Dream Things True

Her hopes were somewhat dashed when she noticed the activity in the living area. The dorm was a quad—two double bedrooms connected by a living room, with the added bonus of a small bathroom. She and her best friend Honey Wheeler shared one room, and another two shared the other. Honey was sitting on the floor in the living area wrapping gifts, laughing at the quiz that Janet Copper (one of their other roommates) was reading out from a women's magazine. And sitting on the couch, calmly giving little Tiana Mangan her bottle, was Jim Frayne.

"What are you doing here?" Trixie hurriedly hid the bags she was carrying behind her back.

"Feeding the baby," Jim replied mildly. "What sort of greeting is that for a boyfriend who has missed you?"

"I saw you eight-and-a-half hours ago," she reminded him, dropping the bags to the floor and leaning over to give Jim a kiss. "Sorry about the greeting, I have your Christmas present in here, and you can't see it until Christmas. Excuse me," Trixie picked up the bags and disappeared into the bedroom, coming out five minutes later in jeans and one of Jim's old sweaters. She stood in the doorway watching Jim as he expertly sat Tiana up and burped her.

"What?" Jim asked when he glanced up to see her softly smiling at him.

"Nothing," Trixie crossed the room to sit next to him on the couch. "I was just thinking that you'd make a great father."

"Is that a hint?"

Trixie blushed as Janet laughed. "I'm not Hallie. I'm not just ready for motherhood just yet."

"Never mind that," Janet said. "I want to know how you got the RA to allow you to have the baby in here."

Trixie shrugged. "That was easy. Jessie knows Hallie and knows that we're just doing her a favour. Besides, it's only for one night. We're going back home tomorrow."

Janet shook her head. "I can't believe that Hallie was willing to get married so young. I would have waited until I got out of college at least."

Trixie shrugged again. "After everything that Hallie and Dan went through, they felt that waiting seemed redundant. Besides, getting married now was one way of getting Uncle Harold off their backs."

"What do you mean?"

"Uncle Harold went ballistic when he found out that the man his baby girl was seeing had gotten another woman pregnant and wasn't going to do the 'right thing' by marrying her." Trixie made quotation marks with her fingers to emphasise her point. "He forbade Hallie from seeing Dan. Hallie refused, and moved out of home to be with him. Even though Hallie is over 18, Uncle Harold has been trying to find some way of separating them. They've loved each other almost as long as Jim and I have, so…"

"If they've loved each other for so long, why did Dan have a baby with Bianca?" From study groups with Hallie, Janet knew that Bianca Sage, a friend of the Bob-Whites from Australia, was Tiana Mangan's birth mother, but no one had told her the story behind it.

Trixie closed her eyes in pain, the events of one year before all too clear in her mind. "That's a long story, and too painful to get into right now."

Honey, with her usual tact, jumped in to chance the subject. "Trix, did you get that book for Lexi?"

Trixie opened her eyes. "That Anne of Green Gables one? Yeah, I did. Hang on a moment." She disappeared into the bedroom that she and Honey shared, coming out a minute later with book in hand.

"Anne of the Island?" Jim read as adopted sister took the book. "Since when has little Lexi Lynch been into Anne of Green Gables?"

"Since the series was repeated on TV last summer." Trixie gently took Tiana and rocked her gently back and forth.

Honey smiled. "I've always liked the Anne books. ' "I have a dream," he said slowly'." She read aloud. "That was Gilbert Blythe speaking, by the way. ' "I persist in dreaming it, although it has often seemed to me that it could never come true. I dream of a home with a hearth-fire in it, a cat and dog, the footsteps of friends—and YOU!"

" 'Anne wanted to speak but she could find no words. Happiness was breaking over her like a wave. It almost frightened her.' Isn't that the most romantic thing?"

Trixie rolled her eyes as Jim chuckled. "You were always the romantic one, sis," he teased, but the extract gave him a little idea in the back of his mind, a certain question he needed to ask Trixie later.

Trixie however was reminded of a different quote. " 'I had a dream'.” She said, elbowing Jim, her blue eyes twinkling into his green ones.

Jim looked confused for a moment, but then remembered the fun they had with this particular passage. " 'And so did I'.” he continued the quote.

" 'And what was yours'?"

" 'That dreamers often lie'."

" 'In bed asleep where they do dream things true'…"

Honey giggled. "Enough with the Shakespeare, you two. Tiana is asleep, so you'd better put her in the bedroom before we wake her up again."

Trixie did so, then joined Jim back on the couch, snuggling under his arm. The group, joined by their other roommate Agatha Murray, talked until late in the night, until Janet yawned, declaring she had to get to bed or she wouldn't get up for class in the morning.

Jim looked at his watch, and reluctantly agreed. He had wanted to ask Trix a question, but because they had all talked for so long, it would now have to wait. He gave her a long deep kiss, not noticing Honey politely excuse herself and head into the bedroom. "I'd better head back to my dorm," he said when they broke for air.

"That's impossible," Agatha said flatly as she came out of the bathroom.

Jim frowned. "Why?"

"It's practically a blizzard out there. You'd never make it without getting lost, not even across campus."

Despite the situation, Trixie smiled. "And we all know how you get lost in blizzards," she murmured.

Jim elbowed her. "Now what am I supposed to do?"

"Stay here," Trixie replied promptly. "You can sleep on the couch, and Jessie won't mind because she would know that there was nothing else for it." Jessie Mitchell was dorm's RA, and Trixie was right—she was easy going and understanding about things; as long as you didn't take advantage of her.

"You sure?" Jim said doubtfully, although he had seen first hand how easy going Jessie could be when she allowed Trixie and Honey to look after Tiana in the dorm.

"Positive." Trixie leaned closer to whisper in Jim's ear. "You can stay with me a bit longer."

"You've convinced me, " he responded, kissing her again.

Agatha grinned. "Good night, you two."

"Good night, " Trixie said, breaking the kiss. She pulled back out of Jim's embrace. "I need a shower," she said when he gave her a confused frown. "You just get yourself nice and comfortable and I'll be right back."

When Trixie came out of the bathroom ten minutes later Jim had already got the spare quilt out. He had it over his knees with a corner pulled back for Trixie to get under. He patted the space next to him, and she sat down immediately, snuggling close as Jim pulled the quilt over both of them.

Jim was nervous. He had an important question to ask Trixie, something he had been thinking about for a long time. Dan and Hallie's marriage earlier had made him wonder if now was the right time to ask it, or would it seem like a copycat action? He decided to risk it and find out—and Honey's earlier reference gave him an idea on how to start.

"I have a dream," he began.

Trixie grinned. " 'And so did I'," she couldn't help responding. " 'That dreamers often lie'."

Jim laughed and tweaked her nose. " 'In bed asleep where they do dream things true'." He sobered. "But seriously, Trix. Remember earlier when Honey was reading from that book? Where Gilbert proposed to Anne?"

"Yeah," Trixie was a little confused, but Jim's meaning slowly dawned on her and she smiled.

"Well, when Honey read that it struck me that that's the way I feel about you. It seemed that ever since I met you, that summer six years ago, I knew that you were always going to be part of my life. Of course, when I was fifteen, I wasn't thinking so much about marriage." Jim chuckled.

"But as we grew older, and you grew more beautiful…" here he placed a finger on Trixie's lips to stop her protesting her beauty. "I found myself dreaming about growing old with you, raising a family together, looking after the boys at my school. I know that you still want to become a detective. After seeing the way you've solved mysteries, even in Australia, I know I could never talk you out of that. To tell you the truth, I don't want to. I'm proud you the way you can solve mysteries. That was one of the things I first fell in love with you for, and I will never hold you back from that."

He chuckled again. "Look at me, I'm rambling."

Trixie giggled. "You've been hanging around me for too long."

"And I hope I always will. Trix, what I'm trying to say is this," Jim paused to pull something from his pocket. "You are the love of my life, and that is never going to change. Will you marry me?"

He held out to her a small ring, a simple diamond solitaire. As the adopted son of millionaire Matthew Wheeler he could certainly afford something more elaborate, and indeed, having given her his great aunt's engagement ring when she was thirteen, he need not have given her this one at all. But Jim had known Trixie for six-and-a-half years. He knew she would never be comfortable with anything elaborate, anything other than the ring he now offered her.

Trixie stared at Jim for a long moment. She had never had a lot of self-confidence, and sometimes she wondered why Jim loved her at all. But he had always been able to reassure her, and now he was proving his love once and for all. "Yes!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Jim's neck and hugging him tight.

Jim returned the embrace, then pulled back to slide the ring on her finger. He kissed her tenderly, a kiss that grew in passion. Trixie straddled Jim's lap as he moved his kisses down her neck. She did not stop him as he slowly opened her bathrobe, for they had been that far before, nor did she stop him when he went further.

"Are you sure?" Jim asked hoarsely.

"Yes. This feels right, and I can't think of a better time."

They moved to the floor for comfort, the couch being a bit cramped. Jim was prepared for this eventuality, having a condom in his wallet, and Trixie felt no pain in their coming together.

Afterwards, they lay on the floor under the quilt. "What are you thinking?" Jim asked softly.

"I was thinking about that Shakespeare quote," Trixie replied. "He was right you know. We really do 'dream things true' because, I've always dreamed of is being together forever too."

Jim smiled and kissed her temple. "As much as I hate the thought, I really think you should be going to bed now."

Trixie sighed. "It seems pointless to sleep apart now."

"I know, but I'm not sleeping in that room with you and my sister. Imagine how she'd feel in the morning."

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "We could sleep on the couch. We've done that before."

Jim grinned, thinking about the times back in Australia when they had fallen asleep on the couch after watching a late movie. "Why not?"

That was how Honey found them the next morning. Although she did not intend to disturb them, her soft, startled gasp awoke them. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"That's all right, Honey," Trixie yawned and stretched, making show she kept the quilt around her, as she was still naked. "I guess we surprised you."

"I'll say," Honey could not believe her normally level-headed brother. Then she caught sight of the ring on Trixie's finger. She gasped again. "I don't believe it. When did this happen?"

"Last night," Jim answered.

"Congratulations." Honey hugged them both.

"Listen, I hate to be the one to break this party, but I need to get back to my dorm and have a shower before class."

Trixie grabbed her robe and the girls gave Jim privacy by going into their bedroom. Jim quickly pulled his jeans on over his boxers, and donned the rest of his clothes. He went into the bedroom to say goodbye to the girls, overhearing Honey say, "We're going to be sisters."

"You two were almost like sisters anyway," he said, and kissed them both—Honey on the cheek and Trixie on the lips. "I'll see you two later."

"So, did it hurt?" Honey asked her best friend after Jim had gone.

Trixie shook her head. "Not at all. I guess all that bike riding and horse riding came into play after all, just like Bianca's magazine said."

Honey laughed for a moment, then sobered. "Are you happy, Trix?"