Chapter 16

Kendall said goodbye to her mother, reassuring her one last time that she was alright, then hung up the phone. "Phew! She was so relieved that I was okay, that I didn't have to go into detail about our cabin adventures. She's had enough stress for one night." She played with a pencil that had been sitting next to the telephone. "Well, I'm really tired now, so I'll go to bed. I'll get you a blanket for the couch." Zach gazed at her. "Maybe you forgot, but I said that in order to protect you, I would need to be in your room." She started walking towards the hallway. "Well, there's a chaise lounge in my room, but its probably not too comfortable for sleeping." She reached the doorway of her room and turned around. Zach leaned his arm on the door frame. "In your bed, Kendall. You're not going to start getting maidenly vapors, are you?" She folded her arms. "Last time I heard, there still isn't a need for ice skates in hell."

He gently put his hands on her arms and moved her aside so he could enter the room first. He made a sweep of the room, inspecting the closet and master bathroom. He also checked under the bed. "All clear. Time for beddy bye." She glared at him and went into the bathroom. She put her hair into a pony tail, ran some water, and began taking off her makeup. She pulled a packaged toothbrush out of a drawer and tossed it to Zach. They brushed their teeth in silence. She grabbed a nightgown from her dresser, and emphatically closed the door to the bathroom so she could change. Zach stripped down to his boxers and got into bed. Kendall came out of the bathroom and wordlessly got into bed. He glanced over at her. "I have to admit I'm surprised that you gave in so quickly about me sleeping in your bed tonight. I half-expected an 'I can take care of myself' speech and a door slammed in my face."

Kendall sighed deeply. "You and everyone else knows that I am extremely independent. But I'm also practical. Single women have it tough. We can keep our doors and windows locked, take self-defense classes, and sleep with guns, knives, and mace under our pillow. But the plain and simple truth is that the best deterrent is a man in your bed. I think most of the women that get married these days do it so they don't have to lie awake at night wondering if they'll be some psycho's next target. In my case, tonight, that fear has been realized. Ethan has disappeared off the face of the earth. Ryan has Greenlee to worry about. And there is way too much ick factor involved in asking Jackson to stay with me. So really, its not that far-fetched that I would jump at your offer to put a solid body between me and Jonathan Lavery."

Zach contemplated that for a moment. "I would hug you right now and tell you that it will be all right. But I think you might punch me in the stomach." Kendall started laughing. He smiled, glad that she could have a moment of levity. This night had been a nightmare for her, and part of it was largely his fault. He had put her in danger because of his stupid isolated cabin scheme. Well, it hadn't really been a scheme. More of a silly idea that took on a life of its own. He looked over and saw that Kendall had fallen asleep. Unable to resist the urge, he carefully gathered her up in his arms. She sighed and nestled her head farther into his shoulder. Drifting off to sleep, he wondered how a woman like her could be so cynical and so vulnerable at the same time.

Zach was startled into wakefullness by the sensation that he was being watched. He opened his eyes and saw Ryan Lavery standing in the doorway. Light was streaming through the window, indicating that it was morning. "You're not the Lavery I expected to break into this place." Kendall's eyes flew open and she stared at Ryan. Then she sighed. "Well, that's because you aren't familiar with my morning routine. You see, I seem to wake up a lot these days with either Ryan or Greenlee or both staring at me. More effective than an alarm clock. So Ryan, is Greenlee with you today?" The words were no sooner out of her mouth when Greenlee walked in the door carrying a coffee can. "Do you drink this or use it to scour your kitchen sink? Oh my. Yet another Cambias in your bed. Well. I bet Alex, senior is down in hell wishing he hadn't bit the big one so soon." Kendall glared at her. "I'll tell you what big one you can bite." Zach cleared his throat. "Leave me out of this, ladies. I'll assume, Kendall, that you're safe with these two while I nip to the bathroom." He slipped out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Greenlee pretended not to stare at his bare chest. "I guess I'll go make some…er…coffee."

Zach didn't really have to use the facilities. He just knew that Ryan wasn't going to say a word in his presence. He shamelessly listened through the door. "Kendall…I don't know what to say about Jonathan. I feel terrible that you are in danger because of my brother." The bed creaked. "Ryan, I'm the one who slept with a total stranger. I was blinded by the need for payback. Stupid moves like that sometimes reap terrible consequences." The voices moved a little farther away. "Kendall, you need to go away with Greenlee until I can find Jonathan and settle this once and for all." Kendall laughed. "And end up with us killing each other? That would be doing Jonathan's job for him. No, I'm fine here in town. I'm the last target on Jonathan's list. He's not going to waste his time going after me. You need to focus on protecting Greenlee, Maggie, and most importantly, Bianca and Miranda." There was a deep sigh. "Kendall, you need to pack a bag and come with us, now." Kendall's voice rose a notch. "And you need to turn your butt around and walk out my door. It should be a piece of cake for you, having done it enough times before."

In the ensuing silence, Zach decided to re-enter the fray. "Well, I feel totally refreshed. Kendall, that is one comfortable mattress you have, there. I'd love to know where you bought it. Or maybe you'll just let me sleep on yours for awhile longer." Kendall smirked at him. "If you want to sleep on my mattress, I have no problem with that. I'll take cash or money order, but I don't include shipping to your condo." Ryan threw up his hands. "I really don't need to listen to this. I have more important things to do." Kendall rolled her eyes. "Yes, saving the world is such a huge burden. Don't fatigue yourself for our sakes. Bye bye now." Ryan glared at her, then walked out the door. "There, see. That's the Ryan I know and loved."

When the front door had emphatically slammed, Kendall's shoulders drooped and she sat on the bed. Before Zach could open his mouth to say some comforting words, Kendall tossed her hair and stood up, a manic look in her eyes. "Well, since Greenlee won't be around to run Fusion, I better get my tail over there and make sure the place doesn't go to pot. Oh wait, I haven't put up my Christmas tree yet. Or maybe I should look for Ethan. He'll be relieved to know that he's off the hook for Ryan's murder attempt." She bit her lip. Zach put his hands on her shoulders. "You apparently don't need that coffee Greenlee made. Good thing, it smells awful. I have some people looking for Ethan. Until he contacts you, there's really nothing else you can do. I'm sure Fusion will run itself smoothly for the brief time that you and Greenlee are away, since I know for a fact that Jonathan will be found soon."

Kendall narrowed her eyes. "So you're saying that in all this chaos, I should decorate my Christmas tree? Just fa la la la la everything out of my mind?" Zach gulped. "Yes. I suppose I am. Break out the tinsel." Kendall smirked. "You don't have to join me. Its obvious that the very idea repels you." Zach forced a smile. "Of course not. My favorite activity in the world is sipping spiced cider and leaning precariously over a tree to get the star positioned just so." Kendall clapped her hands together. "Spiced cider! I think I have the ingredients for that. I can make it in that crock pot I got from a Fusion employee who obviously doesn't know me very well." She headed for the living room. "But first things first. The tree!" Zach felt ill. "You aren't going to make me chop one down are you?" Kendall smiled wickedly and grabbed a stepladder from the kitchen. She carried it to a closet door. Rummaging in the top shelf of the closet, she produced a long narrow box. "Timber!" She slid it down to Zach and he caught it. "As much as I'd like to torture you with manual labor, I already have an artificial tree. I didn't grow up in a Norman Rockwell family, so I don't really know what to do with a real tree. The needles would probably all fall off the first day." Zach contemplated the box. "My family always used real trees. But Christmas was so miserable, that after awhile the smell of pine became toxic to me. I do have one fond memory. One Christmas my father lit up a cigar near the tree and it caught fire. It was amazing how fast it went up in flames. My mom looked on the bright side. She got to remodel the living room."

Kendall raised one eyebrow. "Well, I don't think you have to worry about my tree reminding you of the ghosts of Christmas trees past." She opened the box and pulled out the tree. It was short, it was white, and it was shiny. Zach blinked. "You're right, that certainly can't be found in nature." He cocked his head. "I guess I won't have to lean precariously over it, either." Kendall grinned and punched a button on her radio. Holiday music began flooding the condo. "The other boxes on that shelf are the decorations. You get them, and I'll start the cider." She walked towards the kitchen, her hips swaying to the music. Zach began to think that he might enjoy himself after all.