Double Trouble: Fifteen; a story of the Crane Twins.
 by Cariad
 

Last time: “I want to go home, Hollis,” Julia whispered. “And I want a big bowl of popcorn and some chocolate too.”
“We’ll get you your comfort food,” Holly promised.
“But you have to eat it too,” Julia said. “If I get fat, you have to get fat too.”
“I promise,” Holly said, “We’ll be a pair of old biddies with matching beehives and spectacles. And we’ll constantly have the house repaired so you can get a nice view of the young worker’s butts.”
Julia grinned. She let Holly open the bathroom door only to find a horde of waiters restraining a pair of young men. One was dressed entirely in black and the other in jeans, a flannel shirt, and an old parka.

Double Trouble
~Fifteen~
“Stop, Stop, STOP!” Holly cried as she and Julia entered the fray. Jonathan’s perfect hair had been mussed and blood was trickling from his nose. On the other side of the bathroom door, Reese also looked ruffled, his glasses sitting at an odd angle.

“The brat hit me!” Jonathan Hotchkiss protested. “He broke my nose!”

“It’s only bloody,” Holly said, dismissing his complaint. “Take a napkin, it’ll stop soon.” Julia darted to the nearest table to take care of Jonathan’s nose. Holly moved to Reese. “Did he hurt you?” she asked.

Reese struggled free from the wait staff who were holding him. “The question is if he hurt you or your sister,” Reese said, lunging back towards Jonathan. Holly moved in between the two boys and drew Reese back to his corner. “Thanks for your concern,” she said, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek, “but it apparently wasn’t him that hurt Jules.”

“Who was it then?” Reese asked, trying to adjust his bent frames so they would remain behind his ears.

“It’s a family thing,” Holly said. “You shouldn’t get involved.”

Reese gave her a wary look but finally agreed. “There are some strange things that go on in this town,” he said conspiratorially, “But if you say so, I’ll believe you.”

“Don’t use the napkins!” the concierge screamed as he tried to keep order in his restaurant. “And who let this rabble-rouser in here?” he demanded, speaking of Reese.

“He’s with me,” Holly said, giving the self-important concierge an evil look.

“You again,” he groaned.

“And what do you do for your employees if they happen to have the misfortune of being in an accident, if not use whatever is handy to stop blood from flowing. Or do you force them to use their own uniforms and then take it out of their pay?”

“I will not be spoken down to by an underage spoiled rotten brat,” the concierge huffed to himself, but loud enough for others close by to hear.

“Perhaps,” Holly spat back, “if you get dressed down by this ‘underage spoiled brat,’ you will learn to cease your discriminatory looksist ways. You never know who may be in need of help on the beach. Besides,” she continued, “it is said that you can tell the true character of a person by the way they treat those less fortunate than themselves. Well, you flunked. You couldn’t even give a bottle of water and pair of band-aids to someone in need on the beach!”

Julia grabbed her sister by the arm. “I think it’s time we went home now, Hollis,” she whispered.

“Not until someone gets Reese’s telescope and your boots from the rocks,” Holly replied, but she was only too glad to leave the Seascape. She never wanted to set foot in the snobbish environment again.

“I’ll get them,” Reese volunteered and darted out of the restaurant he was doubly unwelcome in.

“Then I will take you children home now,” Jonathan snapped.

Holly held her ground. “I will not leave until I have Julia’s boots in my hands,” she said simply, pretending oblivion to the murder in Jonathan’s steely eyes. She left Julia to calm the young man knowing Julia would only be too happy to do so.

Jonathan waited until they were all out in the brisk air, his nose mostly blood free. “Do you honestly think, Holly,” he demanded, “that we will sit here and do your bidding like you were the damned Queen of England? Might I remind you that you were the one who was supposed to be dining here with me. And your grandfather would be sorely disappointed with you not following your instructions.”

Holly’s eyes narrowed. “First off, let us emphasize that I despise you, Jonathan Hotchkiss. And nothing in this world with change that. And secondly, yes, I do expect you to wait until Reese returns with Julia’s boots. And thirdly, I’ve decided this evening that I don’t give a damn about what Grandfather Crane wants.”

Julia put a hand on Holly’s Arm. “I don’t think that’s wise, Hollis,” she whispered.

“I never though you were stupid, Holly,” Jonathan huffed.

Holly’s face broke into an evil grin. “I’ve always known you were,” she said sweetly.

Julia moved between the two combatants. “Both of you just STOP!” she cried. She dragged her sister away. “Don’t piss him off Hollis,” she hissed. “Just because you don’t want him doesn’t mean that no one does!”

Holly took a deep breath and turned away from her sister’s pleading eyes. “I’m sorry Jules,” she said. “I lost my temper. I shouldn’t loose my temper.”

“It’s been a long night, Hollis. I think we both need some comfort food now,” Julia said with a weak smile.

“You’re right again, Jules,” Holly said on a sigh.

“Of course I am,” Julia replied. “And Reese is back, so say goodnight to your local knight.”

Holly blushed, but recovered enough composure to think of one last way to convince Jonathan Hotchkiss to amend his desire for her.

Julia turned at a clunk and a clatter. She glanced between Jonathan’s shocked gaze and her sister kissing Reese Durkee. Her boots and Reese’s telescope had fallen to the pavement, dropped by Reese’s nerveless fingers. She never knew Holly knew how to kiss that way, and Reese was undeniably kissing back. Finally, after Jonathan had turned white, red, then purple with anger, Holly broke off the kiss.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening, Reese,” she said with a sultry lilt in her voice—a lilt Julia swore was her own. Holly retrieved Julia’s boots and sauntered to Jonathan’s Ferrari.

Though Holly did not hear it, Julia caught Reese’s shocked comment, “You’re welcome, Kay.”

Julia shot him a warning glare, but Reese remained dumfounded, standing in the middle of the Seascape parking lot. Julia squished in the Ferrari beside her sister, still keeping her eyes on Reese. If he ever hurt her sister…
 

* * * * *

Holly woke up with the sound of someone pounding on her door. She glanced at her clock. Six a.m. Who in their right mind would be pounding on her door at six a.m.? Especially after the horrid mess that was the night before. She threw back her covers and slogged to the door. No sooner than she opened it did an unnaturally perky dark-haired girl of probably Latino blood run her down.
“Julie, you have to help me!” Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald said without preamble. She looked an absolute wreck, but Holly made no note of that in her sleep-fogged mind. She only comprehended that the troll-haired thing before her wanted to deal with Julia. Theresa, in her nervousness, continued without waiting for a response. “Ethan didn’t come home last night. I don’t know where he could be! I hope he hasn’t found out about my marriage to Julian. I…”

“Julia’s room is the next one down the hall,” Holly grumbled, stopping Theresa mid tirade.

“You’re not Julie?” she asked with a confused expression on her face.

Holly shook her head. “No,” she replied, rubbing her sleep-weary eyes.

“Sorry to bother you then,” Theresa said and dashed out of the room.

Knowing what would happen, Holly shut her door and moved to the back of her room to the adjoining door, where she slipped into Julia’s room. Theresa was already pounding. Holly gently shook her sister.

“You have a visitor,” she whispered as Julia’s eyes opened. Julia only groaned. “Theresa is here in a panic.”

“What’s that pounding?” Julia moaned, covering her ears with her pillow.

“That’s Theresa,” Holly stated bluntly. “I’ll answer it, so we can find out what’s up with her and Ethan. You just wake up.” Holly left her sister in bed and opened Julia’s door, ducking as Theresa’s pounding fist nearly hit her.

“Julie, you have to help me!” Theresa said without preamble. She still looked an absolute wreck. “Ethan didn’t come home last night. I don’t know where he could be! I hope he hasn’t found out about my marriage to Julian. I…” She paused for a second. “You even wear matching pajamas! How adorable!” she cried.

Holly gave a complacent smile. “No,” Julia’s in bed.”

“How did you…” Theresa started.

“Magic,” Holly supplied.

Theresa shook her head, and bounded onto Julia’s bed, where the younger Crane daughter was still waking up. Theresa started her panic once more. “Calm down, sweetie,” Julia said as she was sitting up. “Start this from the beginning. Ethan didn’t come home last night?”

“No!” Theresa hyperventilated. “I stayed up all night waiting for him, like I always wait at home for him to come home. But he never did!” she wailed.

“Do you think he’s got another girlfriend?” Holly asked from the wall.

Julia almost cracked up. “Hollis, how can you suggest such a thing?” she cried, still petting Theresa’s hair. Holly shrugged. She wondered how Julia could keep a straight face.

“I saw him here last night,” Holly continued. “Talking to Gwen.”

Theresa paled. “He can NE-VER go back to Gwen!” she cried. “I won’t loose him to Gwen! No one will have Ethan but me!” she pouted.

Holly threw up her hands in frustration.

Julia calmed her again. Stepmommy Dearest, Julia thought, I wish that Ethan could hear you now. No longer a Crane but still a commodity. “Holly’s a pessimist,” Julia told Theresa while flashing a grin to Holly. “She just doesn’t know about true love. But it’s not the end of the world that Ethan didn’t come home.”

“But it is!” Theresa cried. “I’ll die if I don’t have Ethan. And he’ll never forgive me if he finds out that I married Julian Crane. He’ll HATE me forever! I didn’t know who else to come to,” Theresa said, shoving her face towards Julia’s. “I know you’ll help me!”

I’ll help you into a straight jacket, Julia thought. She held Theresa at arm’s length. “You look positively exhausted,” she said.

“I am,” Theresa replied. “I didn’t sleep all night. I stayed awake for Ethan…”

“I know,” Julia said patiently. “So why don’t you just sleep here and let me talk to Ethan to figure out why he didn’t come home, ok?”

“Ok,” Theresa whispered.

“I’ll even lend you something to sleep in,” Julia smiled.

“Something pink and satiny?” Theresa asked, her mood of despair forgotten.

“If I’ve got something,” Julia replied. She moved to her closet to look for something old and fit to be burned. Finding the perfect pink satin nightgown, she handed it to Theresa. She then dipped back into her closed for some clothes to start the day. Who was she kidding? As Theresa bounded into Julia’s bathroom to change, Julia and Holly quietly quit the room and curled up in Holly’s bed. Six a.m. was just too early to start the day.
 

* * * * *

Julia tossed and turned in Holly’s bed and finally gave up on sleep at after an hour of trying. She tiptoed out of Holly’s room and down the servant’s stair. She slipped into the kitchen to grab something to eat while the Cook was dozing, waiting for the morning breakfast order from Julian or Rebecca. She slid into a small breakfast nook, surprised to find Ethan sheepishly stewing over a cup of coffee.
“You didn’t spend the night with Gwen, did you?” Julia asked as she slid into a chair, her own cup of morning tea steeping.

“Yes and no,” Ethan confessed.

“Spill it,” Julia ordered, her natural charm diminished by the early hour.

“Gwen and I had a lot to talk about,” he said. “I didn’t sleep with her,” he added defensively. “I’m not a complete idiot.”

Julia kept her sarcastic comment to herself. “Your blushing bride-to-be is upstairs sleeping on my bed,” she added aloud.

“What?” Ethan asked.

“It seems she was in an absolute panic that you did not come home last night,” Julia mentioned, dipping her teabag.

“Damn,” Ethan swore. “Why here?”

“She thinks I am her friend,” Julia said.

“Are you?” he asked.

“I’m not sure anymore,” Julia confessed. “Waking someone up at six a.m. with your panicked problem does not help a friendship in my book.”

“You know what you said about relationships being about truth and honesty yesterday?” Ethan asked. He seemed shrunken in upon himself. Julia nodded. Ethan drew a haggard breath. “I think Theresa’s been lying to me again,” he confessed.

“What?” Julia feigned astonishment.

“Do you think I could see her?” he asked, rising.

“She’s up in my room,” Julia replied. “Sleeping. Let me go up and at least get her woken up before you bite her head off.”

Ethan nodded as Julia scampered back up the stairs. She darted into her room and shook the sleeping form on the bed. “I got a hold of Ethan,” Julia said. “He’ll be here to see you in a moment. I’ll help you get dressed!” She got Theresa back into the clothes she came in and hid a few especially favored breakable items and rushed back out to meet Ethan, waiting patiently. “You can go in now,” Julia said.

After Ethan disappeared into her room, Julia shut the door and dashed into Holly’s. She shook her sister awake. “This is going to be good, Hollis!” she said. “Ethan’s here and he’s confronting Theresa in my room as we speak!”