Chapter 72: Seventy-two.

Five Weeks Later

"Come on, Felix." Colt called from the lounge area, trying to get him to move at a quicker pace.

"Kitten, come on now." He responded, sticking his head out from his apartment bathroom, with a wink. "Perfection can't be rushed."

Colt laughed at her friends confidence level. "Look, Pussy Cat, you're gorgeous, any woman who sees you will drool instantly. Now, get your ass in gear, or we will be late. I dont want to miss my appointment." She reprimanded him.

"Any woman you say?" Felix asked, stepping out of the bathroom in his tight white t-shirt, and bike leathers, to lean against the door frame with his arms crossed, while wearing a very suggestive smirk.

"Oh, behave yourself." Colt laughed at his flirting.

Felix sighed, "Cant blame a man for trying." He shrugged. "Come on then, Kitten," he called, to Colt who was still sat on his couch. "What are you sitting around for, let's go."

Colt shook her head at the man in front of her. "If you weren't doing me a favour." She said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow as she stepped past him and out of the door, with a wink of her own.

Half an hour later, Felix pulled his bike over in a parking lot in town. Allowing Colt to hop off, before he himself dismounted. He hated to admit it but he missed their time together B.L. - Before Lupus. Even when they stopped sleeping together, they still hung out, they had stayed friends. The time she had spent away and then in hospital he had really felt her absence in his life.

As Colt's friend Felix was gutted she was leaving, she would always have a piece of his heart, the only woman to make him want to settle down, to live as a mated man. But, when he seen the same look of longing in her eyes that used to be in his, with the extra pain that accompanied it. Even when she tried so hard to cover it up, he understood why she needed to go. But, he would be damned if he would let her go without knowing he would visit, a lot.

"Pussy Cat," Colt called walking towards the main street, and snapping him out of his errant train of thoughts. "You coming?"

Felix gave his head a quick shake, and trotted down the street after her. "You sure about this, Kitten? It's not exactly subtle or something you can erase?"

Colt smiled a wicked smile at Felix, "I'm fucking positive. Now come on, I hate needles." And she stepped inside the tattoo parlor for her appointment, dragging Felix along to hold her hand through the process.

When she was finished, Colt and Felix stepped outside into the midday sun. "Lunch?" she asked.

"You buying, Kitten? Cos' I doubt I will be able to open my wallet, with what's left of my hand." Felix joked, contorting his slightly bruised knuckles into an odd shape.

"Hmmm, such a wuss." She teased. "Anyways, aren't I always?" Colt winked elbowing him in the ribs feeling pleased with herself. "Besides I have another favour to ask of you, and for this one you definitely deserve lunch, maybe even pizza and beer."

"Well in that case, I'm in." Felix laughed. "What you needing, Boss?"

"Just you, Pussy Cat." Colt openly flirted, throwing in a wink, and giving Felix pause.

"Okay, now I'm worried. What did I just agree to in exchange for pizza and beer?" Felix asked, suddenly concerned about his kidneys.

"I need a date, for my cousin's wedding." Colt admitted. "They met and mated years ago, but now they're finally trying the knot as well. I stupidly agreed to go when I wasn't paying full attention to my Mom, and now I can't back out. Believe me, I tried."

Felix smiled, "I'm in. Three free meals is well worth it." He laughed.

"Three?" Colt asked.

"Lunch, Pizza and wedding food. Duh." Felix responded, making Colt laugh, as they headed along the road to a cafe.

"Full disclosure time," She stated nervously. "Marcus is, or was Elijah's Gamma. They are still business partners and I don't know if he will be there."

Felix stopped, looked at Colt and the confusion written on her face, somewhat marred with fear. He grabbed her, pulled her in for a hug and replied with ease, "I got your back, Kitten."

-----

Two Weeks Later.

"Rebecca, come on stop pouting and help me choose!" Colt demanded, frustrated that she couldn't find a dress.

"No, I will not stop pouting, Colt. You are taking Felix to this wedding, instead of me, and it's, it's just wrong." She huffed, folding her arms in the small clothing store. "But, the knee length one with the flippy satin skirt is best."

"It is pretty, but it's too casual for a wedding, maybe a business meeting? The invitation said 'formal' dress on it." She sighed, "It is pretty though." Colt replied, looking longingly at the deep blue dress. "For the record if it weren't for the chance of Elijah being there, I would have asked you. But, Felix makes a better buffer."

"And, what has he got to do with it again?" Rebecca asked sarcastically, while fingering through a selection of dresses.

"Not helping my cause, am I?" Colt laughed, pausing her perusal and scrunching up her nose at a hideous pink dress, with far too many bows.

"Nope." Rebecca answered, "On that dress as well." She added, indicating her own dislike for the pink dress.

Colt dropped the fabric, "But, surely the fact I am becoming a silent partner in the resort, and giving you full control of it's running helps?" She said, placing a hand on her hip and smiling slyly at her friend.

Rebecca smiled, and finally relented. "Okay, I forgive you." She shrugged with a laugh.

"Good, now tell me about the green dress? What do you think?" Colt asked unsure, and pointing to a floor length evening gown, that mirrored between deep green and blue when it moved under the lights.

"I think you suit red more. But, it is gorgeous." Rebecca said appraising the dress. "But, the neckline seems a bit odd."

"No. No red." Colt stated dramatically. Seeing her friend was looking for an explanation she added, "Elijah once told me about this dream he had, I was in a red gown. Let's not even go there."

Rebecca laughed, "You're putting a lot of thought into what Elijah will think, if he is even there." She declared.

"Shut it." Colt responded, pointing her finger at Rebecca.

Rebecca held both her hands up in surrender, while smirking. "We aren't discussing that then, I see."

"No, we bloody well are not." Colt stated, as she fingered through more hangers, not seeing anything she liked.

Rebecca cocked her head to the side, with a sad smile, "Shame, this is probably one of our few remaining chances to chat properly, before we have to take time zones into consideration." She said, pausing to look at her friend.

"Don't you try and guilt trip me for gossip, Missy." Colt responded, blatantly changing the subject. "How's Ashley doing? Still missing the world's worst patient?" Colt asked with a knowing smirk.

"You know, she did tell me that she might quit, if you were to get sick again. So, obviously you were a hit." Rebecca laughed out loud as she swapped to a different wrack of clothes.

"You know me, I hate sitting still." Colt shrugged off the friendly insult.

Rebecca shook her head, "I know, she threatened to sedate you on several occasions, just for some peace."

"What? That's so mean!" Colt pouted along.

"Nope, you deserved it." Rebecca joked playfully, "Come on, let's try another shop. Though, I do think you ought to come back for the blue satin one at some point. It was obviously made for you, even if only for a business meeting."

"Let's make it the, if we cant find anything else dress?" Colt offered with a smile, and they walked out the store, and onto the sunny street. "So where to next, oh Guru of the Fashion Stuff?" Colt asked, turning to Rebecca.

"Actually, I do know a little boutique not too far from here. Come on." She said, grabbing her friend's hand excitedly and pulling her down the street towards the farmer's market.

"I'm all for experimenting with fashion Becs, but this is the farmer's market and I draw the line at a banana peel dress." Colt joked as they arrived at the courtyard square, the market was held in.

"Oh shush, the farmer's market is on every Thursday in the square, but the shops behind the stalls are always here." She clarified, pulling Colt along as she weaved in and out of the different produce stalls, who were beginning to stock the first of their Autumn harvests and wares.

Rebecca lead Colt through the rows of stalls as the scents of everything overwhelmed her senses. Each stall was made up of a display, in the front, under a small canopy, to keep the sellers dry and shaded. There was everything from handmade scented soaps and candles to goat's cheese and finely knitted woolen clothes, all alongside the traditional fruit and vegetable stalls. In fact Colt made a mental note to stop on the way back, and buy a particular white arran knitted jumper for her Mom's birthday next month. Although, she would have to wrap it and hide it with her Dad to give to her, since she wouldn't be here herself to do so.

In the building behind a small flower stall, there was a simple wooden door, the building had with red bricked walls, and no windows. It didn't look like a shop at all.

Colt looked at Rebecca with a raised eyebrow, "Are we just raiding some poor woman's closet, because this looks more like a house than a shop,a really dark house?" She criticized sarcastically.

Rebecca smirked, and turned the door knob, "Oh ye, of such little faith."

They went through the door into a long dark corridor, with a door at the other side. Then, the room that they entered was a large hall, it was all lit up with staged spotlights, showing the vibrant swathes of fabric draped on top of one another as back drops across the walls, in coordinating colour palettes. The place was a rainbow of all the colours Colt could imagine. But, staged infront of them were posed manicans, all wearing different, but beautiful dresses. There were some posed in groups, like they were laughing at some hidden joke. Some were set up in scenes of dancing, or holding empty champagne flutes, like at a party. But, in each crafted scene the manicans were formally dressed, with stylish wigs crafted into beautiful hairstyles.

"Okay, so the owner is a bit eccentric." Rebecca shrugged. "But, he designs and crafts each outfit himself, all one of a kind, all completely stunning."

"Jeeze, these dresses are exquisite, Becs. Why have you never brought me here before?" Colt responded, ignoring Rebecca's justification of the elaborate display. "Do we need to, ask for help, or... Wow." She stopped mid sentence.

"Fashion has never really been your thing, Sweetie." Rebecca reminded her, but Colt's attention was else where.

Colt was moving towards a picnic scene. The manicans were laid out as if eating outdoors. They were staged upon a red chequered blanket, with artificial grass underneath. There was a wicker basket opened up, champagne sitting in a cooler and tiny sandwiches posed on delicately painted porcelain china plates. But, the dress that had Colt's attention was on a manican, who looked to be eating, a salted caramel cupcake of all things.

The dress was a pale blue colour, embellished with large ivory lace roses. It was strapless, with an asymmetrical neckline that looked as if the dress was a single piece of fabric wrapped unevenly around the manican's bust. The satin material had an dark blue trim, with large buttons sewn on to make it seem as if it were being held together there. The silhouette nipped in at the waist where there was a thick belt, the same colour as the trim, and then the skirt flowed out to just below the knee, held in shape by a voluminous pale blue tulle under skirt, that was visibly sticking out underneath the satin.

'To hell with what the invitation says on formal wear' Colt thought, this was the dress she had to have.

"A fine choice, Young Lady." Came an elder man's voice in a refined English accent, startling Colt momentarily.

"Colt are you sure? Your tatoo will very much be on display." Rebecca cautioned, seeing her friend's eyes light up, and imagining the consequences.

"I am completely positive." Colt smiled with glee, turning away from the dress, and to the gentleman who had joined them for the first time.

He was a shorter than Colt, and wearing a striped gold and green vest, over an open collared shirt, with deep purple bell bottom pants. Then Colt noticed his warm friendly gaze behind his monocle, and wished she had known about his existence sooner. This man seemed like the kind of eccentric she could really get on with.

"Would you like to try it on?" He asked her. "I will not sell you a dress that won't fit. That would be too cruel." he winked.

"Fine, but I might not take it off again, even if it doesn't." Colt responded with a warning, only half joking.

The shop owner laughed, "Becca, will you show your lovely friend to the changing room, I will just derobe Monique." He said, referring to the manican by name.

"Sure thing, Gary." Rebecca laughed.

The man's face fell, and all of a sudden he was speaking in a frustrated Welsh accent, "Seriously, Becs! I should have never told you my real name." He complained despairingly at her.

Colt's face lit up at the act, as Rebecca answered him, "Aw, my apologies Lord Xavier." And she threw in a mock curtsy.

"That's more like it." He nodded in appreciation, though sticking to his native Welsh accent now. "Now off you pop." He said waving them along as he called out loudly, "Monique Darling, your time is nigh!"

Author's Note: Any artists among you, I would love to see a picture of your interpretation of Colt's dress? Could I ask you yo pop it on the Facebook page @Bethanyriverwrites? Also Teaser alert, Gary will make another appearance in book two.... What did you think of his elaborate boutique? Also what do you think Colt's tatoo might be and where?