Chapter Nine

Nicole jumped slightly when Morgan slipped his arms around her waist, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek, but she smiled despite her surprise and turned her head slightly to face her fiancé. "Hey baby." She greeted, kissing him again. "What are your plans today? Maybe we could have lunch?"

Morgan shrugged, keeping his arms around Nicole's waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "I have a few meetings today, maybe we can fit it in." The brunette nodded, but she didn't seem as though she was putting any faith in that promise being kept. "Do you know what's going on around here?" Morgan questioned, seeming oblivious to Nicole's frown. "It's like a madhouse."

"Some VIP is giving a speech tonight." Nicole informed him. "Important stuff."

Ashlee looked up from her window washing and craned her head so that she could study Nicole and her fiancé; there was no doubt in her mind that that was the man she had heard her supervisor talking to several nights ago, speaking secretly about ruining the Grand Waimea.

Morgan's gaze drifted toward the teenager, their eyes meeting for a brief second. In that second, Ashlee could read the look behind his eyes clearly, for it was a look she had worn in her own more times then she cared to count. It was the look that promised that something big was about to happen.

Tessa fidgeted out of boredom, crossing and uncrossing her legs, picking a stray piece of hair off her skirt as she tried to listen to what Vincent was saying. Beside her, Ashlee looked like she was seconds away from falling asleep, her head propped up in the palm of one hand, studying the other palm with the intensity of a physic. Tessa kicked her sister lightly on the shin, startling her and causing her to look up and deliver a kick in the same manner.

In the front of the spacious party room, The Gold Room -which always reminded Tessa of The Shining- Vincent continued his speech about proper hotel edict, oblivious to the boredom pouring off his employees. "Dr. Samuel Riens is looking toward the Grand Waimea for a pleasant and professional place to give his speech," he was saying, "and it is up to all of us to make sure that he gets what he is looking for."

Ashlee yawned, making no move to cover her mouth with her hand; Vincent noticed and narrowed his eyes but said nothing, continuing to pace the length of the room. "That means that, about all things, we must be on our best behavior." He stressed these last two words, his eyes settling on Ashlee, Tessa and Nicole in one fluid motion.

For ten more minutes, Vincent rambled on about how everything must be in perfect order, not a single thing out of place, before dismissing his staff to devote the rest of their days to making sure that the Grand Waimea was up to snuff. Tessa stood up and carried her chair toward the back of the room, where it would be stacked with the rest until they were needed for the party tonight in another party room; she could hear Ashlee following after her, her own chair bumping along the ground.

After both chairs had been added to the pile, Tessa and Ashlee turned toward the entrance to tend to the needs of the massive hotel, nearly bumping into MJ, who was nudging aside her own seat. "I was looking for you two." The blonde waitress informed them almost on contact. "I need your help."

"With what?" Tessa questioned, intrigued as to what MJ could possibly need their help with. Unless it was relationship advice, then she would totally understand. Ashlee didn't seem near as interested, but she also didn't seem eager to find Nicole and rejoin the ranks of the under-paid and over-worked.

MJ sighed. "Vincent's making me waitress the party tonight." She explained. "By myself, but he said if I could find any other employee's willing to help then I could go ahead and enlist them." She smiled hopefully at the sisters. "Are you two willing to help?"

"Sure." Tessa answered before Ashlee could figure out if she wanted to accept or deny the invite. She nudged her sister, who unenthusiastically muttered a likewise. "No problem." She was well aware that she was just using the event as an excuse to be around Jason and didn't really care, though it wasn't as though she needed an excuse to be around him anymore.

Tessa and Ashlee parted ways with a very grateful MJ and headed out of The Gold Room and back into the lobby of the hotel. Tessa had never had the privilege of attending a party where the goal wasn't to see who could get drunk and pass out the fastest but she was certain that the approaching night was going to prove to be interesting.

"You look beautiful." Jason whispered to Tessa as he came up behind her, causing the brunette he was addressing to greet him with a large smile. The upcoming event demanded elegant evening wear, even for the staff, and Tessa was managing to get the hang of the sleek gray dress and matching high-heels that MJ had leant her. She figured that the dress had been the right choice, judging by the way that Jason couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.

"Thanks." Tessa smiled, setting aside a tray filled with empty wine glasses. "You don't look too bad yourself." She informed Jason, making note of his sharp tuxedo that seemed as though it had never been worn.

Jason looked down at his outfit and gave Tessa sheepish look. "I don't think I was made for the penguin suit." He told her with a boyish shrug and a slight smile.

Tessa shook her head. "Nah, you look good." She assured him. "The perfect gentleman."

Jason's smile grew wider but before he could say anything more or deliver another compliment to the woman standing in front of him, there was a thud from behind them and the sound of shattering glass. Both he and Tessa turned to see that Ashlee had stumbled over her four-inch high heels and hit the carpeted floor of the second time in ten minutes, bringing with her this time several glasses.

Tessa sighed and shook her head. "Tennis shoes." She mumbled, almost to herself. "I told her to wear tennis shoes." The dress that MJ had let Ashlee was so long that it covered her feet, therefore hiding her choice of footwear but the blonde waitress had insisted on giving Ashlee the heels to match.

Jason suppressed a smile and took Tessa's hand, giving it a sympathetic squeeze; he'd have to talk to MJ about making sure Ashlee had a job that didn't require a lot of walking.

From across the spacious room, Nicole stopped what she was doing and stalked toward the teenager, who was slowing picking herself up off the ground. "What do you think you're doing?" She snapped when she reached the girl, taking Ashlee's arm and jerking her around to face her. "Are you trying to make a pain in the ass of yourself?"

Ashlee shook her head. "No." She answered sincerely. "I'm just trying to learn how to walk in high heels."

Nicole sighed, exasperated and commanded Ashlee to retrieve the shards of glass off the carpet. Her eyes drifted around the room briefly, stopping when she noticed Jason and Tessa standing near the bar, instantly noting that Jason's fingers were intertwined with Tessa's.

After making sure that Ashlee was hard at work cleaning up her most recent mess, Nicole continuing across the room, toward Tessa and Jason. As soon as he noticed her heading in their direction, Jason dropped Tessa's hand and turned to face his ex-girlfriend. "How's everything coming with the set-up, Nicole?" He questioned.

"Fine." She answered shortly, giving her attention to Tessa. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" It wasn't a request, it was a command and Tessa followed her to one corner of the large party room. "What are you doing?" She snapped as soon as they were out of ear-shot of the other employees. "What did I tell you about Jason?"

Tessa rolled her eyes again. "Not this again." She mumbled. "Look, Nicole, I've got a lot of work to do, so-" She started to walk past the girl but Nicole stepped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. Tessa glared at the brunette. "Nicole, Jason's a big boy now, he doesn't need you watching out for him." She said. "Besides, last time I checked, you have no right to tell him, or me for that matter, who we can and cannot be with."

"I might not be Jason's girlfriend anymore, but I'm still his friend." Nicole said, her voice low. "So it's my right to protect him and make sure that he doesn't end up with a total slut who's more interesting in making a quick buck then anything else."

Tessa narrowed her eyes and leaned close to Nicole, their faces inches from one another. "If you ever call me that again, you're really going to know what it means to need protection." Nicole pulled away slightly. "And that is a threat."

Nicole watched her for a moment, absolutely silent, as though trying to figure out just how much truth was behind Tessa's words. Another moment passed and Tessa backed up, fixing a hugely false smile on her face. "No problem Nicole." She said, her voice cheery. "I'll get right on it."

Nicole was confused for a minute as to Tessa's sudden mood swing, but then she noticed Jason out of the corner of her eye, approaching them. "Is everything all right?" He asked when he reached the women, his gaze settling on Tessa. He had no doubt witnessed the confrontation in the girls' postures, and had come to make sure that everything was in order.

"Yep." Tessa told him, her smile seeming to dissipate. "Nicole was just telling me to make sure Ashlee didn't break anything else."

Jason smiled and nodded. "I've already talked to MJ about that." He informed both women. "Ashlee's going to be helping her behind the bar."

With that problem solved, the trio went their separate ways, handling their separate tasks to make sure that the party went off without a hitch. And Nicole seemed to make it her personal mission to see that none of Tessa's tasks put her anywhere near Jason.

Ashlee had kicked off her heels, standing bare-foot behind the sweeping bar, familiarizing herself with the different alcoholic beverages on tap and reacquainting herself with a man named Jack Daniels, when Morgan entered The Ball Room. He was alone, a briefcase in his hand, striding toward the stage in the back of the room.

Morgan was unnoticed by the handful of other employees in the room, who were organizing the mass of chairs around the stage where Dr. Samuel Riens was set to give his speech and he didn't glance around to see whether or not he was being watched, intent on whatever mission had brought him into the room. Ashlee quickly hid her glass of Jack Daniels behind the bar as she watched Morgan, wishing that Tessa were around to help her keep an eye on this creep. There was something about him that rubbed her the wrong way and she didn't let the man out of her sight.

Morgan stepped onto the stage and set his briefcase down, kneeling beside it and putting his back to the youngest maid at the Grand Waimea. Ashlee could tell he was fiddling with several of the wires that crisscrossed the stage but she couldn't see just what he was doing.

After several minutes, Morgan stood again, turning and stepping up to the microphone. "Testing, testing." He mumbled, his voice heard clearly through the speakers. Seeming satisfied, he retrieved his briefcase and headed out of the party room once more, more causal this time.

Ashlee watched him suspiciously, before looking over at the stage; nothing seemed to have been tampered with, the wires still in order. But, somehow, she doubted that Morgan had popped by to make sure that the microphone was working properly.

Tessa smiled politely at a male guest, who was nearly too drunk to remember his own name, as she retrieved his empty glass, promising a refill and fending off his advances. Trying to ignore the fact that the man, who was in the empty of his wife, was very concentrated on watching her walk away, Tessa weaved her way through the crowd until she reached the bar once more, setting the empty glass in front of her sister. "Pina Colada." She ordered.

Ashlee retrieved the glass and went about filling the drink order. Tessa couldn't help but observe just how natural her sister seemed when it came to working behind the bar and wondered just where she had picked up all her bar tending talents. Certainly not from repetitive viewings of Coyote Ugly.

While Tessa was waiting for the new Pina Colada, Jason stepped up beside her, leaning against the bar and flashing her a smile. "How're you enjoying the party?" He questioned.

"Serving drinks to rich people while trying to retain some patience while turning down yet another offer for dinner and sex," Tessa remarked brightly, "what's not to enjoy?"

Jason smiled, shaking his head. "It's the life isn't it?" He questioned sarcastically. "Paradise."

Tessa took the chilled drink from her sister and turned back to brave the crowd once again. "Yeah, paradise all right."

Jason watched as she disappeared into the throng of people, smiling to himself for a moment before turning back to look at Ashlee, who was watching him. "Tessa's something, isn't she?" Ashlee nodded. "She's looking really beautiful tonight, don't you think?" It was a friendly question, a little chance for Ashlee to show off just how proud she was of her sister. However, all Jason got was another slow nod. "Are you all right?" Ashlee hadn't said much of anything since the party started, keeping her mouth shut tightly.

Ashlee nodded again, offering him a tight smile. "Are you sure?" Jason questioned, studying her closely. "Say something." He suddenly had an idea of what was keeping Ashlee's lips sealed so tightly.

"I'm fine." Ashlee croaked out, hiding her mouth behind her hand casually. Jason rolled his eyes, the unmistakable smell of Jack Daniels passing from behind her fingers; it wasn't his place to snap at Ashlee for under-aged drinking, but he was definitely going to mention it to Tessa.

Ashlee hurried off to fill another drink order for MJ, and Jason headed back into the crowd as well. The party was, so far, a success, the guests' spirits apparently hadn't been dampened, despite the doctor's rather boring, nearly two-hour long speech. Jason wouldn't have been surprised if he had learned that Ashlee had cracked open her first bottle of Jack Daniels during the presentation.

The band that often played at the hotel restaurants was well into their third set, doing a slow rendition of REO Speedwagon's "I'm Gonna Keep On Loving You." Most of the guests had paired off and it wasn't difficult for Jason to spot Tessa, close to the stage, enjoying the reverie she was getting from rushing around and filling drink orders.

"Will you dance with me, Miss Lewis?" Jason questioned, extending his hand when he reached the brunette. Tessa looked at him, his invitation a clearly pleasant surprise and she took his hand, setting her empty tray aside and letting him slip his arm around her waist and lean her head against his shoulder.

Tessa tried to remember if she had ever danced, really danced, with a guy before and couldn't come up with a time when she would have. There weren't a lot of chances to slow dance when you were grinding in a club and she wished that wasn't so, because moving in time with the slow music was more fun then she would have expected. Or maybe it was just dancing with Jason that made it that way.

Seemingly seconds after Tessa closed her eyes, moving a little closer to Jason, the singer's words were replaced by nothing but static hissing through the speakers. She lifted her head just as the lights in the room flickered, plunging the party-goers into darkness for a brief moment before returning.

A murmur rose from the crowd as the sound cut out all together, and Jason turned toward the lead singer of the cover band, who appeared just as perplexed by what was happening as everyone else.

From her place behind the bar, Ashlee took another ship of Jack Daniels, working on her third bottle of the night, when the lights flickered. She lifted her eyes, a little too tipsy to be too interested and picked her sister and Jason out of the crowd, where they had been slow dancing together. Well, that was nice, she decided, it was about time her sister found a decent guy who wasn't interested in just a quick-

"What do you think you're doing?" Vincent's angry words snapped Ashlee out of her mental praise of Tessa's recent choice of boyfriends and he grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him. Vincent snatched the bottle from her hands, spilling half the liquid onto the surface of the bar. "I don't even know where to start." He continued, clearly infuriated. "Under-aged drinking is absolutely against the rules in my hotel."

Ashlee tried to wrench free of his grasp, but Vincent held her tight, not planning on letting her off the hook so easily. Before Vincent could fumble out any more anger laced words, the electricity flickered again, cutting out for good this time and plunging the room into complete darkness.

"What in the Hell?" Vincent muttered, releasing Ashlee and headed toward the back of the room, where the breakers were located, confused as to what was going on. This was not supposed to be happening; hotels were not supposed to loose power when hosting very important parities for very important people.

The crowd started to get rowdy, the nervous sort of rowdy that came when something happened that wasn't planned and Vincent was torn between calming them down and finding out what was causing the power failure.

Luckily, Jason was already stepping onto the stage, intent on addressing the guests in the room. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began in his best 'I'm a general manager, and I've got everything under control' voice. "I assure you this power failure will be fixed momentarily. Until then, please remain calm and where you are, the lights will be back on shortly."

While Jason was attempting to gain control of the anxious guests and Vincent was stumbling his way toward the circuit breakers, Morgan managed to slip up to the stage, unnoticed. With the ease of someone used to performing secretive operations in the dark, he retrieved the bundle of wires he had been prodding earlier and found the space where he had cut through the rubber coating, exposing the copper wires beneath.

Using his pocket knife to pry open the back of one of the massive speakers, Morgan exposed the bundle of wires that had been hidden inside and cut through the rubber coating once more. He untangled the copper mass and touched them to the tips of the previously exposed wires, creating a spark; it was just like hot-wiring a car, but with all the extra wires around, the result wouldn't quite be the same.

Just as Morgan had hoped, the spark caught and several of the other wires caught with it, the beginning of a tiny fire that would hopefully spread. Quickly, Morgan dropped the bundles of exposed wires onto the stage and retreated into the crowd.

Tessa noticed the fire first, where the spark from the wires had ignited by the speakers, fueled by residue from someone's spilled drink. "Jason," she called over the din of the crowd, alerting him to the growing fire.

Jason looked in the direction Tessa was gesturing, as did several other guests; their reactions to the steadily growing fire weren't nearly as calm as Jason's. Almost instantaneously, the crowd began to panic, preparing to make a mass exodus from the room, via the double doors.

Tessa got onto the stage to avoid being trampled and started looking around for something to quell the fire with. Jason was shouting for everyone to be calm but the sight of the fire and the constant darkness made it easy for his words to be ignored.

Ashlee turned toward the back of the bar, searching for one of the several pitchers of water that lined the back wall. She finally spotted one, snatching it up, just as MJ appeared, demanding for a glass of water or a cup of ice, anything to help put out the fire. Ashlee handed her the pitcher, watching as MJ doused the fire that had remained in the relative vicinity of the speaker.

In all actuality, the fire was little more then a flaming spark but just the sight of it was enough to do the job Morgan had hoped it would. Once MJ had managed to put out the fire, Vincent was able to snap the electricity back on, which managed to make the hurried departure from the room a little less dangerous.

Once most of the guests had been cleared out, Jason, Tessa, MJ, Vincent and Ashlee followed after them, joining the chaos in the lobby, where it became evident that some order had to be re-established. Ashlee and MJ tried to calm everyone down while Tessa made sure no one had been hurt, leaving Vincent and Jason to try and gain everyone's attention for an announcement of some sort.

"Everyone please, calm down!" Vincent commanded, though no one seemed to heed his words. Several people began threatening lawsuits for faulty equipment and endangerment and the majority of the crowd demanded to be checked-out of the hotel.

"Who knows what other wiring in this place is faulty." One guest remarked to his wife. "We could all burn to death in our sleep."

Vincent tried to deny his claims but it was no use; by the time Tessa and Nicole managed to check everyone out and provide adequate refunds, more then half the guests had relocated to other hotels. Including the doctor who had hosted the party in the first place.

Jason sighed, slumping against the guest relations counter and burying his face in his hands. Somehow, this was not how he had expected the evening to go.

Thanks for all the great reviews, it's nice to know that everyone wants this story to continue. So, as long as there's someone reviewing, I'll keep writing. I hope to have this story finished by the time the next new episode airs, so that the events of the TV show stop interfering with my story. I hope Tessa gives Jason what he deserves for getting back with Nicole... Anyway, thanks so much for the fantastic reviews! It means so much!