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Oasis Island 8
Well, it's been a while. Hope you enjoy!
Well, it's been a while. Hope you enjoy! Starting back up at college for the Spring Semester wasn't easy for any of the six that had returned from the island just those few months ago. None of them seemed to be able to concentrate on their classes. Danny spent most of his winter break talking all day to Talia online while Deacon wandered drunkenly around his room and moped about Renee. Deacon never went home. He didn't want to be in his lousy beat-up shack of a house sharing a room with his little brother under the not-so-much supervision of his dead beat father. So instead, he went out partying every night and returned to Danny's every day. Deacon would sulk all day while recovering just to go out and do it again the next night despite Danny's numerous attempts to keep him at his house. Talia was glad to have Danny to talk to all winter. Her two older sisters had moved to the city to pursue their careers. Her oldest sister, Nadya, had gone in to fashion and was now a very successful designer. Talia's other sister, Shira, was now a lawyer quickly rising in popularity. Talia felt like she had a lot to live up to and wasn't sure if she could rise to what was expected of her. She was glad to escape the constant hounding of her parents to talk to her new boyfriend. Once they were back at school, it was hard for Talia and Danny to keep their relationship a secret. For Danny, it was especially hard to keep it from Deacon as he was always around. Talia was constantly making up stories to Melissa as to where she was going and whenever Melissa would bring up "Daniel Miller", Talia would quickly change the subject.
However, they often would sneak out of their dorms once the others were asleep and meet in the dormitory common room. Renee and Fred were spending a lot of time together too, mostly at Fred's apartment downtown and the pub beneath it. On the first floor, was the pub and on the second, a laundromat. Three more floors above those consisted of numerous small efficiency apartments; one being Fred's. Roman decided to crash on the couch at Fred's apartment until he found a drummer for his band. His band held auditions at various times of each day so he was in and out a lot. It was a nuisance to the progress of Fred and Renee's research as they immediately had to hide what they were doing as soon as Roman entered the room. But it also turned out to be a a bit of a blessing as it also prevented them from doing... other things. Fred and Renee had gotten to know eachother really well over the winter break and were now almost inseperable. Because Fred was leaving soon on his journey to discover more about his past and did not know when he would return, Renee and he knew they shouldn't let their relationship go any further... that would make it even more difficult for the both of them when he actually left. It was tough not to give into the temptation though since they spent most of their time together alone, looking in secret for clues about the map.
And although they had strongly agreed that they weren't in an relationship, they sometimes both felt that they actually were. One morning, Fred was sitting in Renee's dormitory entrance hall waiting for her to meet him to go research at his apartment. He was once again lost in the thought of him and Renee... thinking things he knew he shouldn't be... when someone quietly approached him. "Hello there," Tatum said sweetly as she posed just feet from him, biting her lip.
"Um..." Fred looked around and when he was sure the rest of the room was empty, he knew she must either talking to him or someone invisible. "Uh, hi Tatum," he said, still unsure.
"What are you doing here by yourself?" she questioned, slowly strutting toward him, her hips swaying definably from side to side. "I'm, uh, waiting for Renee," he answered her uncomfortably.
She stretched her arms up to her forehead, purposely revealing her bare stomache, and brushed her fingers through her shiny, black hair. "Can I join you?"
"Well, uh," Fred was trying to come up with an excuse for her not to but she didn't wait for him to answer and sat down. "Look, Fred," Tatum continued, "I know we may have gotten off on the wrong foot but I've been thinking a lot lately..." She batted her eyelashes and added seductively, "...about you."
Fred looked at her with a bewildered expression. 'Okay. What is going on here?' he thought.
"I know you must be thinking about me too, Fred," Tatum smirked at him and leaned in close, slowly rubbing her hand from his knee to his thigh. "Woah, woah!" Fred suddenly exclaimed, pushing her hand away, "No offense, Tatum, but I'm not interested."
She looked appalled. Tatum tried to hold it back, but she couldn't. Her eyebrows angrily slanted inward and she pursed her lips. "What is WRONG with you?" she suddenly yelled at him, "What kind of mental problem do you have?"
Fred thought this was an odd question as it seemed more appropriate that he should be the one asking her that. He was relieved to hear Renee approaching from around the corner and quickly stood up in an attempt to escape the wrath of Tatum... but Tatum was quicker. She grabbed Fred and kissed his closed mouth just as Renee rounded the corner.
Renee froze, in shock.
Fred pushed Tatum away and spastically wiped his lips. "Completely mental," he muttered toward Tatum but she was concentrating on Renee's horrified expression. "Hello, Renee," Tatum said snobbishly with a smirk. She knocked Renee's shoulder with her own as she walked passed, her high-heels obnoxiously clicking as she pompously strode away. Renee looked at Fred expectantly, not saying anything; just waiting for him to explain.
"You know that was all her, right?" he said, surprised that she was looking at him so suspiciously. "I was just waiting for you and she was... trying to... uh... seduce me."
At those words, the corners of Renee's lips began to curl up and she suddenly started to laugh.
"What's so funny about that?" Fred asked her innocently.
"That just doesn't sound right," Renee shook her head, still giggling, "She must just have done it to make me mad. Well, it didn't work. Why does she hate me so much anyway? I didn't even do anything to her!" "Wait a minute," Fred said, back-tracking, "You think the only reason she'd come onto me is to get back at you? You don't think she really thinks I'm attractive? And why are you laughing and not upset?"
"Well you're not really mine to get upset over, first of all," Renee reminded him. "And second, it's just a little unbelievable because Tatum doesn't really go for, um... guys like you."
"Why? Because I'm not mental?" Fred said. Renee just smiled and Fred sighed realising she was probably right about Tatum's intentions. Tatum only ever went for the popular and wealthy; Fred was certainly neither of those. "Yea, yea," Fred said, "Let's just go." Renee hadn't seen much of Deacon lately as she was mostly with Fred.
She did one day, however, have an uncomfortable run-in with him at the dormitory common room.
Renee and Pryia had been walking to meet Fred for lunch when they passed through the common room and noticed Deacon getting comfortable with some girl on the large sofa. She was tall, shapely thin and incredibly tan. Her dark, perfectly-shaped eyebrows stood out against her bleached blonde hair (which Renee later pointed out was probably something fake from a can).
A strange feeling hit Renee. It was weird seeing him with another woman.
Deacon suddenly noticed Renee's presence and immediately abandoned his flirting with the blonde on the couch to run over to Renee. "This isn't what it looks like," Deacon said.
"Okay, Deac," Renee shrugged, "You don't owe me any explanations."
"Cool," Deacon nodded and then smiled, "So babe, do you want to go to lunch with me now or something?"
Renee laughed. "I don't think so," she answered in disbelief.
"What about your other babe over there?" Priya chimed in with a cocky tone.
"Do you mind?" Deacon said rudely to Priya, "I wasn't talking to you." "Yes I do mind," Priya sternly stated, "Renee's not just some bimbo you can-"
"Don't Priya," Renee cut her off and then turned to Deacon, "Have fun, Deac." Renee rolled her eyes and walked away with Priya following close behind her.
Deacon cursed to himself. Why did the one time he finally got to talk to Renee have to be when he was with some other girl? A girl who he didn't care about; who meant nothing to him. This was one of the rare times when Deacon was sober too. But it didn't last too long after his awkward encounter with the girl he truely longed for. A few nights later, Renee and Fred were up late decoding a section of the map. Renee read aloud from the part they had been working on:
"Take with you the prized posession
baring the crest of the roaring brave.
The old king's secret obsession
sending the lesser to the grave."
"So we know we have to take this to the castle," Renee commented, "And we know the crest of the royal family was a lion... but what is this 'prized posession'?" "No clue," Fred replied a few minutes after racking his brain for an idea, "Wouldn't you think the king's most prized posession would have been in the castle though? Someone probably took it by now."
"Unless it was buried with the king," Renee thought out loud, "You know, sent with him to his grave."
Fred shuttered, "I'm not about to dig up a body!" He scratched his head and said, "And I don't think that's what the grave part means." Fred sighed, "I'm lost on what to do." "Exactly!" Renee exclaimed. "So now will you let me go with you to see this Professor Cobert?" Renee asked Fred referring to the professor who had made many visits to the castle ruins, "I found out that he's actually retired but he still lives locally. He's bound to know something about it! He's the only connection we have."
Fred sighed but couldn't hold back a smile as he saw the excitement in Renee's eyes, "Renee, I told you I don't want to get you too involved. It's going to be-"
"Dangerous and what will the family think of you if I dropped out of school," Renee immitated him with a deep voice and then laughed. "I get it Fred but listen," she said, "I'm too far into it now. You might as well just let me help you until you leave. You don't have to do everything on your own, you know."
"It's just what I'm used to," he shrugged. "Well get unused to it because I'm here now," she smiled and plopped down next to him on his bed intertwining her knuckles with his, "First thing tomorrow morning, we'll go visit him."
"But you'll miss your two morning classes," Fred stated, "And that's exactly what I didn't want to happen."
"I don't pay attention in them anyway," Renee said unashamed, "Priya will cover for me. She actually likes taking the extra notes so really I'm doing her a bit of a favor."
Fred laughed at her truthful statement. Priya would like to take extra notes. "I still don't think it's a good idea," Fred said. He was now holding her protectively. They knew they shouldn't be this close, but they didn't even realise it was happening. It just felt so natural.
"Oh quit being such a goody-goody," Renee laughed at him, "Life's too short."
Fred paused, thinking. After a few moments of looking into her pleading eyes, he sighed saying, "Okay. We'll go."
"All right!" Renee hugged him, "It's about time we started taking some risks." And at that moment, Fred did. He kissed her. He had been wanting to do it again since their time a few weeks ago in Renee's room but his conscience continually warned him against it. He secretly wished with everything he had that Renee could come on his journey with him, but he knew it would be better for her if she didn't. For this reason, he was somewhat grateful when just then, the door to his apartment clicked open. Renee jumped back reacting to the noise and spastically threw a bunch of papers into the air. Fred quickly grabbed a book and opened it to a random page while pulling one of the large pillows over his lap. Roman switched on the light, dumped his guitar on the floor, headed straight for the refridgerator and began to rummage through it.
"We were just finishing up some homework," Renee stated after Roman hadn't said anything. "Hah! Give me a break, Renee," Roman laughed as he carried the peanut butter and jelly jars to the counter, "First of all, you don't do homework at all let alone this late. Second, Fred is reading a book upside-down." Fred frantically flipped it right-side-up. Roman laughed and continued, "You think I'm stupid but I know exactly what you two are up to." "You do?" Renee gulped as she quickly gathered all of the evidence of their research and shoved it under Fred's mattress.
"Of course," Roman said confidently as he licked peanut butter off of the knife, "You two are doin' it."
Renee surprisingly let out a sigh of relief. She would rather him think that than know what they were actually working on. "No we're not," she responded, "Fred was just doing my assignment because I didn't feel like it."
"Now that's more believable," Roman said and then smiled, "But that doesn't mean you guys still aren't doin' it." "Whatever," Renee shrugged.
"Oh," Roman suddenly added as he began to scarf down his sloppy sandwhich, "And you were probably working on that map too."
"What?!" Fred and Renee both said at the same time.
"Don't try to cover it up," Roman stated, "I heard you two talking about it weeks ago back at home in Renee's room that one night. Something about an heir and a map and a castle? I left when you two started getting mushy."
"Oh gawd," Renee slapped her hand over her eyes embarrassed. "Yea, it's just a game we're playing," Fred made a sad attempt to cover up the truth, "People think it's stupid so we don't really talk about it."
"Are you serious?" Roman started to laugh, "What, are you guys? Like pirates or something? Searching for treasure?"
"Kind of," Fred said with difficulty, shrugging regretfully toward Renee at his stupid explanation. Why did that have to be the first thing that popped into his head?
"Wow," Roman said almost choking on his sandwhich, "You two are dorkier than I thought." He quickly downed a glass of milk and headed for the door.
"Where are you going, Rome?" Renee asked him. "Oh, we decided on a drummer," Roman explained, "We're meeting him down at the pub for a practice run. You guys should come check us out instead of playing your little game." Roman didn't even attempt to hold back another laugh.
"Yea, all right," Renee said, "We'll meet you down there." Roman nodded and headed out the door letting out one more hardy laugh before he shut it behind him.
"You really think he bought all of that?" Fred looked at Renee in disbelief.
"Probably not," Renee admitted, "But he also doesn't know much and probably doesn't really care so I think we're pretty safe." She paused and then laughed, "A game, Fred? Really? You could've said it was a project or something."
Fred just smiled at her. He wanted to grab her again. And the look in her eyes told him she wanted to do the same. The tension between them was unbearable. Fred suddenly cleared his throat, not saying anything, and got dressed. They hadn't spoken to eachother while getting ready not sure what to say about their spontaneous heated moment. On their way down the stairs, Fred finally broke the silence, "We shouldn't let that happen again."
"Yea," Renee said knowing exactly what he was talking about, "I know, Fred."
They continued in silence until they reached the pub's door on the first floor.
"Wow, the band sounds really good," Renee said as they entered, "I wonder who they found for their drummer." She was answered immediately as she peered up toward the stage and noticed the new member skillfully banging his drums in the middle of the stage. It was Deacon.
"You have got to be kidding me," Renee muttered trying not to make eye contact with him. She noticed Talia and her two friends were sitting in the comfortable seating, drinking coffee. Talia looked quite bored while her friends cuddled and whispered on the couch. Talia smiled happily and greeted Renee, but after Renee took her seat and started talking to Fred, Talia couldn't help but examine her.
Talia was still weary about Renee and Danny's situation. She knew they had slept together many years ago but she still could not get over it. Renee and Danny were good friends and seemed to be reconnecting and getting closer by the day. Talia could not help the pang of jealousy that hit her when she saw Renee now... especially when she was with Danny. Talia liked Renee and it seemed silly to ruin their friendship over something that happened so long ago. She almost wished she never found out that the two of them were once together. "I can't believe Deacon is the drummer!" Renee complained to Fred, "Now he's going to be hanging around with Roman all the time with his bimbo girlfriends."
"Why do you care so much?" Fred asked her curiously.
"It's just that the other two members of the band practically lived with us all last year," Renee explained, "I won't be able to go around Rome anymore without seeing Deacon."
"Well you're in college now, Renee," Fred reminded her, "You don't always have to be with your brother."
"I know," Renee shrugged, "I guess that's something I have to get used to. I'm not used to being on my own like you are." The band's keyboard player wasn't there that night but they held their own without her. And although Renee hated to admit it, Deacon seemed to be musically blending in extremely well.
When they were done playing a few more songs, Roman jumped off of the stage and motioned for Renee to go over to him. "Hi," Renee said dully to Deacon as the talented drummer approached them.
"Hey babe," Deacon smiled wiping sweat from his chest with a towel. Renee used to find it flattering when he called her 'babe' but after seeing him with that other girl, she could only assume he called her that too and it didn't seem so special anymore.
"Careful who you're throwing those 'hey babes' out to," Roman said to Deacon in a playful tone, "That's my sis you're talking to there." He thought he was introducing them, "Deacon, this is Renee." "Nice to see you, love," Deacon took her hand and winked at her.
Renee could once again smell alcohol on him and could only assume that he had been drinking. "Always a pleasure, Deac," Renee said with a bit of a sarcastic ring to her voice.
"Do you two know eachother or something?" Roman asked, a little confused.
"More than you'd probably like us to," Deacon said raising his eyebrows, "I didn't realise you guys were related." Deacon hicupped. "I need a drink," he added before suddenly staggering off toward the bar. "Deacon's the guy who punched you in the face?" Roman asked, surprised, once Renee explained how she had already known his new drummer. She was, however, very careful to leave out the details of their short relationship that didn't end so well.
"Well, yea," Renee replied, "But he was just trying to help... and he was drunk. When he wasn't drunk, he's kind of a decent guy... or so I thought at first." Renee was confusing herself. Deacon had sent her so many mixed signals. "I don't really know what to think about him anymore," Renee shrugged.
"Well he's a good drummer," Roman said, impressed, "I can't believe we found him so quick and he's way better than our last guy anyway. He really completes the band." "Rome!" Renee responded, surprised, "You're still going to have him in your band? After what he did to me?"
"Punched you in the eye by accident?" Roman questioned her complaint, "I thought you said that wasn't a big deal."
"Yea that's not really... but-" Renee couldn't bring herself to tell him what happened between her and Deacon. She was embarassed that she made such a stupid mistake of falling for him so quickly without taking the time to get to know the player he really was. Roman looked at her expectantly but she just said, "Nevermind... Congratulations." Early the next day, Fred and Renee went to her dorm room to get ready to go visit the professor. Renee's door was at the end of the hallway where groups of friends would often hang out. Deacon and Danny just happened to be there with their two good friends Remington and Blaine.
Deacon was laying on the floor but quickly sat up as Renee approached them. He held in his breath and after her and Fred walked into her room, Deacon let out a big sigh.
"Smooth, Deac," Danny laughed at him.
Deacon groaned, "Why does she always have to be with that moron?"
"Give it up Deacon," Remington said, "You already screwed up your chances with Renee. Nothing you could have just said would have made it any better anyway. Plus, you look like hell. You're still drunk from last night, aren't you?" "Renee's hot," Blaine suddenly commented, "And she looks like she can see fine. Her eyes don't look sore. Her eyes look very unsore actually. That was kinda rude to say about her, Danny."
"What?" Danny asked. It wasn't unusual for Blaine to blurt out random things that didn't make much sense. He was, to put it mildly, not the sharpest tool in the shed.
"You know what I'm talking about," Blaine said as if it were obvious, "What you said about her a few minutes ago."
"She's a sight for sore eyes?" Danny said, laughing, "That's a good thing; it means she's pretty. It doesn't mean her eyes are..." Danny looked at Blaine's blank expression and sighed, "Oh, nevermind."
Remington laughed and added, "It's a good thing you're not ugly, Blaine, or you'd be hopeless." "Can you two please stop whispering over there?" Priya said to Renee and Fred, distracted by them as she tried to work on her computer, "I know you are trying to keep it obsolete but it is obviously evident that you are utterly infatuated with eachother so why don't you just get it out of your systems already?"
Renee looked a little embarassed. If only she knew. At least Priya didn't know what they were really up to. Fred continued to whisper to Renee, "Just remember not to say anything that might lead Cobert on to knowing what we have."
"Okay, Fred," Renee said rolling her eyes as he had told her this many times throughout the morning already, "Let's go already!" They borrowed Roman's old, beat-up car and drove to the address they had gotten for the professor. It was further than they had thought, up a mountain where the houses were old and sparse. They finally pulled up to the professor's house and walked on the mossy stone path to his front door. The house was old, covered in vines and almost buried beneath the tall, full trees that surrounded it. The yard was unkept and the house's paint was chipped and faded. The house was so small that Fred and Renee couldn't imagine more than one person living there. It was so quiet. Renee got a little creeped out being out so far out at a strange house with no others in sight. She shivered as she noticed an overly-large shovel leaning against the side of the house and tried not to wonder what it had last been used for. Fred knocked on the door but no one answered. He tapped on it again and surprisingly, it opened a few inches. It was unlocked.
"Why are you shaking?" Fred asked Renee.
"I'm not shaking," she lied. Fred shrugged and went to put his hand on the door handle when Renee yelled, "You're not just going to go in there, are you!?"
"No, I was just going to-" "Can I help you?" a deep voice interrupted them.
Renee jumped and turned to face the man that greeted them. "P-professor Cobert?" she asked.
"Oh no," he shook his head, "I'm not an archeology professor anymore. Just plain ol' Able Cobert now."
"Well, we know that," Renee said, "But we just wanted to ask you some questions about the expeditions you made to the castle ruins." Able's dark blue eyes looked almost black as they surveyed her. His raven colored hair looked ratted and shaggier than even Fred's. The prominent strands of gray hair that were tangled within the dark mess lead Renee to believe that he was older than he looked. He had a strong and built body for his age and a rather young looking face although the dark circles around his eyes revealed that he had seen many days.
"You sent your little friend up the other day, didn't you?" he suddenly said, "Asked all kinds of crazy questions, she did. Quite the mouth on that girl. If I ever talked like that to my elders... well, anyway. I told her everything I know, so just scram." "Um, sir," Renee looked confused, "We don't know anyone else who came up here. We're just doing a, uh, report on the history of the royal family and we read that you might know more than what the books can tell us."
"Well, I have shared most of my knowledge of what I've discovered but the historians refuse to believe it," Able explained with a tone of bitterness, "I suppose I could answer some questions but I don't have all day, you know. Just because I'm retired doesn't mean I don't have lots to do." He walked inbetween Fred and Renee and opened the door to his tiny dwelling. "Well, come on in," he said motioning for the two of them to follow. The appearance of the inside of the house wasn't a surprise. Like the ouside, and its owner, it was unkept. There were too many pieces of furniture stuffed haphazardly around the tiny room making it difficult to move around. Various random items cluttered every surface.
Able immediately went to setting a fire as it was much chillier up on the mountain than it was in the valley. "Take a seat at the table," Able directed them, "I'll brew us some coffee." Fred sat down but Renee took her time looking around. There were many old chests of different sizes about the room with thick iron locks clasped tightly around the latches. Dusty books, lamps and various sculptures looked unimportant shoved amongst the clutter. At the far end of the room, there was a desk that appeared to be the cleanest area. The surface of the desk was bare except for a fancy lamp and a sharp looking dagger laying strangely on the desk infront of where the chair was crookedly placed. Able walked over with a tray of coffee toward the table and when he noticed Renee examining his desk, he quickly placed it on the table overflowing the contents of the mugs and spilling a little on Fred's jeans. "Oh my," Able ran over and quickly picked up the dagger before Renee got a good look at it, "I should be more careful not to let such dangerous things sit around." He shoved the knife in one of his chests, locked it tight putting the key into his large pocket and placed the dark wooden chest safely under his desk. "Now, what is it you wanted to ask me?" Able questioned as he and Renee joined Fred who was still rubbing his jeans with a napkin.
"Well, articles said you uncovered a lot of items from the castle ruins," Renee said carefully, "But they also say you haven't uncovered anything about how the royal family went missing, right?"
"I most certainly have," Able responded, defensively, "They just choose not to publish it because they think it's rubbish. They won't take one man's word."
"Well, what did you find?" "First the king's daughter vanished and then his knights dissappeared," Able said almost angrily, "And then the king was murdered... There is only one explanation on who could have done all of it." Renee and Fred just looked at him expantantly, a little intimidated by his rough voice. Able squnited his piercing dark eyes at them and simply stated, "Pirates."
"Pirates?" Renee said.
"Stinkin' good-for-nothing pirates," Able said swigging a drink from his mug, "One in particular, the dirtiest pirate of them all, Toby." Fred's eyes widened at the mention of the name... his grandfather's name. "He lusted after the princess but she did not want him," Able continued, "But selfish ol' Toby kidnapped her and when she refused him, he killed the beauty. His crew captured the red knights and made them walk the plank; he sent them all to the depths of the sea."
Renee looked at Fred in shock but he shot her a look expressing a request for her not to say anything. "Then he returned years later to kill the king," Able continued, "He stabbed the king with the king's own weapon and then fled like a coward. All because he was a low-life thief and he envied the royals, he destroyed the family and with that, the entire kingdom. No one ever found this Toby although I know they were looking for him after the princess disappeared but his crew got them before they could bring him to justice. I hope he got what he deserved and died alone."
Fred found himself getting very hot. None of this was true. How could this man say such awful things about the only family Fred ever knew he had?
"How do you know all of this?" Renee asked, trying not to sound disbelieving, "I mean, can you prove it's true?" Able sensed her doubt and sneered at her, "You sound just like that nasty little brat that was snooping around here the other day... callin' me a liar and ranting about stealing from her. Crazy kids, you should know your place."
"I didn't mean to offend you, sir," Renee said uncomfortably. "Um, what more can you tell us about the king?" she asked hoping to get him talking again, "Like, what were his hobbies and stuff?" "The king was a noble man," Able responded, "He only ever tried to make the kingdom a better place to live; to rid the world of thievery, poverty and hate. It was more than a hobby; it was his life. And despite all of his noble efforts, he only ended up having it all thrusted upon him."
"Hmm," Renee said thoughtfully and then asked the question she really wanted answered, "What kind of things did you discover from the castle ruins?"
"Too much to name it all," Able replied, "And there is much more I have not discovered. But I am getting too old and too tired. I only ever wished to find this damn proof everyone wants. Although it's hard for me, perhaps it is an issue I should finally leave alone." Renee didn't see this conversation going anywhere they wanted it to. It was getting late and all Able seemed to want to talk about how awful Tobias was and Fred was starting to get angry. There was no way to ask him what they really wanted to without letting him know exactly what they were looking for. They'd have to take what they got out of him and work it out for themselves.
It was dark out now, and when they had said they better get going, Able showed them to the door. Able shook Renee's hand and then turned to take Fred's. When they clasped hands, Able met Fred's eyes and almost instantly, an expression of shock took over his face. He had not had a good look at Fred as he had been mostly talking to Renee the whole night. Able continued to shake Fred's hand as his piercing expression settled.
"What's wrong, sir?" Fred asked him, bewildered.
"You just look familiar to me, that's all," Able said, finally letting his grasp go, "Where did you say you were from?"
"Veronaville," Fred disclosed.
"Hmm," Able scratched his scruffy beard. "Must be thinking of someone else then," he said but he was still awkwardly looking Fred over. "What a nutter," Fred said as they made their way down the mossy stone path back to Roman's car.
"He may have given us some useful information," Renee said, optomistic, "We'll just have to think it over."
"Most of what he did say was rubbish," Fred responded, a little heated, "How can we really know if there was any truth to any of it? He thinks the king was some great man who tried to bring peace to the kingdom. He's got the complete wrong idea about him... he tried to have Tobias killed... he even ordered to have his own daughter murdered!" "Calm down, Fred. Let's focus," Renee said in a soft voice trying to relax him, "What was the king's obession according to him? Ridding the world of thievery, poverty and hate? What kind of object symbolizes that?"
"Nothing," Fred said bitterly, "Cobert was completely useless."
"I don't think it was a waste of time," Renee commented, "We'll just have to sleep on it and talk about it tomorrow. Want to meet for breakfast and then go to the library?"
"Yea, sure," Fred said, "But you need to get some sleep tonight. Don't stay up researching this so you won't be able to stay awake in your classes tomorrow. Okay?" Naturally, Renee didn't listen to him. She stayed up all night searching for anything she could find about the king's prized posession. The information on the castle's last residents was sparse, but she managed to find one article mentioning a woman in Veronaville who discovered a strange artifact that was thought to be linked to the royal family. It had the royal crest on it. 'That could be it,' Renee thought, 'Wouldn't that be funny if what Fred is looking for had been in his hometown all along?'
Renee could barely keep her eyes open as she noted the time was two in the morning. She gathered her bag and decided to take a shower so she could sleep in a little the next day. Renee didn't expect anyone to be in the bathroom at this hour but when she walked in, she found Deacon and Danny.
"Oh, great," Renee muttered sarcastically under her breath toward Deacon.
Deacon didn't understand what she had said, but he turned to face her at the sound of her soft voice. "Hey babe," he slurred, "Come for a little fun?"
"Come on, Deac," Renee said, dissapointed at the fact that he was obviously drunk again, "You have GOT to stop drinking all the time. I'm surprised you've taken a break for a shower."
"Yea," Deacon hiccuped, "Danny made me."
Danny, who was in the shower, turned around at the sound of their conversation and quickly finished washing. He dried off, slipped on some sweatpants and walked over to them. "Hey Renee," Danny greeted her, "What are you doing up so late?"
"I was just doing some homew- Oh! Deac, watch your towel," Renee exclaimed as he sat down.
"What?" Deacon just shrugged and stated sarcastically, "Like you haven't seen it before."
"Deacon!" Renee shouted, "Knock it off! You are such an awful person when you're drunk."
"I wouldn't be doing it if I wasn't so in love," Deacon said to Renee, surprisingly calm, "You made me this way." "I did not," Renee scolded, "You choose to be like this!"
"Look, Deac," Danny said, "The whole you and Renee thing isn't going to happen especially if you're drunk all of the time! You need to stop."
"If I'm not drunk, will you go on a date with me then?" Deacon asked Renee, "I'll stop drinking if you just go on one date with me."
Renee hesitated. She looked at Danny whose expression was almost pleading with her to agree. "Fine," she said, "Just this once. This weekend. But if you drink even once before then, it's off."
"Yahoo!" Deacon exclaimed childishly while jumping up and punching his fist into the air. When Deacon and Danny left the bathroom, Renee took her time showering in the complete silence, letting the hot water wash over her. 'What am I thinking?' she thought, 'What am I supposed to tell Fred?' When Renee reached the hallway where her dorm room was, she spotted Deacon sitting on the chair outside of her door. He was rubbing his head and looked nervous about something. "I'm sorry, Renee," he immediately said as she approached him, "I know I've said some really stupid things when I was drunk but I know I meant one. I do love you." He paused. Renee didn't say anything; she could still smell the faint scent of alcohol on his breath and wasn't sure which Deacon was actually talking to her. "Well," Deacon scratched the back of his neck and looked at his bare feet, "I just wanted you to know that."
"I, uh-" Renee started to say. "Deacon!" Danny shouted suddenly appearing from down the hallway, "Come on!"
Renee was quite glad to be interrupted. Sure, she enjoyed her time with Deacon at the island. It was spontaneous and they had fun... but she didn't think she even loved him then let alone the completely different person he was being now. She didn't know what to say. "You didn't tell her what you said you were going to, did you?" Danny muttered through his teeth to Deacon.
"Yea," Deacon said with dissapointment in his voice, "I did."
"Why don't you go back to our room, Deac," Danny suggested, "I'll be there in a minute."
"Yea. Okay," Deacon didn't look at Renee as he sulked back to his room. "He really does like you, Renee," Danny said once Deacon was gone, "He talks about you seriously to me all of time. I've never seen him like this about anybody. And he's just not being himself around you lately because he's honestly nervous. He won't admit it to the guys but I know. I'm sure it sounds weird that I'm suggesting this but maybe you should give him another chance."
"But-"
"I know you thought maybe you and Fred... but he's leaving soon, right?" Danny continued, "There's no point, is there?"
"I guess not," Renee said sadly. She had been distracting herself so much with being in the moment helping Fred that she often forgot he would be leaving soon for good. Renee sighed. "Renee, you know I love you and I wouldn't suggest anything to hurt you," Danny said caringly, "Deacon's really not a bad guy; he's just a little confused right now. He's never claimed to be in love before so this is really a new thing for him. Maybe trying to start something up again wouldn't be such a bad idea."
"I dunno," Renee said, a little confused. "Maybe. But what about that other girl he was-" Renee started to say but then she noticed someone else approaching them, "Oh. Hey Talia!" "Hello, Renee," Talia said forcing a smile and then turned to Danny and snapped, "Hi Daniel."
"Well, I better get to bed. Lots of catching up to do in my classes tomorrow," Renee yawned, "Thanks Danny." She hugged him and said, "And I love you too buddy," before walking into her room. "Hey-" Danny started to say lovingly to Talia.
"Start something up again?" Talia quietly scolded Danny, "She loves you too? You told her you loved her? I knew it!"
"It's not what you think," Danny tried to calm her down.
"Then what are you doing up late with her? Alone?" Talia questioned him, "I like Renee and all but I am having a really hard time trusting the two of you together. Why does she love you too?" "She said 'buddy'," Danny said, "Love in a good friend kind of way. We've been friends for a long time. Nothing is going on."
"Yea but it did before," Talia crossed her arms angrily, "What did you guys mean start something up again? Again?!"
"I was talking about Deacon," Danny explained calmly, "They're going to go on a date this weekend. He's been bugging her about it and she finally agreed. Renee didn't really want to but I said she should give him another chance."
"Oh," Talia said looking a little embarassed although her suspicions weren't entirely gone. It was hard for her to get passed the fact that he had been with Renee and only Renee. They had something special together, and Talia wasn't sure how to handle her jealousy as the rage that pulsed inside of her when she saw the two of them together was hard to control. "Hey," Danny said holding out his hand to her, "Why don't we go to the common room? It's bound to be empty at this hour."
"Okay," Talia agreed, finally letting him see her smile. She took his hand and they walked off into the night. "So what were you doing out so late last night?" Priya asked Renee the next morning in the cafeteria, "Were you and Fred 'studying' again?"
"No, I was just researching a paper on my computer," Renee said.
"Yea, okay," Priya said sarcastically knowing perfectly well that Renee never did her research papers, "Surfing the net is a more plausible explanation." She took a bite of her breakfast sandwhich and then asked, "But where did you go? I woke up around two-thirty in the morning and you weren't there."
"I went to take a shower," Renee explained, strangely interested in the salt and paper shakers sitting on the table, "Um, Deac and Danny were there."
"Oh?" Fred said suddenly interested.
"Yea, I kind of, um," Renee stuttered as she sprinkled some salt on the table, "I agreed to uh, go on a date with him."
"Oh," Fred said. "Just so he would stop bugging me," Renee explained looking at Fred, "Nothing's going to happen."
"Okay, if you say so," Fred smiled.
"I thought you'd be upset," Renee said surprised.
"You're not mine to get upset over, right?" Fred said, repeating what Renee had told him just a few days ago. "What's the harm anyway if you're just doing it to get him off your back?"
"Why would you even want to accompany Deacon on a date only purporting to be genuine?" Priya asked Renee, "All he fancies is drunken debauchery and you oppose that lifestyle." "Let's just forget about it," Renee said, "It's not a big deal."
"Hey," Priya said suddenly changing the subject, "Who is that charming guy sitting across from Deacon anyway?"
"That's Blaine," Renee laughed, "And I wouldn't exactly call him charming. He's about as thick as they come. I've met him for the first time three times already. He's awfully forgetful."
"So then I would probably have a good chance with him?" Priya asked.
"Well, yea," Renee looked at her in shock, "But he's pretty much brainless." "Just because he may be a little doltish does not mean that he wouldn't be a good companion," Priya stated. She smiled at them and raised her eyebrows, "Plus, he's hot!" Renee and Fred laughed.
"Really, Priya?" Renee asked her, unsure, "You're that desperate that you would go for Blaine?"
Priya shrugged. "Yea, pretty much," she admitted, unashamed, "I've only ever kissed Steven Chung and that was due to a game of spin the bottle in our ninth year. We're in college now... It's about time I get lucky."
Renee laughed, almost choking. "Dude, who's Renee?" Blaine asked Deacon after he had been bragging about his upcoming date with her.
"You've met her a bunch of times," Remington reminded him, "Last time, you called her, and I quote, 'a spicy piece of sugar'." He turned to Deacon, "I can't believe she agreed to go out with you. She's way too good for you."
"Thanks," Deacon muttered sarcastically.
"Only if he stays sober though," Danny added. "Hah," Remington laughed, "Good luck with that, buddy. I haven't seen you stay sober for more than a few hours."
"I can do it," Deacon said, a little offended, "I did the whole time we were on the island."
"Not the whole time," Danny reminded him of their journey home, "But Renee liked you then when you were sober... and you still screwed it up."
"I don't get you, Deac," Remington said, "You confidently talk up all of these stupid girls that mean nothing to you and when you finally find one that you actually like, you can't turn on any of the charm that you're known for?"
"Yea I can," Deacon moaned, "It would be different if she wasn't always with that moron kid."
"Well, Fred's leaving soon," Danny reminded Deacon, "I guess he's moving back home to get a job or something." "Not soon enough," Deacon complained, "Roman said he doesn't even think Fred's going to go because him and Renee are so blah blah blah."
"Just go steal her from him like you always do to me," Blaine said airily.
Remington laughed, "Yea, what hapened to the Deacon who stole all of our girlfriends?"
"And fiances," Danny quietly chimed in, "Although I'm strangely grateful for that one."
"Maybe you should just forget about Renee, Deac," Remington continued, "You can pretty much get with just about any other girl at this college."
"Yea, I can," Deacon said pushing a cocky expression, "And I will."
But Danny, being his best friend since they were kids, could tell that Deacon was just trying to keep his cool reputation. He had fallen hard for Renee and Danny knew Deacon wasn't one to give up that easily. "That whole table is just a bunch of losers," Melissa said looking over at Danny's group of friends.
"Danny is not like the rest of them," Talia defended him.
"Daniel was engaged to Tatum," Melissa pointed out, "You can't date her if you're not a senseless jerk. And now what fool would date him after he'd been about to marry Tatum?"
"You're just jealous because you want him," Talia spouted before she could stop herself. Melissa and Cyd both looked at her in shock. Talia forced a false laugh, "Just kidding, Mel." Melissa let out a sigh of relief while Cyd looked on suspiciously.
It was getting harder each day for Talia to listen to Melissa talk about Danny and harder to hide her feelings for him. But she controlled herself once more as she shoved the rest of her sandwhich into her mouth. "Blaine was checking me out, wasn't he?" Priya said to Renee as they arrived at the library and walked passed Blaine's table. Renee just shrugged. "Okay, okay," Priya admitted, "He was definitely looking at you but that's just because you were in a more convenient position." Priya watched Blaine get up from the table and decided to follow him. "Now is as good a time as any," Priya said as she skipped away.
Renee was glad Priya found her own excuse to seperate from her and Fred. Fred grabbed her hand and led her to the back of library and up the stairs to the third level. He took her back into a cozy corner where the books were dusty and looked untouched for years. "No one ever comes up here," Fred explained, "We're safe from eavesdroppers."
Renee told Fred about the woman from Veronaville with the old, lion crested artifact.
"Do you really think that's it though?" Fred asked, "There could be lots of things with the royal crest on them."
"Not that I 've found," she answered, "It's the best lead we have. Veronaville's not so far. Maybe it would be fun for you to visit your old stomping grounds anyway." "Not really," Fred shrugged, "But if I have to, I have to."
"I'll go with you," Renee said casually.
"Renee..."
"All right," she sighed, "I won't say it again."
They met everyday for the rest of the week in the cozy corner of the library's third floor. They weren't making any new discoveries; just decoding more of the map. Fred seemed to be hesitating to set off on his adventure. He was enjoying spending every day with Renee despite knowing that their relationship wasn't going to go any further. But Fred was finally getting anxious. "I'm leaving tomorrow," Fred revealed to Renee that weekend at the library.
"What?" Renee sat up, surprised, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I have my date with Deacon tonight!"
"Maybe it's better that way," Fred commented, "It won't be as hard to leave."
"Fred!" Renee kneeled infront of him, placing her hands on his legs, "Can't you wait until Sunday? You've waited this long. And the dance is next month; I thought maybe you'd want to, you know, go... with me."
"I've already bought my train ticket," Fred explained, "And I'm not much of a dancer anyway." He tried to laugh at himself, but only managed a small cough.
"I just can't believe you're leaving tomorrow!" Renee cried, "I'll come over right after dinner, okay?!"
"Okay," Fred said trying to smile although at that moment, he was finding it too hard to do. Renee leaned her back against his chair in a depressed slump. "Why didn't you tell me before today?" she asked, frowning.
"It's hard, Renee," Fred said as he gently began to stroke her hair, "I didn't want our last days together to be filled with dwelling on goodbye."
They stared into space in the silence of the library. She closed her eyes and sighed at the gentle feeling of his fingers in her hair. They both hesitated when it was time to leave. Fred had bags to pack and Renee had a date to get ready for. They paused at the entrance to the library before parting ways.
"I'll save you a dance just in case you're back by then," Renee offered. She paused and looked into his eyes. "I'll wait for you, you know," Renee said, smiling, "However long you take." Fred didn't say anything. He gently kissed her... then silently turned and walked away.
Renee was caught of guard and could only just quietly watch him leave the library.
'What was that for?'
"Where are you going looking so fine?" Blaine asked Renee that Saturday night. Pryia had apparently had an easy time asking Blaine out. They went to two movies over the week and enjoyed lunch at a fast food place a few times. Their conversations consisted mostly of Priya trying the explain to Blaine what the words she used meant. He rarely understood and so Priya was working on simplifying her vocabularly. That night, Priya had invited him over to watch cartoons; admittedly his favorite pass time. "My date with Deac is tonight," Renee reminded him although she knew he'd probably forget in a few minutes anyway. "Then I'm going to Fred's," Renee added, a little shy, "So I might not be back until the morning."
"You scheduled two dates for one night?" Pryia asked as she flipped through one of her textbooks. "Fred just told me he's leaving tomorrow," Renee explained, "So I'm going to go over to say goodbye after dinner."
"Oh, Renee," Priya said sympathetically, "I'm sorry. But you've been preparing for it, right?"
"Yea," Renee nodded, "I just wish he would have told me earlier."
"Well, good luck," Priya smiled, "And don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Renee laughed as she walked out the door. Renee didn't think this date would actually happen as she honestly wasn't expecting Deacon to stay sober for the whole week. She was glad, however, when Danny confirmed that he actually had because she really hated the drunk Deacon.
Deacon ended up taking Renee to a rather nice restaurant. She almost expected him to take her to a fast food joint or something and so she was pleasantly surprised.
"Get whatever you want," Deacon told her as they browsed the menu. He was unexpectedly nervous. Deacon honestly never took someone to such a nice place on a date before but he really wanted to impress Renee. This may have been his only shot for redemption. "Is the salmon good?" Deacon asked her as they began eating their entrees. Renee had been pretty silent for the beginning of their date. She had the thought of Fred leaving on her mind and was shoveling food rapidly into her mouth instead of talking.
"Yea," she simply answered.
"You really don't want to be here, do you?" Deacon asked her, staring down at the half-eaten lobster on his plate.
"Oh, yea," Renee said, suddenly feeling horrible that her negative emotions were so obviously displayed, "I do. And I'm actually really proud that you stayed sober all week."
"Well," Deacon said, smiling a little, "It was worth it, babe." "I missed this Deacon," Renee confessed, "You should be yourself more often."
Deacon just smiled. "So what classes are you taking this semester?" he asked her.
An hour flew by as they were lost in conversation. The topic of school was soon worn out as neither of them were too keen on the subject. But Deacon learned more about Renee's large family and she learned more about his lack of a stable one. He talked about how much he loved being the drummer in her brother's band and she revealed to him her talent of singing (although she refused to sing on the spot for him there). They were actually having fun chatting and as their dinner plates were finally empty, Deacon popped the question. "Do you want to dance?" he asked her.
"Oh, I dunno," Renee said glancing at the large clock on the wall, "It's getting late and I actually promised I'd help a friend pack tonight."
"Just one dance?" Deacon held out his hand, smiling, "We'll look like losers if we're the only ones not dancing."
"Well okay," Renee accepted, surprised at how much of a gentleman Deacon could actually be, "Just one." But one dance turned into two... and two into four... and soon, Renee had completely lost track of the time. A slow ballad came on from one of Renee's favorite bands. Deacon pulled her close as they casually chatted about how this song was so different from the rest on the album.
Deacon whispered something funny in her ear about the strange couple dancing weirdly next to them. A familiar tingling feeling rushed through her body as his warm lips lightly touched her lobe.
She closed her eyes and the two of them fell silent, no longer aware of those dancing around them. She opened them and found Deacon's gray eyes staring right back into hers.
The room seemed to become a blur as they swayed in a circle and were suddenly reminded of a moment they shared together not too long ago. Deacon slowly leaned in and kissed Renee. She didn't refuse him, closing her eyes and feeling such passion transferring from his lips. She remembered his taste and was captivated by the thrilling affect it had on her.
'Wait,' her conscience spoke up, 'Wait. This is wrong.' "Deac," Renee suddenly pulled away from him, surprisingly finding herself almost not wanting to, "Deacon, I have to go."
"But we're having such a good time," Deacon said, confused.
"I know," Renee admitted.
She suddenly remembered her promise to Fred, 'I'll wait for you. However long you take.' He hadn't even left yet and look at what she was doing. She felt sick to her stomache. Renee muttered a weak, "Thank you," and ran out the door.
"Wait, Renee!" Deacon shouted chasing after her. "What's going on, babe?" he asked breathing heavy as he caught up to her outside of the restaurant, "Why are you rushing off?"
"I promised my friend I'd help pack," she replied, holding her hands above her head trying to shield it from the rain blowing in from outside the patio, "I'm sorry... but thank you for dinner."
"Don't you want to go to the coffee house or something?" Deacon questioned, desperate to spend more time with her. "Maybe another time, Deac," she quickly replied, "I better get going now."
"Can I walk you there then?" Deacon asked politely.
"No, better not," Renee said in a rushed and uncomfortable voice, "It's the opposite direction of the dormitory."
"At least take my jacket," Deacon offered, "You'll get soaked."
"That's okay, really," she said and turned away from him, "I'll see you later, Deac." He watched her rush away disappearing into the dark and this time, he didn't follow. When she reached Fred's building, she walked up the stairs to Fred's apartment and found it locked. She knocked on the door but nobody answered. She didn't want to disturb the neighbors at this late hour so she made her way to the pub down below. The door was locked but Renee could see through it that the owner was just closing up. Her name was Pam and Renee knew her from their numerous visits to the pub. She owned the whole building and so was also Fred's landlord. She was very friendly but it was sometimes hard to take in all she was saying as she talked really fast. Renee knocked on the door and Pam came to open it. "Hi Pam, sorry to bother you when you're closing," Renee timidly greeted her, "But was Fred in here tonight? He's not in his apartment so I didn't know if you saw him or knew where he went."
"Oh, honey," Pam replied, "He left on some kind of trip a few hours ago. We turned off all of his utilities until he can return. He said it could be months. I'm surprised you didn't know; you're always with him. Now come inside and dry off dear; you're soaking wet!"
Renee stood silent for a moment, continuing the let the rain saturate her. He left... without saying goodbye? It didn't seem like something he would do. "Are you sure he left already?" Renee asked hopefully.
"Yes dear, he did," Pam answered knowingly, "He said to tell anyone who asked where he was that he'd gone job hunting. Now you should come inside for a bit and dry off."
"That's okay," Renee refused. She couldn't believe it. "Thanks, Pam," she muttered and walked away before she could talk anymore. Renee walked slowly in the rain for a while passing city building after building that all looked the same. She stopped underneath the awning of one for a moment to get out of the rain; it was starting to get colder and darker. She leaned against the window, still trying to accept what she had just been told.
'He left. Fred left without saying goodbye. He said he would be leaving tomorrow. He lied to me. Why did he lie to me?'
She thought of his face and the way his smile always made her feel better when she was in the worst of moods... she could really use that now. She thought of his deep green eyes and the way his messy shag of red hair would lazily cover them. His raspy voice... and his woodsy smell.
She cried. She didn't want to be here alone anymore. Renee broke into a run. She ran the whole way to the dormitory. She didn't care that she was outside so late alone in the dark. She didn't care that her feet were sore from running in her boots. She didn't even care that she was soaking wet from the now rapidly pouring rain. The thunder and lightning didn't make her scared or jump... but the thought that she was with Deacon when she should have been with Fred... and the thought that Fred had left her without saying goodbye... those thoughts were what caused the thrill shivers rushing through her. Renee kept running until she reached the dormitory. She collapsed on a bench outside of the front door. Rain continued to saturate her clothes and she started to shiver from the cold but she couldn't move. 'How could he leave without saying goodbye?' she kept repeating in her head. She sat outside, drenched, her tears blending in with the droplets of rain streaming down her cheeks. Danny was just coming back to the dormitory when he saw Renee sitting outside in the cold night air. When he got closer, he noticed her eyes were swollen and her entire body was shaking. "Renee! What's wrong?" he asked her in a bit of a panic, "Are you okay? What are you doing out here in the rain?"
"F-Fred left," she mustered, "Without saying g-goodbye."
"Come on," Danny pulled her up, "Let's go inside." He hugged her and she collapsed in his arms, continuing to sob. A puddle formed beneath her as the rain water dropped heavily from her dress.
"It's okay," Danny said, rubbing her back, "It's okay. I'll walk you up to your room." "Oh g-great," Renee stammered as they reached her door, "Priya's bracelet is on the knob."
"What's that mean?" Danny asked but then answered his own question, "Oh! She's in there with Blaine, isn't she?" Renee nodded. "Well come on into my room," Danny offered, "Deacon actually just called and said he was going to a party. I'm sure he won't be back tonight so you can stay with me."
"A party?" Renee asked him, surprised.
"Yea," Danny said awkwardly, "I take it that your date didn't go to well?"
"I don't want to talk about it," she said. Renee didn't even want to think about it. Danny tried comforting Renee but it seemed pretty unaffective. She just wanted to be with Fred; at least to say 'goodbye for now'.
"I don't even know when he'll be back," Renee cried, "What if he never comes back?"
"He said he was just going job hunting, right?" Danny said not knowing the real reason why he left, "He shouldn't be gone for too long."
"Yea but it's dangerous," Renee sobbed, "And he might stay away forever."
"Calm down, Renee," Danny said rubbing her shivering shoulders, "Last time I checked, the only dangerous thing in job hunting is being rejected and I'm sure Fred will survive that just fine. You're shaking. You need to get out of those wet clothes." She put on Danny's dry, button-up shirt and sat down on the couch rubbing her swollen eyes. Danny didn't dare ask anymore about how her date with Deacon went so he just turned on a sitcom in hopes that it might cause a laugh. But all she could think about was Fred.
"He was supposed to take me to the dance next month," Renee broke the silence after calming down a little, "Now I have to go alone." "Hey Renee," Danny suddenly said, "I'm not going with anybody to the dance. Why don't you and I go together?"
"I don't know, Danny," Renee said, pausing to think. "Well, okay," she accepted, "That might be fun."
"Might?" Danny smiled, "It WILL be fun. Now get some shut-eye."
"You're a great friend," Renee said and within ten minutes, she fell fast asleep exhausted from her emotions.
Danny watched her fall asleep and soon after, dozed off on the floor beside her. Thanks for reading!
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56 Comment(s) posted so far
On Dec 11, 2007 RIDance wrote:
Well, that turned out to be much, much longer than I thought it was. Please take an intermission when you need to! I confused myself quite a lot throughout writing it so I hope my rushing didn't effect the outcome too badly. And please pardon all errors. Well, part 9 is pretty much done too so that should be posted some time soon. Hope you enjoy this one and please let me know what you thought about it. Happy holidays to everyone!
Rach
On Dec 12, 2007 AshGreg wrote:
awsome story cant wait to see the next one
On Dec 12, 2007 samcactus101 wrote:
YAY it finally got posted! I've been waiting forever!
Kudos to you again for another awesome chapter
That Tatum is one sneak cat
It was funny when Roman entered the room & the two quickly threw open books
Man, the gangs 'college life' has really got me psyched to go to college, tho it might not be so exciting
Things between Talia & her buds are heating up, I wonder how much longer Talia can handle it. Deacon was such a gentleman
He looked really cute in the restaurant scene. I actually felt nervous for Renee. Pryia & Blaine? I can't imagine a smart girl going out with a guy like him until she has to 'simplify' her vocab.
But in the end..... Fred left already??!!!
Now I REALLY can't wait to read part 9. Oh and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you too! ~*$AM*~
On Dec 12, 2007 Elena. wrote:
Your story is great! I love your screenshots and the way you write ( it's so college like
) I agree with samcactus101, Deacon looked great at the restaurant, too bad he is "dizzy" all the time! And Fred, he must have been so hurt if he left early, without wanting to see her! It's a shame I haven't read the story before, but it got me hooked for good now! I can't wait for the next chapter! 5.0 from me and Happy Holidays 
On Dec 12, 2007 BBKZ wrote:
So many great items in this part: the map in the classroom (where did you get it?), I really like their little dog and furnitures in the house (decorations look wonderful, that's my style)... And all story is absolutely gorgeous! Love it!
On Dec 12, 2007 Daishi wrote:
yay im so glad this fainally came out, it was absolutely wonderful. i cant wait till the next chapter to see what happens at the dance and to see if fred comes back. Great job
On Dec 12, 2007 inge8208 wrote:
Another great part for a great story, lots of surprises. Thanks for letting me know it was up. Keep up the good work.
On Dec 12, 2007 iluvhorses13 wrote:
It just keeps getting better and better! I love it!
So much so, I'm going to be late for school now because I wanted to read this so bad!
On Dec 12, 2007 sweetcharming wrote:
Awesome continuation!
The screens are beautiful as always and the text fits perfectly! And you are right, this chapter is really long, but I hope, chapter 9 is going to be so long, too!
On Dec 12, 2007 vicarious37 wrote:
Wow I was happy to finally see this chapter was out. It was long but
I'll be waiting patiently for next chapter, again great chapter
good
On Dec 12, 2007 Saoz wrote:
You know, at this point I hope Renee does choose Deacon. Fred deserves much better than a girl who wants whatever guy she happens to be standing next to at the time.
:
On Dec 12, 2007 jaundyce61 wrote:
Just love Fred! Another great chapter, looking forward to more!!
On Dec 12, 2007 dayane_hola wrote:
NIce story!! Really long,thats good,thats a lot of work!!
On Dec 12, 2007 german84 wrote:
Thanks for this awesome chapter: It was marvelous, so I cannot wait any longer to see the 9th part of this incredible story. Fred is just a great character. Good luck!!!
On Dec 12, 2007 Katriona! wrote:
It just keeps getting better and better!
On Dec 12, 2007 leifofdel wrote:
It's Awesome,
it. Hope that Fred is okay on his journey and that Renea waits for him. Maybe Deacon can find a nice girl to love. Looking foward to the next part. Happy Holidays to you!
it!
On Dec 12, 2007 psychosimmer86 wrote:
That was amazing. I can't believe Fred left without saying goodbye.
!!
On Dec 12, 2007 123456789_1234 wrote:
very good
On Dec 12, 2007 S.Cains wrote:
Loved this part, possibly my favourite, although I do miss the amazing house parts. I think it's better that Fred went without saying goodbye, it means that the connection between him and Renee is broken and she can move on and get with Deacon. I don't like Danny, how could he say he wasn't going to the dance with anyone? Talia is going to be so mad! How could he be so clueless? Obviously he was just being a friend - you'd think Renee would be more considerate too, although she doesn't know he is dating someone, she knows what it's like to be cheated on. I'm all worked uo now, I need the next part - and soon.
On Dec 12, 2007 dianova wrote:
Yay I'm so glad you posted this chapter!
I think Roman is my favorite character now. Wow, Renee is almost a metronome now. 
This story keeps twisting.
On Dec 12, 2007 goodie2shoes wrote:
Whoa, you got me at the "popped the question part"
Poor Fred and Renee.....
He left without saying goodbye...
: But Deacon was such a sweet gentleman! 
Great chapter, Rach! Loved it. Thanks for uploading it, I 
long stories!
On Dec 12, 2007 binky13 wrote:
Yes that was a long story but it was worth it.
Such a good story it seems like it'll be hard to end. 
Great job and thanks for telling me about the new part.
On Dec 12, 2007 converse02 wrote:
oh my oh my....
This chapter was AMAZING!!!
It was well worth the wait, I can't believe this all happened, its rather hard to soak it all in but I love it!!
Please, please do continue! 5++ and more!
On Dec 12, 2007 lilecka1405 wrote:
AWESOME!!!! loved it! and i cant believe im going to say this but, poor deacon.
On Dec 13, 2007 plyangel456 wrote:
Wonderful story even though it was longer than I expected but it was still an awesome story. Thanks!!! -plyangel456-
On Dec 13, 2007 mini me3393 wrote:
Ahhhh no! Fred CAN'T leave! I'm sure there's something in Veronaville, but maybe that dagger at Able's had the crest on it? And 'sending the lesser to their grave' does seem to fit a dagger's description. But maybe Fred has some living relative in Veronaville. And what's up with Tatum going to Able's (at least...I'm pretty sure it was Tatum)? How did she even find out? D: And I don't want Renee to be with Deacon. =[ Fred's the only one for her. Gahhh I have so many ideas of what's going to happen. I love stories like that. XD I can't wait for the next part! ^^
On Dec 13, 2007 Sk8Iowa wrote:
Uh oh! I have a feeling Talia's going to somehow see this situation and think that Danny's still messing around with Renee. I was hoping she was going to get to say bye to Fred!! Even if she had left right after the meal was finished or even after the dance, he probably would have been gone. It's sad that he lied to her, but he probably had to do it in order to leave.
Poor guy. Poor Renee. She's now all kinds of confused and with Deacon confessing his love to her, she's only going to get worse. But she did stop herself from going farthing with him. She did say it was wrong. I do have to say that Blain is a little cutie and too bad he's not very smart. LoL. Great part! I loved it as usual!! I can't wait for the next part! I hope you including writing and scenes of Fred's travels. ::Hint hint::
5.0!!
On Dec 13, 2007 wrote:
Oh boy. Talia is going to come in and she is NOT going to be happy. Renee sure is needy, isn't she? Damn. She's so fragile. And Fred...oh I love Fred. It's sad he left without saying goodbye, but I bet when she didn't come for awhile, he figured she was with Deacon and decided to leave...I loved it, thanks for letting me know this was up!!
On Dec 13, 2007 MinnieID wrote:
AWWWW, that's so sad
I almost cried.
I wish I had a friend like Danny.
On Dec 13, 2007 Aquaprinc3ss wrote:
Dammit Fred. I cried a little. Beautiful! Can't wait for more!!
On Dec 13, 2007 qasert wrote:
On Dec 13, 2007 Myst.. wrote:
I love this story! i havent read any of the others but i found it really easy to understand the jist of things and i cant wait to read the next! im hooked
you should be writing novels ^^
oh btw im glad it was a long one, you get more into it
i think i might go read the others now..
xx
On Dec 13, 2007 mangooo1 wrote:
Congrats Rach, this was fantastic. For the third try I could finally read the whole part
It was great, I do love this story. But I'm a little bit confused now, I like Fred and Renee together and I don't like Deacon and Danny but in this part Renee is so strange... Maybe she can't decide on which guy she wants to be with? I hope she'll choose Fred and she will be a 'good girl' (not ending up in the arms of an other boy) 
Can't wait for the next part!
On Dec 13, 2007 kadoatie wrote:
Oooh... I loved this! So much drama and relationship angst. Poor Renee. I can't believe Fred left her like that! I hope he comes back soon, or she goes to meet him, because they NEED to be together! lol. And Danny is being a great friend but I also hope Talia doesn't get too mad or jealous. Deacon, he needs to understand that Renee isn't interested! She can't be interested, she's madly in love with Fred. Obviously, since she was so upset about him leaving!
Wonderful story... so emotional!! Great writing and fantastic screenshots. Beautifully done... I am really looking forward to the next part! PS - Able is so hot, lol. Not very helpful, but good looking!
On Dec 13, 2007 Nekfansims1 wrote:
On Dec 14, 2007 SeasonsRDaBomb wrote:
On Dec 14, 2007 kitfu11 wrote:
Awesome job as usual!!!!
Great writing, it just gets better!!! 
On Dec 14, 2007 josh1092 wrote:
So romantic yet so sad. I hope Deacon has cleaned up his act for good. He was a real gentleman at the date...but now that you come to think about it he went straight to a party.
I can't believe Fred left! 5.0!
On Dec 14, 2007 eshuff wrote:
I'm not going to get into all the personal relationships -- although I HAVE to say they continue to be fascinating! I love Fred!
Wonderful use of poses and animation. Some of the technical bits -- the opening scene where everyone is sitting at desks -- that is HARD! The detail is fabulous -- the bed on the floor with the cover that matches the Arizona set chairs -- love it!
You have a really great eye for detail, and I love your writing! Please keep letting me know when you publish! -- Beth
On Dec 15, 2007 Lily Fairy2 wrote:
Loved it! How do you get those sims to sit like that? Is it a special thing you've downloaded or does it come within the game?
8)
FABULOUS! So much drama! Poor Renee, she loves Fred, but she also loves Deacon, and what a sneaky cow Talia is! Loved the hands behind the back walk, making her look all innocent! Absolutley brilliant, I'll be looking out for chapter 9! 5.0 as per usual!
On Dec 15, 2007 atangki wrote:
G-R-E-A-T part!
On Dec 15, 2007 wrote:
I swear, if Renee gets back with Deacon I will stop reading this That just can't happen, it just can't!
On Dec 15, 2007 BoodaMae wrote:
WOWZERS!!! I loved it
, along with th othrs!! But it just takes so long for me to get like, REALLY into it, and when I can't wait ot see what happens next, its over!!! But seriously, you've gotta hurry with the next part!! It seems like little miss Renee needs to slow down a bit with those guys, huh? I think she should try to date Danny! He's been a good friend to her, and I think he's interested..hmm, well, I'm lost in who-likes-who an who-hates-who, but I still can't get enough! So hurry with the next part or I might DIE!!! Happy simming!
~Sarah~
On Dec 15, 2007 Nono_Girl wrote:
It was great! Rea;lly! I was kinda scared when you worte he popped the question
Sorry tha Fred left...I really want to see Renee and Fred togheter...I hope he'll be back for the dance...and I also hope that Thalia won;t walk in the room where Danny and Renne are half-naked
On Dec 15, 2007 sara_87 wrote:
well done!
On Dec 16, 2007 Hellfrozeover wrote:
Glad you found the time to write the next part. 5.0 as always! This is the best part yet, your story writing skills are amazing! I love the way you include Maxis characters in there as well. Fingers crossed that they end up together in the end
. HFOxx
On Dec 16, 2007 lia2223 wrote:
Great Chapter! I can't believe Fred left w/o saying good-bye, I like them together. I think Talia & Danny should just tell the truth, I think Renee would be happy for them. Anyway, looking forward to the next chapter.
On Dec 17, 2007 bryk1984 wrote:
WOW Rach this story just gets better and better with each chapter
i cant wait to read part 9!!!!
On Dec 17, 2007 BuckinghamAlice wrote:
Aww, I'm so sad he left without saying goodbye.
And that Danny... he's too nice a guy! He's so nice, he's gonna get in trouble with his girlfriend, lol. I liked Priya getting herself a boyfriend... happy to see her be a regular person and not so stiff, lol. Anyways, awesome job... I just loved it!
On Dec 19, 2007 katty007 wrote:
I've read all the chapters in two days and now I want more! I like the story very much, that's why the longer it is, the better!
Thanks for sharing
On Dec 22, 2007 lildebbye75 wrote:
That Renee, she will never figure out who she wants to be with. I still think Deac would be good for her if he can stay sober. Will Danny see how much he's hurting Talia. Talia knows he still likes Renee will Danny ever admit it to himself. I hope Fred finds the answers he's looking for but if he's expecting Renee to wait on him I think he's going to be disappointed. I can't wait to find out what happens next. Great job as always.
On Jan 8, 2008 aaaaaaac wrote:
Great story and good job!
5.o
On Jan 24, 2008 cptnemo6 wrote:
very good story
On Mar 4, 2008 civetinja wrote:
Very great work !Thanks for sharing !
On Mar 8, 2008 varrnas wrote:
great story! I read nine so I decided to go back and read 8... now I am going to have to go back and find one through seven! lol
On May 12, 2008 maryash wrote:
i love this story!!