Chapter 40

Squeals of laughter and the fun noises of playfulness were wafting from the living room of Lucas and Peyton's house. From the kitchen, where Ollie was wiping mushy food from around her little Cousin Larry's mouth, she could hear them. She smiled, wondering how Kaleb, who was helping her babysit her two youngest cousins, had managed to get the moody 6 year old to take to him so quickly. She also found it pretty amusing that about half of the squeals seemed to be coming from him, not Penny.

"They're funny aren't they?" she cooed to Larry, who was seemingly very unimpressed that his sister was getting to play while he had to be cleaned.

"No." he moaned trying to wriggle out of the chair.

"Come on Larry, almost done." she told him to try and make him stop wriggling.

He just pouted.

Ollie finished wiping his face, and glanced at her watch. No wonder, he was getting grumpy, it was a bit after his bed time.

"Kaleb, I'm just going to put Larry to bed, are you alright with Penny?" she called, holding onto Larry's hand to lead him to bed and ensure the little boy didn't try make a wild escape from bedtime.

"Yeah Ok." Kaleb called back.

It took her about a quarter of an hour to even get Larry up the stairs after that, and then a further ten to get him into pajamas. Even once he was all snuggled up in bed, Ollie knew there was one more thing coming. Something Larry, without fail, asked her to do every time she tucked him in.

"Ollie?" he asked quietly. "Will you sing to me?"

She smiled down at him and ruffled his hair. Sure, he was naughty a lot, and took a bit of work, but he was still a sweet kid and she couldn't, not sing for him.

"Sure buddy." She answered gently.

Thinking for a moment about what to sing, she decided on an old lullaby she had found years ago in one of Lucas' old battered poetry books. It had always stuck in her mind for some reason.

Sway to and fro in the twilight gray,
This is the ferry for Shadowtown;
It always sails at the end of day,
Just as the darkness is closing down.

Down through the jib and insulation above his head, the sound of a sweet beautiful voice wafted down to Kaleb. He thought at first, he was simply imagining it, hearing angels that weren't there in reality. From the stillness and silence coming from Penny, who was looking at him confused as to why he had suddenly become alert to the sounds upstairs, told him it wasn't in his mind.

"Hey Penny, do want to watch TV for a little while?" he asked.

She nodded and turned the TV onto cartoons, looking quite content.

Making sure that she would be ok for a while, Kaleb quietly headed up the stairs, mesmerized by the beautiful voice. It led him to an ajar door. Inside looked like a fairytale. A sandy haired little child wrapped up in rich red blankets, with the beautiful princess singing him to sleep.

Ollie really was a princess to him. Forget Cinderella, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty, they didn't even compare.

Rest, little head, on my shoulder ,so;
A sleepy kiss is the only fare,
Drifting away from the world we go,
Baby and I in the rocking chair,
See where the firelogs glow and spark
Glitter the lights of the shadowland;
The winter rain in the window, hark!
Are ripples lapping upon its strand?

If there was a word to describe her in that moment, what he had originally thought downstairs, angel that was it. She looked so serene, with her, back to natural honey colored hair tucked behind her ears, a whimsical look in her eyes and the sweet lullaby words flowing like they were made for her, from her slightly parted lips.

Before today, he'd never known she sang, she had never mentioned it to him. It made sense, her not speaking about it, considering everything with her mom. In fact, he was a little jealous of Larry at the current moment.

Not wanting to interrupt, and maybe embarrass her or cause her to stop, he crept forward as quietly he could until he was just inside the door. He sank down to sit against the wall on the carpet, his eyes not leaving her for a moment.

There! where the mirror is glancing dim,
A lake lies shimmering cool and still,
Blossom sare waving above its brim,
Those over there on the windowsill,
Rock slow, more slow in the dusky light,
Silently lower the anchor down!
Dear little passenger, say "Good night"

Kaleb didn't hear it, but her voice faltered as he sat down. Alas, she kept singing, even though Larry was pretty much out to it, she wouldn't take her chances. She glanced over at him a little shyly with a small smile to match. Ensuring not to wake up Larry with sudden movements, she softly padded over to Kaleb. Reaching down she pulled him up so that his face rested but inches from hers, then in a whisper sang the last line of the end of the lullaby.

We've reach'd the harbor of Shadowtown.

His knees all but gave way. Silently, moving as stealthily as a cat in the night, she led him from the room and back downstairs. Checking in on her, Penny was still content watching cartoons.

They went into the kitchen, Kaleb still feeling a little weak, and Ollie turned the jug on.

Sinking into a barstool he told her, "I had no idea you could sing like that Ollie,"

She shrugged, "I don't really sing that much."

"Well you're really good," he laughed, "You could be famous one day."

She poured some milk into a mug, not meeting his eyes. Once, she would have jumped at that sort of praise, singing and playing for the world had been her dream, now, she wasn't so sure.

Noting her silence, Kaleb realized he might have stuck his foot in it big time. "Ollie, I'm so sorry, I forgot about…"

She interrupted him, smiling reassuringly, "It's Ok Kaleb. I don't blame fame or whatever for breaking my family up anymore. I did before though, that's probably why you've never heard me sing until now. It's just, I don't know if I could handle even having the chance to make the same mistakes my mom did. "

He nodded and quietly muttered, "You're amazing."

She didn't fully hear him and just went on getting the hot chocolate ready to send Penny off to bed with. "What?"

He cleared his throat, "I said you're amazing."

She smiled, blushing, without a clue how to respond to a compliment said so genuinely and intensely. "Thanks," she replied uncertainly.

"Don't be embarrassed," he told her, "It's true. I just wanted you to know."

That just made her blush even more, she squinted up at him, "You're pretty amazing as well."

Now it was his go to turn a little red. Before he could respond, she was behind him carrying the mug of chocolaty liquid to the lounge for Penny. As she passed him, she ran her fingers through his hair.

Even though he was sitting down, he felt his knees turn to jelly again.

As she gave Penny her drink, and sent her off upstairs for bed, with much less effort than it had taken with Larry, Kaleb sighed, a rested his head in his hands, attempting to steady his breathing before she came back.

He couldn't tell whether it was just him, or whether the signals Ollie had been giving him, had gotten a whole lot more sexual all of a sudden.

"You alright?" she asked coming up behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Somewhat shakily, he inhaled and quickly nodded, turning away from her slightly.

Feeling a little put out, she sat on the bar stool, that he was now facing toward.

"Both the kids are in bed, and Lucas and Peyton won't be home for a couple of hours." She pointed out quite suggestively.

Again, he just nodded, not trusting himself to look directly at her.

Sighing, she took it as rejection. Her shoulders slumped forward dejectedly. Earlier, she would have sworn that Kaleb was well into her, but now it seemed like he was more interested in the fruit bowl that lay on the bench he was looking at.

"Kaleb?" she asked, not sure whether he was listening.

"Yeah?" he swallowed.

"Why won't you look at me?" her voice was soft, with a hint of sadness.

"What?" he stammered, glancing at her panicked.

She looked at her hands, preparing herself for the answers to come, "It's just that, before you were saying how amazing I was, and now you can't seem to even look at me, even though I've been sending you signals all night. Do you just like me as a friend Kaleb?" She finished dejectedly "It's alright if you do."

He gulped, after all, he hadn't been imagining the signals, and like the idiot he felt he was, had completely rejected her. Knowing that maybe she didn't want him to be able to trust himself, he looked directly into her eyes.

"I don't ever want to be your friend Ollie."