10/17/03

Enlisting Allies

Disclaimer:  I don't own Tarzan or any of its people.  Blast the bad luck.  No money just for fun and to shut one of my Muses up.

       'Man, I wish Jane would quit being so stubborn about this John guy.  He sounds like he's exactly what she needs in her life.  It's enough to make a matchmaking kid sister scream,' was Nikki Porter's train of thought as she let herself in late that night.  She shut the door, locked it and set down her book bag all in one smooth motion before it registered that there was something off in the apartment.  She reached down and grabbed the baseball bat the girls had always kept by the front door and took a really good look around.  There was nothing in her line of sight so she edged forward until she could get a better field of vision. 

'Note to self, been hanging around cop sister way to long.  I'm starting to think like one,' she thought giggling quietly.  After she made sure all the public rooms were clear she headed toward her sister's bedroom.  As she crept closer she heard someone riffling through Jane's dresser.  Fortunately, the open door blocked the view of the other room from the dresser and whoever was in there was so intent on whatever they were looking for she was able to slide into the room without them realizing it.  When she saw who it was she didn't know with she wanted to laugh or yell at him.  Standing there in front of her curiously going through everything in and on her sister's dresser was the guy she had just been speculating about, John Clayton.  She stood there for a few more minutes and then decided she better stop him and get him out of there before Jane got home and had a fit.

"You know……," was as far as she got before she found herself up against the wall staring into the most intense aqua colored eyes she had ever seen.  Then she just as quickly found herself back on her feet and him half way out the window. 

"Oh no, you don't," she muttered as she made a graceless dive and caught an ankle.  His head whipped around and he stared at her with a half amused half exasperated look on his lovely face.

"Ummm, gotcha?" Nikki quipped hopefully giving him a slight smirk.  He smirked in return and raised an eyebrow.

She sighed, "Okay, don't gotcha.  Humor the baby sister who's been curious about you since day one and come in and talk for awhile?  I promise I won't hurt you and I'll protect you from Jane if she gets home before we're done, okay?"  She continued as she gave a slight playful tug on the ankle. 

John tilted his head to one side and studied her for a moment then replied with a soft, "Alright."  He waited until Nikki let go of his ankle and then in the move almost to fast to see he was at her side helping her up.  She led him into the living room, flipping on the light and gently pushed him down onto the couch.

"You stay there and I'll get us something to drink and snack on," she said as she backed into the kitchen.  She dug around in the refrigerator and came up with a decent spread of fruit and bottled water.  She cut up the fruit and arranged it on a plate, using the time to figure out what questions she wanted to ask first.  She finally got her first good look at him on the way back.

'And my sister doesn't want to keep him WHY?!?!  If it'd been me he fixated on we still wouldn't have come up for air,' Nikki thought with an evil grin, and then she shook her head.  'Whoa!  Down girl, not yours remember.'  She sat down on the other end of the couch and set the plate between the two of them.

"So your name's John, right?  I'm Nikki," she started off with as she snagged a piece of apple and made a have-at-it gesture.  John surveyed the assortment of apples, oranges and bananas before going with what he knew and picking up some pieces of banana.  She tried to sit there patiently, really she did, but she was almost vibrating with the need to ask him all the questions running around in her head.

'And from the eye twinkle I just saw he knows it, too the brat,' she half grumbled in her head.  "So, why are you stalking my sister?  It's driving her completely nuts, you know," she asked trying to get ANYTHING out of him.  "And how did you find out where she lived anyway?"

He finally looked up and gave her that little smirk again. "I hunted for her.  I belong with her and her with me," he answered as if it was obvious.

Nikki snorted, "Yeah?  Try convincing her of that.  She prefers her relationships nice, calm and predicable, and while you seem nice, from what I've heard you're neither calm nor predicable."  She leaned back against the arm of the couch and nibbled on a bit of orange for a minute, thinking.  "Do you honestly believe that you guys belong together?"  She asked as an evil plan started to form.

"Yes," he stated firmly, truly believing it. The look in his beautiful eyes turned wary as he watched a truly evil grin cross her face.

"How would you like some help in courting her?" Nikki asked as she mentally finished tweaking The Plan.

 John stared at her suspiciously for a few minutes.  It was the first time anyone didn't think he was a danger to Jane or people in general and here was Jane's sister not only taking him at face value but actually offering to help him win his mate.  "Why would you help me?"

"Because I think you'd be good for her and to her.  Besides I always have wanted to do a classic romance and you can't get much more classic than this," she replied with a shrug and a grin.  "So, want some help or not?"

John sat back and stared off into space for a bit trying to decide if the offer was legit.  Finally he decided he had nothing to lose and nodded, "Alright.  What now?"

"Well, first we need to decide what kind of gifts you're going to give her and where you're going to leave them.  It can't be anything to obvious or she'll freak.  And we need to take it really slow so she doesn't realize what's happening," Nikki answered bouncing in place a little as she got going.  John just smiled at her antics, content to let her do all the planning, as long as it finally won him Jane he didn't care how long it took.