Author: Vix
E_mail: Vix_Chic@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: FC (Romance)
Spoilers: None
Author’s note: I OWN THE CHILDREN - not their parents.
Dedication: To all the fans that love Nicole and Randy and that have been requesting a r/n story. You all know who you are! =0)
*
“Why did we get suckered into helping her again?” Eddie asked as he and Thomas carried two giant ten-gallon buckets over to their cousin’s side.
“Because you love me.” Nicole smiled at him before going back to her painting.
“I really don’t think that’s the reason.” Josh said as he and Amanda finished moving the furniture out of the room.
“We appreciate the help guys.” Randy said wiping his hands on his jeans.
“Yeah just remember Jackson, you two owe us.” Eddie said as he left to retrieve another paint bucket.
“We owe you? We’ve have been working on this for over three months!” Nicole said as she gestured to the walls covered by paper so that their entire masterpiece wasn’t shown until they were completely finished, “Besides, whatever happened to helping out family?”
“Family my butt!” Amanda said as she scooted a chair out of the room.
“Listen, once you guys are done with the moving you can leave. The twins have the front covered.” Nicole said stretching slightly.
“Later.” Eddie and Thomas called as they gave Nicole a kiss on each cheek and left gleefully.
“Call me when you get home. If you can’t get my cell try Josh’s.” Amanda said hugging Nicole.
“If we don’t answer leave a message.” Josh said smiling thinking of Buckly Point…
“You little horn dog.” Nicole said rolling her eyes roughing up Josh’s hair.
Randy smiled at the display as they left.
*
“Stop it!” Nicole laughed as Randy continued to tickle her.
“I like you.” Randy said putting a dollop of paint on her nose.
“I like you too.” Nicole said smearing her paintbrush across his forehead covering it in green paint.
“I like you more!” He said dripping paint in her golden and now greenish hair.
“I like you more than you like me!” She said as she smeared paint across his entire shirt and took off running Randy right behind her.
*
“Hey dad, what are you doing here? I thought you and mom were going to the movies.” Matt said as he jabbed his brother.
Mark quickly removed his headphones and took attention.
“Yeah, I forgot my wallet in my locker when I changed.” Michael explained making his way into the hallway. It was cluttered with furniture and lockers.
He looked around the hallway till he came to his own locker.
After he took his wallet out he went to see how Nicole and Randy were doing on their mural.
He was not surprised to find Randy chasing Nicole around the room with a paint brush in hand. They started to speak so he opened the door just the slightest bit so that he could eavesdrop unnoticed.
*
“You can’t catch me!” Nicole said as she raced away from him to towards the freshly painted wall
Before she could get very far Randy captured her around the waist and pulled her backwards losing his balance and falling as well. They laughed at each other before sitting up.
“OK, so you can catch me!” Nicole said brushing a curl away from her blue gray eyes.
Michael chuckled at them silently.
“Nicole,” Randy began looking her in the eyes.
“Yeah?” Nicole asked looking back at him.
He took her face in his hands gently. His breathing speed up as he confessed, “I love you.”
Before Nicole could even think to respond her father was bursting angrily through the doors, “What on Earth is going on here?”
“Mr. Guerin.” Randy began as he quickly stood up along with Nicole.
“You’re fired.” Michael roared at Randy as he grabbed Nicole’s arm and pulled her towards the door.
“Dad!” Nicole tried to pull away from him.
“Don’t you dare ‘dad’ me!” Michael growled as he finished dragging her into the front of the gallery by her brothers.
“Tell Randy that he can pick up his last pay check tomorrow.” Michael sneered as he dragged his daughter out of the front and into the parking lot.
“Dad!” Nicole tried again but to no avail.
“What happened?” Maria asked as she watched her husband open the back door to the Explorer and make his daughter get in.
“Change of plans we’re going home.” Michael said as he threw the vehicle into gear.
“Daddy!” Nicole tired again.
“Don’t you dare ‘DADDY’ me.” Michael said in an anger-controlled voice.
“Michael!” Nicole said loudly.
“Unless you want to be spanked like a five-year-old you watch your tone young lady!” Michael barked out as he sped across town.
“What happened?” Maria asked as both of them went silent.
“I have no clue ask him.” Nicole said leaning back in her seat.
“I’ll tell you when we get home.” Michael said as he continued to stare out the front window.
*
“OK, we’re home. EXPLAIN!” Maria commanded; her hands placed firmly on her hips in an agitated expression.
“When I went back to the gallery to find my wallet I also checked up on Nicole and Randy to see how their mural was coming along. They were running around so I stood outside to see what was going on.” Michael began to explain to his wife as he riffled through the refrigerator for milk, Tabasco sauce, and the chocolate syrup.
“That’s called spying you know?” Nicole asked glaring at the wall not looking at her father.
“I was not spying.” Michael said slamming the milk down on the counter.
“Yes you were.” Nicole said flashing her angry eyes at her father.
“I warned you about your tone young lady. Go to your room!” Michael said sternly as he turned around to get a spoon, and so that he didn’t have to look at his daughter because out of all their children she was the one he hated to punish the most.
“Mom…” Nicole began.
“Honey, just go to your room and let me talk to your father, OK?” Maria asked softly.
“Sure.” Nicole said with a barely audible sigh as she hastily jogged up her stairs and into her room.
“Michael…” Maria began gently.
“Maria he told her he loved her…” Michael said squirting an overly generous amount of chocolate syrup into the milk.
“Oh my… what did she say?” Maria asked as she pulled out another cup and began to make herself something to drink her face portraying excited interest.
“She didn’t have time to answer.” Michael said gruffly as he poured red liquid into his cup.
“Michael please tell me you didn’t.” Maria requested hopefully.
Michael looked her in the eyes and she knew what he had done instantly. Her hopes were crushed, as was her teenage daughter up in her room.
“Michael…” Maria began.
“He’s going to hurt her.” Michael said before she could even get anything else out of her mouth.
“So? Let her decide whether or not she’s ready for this. Because if she is ready for love than she’s ready to be hurt… pain comes with love it’s just that simple.” Maria said taking the Tabasco and other supplies and placing them back in the refrigerator.
“She’s seventeen! She doesn’t know what she’s ready for.” Michael spat out still angry at the thought of his daughter having to endure any kind of pain.
Maria only looked at him with visible disbelief as she brought her glass to her lips.
“She’s only seventeen!” Michael cried out exasperated trying to get his point across.
Maria swallowed the sip she had just taken; “We were only seventeen.”
With those soft words she walked away and into their bedroom, her milk in hand, leaving a disturbed husband behind.
*
Nicole paced nervously as she waited for Randy to walk through the doors. She and her father had avoided each other all morning.
Nicole had been careful to make sure that they sat as far away from each other at breakfast and she had made sure he was no where to be found when she left the house. If he didn’t know where she was he couldn’t punish her for it.
The door to the back room slowly slid open and Randy snuck inside ever so quiet so that he didn’t disturb his beautiful girlfriend.
“Nice try.” Nicole said as Randy came only centimeters from her.
Randy smiled as he slipped his arms around Nicole’s waist… she always knew…
“About yesterday…” Nicole began turning in his arms.
“Don’t even say it.” Randy commanded as Nicole obviously began to apologize.
“I’m sorry my dad fired you. It’s my fault.” Nicole said against Randy’s protests.
“It’s not your fault. As I recall I’m the one who said the ‘L’ word in front of him.” Randy said resting his forehead against hers.
“About that,” Nicole said taking a deep uneven breath to calm herself, “Randy I love you too.”
Michael glared through the window. He had just witnessed one of the most infuriating displays of his life…
“Nicole can I have a moment alone with Randy?” Michael asked as he again disturbed their private moment.
“Dad…” Nicole began to objection when Randy stepped in.
“Honey, don’t worry about it. I’ll see you outside.” Randy said putting a hand on the small of her back and urging her towards the door.
*
Once She made it outside the door she ran into the twins.
“Is he dead yet?” Mark asked as he tried to look around her.
“I give him five minutes.” Matt said as he too looked around his sister.
“More like five sentences.” Mark continued as he finally gave up on looking around Nicole and pushed her out of the way.
“You two little inconsiderate, idiotic…” Nicole began to let lose on her little brothers.
*
“You wanted to speak to me sir?” Randy asked looking Michael in the eye.
“I wanted to give you this.” Michael said gesturing to the paycheck in his hand.
“Thank you.” Randy said not breaking eye contact and not taking the check.
“You could get your job back.” Michael said lowly knowing that there were prying ears.
“How is that?” Randy asked quirking an eyebrow in apprehension.
“If you and my daughter weren’t so serious I could trust you to do your job here.” Michael said hating himself even more. He loved his daughter and wouldn’t let her get hurt even if that meant resorting to a scumbag. A scumbag he never wanted to turn into but in the long run this was for the best… wasn’t it?
“I really love working here Mr. Guerin. I get to work with an experienced artist such as yourself and I even get practice for my own painting technique, and I have to admit the pay isn’t the worst a kid could get in Roswell.” Randy said with fake enthusiasm but true words.
“But I’ll have to decline because your daughter means more to me then some job.” Randy finished his eyes boring perfect little daggers into Michael’s.
“Randy, I like you as an employ and as an artist, but not as a person involved with my daughter.” Michael tried to explain nicely even though that last remark had thrown him for a loop.
“I get it you don’t want her to get hurt, right?” Randy asked Michael.
“She’s my daughter. She’s too young for all of this- she’s only seventeen.” Michael said changing his stance so that he looked more menacing.
“I know how old she is. I grew up with her, and I won’t hurt her. Hurting her would be like stabbing my self with a knife.” Randy said finally breaking the older man’s gaze and walking to a near by work table, “And then watching her cry would be like twisting the knife, yanking it out and pouring straight lemon and salt juice into the wound.”
“Descriptive.” Michael said shaking his head slightly.
“Bottom line is I won’t hurt her, I love her for crying out loud.” Randy said as he turned back to Michael.
“Here’s your paycheck.” Michael said emotionless… Randy had just said the wrong thing…
“Keep it.” Randy said as he walked out leaving the doors swinging behind him.
“Randy,” Nicole called out as her boyfriend walked past the three of them, his hand latching on to Nicole’s wrist.
Once Randy had drug Nicole in to the lobby he spun her around and kissed her. This wasn’t one of their usual sweet kisses, or one of their passionate kisses, this was the kiss he had wanted to give her the first time that he had confessed his love to her. He put every ounce of love and trust into his movements and tried to make her feel just how much he cared for her.
“I’ll call you later, when I can talk.” Randy said as he pulled back and walked through the front door not throwing her another glance.
“DAD!” Nicole screeched as she brought herself down off the natural high that Randy had just given her.
Nicole turned and marched into the newly painted room where her brother’s were conversing with her father.
“Out!” She growled.
“No.” Mark and Matt said giving her a look that only further infuriated her.
Suddenly there was a burst of power and both boys were thrown out of the room and the door slammed behind them. She was pissed and her heightened abilities were only more proof, but the only proof you needed were her eyes… her dark gray eyes were slowly turning even darker into a blackened shade.
“Nicole.” Michael warned not in the mood for her yelling even though he knew he deserved it.
“Don’t you dare ‘Nicole’ me!” Nicole screeched as she mentally pulled a chair up behind her father, “Sit.”
“You do not order me around! I don’t care how angry you are. I am your father!” Michael yelled loudly.
“Then act like it!” Nicole yelled back as she began to pace.
“What do you think that was? I’m trying to protect you and you won’t even open your eyes and see it.” Michael cried out glaring at the wall behind his daughter’s moving body.
“That was not protecting me! That was you being selfish! I have no clue what you said to my boyfriend but you pissed him off beyond words! I could feel the anger radiating off his body in waves of pure disgust! He never gets that angry!” Nicole said starting to motion with her hands before correcting herself, “Almost never.”
“Almost never?” Michael asked eyes wide.
“He has a few times.” Nicole said still trying to compose her words inside her head.
“Has he ever gotten that mad in front of you?” Michael asked looking towards the door Randy had exited moments ago.
“A couple.” Nicole said deciding that the way to her dad was through Randy’s own emotions.
“You know Allan Johnson?” Nicole asked looking at her dad with weary eyes.
“Yeah, scum bag, why?” Michael asked confused as to what that had to do with Randy but knowing he was not going to like it none the less.
“I went out on one date with him before and he tried something so I popped him one. Needless to say I didn’t stick around very much longer. Randy picked me up off the side of the road. I didn’t want him to but he wouldn’t leave unless I came with him.” Nicole smiled at the memory that had not seemed so pleasant at the time.
“Why didn’t I know about the date?” Michael asked his eyebrows together, he would never let his daughter date some one with that reputation.
“Because you’d believe the rumors.” Nicole said answering him before continuing, “Another time he got mad in front of me he got physical with the object of his anger.”
“When, where, why, and who?” Michael asked bring the chair around so he could straddle it.
“An East jock, Rick Gordon to be precise, kept hitting on me and when he made a move I spit in his face. He tried to hit me but Randy came over and knocked him flat on his butt.” Nicole said her eyes flashing from the floor to her father to see his reaction.
His face was unreadable even though Nicole could tell that, by his eyes, he was processing everything she said slowly, actually taking into consideration the facts she was spouting out.
“The only other time I’ve felt him be that mad was when Allan Johnson was bad talking me in the locker room. Randy went off on him, or so I heard. Allan had two back eyes, one broken nose, and he had a nice little speech impediment for a while.” Nicole said laughing out loud.
“And this is funny?” Michael asked tapping his worn rings on the chairs metal back.
“He’s just like you.” Nicole said smiling.
“Must protect. No harm come. Me man. Her weak woman!” Nicole said trying her best to imitate a barbaric caveman.
“The difference is he let’s me make my own decisions. He let’s me be my own person. He doesn’t treat me like a five-year-old. He knows I’m smart enough to not get in over my head. He knows I’m not weak. But he still loves me enough to either try and persuade me not to make mistakes or to at least be there when it all falls down.” Nicole said her arms had stopped failing and her amusing tone had left her voice.
“You know even when he was angry at you I could feel his LOVE! Do you have a problem with some one extra to protect your daughter? Care for your daughter? Someone else that you have to share her with?” Nicole began criticizing him with her questions.
“Nicole I’m not mad about sharing you I just don’t want him to hurt you.” Michael said bleakly.
“You’re hurting me!” Nicole screamed losing her what little patience she had.
“Give him a chance. He’s a great guy, Eddie, Matt, Mark, Josh, and Thomas would’ve killed him by now if he wasn’t.” Nicole said a small brief smile flashing across her lips at the thought.
“That they would.” Michael said standing up, “But that still doesn’t mean that you’re not going to get hurt when you two fall apart.”
“If we fall apart dad, IF!” Nicole said her voice rising slightly as she glanced at the full room mural they had finished the day before, the sheets removed. “Take a look around then decide how well we’ll work together.”
With that she was gone, out the door and Michael… Michael was alone with his troubling thoughts and the most beautiful painting he had seen in a long time.
The room was covered in unimaginable colors which he bet had something to do with Nicole’s inherited talents. It was a fantasy world if ever one had existed. There was even a dragon spanned across the ceiling. It was a glistening blue with green glittered edging. It looked as if any minute it would breathe fire and flap its wings.
The vivid mural encased the entire room from top to bottom. On the far end of the room the wall had a giant garden between two giant trees. He walked over to it and noticed that on some of the wild rain forest like flowers there were tiny paintings of creatures. Pixies.
Below the most beautiful pixie of all was small writing:
“Nicole- The pixie with enough light to bathe the world in brightness.”
Michael looked at the pixie… Its hair was in golden ringlets. Her eyes a perfect match for his daughters… the fairy like creature was indeed the most beautiful…
*
“Hello?” Randy asked with a small yawn as he rolled over his mattress and picked up the telephone.
“Randy?” Michael’s rough voice called over the phone line.
“This is he.” Randy said instantly awake.
“Got any plans for dinner?” Michael asked.
*
“Dear God- I know you don’t like to meddle with fate, but please don’t let her father kill me tonight.” With that last request Randy finally mustered up enough courage to knock on the door.
But before his hand could even make contact Michael ripped the door open and caused Randy to take a step backwards onto the porch.
“We need to talk.” Michael said as he stepped outside and shut the door behind him.
“Sir?” Randy asked his heart beat all ready slowing from the earlier scare.
Michael gestured to the patio table at the corner of the porch and both he and Randy sat in an awkward silence.
Randy looked up from the tabletop only to see Michael looking him over with skepticism.
“Randy, would you like your job back?” Michael asked, finally, slightly cocking his head to one side.
“Not at the price you’re asking. Mr. Guerin, as I told you earlier I care for your daughter a lot, and there is no way I’ll give her up.” Randy said standing preparing to leave.
“That’s all I needed to hear.” Michael said and with that he was up and at the front door.
Michael paused a moment without turning around, “You can come back Monday.”
Randy stood still as Michael turned to face him. Michael’s eyes met Randy’s, “And treat her right.”
With that Michael was inside and the door was open, a clear invitation.
As soon as Randy was inside a woman who had similar looks as Nicole met him, “I’m glad you could come.”
“Me too Mrs. Guerin.” Randy said as he placed an award-winning smile on his handsome features.
“Oh, and honey. If you ever have sex with my daughter I will hunt you down and kill you.” Maria said a smile still etched on her pretty face.
Randy stood his eyes wide in a frozen position. He wasn’t sure what had him stuck to the floor, fear or shock. He glanced again at the retreating form of his girlfriend’s mother, fear. It was definitely fear.
As Randy swallowed hard and made his way to the kitchen he began a whole different prayer in his mind.
“Dear God- I know you don’t like to meddle with fate, but please don’t let her mother kill me…”
The End