I am really, really sorry for such a long wait for the update. It seems that I keep coming up with ideas for other fanfictions (which is true in real life with my own personal works-in-progress) and I sort of get swept away from some of my older stuff. I sat down and decided to reread the past chapters (I'm sort of horrified by the spelling/grammar mistakes I've made. Spell check, you shall be my new bestest buddy.) Anywho, please enjoy this update!
BreeTico – Oh yeah, I have a lot of smart remarks from Elsie. Sarcasm is my trademark. (:
The Significance Series belongs to Shelly Crane.
Chapter Seventeen
I swallowed nervously as we pulled up to Hanna's house. I hadn't seen my best friend in what felt like weeks, and now she was going to meet my significant. I was worried that Hanna wouldn't like him, or that she would start crushing on him, or something worse that even I couldn't imagine. Hanna's opinions didn't really matter because I was hopelessly in love with him, and it was only a matter of time, apparently, until we decided to tie the knot. Interestingly enough, the expectation didn't annoy me as much as it did before. I actually wanted it. Still, even if Hanna decided she disliked him more than she'd hated Paul, I was sticking with him. I doubted it, but if something like that was going to happen… I was worried that it would drive a wedge between us. I was hoping that there would be the possibility that I could keep Hanna's friendship, but it was getting harder and harder. She knew every little thing about me, and now my entire future was riding on a secret that I couldn't share with her.
Hanna lived in a cute little cottage-like house down on the opposite side of town from me. During the drive over, we'd remained basically silent, listening to the radio play country songs. I leaned over to kiss Nick's cheek before climbing out of the car. He turned to catch my lips last second. I gave a slight sigh before pulling away. Now that we ascended, Nick and I were more in tune than ever. He picked up on my thoughts – mostly an internal babbling of how much he meant to me – and gave me a slight smile. I climbed out of the car and ran up the walkway to the door. Hanna and I had been friends forever. I had one of her house keys on my keychain, and she had one of mine on hers. Well, my old one. I wondered if she was expecting a new key from me. I would have to figure out some way to sidestep that for now, because I couldn't have her walking up to an Ace household. Alexandra and Daniel probably wouldn't appreciate it all that much, even if they did like me. I tried the knob. It was unlocked. Hanna's mom, a woman whom I had called Mama Jones for years, always locked the door. Hanna didn't because she said she could be leaving the house in the next five minutes or so. She was always on the move.
I pushed open the door. Nick's voice laced through my mind. You just walk in? He laughed.
Yep, I replied. "Hanna!" I called out loud. "Come on, Nick's waiting in the car." I took a step into the house and looked down the hallway towards her room. I was just about to take a step that way when I heard Mama Jones call out to me.
"Elsie? Is that you?" She asked. She peered out of the laundry room, a smile coming over her face. She and Hanna looked a lot alike – light brown hair and big brown eyes. I smiled at her as she stepped out of the laundry room just as Hanna skirted out of her bedroom.
"Thank God you're here, El," Hanna said, running towards me. She wrapped her arm around me. "I thought the world had ended and you left me here with just my mom." She teased. Mama Jones narrowed her eyes at the two of us, but she couldn't hide her smile. When my mother had died, Mama Jones had basically taken over for her. Hanna smiled at her mom and said, "Besides, I need to meet this new hunk of a guy who's stolen your heart."
"A hunk?" Mama Jones repeated, her eyebrows shooting up in interest. I groaned out loud, and Hanna giggled maniacally. Mama Jones turned to face me. "Who is this hunk? When do I get to meet him?" She asked, her voice instantly protective but obviously interested in Nick's rumored hunkiness.
"Don't worry, Mama J," I said. "Royce and Nolan already checked him out. He passed their test." Both of them looked at me like they wanted more. They wanted to meet him. I tried not to look nervous about it. Normal people wouldn't be nervous about it, right? I mean, there was that sort of sense of nervousness, but my relationship with Nick was definite. It wasn't going to change. Still, they didn't know that, and if there was anybody else in the world that was willing to tell me exactly what they thought, it would be those two.
Nick, I thought, projecting my thoughts towards him. I could sense his attention. Prepare yourself. Hanna's mother wants to meet you.
After a moment of silence, he said, Should I really be that worried?
I just barely kept myself from shrugging as I smiled at Hanna and Mama Jones. "Well, okay," I agreed. "He's outside, in the car." To him, I said, She's like my mother. I replied, biting down on my lip at the thought of my own mom. I was sure that she would have loved him, if only because he loved me. Mama Jones was the same way, but she would definitely say her thoughts on him. And she'll be brutally honest.
You think I'm that bad? He asked, his mental voice teasing. I barely stifled a laugh as I opened up the door, Mama Jones and Hanna following behind me. I took the stairs, and Nick stepped out of his car. I could see him over the top of it. Just seeing him made my heart skip a beat. He gave me a half smile, and I was almost sure that I heard Mama Jones sigh. I kept from smiling or glancing at her as he stepped around the front of the car.
"Dang," Hanna whispered to me. "You really scored with this one. So far, I have no complaints." This time I actually did laugh. Nick smiled, too, hearing Hanna's words through me. I took a deep breath as he took a step closer. "Mama J, Hanna, this is Nick. Nick, this is my best friend Hanna and her mother, who I call Mama Jones."
Mama Jones held out her hand, which Nick took in a gentle hold. She said, "It's so nice to meet you."
"You too, ma'am," Nick said back, playing up his southern charm.
Hanna squinted at him as Mama Jones cleared her throat. "Well, then, you three be careful. And don't do anything that I wouldn't do."
"Then we have a pretty free rein," Hanna said suddenly. She ducked away from Mama Jones's glare and headed towards the back seat of the car. "Well come on, then, you lovely couple." She said, giving the door handle a quick tug. "Please, before she throws a shoe at me or something."
I laughed and Nick chuckled, his fingers squeezing my hip before we stepped around to the front of the car. He climbed in and gave a courtesy wave to Mama Jones. She waved back has Hanna settled into the back seat. My best friend leaned forward and took a chunk of my hair. "Did you dye your hair?" She asked, sounding a little shocked. I guess it was understandable because I'd never really been one that liked the whole pampered girl thing. I went to the salon to get my hair washed and cut, and that was about it. My mother had loved my hair and refused to let me permanently dye it, and after her death I hadn't bothered. Hanna was the one that enjoyed coloring her hair and getting her nails done.
"Um, yeah," I replied, deciding that it would be the best way to explain my new natural shade of hair color.
"I like it. You look older somehow." She added, her eyes narrowing in on me. "I don't know what you did, but keep it up because babe, you are hot." Nick choked back a laugh in his seat. I turned in my seat to give her a slight glare. She just smiled broadly at me, and I rolled my eyes. God, I loved her, but she could totally be a pain.
"So, Nick," she said conversationally, leaning away from me and more towards my significant. I knew that it was pointless, but there was still a shot of jealousy that coursed through me as she got closer to him. Her chin was practically resting on his shoulder as her hand gripped the side of his seat. His eyes darted over to me, and I forced a smile because, really? There was no point in getting jealous. Hanna would never try to take Nick away from me, and it was obvious that Nick would never turn his back on me. "How did you and my dearest best friend meet?"
Nick looked over to smile at me. Hanna's eyes drifted in between the two of us as he said, "We were at a store and her purse straps broke. I reached out to pick up some of her things right when she did, and that's how we met."
"Aw!" She cooed from the back seat. "So, was it like love at first sight or what?"
I bit my lip, trying to hide my grin as I looked out the window. Nick's smile just grew wider and he glanced over his shoulder to look at Hanna. "Something like that."
Hanna leaned back in her seat and cracked her knuckles. "Now, it's time for speed round." She said. I snorted a laugh, knowing that she would pull something like this. "Full name?"
"Nicholas Jacobson," he answered, eyes focused on the road. I could see a little crinkle at the corners of his eyes and his lips were quirked up in a smile.
"What? No middle name?" She huffed.
"Theodore," I said.
Hanna patted me on the shoulder. "Beautifully done, chickie. Now, he's the one being interrogated." She said, turning back to Nick. "Age?"
"I'll be twenty-one in three months."
"Older man," Hanna stage-whispered to me. "Good choice." Her gaze swept from me back to my significant. "College?"
"I'll be a sophomore at University of Tennessee." Before Hanna could ask, he added, "I'm majoring in architecture, and after I graduate I'm going into my family's business." Hanna sat back in her seat, a small smile crossing her face. She seemed pleased with Nick, and I was glad that he had earned the seal of best friend approval.
"One more question," she said easily, darting her eyes to me, "Do you play videogames?" I paused at the question. It reminded me of Paul, and the relationship I'd forced on both of us. I also got what the implication was. If Nick said that yes, he liked them, Hanna would immediately turn to look at me with disdain. Paul, she said, had soiled her thoughts of the nerdy cuteness of gamers.
"My cousin Kyle likes them more than I do," Nick said. "I'm much more into sports."
Hanna leaned back in her seat. I turned to see what she had to say. She mouthed the words Good job, girlfriend, and gave me a thumbs up. I stifled a laugh. Thank God Hanna liked him.
# # #
The town fair was crowded. It always was. It wasn't the first time I'd been, and it wasn't Nick's first time, either. It was funny to think that we'd both been on the fairgrounds at some point, several times in the past couple of years, and we had never noticed each other. But like Nick said, Aces were big on fate. Maybe it was our destiny to be together, but we'd had to just wait a little longer.
"I think this is more crowded than last year," Hanna said. She had stuffed a large bottle of soda into her purse and was walking around with powder blue cotton candy on a paper cone. She ripped another piece off and offered the cone to me. I took a small piece. Hanna and I came to the fair together every year since we were kids. It was tradition to get cotton candy – she preferred the blue, and I liked the pink, so we'd ended up trading off every year since neither of us could eat a whole one on our own. The sugar melted on my tongue and I sighed, taking in a deep breath to really get the scent of popcorn and hot dogs. This was summer.
"I think so too," I replied, "You think other towns are coming in, or did we just pick the busiest day of the year?"
"With our luck," Hanna replied cynically, "We picked the busiest day of the year." I laughed, aware of the fact that Nick was trailing right behind us. He'd sort of taken a step back, hoping that Hanna and I could catch up. His biggest worry was that I would lose my normal friends and my family, and he wanted me to have the full experience of whatever it was he thought I would be doing. He didn't want to get in the way, and he didn't want Hanna to feel like a third wheel. So he stayed a couple feet behind, close enough that he could reach out and touch me if he needed to, but distant enough that it was sort of like last year, when Hanna and I had come alone after Paul had ditched us. If it weren't for a steady undercurrent of his clouded thoughts, it would've been exactly like last year.
The fair had game booths and the usual fair games – strength tests, knocking down a tower of bottles, and even had a carousel, a large Ferris wheel, and a funhouse. The other side of the fair had several stages set up, though only one was played on at a time, and vendors had set up booths to sell their wares. The fair was one of the biggest things that came around this area during the summer, so it was no surprise that it was crowded with all sorts of people. I was sort of expecting to see old friends from high school, like Hanna and I did every year, and I was sort of dreading it.
Gossip traveled fast in our town, between ladies at the salon and nosy teenagers with nothing better to do than check in on other people's business. I had no doubt that a good chunk of the town knew that I had left Paul after nearly three years for another guy. I'd sort of gotten over that fact because, honestly, it was Nick and me now. I just didn't want the entire town to think that I was some sort of two-timing girl. It shouldn't have mattered, but it did.
"Hanna!" I heard. Instinctively, I looked to the nearest stage. Hanna twirled around as whoever called to her called out to me. "Elsie!" I vaguely recognized the guy's voice. He must have been a friend from high school. It was ridiculous that I couldn't place his voice, though. Hanna grabbed my arm and pointed to the stage.
"Dean?" Hanna asked. The guy in question waved at us from the stage, an electric guitar strapped over his shoulder. He motioned for us to come up to the stage, pointing to the stairs that led onto the platform. Hanna took them quickly, hugging our old friend. I took the steps a little more slowly, turning to make sure that Nick was still following me. His hand touched the small of my back briefly, and I smiled to myself.
"Hi, Dean," I said, accepting his hug. Dean and Hanna had never dated, but they had a whole chemistry thing going on between them. I don't think it would have ever worked, though, because most of their chemistry came from ridiculous funny, teasing arguments. The two of them would have constantly been at each other's throats. "How are you?"
"Good." He said, sweeping a hand to the stage. "Me and Hunter and the others in the band are shooting towards stardom." He gave me a slink wink. Dean had always joked about being some sort of rock god. "Where's Paul?" He asked, not seeming to notice that Nick had followed us up the stairs and was now standing at the edge of the stage, looking down to the grass below.
"She's not with him anymore," Hanna practically sang the words. "Thank God, right?" She gave him a flirty smile and motioned towards Nick. "That's her new beau," she whispered to him, "Isn't he hot?" I elbowed her in the side as Nick glanced up to look at me. His smile was broad and warm. I could practically feel the warmth that he was mentally sending me, rushing all the way to my toes.
"Dean, this is my boyfriend, Nick. Nick, this is a friend from high school, Dean." I said, introducing the two of them. They nodded to each other and did a quick manly handshake. Nick's arm easily snaked around my waist, his fingers resting on my hip. I felt a warm flare coming from him, and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. Why, Nicholas Theodore Jacobson, is that jealousy I feel? I teased.
Nick's hand tightened on my shoulder for a nanosecond and then he nearly released me. I'm just letting him know that you are mine. His reply was warm and joking, and when I looked up at him, he was smiling down at me.
Hanna had a hand on Dean's arm, keeping him preoccupied. I couldn't help but wonder if Nick and I seemed like Maggie and Caleb. I had known, when I saw the two of them together, that I wanted something like what they had. I was sure that I'd found it in Nick. And it really wondered if the two of us seemed like we were talking to each other with our eyes (since they wouldn't believe us if we said that we really were talking to each other) and if we seemed hopelessly in love.
"Hey, Dean!" I glanced up to see another friend, Hunter, walking towards us. He twirled his drumsticks in between his fingers as his eyes roved over Hanna and me. Hunter was the kind of friend that flirted with you every chance he got, even if he wasn't interested in you. He was notoriously known as being a complete commitment phobe, as well as being nothing close to boyfriend material. In other words, he was completely harmless, though he did have a large hate-base made up of ex-boyfriends that blamed him for their relationship going south. I knew Nick picked up my thoughts and diagnosis on Hunter's personality, but he still wanted to prove that I was his. And honestly, I liked it. Clingy and codependent were two words that could probably negatively describe our relationship, but in the Ace world they were good words. "Have you seen Charlie?" He asked.
I felt my eyebrows draw together as Hunter appraised Hanna. Apparently, Nick had made it very clear that the two of us were together, and even though Hunter could never take anyone very seriously, he knew better than to mess with someone that was as tall, broad, and well-muscled as my boyfriend. "Whose Charlie?" I asked.
"Charlie Watson," Dean said, "Is our newest band member. Cody dropped out for college, and introduced us to Charlie, who was glad to take his replacement. You should meet him. He and his cousin are around here somewhere."
Watson, Nick's voice hissed through my mind. He said Charlie Watson. I understood the panic that shot through our bond on both sides. Marcus's last name was Watson. Watson wasn't exactly an uncommon last name, but there was still a chance…. "Would his cousin, by any chance, be named Marcus?" I asked lightly, trying to cover up the fear shooting through my voice. Even Nick's touch couldn't completely erase it.
"I think that was his name, yeah. You know him?" Hunter asked. He twirled one of his drumsticks haphazardly. Usually, I would've been worried that he would lose his grip on it and fling it into my eye or something, but the idea that Marcus was on the fairgrounds somewhere, possibly stalking us and planning our demise, was enough to make me forget about the stupid drumsticks. "Kind of stocky, dark hair, bad attitude?" He offered.
"Sounds like him," I breathed, looking up to Nick. He was trying his best to keep the serious look off his face. They didn't know the consequences of running into Marcus Watson like we did. He did say, after all, in a dream echo, that he wanted to kill me. Granted, Nick and I had ascended, so they could no longer stop us from that. But he could still kill one of us, and if it was true, the other would eventually die afterwards or would live in a world of pain, waiting for their death to come. Dangerous didn't even begin to cover it.
I glanced over at Hanna. I had wanted to just spend one day with my normal friends, but I realized, in that moment, that it was nearly impossible. If Marcus couldn't use me to get to Nick and the entire Jacobson family, they would use my helpless, unknowing friends to get to me. It was simple, really. That's what all the bad guys did in books and movies. They took hostage of those that we loved to make the hero give himself up. It was just the way things were done. And even though this wasn't a book or a movie but my life, I doubted Marcus had any morals. He had, after all, tried to stab me with a pocket knife in my dream. There was even a cut in Nick's desk where he had thrown the knife down in the echo. It was all very real.
I'm sorry, Nick said as he read my realization from my mind. I knew he really was apologetic. I could also tell that he blamed himself for it. If he hadn't touched me, he thought, then I wouldn't have been uprooted from the life I grew up with. I wouldn't have held any interest to Marcus Watson.
Silently, I scolded him for even thinking that. I knew, when I accepted the fact that destiny had made a decision for me, that my relationships with non-Aces were nearly severed. They couldn't understand the life I was living, and I wouldn't even attempt to make them understand it. I knew that there were suddenly secrets and walls that I couldn't cross with them anymore. And I knew, if given the choice to have my menial life back or have Nick, I would choose Nick every time. My mom had always told me that there was someone out there that was just for me, and that I should do almost anything to have happiness. Life isn't about accepting what's given to you, she'd tell me as she dug in her garden. Life is about learning from your mistakes and paving your own path. It's building something that you can look back and be proud of.
Sometimes, I wondered if my mom knew more than she let on. She was pretty spot-on with some of her advice, as if she'd known that one day they would be the only thing that I could fall back on. I glanced up at him and said, Follow my lead. He looked at me with a clearly questioning gaze. "You're phone's ringing," I said, cutting off whatever Hanna, Dean, and Hunter were talking about. I reached over and snatched it from the back pocket of Nick's jeans. The guys exchanged a look, and I could practically read their minds – She's got him whipped! Nick remained indifferent as I slid my thumb across the screen and put it to my ear. Hanna seemed surprised. Paul had never let me answer his phone, and in return, he wasn't allowed to answer mine. The only person who ever answered my phone was Hanna, and even then she got a reprimanding look from me on most days.
"Maggie?" I asked. Nick glanced over at me. I could feel him digging around in my brain to figure out what exactly I was planning. It sort of made it hard to concentrate, since I really needed to sell this. "Yeah, he's right here," I said after a pause. Hanna had returned her eyes to Hunter and Dean, but I could tell that she was listening on my conversation. Nick was standing right next to me, practically breathing down my neck. Hunter was openly watching. "What do you mean, Rodney got into an accident?" I asked. Nick stiffened beside me. I couldn't tell if he'd just figured out my half-baked plan or if he was just acting his part. Either way, it was realistic. "Yeah, yeah, we'll be right there!" I said, hitting the "imaginary" end button.
"I'm sorry," I said to Hanna. She looked at me with her eyebrows drawn together. "Nick's brother Rodney was in an accident back at the house. He and their father are… working on some roofing project. Your parents are waiting for us at the hospital," I said, turning to point my words to Nick. "I'm really sorry, but we've got to go. Maybe we can do dinner some other time?" I asked Hanna.
She nodded slowly, concern spreading on her face. I knew that she was honestly concerned for another's well-being, but I could also tell that she was wondering if Nick's brother was at hot as he was, and if he was single.
"We can take you home," I offered, "Before stopping at the hospital."
"That's okay," Dean cut in, "I can take her home. That cool with you, Han?"
She nodded. "I'll be fine." She reached over and gave me a quick hug. "Tell um, Rodney, that I hope he feels better."
"I really am sorry," I said, trying to convey how sorry I really was to her. She nodded and shooed me away. I dropped Nick's phone back into his pocket and turned for the stage steps. I hurried down them and broke towards the entrance of the fair, where Nick's car was parked.
"That," he breathed, coming close to me as we weaved our way through the crowd, "Was brilliant."
"Thanks," I replied. "Now, let's just hope that Rodney really is okay and that we can get out of here before Marcus sees us."
"That might be a problem," Nick whispered, his voice low and quick. He motioned towards a group of people headed our way. They didn't see us yet, but that was definitely Marcus at the front of the line. The others around him were probably all Watsons. They had that look about them – dark hair, sort of stocky in build and height. "This way," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the funhouse.
I nearly froze. The one thing that I hate other than doctors is clowns, and the funhouse entrance happened to be shaped like a giant clown head, the doors set in the clown's open mouth. It didn't look particularly menacing, with its curly red hair and wide eyes, but if it had slightly narrowed eyes and fangs, it could be something from my nightmares. "I hate clowns," I whispered.
"I know, and I'm sorry," Nick said, "But it's the only place we can go to get out of sight. Please, babe, just step into the funhouse. You can close your eyes and I'll lead you in." My eyes darted up to him at the endearment. Nick had never called me anything but Elsie before, and I found that I really did like being called babe by him. I was sure he felt that through our shared bond as my hand gripped onto his a little tighter.
"Okay," I breathed, panic shooting through my chest. His fingers wrapped around mine as my eyes closed. Quickly, he led me through the crowd. Within seconds, we were pushing through the plastic flaps that were the entrance of the funhouse. Nick pulled me off into a corner, a narrow hallway between the first funky exhibit and the wall of the funhouse. The two of us barely fit inside of it. He had his back to the exhibit displaying twisting, turning illusions and I had my back to the wall. Facing each other, I could feel his heartbeat pounding along next to mine. He was just as panicked about seeing Marcus here as I was.
"Are you okay?" He whispered to me, his lips just barely touching my ear. His warm breath sent shivers down my spine, and I managed a slow nod. "God, that was close. I don't like the fact that they're here. It doesn't really seem like a place that the Watsons would want to go." His voice was low, only to where I could hear it.
"Well, if you came around you can't expect his family not to come," I replied. "I mean, I know that they're not as tight-knit as your family –"
"Our family," Nick corrected.
"Our family," I repeated, feeling a smile break across my face. "But I mean, they can't just sit around and plot evil ways to make the rest of us miserable, can they?"
"Honestly," Nick answered with a sigh, "I have no idea. You see, our families are rivals. Usually they are if they inhabit the same area. Remember how I told you that there was a family in London and your biological family is from Prague?" I nodded, and he continued. "Your family is the only Ace family in Prague. The only time they see other Aces that aren't considered immediate family is when they're at reunification. Think of it as Native American tribes. Two different tribes aren't going to inhabit the same land peacefully unless some sort of treaty or trade is drawn up. But we're all too proud for that. There hasn't even been a Jacobson-Watson imprint in history." He said quietly.
"So basically you have a never-ending war with them?" I asked, my words whispered to his chest.
"Basically," he replied. He paused to slid out of the narrow hallway and push back one of the plastic flaps. He turned to look at me. "I see them. They've gone all the way past the stage. It looks like they're going to the food vendors. This is our chance." He reached out to grab my hand and pulled me from our hiding spot.
Hand-in-hand, the two of us darted through the crowd, trying not to seem like we were in a rush to get out of the place. My heart was pounding in my chest despite Nick's comforting touch. I didn't think that I was going to feel safe unless we were considerably out of the fairgrounds and far away from the Watson family. Nick seemed to be thinking the exact same think as he pulled me underneath the arched entryway of the fairgrounds and to the parking lot. It didn't take long to find his car. I slid into the passenger seat as Nick jumped into his side of the car, revving the engine before either of us had our seatbelts on. The moment that I was all buckled up, he pulled out of the space and headed straight for the road leading home.
"That was a close one," I whispered to him after a moment.
Nick kept one hand on the wheel, the other reached out to take my hand. He brought it to his lips and said, "Too close."
Those darn Watsons. They ruin everybody's good time. Sigh.
As always, I hope that you are pleased with this chapter. I apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors that I did not pick up on my quick scan-through (honestly, I only scanned like, half of it.) Haha.
And, as always, I ask you to leave me a review with your comments and criticism. Thanks for reading! Peace (: