Good grief, I cant believe I posted this without a disclaimer or without proofreading it first. That was seriously irresponsible of me. Sorry guys!! I hope none of you got a chance to read this before I went over it!
So here's my Christmas present to all of you who waited so patiently for Something to Live For to be finished. Thank you again so so very much! Here's Calla and Devon's story. A story I am very proud of. I hope you all enjoy the characters as much as I have. There are more stories to come, more spinoffs of the offspring of the bro's. I have NO idea when I'll get to them. Mommyhood is kinda busy. But I've got them ploted out so there's giving you hope.
Disclaimer: The bro's are not minte in any way, shape or from but every other character in this story is so PLEASE ask if you have any intentions towards any of them...though most are already spoken for. Except the twins, they're a little too young. And the song "Bed of Roses" is by Bon Jovi. Also not mine...though I do love it very much!
Her Hearts Keeper
"Calla Samara Van Wham!"
The shrill call carried up the stairs and into the room where a young white furred mouse sat, staring out the window. Her shoulders jerked and her vibrant violet eyes widened in fear. The full name…that was one her mother only reserved for those special times when she was in a load of trouble. Her head jerked towards the open door of her bedroom, the wavy chestnut waterfall of hair streaked with red settling like a cloud around her shoulders. She had only a moment to fix the "I'm innocent, you can't prove anything" look on her face before her mother came waltzing in, her younger brother Stephan perched on her hips.
Jaiden fixed a withering look on her daughter with a pair of eyes that matched her own and sighed loudly. "How many times have I told you not to leave your make up lying around where the twins can get at it?"
Calla's brows lowered in confusion, shooting up again after she brought her gaze to Stephan. He stared back at her with his fathers crimson eyes and a toothy grin on his face. His…painted face. Blush stained not only the white fur of his cheeks but his chin as well and dark purple eye shadow took up every available bit of his eyelids. His lips, nose and forehead sported cherry red lipstick; not her favorite kind but the twins loved the color red. She managed to keep a straight face until Stephan proclaimed proudly, "I pwetty sissy!!" and then she lost it.
She doubled over on the window seat, clutching her sides and laughing until tears formed in her eyes. Her mother, still a looker after giving birth to four children and putting up her father for the past 24 years once again sighed and then gave into her own urge to chuckle over the predicament. Stephan, of course, just had to join in because he loved to laugh when anyone else was and refused to be left out of a good joke.
"Oh yuk it up darlin'. You're not going to be laughing when your father wakes up."
Calla's giggles tapered off but the bright smile still remained on her face. "Why's that?"
Jaiden shook her head knowing full well this was going to bring on another riot of giggles but not being able to help herself. "The twins decided that not only did they need makeovers…but so did daddy."
"Daddy's pwetty too!" Stephan chirped.
Calla's jaw dropped even as a bubble of laughter rose up within her. "You're kidding!"
"No. You see this?" Jaiden jerked her head down towards Stephan. "This is nothing compared to what they did to poor Vinnie."
It only occurred to the young Martian to be remorseful for the loss of her expensive make up but a second before she gave into more peels of gleeful laughter. It was just too funny. She could even visualize the twins launching a full out cosmetics attack on their father while he dozed on the couch. "Think I can wash it off before he wakes up?" she asked hopefully.
"CALLA!!"
Hearing her fathers enraged bellow, she winced. "Guess not."
"Come on." Jaiden shifted her son onto her other hip and held out a hand to her daughter. "We'll face him together. He can never stay mad when I'm around. Besides…you wanted to talk to us about something and since we're both home, I think now is a good a time as any."
Standing up, Calla crossed the hardwood floor of her bedroom and hooked her arm through the unoccupied one her mother offered her.
"You might want to work on your innocent look though," Jaiden muttered as they left the room and headed towards the stairs, "didn't buy it for a second."
The two made their way down the stairs of the home her mother had inherited after her grandparents death and at the bottom, tapping one booted foot impatiently, arms crossed over his white furred chest, eyes narrowed in a lethal scowl, was her father, every 6'10" of him. The rugged Biker Mouse with his impressive amount of muscles covered by a soft layer of white fur and a pair of jeans that fit just right, would have been an imposing sight if his face hadn't been painted with every bit of makeup Calla owned.
Biting her lip hard to keep from smiling, Calla descended the last few steps with her mother and fixed a look on her face that she knew her father couldn't resist; the infamous puppy dog eyes. "I know what you're going to say and I'm reeeeally sorry daddy," she murmured, slipping her arm from her mothers and clasping her hands in front of her. Vinnie made no reply, just continued his mutinous glaring. "Give me ten minutes and I'll have every bit of it off you, okay?"
Finally, her father released a long-suffering sigh and uncrossed his arms. "It'd better be," he grumbled.
Smiling, Calla took her fathers hand. "Come on," she said, leading her father to the nearest bathroom.
"You breath a single word of this to Throttle or Modo and you're grounded for the rest of your life," Jaiden heard Vinnie mutter as the two disappeared down the hallway.
She sighed and looked down at Stephan. The child was poofing out his cheeks, then flattening them with his hands. "Well little man, let's find your brother and get you two cleaned up."
"I pwetty mama."
Jaiden laughed, nuzzling his nose. "I know sweetie. But you're just as pretty without the make up."
A good hour later, after the make up had been cleaned off faces and safely stored away on the top shelf in Calla's closet, the oldest of their brood made her way downstairs to the kitchen to join her parents. She found them in the kitchen, her mother curled up in her fathers lap, kissing him with embarrassing passionate abandon. At least Calla found it embarrassing. Only on a very small and deeply rooted level did she envy them. She'd been kissed once herself by an over zealous teen on her last visit to Mars who'd slobbered on her more than anything else. Fabulous kisses were only kisses she dreamed about and only did she ever dream of getting them from one person.
"Man guys, get a room," Calla muttered as she moved into the kitchen, her cheeks burning slightly from lingering discomfiture.
Her mother shot her a sly smile, completely unashamed and slid off her fathers lap. "Coffee sweetie?"
"Sure."
Sitting at the table next to her father, Calla shot him a withering glare, something she always did after catching an eye full of her parent's romantic displays of affection. She was rewarded with a sheepish grin and casual lift of one broad shoulder.
"Have you no shame?" she hissed jokingly.
Vinnie's grin widened and he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not when it comes to your mom, kido."
Calla rolled her eyes as she accepted a cup of coffee from Jaiden, then went straight faced, her mind turning to much more serious thoughts.
Jaiden saw how quickly her daughter sobered and felt something closely related to fear close around her heart. She'd woke up with a feeling of dread nestled deep in her stomach, knowing something bad was going to happen today. Swallowing her apprehension, Jaiden fixed a smile on her face and sat opposite her daughter. When Calla said nothing, Jaiden prompted her by softly whispering her name.
Calla looked up slowly. "Yeah?"
"What's wrong sweetheart?"
"Nothing," she answered quickly, then shook her head and sighed. "No, that's a lie. Okay, I'm warning you now that you're not going to like this at all."
Jaiden blindly reached out and clasped Vinnie's hand, her gaze never leaving her daughters face.
"Okay. I'm almost twenty four and I'm starting to feel…restless. Like I need to…find some one."
"Find someone?" Vinnie remarked, clearly not understanding what Calla was getting at. "Like who? Missing kids?"
"No dad. Like…someone to be with."
"You're with us, Calla."
Calla dropped her head to the table, making a strange noise of frustration .
"Vinnie," Jaiden murmured in a lightly scolding voice.
"What?"
As much as Calla loved her father, right now she could think of nothing more inviting than strangling him. He was making this so difficult. Of course, she hadn't expected it to be easy. But still…
"Okay." Jerking up, she splayed her hands against the table top. "I want a man. A husband. I want what you and mom have and I'm not," she paused, lowering her voice, "I'm not finding it here."
Calla knew her mother had understood the significance of her words. The brief flash of heartbreak in her eyes was enough to crush Call and almost destroy her resolve. Almost. All it took to strengthen it was a glance at her parents entwined hands, clasped to tightly together. It was a reminder that she so desperately wanted to find the kind of love her parents had.
Her father however, bless his heart, was still clueless. "Of course you haven't found anyone here. You've never even been to a public school."
"No, dad. I'm not talking about here in Chicago. I'm talking about here…on Earth."
Vinnie stared at her long and hard for a moment; then rubbed a hand over his face. "Jeez Calla, you can't be serious."
"I can stay with Rimfire and Keighly," she said quickly. "And I could easily get a job. Plus, Carbine and Stoker are up there and uncle Modo's mom so it's not like I'm going to be around strangers. Stoker and Rimfire will watch out for me dad, you know that."
"But your family's here, Calla."
"Stoker and Rimfire aren't family?"
Vinnie looked to his wife for help. "Jai, talk to the girl, would ya?"
Calla couldn't help but think the same. Her mother hadn't spoken a single word to her since asking what was wrong. It was unnerving. She watched her expectantly, anticipating Jaiden's full agreement with her husband.
"How long have you been thinking about this, honey?"
The questions caught Calla off guard and she stammered slightly while answering. "Um a-a couple of weeks."
"That's quite a while. And you haven't talked to anyone about this?"
Calla shook her head. "Just you and Dad"
"So Devon doesn't know?"
The dull ache that had formed deep in her heart intensified ten fold at the mere mention of her childhood friend and hot tears formed in her eyes. "No," Calla whispered, forcing the single syllable past the lump in her throat.
"Calla, what makes you think that you'll find what you're looking for on Mars?" Jaiden asked softly.
"Because, there's nothing for me here. The whole human/Martian thing may have worked for you two but you got lucky! I've seen how people look at us; I can hear what they're saying. And the few Earther's that have accepted us aren't even relationship material and even if they were, I'm still at least a foot taller than them."
"What about-."
"Don't mom," Calla said, cutting Jaiden off. She knew where her mother was going with that comment. Knew it would break her and couldn't let it. This was the choice she had made, the path she had chosen and she had to continue down it.
"Listen, I want to do this. I want the opportunity to find what you and daddy have. And talking to you about this because I want you to know my intentions. I would also like your help making the arrangements. I'm not telling you this to gain your approval. I love you guys, but I think I'm a little too old to be asking permission."
"The hell you are!" Vinnie roared, standing up abruptly and almost knocking his chair over. "Now you listen to me young lady-."
"Daddy."
"-I won't have my only daughter trooping off to Mars just because she thinks Prince Valiant's waiting there for her."
"Vinnie, sit down," Jaiden said in a firm voice.
"But Jai…"
"I said sit…down."
Vinnie glanced back and forth between his wife and daughter; then dropped into his chair, scowling as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Now," Jaiden turned her attention to Calla, "obviously, your father and I have some things to discuss. But you're right, Calla. You don't need our approval."
As if anticipating Vinnie's reaction, she held up a hand to squelch any arguments. "If this is something you feel you need to do, then so be it. We'll miss you, of course, but we'll always support you in your decisions, sweetheart."
Calla breathed a sigh of relief, though relief wasn't exactly what she was feeling. Her mother's acceptance left and odd, hollow feeling deep within her.
"Thank you mom."
Jaiden nodded. "Why don't you take off so I can talk to your father? I think Kelly's running the garage today. She'd probably like some company."
Taking the hint, Calla flashed her mother a grateful smile and left the room. A minute later the garage door slammed, followed quickly by the sound of Calla's bike smoothly purring to life.
Vinnie waited until the sound died off into near-nothingness; then turned to his wife. "You can't be serious about letting her do this."
"Oh, but I think I can," Jaiden answered, her tone daring him to contradict her. Remembering they were supposed to be on the same team and stand united, she sighed and gently squeezed his hand. "I don't like it any more than you do honey. But Calla's an adult now and if this is something she wants to do, we can't really stop her."
"Sure we can," Vinnie argued.
Jaiden gave him a warning look. "You want to be that kind of father?"
"Well…no, but-."
Releasing Jaiden's hand, he propped his elbows on the table and dropped his face into his hands. "I don't like this, Jai. She's our baby girl."
"I know, Vinnie."
"How the hell am I supposed to protect her if she's so damn far away?"
Jaiden opted not to answer him, figuring his question was a rhetorical one. And if it wasn't, she certainly didn't have a good answer for him.
Sighing again, she relaxed in her chair and tied to think past the painful feeling of loss fogging her mind. She'd had no idea her daughter wasn't finding the kind of relationship she wanted on Earth. She'd always though that Calla would end up with Charley's son, Devon. The girl could never stop looking up to him as if the world revolved around him. And Devon certainly never failed to lavish affection on her. Jaiden had been certain…no, one hundred percent positive that the two would be married by the age of twenty five. So, what had gone wrong?
"What are you thinking, Jai?" Vinnie asked, noting the pensive look on his wife's face.
"I'm thinking," she replied at length, "that I need to have a talk with Charley."
"Why?"
Jaiden stood and retrieved the cordless phone from the counter. "Because, we may not be able to stop Calla, but that doesn't mean we can't try. And I have a feeling Charley would love to help us.
The Last Chance Garage still stood in the heart of Chi Town and was now a lucrative business, having expanded over the years to provide a wider variety of services to a wider variety of clients. The once two stall garage now stretched over half the block. Two stalls had been turned into six-one, a loading dock for supplies at the far end of the building. Another, right beside it, was specifically for the big rigs, the eighteen wheelers. Three were standard doors, two of them being the originals and the last, opposite the loading dock, was Jaiden's personal shop for touch ups and paint jobs. Isis, Throttle and Charley's daughter, helped her, coming in to do jobs when Jaiden had days off.
The apartment above the garage had undergone minor changes, including an addition that allowed room for and office and more space in general. Devon had moved in at the age of twenty, needing to be out of the house and live his own life. When it came to The Last Chance, he and his mother split partnership and Devon took over the paper work and financial aspects. He had a mind for numbers and kept the business running like a well oiled machine.
The staff was mostly family but Devon had staffed a few trusted Earther's that had befriended them over the years.
The two working when Calla pulled in were Kelly and Slade, a good friend of the family's
"Hey Cal," Kelly called out, moving away from the truck she was working on and tossing an oily rag in Slade's face. Kelly was Modo and Rachel's oldest, but younger than Calla by a little over a year and her complete opposite. She was a stick thin, gray furred mouse with black hair that she'd streaked with violet and magenta. She wore it spiked short in back and long in the front, her thick bangs hanging over stormy blue eyes.
Her style was pure grunge from the several piercing's (both ears and eyebrows) to the tattered flare jeans and scuffed combat boots. The black tank top she wore today was surprisingly new looking and layered over a dark purple one.
Despite their differences, Calla and Kelly were as close as two women could be without being sisters. And for that reason, Calla couldn't help feeling horribly guilty for not speaking a word of her plans to go to Mars as she nodded a return greeting.
"What are you doing here? Thought you had the weekend off?"
Calla hooked her blaze yellow helmet on the handle bar of her bike, a racy violet and yellow creation, then combed her fingers though her hair, slightly disgusted by how badly her hands were shaking.
"I do. I just thought I'd come hang out for a while," she said.
Kelly grinned. "Twin's drivin' ya nuts?"
"No, not really." Calla chuckled, remembering the fiasco that had taken place before her talk with her parents. "They got into my makeup though and in the words of Stephan 'made daddy pretty' while he was taking a nap."
Kelly's jaw dropped and she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth in a poor attempt to stop the laughter. "Oh no! Vinnie must have been pissed!"
"Little bit, yeah. But he got over it."
"Well, good to have ya here. We could use a little help on this one."
Calla followed Kelly over to the truck. "Why would you need my help?"
"Tricky head gaskets and your favorite," the young mouse cast her a wicked grin, "blown tranny."
"On that year?! You've got to be kidding me!"
"Nope. Some rich kids dad bough him it for a graduation present. Only took him a month to destroy it."
Calla made a sound of disgust. "Figures. Hopefully the bill will be enough to knock some sense into the idiot."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have elaborated. Some spoiled rich kid," Kelly said dryly.
Laughing, Calla swung around the front of the truck and took a look under the hood. "Having fun, Slade?"
The tall young man bent over the head gaskets straightened and flashed Calla a sinfully gorgeous grin. "Oh, you know I am."
Slade Foxworthy was the son of Rich Foxworthy and a good family friend. He'd moved to Chicago for a change of scenery and found a home at the Last Chance. He was known for his charming grin and his guaranteed under-seven-minute oil changes. And he was a favorite with the female clientele, Devon coming in an extremely close second.
Slade was the one human Calla knew who was just as tall as she was and although he was lean, he was powerfully built with a muscular chest and shoulders. His attire was simple, always consisting of well worn blue jeans, sturdy leather boots and vintage t-shirts. Today it was The Cure.
"You gonna help with this tranny?" he asked, pushing his long brown hair out of a pair of light green eyes and leaving a smudge of grease just above his eyebrow.
Plucking the cloth from his hand, Calla deftly wiped away the mark. "I've got nothing better to do. Where's the new one?"
"Back room. I can get it if you and Kel want to get started."
Calla was busy assessing the engine so Kelly flashed Slade a thumbs up and joined her friend, leaning against the grill.
"You want to do this Charley-style or Vinnie-style?"
A slow grin spread over Calla's face. "Vinnie-style."
"Excellent."
Pulling a slim remote from her back pocket, Kelly pointed it at a stereo mounted in the corner and pressed a few buttons. Seconds later, Missy Elliot's voice was pumping loudly through the garage and the two women set to work tearing the transmission apart.
A little over an hour later, Devon came down from his office, mentally exhausted after a long battle over the phone with his parts distributor. He was going to have to find business elsewhere. Frank was getting more and more inconsistent. Deliveries were coming late and more often than not, crucial parts were missing. It was reflecting really poorly on their business. He knew Frank could care less if Devon's customers were put out a vehicle for a few days because Devon didn't have the parts to fix it. He had to cut his losses and find someone who would work for him instead of against him.
Descending the last few steps into the garage, Devon sighed and dragged his hands through his shaggy brown hair. Then he came to an abrupt stop and for the first time since he'd crawled out of bed that morning, he smiled.
Across the garage a set of shapely hips encased in a pair of boot cut jeans swayed slightly back and forth in time to the music pouring from the speakers. He knew who she was by hips alone before he caught sight of her favorite Lakers jersey. His day started to get much, much better.
"Hey, how'd it go with Frank?"
Devon jumped, embarrassed to be caught staring so blatantly at Calla's backside and he knew he had been caught by the sly, knowing look on Kelly's face.
"We're going to need a new distributor," he said, hoping Kelly would leave well enough alone. "You want to come in on Monday? I'm sure I'll be spending half the day on the phone so I could use the extra help."
Kelly shrugged. "Yeah, I could do that. Are you going to try Direct Routing?"
"That's a pretty big company, Kel," he replied uncertainly. "Guy's like that don't exactly do business with auto shops run by half-breed aliens."
She made a face, the one she always made when someone commented on what they were as if it was ridiculous to believe there should be any form of discrimination. "Just call there tomorrow and ask for Max O'Conner. Slade went to school with the guy. See what a little name dropping can get ya."
"I'll try."
"It's not like you've got anything to loose."
"True." Turning the subject, Devon nodded in Calla's direction. "What's she doing here?"
Kelly responded with an unladylike snort, the sly grin returning. "Like you really care. I saw you staring at her, ya big perv."
"You know, sometimes I forget how easily replaceable you are."
"Oh, whatever," she said, laughing. "Calla came to hang out so we put her to work. I think…" her voice died off and worry pulled at her features.
Devon elbowed her softly. "What Kel?"
The younger mouse looked up at him. "I think something's wrong. She's been working like a mad woman, paying no attention to me and Slade and when she got here, she was shaking pretty bad."
"Has she said anything?"
"Nothing since she started in on the transmission. Go try to talk to her. See if she ignores ya."
Devon gave Kelly a wary look, hesitated, then crossed the floor to the truck Calla was working on.
"Hey sweetheart," he said, leaning his left side against the grill. "You on the clock or workin' for free?"
Calla continued right on working, grumbling under her breath.
"Cal?" Devon moved closer. "Calla?"
A thick strand of curly hair hung in her eyes and he reached over to brush it back. Whatever kind of spell Calla was under was immediately broken. With a short, startled shriek, she jerked back, nearly clubbing Devon in the head with the wrench she had.
"Lord Devon! A warning would have been nice," she yelled, glaring at him.
"I was talking to you for a full minute, Cal. Don't think a person could give much more warning than that," he shot back, irritated by how quickly she'd lashed out at him. Calla never yelled at him, not even in her worst moods.
"You were?" She pushed the strand of hair he'd been going for earlier out of her face and dropped her gaze to the floor. She looked confused, almost as if she didn't quite know where she was. "I'm sorry. I must not have been paying attention."
"You haven't been paying attention to any of us all afternoon," Kelly said as she approached them. "What's up Cal?"
"Nothing," she said, forcing a smile. "It's nothing. Really guys, I was just really getting into working on this transmission."
Devon immediately called her bluff. "You hate tranny work, Calla."
Hostility flashed in her eyes and she glared at him again. "Well, maybe today I don't mind as much."
"Oh yeah, something's definitely wrong," Kelly murmured.
Calla ground her teeth together in irritation. "Nothing's wrong."
"That's the second time you've bit poor Devon's head off and he didn't even do anything."
Calla immediately felt ashamed. She was acting like a monster toward her friends and she really shouldn't have been. Going to Mars had been her choice. They didn't even know anything about it. And Devon…she'd never been at odds with him. The things she was feeling, he wasn't to blame for them. Well, that wasn't true. He was-but indirectly.
"Dev," she said softly, laying a hand on his arm, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."
He gave her a hesitant smile, then pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "That's alright, sweetheart. You gonna tell us what's wrong then?"
Calla nodded against his chests, putting every ounce of willpower into keeping her heart from breaking. It destroyed her to be so close to him and know that he was oblivious to how much she loved him. To him, she was a sister, a best friend. But nothing more. And that's why she was leaving. Hopefully on Mars the constant heart ache would no longer plague her and she could find someone she could, if not love, at least be happy with.
Gathering her courage, she moved out of Devon's arms and took a deep, fortifying breath. "I've decided…to move to Mars."
Each of them, including Slade, reacted to the news as if she'd physically struck them.
"To Mars?" Kelly squeaked. "By yourself?"
Calla nodded.
"But…why?"
"Because." Calla tried to think fast, tried to think of anything she could say that wouldn't make it sound like she was running away. "I feel like there may be opportunities there that I'm missing out on by staying on Earth. Jobs…relationships…a lot of things. I just want to know what else is out there."
Kelly was the only one who saw straight to the truth of her words. She gave Calla a look that very clearly said 'coward.'
Ignoring her, Calla rushed on. "I've already talked to my parents and they've agreed to help make whatever arrange-ow! Hey, Devon," she cried when Devon grabbed her wrist and started dragging her towards the stairs. "Stop it!"
She looked back to Kelly for help but she just smiled and waved.
"Devon," Calla tried again. "Knock it off!"
He didn't though, not until they were in the living room of his apartment.
"Sit," he commanded, pointing to the dark brown, micro fiber sofa she'd helped him pick out years ago when this place had first become his.
With a sigh, she sank down and snatched up one of the suede throw pillows, clutching it in front of her. This wasn't going well at all so far. She didn't expect it to any time soon either.
"What the hell are you thinking?" he started in on her right away, far angrier than she'd been earlier. "Mars, Calla? You've got to be joking. You've got a job here. A good one! And you've got plenty of relationships."
"Not the kind I'm looking for," she murmured softly.
Devon stopped pacing. "What?"
Looking anywhere but at him, Calla swallowed hard. She was so nervous right now she could hardly thing straight. "I said…not the kind I'm looking for."
That seemed to take all of the anger right out of him. Shoulders slumping, he crossed the room and sat down beside her. "So that's what this is really about, huh?"
"Little bit, yeah."
"Calla." He took her hand, holding it between his. And all she could do was stare at them, clasped tightly together. On his left ring finger was a band of silver with his name engraved in their native tongue across the top-a gift from her on his eighteenth birthday. She wore a slimmer version on her left ring finger, with her own name flanked by tiny, square-shaped, yellow diamonds. He'd given it to her when she was seventeen and sick in bed with the flu, risking his own health to bring her a gift that would cheer her up. Looking at their hands now, it was so easy to pretend that it meant something more. That they were more than just friends.
Please tell me you love me, she pleaded silently. Tell me you want me to stay.
"How am I supposed to protect you when you're so far away?"
Calla's head jerked up and she stared at him with her mouth slightly agape, feeling a numbness sweep through her body. "What?"
"What if some guy treats you bad? How am I supposed to pound on him from here? You're like a sister to me, Cal."
She pulled her hand from his, hardly aware of what she was doing. She was so cold inside and her heart felt as if it had been torn apart, ripped into tiny irreparable shreds and tossed into a hard wind. She had always known that he thought of her as a little sister but hearing it…hearing it really hurt.
"Well," she said softly, standing up. "That's not something you'll have to worry about. Although I appreciate your concern, I assure you I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
She moved away from him and he immediately stood up to follow. "Calla-."
One look was all she allowed herself. One look to remember him by. He was so incredibly handsome, standing there in a snug black t-shirt and light, blue jeans that hung low on his hips, sunglasses perched on top of his head holding back a good chunk of long, unruly bangs. Only a few feathery tan wisps had escaped and hung in a pair of green eyes that stared at her in confusion.
"See ya, Dev," she murmured, then whirled around and fled before he could see her tears. By the time she hit the bottom step she was blinded by them and her throat burned painfully from trying to hold back the sobs. She heard Kelly call out to her and waved her off. She wanted to be long gone before Devon appeared at the foot of the steps. She ran to her bike, mounted it, yanked on her helmet and started the machine just as Devon ran into the garage. He yelled to her, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of rubber squealing against pavement and the deafening roar of Calla's bike as she peeled out of the garage.
"What the hell happened, Dev?" Kelly asked, trotting to his side. "You guys were only up there for like, five minutes!"
Devon stared at the open garage door, stunned by Calla's abrupt goodbye. "I…I don't know," he stammered.
"What do you mean, you don't know?!"
"I mean, I don't know!" he yelled back, too angry to notice the other rider that pulled in and parked in the spot Calla had just left. "She told me the reason she's going to Mars is to find a guy."
Kelly cast a quick glance at the new comer, relieved to see that it was Charley. She would probably come in handy getting through her son's thick skull. "Well, did you tell her not to?"
A look of unease crossed Devon's face. "Not…exactly."
"What did you say to her?"
"I told her that it was going to be hard for me to protect her if she was on Mars."
"You what?" Kelly stared at him in shock. Then she hit him…hard.
"Hey! What the hell was that for?" Devon yelled, holding his hand over his cheek.
Kelly threw her hands in the air. "Because, you're an idiot, Devon!"
Having seen enough from the sidelines, Charley quickly rushed forward to intervene.
"Alright kids, calm down," she said, getting between the two. To an outsider, the whole scene would probably look quite ludicrous-a human female talking to two half-breed aliens that towered over her as if they were toddlers. It wasn't, however, to those half-breeds. They clammed up immediately.
"Why are you two yelling at each other?" Charley asked, eyeing both suspiciously.
"Because Devon did something moronic," Kelly muttered, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly.
"What?!" Devon's temper immediately flared up again. "Damn it Kel, if you're gonna start flinging insults around-."
"Alright, that's enough!" Charley yelled, glaring both of them into submission. "Now Devon, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you upstairs."
"But mom-."
"Now Devon."
He shot a scathing glare at Kelly who childishly stuck her tongue out at him, then followed his mother upstairs.
"Are you going to offer me anything to drink?" she asked, throwing the words over her shoulder as she went into the living room and sat down on the sofa.
Devon closed his eyes and tamped down his irritation, silently counting to five before responding. "Mother, would you like some lemonade or root beer?"
"Lemonade would be wonderful. Thank you dear."
Veering off to the left, he went into the spacious kitchen that boasted all stainless steel appliances, red oak cabinets and black marble countertops. In the fridge there was a pitcher of pink lemonade that he kept full at all times just for his mother.
"This is the couch you and Calla picked out together, isn't it?"
Devon cast a suspicious glance at his mothers profile as he filled a glass. "Yeah."
"Where did the coffee table and end tables come from?"
"She picked 'em up at a rummage sale." Devon joined his mother in the living room, handing her the glass.
"And the chair?" she nodded to the suede leather recliner he'd just sat down in.
"Picked it up when we got the couch. What are you getting at here, mom?"
"Nothing," Charley said innocently. "I just think the girl has wonderful taste, that's all. I wonder if she'd help me redecorate my kitchen."
Devon sulked back into his chair, frowning as he stared unseeing at the coffee table. "Better ask her quick. She's plannin' on moving to Mars."
"Mars, hm?" Charley took a slow sip of her lemonade. "Is that what you and Kelly were fighting about?"
"No. Well…not really."
His mother arched a brow in question and Devon groaned, dropping his head back against the cushioned headrest. She was going to get everything out of him. That look guaranteed it. "Yes, that was about Calla moving to Mars and me telling her she shouldn't because there's no way I could protect her and for some reason that makes me an idiot."
"What exactly did you plan on protecting her from?"
"Guys!" he yelped, gesturing wildly. "All these…guys she's gonna be around. That's what she's going there for, you know!" He sat up, glaring accusingly at his mother as if she'd been behind Calla's sudden decision to move. "She's going there to find a boyfriend."
"Devon, calm down."
"I am calm!" he muttered, falling back again.
Biting back a sigh, Charley moved to the end of the couch, closer to her son and laid a hand on his knee. "Devon."
He gave her a tired look. "Mom."
"I thought Calla was your best friend?"
"She is!"
"Well, wouldn't you want her to be happy?"
"Yeah."
"And shouldn't you support her and be happy for her?"
"Yes."
"Then why aren't you?"
Devon responded automatically, without putting any thought into his answer. "She doesn't need a boyfriend! She has me. And I love her more than any other guy-."
His voice died off as shock swept over him, erasing all traces of anger and Charley smiled at him, the kind of knowing, understanding smile only mothers know how to give. "Just figuring that out now, huh?"
Devon breathed out a startled, "yeah" and rested his elbows on his knees. After staring at the floor for what felt like five minutes, he looked up at his mother and gave her a rueful grin. "I'm an idiot."
"I'm not going to argue with you on that. Sorry bud, as much as that might hurt, that girl's been giving you all the right signs for years."
She was right. Calla had been giving him all the right signs. She'd been pretty obvious about it too. He just hadn't been paying attention. Every favor he'd asked of her, she'd done eagerly. She was always there for him, regardless of time or how ridiculously small the problem and she was always showing him affection, from the light caresses on the arm to the frequent hugs. And the one that was so glaringly evident, the one that really made him feel like the worst kind of fool just thinking about it-when they would get together to watch movies, Calla would always use him as her personal recliner and he never hesitated to wrap his arms around her, justifying his actions by telling himself that he was just returning the favor and that the circumstances of their relationship, having known each other since birth, allowed for such things. She was his best friend. She had been like a sister to-.
"Oh no," he muttered, hanging his head while resisting the urge to kick himself.
"What is it?"
"I told her she was like a sister to me."
Charley winced, sucking in a sharp breath. "Oh boy. That's not good."
Lifting his head, his gaze determined, Devon quickly stood up and started for the door. "Yeah, well at least I've got time to fix it."
With a quick wave, he was gone, his boots clomping down the stairs. Charley waited until she heard the engine of his bike rev to life; then went to the kitchen and grabbed the cordless phone from its cradle mounted on the wall. As he drove off, she dialed Jaiden's number, a victorious grin curving her full lips.
The wind had dried her tears for now. Of course, there would be more and Calla was terribly afraid that they would never stop-much the same as her heart, which would never stop breaking. But she was doing the right thing. It was time to stop desperately hoping that Devon would return her feelings and move on.
She continued to tell herself that as she pulled up in the driveway of her Victorian style house and cut the engine.
Devon was now her past. Mars was her future. She had made the decision and had to stick by it for the sake of her sanity. It was a life of opportunity verses a life of constant emotional pain. The choice was obvious.
Then why is it that you want to change your mind so badly?
Fighting tears, Calla dismounted and made her way inside, surprised to find her mother waiting for her.
"Hey sweetie, did you have fun at the garage?"
Calla shrugged. "It was okay. Kelly put me to work on a tranny."
"Was Devon working?"
"Yeah." Calla's vision blurred and she swallowed hard, maintaining a fragile hold on her composure. "Are you and dad going to help me with the arrangements? Because I'd really like to get going by the end of next week." The words felt wrong on her tongue, forced and awkward, but she pushed on. "Maybe even sooner, if possible."
The smile Jaiden had been wearing vanished immediately. "Oh. Well, yes we will. But Calla-."
"Thanks mom." Her heart twisted with guilt as she interrupted her mother, but she needed to get to the solace of her room and be alone with her grief. "Listen, I'm going to go start packing some stuff but I'll be down for supper."
Jaiden watched her daughter take the steps two at a time, feeling completely lost. Her daughter was suffering and there was nothing she could do about it. This wasn't a scrapped knee or a cut lip, this was a broken heart. She wouldn't be able to make it better, no matter how badly she wanted to.
"Jai?"
Jaiden turned towards Vinnie's voice and saw the phone in his hand, the red light between the top two buttons indicating it was on. She arched a brow in question.
"It's Charley."
"Oh." Jaiden took the phone from him. "I didn't even hear it ring."
"You okay Gorgeous?"
She nodded, then put the phone to her ear and said, "please have good news."
"Devon's on his way over. He's come to a few…startling revelations."
"Thank God," Jaiden sagged against Vinnie. "When did he leave?"
"Just now. I think it's safe to say your daughter won't be going to Mars."
"Thank you so much, Charley. You're the best."
Charley chuckled. "I know. Just make sure my son doesn't loose his nerve and start acing like an idiot again."
"Charley!"
"What? He called himself that! I'm just quoting him."
Laughing, Jaiden said good bye and hung up the phone.
"What was that all about," Vinnie asked as he wrapped his arms around Jaiden's waist. She snuggled against him, resting one hand over his forearm.
"We get to keep our daughter."
"How did Charley swing that one?"
Giving her husband a skeptical look, she turned to face him fully. Vinnie had only had one opportunity to meet a young man who'd had romantic intentions towards his daughter and the end results had been far from pleasant. Jaiden wouldn't be surprised if she heard that the poor boy had sworn off women all together and become a man of the cloth.
"Before I tell you, I want you to swear to me that you'll behave," she said sternly, pointing a finger in his face.
Vinnie waved it away. "Behave for what?"
Jaiden remained silent, her eyes narrowed in a mutinous glare. She made it obvious that she was waiting for his answer, refusing to speak a word until she had it.
"Okay fine, I'll behave."
A smile of mixed joy and triumph spread across Jaiden's face and his breath caught. She could still do it to him, even after all of these years, she could still make his heart flip, his breath catch and love and passion ignite with a simple, beautiful smile. When she looked at him like that, he would agree to anything.
"Great. Devon's going to be here any minute. Charley said he's finally come to his senses and hopefully he's got something to tell Calla that will make her stay. Maybe that…he loves her."
Correction…almost anything. Vinnie's expression went from passive to clouded and ominous. "He's gonna what?"
"Oh, come on honey," Jaiden chided, patting his chest, "you can't honestly tell me you didn't think this would happen."
Vinnie continued to scowl. Of course he didn't think this would happen. Oh sure, a very small part of his mind may have once though there was something more to Calla and Devon's friendship but that had been a long time ago when they'd both been young teenagers. Before Calla had turned into the beautiful young woman she was now and Vinnie had become an overprotective father who would rather inflict serious bodily injury on young men than allow them near his baby.
"Vinnie," Jaiden drawled cautiously. She ran her hands up his chest; wound her arms around his neck. In an attempt to stop his destructive thoughts, honorable as they may be, she pressed her body suggestively against his, biting back another victorious grin when his hungry gaze fell to hers.
"You promised to behave," she murmured, pressing her lips to the hollow of his throat. Vinnie was always much more cooperative when his mind was centered on seductive thoughts of his wife.
His hands grasped her hips and dragged her closer still. "You're goin' about gettin' me to behave the wrong way, Gorgeous."
Maybe so, but if she could get him distracted enough, maybe Devon could just sneak by and avoid any harm all together. She never thought about how determined Devon would be to get to Calla, figuring the boy would be smart enough to see Vinnie as a threat and be cautious.
She, of course, thought wrong.
Just as Jaiden was trying to pull Vinnie away from the foyer and into the living room, Devon burst through the front door. Jaiden winced. The boy was toast.
"Hey Mr. and Mrs. V," he greeted as he dashed past them. He leapt for the stairs; then was immediately jerked back by the large hand that had shackled itself to his wrist. He was yanked around and came face to face with one very hostile looking Vinnie.
"If you hurt her," he said, his voice deadly calm, "I won't hesitate to kill you."
Devon stared at Vinnie long and hard; then nodded once. "Fair enough."
The two men squared off a moment longer. Beside Vinnie, Jaiden held her breath, wishing someone would say something. Then, Vinnie released Devon's wrist and did something completely unexpected. He grinned and muttered. "Good luck kid. Hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
Devon returned the grin. "I know," he said confidently before turning and taking the steps two at a time.
Vinnie draped an arm over Jaiden's shoulders and gave her a slow, arrogant smile. "You can get back to distracting me now, babe."
Jaiden's jaw would have dropped, had it not already been hanging open from the shock of Vinnie's two-second change of heart. He'd known what she was up to, why the sudden seduction. With a snort of disgust, she shrugged out from under Vinnie's shoulder and stalked towards the kitchen to start supper. With every step, she grumbled about the stupidity of men, regardless of species, her husband's laughter ringing behind her.
Devon's heart was pounding as he approached Calla's bedroom door. How he was going to go about doing this, he didn't have a clue. Between here and the garage the only thing he'd thought about was getting to Calla. He didn't think about what he was going to say to her once he got there.
Brutally pushing aside the blind panic, Devon decided to just go with it; to act with no pre-meditated plan of attack. He squared his shoulders, gripped the door knob in a palm that was damp with sweat from nerves; then took a deep breath, holding it as he pushed the door open.
Calla was at the long four poster bed, shoving clothing haphazardly into a duffle bag. Hearing the door swing open, she whirled around, too startled to wipe away the tears she'd been crying since she had closed herself in her bedroom.
"Devon!" She made a desperate back-handed swipe at her tear stained cheeks. "What are you doing here?"
Devon closed the door behind him and after a second's hesitation, locked it. If things went wrong, Calla would be delayed in her escape. And if things went right…well, he wouldn't want an audience for what might transpire if it went that way. First things first though.
"You're not leaving," he said forcefully.
An intense sadness filled her eyes and his heart twisted uncomfortably. It hurt so much, so damn much to know he was the reason for her sadness. Never again, he promised himself.
"Yes I am," she whispered.
"No."
Calla closed her eyes. Her shoulders trembled. "Dev, please-."
"Calla, shut up and listen to me!"
She was stunned into silence, staring at Devon as if he'd physically struck her.
"You," he crossed the room and stopped in front of her, pointing his finger in her face, "are not moving to Mars!"
Suddenly, anger replaced her sadness, flaring up in her eyes; stiffening her spine. "The decision isn't yours to make, Devon. It's mine. And I've already made it."
Her anger seemed to provoke his, to feed it until he was shaking with a potent mixture of fury and fear. The second emotion was the worst. Regardless of how mad he was with her for making this choice without talking to him at all, nothing terrified him more than the though of losing her.
"Wrong! It's our decision and you never even asked for my opinion!" he nearly yelled.
"I..wha-," Calla stammered. With a borderline hysterical laugh, she whirled away from him. She tried wildly to think past the pain. Having Devon so close wasn't helping matters. Latching onto the anger, knowing it was the only thing she could depend on to get her through this, she spun back to face Devon. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't talk to you but this has nothing to do with you."
"It has everything to do with me," he said, his voice low and menacing.
"Damn it, Devon! Aren't you listening to me? It has nothing…NOTHING to do with you! It was my choice to leave and there's honestly nothing you can say or do to stop me!"
She was lying. She was lying and he knew it. He was the only one who could stop her and knew exactly how to do it. She was glaring at him, her body trembling. Anger and hurt emanated from her in waves.
"Devon, please leave. I have to pack," she said, barely controlling the waver in her voice.
He shook his head slowly. "No."
Then he grasped her face between his hands, not roughly but still a far cry from being gentle, and lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was hard, unyielding, uncertain. It was ended as abruptly as it had begun. Calla jerked back and stared at him, her eyes luminous with surprise.
She made a tiny sound, a plea that was music to his ears, questioning and breathless. Groaning, he bend his head and claimed her lips again, abandoning roughness for a lifetime of pent up passion. His hands slipped away from her face, slid down and around her hips and drew her close. As his arms circled her waist, crushing her to him, her arms wound tightly around his neck. She was clinging to him, kissing him with a desperate hunger that he eagerly returned. Nothing had ever felt so wonderful. The ground seemed to tilt crazily and he welcomed it, drowning in her sweet honeyed taste, in the feel of her supple body pressed so tightly against his.
"I love you," he murmured against her lips, surprised by the intense joy that filled him when the words were finally out where she could hear them. "I love you so much, Calla. Please don't leave me."
"No!" she cried, breaking the kiss and burying her face against his neck. She hugged him tightly, soaking his fur with her tears. "No, I wont leave you. I love you, Devon."
"I'm sorry it took me so long." He rubbed his hands slowly over her back, amazed by how right it felt to hold her. For years now, he'd had this feeling, this nagging awareness that something had been missing from his life, something vital. And trying to find out what had always been just beyond his reach. All it had taken was a simple shift in a relationship. He'd needed more of Calla, more than just friendship.
"Man, I feel like a fool for not realizing it sooner."
Calla pulled away; put enough space between them so that she could look up at him and smile tearfully. "Hey, at least you figured it out before I was halfway to Mars."
"You've got Kel to thank for that one. And my mom."
Calla's brows lowered in confusion. Charley she could see…but-.
"Why Kelly?" she asked.
Devon grinned crookedly, linking his hands together and resting them low on her back. "Let's just say she knocked some sense into me…literally."
The look of confusion remained for another second; then her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "She didn't!"
"That nice little right hook of hers."
"Oh Dev-."
"Hey, I had it comin'," he interrupted, lightly brushing a kiss on the tip of her nose. "I said you were like a sister to me. I'm surprised you didn't hit me. I don't, you know." His hands slid possessively up her back. "Think of you as a sister."
Calla's gaze became seriously, her eyes darkening with need and passion. It was a look that could and would always make his blood run hot and quick, his body respond in an almost primitive manner. His heart pounded, desire surged.
"Part of me stopped thinking about you as a sister a long time ago. I think it was that summer you turned sixteen. You'd changed so much and you were hiding it under all of those baggy clothes. Then one day you show up to work in those sexy little cut off's and that low cut shirt. I wanted you so damn bad, it terrified me"
"Do you want me now?" she asked, a little breathless, a little shakey. Her fingers gripped his shoulders.
Devon lowered his head, keeping a breath of space between them. He swallowed hard. His eyes searched hers. "Yeah."
"Are you still terrified?"
He gave her a lop-sided grin. "Yeah."
"But you don't think of me as a sister," she murmured, returning his smile with a shy, yet seductive one of her own.
"Nope."
Calla tilted her head slightly to the right. Her lips parted and her tongue darted out to whet them. "Prove it," she whispered.
Devon drew an unsteady breath. He'd anticipated this but even that hadn't prepared him for the sudden rush of heated desire. And yet…now didn't seem like the right time. He wanted her, he wouldn't deny that. They needed time though. Time to adjust, time to enjoy the little "start of the relationship" things, time to enjoy the climatic build to something more.
"Not now, Calla," he murmured, his voice rough and slightly strained.
Calla's face fell. "But…why not?"
"Well…there's the fact that your parents are right downstairs. And besides baby," he grinned rakishly and swept her into his arms, then crooned in a sweet, smokey tenor only she knew he owned, "I'm gonna lay you down in a bed of roses."
Calla's eyes filled with tears and she sighed softly. "Oh, Dev."
"Cause tonight I sleep on a bed of nails," he continued to sing as he carried her to the bed and sat down, really getting into his performance. "I wanna be just as close as the holy ghost is." He brushed his nose against hers and Calla twined her fingers through his thick hair. Lowering his voice, he finished, his intense gaze locked on hers. "And lay you down….on a bed of roses."
Downstairs, Jaiden wiped the tears from her cheek and smiled. "Teaching Devon some of your moves?" she asked her husband, tilting her head back and gazing up at him.
"Nah. Kid learned that one on his own. Good move though."
Jaiden hummed her approval. "Very good move. I remember the day you used it on me," she murmured nostalgically.
"Yeah, that was the first time we ever…"
His voice trailed off and Jaiden slapped a hand over her mouth to stop any more damning words from slipping free and to hide the startled smile. The arm anchored around her waist fell away and Vinnie took off for the stairs.
Calla flipped through channels, enjoying her day off even if there wasn't much on but talk shows, soap operas and infomercials. She was sprawled on the couch she and Devon had picked out together, wearing one of his t-shirts and a tiny pair of white shorts. And she was waiting very patiently for Devon to return.
He'd been stuck in an important conference call with the higher up's of Direct Routing for most of the morning, trying to strike a deal with them and hopefully work out some kind of contract. He'd spent a lot of time last night filling her in on the details and explaining why it was crucial for the Last Chance to land a contract with Direct Routing.
Calla wasn't nervous. She knew Devon would get the deal. He was good with people and passionate about his business. She had no doubts that he would win them over and land a solid partnership. She just wished she could have been there with him, offering him support, seeing him in action. Devon was a fierce negotiator and she loved watching him get serious as he worked people over.
With a sigh, she settled for a black and white oldie; then dropped the remote on the table and settled back into the cushions. If she couldn't find something decent to watch, then she would just daydream. She had some pretty good material saved up, especially after last night.
Another sigh escaped her, this one having a more wistful quality to it, and she curled onto her side away from the TV, hugging a pillow to her chest as she smiled. Last night had been wonderful. A close call, as Devon liked to call it. Calla had ended up spending the night, helping Devon figure out a game plan, ordering Chinese, then watching a movie. She'd been giving him a back rub, trying to ease the tension from his shoulders when he'd suddenly turned on her and pounced.
She could still remember exactly how his large body pressed against hers had felt, how her heart had stuttered wildly and her skin had felt like it was on fire. She shivered, recalling the feel of his mouth and teeth against her skin as he'd murmured roughly, "It's not this meeting that's makin' me tense doll. It's all you."
His shirt, her shirt and her jeans were laying in a heap on the floor by the time they finally reigned in their hormones and called it quits. That…had been a good night. But it had left Calla needing more, wanting Devon in a way she'd never known was possible. In a way that was making her more and more frustrated as the day wore on.
"Whacha thinkin' about, doll?"
Calla jumped, shrieking in surprise and nearly tumbled off the couch. Above her, arms crossed over the couch, Devon was making a valiant effort not to laugh.
"I was thinking about this adorable guy I spent the night with last night but now I have no clue where he went," she said, glaring at him as she sat up.
"Aw, Cal. I'm still here. Adorable as ever." He leaned over and kissed her, running his knuckles over the curve of her shoulder; then her jaw line. "Forgive me?"
"Mm-hmm." She allowed him to deepen the kiss, but only for a minute before pulling away. "So?"
"So what?" he asked, moving forward and attempting to steel another kiss.
Calla lifted a hand to stop him, pressing her fingers against his mouth. "So, how did it go?"
"Went great. Only thing they had an issue with was Thursday deliveries but they're here Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's so we were able to work something out pretty easily."
"What about a contract?"
Devon grinned. "Seven years baby!"
"That's awesome, Dev! Congratulations." Calla threw her arms around his neck. "Did it take a while for you to talk them into seven years?"
"No. They actually made the offer."
Calla pulled back and frowned. "Then…what took so long? You were on that call for hours."
"Makin' plans," he replied, then pushed away from the couch and headed towards the bedroom.
Calla swallowed a growl of frustration. Devon loved doing this to her-leaving out important details because he knew her curiosity would drive her crazy. It was like a game to him. Of course, it was a game she refused to play.
Vaulting over the back of the couch, Calla trailed after him. "Making plans for what?"
"Stuff," Devon threw over his shoulder.
This time she did growl. "Devon!"
Laughing, he turned around, his hands lifted in mock-surrender. "Alright, alright. Calm down, baby. They invited us to join 'em on a business trip towards the end of February in Vegas. It would be an opportunity to get a better feel for the business on their end and there's a biker convention goin' on at that time. We could check that out."
"We?"
"Yeah, we." He scooped her into his arms and turned towards the bedroom again. It was then that she noticed the candle light bouncing off the dark curtains drawn against the setting sun and the massive bed covered in pink, red and cream rose petals. And the small velvet box that lay nestled in the center of the bed.
Her breath caught and her heart started pounding wildly. "Dev?"
He looked down at her, his unruly bangs hanging in eyes filled with deep love. "You and me in Vegas, doll. What a better way to spend our honeymoon, hm?"
~End~