Heather the Hostess

"Ooh, you're giving her a tour? Count me in!" Ashley gleefully exclaimed when she learned Heather was in the middle of showing the cabin to Mrs. Bishop.

"Fine, I'm going downstairs to get something to drink," Brandon grumbled out to his girlfriend. Owen shrugged and went with him down to the rec room.

"I'll come with you to the master suite, but I think I'll take a nap. I'm not feeling all that well," Victoria stated as she joined the women.

The foursome walked down the hall and into the den. The room served as both a small library and Robert's office away from home. Several floor-to-ceiling custom-built oak bookshelves lined the northside wall, with a window in between overlooking the front drive of the cabin. Another bookshelf stood next to a window on the west wall. A large desk sat in front of that window. A leather couch, with the foldout bed, was set against the southside wall. Two matching leather chairs and a small table were against the east wall, near the doorway on the southeast corner of the room. Framed pictures of Robert's family, particularly his beloved grandparents, lined the wall above the chairs.

"I love this room! I wish I had an office at home like this," an impressed Monica announced. She would love her own home office someday. Gregory was very protective of the only office they had in their house.

"Now don't get me wrong, I love this room too, but I think it's a bit much for Dad," Heather told the others. "He's supposed to get away from work when he's at the cabin."

Monica nodded in understanding while she moved over to gaze at the pictures. "Luckily, Dad had the foresight years ago to make copies of the pictures he loved. Most of those there are copies of ones that burned down with the old cabin," Heather explained. "That's my great-grandparents."

"I know, I just haven't seen a picture of them in many years," Monica noted, surprising Heather.

"You knew them?"

"Of course, I think everyone in town knew them. They were both lovely people. I met them many times when I was growing up," Monica told her while she reached over and actually pulled another picture off the wall, shocking Heather with her forwardness.

"Uh, that's my dad's Aunt Rita," Heather said confused by the fond look on Mrs. Bishop's face. "Did you know her?"

"Are you serious?" Monica asked with a surprised look over at the younger teen. "I absolutely know Rita, she's my godmother...well not officially, we were never very religious, it's more of an honorary position."

Heather's jaw dropped at the revelation. Ashley and Victoria were nearly as shocked as their lifelong friend. Both girls knew enough of the Ravers family history to know that Rita Ravers had long been the mysterious member of the family. Ashley vaguely remembered meeting her once, when Heather's great-grandmother passed away.

"You know Aunt Rita? Nobody around here will talk about her. I've only met her a small number of times. She refuses to visit Azure Rocks, so we only see her when we go to her home out near Emerald Shores." A mystified Heather couldn't wrap her head around this new development. Her father dearly loved his aunt, but she was the one subject area he refused to tell her anything about. His response always was, "Someday when you're older, I'll tell you." Which was weird since she came across as a boring housewife and mother.

"My parents are close friends with her, and we used to visit her every few years on vacation when I was growing up. I've always admired her toughness and courage. I took the kids to see her, about ten years ago, I think," Monica added, only fueling Heather's thirst for knowledge, which she could see. "I'm sorry, honey. Rita's story isn't for me to tell. Maybe it's time your father tells you or better yet you hear it from Rita herself."

Seeing the dejected look on the brunette's face, Monica placed the picture frame back on the wall and rubbed Heather's arm soothingly. "How about you show me some more of this fabulous place, okay?"

The prospect of continuing her hostess duties shook Heather out of her thoughts. The four of them then walked across the hall into the master suite. Monica nearly made the three teens jump when she let out a low-level shriek at the sight of the suite.

"Holy--I thought I loved the den, but this room is incredible!"

Heather had long become accustomed to visiting places of opulence, but she clearly enjoyed seeing the look of awe on Monica's face. Ashley and Victoria both had been amazed at the room earlier, but seeing the older woman's reaction gave them a greater appreciation for how fortunate they were to stay at the cabin.

"I thought the view from my room upstairs was impressive, but this right here is perfect," Mrs. Bishop said looking out the glass doors.

Heather next showed her the en suite with its oversized round tub and large walk-in shower. "Leave it to Robert to have a shower clearly made for sex," Monica joked before covering her mouth with her hand when she remembered who stood next to her.

"Don't worry; I know how my father is," Robert's daughter said with a shrug. Ashley giggled behind her.

They then moved to the final room of the suite, which Heather purposely saved for last. "Okay, Mrs. Bishop, don't freak out," she cracked with a grin, right before she opened the door to the walk-in closet.

Monica's wide-eyed look and joyful "Are you fucking kidding me!" was exactly what Heather had expected.

The older woman walked into the long closet, admiring all the racks and shelves before she gave another surprised noise when she discovered the room was L-shaped. Turning back to look at Heather and Ashley, she remarked, "Honey, you better be careful who your father shows this to; the woman won't want to leave."

"I'm so jealous of this closet. I can't believe Dad didn't think to build one anywhere close to this in a bedroom for me," admitted a frustrated Heather. Her eyes then shot open when she was Mrs. Bishop leaned over to pick up a piece of clothing that had fallen to the floor.

"I'm guessing your father has already shown this room to a woman," smirked Monica, holding up a piece of holiday lingerie.

"Um, actually that's mine," admitted a suddenly bashful Heather. "It was Owen's Christmas present."

"Ah, to be young again. There's no need to be embarrassed, honey. It looks quite sexy and fun. You should enjoy stuff like this when you're young," Monica told her. "If I wore something like this these days, my husband would barely bat an eye."

Heather felt a wave of sympathy for the older woman. That's awful! She's a gorgeous woman. No man I ever marry better take me for granted like that.

As they prepared to leave the room, Monica walked over to Victoria. The young blonde had spent most of the tour sitting on the bed looking sad. "You sure you don't want to join us?"

"That's okay, Mrs. Bishop. Thanks, but I'm feeling a little worn out," responded Victoria.

"Alright, but remember what I told you. You didn't do anything wrong, okay? So don't beat yourself up over it," the older brunette reminded, getting a nod in return.

Robert gave out a chuckle as he watched his daughter lead the older woman and Ashley back past the main room, after a quick stop to grab their coats, and out to the sunroom. He loved to see her take charge and be a good hostess. If only she could control her libido more than he could at her age.

"I don't even like to read much, but this room makes me want to curl up with a good book," Ashley remarked when she saw Mrs. Bishop's eyes light up at the cozy looking sunroom.

"I just might do that, Ash. This would do quite nicely, after all the hectic hours down at the clinic," the older woman agreed.

Downstairs on the walk-out level, Monica was impressed by how many rooms the cabin held, and how large they all were. Her amazement shot through the roof at the sight of the wine cellar. She mimicked Ashley's mother from the day before with an "Oh my" and a laugh. The three of them then walked back to the rec room so they could exit through the glass doors.

However, as they walked Heather shot a look over at her older boyfriend. Owen and Brandon were partaking in the bar's liquor selection. Heather mouthed to Owen to keep an eye on Brandon, and he nodded back just as the surly teenager downed a shot of something clear.

On this second tour, Heather made sure to show off the lower level sunroom and its hot tub. "I really could use a nice soak in that. My whole body is tired and sore from work and the holidays. I'm really disappointed I missed out on the trip to the hot springs. It sounded like a fun time," Monica told the two teens.

"It definitely was something," Heather cracked, before turning to look at her friend, who also missed the trip. "Ash, how's your ankle?"

"It's feeling better. I think this walk is a good test for it," the petite blonde reported.

After reaching the boathouse, they entered the side door that led to the bunkhouse. Heather paused at the bottom of the stairs and shouted, " Yoo-hoo, Jared! We're coming up. So make sure you pull some underwear on at least."

---

"I think I need to lie down for a little while," Skye softly informed the others sitting around the main room fireplace. "The walk and the heat hit me harder than I would have thought."

"Sure thing, babe. Maybe I'll join you in a bit," Phillip told her as she got up and went downstairs. Her older boyfriend then got up to join Jeff, who was in the kitchen, and he also motioned to Robert to follow him.

"What's up, Phil?" the cabin owner asked his old friend, once all three men were in the kitchen.

"What should we do about the Cole kid?" Phillip asked. Noticing the blank looks he received back, he continued. "I mean after that fight; the kid looks pissed. If he is a spy for his old man, should we really leave him here?"

"Hmm, you might be right. But that still assumes his dad is behind this smear campaign, plans to run and has his own son spying on his girlfriend's father. They have been together for a couple of years, I think. That's a whole lot of ifs, Phil," Jeff remarked and then turned to look at Robert for his opinion.

"While I still have my doubts about this whole conspiracy you proposed, I think it would be prudent to let him stay. If Brandon is some spy for Walden, then perhaps in his anger, he'll slip up and reveal it to us," Robert suggested, earning a shrug from Jeff and a devious smile from Phillip.

"Damn, that's a great idea, Robbie. Maybe we can lay out a trap for him to spring? Like a fake conversation the kid just happens to overhear, or a fake document left on a desk? What? Oh, come on, it sounds like fun," the elder Zander whined after seeing the shake of his friends' heads at his ideas.

"That seems a little too James Bond for right now, Phil. We're here to honor Cassandra, not play spycatcher. So let's have a nice time and relax," Robert firmly stated to his friend.

Phillip already disappointed by the rejection of his suggestions, had his face turn pale at the mention of his dead wife. "You guys are party-poopers. I'm going down by Skye and take a nap too," he grumbled out, suddenly not interested in their company anymore.

"Maybe you shouldn't have mentioned Cassie, Robert. You know he doesn't react well to her name," Jeff told his friend after Phillip walked away.

"It's been ten years, Jeff. It's well past time to still be in denial for how it affects him. We're starting a charity to honor her, and using the charity ball to promote it in a few days. He can't avoid it any longer. This new girlfriend seems like she could be good for him, but it won't last if he can't finally admit he's still running away from Cassie's ****," Robert somberly stated to his friend.

Before Jeff could respond, Sarah came around the corner. "You have any wine in here, Robert?"

"Damon's still taking it that bad?" he asked while moving over to the small wine fridge on the counter. "This is your favorite, right?"

"Oh, I could kiss you. Thanks," she said grabbing the wine glass and taking a long sip. "Yeah, he's calmed down somewhat, but he's taking this hard. With Hannah so wild with boys for years, he long made Ash into his virginal princess in his head, his little cupcake. Now that image is shattered. How did you handle Heather losing her virginity?"

"Honestly, I was surprised it took her as long as it did. No, I'm serious. She's far too much like your Hannah for me to ever delude myself into not thinking it would happen. Also, it helped that Andrew is the son of good friends, so I knew for the young man she wasn't just a notch on his belt to brag about," Robert remarked in reference to Klaus and Alicia Nordstein's college-aged son, Andrew.

"Don't look at me for advice on this one, Sarah," Jeff told her with a half-laugh. "You know Gabriela's long been planning for Jules' first time. If it's not Zack, she's the one that's going to be a wreck, not me. Hell, I don't even want to think about it."

"Count yourself lucky that you only have one daughter," she quipped to Jeff. "If you had several mini-Gabbys running around, I bet you would be in worse shape than Damon."

The door to the sunroom opening cut off any reply that Jeff might have had, as Monica, Heather, Ashley and Jared walked in. Jeff's son carried a small bag and a pillow.

"Oh, you didn't need to bring that, Jared," Robert told the teenager. "We've got plenty downstairs in the closet."

"I didn't want to cause any more trouble, Mr. Ravers," Jared quietly said. "I'm sorry again for breaking your furniture."

"And you should be," his mother broke in as she marched into the room. "Robert is gracious enough to let you stay at his brand-new cabin, and you treat it with disrespect. I'm really regretting your sister getting that temporary job and not you. She would never start a brawl over...I don't know what!"

"Now let's not say that Gabs," Sarah cut in. "I could see Juliana attacking any of the girls here if they looked at Zack the wrong way."

"Sarah, you're not helping," Gabriela tried to tell her best friend sternly, but cracked a grin. "Fine! You're right."

"Hey, let's get go downstairs, Jared," Ashley suggested, and getting a nod back from her mother at the idea. The petite blonde didn't want her sex escapade brought up next.

After the two teens left, Robert turned to his daughter. "Pumpkin, did you show Monica everything?"

"I sure did, Dad. I like playing tour guide. I can't wait until it's warm enough that I can add the grounds outside to the itinerary," Heather replied with a smile.

"Heather's a very informative guide, Robert. You've done an amazing job, with both her and the cabin," praised Monica, getting a big grin back from his daughter. "You know Greg and I talked about either building a cabin or buying one. It would be a nice getaway from the grind of the hospital, but he's more interested in the Cobalt Lake area than around here."

"Cobalt Lake? Aargh...don't get me started on those cookie cutter cabins they are mass producing over there. I already told Damon this, but if you're interested, I can keep an ear out for any cabins on Silver Lake that might be up for sale soon. You'll find Silver Lake is a much more enjoyable place than Cobalt or Indigo lakes," Robert said, unable to hide his strong dislike for the other lakes and their new cabins.

"Damon's interested in a cabin here? That would be nice, but expensive," Sarah commented. "Hey, Mon, maybe we could jointly buy one to share?"

"Hmm, that could be a good idea. It's not like Taylor and Hannah wouldn't just treat a cabin any differently than our homes. They practically have their own rooms at each house," Monica joked. "Still, I don't know what Greg would say. You know him and his privacy."

"Having you guys as neighbors up here would be so cool," Heather brightly remarked. "I hope you give it some thought. Okay, I'm going to go downstairs and join the others."

"I think we should work on Damon first since he's here in the cabin," Sarah suggested after Heather left. "Now I need to work on getting my husband drunk, so he'll forget about Ashley and Brandon. Anyone want to join us in the hot tub?"

"Wine and a hot soak? I'm in!" laughed Monica.

"I'm a little tired of hot water after the hot springs, but I'm always down for some wine with my girls, count us in," Gabriela said for both herself and Jeff. Her husband realized he had no say in the matter and just nodded.

"I'm going to have to pass. I need to talk care of a few things for work," Robert told them. "But first, I'll go turn on the tub and space heater for you. It will take a little while to warm up, so take your time getting out there.

"I'm going to pass too, girls," said Kimberly, who had just walked over to join the conversation. "I need to catch up on my emails, or I'm going to be swamped by the time I get back to the office. I assume you have an internet connection, Robert? My phone's signal seems to go in and out."

"Of course, I spent far too much money having an underground cable extended this far. Damn cable company refused to put a line out to Silver Lake, said it wasn't worth it for them," Robert grumbled. "At least, I made some of my neighbors happy by paying for it. Yeah, cell phone signals are pretty spotty here on the northern shore of the lake. We at least get a partial signal, over on the southern shore, those cabins don't get any signal. Well, I better go turn the stuff on, or you're going to be freezing your butts off."

---

Heather walked down the stairs and into a tense scene. Jared stood in front of the bar, with an angry look on his face. Her boyfriend, Owen, held back an even more furious Brandon, who wanted out from behind the bar. Ashley stood off the side, trying to get her boyfriend to calm down.

"What the heck is going on here?" she asked.

"This fucker is trying to tell me where I can and can't go!" Brandon loudly spat out, his words slightly slurring from his **** intake.

"Bran, calm down! If our parents hear you, you're getting sent home," pleaded Ashley.

"Keeping smirking bitch, I'll give you a matching black eye!" threatened Brandon.

"What? Sorry, I can't understand you behind that fat lip," Jared mocked the other teen by cupping a hand to his ear.

"Whoa, now simmer down, buddy," said Owen as Brandon tried to lunge past him once again.

"I'm not your fucking buddy!"

"Stop that right now, Brandon. Or I'm going to come over there and put my foot up your ass. You got that?" Heather snapped out.

"Fine," the high school quarterback grumbled but backed away from Owen.

"Now, I want to know what started this, so someone tell me," Heather communicated to the others, as she looked around at them.

"That piece of--," Brandon started to angrily say before Heather's raised hand stopped him.

"Owen?" the cabin owner's daughter asked her boyfriend.

"Well, Jared here came down with Ashley a few minutes ago and told Brandon he had to leave. That's what started the argument you walked in on," the young man explained.

"Is that true?" Heather asked Jared, who shrugged at her question.

"Pretty much. I'm being punished for our earlier fight by having to sleep on the couch down here. So that makes this my bedroom for the night, and since we've been told to stay apart, it means Brandon has to leave," he explained with a thumb motion at the end, meaning Brandon had to go.

"You don't get to tell me what to do!" Brandon hotly told him.

"No, he doesn't, but I do. You need to leave the room, Brandon," Heather plainly stated.

"What! You're taking his side?" he snapped out. "You fucking--,"

"Bran!" a shocked Ashley gasped, as her boyfriend was stopped from finishing his insult by Heather's finger pointing at him.

"I wouldn't even think about calling me that, Brandon. I've going to let that slide for now, let's blame the liquor. But Jared is right, this is his room for tonight. That does mean you have to leave the room. I'm not taking any sides, I'm just pointing out the facts of what our parents decided.

"Whatever, I'm leaving. C'mon, Ash," he said motioning for his girlfriend to follow, as Owen finally let him pass. Jared took a step back from the bar, to let him pass, but as he did Brandon grabbed a bottle of tequila from the bar. "I'm taking this with me."

"Yeah, whatever," Heather muttered. Ashley shot her an apologetic look and a quiet sorry. "Fucking boys and your need to show who's got the biggest dick."

"Sorry, Heather. He just gets under my skin way too fast," Jared apologized as he grabbed the remote control and turned on the television.

"What now?" Owen asked his girlfriend as the group had dwindled down to the three of them, one who seemed more interested in finding a game to watch.

"We're going for a walk," Heather informed him, brightening up at the idea.

"A walk? We just spent most of the day walking," he sort of whined at the idea.

Moving closer to her boyfriend so Jared couldn't hear, she explained, "Vicky's laying down for a nap, and all the other rooms are taken. I'm horny, and I need you to fuck me, right now."

"What? Are you serious? I don't think that's a good idea. Didn't your dad almost catch us at the hot springs?" her boyfriend worriedly asked.

"Oh, he totally caught us. C'mon, I'll let you see those pictures of Skye and me."