PART 3

PART 3

"Phoenix," A voice said softly to her. Phoenix was in the depths of sleep and having a really good dream, whatever was trying to wake her up was going to find out what happened when you woke up Phoenix Harman when she doesn't want to be woken up. "Phoenix," The voice said again, "You have to get up so we can go shopping."

"Go 'way." Phoenix mumbled.

"No, we're going shopping and nothing you can do is going to change that fact."

Phoenix opened up her eyes. Star and Morgan stood above her with big smiles on their faces. "What time is it?"

"8 o'clock," Megan said. "You need to get up now. We have a whole day of shopping to get done." She threw the bed covers back and forced Phoenix out of bed and into the bathroom.

Phoenix reluctantly got ready for a long day. She had a shower and went to the wardrobe trying to decide what to wear. Something comfortable, since the day proved to be a long one, but something nice, to catch attention. She decided on her tight black pants and a blood red tank top with spaghetti straps.

She went downstairs for to get some breakfast. Everyone else was already there eating their respective meals.

"Wow." Thorn whistled. "Nice outfit."

Star smacked him on the back of the head. "That's not something your supposed to notice."

"But he's right." Blake said. "The whole outfit just screams 'bite me'"

"Try it and you'll never be able to sire children." Phoenix said smiling sweetly at him.

Blake laughed and went back to his breakfast. "I might take you up on that one day." He said softly to himself.

"You better hurry and eat, because we want to soon." Megan said almost jumping up and down in her seat, she was that excited about going shopping.

"Well we can go now if you want. I never eat breakfast." Phoenix said.

"Okay!" Megan said jumping up. "The guys aren't coming until later. So we'll take my car. It's bigger than everyone else's so we'll be able to fit lots of stuff in it. And what we can't fit, we'll just give to the guys."

"Sure," Phoenix said. "Let me go and get my wallet."

"Hurry up." Star called. "We'll be waiting in the car. It's the red one."

"Okay," Phoenix called. "I'll be there in a minute." She ran up to her room to get her wallet. She was going to leave when she saw a figure in her doorway. She jumped. "You scared me."

Blake smiled. "Did I? Sorry. So are you looking forward to today?"


"Yeah I guess." Phoenix said a bit nervously. Blake was walking towards her and it looked like he did really have any intention of stopping.

"Do you like the house?" He asked still walking towards her.

"Yeah," Phoenix said backing away. Her back hit the wall so she couldn't go any further, Blake smiled at this.

"Why are you backing away?" He asked softly. He was only a hairs-breath away from her now and he put his arms on either side of her head so she couldn't get away.

"No reason." Phoenix said. She was finding it difficult to breathe with his being so close to her.

"Are you afraid of this?" He said and kissed her.

Immediately sparks flew and a pink haze surrounded both of them.

~What are you doing? ~ Phoenix asked a bit fearfully.

~I'm kissing you. ~ Blake said, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss.

Phoenix kissed him back, pressing up against him. ~I know that, but what is this? ~

~It's the soulmate connection. ~ Blake said sounding distracted. He picked Phoenix up and carried her to the bed. ~Now if you'll shut up, I have more important things on my mind. ~ He laid her on the bed and covered her body with his.

~Soulmate connection? ~ Jasmine said a little distracted herself as Blake kissed his way down her neck. Realisation hit her quickly, the soulmate connection allowed you to see into the others mind. He would be able to see why she was really there. She pulled away from him quickly, jumping off the bed.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked, a bit disorientated.

"I have to go and meet Star and Megan remember? We're going shopping." She grabbed her purse and was on her way out the door when Blake caught her arm. The sparks started again as he pulled her back into his arms giving her one last deep kiss.

"Okay, but I'll meet you there later and after we can finish what we started." Phoenix smiled at him and rushed out the door and into the car with Star and Megan.

"What took you so long?" Star asked smiling slightly.

"Couldn't find my purse." Phoenix said a little breathlessly.

Megan laughed. "Yeah, I bet you couldn't. One doesn't usually find it in somebody else's mouth."

Phoenix blushed to the roots of her hair, but didn't say anything. Megan and Star laughed at her. "Come on let's go shopping." Phoenix said trying to get their minds off the subject at hand. It only worked at getting the car started and them pulling out the driveway.

"Sooo," Star said looking in the rear-view mirror. "What did you get up to?"

"Nothing." Phoenix muttered. "What makes you think I got up to anything?" She asked innocently.

Megan answered that question almost immediately. "The look in your eyes, you were breathless and your lips are swollen."

"Oh," Phoenix said blushing again. "It wasn't like I planned it! I just happened. I mean I go in to get my purse and the next thing I know there's someone on top of me."

"On top of you!" Star almost shrieked.

Phoenix cringed she shouldn't revealed that little bit of information. "Yeah," she muttered.

"Whoa," Megan said. "I'm impressed. I mean on the first kiss. It usually takes at least two or three before that happens."

Phoenix looked at her shocked, until she realised that Megan was teasing her and she laughed. "Did it take you that long?" She asked sweetly.

Megan smiled at her and shook her head, "I thought mine was fast."

Phoenix frowned, "Your what?"

Star looked at her. "That's right you don't know."

"Know what?"

"The guys in that house have practically jumped any female that's walked in the door." Megan said.

"Oh," Phoenix said a bit hurt, maybe her and Blake weren't really soulmates, maybe she was just another 'jump' to him.

Megan saw the look on Phoenix's face and quickly said. "No not like that. I mean before you came there were some other soulmate couples living with us and the story is the same with all of us and now you. Our soulmates are in the house, it has always been the girl to come to the boy, and anyway not long after the girl gets there, her soulmate practically jumps her, and well… the rest is history."

"Really?" Phoenix asked eyes wide. "And that happened to you guys as well?"

Star and Megan nodded. "About two days after I moved in Thorn jumped me." Star said.

"Literally," Megan said.

Star glared at her. "Not literally." She grinned, "Well not really."

Phoenix laughed. "And what about you?" She asked Megan.

"Pretty much the same. Josh got to me on my second night there. I went to get into bed and there was this person there. You have no idea how much that scared me." Megan said.

"I can imagine." Phoenix said dryly.

"What about you?" Star asked as she pulled into a parking space at the mall. "How did Blake get to you?"

"When I went to get my purse, I had it then went to leave and he was in the doorway." Phoenix said.

"He must have moved pretty fast to get there that quick, because he was still in the kitchen when we went to get the car." Star said.

"I guess." Phoenix said, not really wanting to talk about it anymore.

"Lets go!" Star said getting excited. "We only have a few hours before the guys get here and it's a really big mall."

"Phoenix laughed and followed Star and Megan into the mall. They shopped for four hours before they sat down for some lunch.

"My God!" Phoenix groaned. "I have never done so much shopping in one day, in my whole life."

"You'll get used to it." Star said, "Look on the bright side, you bought so many clothes, and I can wear some of them."

"I spent so much money, I'm probably going to go into debt." Phoenix said.

"No you won't," Megan said. "We get paid really well for what we do."

"What exactly do we do?" Phoenix asked curiously.

Star and Megan looked at her oddly. "You mean no one told you?" Star asked her.

Phoenix shook her head. "No, all I was asked was if I wanted to work with you guys. No one told me what I would have to do.'

Star shook her head. "Someone should have told you. Anyway we do the usual things, gather information from people, the occasional assassination, but the guys handle those not us. Nothing really that big."

"Okay," Phoenix said not wanting to ask anything else just in case they got suspicious of her.

"A voice jarred her out of her thoughts, "I'm here now ladies, there's no need for your concern any longer."

"Oh thank God!" Star said sarcastically to Thorn.

"Now, now, there's no need for sarcasm." He said grinning and going up to her and giving her a kiss, on that went on a bit longer than was proper in a public place.

"God, why don't you two get a room?" Josh said to Star and Thorn.

Thorn pulled away from Star. "Because it's usually taken by you and Megan."

"True," Josh said reasonably, giving the same treatment that Thorn gave to Star.

"They're really possessive aren't they?" Phoenix said to Star.

Star nodded, "Almost like cavemen. As you'll soon find out." She nodded to a figure that was walking up to them.

Phoenix turned around to see Blake approaching them.

"Hey gorgeous." He said when he reached her, pulling her into his arms for a kiss that went on a bit longer than Megan's and Star's put together. When they finally pulled apart Phoenix was gasping for breath and Blake was looking very pleased with himself. He pulled her into his lap and looked at the others. "So what are we going to do now?"

Even though Star and Megan knew what happened before they still looked a bit shocked. Where as Thorn and Josh were just grinning openly.

"Well we could do some more shopping." Megan said snapping out of her trance of looking at Blake and Phoenix. "You guys got here a bit earlier that expected and we haven't finished yet."

"No!" All the guys said in unison.

Thorn continued, "There was a reason why we came here earlier."

"And what was that?" Star asked nuzzling his neck.

"Well you'll never find out if you keep doing that." He said trying to concentrate. "Anyway we need you girls to go do some formal wear shopping."

"What for?" Star asked curiously.

"You'll find out." Thorn said. "Now let's go shopping!" he said it like it was some sort of death sentence.

"How much can we spend?" Megan asked eagerly.

"I was told no expense was to be spared." Thorn said.

"Alright!" Star and Megan said at the same time. "Let's go." They dragged everyone into one of the most expensive formal wear places in the mall.

"Look at this!" Star exclaimed holding up a blood red gown. "I'm going to try it on." And she made her way into the dressing room. She came out a little while later with the dress on. It was tight at the top with spaghetti straps and flowed out at the bottom. She'd also found the perfect shoes to match, the same blood red, with four-inch high heels and lots of straps.

"What do you think?" She asked Thorn.

Thorn could only stare at her in wonder. "Nice," was the only thing he could say. Star laughed and went back into the dressing room to get changed.

Not long after her Megan found the dress she wanted. It was similar to Star's but it was black with thicker straps. She had also found the perfect shoes to match.

"What about you Phoenix?" Megan asked after paying for her dress. "You haven't found anything yet?"

Phoenix shrugged. "I don't know what to get. I've never been to anything this formal before.

"Don't worry." Star said running over. "I found the perfect dress for you. Go and try it on now."

Phoenix went into the dressing room to try her dress on and came out a little while later a bit self-conscious. "Do you like it?" She asked nervously.

No one said anything so she looked at them and almost started laughing. They guys were standing there with their jaws almost hitting the floor and Megan and Star looking please with themselves.

"Does this mean you like it?" She asked twirling around.

The dress was electric blue with no straps and no back, apart from three little strings. It was like a second skin all the way down and Phoenix felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Wow," Thorn said. "That's one hot dress."

"He's right Phoenix." Star said smiling. "You look great. Don't you think so Bake?"

But Blake wasn't really talking comprehensively. The only sound he could make sounded something like, "Ah, um."

"He like it." Star said turning back to Phoenix. "I think you're the first person to make a Redfern speechless."

Phoenix laughed and went to get changed again. When se came out Star took her dress to pay for it and Blake came to talk to her. "Nice dress."

"I see you're able to talk now." She said smiling.

He laughed, "Yeah, but anyone would be speechless when they saw you in that dress. Even if it does show a bit more than I would like."

Phoenix blushed. "Thanks. But what I show or don't show, really shouldn't bother you, should it?"

Blake expression began gathering storm clouds. But Megan arrived before he could say anything. "Are we ready to go? We've got to get ready for tonight anyway."

"Okay," Phoenix said." Where are we going anyway?"

The council is holding a party tonight about where the fourth Wild Power might be." Josh said. "And there are going to be some Circle Daybreak spies there. It could get interesting."

'Oh no.' Phoenix thought to himself. 'What if they know about me?'