Another gift

Laurie was gone down the lane, his curly crop bobbing away from sight.

Jo, a little stunned, made her way up to the garret, holding one hand to her cheek, wondering if it meant more than she thought it might. Sitting down on the sofa, she idly picked up a worn and torn copy of Ivanhoe from the floor. Without quite realizing it, she turned slightly to glance out the window, hoping to see the tall gangly figure cross through the gate in the hedge. Her eye lingered a while, then she turned her attention back to Ivanhoe, though not quite all of it.

After a while, Jo gave up. She wasn't really concentrating. In her eye's mind, she kept seeing a friendly smile on soft lips and twinkling brown eyes that seemed to see right in to her deepest secrets and fears.

Jo mentally shook herself. What on earth was she doing? Christopher Colombus, she was dreaming of her best friend!

He's a brother-cousin person, nothing more. My best friend, always, and my truest confidante, but not…not my…eugh! Imagine what he'd say if he found out I was thinking of him in that ghastly manner. My word!

Jo ran down to the kitchen, in hopes to shake the silly thoughts and fiddly things that kept filtering through her mind. Maybe she'd grab a tid bit. She might have told Beth but she decided to keep this observation to herself for a while till she was quite, quite sure.

Hannah let out a small shriek when Jo appeared at the kitchen door.

"Mis' Jo!' The portly house keeper flapped her hands hurriedly. She pushed Jo out of the door and slammed it in her face. Jo was bewildered.

"You be staying right out of dis here kitchen. You'll see at dinner time soon enough," came Hannah's voice, loud and clear through the other side of the door. Beth's muffled laughter was audible as well; the door opened, and Hannah gave the flustered Jo a quick kiss and closed the door again in a flash.

Jo dropped herself in to Marmee's favourite chair in the living room, and curled up with a cushion. All were busy, or were out running errands. Except for Laurie. A quick glance at the gilded clock on the wall showed that Laurie would be coming over in half an hour. She tapped her fingers against the arm rest impatiently. Maybe she should just run over and hurry him up.

Her eyes unconsciously fell on a large horsehair covered monster of a pillow that lay on the floor by the duvet. It was in a sorry state, having just been torn by Jangles, one of Beth's kittens. It had been consequently mended but there was a bald patch where the delinquent kitty had chewed the hair off. Her mind wandered.

I haven't used that pillow in a while. Teddy always whines so when I throw it at him. He's been too long away from home for me to have time and get angry enough to bang him about with it. I miss doing that.

She looked out the window. Not here yet.

I wonder if he met any nice girls at college. He mentioned something about a Lizbet Forrester last time he came home. Jo looked a little thoughtful. A small tinge of jealousy was readable in her open, honest face, tempered with a hint of bashfulness at the choice of object of her daydream. Such a nice name; Lizbet. I hate my name. Boring old Jo. It's even worse when Aunt March screeches it in the awful fashion.

A soft meow announced Jangles presence and the black and white splotched creature pranced in to the room happily.

"Get away, you flea ridden bag of fur," Jo muttered, her watchful eye training the cat's every move. Jangles gave a resentful hiss and purposefully strode towards the armchair.

"I don't know why on earth Beth keeps you. All you do is scratch and spit at people, and tear up pillows and …" Jangles interrupted this tirade with a haughty 'meeeeeow' and proceeded to sink her claws in to the side of the arm chair.

Jo gave a war cry and, picking up the old horsehair-covered bolster, fired it at the startled kitty. It knocked Jangles off her dainty feet, which let out an earsplitting yowl before shooting out of the room.

Just in time to witness Jo's abominable treatment of the cat –though Jangles was most admittedly a nuisance- was Laurie who came through the door. The black and white 'bag of fur' rushed between his legs before taking cover behind the piano where it settled sulkily to lick its wounds inflicted by the rough missile.

"Nice shot. Stupid cat got me in the leg last time," remarked Laurie, throwing an 'ahah-serve-you-right' look at the white tail protruding from the back of the piano.

Jo, a little unsettled at Laurie's unannounced and rather sudden appearance, said rather unnecessarily "Oh. You're here."

Laurie laughed at her and pulled her out of the seat.

"And this…this is another one of the few presents I have."

With a mockingly solemn face, he handed her a bulky package, wrapped with plain brown paper and tied up with raffia string. Jo took it, casting a smile at her friend, probing the bundle with the tips of her fingers.

"Well? Open it!" Laurie made a show of stamping his foot when Jo made to put the parcel down beside a pile of colourfully wrapped objects, her other presents so far received, on the mantle piece.

"What, now? I'll open it with the others tonight."

Laurie gave an impatient nod. "No, open it now. I insist."

With a shrug, Jo tore off the wrapping and a piece of long, bright orange material unfolded in her hands.

She shook the cloth free.

Laurie laughed at the look on Jo's face – a comical mixture of surprise, bafflement, laughter and slight indignance.

"Teddy! How ridiculous! I'm no genius, and well you know it." Jo held out the cotton makeshift apron-cum-pen blotter against herself and snorted with laughter.

"For you to wear when you disappear in to one of those writing vortexes. Least we'll know not to disturb. It's rather nice isn't it? Like a sort of warning sign."

The words 'DO NOT DISTURB. GENIUS AT WORK' was printed neatly in a bold black hand across the apron; pens and scrolls danced along the hem, entertwined with the letters of the alphabet which were inscribed in a romantic gotham style.

"It's too bright. The ink stains won't ever come off and they'll show easily." Jo wasn't being ungrateful, only teasing a little.

Laurie sniffed. "I thought of all that. The material's special; washes real easy and the cloth doesn't stretch. Give me some credit, now. A man deserves it, after going to hell and back to find such a trifle."

Jo flung her arms around Laurie. " I love it, I do."

Laurie, a little taken aback, gathered his composure instantly, and smoothly said "Know what's best? It matches the scrubby cap I gave you this morning."

Jo let out a laugh and ran to find the cap. She put both on and paraded a little to let Teddy have a good look. He firmly approved, and having christened her 'the Shakespearean pumpkin' - Jo didn't know what kind of compliment it was, but couldn't stop laughing – they both grabbed their coats and headed out the door.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Hello to all the readers here ). Thanks for reading so far. I'm trying to not laze around and forget entirely about the whole story, so the reviews sort of help me remember. Ahem.

Urm….there's actually a bit of a time discrepancy in this here story, but please ignore it. Demi and Daisy at this point of time are actually still yet to be born but please give an allowance. Let's just say Meg and Brooke got married without waiting the four years.