Chapter Twenty-three
Iria and Leila arrived home with several boxes and bags each, which they carried up to their rooms themselves. Iria slipped into Leila's dressing room to find her putting away the bag that Dr. Turner had given her. Iria grinned as Leila slipped the bag into one of the empty suitcases in her large closet. "Not a bad hiding place," she said. "Who's going to be looking there for anything?"
"Exactly." Leila said. "And I flushed all my multi-vitamins and refilled the bottle with the prenatal vitamins. They look almost exactly the same anyway."
Iria grinned. "You're pretty devious when you have to be. I don't know about you but I could use a snack. Want me to have someone from the kitchen bring a tea tray to the parlor?"
"Sounds good," Leila replied with a smile. "I'm feeling hungry. Oh, and ask Cook if he had a chance to make out a list of possible menus for the party. We need to get started on that if we're going to get it done in time."
"Gotcha," Iria said, heading for the door. "I'll meet you downstairs."
Quatre, Heero and Rasid went out for lunch, spending most of the meal discussing security for the party to be held next week. "It's going to be hard to maintain security with so many people coming and going," Rasid said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, not to mention all of the added staff that will be brought in," Heero added. "Is there a particular place you get extra staff from for these things?" he asked Quatre.
"I believe that Iria uses the same company every time," Quatre replied. "You'd have to ask her. She's arranged all the parties and such at the house in the past." He started to say something else but was interrupted by the ringing of the cell phone in his jacket pocket. He held up a hand as he answered the call.
"Quatre Winner speaking."
"Quatre," it was his secretary's voice. "Your father-in-law is on the other line and he's most insistent that he speak to you."
"It's all right, Imara," he said. "I forgot that I had asked him to call me. Go ahead and forward the call. Thanks." He hung up and waited for the phone to ring again. "Quatre Winner speaking. Hello again, Mustafa. How are you? And your family? Good, good to hear." He paused, listening to his father-in-law going on about the new mining suits they were building the microprocessors for.
"Now," the older man said when he finished the business talk. "What's this about a party?"
"Leila and I are having a party, to introduce her to most of my family. She wanted me to ask if you and your family would come. I know it's short notice, but she's really enthused about the idea. I think she misses her sisters," Quatre said, waiting for that little comment to sink in.
"I don't know if I can arrange everything in only a week," Mustafa said, a little reluctant to give an answer. "But, if I can't get away, perhaps Seri and the girls could make it."
"Well, that's better than nothing," Quatre said, seemingly indifferent. "We would, of course, provide suitable chaperones for both Almira and Ilona during their stay so that Seri would have one less burden."
"That's not a bad idea," Mustafa said. "I think a vacation of sorts would do them a world of good. I'll discuss it with Seri tonight. Call you back in the morning."
"I'll look forward to hearing from you," Quatre said. "Yes, I'll tell her you asked. Goodbye."
He looked up at Heero and Rasid, grimacing. "One down, one to go. Have you located Melan?"
"Yes," Heero said, glancing over at Rasid. "She's agreed to come here, but she needed some time to take care of some things first. She'll leave out next Thursday."
"Then she'll get here the day before the party," Quatre said. "Leila will be really glad to hear that. I'll tell her when we get home."
That evening, when they arrived back at the Winner estate, Leila and Iria were in the family room, lists spread out onto the coffee table in front of the sofa, deep in discussion. They looked up when the three men entered. Leila blushed a deep red when she saw Quatre and he grinned. He sat on the arm of the couch and wrapped an arm around her, placing a kiss on her warm cheek.
"I missed you today," he whispered, causing her to blush again. She nodded and quickly turned her attention to the list in her hand. "I spoke to your father today," he added, speaking where everyone could hear the conversation. "He's going to try to make it, but if he can't he'll probably send Seri and your sisters." He shrugged. "It's the only way to get Ilona here. I doubt she'd be allowed to come alone. He's going to call me back in the morning." He smiled, anticipating her reaction to his next bit of news. "We also contacted Melan. She'll be here next week." Leila looked up at him, astonished. Then, she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him.
"Thank you, Quatre!" she exclaimed.
"You're welcome," he replied, giving her a hug in return.
With so much to look forward to, Leila expected the week to crawl by, but the preparations for the party and readying the house for guests kept her busy. Iria was there to help her, making suggestions and offering ideas, but leaving the actual decisions up to her. They had finalized the menu, a buffet style dinner, with small tables set up around the room so that people could eat and visit at leisure. The guest list was almost two hundred, and the idea of a formal dinner of that proportion was staggering, so they had decided on the self serve buffet. The patio doors leading into the ballroom would be opened and tents set up with entertainment and refreshment for the children that would be sure to be bored with the adult's socializing. Iria had volunteered herself and Zahra to oversee the children.
"That way," Iria said with a wry grin, "the only petty arguing you'll have to deal with will be from the adults." Leila stuck her tongue out at her. "So," Iria leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Have you decided how to tell Quatre yet?"
Leila leaned back in her chair, looking around, making sure that no one was around. "I think I'm going to tell him Saturday morning, that way, if he wants to, we can make an announcement at the party."
"What a good idea!" Iria said. "I'm glad it's only two more days. I'm getting to where I can't wait for him to know! I have to watch myself to keep from blurting something out."
"I know, me too," Leila said, eyes sparkling with glee.
"So, when will your family be here?" Iria asked. "I know you've gotten the house ready for their visit. Are you nervous?"
Leila tilted her head, considering. "No, not really. I'm looking forward to seeing Melan when she arrives this evening, and Ilona will be here tomorrow. I'm trying to find a way to get my father to let her stay for a long visit."
"Well, if you announce your pregnancy, he might let her stay, you know, to keep you company," Iria suggested.
"That's not a bad idea!" Leila said, nodding. "Speaking of announcements, what's going on with you and Rasid?"
Iria blushed slightly. "He did ask. I said yes. He's going to talk to Quatre after the party's over. I personally want to just go ahead and get married, but he want to wait 'til we've found a house. Between the two of us, we've got enough saved up to buy something really nice."
"So you'll be staying on the colony, right?" Leila asked, hoping that her friend wouldn't be leaving.
"Of course, I could never get Rasid to leave," Iria said with a laugh. "Besides, if we leave we won't be able to spoil the kiddo rotten. And I'm not missing out on that."
Leila laughed too. "Just wait, when you have your own, I'll make sure to return the favor." Iria's face fell at that, her laughter cutting off. Alarmed, Leila reached over to take her hand. "What's wrong?"
Iria sighed. "I can't have children. Well, not naturally, anyway." She stared up at some point on the ceiling, eyes sad. "I'd hoped that I would be able to, but it turned out that I can't." Iria tried to smile, but it was a lackluster attempt. "Rasid was very understanding about it; after all, we were both test tube babies, but I had hoped to be able to carry my own children."
"I… I'm so sorry, Iria," Leila said, holding her sister-in-law's hand tightly. "I didn't know…"
Iria shrugged. "No reason why you should've. You're from Earth, this is a colonial problem. The lingering effects of radiation and chemical exposure. We've been trying to weed the defect out for several generations."
Leila's admiration for Quatre's sister reached new levels. Not many women would attempt to make light of such a situation. They both looked up when a door slammed and masculine voices could be heard down the hallway.
Dinner was a cheerful affair that night, as Melan had arrived just in time to join them for dinner. The older woman seemed a bit nervous at first to be dining with the family, but relaxed when Leila had greeted her with a warm hug and Quatre had added his welcome to hers. She remembered Rasid and Heero from the wedding as well as Iria.
After dinner, Leila had escorted Melan to her room and they had a chance to talk. Melan was glad to be there after the long flight and she was a bit tired as well.
Leila opened the door to the large room and turned on the lights as she went in. "Oh, Mistress," Melan said, looking around in wonderment. "This is much more than I need."
"Nonsense," Leila replied, pleased that she liked the room. "I'm so glad that you came, Melan. You don't know how much this means to me."
Melan sat down in one of the chairs and looked up at her former charge. "Especially now that you're expecting, hm?" she asked wryly, tilting her head slyly.
Leila's mouth fell open. "How did you know?!"
Melan chuckled. "Oh, I can just tell. You have that glow about you." Then she eyed the younger woman with a bit of disapproval. "You haven't told him yet. Why?"
Leila sank down in the other chair. "Well, I only found out a few days ago. I didn't even realize it myself. Iria took me to see a friend of her who's a doctor and she did the test." She bowed her head slightly. "I'm going to tell him the morning of the party. I wanted to surprise him. And we've both been so busy…" She trailed off, seeing the approving smile on her old nurse's face.
"Good, good." She patted Leila's hand. "You're happy here. I can tell that, too. I was so worried when your father announced who you were to marry, but I can see that he chose wisely."" She snorted wryly. "Even if wasn't intending to."
"I'm just hoping that I can convince him to let Ilona stay with us for a while." Leila admitted. "She sounded so unhappy the last time I spoke to her."
"Seri was being difficult after you left," Melan admitted, leaning back in her chair. "She was trying to badger your father into making a marriage for Almira that was as good as yours. But your father wanted to wait a while before he arranged anything for your sister. He felt that, now that you were married, there was enough time for him to look around and to see what men were available. That and he said that Almira needed more training in how to manage a household. He told her that Almira wasn't mature enough yet to be married. That infuriated Seri." Leila nodded, she could believe that. Melan gave Leila a stern look. "Just remember, when they arrive tomorrow, that YOU are the mistress here now, and Seri and Almira are the guests. Don't let them bully you."
Later that night, nestled in Quatre's warm arms, she thought about that advice and smiled. She would be polite, she would be considerate and hospitable, but she would remember that SHE was in control of the situation here. Seri couldn't make her unhappy any more.
The next day, she rose early, and called for breakfast to be sent up to the small dining room off of the sitting room. That done, she snuggled back down into the bed, smiling. Quatre had taken the day off, to be with her when her family arrived. She hoped that he wouldn't mind that she had arranged for them to have breakfast together. They hadn't had much time alone in the last two weeks. She sighed. Time seemed to be going by so quickly lately, but maybe that was for the best. That way, she didn't have time to stop and reflect on events. Her hand drifted down to cover Quatre's where it rested on her still flat stomach. She couldn't wait until tomorrow morning, when she would tell him her wonderful news. He would be happy; she just knew it. She heard the outer door open, followed by various rattling sounds. A light knock on the bedroom followed several moments later.
"Thank you," she called out softly, wanting to let Quatre sleep as long as he wanted. He stirred and mumbled something, stretching his entire body.
"Leila?" he said sleepily, blue eyes still dark from slumber. She couldn't help but to smile at him and her heart fluttered slightly when he smiled back. "I thought I heard someone knocking." He stretched again, arms high above his head, and let out a jaw cracking yawn.
"I had breakfast sent up," she explained, sitting up in the bed.
"Good idea," Quatre said, reaching over to pull her against him. "We haven't had any time together lately." He hugged her close and pressed a kiss onto the side of her neck. She shivered at the touch. "Are you cold?" he asked.
"No," she shook her head. "That kind of tickles." He laughed, and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Are you excited?" he asked, after giving her a final squeeze and letting her go.
"I think so," she replied, climbing out of the bed and gathering their robes. She tossed Quatre's to him and shrugged into hers. "But right now, I'm just hungry!"
He donned his robe as well, and caught her hand. "I noticed that you didn't eat much last night." Surprised, she looked up at him and he opened the door to the sitting room. He shrugged. "I pay more attention to you than you think, my dear." He gestured her to proceed him into the sunny dining alcove and followed, breathing deeply at the smell of bacon and pancakes. He lifted the lid off of the small buffet against the wall.
He looked over at where Leila was gazing out over the gardens. "What would you like?"
She whirled, eyes wide. "Oh, I can get it," she said, moving hastily to his side. He grinned, she was so easy to tease.
"I want to," he said firmly, steering her into one of the chairs at the little table. "Now, sit down and tell me what you want."
She complied with a little huff. "Just some eggs and hash browns to start with. And some orange juice."
He scooped the requested items onto one of the plates in the warmer and sat it before her with a flourish. Seconds later, the orange juice was delivered as well. "Thank you, sir," she said with a grin. "I might just leave you a tip."
Quatre laughed, and set about stacking pancakes onto his plate. When the stack reached towering heights, he considered it done and tossed a few pieces of bacon onto the side, then drenched the entire thing in thick syrup. Leila's eyes widened when he sat down with the almost overflowing plate.
"Can you eat all that?" she asked, amazed. Mouth full, Quatre nodded, eyes twinkling with mirth. Leila shook her head and applied herself to her own breakfast. They chatted leisurely over breakfast, sharing interesting bits and pieces from their week. Quatre enjoyed seeing Leila smiling, her eyes dancing as she laughed at one of his tales. The warm feeling in his heart made him almost lightheaded. He had never thought that he could be so happy. He reached across to twine his fingers with hers, watching as shy delight lit up her face. She was so special to him…
He opened his mouth to tell her all that was in his heart—
And the phone on the wall rang shrilly, shattering the moment. He pulled away and walked over to answer the phone. "Quatre here," he said, listening to the voice on the other end of the line. Leila watched him, a little knot of anxiety building, until he nodded and grinned. She sighed, the tension easing. He thanked the person on the line and hung up.
"That was Taariq," he said, turning around and moving back to his seat. "Your family is at the spaceport. Their shuttle got here earlier than expected. He's sent the limo to pick them up and they'll be here in about another hour."
The dishes on the table rattled as Leila hurried to stand. "I need to get ready," she said, her hands automatically moving to smooth her hair, pulling at the collar of her robe.
"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" Quatre exclaimed, catching her hands and pulling her into his arms. She stiffened, then relaxed against him, resting her cheek agaist his chest. "There's plenty of time to get ready." He rubbed a soothing hand up and down her back, smiling when she sighed wth contentment. "Now, don't you feel a bit calmer?" She nodded, looking up at him with a smile. "Okay, then, let go and get dressed." He took her hand as they walked back to the bedroom.
It didn't take Quatre very long to dress. He pulled a pair of navy blue slacks out of the large closet in his dressing room, and matched it with a sand colored button front dress shirt. Finding his socks and a pair of leather loafers, he walked out to sit on the bed and pull them all on. He could hear Leila through the door, singing softly as she rummaged through her closets. He moved closer to the door, trying to figure out what song she was singing. It sounded familiar.
"—and I could tell it wouldn't be long til he was with me, yeah me." Leila was standing before the open closet door, moving to the beat of the song. He leaned in the doorway, a wide grin pulling at his mouth, just watching. "Singin' I love rock an' roll, so put another dime in the jukebox baby." He placed the song now; Duo sang it all the time, not as on key as Leila was though. "I love rock an' roll, so c'mon take some time and dance with me." She pulled a blouse out of the closet and turned, still singing. The lyrics ended in a a squawk that had never been in there before and she skidded to a halt.
Quatre couldn't help it; the astonished look on her face was priceless. He snorted, trying not to laugh, but he couldn't help it. "Sorry," he gasped out. "I didn't mean to scare you." She gave him a dirty look and moved to gather her clothes and get dressed. Quatre moved to stand behind her when she sat down before the vanity and began to knead her shoulders. She looked up at their reflections in the mirror and couldn't help but to wonder what their child would look like. Would he or she have his silky blonde hair or her thicker auburn? Blue eyes or green, maybe even brown like her father and sister? She smiled, imagining a little girl with her auburn hair and Quatre's turqouise eyes. She'd be a stunning child. Or perhaps a boy with blonde hair and whiskey brown eyes. The possiblities were endless, and all beautiful.
Quatre couldn't help but to wonder what was behind the dreamy look on Leila's face. He had never seen her look quite like this before. He leaned down to nuzzle her neck, breaking her out of her reverie. She looked up at him, a smile on her face and a light in her eyes that was only for him. He flicked the tip of her nose with his finger, grinning. "I'll let you get dressed," he said, straightening up. "If I stay much longer, I might be tempted to make us both late." She blushed, then nodded. Whistling a merry tune, Quatre headed out of the room. Leila stared after him, still a bit astonished by what he had just said. She shook her head, reminding herself that time was ticking away. And she needed to take her vitamin and brush her teeth.
Twenty minutes later, she met Quatre downstairs. He looked up at her as she came down the stairs, impressed by her neat appearance in such a short time. It had been his experience that women took about three times longer to get ready for anything than a man did. He reached for her hand as she moved to his side.
"I had the kitchen make a tea tray," he said. "It's too late for breakfast, but still too early for lunch, so I thought they might need a little something to tide them over."
Leila dropped her eyes. "Oh," she said softly. "I should have done that."
He gave her slightly cold fingers a squeeze. "You've got a lot on your mind and I wanted to help you." She nodded and leaned against him for a moment, then turned to see Iria and Rasid coming down the hallway. "Why don't we all go and sit in the family room while we wait. No use standing around in the hall."
Chapter Twenty-four
Leila was never quite sure, afterwards, if the time had dragged on forever or had passed in the blink of an eye. When the butler announced the arrival of the car, she was on her feet and out the door. The car was just pulling to a halt when she came out the door. She had the presence of mind to stop and wait for Quatre to catch up as the the driver came around and opened the door of the car. Her father stepped out first, surveying the house, the neat lawns and the staff already unloading the luggage from the cavernous trunk. The look on his face was approving as he turned to greet his daughter and his son-in-law.
"Hello, Father," Leila said with a smile, stepping forward to greet him. "We're so pleased that you could come." He looked her up and down, then, to her great surprise, enfolded her in an awkward hug. Quatre's eyebrows shot up in astonishment. Summer released his daughter and extended a hand to Quatre for a hearty handshake. By the time this was done, Seri and Almira had climbed out of the car, identical looks of disdain on their faces.
"Seri, Almira," Leila continued, "it's good to see you again." A cry of pure delight distracted her from her next comment and she looked to see her little sister barreling down on her. She braced for the impact and Ilona wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging for all she was worth. Quatre had seen the child coming and has moved behind Leila to catch her if she fell. Seri started to open her mouth, but a dark look from Mustafa nipped it in the bud.
"I m-missed you, Leila!" Ilona was saying, smiling happily at her beloved older sister.
Leila hugged her back. "And I missed you too." She looked up at the rest of her family, realizing that she was being remiss in her duties as a hostess. "I've had a tea prepared in the family room," she said, holding Ilona's hand. "The staff will take your luggage up, but I thought you might want to have something to eat and drink before I showed you to your rooms."
"Good idea," Mustafa said. "I could use a cup of coffee." Quatre led the way as they all trooped into the house.
The tea went well, as everyone was making an effort to be pleasant, even Seri and Almira. Then, after everyone had chatted and relaxed a bit, Leila showed them all to their rooms to rest and refresh themselves before lunch. She had placed her father and her stepmother in a large suite in the west wing. It consisted of a small sitting room and two bedrooms with their own bath. Seri made no comment, but Leila thought that she was impressed with the room. Almira was in the room next to her parents, but she had put in Ilona in the small suite across the hall from the Master suite. She had waited to show Ilona to her room last, so that Almira wouldn't complain.
Once inside the suite, Ilona was overjoyed to find Melan unpacking her clothes into the spacious closet and the older woman was equally thrilled to see her little charge again. Leila stood, beaming, as they hugged like long lost family, which in a sense, they were. She left them chatting and slipped out the door to go and check on lunch preparations in the kitchen.
Lunch was a merry affair; not only were the members of Leila's famly present, but Heero, Iria, Zahra, Rasid and a few other members of the Maganac Corp showed up to join them. The men were discussing the new Winner Industries mining suit that had started production earlier in the week, speculating of the the sales and preformance of the new model. Leila and Iria were going over last minute details for tomorrow, with Zahra commenting now and then. Ilona listened, not really understanding but happy to be part of the conversation. Seri and Almira looked bored and left as soon as was polite, claiming travel fatigue. Iria watched them leave with a slightly worried frown on her face.
After lunch, the men loaded into one of the cars to take a trip to the manufacturing facility to see the new suits up close. Quatre had quickly whispered an apology into Leila's ear as they left but she gave him a smile and sent them on their way. She knew her father was eager to see the new suits, as they were using chips and software developed by his company.
So she, Iria, Zahra and Ilona were left to amuse themselves. Zahra suggested that they take a trip around town, show Ilona and Leila some of the sights. Iria agreed on the condition that if they saw anything good on sale, Zahra wouldn't complain about doing a little shopping. It was a plan then. Laughing like a gaggle of loons, the women headed out for the rest of the afternoon.
Ahmed read the paper religiously. He considered it an easy way to keep up with all of the local news, and fancied that he was adept at reading between the lines and discovering was wasn't said along with what was said. More often than not, he was wrong, but that never stopped him. There was a large write up in the Society column about the large party being held at the Wnner mansion tomorrow afternoon, and Ahmed grinned. There would surely be paparazzi crowding the entrances to the estate. They would be an additional distraction to the security teams. His plans had been in place for several days and he felt like he could go through every step blindfolded. He leaned back in his plush chair again, and turned to the financial section. No time like the present to see how his stocks were doing.
It had been a good day, Leila thought as she brushed her hair, still damp from the bath. Seri and Almira had been agreeable, Ilona had enjoyed her outing, and she had been so happy to see her sister again. She quickly wove her hair into a braid and secured the end with a ponytail holder. Quatre was already in the bed, propped up against the headboard reading a report. He put it down on the bedside table when she entered, watching as she clambered into the huge bed. He grinned. She had to crawl across the thing to reach his side. He held out an arm when she made it to him and she snuggled up under his arm, against his side.
"Big day, huh?" he asked softly. She nodded. Tomorrow would be even bigger. She was all wound up with anticipation and wondered how in the world she'd ever get to sleep. Quatre yawned, the sound making her heavy eyed. She yawned as well. He was so nice and warm… She burrowed in closer to his side, clutching him like a stuffed animal. She really did feel so tired…
Quatre blinked. She had gone right to sleep. He shook his head and, moving carefully, managed to lay down with her still against his side. "Lights out." The sound of her soft breathing quickly lulled him to sleep as well.