The Hunt for Sviederbach

Disclaimer: I do not own Shake it Up

A/N:

Chapter 8 (Royal Vacation)

"Do you think leaving her in charge was a good idea?" Cece asked while shifting nervously from the plane window to Gunther. They were on their way to America to discuss Frankie's moving to Sviederbach, and in turn they left Aveline in charge of her siblings. Gunther put his arm around her shoulders, laughing heartily. "What? I'm just worried, she's always leaving the castle to go off on her adventures with Estelle, and I'm nervous about whether or not she's going to handle looking after her brothers and sister."

"Cece, she's eighteen years old now, I think she can handle the responsibility of looking after her family. Plus, if she does anything wrong, Rocky and my parents are there to look after them. Ty and Tinka as well." Defenseless, she put her head to his shoulder and shrugged. He had a point, Aveline was old enough to take responsibility. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible would happen, and if something terrible did happen, how would Aveline react to it? "Just try and relax Cece, you're always so worried, let your worries go for now."

"I guess. It's just, I'm a mother, so of course I'm going to worry." There truly wasn't anything to worry about, he was right, but she'd spent so many years trying to relax that she just couldn't do it. She wanted want was best for her children, but they all seemed to forego their priorities and responsibilities. Anything could go wrong. For instance, if the very plane they were on crashed, Aveline would need to take rule in her father's place. Could she protect Sviederbach or take care of it when the impossible was very possible? "Gunther, I'm just always worried something will happen and I want my daughter to be ready to step up and take care of the kingdom if the worst happens…" Gunther kissed her forehead, though it wasn't much of a comfort for her current worries.

"I believe Aveline would handle herself just fine, but right now it isn't necessary to worry. Relax, and let's spend time with old friends, all right?" Her lips curved up at the mention of their friends. They saw Deuce and Dina almost constantly whenever they traveled over, as the couple were still close with Frankie's family. They were married now, and had a son. Currently Deuce wasn't too thrilled with Frankie's plans to move back, but he understood the reasoning.

"I'll bet Aveline's going to be happy to see the Bransford family back." Even Roffe on Parliament was excited to see his old friend was returning. There was an open seat on Parliament that Gunther was considering for Frankie, but he wasn't sure if it would be a good idea. Either way, the Bransford House was being reinstated as a noble family. "Maybe we can stop worrying so much about finding a suitor for her."

"Perhaps. We'll just have to discuss it with her when the time comes. Until then, I'm honestly getting tired of all these ill-found suitors that keep showing up."

"I know. I feel guilty for putting her through that…I would have hated it if my mother did it." Gunther laughed heartily once again, which earned him an intense glare. "What's so funny about it?"

"You know as well as I do, from everything you've told me about your mom, that she would have been doing the same thing if you were in Aveline's situation." She huffed and folded her arms, looking away from his ever-growing smirk. "They say a child is a mini version of their mother, and Aveline is more like you than you know."

"I suppose so. I don't know where she got her manners from, though." She sat upright and let her face fall into a narrow frown. Of course, Gunther was right, Aveline's behavior practically mirrored her own. "Second thought, scratch that…"

When they arrived, they were met by Frankie's cheerful spouse. Karin hurried over and hugged Cece's neck as she often did. Frankie hung back with his trademark proud smirk. Gunther walked over to him, then shared in a high five greeting. The couple looked the same as they had eighteen years ago, only slightly aged and less angst-ridden. Frankie and Karin had the calmest expressions and were completely ready to get back to Sviederbach. "How was the plane ride?" Karin inquired.

"It was good, smooth riding as always." Cece looked over as a young girl started to hurry towards her. She grinned and met the girl with a hug. "Hi Astrid, it feels like it's been forever since I've seen you! My you've grown!" Of course the twelve year old girl stepped back and performed a curtsey for her.

"Thank you Mrs. H."

"Usually Gunther's the one that says that," A boy chortled from behind. Cece turned and smiled at the bright eyed sixteen year old, Noak. He was a splitting image of his father, though Frankie often said he looked more like his grandfather. The logic was lost at that point, since Frankie looked like his dad as well. "Good to see you guys again."

"It is good to be back here visiting," Gunther replied. "A shame we missed Ander's arrival to Sviederbach. We just haven't had the chance to visit him on campus. Hopefully we'll have a chance to see him when we get back. You must understand how hard it is when almost every day we have to deal with dozens of requests, either in letter or person, regarding Aveline's hand in marriage."

"It's exhausting," Cece muttered. She wanted it to end, but for some reason, it only seemed to grow. "We'd like for someone to throw us a bone, but it's just not happening." They also wanted to hurry the Bransford's move to the country, but even that was difficult. It was only difficult because they were lacking in patience, he needed to deal with his job transfer. Astrid had to deal with leaving Shake it Up, and then there was the process of becoming a part of Parliament again. He could become a noble, but it would take a little bit of time before he'd be appointed to Parliament. "Maybe when everything's finally said and done, we can breathe."

"Well hopefully you can take a moment to breathe now that you're actually on vacation. Glad you managed to get here in time to see Astrid off though. Noak was just about to drive Astrid out to the studio."

"It's my final rehearsal," Astrid marveled. "Does Astor know we're moving to Sviederbach? I can't wait!" Astor knew now, but he didn't before. Gunther decided to tell him rather than surprising him. Whenever they visited the Bransford family, or vice versa, Astor and Astrid were always close. Even Noak had a good time hanging out with Estelle. "I can't wait to see Ander and Aveline!"

"Come on sis," Noak was halfway out the door when Astrid peered over at him. "You don't want to be late do you?"

"Of course not." She hugged Gunther and Cece once more, then started off after her brother. "I'll see you guys in a few hours!"

"Bye Astrid." Gunther waved the girl off, then turned to Cece with a smile. "Well dear, I hope you didn't forget your appointment." She raised an eyebrow and hummed her thought. Gunther scheduled her an appointment to get a massage at the spa, something she'd been needing for a very long time. Her heart jumped up and she quickly nodded. He was going to drop her off there, and then head over to Deuce's place, to surprise their old friend. The only thing Cece didn't like about the rental car they had, the windows were clear, rather than tinted black like most of the vehicles the family drove.

"Of course I didn't forget!"

"Good, it's something to take the stress off your shoulders for a bit." He checked his watch and looked over to Frankie. "After we're done settling down for a bit, I'll drop her off, we should be back in about an hour or two."

Frankie put his arm around Karin's shoulders and happily affirmed his friend. "Sounds good to me."

After a while, Cece happily walked through the spa. Her stress level was down, her wall was down, and she was fine with this. When she made it to the massage therapist, she met with the owner, a slender forty year old man with a handlebar moustache. He had dark brown eyes and was busy drying his hands. "Hello Madame, I'd shake your hand, but I'm afraid they're as cold as a fish."

"That's okay. I'm here for the massage, are you the owner?"

"Yes, Maxwell is the name." She nodded and casually moved into the room. There was a long table with vanilla cushioning and a horseshoe head frame. "My fiancé, Heather is the masseuse, and she will be taking care of you."

"Thank you." It was not long before she was prepped and face down on the massage table. A woman with a husky, but oddly sweet voice entered the room rather hastily.

"Hello Mrs. Hessenheffer. It's not every day I get to give a massage to a queen." Cece wasn't disheartened by the woman's knowledge of her status, though she would have preferred not having people know who she was. Sadly, that was unavoidable. "I hope you don't mind the fragrance of the room."

"It's fine." Candles had been lit, and the room smelled of apples and cinnamon. Strangely, they were inducing her into a highly relaxed state, but this was a good thing in her mind. She came here to relax, after all. She slowly closed her eyes and let her body go limp. "Wake me when you're done. You don't know how good it feels to finally take a load off."

"I guarantee when we're done here, you will be completely relaxed and rejuvenated." Cece exhaled softly and flinched once the woman's hands touched her back. She wasn't truly accustomed to strange hands touching her. "Relax dear."

"I am, no worries." She breathed out a content groan, feeling as though she were floating on air. "I bet you're excited. Getting married. He said you're his fiancé, right?"

"That's right. In a few months we're getting married." The woman chimed happily as Cece drifted off to sleep, hearing only slurs as the woman spoke. "In a few months, I'll be Mrs. Heather Lamont."

Hmm and thus it begins. What are your thoughts here? Let me know what you're thinkin' now ^_^