Disclaimer: I own no right s to TLW etc, etc…
Chapter One
Marguerite marched past the trees and plants, the look on her face making it quite plain that she was annoyed and in no mood to speak to Roxton, who was following the irate woman. "Roxton, you are the most insufferable man I have ever met!" she seethed.
He continued after her as she stormed through the gate, the only way past the electric fence that protected the treehouse, and on towards the elevator. "I doubt that" he muttered dryly, at a loss of whether to continue after her or to let her cool off for a while. He decided on the former.
He had believed he was out of earshot when he spoke; evidently he hadn't been because Marguerite spun around. "You had no right to trade that necklace" she shouted.
"We had to trade something for the coffee. Which, may I remind you, we were running out of" he countered. Roxton knew she loved her coffee so he thought that perhaps, just maybe it would have been okay that he used the necklace to get some more.
Miss Krux liked her jewellery a lot more though. "You should have asked me before you took it!"
He stopped walking. "And what would you have said if I had asked?"
She looked back at him like he was stupid or crazy, or both. "Well no of course."
*
Veronica leant back on her chair as she tried to read the book she was holding; she half listened to Marguerite and Roxton yelling at each other below, making concentrating near impossible. Apparently trading hadn't gone too well. It had been like that for the last few days, both the almost couples had been at each other's throats after some hussy had tried to entrap the two younger men of the treehouse. Malone watched the blonde from across the room and finally, hesitantly, he walked over to her. "Veronica?" the young woman barely acknowledged he was there. "Have I done something to upset you?"
She set the book down in her lap; from her expression it looked as though he had just interrupted her when in actual fact she hadn't really been taken that much interest in the book. "Now what makes you think that?" Veronica responded in a sarcastic tone. She put the book down; stood and made her way over to the elevator "I'll be back in a couple of hours" she called back.
The reporter watched her as she left. "Veronica wait" the elevator descended and he watched the spot where she had been standing until she was out of sight.
*
Marguerite threw the bag of supplies she had been carrying, that they had collected, at Roxton and started walking back towards the gate. If she stayed in the treehouse, Roxton wouldn't leave her alone until they had resolved this and she needed to get away from him. And the Plateau was a big place. "You're not going back out there alone" he said in a tone that she supposed she was to listen to.
However, she paused in mid step and turned around with a threatening look on her face just daring him to make a move to stop her. "Oh really? Watch me."
He moved forward to go after he when Veronica pushed past him to go in the same direction as Marguerite and then stopping beside her. "Bye Roxton" they both left with Roxton watching Marguerite and Malone staring after Veronicas from the balcony above. Roxton looked up to the treehouse and both looked at each other, shrugging in turn. They were both as clueless as the other.
*
"Unbelievable!" the brunette huffed as she continued walking, not having any particular destination but not wanting to stop then either.
Veronica nodded her agreement and rolled her eyes. "They're acting as though nothing happened, I can't believe they fell for that tramp!"
Both eventually stopped in a clearing, the sun pouring through the spaces in the trees and warming up the area. "How soon they forget" Marguerite answered back in a voice that said she had seen this type of thing before "bewitched them indeed. Yeah right!" she snorted.
They had begun to walk again but now Veronica stopped in her tracks. "We're jealous" she concluded.
The older woman laughed. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard" she quickly dismissed the idea. "Jealous? Me? Because Roxton 'loved' somebody else?"
"To be jealous I'd actually have to feel something for Malone" Veronica and Marguerite looked at each other and began to laugh, "you're right. That is a stupid idea."
"Exactly."
*
50 years earlier
London
Two men stood in a corner of a great hall that was filled with people dancing and listening to the musicians in the corner, and talking over a drink, they eyed a group of women standing by a group of older, rich looking men. The ladies giggled at everything they said and hung on every sentence spoken. Two of the younger women looked in their direction and smiled almost shyly at the attention the two strangers bestowed upon them, not interested in the groups conversation. Jack Malone and Don Roxton grinned as they made their way towards them, the two women glanced at each other, and the red headed one then looked Don up and down.
"I get the one on the left," the shorthaired blonde, Sarah, announced.
Her friend shrugged. "Fine by me, I wanted the other one anyway" having made their claims on the man they wanted to get to know, Sarah and Jessica allowed Jack and Don to lead them out of the room minutes later, talking as they went.
Two weeks later
Jessica sat on the edge of the extremely comfortable bed in her luxurious hotel room, her dark wavy hair swept back with a few tendrils to frame her face. She was smiling, had barely stopped for a while now. Sarah slipped on a warm looking red coat as she grinned at her friend, looking away from the mirror in front of her. "He's a perfect gentlemen," Jessica told the other woman.
They were due to meet Don and Jack in a few minutes; they were going to the theatre and then dinner afterwards. "Did you see everyone watching us as we walked into the hotel?"
Of course she had, every persons eyes had been on the two couples as they had entered the lobby. "We're the talk of the town."
"Every woman around is green with envy," she giggled as she dropped back onto the bed "he's adorable" Sarah sighed as she spoke of Jack.
"Well the women have good reason to be. Jack Malone and Don Roxton are off the market" she stood up quickly after looking at the clock over the doorway. "We'd better hurry, they're meeting us in the lobby soon and we don't want to be late" Jess warned the younger woman as she made her way to the door.
*
The two women sat on the brown leather seats in the lobby of an elaborately decorated hotel, waiting anxiously. They watched the bustle of people wandering in and out of the building when a woman wearing a deep coloured red dress and shawl caught Sarah's eye, she looked vaguely familiar. The woman stood by the door and stared at the people that went by. "What's she doing here?" Sarah questioned, her distaste was quite clear. Jessica followed her gaze and this time saw Don enter the hotel "and where's Jack?"
Jessica looked at the woman who turned and smirked at her, Don watched the woman, smiling broadly, captivated by her, he glanced at Jessica then turned back to the woman and kisses her they both leave the hotel revealing Jack outside crossing the road, hand in hand with another woman. It didn't take long for it to hit them that Jack and Don had no intention of staying with them; they were toys in a horrible game. Sarah and Jessica looked ill suddenly, and then they got angry.
*
Jessica peeked into one of the rooms of the hotel next to the one she and Sarah had been staying in. It had taken a bit of smooth talking to be allowed access. She saw Don and Jack deep in conversation and laughing heartily at some joke, she paused momentarily before taking out a gun that she had concealed in her purse. Sarah waited by the door as her friend pushed open the door fully and sauntered into the room with no apparent emotion. Both men stopped and looked startled for a second, Don spoke first. "Hello my dear" he had the audacity to looked as though nothing had happened.
The brunette had been having doubts but his attitude galled her. "Don't 'my dear' me" she warned.
Jack looked passed Jessica and spotted Sara, recognizing the looked of hatred. "Did we do something wrong?"
She looked at him, utterly disgusted. "You don't even know what you did!" she exclaimed.
Jess shook her head. How had they ever felt anything for these men that played games with a woman's heart "we won't give you the chance to make the same mistake twice."
"None of your family will make the same mistake again" Sarah added firmly, eyes blazing with anger.
Neither man knew what was intended for them so they didn't have time to act before Jessica brought up the gun, aimed and fired at Don before handing the weapon to Sarah. By this time the last man standing was looking around the room for an escape, something to throw…"goodbye Jack" the blonde bid him farewell.
The Plateau
Two sets of eyes watched Roxton and Malone as they conversed on the balcony. "Men! They never learn" Jessica tutted.
"I've been gone for so long I'd forgotten what it was like to move around in a body…how does this woman move around in these clothes!" Sarah groaned as the looked down at Veronica's attire.
Jessica was barely listening though. "That man looks so much like Don. Younger though and far more handsome, kinder too" she mused.
"And very soon we shall have the chance to meet them" before they could move another step though, a hand grabbed them by the shoulder.
