Terms of Enchantment Ch. 04

Chapter Four: A Period of Stagnation

"What on earth are you doing?"

It was probably about eleven o'clock, if Corey had to guess. She'd been at Femme HQ all day long, working on putting the next issue together. For the past week she'd done very little aside from work. When she wasn't going over details of articles with Jill and K.D. or putting together they layout with Chiyo, she was on the phone with all manner of marketers and advertisers. It's been more than a week, actually, she reminded herself. I think. Oh, god, I can't even remember... Corey had set herself to make sure that the next issue of Femme would be a huge success, more so than ever before.

Now she was laying on the floor in her office, staring up at the ceiling. It was unlike her. For one thing, even though the floors were always cleaned and the rugs always vacuumed, Corey thought of them as dirty. For another, it was particularly professional. If her staff had still been there she certainly wouldn't be laying on the floor. Yet they'd all gone home awhile ago and she was alone. Or she had been, until Jenna had come bursting through the door. She was going to have to consider installing a deadbolt or something, if people were going to keep doing that.

Corey remained where she was, feeling as though moving might well be impossible. She heard Jenna plop down on the floor next to her. Don't ask her how Jace is, she thought, biting her lip. She'll get the wrong idea. She was kind of curious how he was doing but...but just because he'd been in the magazine. Duh.

"You look beat," Jenna told her. "Chrisie told me that Jace looked really good in the photos and that's why you're working so hard to get this issue out."

"Jenna." Corey propped herself up on her elbows and looked at her friend. "This is a very important issue for Femme. It's not just about Jace. It's about everyone who contributes to this magazine."

Jenna grinned knowingly. "Whatever you say, Cor," she said. "You really do look beat. Looks like you need a break."

"Understatement," Corey assured her, dropping back down to the floor.

The thing was, Jenna's comment about Jace had hit a little close to home. Corey really was working her ass off for Femme, but she also kind of felt...oh, she didn't really know what she felt, exactly. Though she wouldn't tell anyone—in part because she was really supposed to be impartial—she was rooting for Jace. Maybe to him it was just some contest in a magazine, but she still thought winning might do his confidence some good. Not that he didn't have any, because he did. But Corey had seen a vulnerability in him that she hadn't realized was there and it just made her... I guess I feel like I want to protect him, she thought. Which is stupid.

She was also kind of annoyed with herself. After buying that cell phone she'd pretty much gone straight back to the way she'd been before. Though these days she was wearing her hair braided only part way up, with the rest of it loose, so that much at least was different. Yet Corey was still eating her stupid turkey sandwiches and doing the same things she did every day. Until Jenna had showed up, she'd been getting ready to head home, eat something, take a quick shower, and crawled into bed to finish a little more work. So much for that wish coming true...not that they could.

"Well, then, if a break is what you need, it's what you'll get," Jenna said. "We're going to get Chinese food from Dragon Dynasty and—"

"You can't afford food from Dragon Dynasty," Corey pointed out.

"Which is why you're buying it. And then," Jenna went on, "we're gonna take our food home and you are going to watch Star Wars with me."

"I am?" Corey sat up and blinked at her friend.

"Yes, you are," Jenna said insistently. "For crying out loud, Cor, you don't know who Princess Leia is! We are so changing that! Now get up and get your things, damnit!"

Corey grinned. Somehow Jenna had figured out just what to say and do to perk her up. Chinese food and Star Wars definitely would be a different routine for her. And she didn't mind paying for expensive—and so good it was pretty much divine—Chinese food for the both of them, because Dragon Dynasty really was worth it. I suppose at least I'll understand why Jace called me Princess Leia that one time, Corey thought, climbing slowly to her feet.

"Just so you know ahead of time," Jenna said, as Corey was packing her papers into the sleek black portfolio she carried, "Jace might stop by later. As usual, mom and dad won't be home, so it'll just be me. He usually comes to hang out when I'm alone."

Corey dropped her cell phone into her purse and turned to stare at her friend. "But you won't be alone."

"Yeah, but I didn't know that before," Jenna said, shrugging. "It's no big deal. We just have to make sure we pick up some sesame chicken and egg rolls for him."

Of course. To Jenna, Jace was just her brother, just someone she hung out with sometimes. And although every now and then Jenna teased Corey about Jace, she didn't seem to think there was really anything there. Which there isn't, Corey thought, shouldering her purse. But it's not like we're all comfortable and buddy-buddy together or anything, either. Well, she would just have to deal with it. Chinese food and movies with Jenna and Jace could be a lot of fun. Like having a brother and sister.

Except that she was pretty sure you weren't supposed to develop a massive crush on your brother.

*****

Jace whistled tunelessly to himself as he walked up the hedge-lined pathway to her parents' house. He knew that Brandon wasn't going to be spending time with Jenna tonight—he was such a lousy damn boyfriend—so he figured he'd stop by for a bit. And since he was a really good brother—or at least tried to be—he'd brought a carton of Godiva chocolate ice cream. Working as a waiter might not be the most glamorous job, but the restaurant he worked at drew the drinking, sports-watching types that left big tips, so he could afford things like ridiculously expensive ice cream. Jace knew that it bummed Jenna out when Brandon made other plans, so he was hoping the ice cream would cheer her up.

The foyer was dark when he stepped inside. His parents' house was rather large and it could be slightly eerie when one was home alone, so he was surprised that more lights weren't on. There's something else, Jace thought, inhaling deeply. Is that...Chinese food? It certainly smelled like Chinese food. He stopped in the kitchen—which was also dark, aside from a small nightlight—and put the ice cream away in the freezer, then headed towards the living room. The light was on in there, as was the T.V., and he heard laughter. Not one person, but two. Had Brandon showed up after all?

It was definitely not Brandon, as Jace found out when he walked into the living room. Corey was there, sitting on the couch next to Jenna, pulling lo mein noodles from a carton with chopsticks. Her hair was only partially braided and the wisps that had slipped free to frame her face made her look like a princess. She was wearing a light blue robe open over a simple dark blue camisole and gray pajama bottoms, but she still looked like she ought to have a circlet on her head or something. Corey looked up as he entered the living room and froze, her eyes going wide. Then she relaxed and smiled at him, which combined with Chinese food and ice cream simply had to be paradise. It looked like paradise and smelled like paradise to Jace, anyway.

"Hey, bro," Jenna said. She had speared an egg roll with a fork—having never learned to imitate Corey's grace with the chopsticks—and was grinning at him around a mouthful. "We got sesame chicken for you."

"Oh." Jace remained frozen in the doorway, not certain what to do. "I um...I don't want to bother you guys if, you know..."

"Just shut up and hit the lights," Jenna told him. She turned to Corey and rolled her eyes, then looked back at him. "We're watching Star Wars."

"Oh," Jace said again.

For some reason his feet wouldn't move. Jenna let out an annoyed huff and gave him a look that he knew meant trouble. She stood up and grabbed his arm, hauling him towards the couch. Sure, she was smaller than him by a good margin, but Jenna was a little powerhouse. Jace found himself shoved, rather unceremoniously, onto the couch next to Corey. She scooted aside as he landed. He might have been insulted, except that he would have crashed into her if she didn't move and probably would have spilled her lo mein on him, too. He could understand not wanting to waste good Chinese food.

Jenna hit the light switch, and then sat down in the cozy leather La-Z-Boy and grabbed her plate. Since there was really nothing else he could do, he grabbed the DVD remote from the coffee table and turned the player on. I wonder how Jenna convinced her to watch Star Wars, Jace thought, glancing sidelong at Corey. She's always refused before. Usually Corey was too busy to sit around and watch movies. Or at least that was what she said. It was odd—but kind of nice, too—to see her relaxed like this.

"We also got potstickers and chicken chow mein," Corey said quietly. She pointed to the containers on the coffee table. "Help yourself."

"Thanks." Jace reached for a container and was pleased to find it filled with sesame chicken. "Um...how's the new issue coming?"

"Shhh!" Jenna hissed. "We're going to watch the movie!"

He glanced at Corey, who rolled her eyes and smiled a faintly exasperated smile. Usually Jace didn't like anyone rolling his eyes at his sister, but he could understand in Corey's case; she'd known Jenna nearly as long as he had. And, well, Jenna could be pretty bossy. Though he'd made certain, when they were growing up, that she ate proper meals, did her homework, and got to bed at a good hour, Jace had let her have her way in a lot of things, so she was used to it. Corey didn't put up with it as much as he did, but when it came to things like cheesy carnivals or movie/Chinese food nights, even she was found it difficult to tell Jenna 'no'.

In the semi-darkness he felt Corey shift on the couch. The opening was rolling, that famous scrolling of words to that equally famous background music. With the system they had, the sound was loud and the big screen TV would have made a fanboy faint. Not that Jace noticed. The movie wasn't the only thing in a galaxy far, far away...his mind was, too, when he felt Corey's hand on his knee. She leaned close to him, so close that she pressed against his arm and her lips brushed his ear.

For a moment Jace forgot that his sister was in the room. He just wanted to wrap Corey up in his arms and kiss her until she was dizzy. She smelled so good and she felt so nice against him and her breath was warm on his neck...

"The issue is coming along great," Corey whispered. "We'll definitely have it out early. Thanks again for...you know."

Jace nodded. He couldn't speak. Heck, he could barely breathe. Yet when Corey moved away from him, he was far from relieved. And saying he was disappointed would be a huge understatement. This is not good, he thought, glancing uneasily at Corey. This is just...it's wrong. She's like a sister to me... Except that she wasn't and she never really had been. Not if he was being honest with himself. There was times that Jace couldn't stand her and times he'd hardly noticed her, but Corey had never been like family to him. Apparently because somewhere deep down inside he had a thing for her. A big thing.

There was nothing he could do right now but watch the movie and eat Chinese food. However, Jace knew his sister well. Jenna might make it through one movie, but if they decided to watch more than one movie, she'd fall asleep probably halfway through the second one. He could take her upstairs to her room, then come back to the living room and... Okay, hold it right there, he told himself. You are not putting the moves on your little sister's best friend. Jace wasn't sure what was worse...the fact that he wanted to have some fun on the couch with Corey or the fact that part of his mind was formulating just how he'd go about doing that.

*****

Somewhere between Han Solo being frozen in carbonite and Princess Leia being chained to Jabba the Hutt, Corey must have fallen asleep. She'd really been enjoying the movies, actually—and now she knew what Jace had meant when he'd called her Princess Leia—but she'd had a long day. At least she'd made it longer than Jenna, whose eyelids had begun drooping during the opening credits of the second movie. Though she wouldn't have known any of it if she hadn't stirred awake—partially, at least—as she was being carried up the stairs.

Normally she'd be frightened or disoriented under such circumstances, but for some reason she knew she was safe. Corey could smell soap and, just faintly, Chinese food, and somehow she knew that it was Jace who was carrying her. She curled up tighter, pressing against him and allowed herself a few sleepy, guiltless moments to enjoy the feeling of his body. It wasn't like a romance novel. None of that ridiculous crap about rippling muscles or rock-hard thighs or whatever (aspiring romance novelists sometimes sent excerpts of their work into Femme, hoping to garner some attention, and Corey occasionally got stuck reading the damn things). Though she supposed that if she was going to be completely honest with herself, he did feel warm and strong and safe, just like all those devilish dukes, vexing viscounts, lustful lawyers, and gorgeous gardeners.

Too bad I won't remember that in the morning, Corey thought sleepily, shifting in Jace's arms and pressing her face against his neck. Jenna would love that. Though Mrs. Fitz might not have been so impressed...she liked those stories...

"Hey, sleepyhead," Jace murmured. His mouth was close to her ear. "I hope you don't drool in your sleep."

"I don't," Corey managed, her voice coming out in a half-awake slur. "Whatcha doin', anyhow?"

Jace chuckled. "I guess even you can't maintain your professionalism when you're half asleep," he teased. "I'm just taking you up to one of the guest rooms. I doubt you're going to be driving home like this."

"Mmm," Corey mumbled by way of agreement. "Came in Jenna's car, anyway."

He really did feel so nice. Even if she'd had her car and had been in any shape to drive, she would have pretended that she wasn't. Which is so unlike me, Corey thought. Amazing what a pink cell phone could do...

Jace shifted her in his arms and pushed open the door to one of the guest bedrooms. Corey opened her eyes just a little and saw the familiar outline of a four-poster bed in the dimness of the room. Whenever she stayed over, this was the room she stayed in. Had Jace known that, or had he just gotten lucky? As he set her down on the soft, wondrously comfortable featherbed, she thought for just a second that she ought to pull him into bed with her. Fortunately Corey wasn't so sleepy that she'd lost her sanity, so she managed to avoid making an idiot of herself in front of him—again.

It wasn't an easy thing to do. Jace didn't just put her on the bed and leave her. He pulled back the blankets for her, making it easier for her to get beneath them. And then he tucked her in. It was so sweet and tender, and when he gently kissed her forehead, Corey nearly lost her grip on her self-control. Jace left before she had the chance to drag him into bed with her, which was for the best, obviously. Of course it is, she thought, closing her eyes and cuddling down on the featherbed. I mean, he's just Jace. Just Jenna's brother. Why the hell did Jenna have to have a sweet, kind brother who brought her Godiva chocolate ice cream, anyway?

*****

Jace turned his head and smothered a yawn against his shoulder, so he wouldn't breathe all over the pancakes he was making. The night had been a long one; first watching movies with Jenna and Corey, and then getting no sleep whatsoever. How was he supposed to sleep after that? Not long after he'd put in Return of the Jedi, Corey had finally given in to sleep. He'd sat through the rest of the movie because he was afraid to move, afraid he'd disturbed the woman sleeping so sweetly with her head on his shoulder. When the movie had ended and he'd no longer had an excuse, Jace had carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed.

He'd wanted to tuck himself into bed with her. She just looked so cozy. Jace thought she was maybe about five foot six and though she was fairly slender, she had the kind of hips and breasts that made her look soft and curvy. He'd spent the whole night awake thinking about those hips and those breasts. It bothered him, and not just because she was Corey. The last time he'd felt this way around a woman—awkward, uncertain, torn between the desire to cuddle and an almost primal need for sex—had been when he'd been seeing Lena. That had been a hard breakup and Jace hated to think he might end up putting himself in that position again.

The soft padding of feet caught his attention. Jenna came bounding down the stairs—she'd always been an irritatingly cheerful person in the morning—followed by a slower, far sleepier Corey. Luckily Jace was good at multi-tasking, so he was able to flip the pancake in the pan while staring at Corey in her sleep rumpled clothing and tousled hair. He wondered if she remembered the way she snuggled against him last night. At the moment she didn't look like she even remembered her own name.

"Breakfast!" Jenna chirped, plopping bouncily into a chair at the large, black glass kitchen table. "Smells yummy."

"How many do you want?" Jace asked, forgetting his sleepless night. Jenna's cheeriness could be catching.

"Four," Jenna said automatically; she always ate four pancakes.

"Coffee," Corey grumbled, stumbling to the kitchen table.

Since he'd figured her for a coffee person, he already had the French press going. That was a sort of silver lining about having workaholic, rich parents; when you wanted to cook something you had the best of everything that you needed. Jace piled pancakes onto a plate for Jenna, and another on a plate for Corey. If he knew his sister, she wasn't going to let Corey get away with having only coffee for breakfast. And honestly, he wouldn't have allowed her to, either.

"Sugar and cream?" Jace asked, as he poured coffee into a mug.

"Both," Corey replied, sounding slightly more awake. She picked up the fork he'd set before her and prodded the pancake half-heartedly. "I'm not really hungry..."

"Eat," Jace and Jenna said in unison.

Corey lifted her head and blinked at both of them. One side of her mouth curled upwards as though it were debating whether or not it wanted to smile. Maybe she really was hungry, or maybe she just wasn't in the mood to argue, but she did start eating, albeit grudgingly. Jace thought it was kind of cute the way she pushed each bite of pancake around the plate, scooping up maple syrup, before actually eating it—which just went to show how far gone he really was. And just in case he wasn't yet sure he was losing his mind, he needed a cold shower after watching her savor the coffee.

Watching her eat, Jace was beginning to think that maybe he was overreacting. Comparing Corey to Lena...that was absurd. Just because things had gone bad with one girl didn't mean they'd go bad with another...

And then Corey got a look at the clock. Her eyes widened and she dropped her fork, which clattered loudly in the silence of the kitchen. She stood up, pushing her chair back and looking a bit like a panicked doe. At first Jace couldn't imagine what was wrong. Then he saw her pull her cell phone from the pocket of her robe and he realized what the problem was: work. Oh, right, he thought, sighing. Corey, uptight workaholic...I'd almost forgotten about her. There was a good reason to ignore the way he was feeling.