St.Luke's

A/N: wow that was fast. Maybe I should start setting a # of reviews for every chappie?? Nah that would be mean. Well this chapter turns out as a comedy.

Anna turned out the entire law explanation. There were several instances when her father tried to interrupt but her mother shushed him and the headmaster went on. Anna alternated from staring at the fire to the ceiling and back again. She heard the headmaster finish and she looked at him. His deep brown eyes were sparkling with mischief. ’Oh God.’ she thought in all sarcasm. ’Now what? Is he going to make love to me in front of my parents too?’

That idea made her shutter. “Now that that is straight about the…”

“I will not have my daughter breed like a brood mare.” her father growled.

“Brandon we…”

“I won’t stand for it damn it.” he roared

“Sir she cannot…”

“No. I will not marry off my daughter to some ugly high school bastard!”

The head master stood eye to eye with Mr. Vaughn and glared daggers at him. “I was getting to that now if you will please sit down you will meet all three of the young men who have each asked for her hand.

After another moment of glaring her father sat down and huffed something about America starting the end of the world.

“Gentlemen please come in.” Jason called.

The office door opened and Anna watched in awe as one of the hottest guys in her class stepped through the door. He was built and taller, but not so much so that she was annoyed by it. He had curly blonde hair and devilishly blue-gray eyes. He was tanner than most and Anna knew very little about him, even though all of her classes were shared with him. Anna almost fainted when he winked at her.

She might have fallen over anyway. The next bachelor to enter was the scum bag Aaron Wilson. He sneered at her and smiled sweetly to her parents. The final guy was no surprise to Anna, Alex Serrano stepped in and closed the door firmly. He smiled at her and acknowledged her parents with a slight bow.

“Elaine, James,” the headmaster addressed her parents “These are the young men that your daughter will choose from. James Sasser.” James smiled warmly and bowed slightly. “Aaron Wilson.” Aaron managed to shake hands with her father. “And Alexander Serrano.”

“Please call me Alex.” he said bowing again.

“Nice to meet all of you.” her mother smiled at the guys, her eyes lingered on Aaron.

“Well,” the head master stood and walked swiftly over to his desk. “Here,” he brought back several packets “Are profiles on each of the gentlemen.” he handed the packets to Elaine and Brandon. “I will leave you lot to sort out who will marry this dashing young lady.” he bent and kissed Anna’s hand. “I am off to mingle.”

“Jason?” Anna asked standing and wondering why in hell she kept calling him that.

“Yes, my dear.” he turned eagerly toward her.

“Who has the final say in my marriage?” curiosity was getting the better of her and she had to know.

“Your father, my dear.” looking slightly disappointed when she didn’t ask him to stay he hopped off and left them to figure it out.

“So..” her mother started going through the packets. “We only have a month to decide.”

“I don’t like this.” her father growled from his chair.

“You think I am happy about it?” her mother shot at him. “Not that you aren’t nice young men, we just don’t feel the need to rush our daughter into her own family.” she addressed the guys.”

“You understand our hesitation.” Her father snapped the boys.

“Yes sir we can understand.” James said.

Her father looked taken aback that they would answer him. His tears and sadness were gone and in their place stood suspicion and resentment. He mumbled something obscene and sat back.

“Please take a seat gentlemen.” her mother cooed.

Each guy sat as close as they could to Anna without being obvious. Anna was grateful to them. It meant she didn’t have to sit next to the adults who had claimed they loved her all of her sixteen years and then some.

“Alex.” she said somewhat strained. “It says here your father is Hispanic. Is that right?”

Alex smiled and seemed to glow. He could not help but show some pride. “Yes Mrs. Vaughn that is correct.”

“That is Ms. Williams, now. Mr. Serrano.” her mothers smile could not have been more forced.

“I am sorry Ms. Williams.” Alex smiled warmly back at the aging woman.

Anna sighed. She knew her mother was not fond of the idea that her daughter might marry into a non-American family, as her mother had so kindly put it. Really the woman was just racist.

“Well,” her mothers voice was one of forced cheer. “I think perhaps that Anna should be the one to choose.” she turned to her daughter “Let us know when you decide honey.”

“I already know…” she started but was cut off by her father.

“I think you should date each of them for a week. Keep track of each one in that diary.”

“Journal.” she growled, pouting.

“Journal you keep and then at the end of the month your mother and I will come see you and then you will tell us who you want to marry. Does that sound fair gentlemen?” he glared at the potential husbands. “If you will excuse us gentlemen, we need some time to talk to our daughter.” he turned to face the four youngsters “You will date MY daughter in order by which you came in. James then Aaron then you Alex.” Anna noticed that her father’s eyes lingered on Alex. She got the impression that they were having a conversation that she could not hear. Alex nodded and stood.

“I think I will retire for the night then.” he walked to Ms. Williams and took her hand. He did not break eye contact as he bent and kissed it. “Good day.” the other boys followed his example by kissing Elaine’s hand and shaking hands with her father.

When they left her mother opened her mouth as if to say something and Anna beat her to it “I want to marry Alex.”

Her mother stared, momentarily speechless, then she started in “Honey he’s half Mexican.”

“Puerto Rican, mother.” Anna growled, the woman was determined to test her patience.

“Yes that. What ever. That is not the point… Well it is the point but but…”

“Oh God Elaine, shut up.” her father roared.

“Don’t tell me what to do you lazy…”

“Will you two stop? I thought this was about me.”

Her father looked at her “So you will be going to the Halloween Dance with James?”

“No dad. Alex already asked me and I accepted. I won’t go back on my word because of this dam…” her father gave her a ‘ that’s enough’ look. “stupid law.” she faltered.

Anna saw her mother roll her eyes and glare at Brandon. “I’m going to go talk to my friends. Wait, what time is it?”

“3:45. Why?”

“Mother are you always this suspicious?”

“No I just…”

“I am going to go meet the parents of my admirers and you might do well to do the same and do not be the judgmental wretch you have the habit of being.” Anna stood and kissed her dad. She walked right out the oak doors back to the bustling hall. She gazed over the crowd and looked for each of the guys. She was looking forward to dating James and Alex, but she wasn’t too sure about how she would handle being alone with Aaron.

She found Alex first only because she had been looking harder for him than the other two. He waved her over and she smiled. She walked up to him and gave his parents a small bow and what she hoped was a glowing smile. “Hello.”

As she approached Alex put his arm around her waist and she didn’t bother to remove it. It felt warm, nice, safe. As if it were a barrier between her and the rest of the world, more importantly Aaron

“My Alex she certainly is a cute one.” her mother commented. Anna felt her cheeks warm then burn red. She hoped it wasn’t too obvious that she had taken the comment to heart.

“Yes. Yes I agree Cassandra.” Mr. Serrano said with a heavy Spanish accent. He beamed at her. “Much better than that Imani child.” he added rather softly, mostly to Alex.

“Mom, dad, this is Anna Vaughn. The girl I have been dating.” Alex smiled at the three. ‘She might just fit in with my family yet.’ he thought happily. “Anna this is my mother, Cassandra and my father, Hernandez.”

“Nice to meet you both.” she smiled. They seemed nice enough, accepting enough.

She saw James gazing at her and talking to what looked like a young couple and smiling at her. “Excuse me would you, please?”

Mrs. Serrano saw her looking at James and smiled at her “Oh yes dear go on, but keep us in mind.”

As Anna was walking away she heard Mr. Serrano say something in Spanish and then Alex and Mrs. Serrano laughed. ‘I knew I should have taken Spanish.’ she thought bitterly, listening to their laughs fade.

She smiled nervously as she walked up to the young couple, they didn’t look much older than early to mid thirties. James took her hand and squeezed it as if to say ‘Relax they won’t bite’, but Anna felt a slight twinge of resentment coming from the mother. She could understand that.

“So,” she said rather snottily. The sweet face was no indication of the sinister vibes that were coming off her. “You’re the little vixen that has stolen my baby’s heart?”

Anna stared at her astounded. She wasn’t used to being talked down to by anyone other than her mother. She could barely believe other people acted like that too. She had assumed wrong.

“Not very bright is she, James?” the woman sneered.

It was then that Anna caught the faintest hint of alcohol. The woman was drunk. James hadn’t given her his hand for nothing that was a mechanism so that she wouldn’t hit her possible mother in law. She chanced a side glance at James, who gave her a smile. ‘God he really is gorgeous.’ she knew where his silent allure came from. His father had been standing quietly watching her, drinking in the moment. Anna looked to find that he shared his father’s beautiful gray blue eyes.

She looked away from the man immediately, blushing. “You have control over your need to prove yourself.” he said quietly. He gave his wife, who had been rambling, a look and that shut her up in half a second. “You know when to hold your tongue. How very mature and lady like.” he smiled at her then, a white and handsome smile. “Nice to meet you. My name is Jordan and this,” he put his arm around his tipsy wife “Is my wife Helen.”

“Charmed.” she shook his hand.

“James I think she would make an excellent wife and mother.” the man said to his son.

Anna didn’t have the heart to tell him that she didn’t intend on having kids. In fact she didn’t plan on marring anyone. She was on the first plane out of the country. France was nice, but she was thinking London.

She politely excused herself and went in search of the one she was most dreading. She was in the process of looking for them when a hand grabbed her arm. She turned and found Aaron smiling gently back at her. He winked and lead her towards his parents.

“Dad,” he called to an older man, about in his mid to late forties. His hair was dark and had once been thick but was now receding back. He smiled at Anna and looked her up and down.

“This is Anna Vaughn, the girl I petitioned for.” he said placing a hand on her arm and leading her to the odd looking couple. The woman seemed rather nerdish and the man seemed to have once been the image out of a trashy romance novel. A shadow of his former glory. He smiled sweetly at the red head and gave her a wink.

“Hello young lady.” he held out his hand.

Anna recoiled slightly, her father had always taught her that if a woman were to shake hands with a man she must put her hand out. Otherwise it was seen as a forward action. She didn’t want to appear rude so she took his hand and shook it firmly. “Nice strong grip.” he looked to Aaron “Are you sure you can handle her son?”

Anna didn’t like the way he had laughed so easily at his own joke. She smiled weakly and dropped his hand. The motherly looking woman took her aside, away from her son and husband. She looked too old for her age and she knew it only too well. “Anna is it?” she asked in a rather soft voice.

“Yes ma’am?”

“Do me a favor, as a potential daughter in law.”

“What can I do?”

“Hurt him.” the look on the woman’s face was more stern than the strongest steel. There was no hint of laughter. “It is an odd request.” she admitted as though reading Anna’s mind “But my dear,” she was growing older by the second. She stroked Anna’s hair gently as if to mentally transfer what she was trying so hard to say out loud. “he hurt you.” dumbfounded Anna stared at her. “I read it in your eyes, your entire body language seems to resent every innocent move he makes, but when he touched you, your eyes gave way to memories that should never have been yours. He takes after his father that way.” the woman stared at her son and husband and seemed to see through them, into the depths of their souls.

“I don’t know if I can do that. My mother seems pretty intent on me marrying your son.” Anna was almost sorry she had said it.

Mrs. Wilson snapped her head around and stared at Anna as though she were growing another head. “Listen to me.” she whispered glancing at her husband. Her words were hushed and hurried “Don’t be like me. I got roped into this family because I was stupid. don’t be me. Are you listening?” Anna’s gaze had wandered over to Mr. Wilson and his son, who were heading steadily toward them. Her head snapped back to the lady of the household. “Don’t marry him, it will only kill you. Or worse. It might make you regret loving anyone ever. It happened to me.” she straightened up and smiled goofily. “Anything else you want to know about my little Aaron?” she asked sweetly.

Only for a second did Anna not understand but then caught on before any one became the wiser. “No I think that’s enough for now. But there were some good stories among them.” she grinned at Mrs. Wilson.

“What have you two been discussing?” Mr. Wilson asked forcefully but not unkindly.

The misses shrugged and Anna grinned wider. “Oh you know, baby stories. Some very cute ones I might add.” she saw Mrs. Wilson relax and take it all in stride. She also distinctly saw Aaron blush.

“It was nice to have meet you, Miss Vaughn. Perhaps you shall be joining the family soon?” it was more of a statement than a question on behalf of the elder male Wilson, but it was not distastefully forceful, though Anna was not going to let on that she and Mrs. Wilson had had any other conversation other than Aaron’s baby stories.

“Sir would it be unkind of me to the others to not give them a fair shot?” she asked oh so innocently “I think they would appreciate a fair chance in the game and I will give your son just as much attention as the others.” she added smartly knowing it would make him and his son angry.

Mr. Wilson’s face contorted into a scowl and he sneered at her “Trashy way to be talking to who might soon be your family Miss Vaughn.” he snarled through clenched teeth. He really did not like looking the fool, especially since she was only a teen and he was elder. “You might be careful who you runt around with too Vaughn.” he dropped the formalities and went straight for the threats. “Whoever you end up with might not be so fortunate to have you.”

Anna smiled rather wickedly and felt her anger begin to boil “I don’t respond well to threats sir.” she added sir with utter sickly artificial sweetness. “You might want to ask your son how the family jewels were shuffled one day when I felt threatened. I might add,” she paused hoping he would get the point “I am an excellent fighter with a self preservation mode that will be liable to injure any persons threatening my well being. That goes for your gigantic head.”

It was her turn to sneer at the complete and total shock on Mr. Wilson’s face. Anna turned and walked out of the great hall. She took up the packets from her parents and bid them a safe trip home. She had a lot of reading to do and so little time.