V. stood in the Quartermaine living room and admired one of her many flowers. Ned walked in.

"Picking out the best flowers to take home?"

"You weren't in on it too?" V. asked.

"Oh no, I barely know Simon Prentiss, but we all are on a first name basis with the flower delivery guy."

V. laughed.

"Would you like me to send the flowers back?"

"I don't know."

"Would you like me to make Simon stop sending them to you?"

"I won't tell him where I live. You'd think that would be a hint."

Ned held up a piece of paper. "I'm dropping off this contract for Grandfather to sign, and then, I'm going back to the gatehouse to start working on two new songs."

V. smiled.

"This is the part where you get all bubbly," Ned said, confused.

"They set me up."

"They would be…?"

"Jax and Chloe. Invite me over to Jax's apartment for a little intimate dinner for three and guess who's there."

"Oh, that's the worse."

V. shook her head. "No, it isn't." V. looked over and saw Chloe walking towards her. She was holding a dress.

"We must be on the same wavelength! Your dress for the Nurses Ball just got here. I had it sent overnight from Milan."

V. looked at Ned. "*This* is the worse."

"You, and Simon, Nurses Ball?"

V. nodded.

Ned turned to Chloe. "And you and Jax set this up?"

Chloe smiled and shook her head.

"I won't!" V. said.

"But you promised!" Chloe pleaded.

"Okay, that whole 'negotiation' was ridiculous!"

"Why do I know that Jax is behind all this?"

"He tricked me!" V. said. "It was either Café Mattisse or the Nurses Ball and I don't know how it happened, but this is why I'm here. I am not going to the Nurses Ball with Simon Prentiss or anybody else and that is final!"

"You don't even want to look at the dress?" Chloe asked.

"No. I'm not the least bit curious."

"It's a brand new design. Hasn't even hit the runways yet."

"Well then maybe a model should wear it."

"I don't design for models. I design for real people."

Chloe told V. that she knew that she and Simon had connected over dinner.

"Discussing the inherent value of a semicolon doesn't count!"

"Don't tell me. I don't even want to know," Ned said.

"It's one night V." Chloe pleaded. "Jax and I will be with you the whole time." Chloe told her that if it didn't work out, she would make Simon stop pushing. "We've been friends for a long time. If I tell him it's hopeless, he will believe me." She told V. that it was her decision and that she just wanted her to consider it.

"Okay, but I'm not making any promises," V. said.

"By the way, if the dress doesn't work, just say so. No hard feelings."

"On one condition. You make sure Ned practices at least two new songs today."

"How did I get into this?" Ned complained.

Chloe smiled at V. "Consider two songs practiced."

"I mean it!" V. said as she left.

"You can be very persuasive," Ned told Chloe.

"And I also keep my promises. Is your guitar at your place?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Chloe laced her arm around Ned's. "Let's go!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Ned led Chloe to the gatehouse.

"My humble abode," he said. "And I promise I'll be a good boy and work on at least two songs."

"You got that right," Chloe said.

They walked in and Alexis was already there waiting for Ned.

"I'm under strict orders to make sure Ned works on his music," Chloe explained.

Ned leaned forward and gave Alexis a kiss. "Alexis versus rock n roll? No contest."

"Believe me, rock n roll is not your problem," Alexis said as Jax walked into the room with a bag of chips from the kitchen.

"You know," Jax said, "you have even less in your fridge than I do." Then he smiled at Chloe. "Hi."

    

"You're everywhere," Chloe remarked

"What do you want, Jax?" Ned asked, annoyed. "And I don't mean for breakfast."

"I swear, he was here when I got here!" Alexis said.

"Chip?" Jax offered Chloe.

"Thank you," Chloe said, taking a chip from the bag.

"Oh don't mind me!" Ned said. "It's only my house, not to mention my chips."

"Little stale anyway," Jax remarked.

"Alright, Jax, what do you want?" Ned asked.

Jax expressed his concern about the possibility of Edward making AJ CEO of ELQ. "ELQ won't last five minutes with AJ in charge and you know it."

"Relax," Ned said. "He hasn't taken over yet."

"Is he going to?"

"Ooo, this could get messy," Alexis said.

"Could we have a private moment, Ned and I?" Jax asked.

"No," Alexis said. "I'm not going anywhere? Are you?" she asked Chloe.

"I have to vote Lila's proxy. I need to know what's going on."

Ned and Jax continued to discuss the problem of AJ taking over ELQ.

Chloe then pointed out one thing the men had not thought of, the chance that AJ might actually be good at the job. "Maybe everyone's wrong about AJ. Maybe he could be a great CEO."

Jax and Ned refused to believe that.

"AJ is a pathetic, brownnosing loser who couldn't organize his sock drawer let alone an international conglomerate," Ned said.

"Why don't you help him?" Chloe asked. "Don't you all have a vested interest in AJ doing well?"

"Can't happen," Ned said.

"Why not?"

"Because you can't teach someone who thinks they already know everything."

Ned and Jax went on to explain about how AJ was always kissing up to Edward and how Edward was setting AJ up for a fall so that Ned could come and pick up the pieces.

After taking in all this business talk, Chloe got an idea. "Why don't you really drive him nuts?" She said, referring to Edward. "Why don't the two of you go into business together?" she asked Jax and Ned.

Ned and Jax exchanged glances. "No way!" they said in unison. Chloe smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll pick up the guitar the moment I close the door!" Ned called to Chloe outside.

Jax walked Chloe back to the Q mansion.

"You and Ned remind me of each other," Chloe commented.

"And you seemed so sweet and nice!"

"Sometimes competition between partners is good. It can take you further than you would ever go alone."

"Hold on a second. Do you have a partner that helps you design your dresses?"

"No way!" Chloe said.

"Then you see my point?"

Chloe smiled. "Speaking of dresses, maybe if I get Lucy Coe's finished, she will leave me alone!"

"I wouldn't count on that," Jax said with a smile.

"I really have to go to work."

"What time shall I pick you up for the Nurses Ball?"

"You know, I was thinking I could just ride with the Quartermaines and meet ya there."

"Yeah, yeah, you could do that. But then you would miss the chance to antagonize Edward."

Chloe laughed. "Oh you're right. I do appreciate a grand entrance."

"So do I."

"Pick me up at eight."

    

"I'm counting the hours."

Chloe looked at him strangely.

"Well I could be!"

Chloe laughed. She then walked back into the house, looking back at him once more.

Jax watched as she went back into the house, and then he stood outside for another moment or two, smiling at the thought of taking Chloe to the Nurses Ball.

To be continued...