Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!
Warring Hearts, Part 3
Leigh sat outside next to the pool, absently twirling the orchid between her fingers. She tapped it against her lips as she watched the others swimming. It was a little after lunch. She had woken up with it in her hand and she had no idea how it got there. She saw Jonathon throw his sister into the pool and then being pushed in by his two brothers. She couldn't stifle the small laugh that escaped her lips.
"I was meaning to ask you how your talk with him went?" asked Victoria as she turned and looked at Leigh. They were sitting in the shade.
"It was going all right until he kissed me," Leigh replied as she replaced the orchid in the small vase next to her on the table, "then it just went downhill from there."
"Randy said she heard you two yelling at each other," Victoria commented as she took a sip of her cranberry juice.
Leigh rolled her eyes and sighed. "We were."
"Want to say why?"
"Because I didn't want him to kiss me for every time that he does, my brain turns to mush and I automatically take him back. But not this time and I told him so. And because I asked him a question he couldn't even answer."
"And what question would that be?" Victoria asked as she pushed up her sunglasses.
"He apologized, which was good, but I wanted him to say something more. I was basically asking him how he felt about me and he didn't answer," Leigh admitted ruefully.
"Why did you ask him that?" Victoria asked, puzzled.
"Because not once in the years that we've been together has he told me that he loved me."
Victoria's mouth fell open in shock. "You're kidding me!"
"I wish I was, but he has never told me that he loves me. He says he cares about me, but never anything more then that," Leigh said, frowning.
"Oh Leigh, I'm sorry," Victoria said sympathetically.
"Don't be. I know where I stand now. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. And it proves that he doesn't love me, like I love him."
"Don't say that Leigh, he probably does, he just doesn't know how to say it. Most guys don't."
"How often does Chris tell you?"
"Plenty. He never seems to have trouble saying it to me. I can see it in his eyes too," Victoria said softly as she rubbed her belly lightly. She was in her third month of pregnancy.
Her action made Leigh smile faintly. "This is sad. I'm older then you and you're already married with a baby and another one on the way."
Victoria laughed. "You're not that much older then me. Only three months." Her face turned serious again. "But he's never told you even once?"
"No, he hasn't. I don't know what it is with him though. You constantly hear David telling Kellie that he loves her and Miles even told Randy he loved her. But never once has he said it."
Victoria frowned as she looked towards the pool at her brother in law. He was being currently trying to be drowned by her other brother in law. "They're funny that way I guess."
"How do you mean?" Leigh asked, stumped.
"Maxwells. They're just a certain way that's all. I mean they're very open with what they feel for the most part. The positive feelings anyway. They seem to give their affection readily."
"Hey babe, what are you two talking about?" asked Chris as he bounded over to his wife and Leigh. He bent down and gave Victoria a kiss.
"Girl talk," Victoria replied. She made a face when his wet face touched hers. "Chris, you're dripping wet and it's getting all over me."
"You complain too much," Chris said unrepentantly. He pressed another kiss on her pouting lips. "So what are you talking about?"
"How much you're brother is a baka," Leigh answered freely.
"I take it you mean Jonathon," Chris asked as he shoved his damp bangs out of his face.
Leigh sighed. "Of course I mean Jonathon."
Chris frowned a little. "What did he do?"
"It's what he didn't do," Leigh said as she got up from the lounge chair and went inside the house, taking her orchid with her.
Chris's frown grew deeper. He knew exactly what she was talking about. He sat down at the foot of Victoria's lounge chair and continued to look in the direction Leigh had gone. He looked back at his wife. "Did she tell you what he didn't do?"
"She said that he's never told her that he loved her. Can you believe it! Your brother is a baka!" Victoria exclaimed loudly.
Chris grimaced a little. "I already knew that he hasn't told her."
She smacked his arm. "You knew and you didn't tell me!"
"Hey! Watch with the smacking babe, that hurts more on wet skin. But yes, he said it to David and I the yesterday at breakfast. I thought he was going to tell her."
"Why didn't you tell me!"
Chris sighed and shook his head. "I saw no reason to. I thought he was going to tell her last night, but apparently he didn't by what you're saying." He looked over his shoulder at Jonathon, who was standing on the diving board, being a showoff. "He hasn't given any indication that there's anything wrong."
"You Maxwells are all alike. You never tell anyone anything if something is bothering you," Victoria snorted.
"Don't forget you're a Maxwell now too princess," he said rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, only by marriage, not by blood," she replied shaking her head. She placed her hand over her abdomen. "I hope this kid or Alex don't end up like your side."
Chris wrinkled his nose. "So we're a little prideful and don't like to share. No different then a emotionless and "if you look at me the wrong way, I will kick your ass Yuy."
"I resent that remark!"
"Well your nickname was ice princess," he said dryly, "and you did kick a few asses here and there. Except for mine."
It was Victoria's turn to roll her eyes. "So I never kicked your ass to the curb, although I should have. Don't think you're special or anything. But enough about us, Jonathon and Leigh is the topic."
"I think we should just let well enough alone."
"Your brother needs a talking too as well as having me smack him around a bit."
"You women always want to meddle. Just leave it alone Victoria. Let them sort it out themselves without the outside interference. See how well it went for my sister when Vaughn went poking his nose in."
"That's her. Jonathon needs to tell her that he loves her or else he really will lose her this time. It's a known fact that Wufei doesn't particularly care for him dating Leigh."
"Wufei just doesn't want a Maxwell marrying into his family. Randy's the only one he seems to care for since she's a girl and she's earned his respect from martial arts. My dad still drives him nuts for the sheer hell of it and he groups Jonathon, David, and myself into that category."
"You three also had reputations with girls," Victoria pointed out.
"Well I know Jonathon and I did, but David didn't advertise it like we did. He dated a lot of girls but he never talked about them. That's the only reason Wufei doesn't like Jonathon dating Leigh is because of that."
"My dad didn't like your reputation either and he still let me marry you."
"I was his godson to begin with. He couldn't very well go and kill me. I think he would have made me marry you if I hadn't asked you, only because I was sleeping with you."
Victoria shoved her bangs up with one hand, the sunlight catching her diamond engagement ring. "I think you lorded that over my dad too. He couldn't kill you because your dad would have gone after him. But this is not about us. This is about Jonathon and Leigh. We have to do something and right now I'm going to drag your brother out of the pool by his ear and tell him what he should do." She stood up abruptly and was intent on marching over to the water when she felt Chris latch his arms around her hips. "Let go Chris."
"You're not going to do anything woman. You're going to stay right here in the shade and sip your drink like a good girl. You are going to stay out of this. And I mean it," Chris said sternly, his cobalt eyes boring into hers. He pulled her down across his lap. He pressed his forehead against hers. "Promise me that you won't get involved in this Victoria." He laced his hands through hers, his wedding band coming to rest next to hers.
She looked into his eyes. She sighed reluctantly. "All right, I won't get involved. I promise. Now can I get off your lap, you're making my shirt and shorts wet."
He let out a breath of relief and then he smirked, standing up, hauling her up against his chest. "You really do complain too much. It's only water. Or are your clothes getting a little to wet for you to wear?"
Heated color bloomed in her cheeks. "Christopher!"
Chris laughed and gave her a sound kiss before putting her back down on the lounge chair. "And what were you thinking?"
Victoria scowled at him. "Go on, get lost devil, before I find a way to hurt you."
"That a promise?" he asked, grinning before pressing another kiss on her sulking lips and running back to the pool.
"Braided baka," she muttered under her breath as she watched him dive off the edge, headfirst. She glanced back towards the house, where Leigh had disappeared. "Well I promised not to get involved but I as sure as hell don't have to like it."
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Jonathon had been watching Leigh out of the corner of his eye the entire time. He saw her talking to Victoria and he saw a surprised look cross her face. He knew that Leigh had to be talking about him. He had also noticed that she had the orchid in her hands. He felt bad for what happened the night before. He groaned a little when he saw Chris make his way over to them and her swift departure. He frowned inwardly. He didn't want anyone else to know that he had screwed up with Leigh again. But that was impossible from the look he saw his sister in law give him when she thought he wasn't looking. "Man, if Victoria has her way she'll beat my ass into submission until I tell Leigh. I just know that's what they were talking about. "
Chris surfaced and watched Jonathon sit down on the edge of the pool, with a reserved expression on his face. He swam over to his younger brother and hoisted himself up next to him. "Thinking about anything in particular?"
Jonathon gave his brother a dry look. "What do you think?"
"Oh I don't know, just that I heard from my dear wife that an idiot brother of mine didn't tell a certain girl his feelings for her. And now the wife wants to kick his ass to make him tell," Chris drawled, one brow arching in question.
Jonathon let his head fall back. "So you found out that I didn't tell her."
"I thought you were going to you dope!" Chris hissed at him.
"I was! But it got all messed up and it just…oh hell why am I defending myself to you!" Jonathon sputtered indignantly.
"Dammit Jonathon, where's the lady killer brother that boasted he could have any woman he wanted?"
"That doesn't work on Leigh and I won't use it on her. I have a little more respect for her then to be a smooth talker!"
"Oh and you didn't respect those other girls?" Chris asked, his forehead furrowing.
"Not like I do her! And like you're one to talk! You were just as bad as me!" Jonathon retorted, his eyes narrowing a little.
"Yeah, but at least I told the one that I loved that I loved her!" Chris shot back.
"You slept with her first or don't you remember! It was the only way that you two would admit your feelings for each other!" Jonathon gritted out.
"This isn't about me! This is about you're inability to admit your feelings to Leigh! You're going to lose her if you don't say anything!"
"Don't you think I know that! I've tried all right! It doesn't come as easy for me as it did for you!"
"Stop being a coward!"
"I'm not a coward!"
"Wanna bet?" Chris growled.
Jonathon ground his teeth together. "Do you want me to beat the shit out of you?"
Chris glared right back. "I think it would be me, beating the shit out of you!" He stood up, looking down at him. "Come on."
Jonathon stood up and faced his older brother. Chris was an inch taller, but they both weighed about the same. And their strength was about the same. He looked him in the eye. Cobalt and cobalt clashed frostily. "So you want me to kick your ass in front of your wife? Fine with me."
"Someone should have beat some sense into you about this years ago," Chris flared, coming toe to toe with Jonathon.
Both men continued to glare at each other, not noticing that the others had stopped to watch.
Duo came out, following Randy, after she had come in to tell him that Chris and Jonathon looked like they were about to have it out. He saw them giving each other glacial looks. "All right you two, what's going on?" he asked as he reached them.
Neither of them answered.
"I'm waiting," Duo asked shortly, his eyes bouncing between his two oldest.
"Nothing," Jonathon replied in a clipped voice. "Nothing at all."
Chris snorted at his reply.
"It certainly doesn't seem like nothing," Duo said pointedly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Care to tell me?"
"No," Jonathon answered as he turned on his heel and stalked off, fuming silently.
Duo sighed and watched his son's retreating back. He looked at Chris. "You want to tell me what you two were ready to kill each other for?"
"It was nothing dad. Just leave it at that for now," Chris said, as he shot a fulminating look at Jonathon's back before turning on his heel and making his way towards his wife.
Duo raked his hand through his hair in agitation. He glanced at Randy. "Do you know?"
"Nope, I only saw them about to fight. I didn't hear their conversation," Randy said as she shrugged her shoulders. She gave him a rueful smile. "But I wouldn't worry about it. They'll both cool down in a little while." She gave him another smile and jumped back into the pool.
Duo frowned deeply. "Why can I never get a straight answer out of any of my kids?" he mumbled under his breath as he went back to the house.
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Jonathon went into the house, bypassing all the other rooms and going straight to the kitchen. He opened the freezer and stood in front of it, taking deep breaths to calm his temper.
Leigh went into the kitchen to get another drink for herself. She was brought up short when she saw him standing in front of the icebox.
He heard someone's footfalls on the tiled floor. He lifted his head off his arms and glanced towards the door. His eyes widened a little when he saw it was Leigh.
She didn't say anything for a moment. "I didn't know you were inside the house," she said once she regained her voice.
"I was hot and Chris and I needed to be separated before we kill each other," he replied as he closed the freezer door to look at her.
"And why were you two fighting in the first place?" Leigh asked curiously.
"About you. It seems you told Victoria about last night and she wasted no time in telling my brother, who promptly talked to me. And now I'll never hear the end of it thanks to you," Jonathon said waspishly.
"It's not my fault," she said, her ire sparked at his tone.
"Yes it is! You could never keep your mouth shut about what I did wrong to anyone. And every time we break up, I'm the one who takes all the blame!"
Her nostrils flared as she stared at him. "You're being an asshole and I don't have to take this crap from you."
"Well I'm sorry, but you have to. You're just as much to blame as I am," he said accusingly.
"This time it really is your fault, you inconsiderate blockhead!" she snapped angrily.
"At least I'm not a loose lipped bitch!"
"I hate you!"
"The feeling right now is mutual sweetheart!"
Leigh turned on her heel at his final insult and slammed the kitchen door. "Damn that bastard!"
Jonathon whirled around on his heel and slammed the other kitchen door. "Stupid woman!"
A/N: Can it get any worse then this? Stay tuned for more coming soon! XOXO!!
