Phe shuffles in with her head hung in shame Hi. Thanks if you all are still reading this even if this unappreciative author is a lazy sod! I'm really sorry for not updating sooner but to make up for it I tried especially hard on this chapt. sooooooo.apart from the usual disclaimer where I complain about not owning the NW or any other stuff you recognise, I won't keep you delightful readers any longer. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mare fidgeted as she squirmed in her seat, waiting for Henry to announce the ascent into the air. She'd had to attend countless business meetings since taking charge of the company two years ago, most of which involved air travel but getting into these small, private jets still gave her the shakes. For a girl from a small backwater town, she suppose she'd done well for herself but she'll never get used to it. Personally, she'd prefer to fly commercially but Cori would have a fit about the danger, give her another lecture about kidnapping, hostages, blah blah blah.

'Aunt Maria?' A little white-blonde head thrust itself into her line of vision, its little silvery brown eyes squinting at her adoptive auntie. ' What you thinking of?' Kimi asked, as she sneaked a red candy from the bag next to her aunt, settling back into her seat, now that all attention was on her.

'Hmm.Oh nothing Kimi, you know I don't really like these planes.' Mare murmured, raising an eyebrow as the blonde unwrapped the sweet with intense concentration . 'Oh,' Kimi looked behind her then leaned forward, a scheming glint in her eye, 'Momma says I should leave you alone, that you're tired but I just think you're bored and you know what I do when I'm bored Auntie Maria?'

Mare couldn't help grinning at her mischievous little friend and leant forward until the little girl's pert little nose touched her own, 'No Kimi, what do you do when you're bored?' Kimi squealed ecstatically and jumped up from her seat, arms stretched out as wide as they could go, 'I sing!'

'Oh no,' Mare murmured good heartedly as she lowered her head into her hands, automatically pulling out a cherry pop for herself. ' You let yourself in for it woman,' an amused female voice called from where its owner was seated next to the pilot, wanting to be in charge as usual. 'If it were me, I'd have told her to sit down and keep her furry little mouth shut!'

'Momma!' Kimi gasped, shocked and annoyed that her mother would dare to deny her a chance to show Auntie Maria how good her singing had become. 'Here's the CD, can you put it in please?' Mare nodded yes and before she knew it, the 'brilliant' voice of Britney Spears was booming in her ears and the, petite blonde was jumping round exuberantly as an amused Mare watched on. Cori groaned and the pilot grimaced but both knew that Mare could not deny her niece anything- well, not most things. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

'Oh come on, come on, damn!' Ash shouted as he manoeuvred the car through the busy streets of Las Vegas while holding his cell to his ear. 'Did every single person in the world decided to go on for a freaking drive! Move it Buddy! I haven't got all f***ing da- Hannah?! Hannah, it's Ash. Yeah, yeah they're here, yeah we found a nice card.I dunno, it has some sort of baby on the front but.Hannah! Listen to me!'

Seeing that Ash was becoming more and more frustrated, Rowan grabbed the phone before he could vent his anger on the unsuspecting Hannah. 'Hello Hannah, it's Rowan. We have some great news, you think you could put Thierry on? Hello Thierry? Yes, it is. Look we've just found out that Mare is going to be at the hospital as well, why we didn't realise ourselves is beyond me but- yes, as soon as possible.Okay, at the rate Ash is driving we see you in five.'

Hanging up, Rowan calmly passed the cell back to her frantic brother. 'Ash, in Goddess's name, please slow down. I do not think Mare will be very forgiving if you kill yourself!

'Or her only baby brother!' came Mark's nervous voice from the back seat. Snorting at that, Ash slowed down a little and started to plan. Rowan interrupting now and again to make it clear to both Ash and Kestrel that Mare would not appreciate a covert operation to capture her and forcefully take her back to the mansion.

'Besides, imagine what poor Mrs. Carter would think? Seeing her stepson's girlfriend's sister and her crazy elder brother bundling her step-daughter into a car and driving off?' Jade added to a sullen Ash and Kestrel.

'She knows me, we met that summer remember.' Ash murmured. Mark peppered him with questions as to what Claude actually knew about him but Ash was lost in memories of that summer, when it all began. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

'Hit me Baby one more.Tiiiiiiiime!' The blonde's grin was so wide that the three others on board were half worried about her head splitting in half and half concerned about their hearing- yet this did not stop them from clapping loudly and suggesting that she did it again some time soon. Mare grinned as she noticed Cori stealthily slide all the CD's under her seat as she returned to sit opposite her best friend of four years.

'Sorry abut the wait, Mare' sighed the elder woman as she massaged her temple. She really had to talk to Mare about letting her daughter get away with anything. She heard Mare inquire as to what was holding them back and had the nerve to grin sheepishly before replying, grimacing inside as she KNEW Mare would have a fit. 'We're waiting for another passenger' was all she said in reply, berating herself for taking the cowardly way out but not having the guts to straight out tell the girl.

'Oh' Mare mumbled, frowning as she looked out the window, working the cherry pop round her mouth worriedly. She turned feverish blue eyes back to her friend. 'You're keeping something' she murmured after a while, noticing how her friend seemed slightly skittish under her gaze. Her mouth slanted derisively as she became aware of what she'd done- this knack of being keenly aware of others had been one of the main aspects that made her such a good business woman in such a small time but it too had helped her build this isolated little prison. It was what she wanted but sometimes- especially times likes these, during the in-betweeney times in her hectic life- she could not really justify what she did.

But then she would be given a new brief to go over or a another deal would arise and off she'd go once more, the thoughts buried yet again until the next few minutes when she'd daydream- alternating between staring into a certain pair of ever-changing eyes and shredding the aforementioned eyes with something wooden. Preferably a very, very dull wooden something. Here she was wallowing in the deep depths of self-pity once more. Honestly, how was she ever to expect herself grow up is she would insist on-

'MARIA!' Cori bellowed, her mouth no more than two inches from Mare's ear, her shouting causing the poor girl to jump a few feet in the air and hit her head painfully on the cream ceiling of the jet.

Kimi giggled quietly to herself. Her pretty auntie really was very funny. The boisterous blonde decided to wait until they'd reached the hospital to inform her aunt that her cherry pop had fallen from her mouth some time during her reverie and was now lodged nicely into her up swept hair, sticking up like a kitsch little hair ornament- or to quote the child herself, 'She just looks goopfy!'.

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So sorry about the wait but my muse abandoned me! * pout * But seriously, I'd like to thank absolutely EVERYONE who reviewed my story. It really meant a lot. Thanks!

See ya soon. Luv Phe.