TDA Meets TLH

15: James

I woke up the next morning, in my bed at the Los Angeles Institute, in the same clothes I had worn the night, before. I blinked, and slowly sat up. I barely remembered coming home from the club. I hadn't been drunk, but everything seemed to blur together. Last night had been quite fun, and I smiled slightly to myself. I walked to the bathroom, and got ready. I changed into the clothes that I had gotten from Julian and Mark, and walked out of my bedroom.

I walked into the kitchen, to where everyone else already sat. I flashed them all a small smile, and took a seat beside Matthew. He shot me a grin, and I raised an eyebrow at him. He then looked over at Cordelia, who was sitting across from me, and then back at me, smirking. Oh. My eyes went to her. She was talking to Lucie, her red hair flowing freely down her shoulders.

I had danced with her for most of the night. I didn't know how that had ended up happening, only that it suddenly had. I kept making her laugh, and I had realized that her laugh was one of the sweetest noises that I had ever heard in my life. I couldn't help but smile, when she had laughed. Not to mention, that she had looked beautiful. Was I starting to have feelings for her? It seemed like it.

"How was everyone's night, last night?" Emma started casually.

Livvy huffed. "Boring. I wanted to come with you guys."

Emma chuckled. "You know, that you were too young."

Livvy only started to mutter things under her breath, looking annoyed. Ty was poking her in the arm, wanting to tell her something.

"Yesterday was so fun!" Lucie exclaimed happily. That was her, always happy and excited. "Definitely more fun than what we do in London."

"What is there to do in 1903?" Dru asked.

"Not much, compared to here." Anna chuckled.

"We got to balls." Cordelia spoke up. "To go dancing, of course, though it is not like the dancing you all do here."

"Of course, we go hunting demons." Matthew added. "And to parties."

"Do your parents all let you go to parties by yourselves?" Ty asked.

"Well, I'm nineteen, so I do not ask my parents. I never really did, actually, I just snuck out." Anna grinned dangerously. "My father used to get very cross with me."

"My mother is very overprotective." I stated, rolling my eyes. "But she means well."

"Our father is just plain reckless." Lucie piped up, chuckling. "Our mother worries for him, greatly."

"Uncle Will is fun. More fun than Jamie, here." Matthew teased.

"Hey! I'm fun." I glared.

Matthew grinned wildly at Cordelia. "Cordy must think so."

Cordelia turned a shade of pink, and glared at Matthew. "I do not understand what you mean."

"I do." Emma piped up, looking very amused.

"Miss Carstairs, you are as smart as you are beautiful." Matthew smiled, charmingly.

Anna laughed. "Do stop flirting with her, Matty."

"I apologize, Miss Carstairs, if I have made you uncomfortable." He wore a cheeky grin.

Emma only blushed slightly, and chuckled. "No, you haven't."

Cristina looked as if she was about to say something, when suddenly the doorbell to the Institute rang. We all looked each other, and all stood up, and walked to the front hall. Julian opened the door, Emma close to his side, and I looked to see who was there. It was a boy. He had tanned brown skin, and brown hair. He looked a bit uncomfortable, but I wasn't sure why. I then heard Cristina gasp loudly.

"Jaime?" She said, shocked.

Jaime smiled. "Hello Cristina."

"Wh--what are you doing here?" She asked, astonished.

"I invited him." Diego spoke up, walking toward the two of them.

Cristina seemed to recover from her moment of shock, and glared fiercely at Jaime, and then at Diego.

"Who said you could? This isn't your Institute." She glared at Diego.

"He's my brother, I wanted to see him, and I thought that you should, too." He replied.

So that's why Jaime looked familiar, he and Diego were brothers. Cristina looked angry.

"Well, I don't want to see him. In fact, I really don't want to see either of you. You know what the two of you did to me, and I have not forgotten!" She exclaimed.

Cristina then turned on her heel, and stormed out of the front hall. Mark glared at the two brothers fiercely, and went after Cristina. We all then stood there, awkwardly, and Emma then stepped forward.

"Why should we let you two stay? You've hurt Cristina, in some way that seems pretty horribly judging by her reaction, and I don't like people who hurt my friends. My best friends, at that." She spoke fiercely, glaring at them as if she was trying to burn a hole through their heads.

"I am a Centurion, you have to let me stay." Diego shot back.

"That doesn't mean we have to let your brother stay." Emma snapped.

"Em," Julian stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder.

From his voice, you could just see how Emma softened. They looked at each other for a second, and had a conversation through their eyes, just like the way Matthew and I always did. Emma then sighed heavily, and turned and looked back at Jaime and Diego, her gaze becoming cold, once again.

"You can stay." She said flatly, and then became serious. "But if either of you hurt Cristina in any way, I'll personally stake you, myself. Keep that in mind."

Emma then turned on her heel, just as Cristina had, and walked out. Jaime and Diego only looked at each other, Jaime probably regretting coming here. Matthew then sidled up next to me.

"They certainly argue a lot, here." He whispered.

I chuckled quietly. "They do."