Wow, thanks for all the reviews, I never thought this story would be so popular. The Tessa and Jason run-around is coming to an end, since they deserve to be a couple (just like in the show! Take that Nicole...sorry, just a little excited). As for the reviewer who said they wished Amanda was back on The O.C. so do I; maybe Hailey will make another appearance. Anyway, thanks for all the great review and keep them up, it means a lot!

Chapter Six

Ashlee had developed a new found hatred for something and that something was the bungalow. Sure, it looked nice on the outside and she was certain they were nice places to stay at or even live in but you developed a new sense of perspective when you had to clean them. Frankly, Ashlee didn't think she'd be too broken hearted if all the bungalows at the Grand Waimea suddenly exploded.

And those were her current thoughts as she pushed her maids cart down the sidewalk, hot and exhausted, her uniform sticking to her skin and smelling like bleach. At least she could clean the air conditioned rooms and get out of the Hawaii heat; didn't it ever drop below ninety degrees out here?

Ashlee could have cursed aloud when the front wheel of her cart suddenly stopped spinning, bumping over something and nearly flipping the entire cart onto its side. With a sigh, she headed toward the front of the cart and knelt beside the right wheel, inspecting it closely. Instead of a rock lodged beneath the wheel, what she found was a brown leather wallet, smelling and looking brand new, straight out of the pockets of a guest too rich to even notice it was missing.

Standing up, Ashlee slipped the wallet into her pockets; it might make her look a little more savory in Nicole's eyes if she returned the wallet before the guest even had a chance to report it missing. That way, she'd appear trustworthy to Vincent and take some of the stress of Tessa.

Returning to the back of her cart, Ashlee resumed pushing it down the sidewalk, heading for the employee entrance and the air conditioning that lay beyond.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tessa was trying to ignore Nicole's presence as the brunette stepped behind the counter, shooting her a glare full of venom. For a moment, it appeared as though Nicole had actually come behind the counter to do something business related, but that facade soon vanished when she turned in Tessa's direction.

"Late night last night?" Nicole questioned, sounding slightly cordial and Tessa shrugged her shoulders. So had other things on her mind then making small talk with someone like Nicole Booth. "Look, I saw you with Jason." Her voice became rocky and even threatening, but Tessa had heard much worse.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Then you saw that we were playing pool." She pointed out and Nicole continued to stare at her. "He's really good at it, we're playing again tonight." Tessa knew that adding that little tidbit wasn't the smartest thing she could have done, but, when had she ever done the smart thing?

Nicole seemed, for a moment, taken aback by her words; then, it seemed to Tessa, that she remembered that she was pretending to be the tough girl as opposed to the rich bitch, and stepped closer to her. "Look, Jason's a friend of mine so you'd better keep your slutty hands off of him." She narrowed her eyes. "If you know what's good for you."

Tessa couldn't keep herself from laughing in Nicole's face. "Is that supposed to scare me?" She questioned. "Because, let me tell you, I've heard a hell of a lot worse from people that could do a hell of a lot worse." Now it was her turn to narrow her eyes. "So keep your nose out of Jason's business and mine."

Once Nicole seemed to recover from the shock that developed from Tessa's words, she cleared her throat. "You have no right to speak to me that way." She snapped and Tessa rolled her eyes. "Listen to me, Tessa, I can get you fired from here so fast your head will spin and have your sister on the first plane back home to whatever hell you come from, so I suggest you watch your step."

Tessa's gaze settled on Nicole and didn't waver for a second. "And you have no idea what I can do to you, princess." Nicole didn't falter. "So, if you're done with these 90210 threats, I have work to do."

Nicole remained silent, her mouth suddenly dry, unable to force any words past her lips; for some reason, everything about Tessa at that moment made her shudder and she hated herself for it. If she couldn't stand up to street trash like Tessa Lewis, then how was she supposed to stand up to anyone?

Tessa stared at Nicole for a moment longer, as though making sure that her words sunk in, before turning back to face the lobby of the hotel. A part of her was relieved when she saw a portly man in need of a tan heading toward the desk, a fact that would force Nicole to keep any more juvenile threats to herself. She wasn't afraid of Nicole, she'd faced a lot worse back in Detroit and lived to tell the tale, but she didn't doubt it when the brunette said that she'd send Ashlee home. And Tessa wasn't quite sure her sister could stand up against anything worse in her own home.

As the man got closer, Tessa could easily see that the man was irate and she forced her biggest 'may I help you?' smile on her face. But before she could get the words out of her mouth, the man began speaking. "My wallet is gone." He exclaimed and got Nicole's attention as well. "My wallet has been stolen at your hotel and I want an explanation!"

"Calm down, sir." Tessa began with a sigh. "Tell me exactly what happened."

The man didn't look as though he were going to take her advice. "I'll tell you what happened," he snapped, "one minute I was having a drink on the beach and the next thing I know, my wallet's been stolen. Snatched right out of my pocket."

Tessa felt herself tense up, hating every moment of it, and glanced at Nicole out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't difficult to guess what the other woman was thinking: that Ashlee was the one to blame. Without giving Nicole the benefit of seeing the doubt in her own eyes, Tessa looked back at the man. "Are you sure it was stolen, sir?" She questioned. "Perhaps you left it in your room."

The man glared at her, not too pleased by her insinuation. "I know it was stolen, I already checked the dresser in my bungalow."

Nicole crossed her arms over her chest, Ashlee's guilt certain in her mind; she had sent the teenager to clean the bungalows hours ago. Everything was adding up too nicely, as far as she was concerned; maybe, with any luck, she could get both girls fired.

Tessa was about to urge the guest to calm down once more when the door behind the guest relations guest, the exit of all the employee entrances on the bottom floor of the hotel, opened and Ashlee stepped out. Tessa almost groaned, silently urging her sister to retreat before Nicole could pounce but Ashlee didn't seem to get the message. "Hey, Tess," said the younger girl, smiling at her sister and just as chipper as always. "I..." she trailed off when she saw Nicole glaring at her and the angry man before her sister. "What's going on?"

Nicole didn't waste any time. "Ashlee, let me see what's in your pockets." She commanded and Tessa felt herself tense up once more. She wanted to believe that her sister was innocent, the only person at the whole hotel that had never done anything wrong, and she felt like she was betraying Ashlee by thinking something different.

Ashlee studied her closely. "What?" She questioned. "Why?" She looked over at Tessa with a look that was more worried then suspicious.

Tessa attempted to offer her sister a reassuring smile. "Just do it, Ash." She prompted. Once again, she felt guilty for praying that her sister's pockets would turn up empty.

Ashlee stuck her hands into her front pockets, which turned up empty; however, when she reached into her jeans pocket, beneath her uniform, she retrieved the leather wallet she had found earlier. Tessa closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, almost unwilling to see the look on Nicole's face.

As soon as Nicole snatched the wallet away from her, Ashlee began to put the pieces together; the man behind the counter had surely reported his wallet missing and here she was, caught red handed. She looked over at Tessa, but her sister was staring at the ground with her eyes closed, mentally counting to ten, something she did whenever she was attempting to gain control of a situation.

"Is this your wallet, sir?" Nicole questioned as she opened it, checking the driver's license. The man nodded and snatched it away from her before she could check the rest of the contents. "Is there anything missing."

Ashlee's eyes grew wide. "I didn't take anything out of it." She defended, looking away from Nicole and at the man, who nodded in agreement. "I didn't steal his wallet, either."

Nicole looked at the younger girl, narrowing her eyes. "Well, would you like to explain how it got into your pocket?" She questioned, crossing her arms again and raising an eyebrow, interested in hearing just what Ashlee was going to say.

"I found it, on the sidewalk, when I was cleaning." Ashlee explained and Tessa looked up, opening her eyes and glancing at her sister. Ashlee looked at her sister, pleading her to listen, begging for some sort of understanding, but, for the moment, she got none. "I didn't take it, I swear." This was spoken to Nicole, who just looked away.

The man put his wallet back into his pocket. "I want something to be done about this girl." He told Nicole. "How can you let a criminal work at your hotel? Who knows how many other wallets have been stolen." He glared at Ashlee, who looked back.

Nicole nodded promptly. "I assure you, sir, that appropriate actions will be taken." She grabbed Ashlee roughly by the elbow and jerked her away from Tessa. "I'll make sure this girl is fired this second." Ashlee's eyes grew wide.

Satisfied, the man nodded and, deciding that witnessing the firing out a teenage employee would take time away from his surfing lesson, heading toward the beach entrance of the Grand Waimea.

"We're going to see Vincent right now." Nicole snapped, jerking Ashlee again, pulling her out from behind the desk.

Ashlee tried to pull away. "I already told you, I didn't take his wallet." She protested, but Nicole wouldn't listen or let go. She looked back at her sister. "Tess, I didn't take it." She looked her sister in the eye.

For a moment, Tessa remained where she was, staring at her younger sister, the girl that had never once lied to her, before hurrying after them. "Nicole, let go of her." She commanded, taking Nicole by the wrist and forcing her to stop short.

Nicole pulled away from Tessa, letting go of Ashlee. "Don't ever touch me again." She commanded, her voice low. "If I had my way, you'd be out on your ass too." Tessa just glared at her.

Pushing Ashlee forward, Nicole headed toward the hallway which led to Vincent's office; Tessa followed close behind, hoping to be able to appeal to Vincent since Nicole wasn't too inclined to listen.

Before Nicole swiped her security card, the door to the hallway opened and Jason stepped out, though he stopped before he got more then two steps. His attention settled on Tessa, something that didn't escape Nicole's attention. "What's going on?" He questioned.

"Ashlee stole a guest's wallet." Nicole answered before Tessa could even open her mouth. "I'm going to make sure that she's on the first plane back home."

Jason looked over at Ashlee, who stared up at him. "Is that true?" He questioned. "Did you steal it?" It was as though he wanted to make sure that Ashlee knew exactly what he was asking.

"No." Ashlee answered without hesitation. "I already told Nicole that but she wouldn't listen to me."

Jason once again looked at Tessa, noting that her eyes hadn't left him the entire time; he could read something in her eyes then, something he had never seen before, even when she was begging for a job: the need for his help. And for that moment, she looked just as helpless as anyone else he'd known, the tough exterior she had built around herself over the years crumbling within seconds. "We'll talk to Vincent, see if we can't get this straightened out." Jason suggested.

Nicole glared at him. "There's nothing to straighten out, Jason." She snapped. "The wallet was found in her pocket, end of story."

Ashlee shook her head. "That is not true." Jason, Tessa and Nicole both looked in her direction. "Well, that part is true but I didn't take it; I already told you, I found it on the sidewalk."

Jason held the door open for the girls before following after them, walking down the hallway toward Vincent's office, which he had only left moments before. Vincent looked up from the paper work in front of him, seeming surprised to see Jason again, but not at all shocked to see Nicole pushing Ashlee ahead of her. "What's happened now?" He questioned, looking at Ashlee with a look that said he already believed in her guilt, whether it was a just belief or not.

"Ashlee stole a wallet from one of the guests." Nicole explained, though she didn't sound as venomous now, clearly trying to make a perfect impression in front of Vincent. "I'm sure it's not over-stepping my boundaries by suggesting that she be fired and sent home."

Vincent narrowed his eyes, his glare settling on Ashlee. "I told you what would happen if you made the slightest mistake, Ashlee, I told you that." He said gravely, as though he were firing someone he knew for longer then a day and a half. "And Nicole's right, you should be sent back home."

Ashlee's eyes went wide. "But sir, I didn't steal that wallet." She defended, feeling like one of those cartoon characters that run off a cliff, and can only stay hanging in the air if they don't look down. Well, she was certainly looking down now. "I found it on the sidewalk by the bungalows."

For a moment, there was nothing but silence and Tessa wondered if it was like this in a court room before the judge read off the jury's final verdict. She couldn't keep herself from looking over at Jason, who was, to her surprise, already looking in her direction; he offered her a slight smile, as though protesting the benevolence of their dictator.

It wasn't the first time in his career that Vincent had been forced to fire someone, whether or not they deserved it and he knew it wasn't going to be the last. And it was that fact alone that kept him from sympathizing with the youngest Lewis girl; sometimes, things had to be done, end of story. "Ashlee, I can't take the chance of this happening again. The Grand Waimea is one of the most prodigious hotels in the United States. The only way we can stay that way is if the employees that break the rules are fired."

"But I didn't break the rules!" Ashlee cried. "I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't take that wallet!"

Vincent held up a hand to silence her. "Whether you took it or not doesn't matter." He said. "I'll make flight arrangements and have you on the red-eye home."

Ashlee whirled to face Tessa and the look the older girl saw on her sister's face nearly broke her heart; it was a look she had seen many times before, many nights before, when she was the one and only person Ashlee had to turn to. "Sir," Tessa said, stepping toward the desk. "You can't do that. You can't send her home." Vincent looked at her. "I'll be her guardian, I'll take care of her; fire her, I don't care, but don't send her home."

Vincent glared at her for a moment. "It's not my job to get mixed up in family problems, Tessa." He said, his voice beginning to show signs of strain, making it obvious he was finished dealing with the questions at hand. "Listen to me-"

"No, you listen to me." Tessa commanded, stepping close enough to the desk so that her hips were brushing against the sides. Jason grabbed her elbow, as though he expected her to try and go further then she already had.

Vincent got to his feet. "Don't take that tone with me, Miss Lewis." He commanded, narrowing his eyes. "One more outburst like that and you'll be joining your sister. What I say is final, I don't have to stand her debating or defending myself to you."

Tessa opened her mouth again but Jason tugged her back, resting his hand on her shoulder and she fell silent. Nicole looked over at her ex and narrowed her eyes, not liking how chummy he appeared to be getting with Tessa; at that moment, she would have liked nothing more then to see Tessa fired.

"Don't worry, Vincent." Jason said on Tessa's behalf. "They'll be no more outbursts." He didn't look over at the woman beside him as he spoke, his hand remaining on her arm.

Vincent looked at Jason for a moment before nodding. "You're dismissed." He said to Tessa, Jason and Nicole. "But you're staying here with me." This was spoken to Ashlee. "I'll be your escort to the airport this evening."

Ashlee turned and gave one final look in her sister's direction, pleading silently for the help that wasn't able to be given. She knew there was nothing Tessa could do, no way to make her story creditable when no one wanted to believe her. She was the cartoon character that had looked down, still surprised to see that there was no ground beneath her feet.