So let go and I can hurt him in some small way," she said in an eerily sweet tone.
"Nope, not with that hellish look in your eyes," Donavon said firmly as he tightened his hold on her.
"Please," Randy pouted, giving him sad soulful eyes that had always worked on her dad, her brothers, Miles, and most other men that she came into contact with.
He shook his head. "That look won't work on me baby. You can pout all day and I won't budge an inch."
Her mouth fell open. "You really weren't kidding when you said you wouldn't let me walk all over you." Her lips twisted for a moment. She batted her eyes, turning an innocent smile on him. "Pretty please with sugar on top?"
Donavon sighed. "It's not going to get you anywhere Randy."
"I can't convince you to let me go?"
"No."
"I can make you glad you did," she said, giving him a sultry smile.
"That won't work either."
"You're no fun," Randy said sulked.
He set her on her feet. "There's only one way to settle this." He pulled her close and kissed her hard to the astonishment of everyone else, who just stared.
After a few moments, he lifted his lips off of hers. He watched as her eyes fluttered open. "Now are you going to be good?"
Randy gave him a dazed smile. "I think you just kissed the socks off of me if I was wearing them, but yes, I'll be good. But I promise I won't make a habit of it."
Donavon smiled with relief. He looked over his shoulder at everyone else. They were still looking on with surprise and shock written all over their faces. "I think we got everyone thoroughly dumbfounded, don't you?"
She gave him a smirk. "I think so. Want to shock them again?"
"Can't say no to that," he said as he pulled her tight and kissed her again. "I love you," he whispered against her lips.
"I love you too," Randy replied as she kissed him back.
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Duo chuckled and draped his arm around Hilde. "Now I think that settles that. I think she'll be very happy with him."
Hilde rolled her eyes. "You know best."
"Don't I?" he said, his voice laced with laughter.
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Jonathon smiled. "At least I helped make my sister happy. Maybe I should do the same for myself," he said as he cast a furtive glance in Leigh's direction.
Leigh couldn't stop her smile. "Now that's a definite match made in heaven. Too bad I couldn't say the same for myself and Jonathon," she said as she watched him out of the corner of her eye.
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"Now that's love for you," Veronica sighed as she propped her hands on her hips and looked on enviously at her ex and her best friend.
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Vaughn hauled himself out of the pool and sat on the edge watching the kissing couple. "Can't you two get a room?" he asked mildly.
Donavon and Randy looked over at him. "Be careful Vaughn, I just saved your ass from being kicked by my girlfriend. I can always let her finish," he said, arching his brow.
Vaughn shook his head wildly. "All right, my lips are sealed. Keep on kissing."
"Thought you might say that," Donavon chuckled as he looked down at Randy. "Well you heard him, I'm going to keep on kissing you. Forever."
"I would like that very much," Randy said faintly as his mouth covered hers once again in a long sensuous kiss.
A/N: YAY! All done! Sappy to the hilt baby! Hope you enjoyed this story! I enjoyed writing it! But you all know that this "family sagas" I got going on are far from over! So stay tuned for more coming soon! XOXO!!