Devon and Gabby were just coming in the front door after returning from Carmel. They were talking about the wedding and Devon was complaining about Seth's insistence of his wearing something a little dressier than his casual wear.
"I hate suits! Why'd he have to decide to go formal, anyway?" he lamented.
"It's only for one day, Devon. It won't kill you." Gabby assured him.
"I'm allergic to formal, okay? I break out in hives." He complained, closing the front door.
"I doubt that very much!" his sister laughed.
"Well, I should, considering how much I hate it!" Devon grumbled.
Gabby noticed then that Gaele was heading up the stairs.
"Hey, where are you going?" she asked her.
Gaele answered, "Oh, to see what my 'stuffy' brother is up to!" and smiled down at her cousin.
Gabby gulped a little and wondered how all of this was going to end up. She quickly headed for the family room to wait it out.
*****
The week before on the way back from Cassandra's Gaele had gone over the 'script' with Gabby. She could tell that her cousin was less than enthusiastic about the joke. But, they had to work out the details before they returned home. Otherwise their conniving could be found out.
"I don't know, Gaele. I mean, this could get him really mad and I've never seen him that way before. I've seen your father mad and I've seen Leo. If he's anything like them… This could backfire." complained Gabby.
"Hey, I know my bro, okay? Trust me, despite what he told you about not caring about the dress or wanting to see it, he really does. He's just trying to do the right thing." Gaele assured her cousin. "He even told me before we went to Cassandra's to make sure you pick out something really nice."
"But, he told me it didn't matter? What if you start something that ruins my wedding? As much as I like you, you don't want to see me mad, okay?" Gabby was getting a little uncomfortable the way she was starting to feel at the moment. She knew her own temper all too well.
"I've played jokes on him before. Blame my dad for that trait, but rest assured Seth is not one to hold a grudge for too long. Plus he loves you. There isn't anything that will change that. Trust me on this one!" Gaele smiled and squeezed her cousin's hand while she drove up Highway One.
*****
Gaele was now in Seth's room, sitting on the edge of his bed. She had her voice low and hushed.
"I'm telling you, Seth, Gabby doesn't have a sense of style to save her life. She insisted on this dress. I couldn't convince her otherwise. You need to get her to show you what she picked out!" Gaele had practiced her acting with the dedication of a seasoned performer. She had a whole week to do it. Gaele knew her brother could pick up on things rather easily so it was imperative her words be convincing, "Otherwise, she's going to embarrass herself next week." she added
"Ah, what has she gone and done now?" Seth said worriedly. He rubbed his face in concern. He was pacing around his room while his sister sat on the end of his bed. "What does the dress look like, Gaele? At least you could tell me that. If I start bugging Gabby about it she's going to get mad at me. I mean, we had our first argument about this whole idea of my not seeing it before the wedding, for cry'n out loud." He was very uneasy about the dress, now, but also concerned about treading where he shouldn't.
"All I can say is – it's bright red. I've never seen a dress so red before. With purple embroidery on the cuffs!" his sister said. She and Gabby had gone over the dress design and color beforehand to make sure it would be grotesque. Now, Gaele was having all she could do to keep from smirking. She was enjoying way too much the look of worry that was now forming on her brother's face.
"RED? She picked out RED? What's with that? "Seth nearly yelled as he started to pace his room even faster.
"Hey, keep it down, already. If she hears you she's going to find out I said something. And then I'm going to get into trouble." Gaele hushed.
"I don't care what silly tradition this is all about; I have to see that dress, now. That's all there is to it!" and Seth collapsed onto his bed. "But, how? I mean, I can't just waltz into her bedroom and demand to see it."
Gaele smiled, "Well, you could go ninja."
"Huh? What? On my own fiancé? I don't think so, Gaele." Seth shook his head.
"No, no silly, not confronting her. I mean…you know…go into her room when she's not there and … well…taking a peak in her closet. She has it hanging up in there." Gaele suggested. She was going ninja herself at that moment just to keep a lid on her amusement.
Seth looked up at his sister and wondered if she was really telling the truth. He couldn't discern any deceit, but she did like to play practical jokes. Red! What an awful color to pick for….wait, it was Christmas. Of course, red just might appeal to Gabby with the holiday coinciding with their wedding. Maybe Gaele was telling the truth.
"Okay, but you have to make sure she's kept busy elsewhere. You have to be part of this since you made it a point to tell me, okay?"
*****
"So, he's up in my room?" Gabby asked as Gaele stood with her in the kitchen. She couldn't believe that Seth would do that; go into her room just to look at a dress. But then, he did creep in there to retrieve the DVDs he had loaned her when she had first arrived months ago. "Did you tell him to do that?" she asked her cousin.
"Yep and he just went in there. We'll give him another minute before catching him." Gaele fiddled with her camera, making sure the settings were where she wanted them. "This is going to start a tradition all on its own, I think. I'm sure one day I'll get payback, but - whooo boy, this is gonna be good!" She was smiling big now, just imagining the look of embarrassment on her brother's face.
"Okay, now we go up. We need to make sure we hit that top step just right so he knows someone's coming up. If he's in the closet, I know exactly what he'll do to hide." Gaele stood up and, with Gabby following hesitantly behind her, walked towards the stairs.
Seth was having a fit trying to find that dress. "Where'd she hide it?" he mused. The thought occurred to him that maybe his sister was in deed playing a cruel joke on him. But before he could think anymore along those lines, he heard a squeak in the bedroom. Someone was coming. He cautiously listened and to his horror heard the door to the bedroom open.
"Ah nuts!" he fumed to himself. "Gotta hide. Shoot, if Gabby sees me in here I'm toast!" he lamented silently.
Gabby sat on the bed as she watched her cousin carefully approach the closet door. She saw that the camera Gaele was holding was facing upwards towards the ceiling.
Gaele knew exactly where Seth would be. They'd amused themselves with these games quite a lot in their teens, using the skills that Mike had taught them to play hide and seek to keep sharp. Closets were perfect places to hide in since they were just a little shorter in width than either Gaele and Seth, or even Devon, were tall.
Gaele opened the closet door wide and inspected the storage room from just outside the entry. She scanned the clothing to make sure he hadn't hidden in between them. Gabby kept everything nice and neat so it made Gaele's inspection quite easy. That only left one other obvious possibility.
Seth held his breath and kept himself very still. He saw someone come slowly into the closet. He waited, trying with all his might to keep himself calm. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't cause her senses to pick up. Staring at someone was always the way to trigger such things. There wasn't a chance that Gabby would even know he was there. Her training in ninjitsu hadn't touched on covert operations, yet, so he was confident his fiancé' would be unaware of his presence. And, he would have been right – had it been Gabby. But, it wasn't
He heard giggle. He opened his eyes but all he could see was a blinding flash of light. Then, in the next instant he heard a nearly hysterical laugh and then the words, "Gottcha!"
In that moment he knew it wasn't Gabby who had walked into the closet. It was Gaele!
By the time Seth fell to the floor in complete shock and surprise, his sister was already out the bedroom heading for her own, laughing so hard she could barely run. She knew he'd be coming after her to retrieve the camera and more than anything she wanted to download that photo, get it printed out, and then parade it in front of the entire family.
Seth, wide-eyed with complete shock and dreaded anticipation, came shooting out the closet and through the bedroom. He was out the door before he realized that someone had been sitting on the bed. He stopped short and turned quickly around. "GABBY?" he asked with complete surprise.
"She made me. Honest! Said I had to do it. I'm sorry!" She said quickly and definitely looking embarrassed.
"But…why?" he asked, not very happy at the moment. He walked back into the room.
"Well, your sister can be quite convincing and … well… wait!" she looked at him and was now just realizing what he had done. She stood up and approached him a little. "You went into my closet - to look for that dress?"
Seth replied defensively, "Yeah, well, Gaele had me convinced you were going to wear red – with purple no less."
"But I thought you said you didn't care what I wore?" Gabby was getting just a little peeved at the moment. She really didn't believe that he would go into her room, but then Gaele assured her that she could make her brother do just about anything once she had her mind made up. Gabby didn't know who to be upset with presently. Rather than make a rash decision and knowing her part in the entire escapade, she told him, "We'll talk later, okay - maybe after both of us calm down?" Gabby did not want a repeat of what happened at Cassandra's.
"Right." and Seth turned on his heels and ran to his sister's bedroom. 'GAELE, YOU ARE GOING TO GET IT, I MEAN IT. I WANT THAT CAMERA!" he shouted as he stood outside her bedroom door. "I'LL KICK THIS DOOR DOWN – I MEAN IT. GIVE ME THAT CAMERA!"
******
"Seth I can't believe you'd actually go into Gabby's bedroom like that. What were you thinking?" Rahab's expression was quite serious as she held the evidence in her hand. It was photo of Seth wedged up above the crown of the door between the walls inside the closet. His expression showed him wide eyed with complete surprise.
It was priceless – as far as Gaele was concerned.
"This is something Devon would do." Rahab commented sternly.
"Hey! I take objection to that remark. I would not do something like that!" Devon complained from across the room. He was having the best time watching his younger brother catch heat from their mom.
"Would, too." Seth glowered over at Devon. He looked back to Rahab, "I'm sorry, Mom." He was quite embarrassed. But, he had to note that it did create a bit of levity for everyone else. That is, except for his mother – and himself. He wasn't too sure about Gabby. He felt heat coming to his face as he spied her looking over at him. But, looking over at his sister he seethed inwardly. "She is going to get it big time! And soon if I can help it." He promised himself silently.
Gaele was huddled in one of the couches, shuddering from her suppressed giggles. She had her hands over her mouth to keep the laughter from escaping. She watched as her brother glared at her. It was all worth it, regardless.
Mike was grinning from ear to ear watching the drama unfold. He shook his head and then commented to Gaele, "You know there's retribution heading yer way on this one?" he advised her.
"Yep, that's a given. But, whoo boy, did you see the look on his face? Good grief …it was too much!" she giggled.
Gabby was sitting off to one side, not sure who to be mad at. She still liked Gaele, but this little bit of trick-playing was new to her. She looked at her cousin and wondered exactly how Seth was going to get back. More than anything, Gabby wanted to be there when it happened. She was mad at him, too. The only saving grace was at least she knew he did care about what she wore – and seeing his expression in that photo.
Gabby couldn't contain her own laughter when Gaele had first shown the photo to her and the rest of family. Seth did have the most comical expression of shock on his face she had ever seen. It was hard not to see the humor in it. How Gaele was able to get the picture down to the family room unmolested by Seth was a miracle. If it weren't for Rahab and the others already being there, Gabby was sure that Seth would have his sister for it.
Gabby then thought that maybe she could get back at Seth for his not being completely truthful with her about the dress. She started to giggle with ideas that popped into her head. Playing tricks on people was starting to be quite appealing to her.
Leo and Raph were sitting off to one side with the professor in between them. Perry's smile was the biggest he had in a long time. His coloring was peaked and not very healthy. But, he was thoroughly enjoying the moment. His escorts were also amused with the photo opportunity as everyone else was. They were taking delight in knowing that maybe a new tradition had begun.
"I never knew Seth could turn so many shades of red. Kind of adds a little color to that pale skin of his, don't it?" Raph exclaimed.
Leo only shook his head," Ah, the truth will always find you out; that's for sure." He had to chuckle at his son's predicament. It was too hilarious.
In front of everyone, Seth went over to Gabby and sat down next to her. Taking one of her hands, he implored, "I'm really sorry, Gabs. I only wanted to make sure you were happy. I guess I do care about the dress."
"But, you went into my bedroom – when I wasn't there." Gabby declared. She was aware of Seth's sincerity. However, noticing everyone's reaction to the photo and the humor it created, she decided to milk this moment for as much as she could.
"Yeah, I know. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." He lamented.
She just watched him. He looked very contrite and, for the entire world, deflated.
Finally, she told him, "I forgive you, Seth." She saw his look of relief as he smiled. Then, the next thing Gabby said to him nearly wiped his expression completely away, but gave everyone else a new reason to laugh.
"Actually, come to think of it, red with purple trim does sound pretty nice." This time it was Gabby's turn to giggle.
"I hate suits! Why'd he have to decide to go formal, anyway?" he lamented.
"It's only for one day, Devon. It won't kill you." Gabby assured him.
"I'm allergic to formal, okay? I break out in hives." He complained, closing the front door.
"I doubt that very much!" his sister laughed.
"Well, I should, considering how much I hate it!" Devon grumbled.
Gabby noticed then that Gaele was heading up the stairs.
"Hey, where are you going?" she asked her.
Gaele answered, "Oh, to see what my 'stuffy' brother is up to!" and smiled down at her cousin.
Gabby gulped a little and wondered how all of this was going to end up. She quickly headed for the family room to wait it out.
*****
The week before on the way back from Cassandra's Gaele had gone over the 'script' with Gabby. She could tell that her cousin was less than enthusiastic about the joke. But, they had to work out the details before they returned home. Otherwise their conniving could be found out.
"I don't know, Gaele. I mean, this could get him really mad and I've never seen him that way before. I've seen your father mad and I've seen Leo. If he's anything like them… This could backfire." complained Gabby.
"Hey, I know my bro, okay? Trust me, despite what he told you about not caring about the dress or wanting to see it, he really does. He's just trying to do the right thing." Gaele assured her cousin. "He even told me before we went to Cassandra's to make sure you pick out something really nice."
"But, he told me it didn't matter? What if you start something that ruins my wedding? As much as I like you, you don't want to see me mad, okay?" Gabby was getting a little uncomfortable the way she was starting to feel at the moment. She knew her own temper all too well.
"I've played jokes on him before. Blame my dad for that trait, but rest assured Seth is not one to hold a grudge for too long. Plus he loves you. There isn't anything that will change that. Trust me on this one!" Gaele smiled and squeezed her cousin's hand while she drove up Highway One.
*****
Gaele was now in Seth's room, sitting on the edge of his bed. She had her voice low and hushed.
"I'm telling you, Seth, Gabby doesn't have a sense of style to save her life. She insisted on this dress. I couldn't convince her otherwise. You need to get her to show you what she picked out!" Gaele had practiced her acting with the dedication of a seasoned performer. She had a whole week to do it. Gaele knew her brother could pick up on things rather easily so it was imperative her words be convincing, "Otherwise, she's going to embarrass herself next week." she added
"Ah, what has she gone and done now?" Seth said worriedly. He rubbed his face in concern. He was pacing around his room while his sister sat on the end of his bed. "What does the dress look like, Gaele? At least you could tell me that. If I start bugging Gabby about it she's going to get mad at me. I mean, we had our first argument about this whole idea of my not seeing it before the wedding, for cry'n out loud." He was very uneasy about the dress, now, but also concerned about treading where he shouldn't.
"All I can say is – it's bright red. I've never seen a dress so red before. With purple embroidery on the cuffs!" his sister said. She and Gabby had gone over the dress design and color beforehand to make sure it would be grotesque. Now, Gaele was having all she could do to keep from smirking. She was enjoying way too much the look of worry that was now forming on her brother's face.
"RED? She picked out RED? What's with that? "Seth nearly yelled as he started to pace his room even faster.
"Hey, keep it down, already. If she hears you she's going to find out I said something. And then I'm going to get into trouble." Gaele hushed.
"I don't care what silly tradition this is all about; I have to see that dress, now. That's all there is to it!" and Seth collapsed onto his bed. "But, how? I mean, I can't just waltz into her bedroom and demand to see it."
Gaele smiled, "Well, you could go ninja."
"Huh? What? On my own fiancé? I don't think so, Gaele." Seth shook his head.
"No, no silly, not confronting her. I mean…you know…go into her room when she's not there and … well…taking a peak in her closet. She has it hanging up in there." Gaele suggested. She was going ninja herself at that moment just to keep a lid on her amusement.
Seth looked up at his sister and wondered if she was really telling the truth. He couldn't discern any deceit, but she did like to play practical jokes. Red! What an awful color to pick for….wait, it was Christmas. Of course, red just might appeal to Gabby with the holiday coinciding with their wedding. Maybe Gaele was telling the truth.
"Okay, but you have to make sure she's kept busy elsewhere. You have to be part of this since you made it a point to tell me, okay?"
*****
"So, he's up in my room?" Gabby asked as Gaele stood with her in the kitchen. She couldn't believe that Seth would do that; go into her room just to look at a dress. But then, he did creep in there to retrieve the DVDs he had loaned her when she had first arrived months ago. "Did you tell him to do that?" she asked her cousin.
"Yep and he just went in there. We'll give him another minute before catching him." Gaele fiddled with her camera, making sure the settings were where she wanted them. "This is going to start a tradition all on its own, I think. I'm sure one day I'll get payback, but - whooo boy, this is gonna be good!" She was smiling big now, just imagining the look of embarrassment on her brother's face.
"Okay, now we go up. We need to make sure we hit that top step just right so he knows someone's coming up. If he's in the closet, I know exactly what he'll do to hide." Gaele stood up and, with Gabby following hesitantly behind her, walked towards the stairs.
Seth was having a fit trying to find that dress. "Where'd she hide it?" he mused. The thought occurred to him that maybe his sister was in deed playing a cruel joke on him. But before he could think anymore along those lines, he heard a squeak in the bedroom. Someone was coming. He cautiously listened and to his horror heard the door to the bedroom open.
"Ah nuts!" he fumed to himself. "Gotta hide. Shoot, if Gabby sees me in here I'm toast!" he lamented silently.
Gabby sat on the bed as she watched her cousin carefully approach the closet door. She saw that the camera Gaele was holding was facing upwards towards the ceiling.
Gaele knew exactly where Seth would be. They'd amused themselves with these games quite a lot in their teens, using the skills that Mike had taught them to play hide and seek to keep sharp. Closets were perfect places to hide in since they were just a little shorter in width than either Gaele and Seth, or even Devon, were tall.
Gaele opened the closet door wide and inspected the storage room from just outside the entry. She scanned the clothing to make sure he hadn't hidden in between them. Gabby kept everything nice and neat so it made Gaele's inspection quite easy. That only left one other obvious possibility.
Seth held his breath and kept himself very still. He saw someone come slowly into the closet. He waited, trying with all his might to keep himself calm. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't cause her senses to pick up. Staring at someone was always the way to trigger such things. There wasn't a chance that Gabby would even know he was there. Her training in ninjitsu hadn't touched on covert operations, yet, so he was confident his fiancé' would be unaware of his presence. And, he would have been right – had it been Gabby. But, it wasn't
He heard giggle. He opened his eyes but all he could see was a blinding flash of light. Then, in the next instant he heard a nearly hysterical laugh and then the words, "Gottcha!"
In that moment he knew it wasn't Gabby who had walked into the closet. It was Gaele!
By the time Seth fell to the floor in complete shock and surprise, his sister was already out the bedroom heading for her own, laughing so hard she could barely run. She knew he'd be coming after her to retrieve the camera and more than anything she wanted to download that photo, get it printed out, and then parade it in front of the entire family.
Seth, wide-eyed with complete shock and dreaded anticipation, came shooting out the closet and through the bedroom. He was out the door before he realized that someone had been sitting on the bed. He stopped short and turned quickly around. "GABBY?" he asked with complete surprise.
"She made me. Honest! Said I had to do it. I'm sorry!" She said quickly and definitely looking embarrassed.
"But…why?" he asked, not very happy at the moment. He walked back into the room.
"Well, your sister can be quite convincing and … well… wait!" she looked at him and was now just realizing what he had done. She stood up and approached him a little. "You went into my closet - to look for that dress?"
Seth replied defensively, "Yeah, well, Gaele had me convinced you were going to wear red – with purple no less."
"But I thought you said you didn't care what I wore?" Gabby was getting just a little peeved at the moment. She really didn't believe that he would go into her room, but then Gaele assured her that she could make her brother do just about anything once she had her mind made up. Gabby didn't know who to be upset with presently. Rather than make a rash decision and knowing her part in the entire escapade, she told him, "We'll talk later, okay - maybe after both of us calm down?" Gabby did not want a repeat of what happened at Cassandra's.
"Right." and Seth turned on his heels and ran to his sister's bedroom. 'GAELE, YOU ARE GOING TO GET IT, I MEAN IT. I WANT THAT CAMERA!" he shouted as he stood outside her bedroom door. "I'LL KICK THIS DOOR DOWN – I MEAN IT. GIVE ME THAT CAMERA!"
******
"Seth I can't believe you'd actually go into Gabby's bedroom like that. What were you thinking?" Rahab's expression was quite serious as she held the evidence in her hand. It was photo of Seth wedged up above the crown of the door between the walls inside the closet. His expression showed him wide eyed with complete surprise.
It was priceless – as far as Gaele was concerned.
"This is something Devon would do." Rahab commented sternly.
"Hey! I take objection to that remark. I would not do something like that!" Devon complained from across the room. He was having the best time watching his younger brother catch heat from their mom.
"Would, too." Seth glowered over at Devon. He looked back to Rahab, "I'm sorry, Mom." He was quite embarrassed. But, he had to note that it did create a bit of levity for everyone else. That is, except for his mother – and himself. He wasn't too sure about Gabby. He felt heat coming to his face as he spied her looking over at him. But, looking over at his sister he seethed inwardly. "She is going to get it big time! And soon if I can help it." He promised himself silently.
Gaele was huddled in one of the couches, shuddering from her suppressed giggles. She had her hands over her mouth to keep the laughter from escaping. She watched as her brother glared at her. It was all worth it, regardless.
Mike was grinning from ear to ear watching the drama unfold. He shook his head and then commented to Gaele, "You know there's retribution heading yer way on this one?" he advised her.
"Yep, that's a given. But, whoo boy, did you see the look on his face? Good grief …it was too much!" she giggled.
Gabby was sitting off to one side, not sure who to be mad at. She still liked Gaele, but this little bit of trick-playing was new to her. She looked at her cousin and wondered exactly how Seth was going to get back. More than anything, Gabby wanted to be there when it happened. She was mad at him, too. The only saving grace was at least she knew he did care about what she wore – and seeing his expression in that photo.
Gabby couldn't contain her own laughter when Gaele had first shown the photo to her and the rest of family. Seth did have the most comical expression of shock on his face she had ever seen. It was hard not to see the humor in it. How Gaele was able to get the picture down to the family room unmolested by Seth was a miracle. If it weren't for Rahab and the others already being there, Gabby was sure that Seth would have his sister for it.
Gabby then thought that maybe she could get back at Seth for his not being completely truthful with her about the dress. She started to giggle with ideas that popped into her head. Playing tricks on people was starting to be quite appealing to her.
Leo and Raph were sitting off to one side with the professor in between them. Perry's smile was the biggest he had in a long time. His coloring was peaked and not very healthy. But, he was thoroughly enjoying the moment. His escorts were also amused with the photo opportunity as everyone else was. They were taking delight in knowing that maybe a new tradition had begun.
"I never knew Seth could turn so many shades of red. Kind of adds a little color to that pale skin of his, don't it?" Raph exclaimed.
Leo only shook his head," Ah, the truth will always find you out; that's for sure." He had to chuckle at his son's predicament. It was too hilarious.
In front of everyone, Seth went over to Gabby and sat down next to her. Taking one of her hands, he implored, "I'm really sorry, Gabs. I only wanted to make sure you were happy. I guess I do care about the dress."
"But, you went into my bedroom – when I wasn't there." Gabby declared. She was aware of Seth's sincerity. However, noticing everyone's reaction to the photo and the humor it created, she decided to milk this moment for as much as she could.
"Yeah, I know. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." He lamented.
She just watched him. He looked very contrite and, for the entire world, deflated.
Finally, she told him, "I forgive you, Seth." She saw his look of relief as he smiled. Then, the next thing Gabby said to him nearly wiped his expression completely away, but gave everyone else a new reason to laugh.
"Actually, come to think of it, red with purple trim does sound pretty nice." This time it was Gabby's turn to giggle.
