Chapter 3 - They Know
A/N: I should probably take a moment to thank CharmedAngel4 for betaing. Um...thank you...
This chapter is for cold blooded jelly donuts...you give good reviews!
"Come here. I'm going to explain the rules of Kiss Chase to you. Do you want me to go through others as well?" she offered, half serious. "Like Hide 'n Seek, Hopscotch…"
"I know how to play Hopscotch," Chase insisted feebly.
"Let's start with Hide 'n Seek, then," Cameron began. "One person, the seeker, counts to a pre-organised number, usually 10. This gives the hiders time to hide." Cameron noticed that Chase was nodding intently after each instruction. She wouldn't have been surprised if he took out pen and paper and started writing it all down.
"Then the seeker tries to find everyone."
"Got it," Chase said slowly. "Seeker counts, hiders hide, seeker seeks."
"Basically. You're really never played this before?"
Chase opted not to answer.
"Alright," Cameron continued. "Kiss Chase is just as simple. One player is It, and they have to catch one of the others. When they do, they have to…" she trailed off when she realised what she was about to say.
"Yeah, go on." Chase was still listening with intense curiosity, so it seemed, hanging onto her every word.
"Um," Cameron said uncomfortably.
"They have to kiss the person they catch," a little voice piped up. Cameron looked down to find Dani standing between them.
"Shouldn't you be practising your swinging?" Cameron asked. "You're almost there." To her surprise, Dani nodded, and climbed back on the swing.
Cameron didn't say anything, but watched Dani take herself up. Her line of vision was blocked when Chase swung around to face her.
"You caught me, right?" Cameron nodded slowly. She knew where he was going.
"So doesn't that mean…" Cameron gave him a confused look. She just wondered whether he'd say it.
"You know…" Cameron smiled.
"Yes, I do. You're It." She laughed, but Chase's expression made her stop. She looked at her feet and emitted a small sigh.
"And if you play by the rules, I'm supposed to kiss you."
"Do you play by the rules?" Chase asked softly. Cameron brought her gaze level with Chase's.
"I wouldn't want to be known as a cheater."
Cameron found herself whispering, and although it wasn't cold, she was shivering.
Without warning, Chase took a step forward and suddenly, Cameron wasn't there. She was floating somewhere over the playground.
Cameron was unaware of everything around her…until she felt a gentle tug just above her knee, which brought her rapidly back to earth.
"Dani," she murmured, still pressed against Chase.
"Auntie Allison?"
Cameron moved away from Chase, and bent down to tend to her niece.
"I hurt my finger." Dani held out the finger in question, which had a large scratch on it, and was beginning to bleed.
"Ouch," Cameron said sympathetically. "We'd better go home and fix it up."
She stood up again, and picked Dani up.
"We'd better go, Chase, sorry."
Chase nodded.
"No worries. I'll see you tomorrow." He was smiling at her, and she was sure she was, too.
As they turned to leave, Dani waved over Cameron's shoulder.
"Bye, Robert," she squeaked.
"Bye, Dani," Cameron heard chase say back.
The walk back was uneventful. Cameron was untalkative, lost in her own thoughts. The only thing perhaps remotely interesting was when Cameron glanced at her watch.
"Oh, no, it's almost quarter to 6."
She sped up, still carrying a tired Dani, who rested her head on Cameron's bouncing shoulder.
Dani squirmed as they neared the elevator to let Cameron know she wanted to get down. She stood and pushed the 'up' button. The doors opened straight away, and they got in. This time, there was no one in with them.
"Show me your finger," Cameron requested. Dani held it out, and although it was clean and dry, her doctor instincts took over, and she decided to wash it when they got back.
The doors opened to reveal Cameron's sister, standing, arms crossed, eyebrows raised.
"Don't be late," she mimicked, smiling smugly.
"Sorry, Helen," Cameron said breathlessly. "We were at the park."
Helen nodded.
"Fine. So, you ready to go, sweetie?"
"No, she's scratched herself," Cameron said, going over to her front door and unlocking it.
Helen took Dani's hand and had a look.
"It's fine," she said, unfussed.
"I want to clean it."
She switched on the main lights, and put her keys on the kitchen table. Helen went in with Dani, though it was obvious by her expression that she thought it was unnecessary.
"Come on." Cameron beckoned for Dani to follow her to the bathroom. She was accompanied by her mother.
"So what did you do at the park?" Helen enquired, while Cameron turned the tap on, and told Dani to put her hand under the water.
"Swings. Slide. We played a game." She sounded bored, but stood still as Cameron helped her.
"What game?" Cameron had learnt the technique of acting interested from her sister.
"Kiss Chase." Dani submissively held out her finger for Cameron to dry. Helen looked at Cameron quizzically. Cameron shrugged.
"She suggested it."
"Was it fun?"
"Very." Cameron didn't realise Helen hadn't been talking to her, until she received an odd look from her. She tried desperately to wipe the smile off her face, and hastily gathered a few explanatory words.
"Dani had fun, didn't she- you?"
Helen grinned, placed her arms across her chest, and leant against the bathroom counter.
"What happened?"
Cameron froze, her hand poised over Dani's, with a band-aid, ready to wrap it around her finger. Her eyes slowly and reluctantly turned to Helen.
"Nothing," she said far too guiltily. Helen gave her a look, which said all too clearly, 'Who are you kidding?'
Cameron sighed inwardly, and continued to plaster Dani's injury.
"We met my colleague, Chase." Cameron was doing all she could to keep an even tone.
"Robert," Dani put in, but she was ignored.
"And?" Helen prompted. "I know that's not it."
"I don't want to talk about it," Cameron mumbled. She stood up, and dried her hands.
"You kissed him, didn't you?" Helen's all-knowing manner really got to Cameron. For a moment, she wondered why older sisters always seemed to know everything.
"you've got the same look you wore when you kissed Tom Kelly, when you were 16," Helen said slyly, eyes wide, shaking her head. "I'll never forget that."
Cameron blushed lightly, but tried to brush it off.
"You always manage to bring that into the conversation. Dani's done, you can go now," she said, stressing the last two words, almost pushing Helen out of the bathroom. Dani toddled along behind them. Cameron suspected she was having a ball, listening to her mother and Cameron talking.
"Alright," Helen said, putting her hands up in front of her in defence. She sniffed. "Come on, Dani, I can see where we're not wanted." She held out her hand, which Dani took. Helen let her give Cameron a kiss, before she led her out.
"Bye, Dani…Helen," Cameron called after them.
"Bye, Auntie Allison."
Helen laughed. Pointing her free hand at Cameron, she said, "If it takes off, let me know. I'll be round to check him out."
Grinning, Cameron rolled her eyes, and shut the door. On her way to the kitchen, she stopped to look at the photo she told Dani about.
Smiling broader still, she thought to herself, 'It's the name of the game. What could I do but Kiss Chase?'
A/N: If people like, there might be a sequel.
dr. ml.: well, there you go. Thanks.
cold blooded jelly donut: Not when you're being chased by one! I haven't seen the Mistake yet...I'm all the way here in Australia. It is a little odd...I think Robert suits him, but Chase even more so.