Chapter Thirty-One

"Kay, I absolutely forbid you not to come," Simone began.

"Simone, get a grip," Kay started to reply.

"I will not get a grip, you have to be there, Kay, I'll never forgive you if you don't come."

"Simone, you can't come in, throw an invitation into my hand and then forbid me not to come, especially since..."

Simone again interrupted her. "Kathleen Bennett, I don't care if Nicholas is coming, you're going to be at Earth's grand opening if I have to drag you there myself." Simone stomped on the last syllable to emphasize her point.

"SIMONE," Kay yelled at her friend, grinning to show she wasn't really angry. "I'm going to the opening, I was just saying that there's no reason for you to forbid me not to come, because there's no way on Earth I'd miss such an important event," she finished.

Charity snorted from Simone's sofa at the horrible pun. She decided to join the conversation. "Yeah, Simone, Kay was just telling me who she's going with," she added mysteriously.

Simone looked from Kay to Charity incredulously. "No friggin' way!" She shouted. "How is this possible? I didn't even..." she mumbled the rest of her sentence with a slightly chagrinned look.

"What was that Simone? Were you going to say that you didn't even have to MANIPULATE us into going together? Yes, I'm going with Nicholas, and no, we haven't worked everything out yet, and yes, we're planning on it, and finally, NO, you had nothing to do with it." At Charity's second snort from the sofa and Simone's sharp look, Kay amended her statement, "Okay, almost nothing," she allowed. "Thanks for pushing us, Simone, we did need it."

Simone grinned. "No problem. At least now that you and Charity have finally gotten most of your drama worked out, I can take time off from matchmaking to enjoy my relationship with Chad," she added.

"Oh yes, do tell," said Charity, getting up to drag Simone over to join her on the sofa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Simone, this place looks awesome," Kay said as she walked in, "Although you might have told me about the atmosphere. I look like I'm trying to match the ceiling," Kay said wryly. She looked down at her electric blue baby tee that she had paired with a dark blue A-line skirt and electric blue ballet slippers for comfortable dancing, and then back up at the ceiling, which was threaded with the same blue in pulsating lights that acted out the music that Chad was pumping through the club.

"Tell me about it," came a voice behind her. Kay turned around and grinned at her cousin who had just walked in on Miguel's arm. Charity was sporting a tube top the same color as Kay's tee, which she had paired with a tight black miniskirt and high patent leather black boot.

"Good grief, woman, I think you forgot clothes when you walked out of the apartment," Kay whistled at her cousin.

"Oh shut-up," Charity said as she blushed. "I figured I'd go all out for Simone's special night. Besides, I do believe that our hostess wins the least dressed competition tonight," she finished.

Simone shrugged nonchalantly as all eyes perused her get-up. She wore blue ribbons weaved intricately through her locks, mingling with the straps at the nape of her neck that seemed to be the only reason her top stayed in place. The straps circled her neck and wove under her arms to tie again at her nape, leaving her back totally bare. Simone's short shorts were boldly the same blue as her top. She finished the look with a pair of high-heeled Mary Jane's that looked suspiciously like the ones that Carrie Bradshaw had just swooned over on the most recent Sex in the City.

"Don't stand there ogling me, go have a blast, then come tell me what you think!" Simone ushered her friends into her new establishment.

Kay stood back, looking around anxiously as Charity and Miguel eagerly joined the growing crowd on the dance floor.

"Simone, have you..." she began.

"Yeah, um, he's on the second level, right above where we're standing," Simone answered. Kay looked up and saw only more ceiling. She looked back at Simone questioningly.

Simone laughed. "It's the VIP area, so it's tricky to get to, or even see," she responded. "Walk straight to the middle of the dance floor and stand on the four black tiles you see there. It's an elevator that's activated from the DJ booth. Chad knows you're going up, so you shouldn't have a problem."

Kay looked at Simone as if she'd lost her mind. What kind of secretive VIP area could you get to in the middle of the dance floor? Knowing that Simone generally had good sense about these things, though, she followed her friend's directions. As she stepped onto the four tiles, Chad winked at her and she nearly tipped over as a railing rose out of the floor to encircle her and provide something for her to hold onto. She quickly realized that there were mirrors placed cleverly around the elevator so that the people dancing around her as she rose to the second level only saw themselves reflected back unless they looked carefully.

As she rose higher and higher, and finally about the high ceilings of the first floor, she was struck with a sense of déjà vu. The second floor of Earth looked suspiciously like the ground floor of Haven complete with a bar running the length of one wall, only its décor featured funky blues and silvers, with black sofa's and other seating to keep the colors from getting too overwhelming. Glass coffee tables with ebony black trim made Kay wince as she wandered carefully through the dim room towards where Nicholas was seated with someone.

Nicholas remained seated, while the other man stood up as they both saw Kay approaching. The man said, "Kay, I presume," in an overly cultured voice. "Please excuse my son for his lack of manners, he was taught to stand when in the presence of a lady."

Kay grinned at Nicholas, who snorted and muttered, "Kay's no lady, Father,"

Kay looked from father to son. She decided to stick with her own parental training and be civil... for the moment. It occurred to her that the controlling man in front of her was quite possibly largely responsible for Nicholas's control issues. "Mr. Crane, Nicholas knows that I find such traditions disempowering for women, although I appreciate your sentiments, all the same."

To her surprise and clearly to Nicholas's as well, Julian Crane sat down and laughed boisterously. "Well said, Kay, well said. I hope you won't find it too disempowering to join us for drinks that we've already taken the liberty of ordering."

Kay grinned back and made herself comfortable on the loveseat with Nicholas. "No, Mr. Crane, not Too disempowering."

"Oh, please, stop flirting with each other. Kay is my date tonight, Father."

Both Kay and Nicholas were astonished again when they detected a tinge of red color Julian's skin in the dim light. "Right you are, Fox," he replied affably. "This venture of yours is providing me with plenty of entertainment."

"So you approve of all of this, Mr. Crane?" Kay boldly asked.

"Of course, my dear," Julian began, "And at the risk of being accused of flirting with you still, please, call me Julian. Mr. Crane is my father, and you calling me by that moniker makes me feel like I'm as stodgy as he is."

Kay, never the one to hold her tongue, responded, "Well, Julian, I grew up in Harmony, and I must admit that your reputation does you ill."

Nicholas choked on his rum and coke and grinned broadly at his father, waiting for his explanation.

Julian reddened again. "Well, you've picked a spunky one, haven't you, Fox?"

Nicholas responded, "She picked me, mostly, Father, and please, do answer her implied question." Nicholas was not about to let his father off that easily.

"Yes, well, I must admit that business has often made me a bit ruthless," he paused as Kay snorted into her peach martini. "As I was saying, yes, business often makes me a bit stand-offish, but I once owned an establishment such as this in my youth, and helping Simone and Fox get this place off the ground has been rejuvenating."

"You've been helping them all along?" Kay asked, surprised.

"Why yes, Fox didn't tell you?"

Kay slanted her eyes at Nicholas and responded, "No, Fox didn't."

"I suppose it's not the easiest thing for him to talk about, especially since we haven't always gotten along. My father sent him off to boarding school, and I never protested as much as I should have. You see, he and Simone know each other because her mother and I used to run the first Haven together, although it was a jazz club then. Although the relationship ended while we were still fairly young, we always made sure to keep in touch. Fox and Simone grew up knowing of each other, and met at the university."

"Why do you keep calling him Fox?" Kay asked.

Nicholas sputtered a bit, and jumped in before his father could respond. "It's just a family nickname."

Julian saw his chance to get back at his son for all the awkwardness he had enabled. "Oh, I see you haven't told Kay your full name, son. It's a shame, such a noble name. Nicholas Wentworth Foxworthy Crane. Let's see, son, you've got a lot of names, did I get them all?"

Nicholas squirmed in the loveseat. "Yes, Father, I believe you did."

"Oh no you didn't," came Simone's voice from behind Kay. "Isn't your last name technically hyphenated? Didn't Ivy give you her last name as well?"

Nicholas groaned as Kay laughed. "Oh wait, I know this one. Your name is Nicholas Wentworth Foxworthy Winthrop-Crane? Good grief, and I thought I was being formal by using your full first name."

Simone jumped in to save her friend. "Julian, mom wanted me to send you her best wishes. We can go to my office in the basement if you want to conference call her; I know she'd appreciate hearing from you. Nicholas, Kay, go down there and dance, I command you!"

They all complied with her wishes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wow, Simone, that was amazing," Charity said. They were all draped along the bar on the first floor attempting to recover from a long night of dancing. The club was officially closed for the night, and even Chad had put on a mix tape to relax with his friends at the bar. Julian, after conversing with Eve Russell on the phone for hours, had retired to his hotel room, leaving "the young-uns" to their debauchery, as he put it.

A loud banging came from the bolted door. "Don't worry about it, the bouncers stay late to ward off any stragglers attempting to get back in," Simone said.

Kay and Charity looked thoughtful and then they both jumped up. "Simone, open the door!" Kay said as she scrambled to put her slippers back on. "It's Jess and Reese!"

Simone reached behind the bar and pressed a button that released the electronic bolt on the door.

Jess and Reese rushed over to the bar, greeting everyone. "Oh man, we drove for so long, I thought we'd never get here," said Reese after everyone had greeted each other. "Jess likes to keep driving in the wrong direction for hours rather than stopping for directions." Jess whacked him playfully on the shoulder. Blue sparks flew up as a result, and eyebrows rose all the way down the bar.

Jess looked at her friends and family in bewilderment. "What? You guys must know about this. Charity, you and Miguel are together, Kay, you and Nicholas, right? Why are you guys acting so weird? Did the wires from here to Harmony get totally crossed?"

Kay was the first to speak up. "So wait, you two experience the whole blue thing together? And there wasn't any drama or anything about it?"

Jess and Reese looked at her strangely. "Why would there be drama? Don't you think it's kick ass?" Reese asked. When he got no response, he turned around and grabbed Jess into a bear hug. And the two of them rapidly rose into the air, the blue that surrounded them blending perfectly with the soft blue atmosphere set by the club lighting. They spun, and then started to dance to the music, all of this happening five feet off the ground. Jess looked down at their stunned faces and laughed. "You've got to be kidding me. Maybe staying in this college town all summer has made you guys too stuffy. Isn't this the coolest?" Her shining eyes met Reese's and they slowly floated to the ground.

Jess was beginning to get worried about the lack of response from the crowd of familiar faces around her. "What's the matter with you guys?" she asked.

Simone grinned at Jess and replied, "Nothing, these guys have been acting stupid about the whole blue thing for almost a year now; they're just stunned to see someone not acting as stupid as they have been."

Kay, Nicholas, Miguel, and Charity made indignant sounds in response to this.

Simone ignored them and grabbed one of Jess's hands and one of Reese's. "So, Kay and Charity could make me feel better if I got between them. Can you two do that floating thing with me?" Jess, Simone, and Reese ran to the middle of the club to try this out, as if they were playing with a new toy.

Charity began to giggle. Miguel took one look at her and grabbed her hand to join the three goofing off in the middle of the club. Chad wandered over to Simone, tickling the bottom of her shoe-less feet as she gyrated, floating in the air. She giggled and allowed herself to fall into his arms. She and Chad began their own dance, on a plane not only physically separate from their friends, but spiritually as well.

Kay and Nicholas watched this all apprehensively. Kay was normally the one who broke such silences, but she refused to tonight, knowing that Nicholas was the only thing keeping them from joining the fun.

He began in a casual tone that belied both their state of minds, "Hey Kay, wouldn't you say we know each other pretty well, by now?"

Wary of any new games he might be playing, she stuck to a one word answer. "Yes."

"And wouldn't you say that we've grown fairly close over the past few months working together."

Again she chose simplicity. "Yes."

"And this whole blue thing, it's kinda convenient, what with all the cleaning and everything."

She looked at him, amazed. "Yes."

"And I mean, let's be honest here, both of us lose all control when we're together, the only real peace comes when we're not denying out attraction, right?"

"Yes," Kay was unable to keep the huskiness of tears out of her voice at this point.

Nicholas himself simply allowed the tears to fall down his face as he continued. "And we really do love each other, don't we, Kay? Not just because of something convenient like this blue business, but because we've grown to love and value one another, right?"

Kay still maintained her grip on her tears, allowing them out only through her one word responses. "Yes."

"So you wanna umm... go steady with me?"

Kay grinned broadly and finally allowed her tears to fall. "Yes, you big Schnerd, I'll go steady with you."

The song playing suddenly stopped, and both Kay and Nicholas turned to the dance floor. They watched as a giggling Charity and Jess held hands tightly, melodramatically waving their hands through the air. Another record cut on as Chad winced as the loud scratching sound it made before the rich tones of Mary J. Blige soared out of the speakers. Charity waved her hands again and four microphones flew into her hands. She tossed one each to Jessica and Simone, and beckoned Kay to join them. A soft blue light surrounded the women as they slowly rose into the air, belting out "Real Love" as the men they loved watched and marveled at the power the women who loved them exuded.

The End