A/N: Sorry it's been so long! Work's been crazy and everything. I hope you like this chapter…let me know what you think! Thanks for the great reviews so far!
Alex examined herself in the mirror with a smile. The last time she had been dressed up was when she had pretended to be Zoey. Her brown hair had been curled and twisted so it fell down her back. The dress she wore was a deep red color and strapless, with a slight train at the back. She wore gloves in a deep red color. The left one had been made larger to fit over the cast still on her hand. She wore light make up and a diamond necklace from Tiffany's.
With a final look, she left her room, heading for her parent's. She nodded to both guards before knocking gently on the door. She entered the room, smiling as she saw her father clasping a necklace around her mother's neck. He kissed the nape of her neck gently, smiling at their reflection in the mirror.
"Break it up you two," she said with a grin on her face.
"How do you think you were made," Jed asked, turning to face her with a smirk.
"I really didn't need to hear that, you know," Alex said, "Are we heading downstairs? I'm starving."
"Better not keep you waiting then," he said, "You look beautiful, honey."
"Thank you," she said, accepting his kiss on her cheek. "You look quite handsome." She grinned as he puffed up like a peacock.
"I see the glove managed to hide the cast," Abbey said, taking her hand gently in hers.
"Yeah," Alex said, "Thanks for telling her about that."
"Not a problem," she replied. "You ready to go downstairs?" She met her daughter's eyes in an effort to ensure herself that Alex was ready.
"I've done this before," Alex said, "Remember?" She heard her father snort and turned with an eyebrow raised.
"Let's not keep the president waiting," he said, motioning to the door.
Alex could feel hundreds of eyes on her as she sat down at the table next to her mother. To her right sat Blaise D'Astier, the son of the French President. She felt awkward at the table. Flashes went off from various places, taking pictures of her and her parents.
"Vous semblez beau ce soir," Blaise, leaning over to her.
"Merci," Alex stumbled, her cheeks turning red. "Avez-vous apprécié votre sejour?"
"Ah, vous parlez anglais," he replied. "Oui, j'ai apprécié mon sejour. Vos yeux sont beaux. Ils assortissent votre mère."
"Merci," Alex said again. She knew her cheeks were reddening from the attention he was giving her. He was a handsome man about her age, with blonde hair and green eyes. She noticed that he had a deep tan from spending time outdoors. "Jouez-vous des sports?"
"Oui," he replied, "Tennis. Jouez-vous?"
"Non, je n'ai avant jamais joué," Alex said.
"I will teach you how to play then," he replied in English. Alex smiled, brushing a stray curl behind her ear.
"He better be talking about a sport," Jed said, hearing the young man's last statement.
Alex turned, glaring at him with her brown eyes. "We're talking about tennis," she informed him. "He wants to show me how to play."
"Are you free tomorrow," Blaise asked.
"Uh..yeah," she replied, "But I can't play. I have a cast on." She pulled off the glove to reveal the white cast. Immediately, flashes went off, taking pictures of it. She immediately regretted it and quickly slide the glove back on.
"That won't be a problem," he replied with a smile. "How does ten o'clock sound?"
"Sounds fine to me," Alex said, returning his smile.
The rest of dinner went well, with Alex conversing with Monsieur and Madame D'astier. Finally, dessert came and the string quartet started to play. Alex knew by now that the president and first lady were to be the first to dance. She watched as her father held her mother close, his arm around her waist, her arm resting on his shoulder. She smiled as she saw the love between them.
"Aimez-vous danser," Blaise asked, holding out his hand. Alex smiled and nodded, taking his hand. She rested her hand on his shoulder, holding her dress with the other hand while his arm held onto her waist.
Jed watched his daughter dance with the young man and scowled. "Jed, she's gotta grow up at some point," she said, knowing exactly what was making him scowl.
"Yeah, but not with him," he said, "He's so…stuffy. And she's probably smarter than him. It's not late to install a dungeon, you know." Abbey smiled, shaking her head. When it came to the girls, no man was good enough for them.
"She'll be fine," she reassured, "They're just dancing, then playing tennis tomorrow."
"If he moves that hand any lower, I'll use him for target practice," he said. Abbey turned and saw the young man's hand resting on the small of Alex's back, a respectable distance for her.
The dance ended and Blaise bowed while Alex curtsied. She could barely hide a grin as he kissed her hand. Across the room, she knew her father was turning red. She let go of Blaise's hand and thanked him before walking across to her father. "Mind if I cut in," she asked sweetly.
"Of course not," Abbey said, "I was about to sit down myself." She patted Alex on the arm and walked off, but not before Alex saw a familiar gleam in her mother's eye.
"He better keep his hands off you," Jed said, as he and Alex began to dance.
"Dad," she said, rolling her eyes. "He's just being nice. He's not asking for my hand in marriage. At least…I don't think that's what he asked." She grinned at her father's scowl. He knew she was just playing with him and hated it. "He's a nice guy."
"He's stuffy," Jed said.
"He's French. It comes with the territory," Alex countered. "It's just tennis. Not a date."
"That's all it better be," Jed replied. Alex rolled her eyes and continued to dance with her father.
It wasn't until midnight that her parents bid their guests goodnight and returned to the residence. "I will walk you to your room," Blaise said, offering his arm to Alex.
"Thank you," she said, taking his arm. "Where are you staying for the night?"
"French Embassy," he replied, "I will be here at ten, to meet you for tennis."
"Okay," she said, stopping at her door. "I will see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," he said, taking her hand. He kissed it gently, then winked before walking away.
Alex fought to hide the grin spreading across her face, but was losing miserably. "Not a word of that to my father," she told the guard standing by her door. She raised her eyebrow to emphasize her point, then entered, shutting the door behind her.
Alex was grinning as she walked into the kitchen the next morning, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a pink and grey jersey knit tennis skirt and a matching pink sports top. She had found it among Zoey's things, hoping her twin wouldn't get mad for borrowing her things.
She ate a bowl of cereal, her eyes focused on CNN. Images and clips from the ball last night flashed on the screen. At least she had looked good. "Try not to break anything else today," she heard her mother's voice say from behind her.
Alex turned and saw her mother walk into the kitchen. "Thought you had a meeting today," Alex said with a grin.
"It's in a few minutes. I forgot some notes up here," Abbey said, picking up a packet of papers from the side table next to the couch. "You sure you feel up to playing tennis? Your stitches just got removed a few days ago."
"I'll be fine," Alex said, "It's not like it's going to be to intense or anything." She held her wrist and gave her mother a lopsided smile.
"Alright," Abbey said, "Don't push it to much. I'll see you later on tonight." She kissed Alex's forehead quickly, then left to go back downstairs.
"You swing like this," Blaise said, wrapping his hands around her and swinging the racket. Alex felt a blush creep up her cheeks as her body moved against him. "Now try it on your own." Alex mimicked the motions, grinning as a smile spread across his face.
"I'd show you a backswing, but it'd hurt your wrist," he said, "Maybe we can cover that next time." He winked as he walked to the other side of the net to toss her a couple of balls.
Alex hit all of the balls over the side of the net, laughing as he returned a few. She noticed he was careful not to hit too hard or make her run too much. After awhile, they were able to play a slow game, with her underhand serving the ball to him.
At around noon, they took a break, going into the club house to get lunch. "When did you learn to play tennis," Alex asked, pushing a sweaty strand of hair out of her eyes.
"When I was child," he said, "In France, it's common to learn as early as age four."
"Wow," Alex said, "That's….really young. You teach really well."
"Well, I don't offer less to just everyone," he said, flashing a grin. Alex grinned back giddily. "You play well for a beginner."
"Thanks," she said, "I had a good teacher." They're lunch came and Alex ate the salad she had ordered hungrily.
"So, Zoey is your twin sister, no," Blaise asked.
"Yeah," Alex said, "Only of recently, though."
"It was wonderful that you were able to find your family again. They seem like nice people."
"They are," Alex replied. "Don't know what I've done without them this far. Your parents don't seem so bad either."
"They aren't," he replied, "You should come visit us in Cannes over the summer. It's beautiful there."
"I'll just have to work on Mom and Dad for that one." She smiled brightly, then went back to her salad.
After lunch, they hit a few more balls before climbing back into the limo. "When do you go back to France," Alex asked, on the way back to the White House.
"Day after tomorrow," he replied. "I was hoping we could go see an American movie tomorrow night."
"I'd like that," she said. "I'll see you around six?"
"That'll work," he replied. "I had fun today, Alexandria."
"So did I," she said. She paused, the air between them becoming thick. She saw the intense look on his face and felt her heart start to beat quicker.
"I was wondering if it would be alright if I kissed you," he said, his voice cracking slightly.
"Yeah," Alex said. She felt him move closer, his hand wrapping around her neck, pulling her closer. He brushed her lips lightly with his and she closed her eyes, moving closer to him. He kissed her again, this time, she deepened it, opening her mouth. His tongue slipped in, dancing and teasing her own.
She was vaguely aware of the car stopping as the kiss ended and she slowly pulled away. Blaise wore the same dazed look as she as she gathered her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow then," he said, smiling sheepishly.
"Yeah…tomorrow," she said, her voice sounding far off. She smiled again before climbing out of the car. Her heart was still pounding in her chest as she watched him drive off.