A/N: Thank you for the reviews.
Natalie drove over an hour to reach her final destination. She was keeping her fingers crossed that the place was open. Pulling into a parking garage she pulled the Range Rover into a parking spot and got out. She was still shaking with anger at the sudden arrival of her sister. She had no doubt that Nicole was shagging Jake up against a wall in her house at that exact moment.
"Stupid Slag" she muttered as she walked past a group of women on the street.
She reached the door of the shop and tentatively pushed the handle. Thankfully it opened readily and she breathed a sigh of relief. The small tea shop was a lucky find for Natalie when she first moved to Seattle. It carried all her favorite biscuits, teas and other british delights. It was a little piece of home. The reason she was here now was because they also carry all the British tabloids. If she was going to find out what Nicole had done it would no doubt be in the rags.
"Hello" called the lady behind the counter.
"Hello Barbara" said Natalie warmly.
"Natalie" said Barbara. "I wondered when you'd be by."
"Oh God, it's got to be horrid" said Natalie.
Barbara nodded and passed Natalie the paper. On the cover of the Sun was a huge picture of Nicole, holding a hand in front of the camera. In bold letters above the pictures the headline stated, "He wanted Moore". The byline gave Natalie a little more information, "Famed Opera star gives prince more than he bargained for at his royal engagement party".
"So what did she do?" asked Natalie.
"Dear, just read the story" said Barbara. "I'll go make us a pot of tea or perhaps something stronger."
"Just tea please" said Natalie.
Natalie settled herself down on one of the comfy sofa seats and began to read. The article spanned almost ten pages and lurid photos of Nicole and the prince were splashed across all of them. The first picture was of Nicole and the crown Prince talking, the next they were sneaking off into a side room, the next was them locked in a fierce embrace, then kissing, then they got worse. Whoever took the photographs was either the quietest person in the world or the pair couldn't care less that they were being photographed. She felt it was probably the latter. With a heavy sigh she started reading parts the article.
The red carpet was splashed with many of the world's most famous people. Everyone came out in their most stylish outfits for the Prince's engagement party. Nicole Moore cut a stylish figure as she glided across the red carpet speaking to anyone and everyone. The beautiful songstress had a brief and spicy relationship with the prince but it was over well before his engagement to the demure Elisabeth Lambert. It seems the desire for one last fling became too much for pair. They were caught in the most intimate of embraces at the prince's engagement party. Nicole Moore has gone to ground. It is suspected she is staying in one of her family's posh hotels. Members of her entourage have been seen all over the world, but the singer has not been spotted. The Prince issued a heartfelt apology to his future bride, her family and his country. Moore has not been reached for comment but has been unapologetic in the past regarding any of her transgressions.
Natalie set down the paper and accepted the cup of tea gratefully. She had a brief chat with Barbara about the weather and other benign subjects. The shop's proprietress stayed quiet on the looming subject. Eventually Natalie set down her cup, paid for her purchases and left.
Driving home was slow going, it had begun to snow heavily and Natalie worried the roads would be impassable by the time she reached her neighborhood. The car slid around a turn and Natalie slowed down even more. After a grueling drive she finally pulled into the garage. As she trudged through the drifts of snow she noticed that Jake's car was gone. She secretly hoped he'd taken her erstwhile sister with him. Opening the door she was greeted by the smell of frying bacon. She walked into the kitchen to find her sister standing in front of the stove.
"What are you doing?" asked Natalie.
"Making some bacon sarnies" replied Nicole. "Would you like one?"
"I didn't even know you knew how to cook" said Natalie.
"Well to be fair I burnt the first two batches" said Nicole.
Natalie glanced into the trash cans and saw almost a pound of bacon charred beyond all recognition.
"I'm getting better, I think this batch may be edible" said Nicole proudly.
Natalie warred with herself trying to decide what to do, she was still very angry with her sister, but the aroma of the bacon and the rumble in her stomach made her set aside her anger for the moment. Nicole finished making the sandwiches and the sisters dug into them with gusto. After they'd finished Nicole said she was going to take a hot shower and settle in for the night. Natalie just nodded her frostiness towards her sister returning. Once Nicole left, Natalie pulled out the magazines and began to read through them more carefully. The more she read the more suspicious she got. It seemed as if the pair planned to get caught. She brewed a pot of tea and was just pouring herself a cup when her sister appeared. Nicole noticed the tabloids on the counter and immediately picked one up.
"What rubbish" she said tossing it down.
"Why did you do it?" asked Natalie.
"Because he asked me to" replied Nicole. "I'm always willing to help a friend."
"Are you fucking kidding me" said Natalie. "You are splashed all over the covers of every newspaper in the world. The paparazzi are searching for you everywhere. What were you thinking?"
"They won't bother to look for me here, if I'm seen around it will just be assumed I'm you" said Nicole. "I guess as long as we don't go out together or one of us wears a disguise or something."
"Is that why you came here without your people and with only two suitcases?" asked Natalie.
"Yes" said Nicole. "Listen Natty, I know what I did was horrible and disgusting and that it will be the subject of much maligning in the press but the truth is Laurent asked me to do it and I agreed. It was all planned and set up with the photographer before hand."
"Why would he ask you to do this?" asked Natalie.
"Because he doesn't want to get married" said Nicole.
"According to the press he's still getting married" said Natalie.
"Well he has other plans" said Nicole. "This is just the first of many stunts."
"He's a nutter" said Natalie.
Nicole smiled and poured herself a cup of tea. The girls sipped their drinks in silence both lost in their own thoughts.
Sig's plane was delayed again. The snow in Seattle was getting worse and the Sea-Tac airport was shut down for the second time in as many days. Edgar, Norman, Antha and the kids were all sleeping uncomfortably in the airport chairs. But Sig couldn't rest, he hadn't been able to reach Natalie since before he'd left on the trip. He was worried, she could be hurt or sick or worse, mad at him. In his checked bag was a beautiful necklace and a bottle of vodka. He wasn't sure which she would like better. Antha stirred slightly and then woke up. She rubbed her eyes and stretched before realizing Sig was standing.
"Haven't you slept at all?" she asked tiredly.
"I can't" said Sig. "I'm worried about Natalie."
"She's fine" said Antha. "Too bad the same can't be said about her sister."
The news of Nicole's antics had been seen on the nightly news and in almost every paper Antha had seen. She didn't have to read Norwegian to know nothing complimentary was being said.
"I'm not surprised" said Sig. "The first time I saw her she was fucking some pool boy."
"Amazing how a set of twins could be so different" said Antha.
"Yeah" said Sig distractedly.
"Honestly Sig, she's fine" said Antha. "Don't worry about her, she's a big girl and can take care of herself. She's been doing it for all the years before she met you."
"I should have asked her to come with us" said Sig.
"You can't go back in time" said Antha in exasperation. "Get over it and move on."
Sig frowned at Antha, her brutal statement stinging him. In response Antha stuck out her tongue.
"And I thought you were the mature one" said Sig.
"I am" said Antha with a smirk.