"And that's how you left it?"
Topaz eyed her friend keenly. "Wow. You said you wanted a holiday romance, but with a prince? Syl, that's going some, even for you!"
"Well, it wasn't really a holiday romance, in truth." Sylva sighed. It was three days later and, back in Los Angeles, Sylva had shared the whole story of their adventure to a curious Topaz. "I don't know, to be honest, what you could call it. We barely had time to get to know each other, but I feel like..." She shrugged. "He made an impression on me."
"Was he cute?"
"Very, but it was something else." Sylva looked confused. "I dunno what, exactly. Maybe his being Morvanian made him a little exotic? God knows. All I know is that I liked him very much, and even though he lied to me about who he was, I wish that we'd had longer to spend together. I know that it's the biggest non-starter of a fling you could ever dream of, but he was nice."
"You have no luck with guys lately." Topaz said sympathetically, casting a glance down at the small bundle she held gently in her arms. "She's asleep, so I'd better go set her down in her crib. I can't believe all the adventures you guys had in Morvania whilst I was stuck here on my own!"
"Well, believe me, they weren't as much fun when they were happening." Sylva said firmly. "It's all right now, because it's over, but then I really didn't know if I was going to make it out of there alive. Nadia and her brother were psycho - I really think they would have killed me."
"What people will do in the name of power." Topaz said thoughtfully, getting to her feet and gently laying her sleeping daughter down in the crib. "Come on. The radio's on, so I'll hear if she cries, and I'd rather we left her to sleep. I've missed you guys a whole lot, you know - please tell me you're not going away again any time soon!"
"I hope not." Sylva admitted. "I've had enough of touring for a while."
"I bet." Topaz agreed. "Though I have noticed that Sadie has become a bonafide, cemented Jewel through all of this."
"Yeah, she has." Sylva agreed. "Though we miss you. Especially in Morvania - I could've done with your shoulder to cry on over Nat, and your advice. But, I suppose I have to take responsibility for my own life sometime, and make my own decisions. I can't rely on you forever - after all, Hollie needs you more than I do these days."
"Yes, very true." Topaz agreed. "And to be honest, she takes up a whole lot of my attention."
She pushed open the door of the sitting room, taking a seat and indicating for her friend to join her. The other three Jewels were out by the pool, and Sylva did as she was bidden, making herself comfortable.
"It does feel good to be home." She decided. "If nothing else, people speak a language I understand! I knew I should've worked harder in Spanish class at school, but then again, who learns Morvanian before they go anywhere?"
"What do you suppose will happen to the two who kidnapped you?" Topaz wondered.
Sylva frowned.
"Well, from what Nat said, I suspect they will be put to death." She admitted. Topaz opened her eyes wide.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Treason, and all that." Sylva nodded. "Apparently Nat believes that his mother made a big mistake in letting their grandmother live, when she staged her own takeover bid back in the eighties. The Captain of the Guard agrees with him, and since they, between them, are making most of the decisions, I don't think there will be any mercy shown." She frowned. "I don't like to think of it really. I mean, I like Nat a whole lot, and I can't really equate him with the guy dispensing justice in that kind of way."
"No, it seems kind of severe, but I suppose when you're in that position, you have to do what benefits the many, even if that means sacrificing the few." Topaz spoke gravely. "I couldn't make that kind of decision."
"No, me either." Sylva agreed. "Although, Topaz, if someone threatened my mother...I'd not be all that well disposed towards them. I get the feeling Nat loves his mother as much as I love mine - and that might, in his mind, justify it." She shrugged. "Either way, I'm glad I'll never know for sure what happened to them. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the death penalty at the best of times, and this is just too close to home for me."
"Yeah, I can imagine." Topaz nodded her head.
"So, what's been going on in LA since we went away?" Sylva eyed her friend quizzically. Topaz rolled her eyes.
"Nothing to rival your story." She assured her. "I had an email from Cameron - okay, seven - so I blocked his IP from my email. Or rather, Cynthia did. I couldn't bring myself to do it, to be honest."
"I thought he'd given up on you by now?" Sylva looked startled. Topaz looked guilty.
"Well, er, sort of." She said at length. Sylva narrowed her gaze.
"What did you do?" She asked.
"Well, he, erm, phoned me." Topaz blushed.
"He phoned you?" Sylva paled, remembering the last time she had spoken to the medical student, during the English tour. She had been forced to lie to get herself out of a jam, and she had not yet found the courage to admit to her friend what she had done. "What did he say?"
"Nothing much." Topaz looked startled. "Why? What did you think he'd said?"
"I..nothing." Sylva shook her head. "I just wondered what he wanted, that's all. When did he call?"
"Oh, this was some time ago. It was round Christmas - not long before Hol was born." Topaz shrugged. "It was a brief chat really, he wanted to know if I was all right, I told him I was. He told me he was sorry if he'd upset me, and you know, that kind of thing. He seemed like he was trying to get me to answer a question without having to ask it - but he never voiced it, and I still don't know what he was trying to say."
"So what happened?"
"Cynthia caught me, and I had to hurry up and stop the call." Topaz looked sheepish. "It was whilst you were working on the video with Zoe - do you remember my false alarm? I'm fairly sure that was what sparked it off."
"You should have told us then." Sylva scolded.
"Why? It wasn't like it changed anything." Topaz shrugged. "I haven't been in contact with him since, though he's sent me emails. I've also blocked him from my phone, and he's quit calling here, since Cynthia told him that the number was no longer in service. I dunno, Syl, I'm just finding it hard to let him go - and wondering why in hell I had to."
"I guess you're like me in this." Sylva looked pensive. "We both wind up liking guys who we can't have, for whatever reason."
"I know." Topaz nodded. "Life goes on, and all that." She smiled slightly. "At least you have the novelty of being able to say you've kissed a bonafide prince."
"True." A smile played around the corners of Sylva's mouth. "You know, though, since things blew up with Jack I've begun to wonder if I've lost my edge, but I guess all of this in Morvania has just proved that that isn't the case. Perhaps I have moved on from that now, and Nat was the catalyst I needed to do so. I like Nat a whole lot, but I know there's nothing going if I was to pursue that, whereas with Jack I never quite knew what might happen. Maybe it's time I just put the whole business behind me and took a step forward. After all, I've never been shy with meeting guys, and hey, who knows? Maybe Mr Right is waiting around the corner."
"Maybe." Topaz looked amused. "And if he is, can you ask him if he has a friend who likes Canadian single mothers?"
"Silly." Sylva laughed, swatting her friend playfully. "Oh, it's good to be back, Topaz. I've missed you and I've missed Los Angeles. But most of all, I've missed being able to play the field. Maybe now I can get my life in gear and work out what I really want!"