Disclaimer: I don't own any of the familiar Scooby Doo characters in this story. I don't own any of the Dace family, except Jordan. I don't own Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time. I don't own Spooky Island. If there is anything else in this story that I have forgotten to put up here that you read in this chapter, I don't own it.
Thanks to my Reviewers, Sealpup, Bowling Boy, and others. You guys were too kind! Enjoy!
Chapter Two: Back to Coolsville
After a long and exhausting plane trip, Lauren was finally in Coolsville. She had almost forgotten how beautiful it was during the summer. As they had flown over the town, she could see the brightly colored flowers and the hundreds of trees. The sun was just setting and the sky was highlighted by amazingly bright colors. It was almost refreshing to be back to the place where she spent most of her late teens.
The plane had landed and the passengers were exiting. Lauren grabbed her carry on bag and braced herself for the next week. She knew the events of the next few days would be very interesting and challenging.
Coming off the plane she could see Velma and Ethan. They waved at her and she waved back. They didn't look like they had changed much. Velma was back to wearing her orange sweater and red skirt. Her hair was still the familiar bob cut. She still wore the thick black glasses and the orange knee socks. Velma had started to wear different clothes, but she always felt more comfortable in that ensemble. Ethan had on an old Led Zeppelin t-shirt and dark blue jeans. His hair was in its naturally curly state, unlike the pictures and magazine covers that his hair was spiked in. They looked the same as they did when she had first met them.
"Hi." Velma said as she approached. Lauren drew her into a hug. Velma still wasn't one to initiate public displays of affection.
"Hi." She smiled and turned to Ethan. "Mr. Famous Musician." She had given him that nickname after he had first made it big. At first she had used the name as a way of teasing him, but after awhile it had become her own personal term of endearment for him. They hugged and gave each other a kiss on the cheek. "I am so happy to see you guys." She exclaimed.
"We are happy to see you." Ethan smiled.
It was a quiet reunion, but it felt wonderful. Lauren had always thought of the couple as the big brother and sister she had never had and they almost were, but to be with them again was a flood of emotion she had not expected. She was overjoyed, but sleep deprivation had kept her from expressing that. The entire night before she had tossed and turned, but sleep never came.
"Where is Jordan?"
"He is at home with his Aunt Thelma and Uncle Aidan. He was napping when we left and we didn't want to wake him. He gets rather grumpy without his nap." Velma answered. She was worried though. Lauren looked run down. She had dark circles under her eyes and she looked as though she had lost weight. She didn't seem to have the bubbly personality she used to either. She was quiet. Even when she smiled she looked sad. She has lost the sparkle in her eyes. Velma thought
Ethan was worried, too. He had never seen her so sad, not even right after she and Scott had broken up. He had only seen her the day after when she called from Cleveland for a ride to the airport, but even then she hadn't cried. All she said was that she had had an argument with Scott and wanted to leave. Neither Lauren nor Scott had ever told anyone what the argument had been about in the two years they had been apart. Ethan had tried his hardest to get Scott to explain, but he wouldn't. Velma had tried to pry the story out of Lauren, but she refused. In the past years both had tried to move on. They had had casual dates, but nothing even close to a relationship. It wasn't until Velma had invited Lauren to the party that she had become such a mess. In truth, she could have easily turned down the invitation, but she had wanted to see how Scott turned out. Having someone tell her wasn't enough. She wanted to see with her own eyes, whether he was happy or not.
"We should go get the rest of your bags." Ethan offered. After getting her suitcase, they loaded into the car.
The twenty minute ride to their house was filled with small talk about the plane ride and details about the party. It was going to be held two days from then, outside of a large cabin over looking a lake. Afterward Linda and Charles would stay a few days in the cabin. The party was meant to be a surprise, which had made it so hard to plan. It was going to be a challenge to get the guests of honor there without them suspecting anything.
Ethan pulled into the driveway of their home. They still lived in the very same house they had bought before they had gotten married. It was modest compared to what they could have afforded thanks to the outstanding number of his records that sold, but Ethan and Velma weren't the type to buy big flashy, expensive things. Giving back was more their style. They donated a lot of money to various charities and foundations.
"Home sweet home." Ethan smiled. The exterior of the house was covered in stone and surrounded by flowers and bushes. There were several trees around the sides of the house and numerous larger trees in the backyard.
"Those trees really shot up didn't they? And look at all of the flowers." Lauren commented. She wondered if the interior of the house had changed as much as the exterior.
"It did turn out nice, didn't it?" Velma smiled. They all got out of the car and Ethan went around to the trunk to get Lauren's suitcase.
"Mommy!" It was Jordan, who had come running out of the front door, followed by Thelma and Aidan. The kid looked so much like his father. His hair was dark and curly. He had the same intense eyes. He had Velma's nose, but he had Ethan's mouth. Velma kneeled down and the little boy ran straight into her arms.
"You act like I had been gone for a year." She smiled as she picked him up. "Did you have fun with Aunt Thelma and Uncle Aidan?"
"Yeah. Daddy, guess what? I won at Gold Fish." He said, with a broad smile on his face as his father came up to his side.
"All right, buddy. Good job." He ruffled the little boy's curls with his free hand.
"Did he behave?" Velma asked her cousin. Jordan was very smart like his mother, and had the tendency to be mischievous when he was watched by people other that his parents.
"Fantastic. He slept most of the time. Then when he woke up we played some card games." Thelma answered.
"Well that's good." She put Jordan down and turned to Lauren. "You guys remember Lauren I'm sure."
"Of course. Good to see you again." Aidan told her, as they hugged. "How have you been?" He had noticed her frazzled appearance as well.
"Great. I opened a restaurant and it is doing fantastic." Lauren answered as she shook Thelma's hand. The two women had never really gotten to know each other. They liked what they knew about the other, but a bond was never formed between them.
"That sounds great. You'll have to cook for us one night that you're here." Thelma suggested.
"That would be fun." Lauren agreed.
"Well, let's take this reunion inside." Ethan gestured to the front door. Once inside he showed Lauren the guest bedroom she would be staying in. The room looked very different from the rest of the house. It was decorated in a medieval design. A large canopy bed of dark wood was in the center of the room. The bedding was a dark crimson. On either side of the bed was a small chest of the same dark wood, topped by a cast iron lamp. There was a small entertainment center in front of the bed made of the same containing a good sized television. The walls were done in a rich gold with an aging effect painted over it. The room had a private bathroom that was done in dark grey stone and royal blues.
"There should be some towels in the bathroom, but if not there are some out in the linen closet. We haven't changed much since the last time you were here, but if you can't find anything, just ask."
"Thank you." She told Ethan as he turned to leave.
"Yeah." He stopped and turned around. "Lauren, if you need anything, anything at all, you can ask me, okay." He was talking about much more that toiletries.
"I'm fine, Ethan." She gave him a sincere smile. "I'm just tired."
"Alright. I think Velma and Thelma are starting dinner, so someone can come wake you up when it's done, if you want to sleep." He was trying to be helpful.
"I could use a nap." She smiled.
"Okay." He left Lauren alone in her room.
She put her suitcase on the bed and pulled out a dark blue satin dress. It had spaghetti straps and a long skirt with a slit up the side. She was going to wear the gown to the party. Velma had told her that it was going to be a very formal event, and Lauren had decided to buy a new dress for it. She hung it up in the closet. Next she pulled out her shampoo and other toiletries and put them in the bathroom. Then she jumped into bed. She fell asleep before her head even hit the pillow.
Lauren woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. She found it hard to believe but she had actually slept.
After dressing she headed down to the kitchen. It was still early and no one was awake yet. Deciding to make breakfast she looked through the pantry and fridge. Pretty soon the entire house was filled with the sweet smell of baking bread.
"Good morning." It was Velma, still wearing her red pajamas, leaning against the kitchen door. "What are you making?"
"Oh, hi! I hope I didn't wake you." Lauren smiled. Velma shook her head. She noticed how rested Lauren looked. "I'm making pugliese." She pulled the loaf of sweet Italian bread out of the oven and showed Velma.
"It smells terrific." Ethan yawned and stretched, then put his arms around his wife.
"I did wake you guys, didn't I?" She frowned.
"The smell woke us. Besides, we shouldn't sleep in anyway. We have a lot to do to day." Velma assured her. "So, is breakfast done yet?"
"Well, the bread is done, but I haven't finished the rest yet." She had been busy combining ingredients for the cream cheese spread and was still planning on cutting up some strawberries.
"We can help." Velma offered.
"Well, if you want you can chop up the strawberries."
"Okay."
By the time everybody else in the house was awake the table was set. The pugliese and cream cheese spread disappeared fast. Lauren got many complements, even from Jordan who said, "This is even better than Mommy's breakfast." Velma agreed and everyone laughed.
"We should have her make breakfast every morning, huh?" Velma asked her son. He nodded in agreement and Lauren smiled. I would love to have someone to make breakfast for., She thought.
After the meal, everybody went off to get dressed and Lauren started to clean up. She was doing the dishes when Velma came in.
"That didn't take you very long." Lauren commented on the short period of time it had taken her to shower and dress. She was wearing red capris and an orange shirt.
"Well, now I have a man and don't care how I look." She smiled. "Can I help?"
"No, I'm finished now." She said putting the last dish in the drying rack.
"Would you like to help me pick the music for tomorrow?" Velma said referring to the party.
"Sure." They headed down to the basement. Ethan had built a recording studio in the room and also kept his large music collection there. "So, what kind of music are we looking for?" She asked as they walked down the steps.
"Well, mostly romantic stuff, because it is an anniversary party, but I think we should have a little bit of everything. The DJ wanted us to pick some of the music that would mean a lot to the guests of honor." The entire back wall was covered in CD's, cassette tapes and even some old vinyl.
"He has quite the collection, doesn't he?" Lauren laughed
"I keep telling him he should get it insured." Velma quipped.
"So, is Ethan going to perform anything?"
"Yeah. He is going to be singing Linda and Charles's song."
"What's their song?"
"To Be With You by Mr. Big." Both women laughed.
"I wouldn't have pictured them as listening to 80's heavy metal."
"Well, it was a ballad." They laughed again.
An hour later they had a stack of CDs about two feet tall. They had a lot of fun sorting through the different songs and listening to oldies they hadn't heard in ages.
"I love this song." Lauren announced. She put the disc into the player and fumbled with some of the controls. Seconds later music filled the room, but the vocals were gone. Instead, Lauren began to sing.
Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick
And think of you
Caught up in circles confusion
Is nothing new?
Flashback- warm nights-
Almost left behind
Suitcases of memories
Time After-
Sometimes you picture me-
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said
Then you say -go slow-
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds
If you're lost you can look- and you will find me
Time After Time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting
Time After Time.
As the chorus ended, Lauren turned the music off and turned to Velma, who was sitting in a chair looking stunned. She had never heard her sing before.
"Jinkies. That was beautiful." She smiled. Then an idea popped into her head. "Hey, go into the recording room." Looking a little confused, Lauren opened the door and walked into the sound proof room. She sat down on the stool and put the headphones on. "I am going to play the song again and I want you to belt it, okay."
"Velma, I don't want to. I'm not that good of a singer and you don't need anymore blackmail material on me." She whined.
"You sounded wonderful. Now get ready." The music began and reluctantly, Lauren sang. She really began to feel the music.
She closed her eyes and drew the lyrics from deep within. Her voice was full of emotion and it only improved the song.
After my picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows - you're wondering
If I'm OK
Secrets stolen from deep inside
The drum beats out of time-
If you're lost you can look- and you will find me
Time After Time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting
Time After Time.
You said go slow-
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds-
If you're lost you can look- and you will find me
Time After Time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting
Time After Time
Time After Time
Time After Time
Time After Time
The music faded out and Lauren smiled at Velma through the glass.
"You know, that song was mine and Scott's." She had a happy look on her face as the old memories surfaced.
"I didn't know that."
"Yep. Right before your wedding, when we went to Spooky Island…"
Lauren stepped off of the Spooky Island Charter onto the pier, happy she was no longer in the air and trying to take in her surroundings all at once. The island was buzzing with people and activity. With the sun just setting, the lights from the rides and games against the darkening sky was breath taking. She walked forward, dragging her suitcase along with her through the crowd, trying to see more of the amusement park. A warm breeze ruffled her hair and the loud screaming from the occupants of a roller coaster sounded all around her.
"Do you…umm… Do you want me to carry that?" She heard behind her. Lauren turned around to see Scott with his over sized duffle bag hanging from his shoulder.
"That is very sweet of you, but I think I've got it." She smiled. Lauren could see Scott's ears and cheeks turn red even through the dark.
"Are you sure?" He said a little nervously.
"Do you want to walk with me to the hotel?" She asked, knowing perfectly well that Scott wasn't going to give up until he was holding her bag in his free hand. Lauren knew he was just trying to be a gentlemen, but she was quite capable of carrying her own suitcase. Scott's face lit up at the offer.
"Okay." He said eagerly. They walked through the crowd, following the rest of the wedding party towards the hotel, making small talk about the odd costumes and attractions they saw all the way.
"An odd bunch of people work here." Lauren whispered into Scott's ear when they finally came into the light of the expansive hotel lounge. He was so much taller than her he had to bend down in order to hear what she said. Scott spotted Ethan starring at the two from afar with a smile on his face.
"Tell me about it." He whispered back, blushing crimson. He looked back over to his brother, who was now shaking his head and laughing as he walked towards the front desk.
"So who are you sharing a room with?" Lauren asked. It was an innocent enough question, but she was secretly hoping it didn't sound to forward. "I think I'm sharing a room with Janey." She added just in case. Janey was one of Velma's High School friends, and though she was almost a decade older that Lauren, the two were fast friends.
"Oh, umm…I'm sharing a room with Aidan." Scott answered, a little nervously. He didn't understand why he felt so unsure of himself around her, even when talking about the simplest topics.
"Lauren, I already got our room assignment." Janey walked towards them through the crowd. "Room 354." The twenty-something year old said happily.
"Well, that saved me a lot of trouble didn't it?" Lauren laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow okay, Scott?" She said. He nodded "Okay, well…bye." She said. Then she did something that even surprised her. Standing on the tips of her toes, she kissed Scott on the cheek. Then, turning red in the face, she walked away as fast as she could. Janey was laughing hysterically as she followed Lauren toward the stairs.
Scott was left looking stunned, his hand over the spot on his face that her lips had graced. He couldn't believe it; he just couldn't believe it! She had actually kissed him. So it was on the cheek, it was still a kiss. He felt like he could explode. After what seemed like hours, Scott realized he was standing in the middle of the lounge, starring off into space. Hoping none of his brothers had seen the little display of adolescent affection, Scott got his wits about him and started searching for Aidan, though he was still the color of a beet.
It didn't take long for Scott to find his older brother.
"I've been looking for you." Aidan said to the still grinning teenager once they had found each other in front of the elevator. "What are you smiling about?" He asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing." Scott beamed wider. Aidan was growing more curious by the moment.
"What happened?" He demanded.
"She…I mean Lauren…she kissed me…on the cheek." Scott could feel his cheeks growing even warmer than they already were. Aidan couldn't help but laugh and the younger Dace boy only pouted in his direction.
"I can't believe she had to kiss you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, all Dace men are naturals with the ladies, you being the exception of course,"
"Ha ha ha." Scott said, not the least bit amused.
"No really, I don't exactly know Lauren all that well, but if she kissed you she obviously is attracted to you, bro. I don't think she would have minded too much if you had kissed her. And dare I say, on the mouth." Scott looked absolutely mortified at the thought of making that move. "Well, now the balls in your court. You have to make the next move."
Just then the elevator doors opened and the small crowd in front of them filed in.
"I can't believe you did that. I'm so proud of you." Janey laughed as she followed Lauren up the third flight of stairs.
"I don't know what I was thinking." Lauren responded, her eyes looking buggy. She sprinted up the stairs as though running away would erase what she had just done. She wasn't sure why she was regretting the kiss though. It was just on the cheek.
"I know what you were thinking. You were thinking… Would you slow down?" Lauren stopped at the landing and turned to face Janey. "You were thinking 'This boy is never gonna make a move, so I better start.' Am I Right?" She said a little out of breath, as she moved her eye brows up and down, a mischievous grin on her face. Lauren just blushed and started searching for their room.
"I don't know what you are talking about." She shot back after she was half way down the hall.
"Puh-lease! I've got eyes ya know! I can see that you guys like each other. The amateur flirting is just so cute." Janey said, just as Lauren opened one of the doors with her key and disappeared inside the room. Janey followed. Lauren was already sitting on the queen bed furthest from the door when she entered.
"Do you think I messed up?" Lauren asked. She looked like she was going to cry. Janey closed the door behind her and threw her bag on the other bed before sitting down next to Lauren.
"You didn't mess up at all. I think that smooch could only have helped the situation." She smiled. Janey wasn't much for consoling, but she could see that Lauren needed some one at that moment.
"How?"
"Well, now Scott knows that you do like him, so he's bound to be a little more confident when he's around you." Lauren smiled at the older woman, thankful that she was there.
I can do this. I can do this. Scott thought as he paced in front of the hotel door numbered 354. It was the next morning and after a sleepless night in which Scott kept thinking about Aidan's words of advice, he decided to ask Lauren to explore the park with him. They had to go to the rehearsal dinner for the wedding later that day, but they had the next few hours.
Mustering all of his courage, Scott knocked on the door.
"Coming!" He heard from inside of the room. The door opened to reveal Lauren, her hair still wet from her shower, holding a hair brush. "Oh! Hi, Scott!" She said happily. Maybe she hadn't scared him off after all.
"Hi." He blushed. Why couldn't he stop doing that, for Pete's sake? They just starred at each other for a few moments. "Oh, umm… I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the park with me." He finally said.
"Of course!" She said. "I'll meet you in the lounge in a few minutes, okay?" Feeling a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders, Scott nodded and turned to leave. Lauren waved goodbye and closed the door. As she walked back to the bathroom, she couldn't help but give a little scream of excitement and jump up and down at bit.
After pulling her hair into a ponytail and putting on some sneakers, Lauren locked up the room and headed towards the staircase. Janey had already left the room for breakfast.
"What are you doing?" She said as she spotted Scott leaning against the top of the hand railing. She caught him by surprise and he nearly went toppling down the stairs.
"Oh, hi. I was just waiting for the elevator." He said pointing at the metal doors. Just as he said that the doors sprang open.
"It's only three floors. Why didn't you take the stairs?"
"Why take the stairs when they have an elevator?"
"You can take the elevator then. I'm taking the stairs." Lauren said smiling as she quickly passed Scott on her way down.
"Wait!" He called after her. "What do you have against elevators?" He asked playfully.
"I just don't like them." She was already heading down the second set of stairs.
"But why?" Suddenly she turned and stopped.
"If you must know, I'm afraid of heights." She said. There was a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"What does that have to do with an elevator?" He smiled. This girl was starting to get confusing.
"That feeling that you get in the pit of you stomach when the elevator changes floors, like your falling. I just… I don't like it." She said, the smile on her face started to vanish.
"So you don't like elevators or planes?"
"How do you know I didn't like planes?" She said, smiling once again.
"You started freaking out every time the plane changed direction or altitude on that charter yesterday." He said, an eyebrow raised.
"Oh." She said, starting off once again on the stairs to hide the red in her cheeks.
"Are you going to ride the roller coasters, then?" He asked.
"I love roller coasters!"
"You make no sense."
"What fun would that be?" Scott laughed at her. They were finally in the lounge. Lauren turned around and grabbed his hand, taking him by surprise again. "Come on. I'm hungry." She dragged him through the front doors.
By time they had made it to any of the restaurants on the grounds, they were no longer serving breakfast, so they settled for a funnel cake from one of the stands around the park. As soon as the last dusting of powdered sugar was licked from their lips, Lauren dragged him off towards the rides.
After spending the most of the morning on roller coasters, they settled for walking through the park talking. Lauren told him about Rapid City and she promised to show him some skateboarding tricks; Scott told her about Cleveland and about how he wanted to be an author some day. Even in the moments of silence, things weren't awkward in the least, they were just happy being in each others company.
By time they made it back to the hotel, they had just over an hour before the wedding rehearsal. They stumbled into the lounge full of giggles and made their way to the bar to order some soft drinks from Dead Mike, before retiring on one of the many overstuffed orange couches sprinkled about.
"I had fun today." Lauren said before taking a sip of Cherry 7UP.
"I did to." Scott was no longer feeling nearly as insecure around her as he did up until the night before.
"Oh, I love this song." Lauren blurted all of a sudden. There was usually live music in the lounge, but at the moment there was a soft song coming from a radio at the bar. It was Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time. Lauren looked Scott in the eyes. As he looked back into hers, he couldn't help but think that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
He leaned towards her, first cradling her face in his palms, then pressing his lips gently against hers.
Lauren was still sitting on the stool looking at Velma through the glass.
"How sweet,." Velma smiled, her voice full of sarcasm.
"One of my happier memories. You know, the next morning I told my mother I was going to spend the rest of my life with him." Lauren reminisced. She actually looked very peaceful.
"You could tell that much when you were sixteen?" Lauren laughed. Even she had to admit, it was kind of silly. "Do you still love him?" Velma couldn't believe those words had come out of her mouth. As soon as they had escaped her lips she wished she could draw them back. It was a question that she had no right to ask. Lauren was very quiet.
"Yes. " It was a short answer but very heartfelt. She had never admitted to anybody that she still loved him. It felt very good to get it off her chest though. Finally telling a secret that had haunted her for the past two years of her life was like gaining a new freedom.
"Jinkies," Velma realized she hadn't stopped recording. She hit a few buttons and gestured Lauren to come out of the recording room.
"What were you planning to do with the song anyway?" She asked as she sat down in a chair next to Velma.
"I was just going to keep it for myself. You really sounded good." She drew the CD she had recorded on out of the machine and put it in a case.
"Do you think we have enough music picked out yet?" Lauren said looking at the stack sitting on the floor.
"Probably. We should go see if Ethan and Aidan need any help taking the stuff to the lake. If not then we can at least go along for the ride. You have got to see this place. The view is unbelievable." Each woman grabbed a stack of CDs and started to walk up the stairs.
"Fine with me. What would they be bringing?" Lauren asked.
"They're just moving some equipment for the band, but we have to go by the store and stock the fridge. There will be catering of course, but I'm sure Linda and Charles are going to want more than left overs and hors d'oerves and I don't think we'll have enough time to do that tomorrow." Velma cracked a smile.
"Who's catering?" Lauren was very interested in that aspect of the party.
"Linda and Charles's favorite restaurant: Shangri-La. It's in the heart of Cincinnati." They were now in the kitchen. They sat the cases on the counter.
"Really? One of my old culinary instructors owns that restaurant. Umm…Abbott, Stephanie Abbott. She was a wonderful teacher." She looked very happy.
"That's nice. Maybe you will see her." Velma smiled at her. The phone in the living room rang and the back door slid open.
"I'll get it." Ethan called. There were a few moments of silence. "Velma could you come here a second?" Velma cracked a smile and left the kitchen.
"So who called? Is everything alright?' She noticed the worried look on her husbands face.
"Yeah, everything is okay. It is just that, well…that was Scott. He has decided to come help us move the things to the lake." A frown formed on Velma's face.
"Does he know yet?'" Ethan shook his head.
"I wasn't going to tell him. What difference does it make whether Lauren is here or not? They broke up." Ethan ran his hands threw his hair nervously. "Besides, he knows that she kept in touch with mom. So it is no big deal right?" He looked at his wife questioningly.
"Certainly," She said sarcastically. "Don't worry about it. He was going to find out tomorrow any way. And it's not like you told him she wasn't coming." Velma wrapped her arms around him and he did the same to her.
"I love you." He kissed Velma on the tip of the nose and she smiled at him.
"Who wouldn't?'
Just them they heard snickering. Aidan was standing at the backdoor. "This is a Kodak moment if there ever was one. Where is my camera?" He laughed and dodged the throw pillow his sister-in-law pelted at him. "Hey!"
"Is spying your new hobby?" Ethan asked.
"No, actually I wanted to know if you were done yapping on the phone so you can help me load the van, but I didn't want to break up the happy couple." Ethan shook his head.
"That was Scott. He decided to come and help us out today. He should be here soon." Ethan said.
"I'll let you guys get back to work." Velma said as she headed back towards the kitchen. Once she was out of the room Aidan spoke.
"So what was Scott's reaction when you told him Lauren was coming?' Ethan didn't say a word, but instead rolled his eyes. "He's going to get a nasty surprise today then."
"Lauren, I should warn you. That was Scott on the phone. He is coming to help the guys move stuff today." Velma said once she had joined her again. Lauren was sitting at the kitchenette booth, reading one of Ethan's music magazines.
"So? I knew I was going to have to see him eventually anyways." She didn't look the least bit concerned.
"Okay, I just thought you would want to know." Velma slid into the opposite side of the booth.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"He doesn't know I'm here does he?" Lauren asked.
"Well…no, not really. Ethan was going to tell him but then… I don't know." Lauren began to laugh.
"It's fine really. So when will he be getting here then?" She closed the magazine and sat it on the table.
"In fifteen minutes."
"Doesn't he still live in Cleveland? That's an hour away." Lauren looked slightly confused and panicked.
"He finally bought a cell phone."
"Oh." That was strange. Scott had always hated talking on the phone. "I have to use the bathroom."
Lauren went into her bedroom and then the bathroom. She looked into the mirror for a moment, and then splashed water on her face. It's alright! You're going to be alright!, she thought. She couldn't help but feel nervous. She hadn't seen him in two years. Shaking she washed her face and reapplied fresh makeup. Then she went and sat on her bed to think of the last time she had seen Scott.
The autumn air was cold and crisp. The trees were beginning to shed there outer layers of leaves and reveal their skeletal form. Children were starting another year of school and jackets were becoming everyday attire.
As Lauren walked into the building she could feel the excitement welling up inside her. It was Scott's 21st birthday. As a surprise, Lauren had decided to visit Scott at his college. She had long since graduated and was in culinary school, but her classes didn't start for another two weeks.
Lauren began to walk up the stairs. After two flights she entered a long hall. His door was opened like many of the others. Peeking in, she saw him sitting at his desk, fiddling with the computer. He didn't hear her walk in. She slid her hands over his eyes.
"Guess Who?" Lauren whispered into his ear. A broad smile grew on both of their faces. Without a single word he grabbed her hands in his and swung her around so that she landed on his lap.
"I missed you." He said as he cradled her face in his hands.
"You saw me a week ago!" She laughed.
"Seven days is a long time!" He announced, an air of sarcasm in his voice.
"I missed you too." She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"Well, that certainly wasn't the kiss of a woman who hadn't seen her fiancé for a whole week!" He smiled mischievously. She placed her hands on the sides of his face and began to kiss him fervently. "Now that was better. I love you." He whispered into her ear after they had parted.
"I love you too, but I can't help but notice that you don't seem very surprised to see me." Lauren pointed out as she stood up. She walked over to his bed and threw her windbreaker and purse on the comforter.
"I am very surprised to see you. It is the best birthday present I have ever gotten and…" She arched and eyebrow at him to show that he wasn't doing a very good job of covering up. "Alright. Your mother called to wish me a happy birthday earlier and she asked if you were here yet." He surrendered.
"I guess I forgot to mention it was a surprise." She smiled. "So what are the big birthday plans?" She asked as he stood up and wrapped his arms are her waist.
"Well, of course we have to go out to dinner with Mom and Dad. They'd have fits if we didn't." He smiled brightly. "And then I was going to go out with some of the guys and have my first legal drink, but since you're here…"
"No, no, no. It is a right of passage every twenty-one year old must take. You have to go out and get drunk."
"But it can wait a few days. I'd rather spend time with you."
"I'm not leaving until Monday morning. We have the whole weekend." She kissed him again.
"Okay, how about in a few months, on your twenty-first birthday, we can go out together." Scott offered. Lauren just shook her head.
"We can do that too, but tonight is your night."
"Have I told how much I loved you yet?"
"Yeah, but it wouldn't hurt to tell me again." She smiled.
"I love you more than anything in this world, and I am so lucky that I get to spend the rest of my life with you." He whispered into her ear. He looked in her eyes, and that was all the response he need. All it took was one glance into her glowing hazelorbs to see how much she loved him. Then her attention was drawn to the door.
"Hi, Oliver." Lauren greeted the guy who had just walked into the dorm. He was easily over six feet tall and had light red hair.
"Hello, Lauren! Err, did I interrupt?" He offered apologetically in his English accent. Oliver Johnson had grown up in England. His father had been stationed at the Air Force Base there when he had met and married his mother. He lived there all of his life until he decided to go to college in the states.
"No, it's fine." Scott assured him, although he looked slightly irritated. Lauren sat down on the end of his bed and Scott sat back down on the chair in front of his computer.
"Sorry 'bout that. I have a study group in fifteen minutes and I forgot my book." He walked over to the book shelf and pulled down a rather thick text book and shoved it in his messenger bag. "Will you be joining us tonight, then?" He turned and asked Lauren.
"No. I think it's a guy's night out."
"That's too bad. I better be off." He quickly kissed Lauren on the cheek and headed for the door. "See ya later, mate." He called to Scott as he disappeared through the door.
"A week into the semester and he all ready has a study group?" Lauren asked a little disbelieving.
"Yep. You know he got a full scholarship to Oxford."
"Really? And he decided to go to Cleveland State University. Why?"
"Well, he was going to go to Oxford, until his father died. Then he made a big deal about going to his father's college."
"Let's not talk about something so depressing."
"Okay, has anything interesting happened to you since we last talked on the phone?" Scott got up and sat down next to her on his bed.
"You mean since this morning?" She arched her eyebrows at him. He nodded. "Actually, something interesting did happen." She said in a sing song voice.
"Tell me." He leaned closer to her.
"Well, I got on this plane and flew hundreds of miles to spend my last weekend of brake with this really cute guy."
"Really?" He said playing along. He leaned closer.
"Yeah, but when I got here I couldn't find him anywhere. So I walked down this hall, thinking maybe he was in his dorm, but then the weirdest thing happened. I saw this guy sitting at his computer and if you can believe this, he was even cuter that the guy I had originally intending on seeing."
"This computer guy sounds familiar to me. Do I know him?" He asked, moving closer yet.
"You know you might. Do you have a mirror around?"
And then he kissed her passionately, his arms around her waist. She put her arms around his neck and leaned into him. He moved his hands to the side of her face and caressed her chin with his thumbs. Scott eased her back so that she lying on the bed, him hovering over and kissing her.
Early in there relationship they had established rules about such intimacy. Both were virgins and both intended to stay as such until their wedding night. But they had the tendency to get caught up in the moment. Luckily, somehow or another they always got interrupted.
Thus the phone rang. Scott had every intention of ignoring it, but Lauren pulled away. "It might be your parents." She said gasping for breath through swollen lips. Scott rolled his eyes and grabbed the phone.
"Hi, Mom." Silence for a moment. "No, twenty-one doesn't feel any different." Another pause, "Yeah, Lauren's here. You wanna talk to her." Scott looked at Lauren and smiled. "You saw her this morning, huh?" He raised his eyebrow at her. "No, she didn't tell me that. Is she staying with you?" Lauren laughed at him. "Yeah, we'll see you in about an hour. I love you, too Mom. Bye." He put the phone back on the hook and looked at his girlfriend, who was sitting on the bed trying to look as innocent as possible.
"I had to drop my bags off there this morning, so seeing them before you was inevitable if I wanted it to be a surprise." She explained as she stood up and walked to him. Scott was standing there eyeing her, unbelievingly. She put her arms around him and leaned into his chest. "I love you so much."
"I know you do." He said grinning as he put his arms around her. She pulled away from him laughing and slapped him playfully in the shoulder.
"Where were we?" She asked as she leaned in to kiss him again.
It was sad to look back at that time in her life and see just how in love she had been. It was almost like looking at someone else's memories.
There was a knock on her door.
"Come in." She called. Velma cracked the door open and looked in at Lauren lying in the bed.
"I just thought you would want to know that Scott has just pulled into the driveway." Velma said in a calm voice. Lauren nodded. "Are you sure you are okay?" Velma pleaded.
"I'm fine, Mom." Lauren teased as she pulled herself out of bed and brushed her now wrinkled capris.
"Okay, okay. I guess I'm just feeling nervous for you."
"I'm not nervous." Lauren was now standing in front of the door looking eye to eye with Velma.
"I don't believe you." Velma raised an eyebrow and leaned against the door frame. They could hear Scott coming in the front door talking to Ethan and Aidan.
"We should get going." Lauren said as she walked around Velma and out into the hall. She was heading towards the stairs.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Velma asked as she followed.
"Yes, Velma. I am perfectly fine, like I said." Lauren laughed playfully as she began to descend the stairs. She felt like she was lying to Velma. What Lauren felt was far from fine. Her heart rate was quickening, her palms were sweaty. She felt like her stomach had just jumped into her throat and that her brain was going to explode. But on the surface she seemed really cool.
Lauren and Velma reached the bottom of the stairs and headed to the kitchen where the rest of the group was waiting. Lauren moved aside so that Velma would be the first seen by the group. Lauren felt anticipation like she hadn't felt in a long time.
"Hey, Scott!" Velma said as she moved forward to give her brother in law a hug, leaving Lauren exposed.
"Hey Velma." Scott said. Then he looked up and saw Lauren. They starred at each other for a while. "What are you doing here?" He said. If there was any emotion in his voice it was confusion, not anger or resentment like Lauren would have expected.
"I wanted to be there for you parents on their anniversary." Lauren said with a smile. She was trying her hardest to hold back tears. Scott hadn't changed much at all. He was still completely beautiful, with his dark hair spiked, his tan skin exposed in a pair of cargo shorts and a button up short sleeve shirt. His blue eyes were sparkling at her and then all of a sudden he smiled. He moved towards her and pulled her into a hug. Lauren didn't know what to do. Then he pulled away.
"It's good to see you again." He said happily, as though they had never shared more than a friendship. This time Lauren wanted to cry from the hurt, but she kept face. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him.
"It's good to see you, too." She said. Lauren heard Velma and the other Dace men let out sighs of relief. The Lauren they knew probably would have slapped Scott. She wasn't one to take crap.
"So let's get started." Scott said. He turned around and looked at his older brothers, smiling. They headed back toward the front door and toward the garage leaving Lauren, Velma, Thelma and a very tired Jordan in the kitchen.
"I think it's time for your nap, tough guy." Velma said to her son. Thelma sensed the uneasiness radiating from Lauren, so she stepped forward.
"I'll take him, Velma." She said gesturing towards Lauren. Velma nodded.
"Have a nice sleep, buddy." Velma kneeled down and kissed her son on the cheek before giving his hand to Thelma.
"Bye-Bye, Mommy. Bye-Bye 'Auren." Jordan waved as he was led out of the kitchen. Once they were gone, Lauren felt a tear slide down her cheek and began to frantically wipe at her face so that Velma wouldn't see.
"Are you okay, Lauren?" Velma moved towards her.
"Yeah, I'll be okay. It's just…" Lauren looked at Velma with a sad face. "He…he acted like nothing had ever happened between us; like he was greeting an old friend."
"I know. But you know Scott. He's never really understood his own feelings." She said. "Or how to deal with them." She added as an afterthought. Lauren knew she was right. She felt another tear roll down her face.
"I'll be okay. I think it's just all the anticipation I went through before seeing him that's got me all worked up." Lauren smiled. "He didn't have any of that did he?" She laughed.
"I guess not." Velma laughed, as she put an arm around Lauren's shoulder. "Come on. Let's go see if we can help."
"Okay." She agreed. They headed towards the front door.
So what did ya all think? This chapter was pretty long, I know. I didn't post this story until a few days ago, but I have been working on it since last year. This one chapter took me months to write. I might post the third chapter soon if you guys review, but don't be too impatient with me if I don't get it up for awhile. School is starting tomorrow!