Diligo Est Amicitia

Chapter 22: Know What Love Is

It was pouring… raining cats and dogs. Jamie tapped her foot impatiently on the cement as she waited for the BMW to pick her up. Bags of canned fruit, frozen meat and bottles of soda lay at her feet. I could have taken my own Cadillac but no… Jamie rolled her eyes at William's previous insistence that she let the limousine drive her to the supermarket, which she had to admit, was slightly out of town.

A light blue Mustang pulled up in front of her in the shelter though she paid of notice of it. After all, cars had come and gone to pick up shoppers who had no vehicle and had had no choice but to call for a ride. Otherwise, face the rain. Frankly, Jamie had just about to do the former. Of course, she didn't count on her call already being made. Even more on what she didn't count on: the person who came.

"Hey!" Jamie frowned slightly as she turned her attention on the speaker.

Caleb Danvers sat in the Mustang, leaning over slightly towards the winded passenger window. Jamie remained expressionless. "Need a ride?"

"Obviously." She replied. "Just not from you." She had sensed his strong emotions, growing ever the more intense during their stay in Ipswich and he had scared her.

"Hop in." Hadn't he heard her?

"I don't get in the car with strangers."

Caleb merely shook his head; his eyes flamed over and before Jamie could stop him, her bags of groceries had vanished in a puff of dark smoke and re-materialized in the car.

"Cute." She commented. "Now give it back." She looked over her shoulder anxiously, wondering if anyone had seen his little trick. Fortunately for both of them, the coast was clear.

"Get in the car." He challenged.

Jamie merely glared.

"Oh, never mind." He sighed as if it were no big deal. "I guess I'll just have to drive this home and me and Mother could enjoy… what… steak for dinner, Coke for drinks and – oh lovely -… cocktail for dessert." He grinned at her. "Aren't you thoughtful?"

Jamie narrowed her eyes and growled at the brunette in the car.

"No second thoughts?" He asked. No answer. "Well okay." He wound up the window and drove away slowly.

Just as the car was about to leave the shelter, Jamie huffed and yelled. "Hey!"

The car paused, then backed up. Jamie walked over, pulled the car door, slid in and slammed it shut as hard as she could without taking it off it's hinges. Caleb yelped. "Watch it! This thing's precious!"

Jamie only scoffed in reply.

"So… where to?" Caleb asked once they were on the road.

"The dorms." Actually, Jamie had been heading to the Manor but since she was with Caleb now, that was impossible. William would rip out her throat if she dared bring a witch within a ten-mile radius of the house.

"Yeah… I'm hungry." Caleb suddenly said.

"I can't do anything about that." Jamie replied.

"You could have dinner with me." He suggested.

"Not interested."

"Hey… where are you going?" She cried as he swerved to the right. "The dorm was that way."

"Yeah." He agreed. "But Chez Rich's this way."

Jamie folded her arms across her chest. "Who's Chez Rich?"

"Not who… what. Just a little restaurant I like."

"I'm not hungry, Caleb… or did you not hear me?"

"Sorry. I was too busy listening to your stomach. You're a bad liar, Jamie Chapman."

Jamie squirmed in her seat uncomfortably, then decided to give in. "Fine. One dinner." What harm could it possibly do anyway?"

BOMP! Delancey jolted in surprise as someone crashed down in the seat opposite her.

"Sorry." The dark-haired teen apologized.

"That's okay. But jeez, Peter… just ask if you can sit next time and save me the heart attack, 'kay?"

"Sure." Peter smirked. He leaned back in his seat and studied her as she busied with her work.

In the firelight, she practically glowed as her hands detailed the fine sketching laid out before her. He had to admit; she was nothing like what small number of the teenage female species he had encountered, not counting Jamie, Lilith and Fin. As if her make-up didn't make her stand out enough, she wore clothes that she had altered to her own specifications while out of the school uniform. Things like ripped holes and bits and pieces she'd pinned on to her jeans appeared together with the ruffly stuff he sometimes saw lining her bottoms. A girl like Delancey would never fit in.

"What?" Her voice shocked him out of his trance and he jerked back to reality.

"Huh?"

"Is there something on my face or anything?" She asked.

"No." He looked at her strangely. "Why'd you say something like that?"

"You were staring." She declared.

Peter flushed, something he had not done for decades.

"Not!" He protested with a little edge in his voice, laced with slight amusement. When was the last time he'd been caught in a childish argument like this?

"Whatever." She muttered before returning back to her drawing. Peter was prepared to let it go… when he heard her next word.

"Creep."

He frowned and leaned towards her. "I am not a creep!"

"So he told Sarah that she had the same name as his grandma?" Jamie echoed in disbelief before literally getting torn to bits with laughter as she dug into her ice cream.

"First night we met her too." Caleb added, joining in.

"Boy, do we need to get Garfield some new lines, or what?" Jamie shook her head. "It's no wonder Sarah went with you… I mean even if Reid hadn't said it."

There was a silence as they both processed what she had just said. "Oh really?" Caleb chose his next words carefully. "That's an interesting speculation. Why'd you think that way?"

Jamie hesitated. "Well… mostly 'cuz you're smart and all. Reid's just plain angry. Besides… you don't play 'round with girls like he does."

"Reid doesn't play around with girls." Caleb half-heartedly defended his brother. At Jamie's expression, however, he dropped the lie. "Okay, let's face it; what I said was absolutely bullshit. Reid treats girls pretty much like Aaron does. He uses them, then dumps them."

"Wow… aren't you the loyal friend." Jamie commented dryly.

Caleb shrugged. "It's the harsh truth, babe." Jamie felt a slight blush coming onto her cheeks as she listened.

"What about you?" He suddenly asked.

Jamie wasn't thrown off course like he'd expected but she wasn't planning on any façade tonight. After all, she was exhausted. Mental and physical fights with nearly everyone around her left Jamie drained. "What about me?"

"Do you… are you single?" Caleb asked, cautiously. Most likely, it was a touchy subject with Jamie and whenever something was touchy with that girl, things could get a little violent, verbally speaking.

"And if I wasn't?" She asked, biting down on her lip.

"Just asking here." He replied. "You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to."

"Will you take me to the beach?" She suddenly asked.

Caleb's forehead creased slightly. "Sure." He nodded.

Fifteen minutes later… the rain had stopped and Caleb was on the road again with Jamie in the passenger seat, racing towards the beach. She was silent and rather distant, her face thoughtful. Caleb hadn't the heart to disturb her but when they reached the beach, she had hopped out of the car and walked over to the sand. He followed at a respectable distance.

"You know I've never liked water." She finally sighed. "I was afraid of it merely because I couldn't control it."

He didn't know what to say to this.

"My dad tried to get me interested in swimming and water-skiing and all that," She continued. "But I didn't want to. I was just too scared."

"And when you jumped off the cliff that night?" Caleb couldn't help but ask.

She turned to him, her face melancholic and beautiful. "That was different." She replied. "I was… intoxicated. I didn't know what I was doing."

"All my life I've been turning away from things just because I was too scared. I didn't go into the waters, I've never been on a date… all I've never really been scared of was the darkness."

She admitted.

"How come?" Caleb asked.

She sat down on the sand and Caleb sat beside her. "I've always thought that darkness was merely missing something. Light. Fire. Once it has that, don't you think it's the same as any other place? Besides, it felt friendly just to sit there. No one could see you or measure you by the way you look."

There was silence; the only sound that could be heard was their breathing ad the rush of the waves as it rolled onto the shore. "Did anything change?" Caleb asked.

Jamie seemed to ponder his question, thinking it through carefully before she answered. "Yeah." She said slowly. "Things did change Caleb. When me and Fin and Lils met you guys, it became… different. In a good way, of course. Just that… I never expected it. You've all been great… you, Tyler, Reid, Pogue, Kate and Sarah--"

She paused when she heard the sharp intake of breath from the male beside her.

She smiled gently. "You still love her."

He only shook his head. "Does that matter?" He scoffed. "I don't think she'll be able to accept our way of life. I mean after she saw my dad and…"

"Oh. So lemme get this straight. Just because you don't think she'll be able to take it makes it okay for you to decide whether she gets to be with you?" Jamie's voice grew angrier with each word. "Don't be so selfish, Caleb."

"Yeah well, then maybe that's love." Caleb snapped.

"You don't know anything about love." Jamie whispered, her eyes shining as she forced herself to stop her tears before they fell.

"I know it's something people do." Caleb protested. "People fall in love, Jamie. It's human."

Too bad. I'm not. These were the words Jamie desperately wished to say but instead, she just bit back her tongue and looked away. "And someday," Caleb continued. "You're gonna fall in love too. There's nothing you can do to avoid that."

It was like he had made a wish, she thought. Like he had placed a curse upon her. Gently, he had cupped her chin, turning her head so that she faced him. He had pressed his lips against hers in a short kiss and her tears had finally fallen. Using his thumb, he wiped away the tracks her tears had made as it rolled down her cheeks. She gave him a small smile. "Maybe someday, Caleb Danvers… just someday… we'd know what love is. And when we do, the truth's gonna hit us harder than a train."

Caleb had drove her back and she'd asked him to keep her groceries. "I don't need it anymore." She had told him with a smile. "It was comfort food. Go enjoy your steak with Ms. Danvers."

She had walked down the dorm hallway on the way to her room with a spirit more free than she had ever felt before. "So I'll see you tomorrow?" A female voice ahead of her asked quietly. Two figures hung by Room 17; probably a couple. She paused, lingering near Room 12. She 'd rather the two of them get over with their goodnights and sweet nothings while she crept by them in Archos mode than walk pass them in human form. That would be embarrassing. Just as she was preparing herself, the male spoke.

"Sure. See you tomorrow, Delancey." She froze. It couldn't possibly be… could it? Then the girl unlocked her room, switched on her light and closed the door but during those brief moments that the light had spilled across the male's face, Jamie could have sworn her heart had missed a beat.

Peter smiled at the closed door before making his way towards the exit. The wrong way because he was heading in the direction of the stairs. Hmph. Probably too befuddled by his date to realize which way he's going. Jamie snickered inwardly. She waited until they were a safe distance from Delancey's room before she jumped him.

"Boo!" She leaped onto his back.

"Aargh!" He had yelled before falling to the floor under the pressure Jamie had applied. Now that she hadn't been counting on. They landed in a tumble.

"Oww… Pete-y… you were supposed to catch me." Jamie whined as she brushed herself off.

"Pete-y was a too surprised, dear." He had snapped. "He was slightly overwhelmed by the incredible weight his little darling gained in a period of… five months?" He had seemed surprised by the time in which he had last carried her piggyback.

Jamie, however, completely missed the point. She slapped him on the arm before hissing, "Are you calling me fat?"

He smirked but it quickly slid off his face when she next spoke. "So… back from your date, huh?"

"It wasn't a date." He retorted.

She utterly ignored him and pretended to think hard. "With… whatshername? De… Debra? Delane? Delora? Delaney?"

"Delancey."

"That's right! She's pretty… don't cha think?" She grinned cheekily at him as they climbed the stairs.

He kept quiet, choosing not to answer. Peter had learnt the hard way that these type of conversations were never his to win. "Silence means consent." She teased him. He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. The fact was Delancey was pretty, that was the problem. However strange she might dress, however weird and different her opinions, truth stood firm.

"Just because she's pretty doesn't mean I like her." Peter argued. "You're pretty and I don't like you… that way."

"You think I'm pretty… thanks." She smiled. Peter sighed in relief. She had let it go… for now.

"Hey, can I stay over tonight?" He asked as they reached Jamie's room. "I'm too tired to head back to the Manor." He quickly added when she shot him a queer look.

"Why not?" She asked cheerily. "We can paint each other's nails and watch chick flicks and oh!…discuss your potential love life with a certain girl whose name starts with D!"

He glared at her. "Then again… I'll take the long drive."

She chuckled as he turned for the stairs. "Just kidding." She pulled him back. "You can stay for the night."

He grinned his thanks as they went inside.

"So… what colour would you like on your nails?"

"JAMIE!"

"Kidding… jeez; you'd think at sixty-five, people would get a sense of humor."

A/N: Well, I rather enjoyed writing that chapter so whether or not you did, comment on it so I'll know whether you liked this part or not. Either way, I've had my fun in this!

Crickes