Just A Dream...
Family Feud

Chapter Seven: Romance

"Your Nancy plays good."
Thus Laura as she, Jetta, Aaron and Cameron sat in the back room, listening to Jewel play.
Jetta nodded.
"Pizzazz an' I would never 'ave signed 'er otherwise." She said, a tiny note of pride in her tone which belied her disinterest. "They're good sellers, Jewel. Nancy provides the music, the others provide the PR, an' all in all they make a good team."
Impromptu and improvised though the concert was, the girls' ability was evident, and as they finished their song they received a round of applause for their efforts. Sylva dimpled, stepping up from the piano stool.
"Well, it's never sounded quite like that before, but I liked it." She admitted. "Hey, how about we try it like that at our next concert - only with a drum kit for Copper, of course?"
"I think it might be cool." Topaz grinned. "I enjoyed singing with a different backing...it kept me on my toes."
"You sing good." That was Cameron. "I can't believe you girls ain't big in the UK yet...it's gotta only be a matter of time before you are."
"One step at a time. Canada and the States are enough for now." Jetta said dryly, exchanging looks with Laura, who fully understood her friend's reservations about a publicity splash in England.
"Thanks for the compliment though." Topaz said sincerely. "I guess I have to sing good because I'm not much use at any of the other musical things these guys can do."
"You play bass pretty good these days." Nancy objected. "I know, I taught you!"
"Well, maybe." Topaz dimpled. "But singing's always gonna be my favourite."
"You were great." Cameron smiled at her, and there was something in that smile that made the usually laid back Canadian flush slightly, a self-conscious smile touching her lips.
Sylva noticed it, and nudged Copper, who nodded, grinning.
"Love at first sight." She murmured. "Isn't it sweet?"
"I'm gonna give them a helping hand." Sylva decided, shutting the lid on the piano, and casting Cameron a smile.
"You know, Topaz was kinda head-hunted because she's such a good singer." She said sweetly. "But she's too modest to boast about it."
Topaz sent Sylva a confused look, but Sylva only winked at her.
"I see." Cameron grinned, for Sylva's attempts were not lost on him. "By the way, I meant to ask...is Topaz really your name?"
"No...it's my stage name." Topaz admitted. "My real name's Aurora...Aurora Stapleton."
"Aurora, huh?" Cameron considered. "That's real pretty, you know. Do you mind if I call you that?"
Now there were no stopping Topaz's blushes, and she shrugged.
"If you like." She agreed. "Noone's called me that since I left Canada, but I don't mind."
"You're Canadian?" Cameron asked, as the group made their way back into the other room. Topaz nodded.
"Yes...I would've thought you could tell that by my accent." She replied. Cameron looked discomfitted.
"Would you be really offended if I said I couldn't tell the difference between American an' Canadian accents?" he asked sheepishly. Topaz laughed.
"No, not at all." She replied with a grin. "I can't tell the difference between English and Australian, so I guess we're in the same boat, huh?"
"Guess so." Cameron grinned. "So what part of Canada are you from, then?"
"My mother's Quebecois, but I was born just over the border from America." Topaz replied. "Most of my childhood was spent in a little town about an hour from Toronto, though, and I moved there when I left home...looking for work, you know. That was what, about eighteen months ago now? And I met Jewel there six months ago, or about that."
"How old are you, if you don't mind me askin'?"
"Nineteen. Twenty in November, hence the Topaz reference - it's my birthstone." Topaz replied, finding her initial hesitations about her companion's interest relaxing into a genuine liking for the English student. "You?"
"Twenty one in March." Cameron grinned. "But stuck in school all the same. Sometimes I wonder what it'd be like to jack it all in an' work for a year or two - but I can't imagine doin' anything but medicine in the future."
"I never had any ambitions like that." Topaz admitted, realising that they had stopped outside the door of the main room, and were alone together in the hall. A faint blush touched her cheeks once more. "Except I wanted to sing...but I think almost every young girl wants to be a pop star at some point. I never grew out of it."
"Yeah...I went through a stage when I was sixteen of wanting to be a rock and roll legend." Cameron looked sheepish. "And I got the guitar at a car boot sale for a fiver in order to pursue this ambition. But I got bored with it pretty quick. Avril plays with it more than I ever do, to be honest...that's why I never sold it."
"Avril?" Topaz asked. "Your...girlfriend?"
Absently she wondered why there was such a panic inside of her at the thought he might already be dating, but to her relief he shook his head.
"No, my sister."
"I thought her name was Stef."
"Yes, but I meant my other sister." Cameron laughed. "I'm the eldest of four. Avril is seventeen, Stefanie is fourteen an' Kyle ten. Stef and Avril are close as if there weren't three years between 'em an' they got the ambition to make it big in music someday...they're not bad, but nothin' like you girls. Still, maybe with practice, huh? Kyle's the oddball of the family, 'e sits upstairs with 'is computer games most days. 'E taught me to use email properly."
"I haven't a clue about computers." Topaz admitted with a grin. "Aaron and Copper handle our group's website - Aaron most of all, to be honest, since Copper is busy with us a lot of the time."
"Well, it's cheaper than long-distance phoning and more efficient than snail mail." Cameron replied. "Now I know how to use it, I'm hoping Aaron and I will keep in touch. We spent three weeks hanging out when we were kids and had a blast, and it'd be cool to have a penpal across the sea, you know?"
"Yeah. Sounds fun." Topaz nodded.
"My friend Taylor's a computer expert too." Cameron told her. "Though these days 'e spends more time on chat with some Veronica girl than 'e does on email or anything. Between you an' me I think 'e 'as the hots for 'er, even though they ain't never met. But 'e got us set up 'ere with the net when we moved in."
"Taylor?" Topaz sounded surprised. "But isn't he...?"
"Aunt Sheila's nephew? Apparently." Cameron nodded. "But neither of us knew that when we met." He frowned. "An' I don't think Aunt Sheila wants much to do with 'im now, neither."
"Nancy met him in town yesterday, and Jetta had a fit when she knew." Topaz remembered. Cameron shrugged.
"Aunt Sheila's a strange woman." He said dryly. "'Ere, it ain't very 'ospitable of me to be keepin' you out 'ere in the corridor when you could be sittin', especially since you've 'ad a long trip 'ere...guess we'd better join the others before they wonder where we are."
"Oh!" Topaz exclaimed, then, "I hadn't even noticed they'd gone." She admitted.
"Me neither till just now." Cameron said sheepishly. Topaz laughed.
"I suppose we were just too involved in what we were saying." She said. Cameron shrugged.
"Maybe...but I was thinkin' 'ow pretty you were." He admitted, his tone so sincere that Topaz could do nothing but blush a deep red colour, for once in her life speechless. Cameron observed her expression with some concern.
"'Ere, I didn't mean to embarrass you." He said.
"It's okay." Topaz recovered herself. "I guess I'm just not used to being complimented by guys like that."
"Well, the blokes in Canada must 'ave lousy taste then!" Cameron laughed, relieved. Topaz grinned.
"Maybe." She said.
"How long are you girls in London for?" Cameron asked, pushing open the door of the main room.
"Couple of weeks." Topaz replied.
"Well, while you're 'ere will you let me take you out for a drink one night? I 'ave a car, even if it is an old banger, so I can pick you up from your 'otel if you're afraid of getting lost."
"I'd love to." Topaz told him softly, not knowing why she felt so excited at the bare idea.
Cameron grinned.
"Well, guess you'd better give me your 'otel phone number, an' I'll give you a call." he said with a grin. Topaz dimpled.
"Sure...here." She said, pulling a napkin from her pocket and taking the pen he offered her, scrawling the number down. "There."
"Ta. I'll be in touch." Cameron winked at her. "Now let's get back to the others, before they think we've eloped or somethin'!"
And with a grin he disappeared into the living room, leaving his flustered companion to follow him slowly.
So what had that been about? Her thoughts and emotions were still whirling through her head like she was a giddy sixteen year old back in high school, with a crush on the class president. What had gotten into her? She'd known Cameron for barely an hour and yet she was this excited at the prospect of a date with him?
"Get a grip, Rora." She told herself firmly as she took her seat beside Sylva, ignoring her friend's questioning looks. "He's just a guy and it's just a date - that's probably all it'll ever be. You know your track record with men - don't lose your heart to this one. After all, you live right across the other side of the world to him...it's not worth the effort."
But as she caught his eye from across the room she knew that her heart wasn't listening. She was attracted to Cameron big time...and who knew where it might lead her?
 

 PART FIVE: FAMILY FEUD
Chapter One: Invitation To England
Chapter Two: Exploring London
Chapter Three: Taylor
Chapter Four: A Surprise For Nancy
Chapter Five: Jetta Explains
Chapter Six: To Ruislip
Chapter Seven: Romance
Chapter Eight: The Stranger
Chapter Nine: Kidnap!
Chapter Ten: The Aftermath
Chapter Eleven: Bad Blood
Chapter Twelve: An Unlikely Hero
Chapter Thirteen: A Family For Taylor

JEWELFIC MAIN PAGE:
Copper, Nancy, Sylvie, Anna, Blade, Sirena, Topaz, Aaron, Sophie, Justin, Elliot, Rosita, Luis and any other characters in this fiction which do not appear in the animated Jem series are copyrighted to me (E.A Woolley) as of January 2002 <unless otherwise specified> and are not to be reproduced without permission ANYWHERE. Jetta, Pizzazz, Stormer, Roxy, Raya and all other original Jem characters are the copyright of Hasbro Inc, Sunbow, Christy Marx and the other writers of the Jem series.