The rumors that she knew Elizabeth Steven's were flying around campus, and Rusty was having the time of her life sharing in her limelight. Laura quickly remembered what it was like to enter a room and be the one that everyone was talking about. The only difference was that it used to bother her and now she wasn't concerned by it.

Perhaps it was Elizabeth's insistence that she was meant for bigger and better things, or maybe it was because this time people weren't saying malicious things about her, at least to her knowledge they weren't, and no one had recognized her yet.

It was two weeks later, and she was working the circulation desk while Rusty stood at one end keeping her company until Edna got back from her lunch break when the next Stevens wave hit.

The door opened and Laura looked up to see Cassie and Mason enter. It took them a minute for their eyes to adjust, but when they did they immediately landed on Laura. "Laura!" Cassie squealed, hurrying towards her with her arms outstretched.

Mason rolled his eyes and followed her. At Cassie's squeal everyone had looked to see what the commotion was and they hadn't looked away. Cassie leaned over the counter giving Laura a quick peck on the cheek and Mason followed her lead.

"Cassie, use your indoor voice please," Mason shushed her with mock sternness. "This is a library, right Laura?"

"Last time I looked, and these are called books, you should try one." Her voice was dry as she held up one of the books that she had been checking in.

"Huh..." Mason looked impressed with the knowledge she had just imparted then completely ruined it by grinning. "Mom sent us, she said something about needing to take you out to dinner and make you fall in love with the family or some such nonsense. I told her we already loved you and that Lizzy was the one she needed to send, but Mom doesn't think either one of you is ready for that."

"Why are you in town, it can't be just to take me out to dinner?" Laura was aware of all of the people who were watching.

"No, Mason got a speeding ticket. He's here to charm his way out of it," Cassie said, picking up the book that Laura had been checking in, it was Davis's

"Look Mason, its Davis's book."

Mason looked over Cassie's shoulder and grunted.

"So, are we on for dinner this evening or not?"

"Sure, as long as I don't have to get dressed up."

"Nah, take us somewhere fun," Mason said, looking at the photos as Cassie scanned though them. "I've never seen most of these."

"You should take them to Gypsy's," Rusty said from behind them.

"That sound's promising," Mason said, giving her a grin that made Rusty flush before turning back to Laura. "I'll text you with a time?"

"Sure," she said, going back to her books.

Mason grinned and looked around with a wave before he took Cassie's arm and pulled her away from the counter and towards the door. She doubted that they would eat at Gypsy's, too many people had heard about it and there would be a mob waiting.

When they were gone Rusty grabbed the book and checked it out, opening it right there in front of her. "Who's Davis?"

"He's Mason's brother," Laura said, feeling a little bit of the Ice Queen return at her prying.

"Is this you?" she asked, looking from the photo to Laura.

"Yes."

"Huh," Rusty said, mimicking Mason's earlier comment as she wandered towards the door looking at the book.

It felt as if fate, or the Stevenses, she wasn't sure which, were trying to drag her from her hiding place and force her back into the limelight

They ended up having dinner at the hotel, where Laura did her best to be open and friendly. Laura remained the talk of the campus for a few more weeks until people's interest in her started to wane, and she had just relaxed again when she got word about the next photo shoot from Landau.

Laura got the call to meet with the Landau team at one of the premier Dallas hotels. She didn't understand why they didn't call her back to New York for the meeting, but if they wanted to come to her she wouldn't complain.

She had hoped to get dressed and out of the house quietly, but Rusty had decided to have one of her impromptu get togethers making it impossible. Part of Laura's strategy in becoming a normal person was to find a roommate who was as extroverted as she was introverted, and she had succeeded. After almost a year of living with Rusty she had to admit that it hadn't changed her desire to be alone, if anything it had strengthened it.

She had to dig deep into her closet to find one of her dresses that would work. She decided on the red dress that she had worn on her first date with Davis when she had had dinner at Mason and Cassie's

She did her hair in a chignon, returned to her professional make-up job, and broke out the three inch stilettos. When she looked at herself in the mirror she felt the Ice Queen returning and she was unable to stop it. Suddenly, the knowledge dawned on her that it was who she was, she didn't know how to be anyone else unless she was with people that she truly trusted, and there weren't many of those. She had been pretending to be someone else for the past year. It was who she had wanted to be, but it's not who she was, she was innocent, kind, and sensitive, but the most important part of her was the part that felt the need to hide it all in order to protect herself.

Those people in her living room pretended to be her friends, they included her in their outings, but none of them knew her, not even Rusty. The only one who really knew her was Davis, and he didn't mind the Ice Queen act, he knew it was a part of her just as all of the other parts were.

Reaching for her purse, she took a deep breath and opened her bedroom door, walking into a full room that fell silent at the sight of her. Rusty's mouth opened and closed, and she watched as many of the men who hadn't given her a second look were now giving her a third and a fourth.

"I have a meeting downtown," Laura said coolly as her Taxi arrived, honking it's horn.

The ride was a short one and as she got out of the car there was a photographer waiting to take her photo. The press for Landau had already started. She walked into the lobby, noting the glances she received before making her way to the restaurant where the rest of her party was waiting. Two of the primary Landau representatives were there as were Carmen and Kelly. They both rose and gave her the obligatory kiss on the cheek as was expected by the representatives present. After shaking the men's hands she took her seat and ordered her drink.

The waitress had just left when she heard his voice.

"Sorry I'm late," Davis said with his cheeky grin as he approached the table.

Kelly and Carmen both smiled widely and gave him hugs and kisses before he turned to Laura. "Laura," he greeted, taking her hand in his with a smile. She wanted to close her eyes and savor the sound of her name on his lips. She gave him a tense smile, knowing that her heart might possibly explode at any minute, it was beating so fast, but the Ice Queen had firmly return and neither her racing heart nor quaking knees were evident.

The meeting proceeded with Laura silently listening while trying her hardest not to stare at Davis who was sitting across from her. The few times she did look at him he was watching her closely. The plan for that year's photoshoot was to grow their younger market, and the way they felt it could be done was by having photoshoots at local universities with the girls posing as college students, sitting in the classroom, working in the library, Laura's eyes jumped to Davis with suspicion and he winked at her.

There was nothing for the girls to do but agree.

"Have the universities been chosen?" Laura asked, knowing the answer to the question.

"I picked them both," Davis said watching her reaction.

She nodded, not saying anything and knowing her life was about to become very different.

"There's a catch," One of the Landau men said. "We want Davis to do the shoot since last year's was such a success, but he only has the next two weeks available. Laura we know we told you we wouldn't shoot until summer, but is it possible to move it up sooner?"

Laura realized that it all hinged on her, and the Ice Queen she might be, but she had never been temperamental or difficult to work with. "If I can get though the rest of this week I'll be good."

"Excellent," The man said. They stayed for a few more minutes before leaving the girls and Davis behind.

"So how did you manage to get us all to come to you Laura?" Kelly asked snidely. Laura wanted to get up and give her a big hug. This was where she belonged, this was her life, no matter how hard she tried to make it otherwise. She understood Kelly, she knew where she was coming from. They would never be friends, but they understood each other.

Laura didn't let any of these thoughts show as she took a sip of her wine. "I didn't ask for the meeting. I have no clue why it was held here."

"I asked for it to be held here. This was more convenient for me," Davis said as he rose. "Ladies, I'll see you next week." He nodded with a smile and left them.

"What's up with him?" Kelly asked, watching his handsome back as it retreated. He had been in his classic blue jeans, t-shirt, cowboy boots, and suit jacket, and he had looked wonderful to her.

"He has a broken heart." Carmen said, watching him as well.

"Who broke it?" Kelly asked, wanting all of the juicy details.

"Laura," Carmen said as both she and Kelly turned to look at her. She meet their gaze, not flinching, and after a few moments when she said nothing Carmen changed the subject.

"How is playing school working out for you?"

They were three beautiful women sitting alone at a table in the middle of a busy restaurant and they were starting to draw a lot of attention.

"I'm done with it," she said, realizing it was true.

"Thank God!" Kelly said. "I can't keep doing all of these events by myself."

Carmen and Laura looked at her with disbelief.

"Fine, you win. I was just trying to be nice." Kelly shrugged

This made Laura laugh, a true laugh and the ladies looked at her like she had lost her mind. "That was the most real moment that I have had in over a year. We know you can't be nice to us Kelly, we wouldn't believe it for a minute. You both know I can't stand men, and Kelly and I both know Carmen thinks we're bitches. We get it. We accept it. Will we ever be the best of friends? Hell no, but we get each other and that is something that I've missed."

Kelly and Carmen were looking at each other and Laura like she had lost her mind and Laura got that too. She had been trying to find a place to belong when she had already been where she needed to be.

When she got home that evening the house was still full, in fact, the crowd had seemed to double in size. Feeling all of the eyes in the room on her, she moved to the kitchen got herself a drink and then retired to her room where she kicked off her shoes and picked up her phone.

Davis had barely spoken to her and it had hurt. There was so much she wanted to tell him, and as she was looking at her phone wondering how she could open that door it rang and she almost dropped it.

The number was a New York one, but she knew who it was before she answered it.

"Hello?" she said softly.

"Hello Laura."

She let go of her breath that she hadn't even realized she had been holding at the sound of his voice. "Davis," she whispered.

"You looked lovely this evening." He sounded far away.

"Thank you, it was good to see you again."

There was an awkward pause. "I saw your book." She rose and moved to the window, looking at the streetlights reflected on the pavement.

"Did you like it?"

"Very much. I like the photos from the shoot as well. You seem to see a side of me that no one else does."

"I see you Laura, I always have."

She paused letting that sink in, knowing it was true.

"How was your sister's wedding? Tabitha invited me, but I thought it best that I didn't go."

"It was good, she and Kellan seem very happy and I'm happy for them. Why did you think it best that you not go?"

"Did you two work out your problems?" Davis asked, ignoring her question.

"No, she doesn't blame me for what happened, but I always will, just as I will always blame myself for my mother. Hopefully, now that I have accepted that, I can learn to live with it, and it helps that you don't hate me."

Davis was quiet for a very long time and Laura had thought he had ended the call.

"I love you Laura. The good and the bad. Just as your mother would do anything for your father, I would do anything for you, but I trust you not hurt me."

"But I have Davis!" she cried. "I have hurt you, I left."

"Yes, you left and I let you go. You needed to figure out who you were, and you couldn't do that with me by your side. I know you love me Laura, you haven't said it,but I've felt it."

"Where are you?" She wanted to go to him.

"I'm on the road, but I'll see you next week."

"Davis."

"Yes Laura," She loved the way he said her name, she could feel the love in it.

"I think I realized that I really am the Ice Queen. I enjoy being her, your mother told me that I was not meant to be normal." She said it with trepidation. What if that's not who he wanted her to be? "Tonight with Carmen and Kelly, I felt at home for the first time in a year. I want to keep modeling. I want to keep my career."

"Laura, you can be the Ice Queen with everyone but me. With me you have to be who you are right now, you. Besides I like the Ice Queen, I especially like knowing I'm the only one who can thaw her." She could hear the smile in his voice.

"You are the only one, except for maybe your mother, she did a pretty good job."

"Mom is good at seeing the real in people. Most of us get that from her, Lizzy's the only one who seems to have missed that gene."

"Lizzy, she and I might never get along," Laura said sadly, wondering if it would be a deal breaker.

"I'll tell you a little secret, I also enjoy watching the Ice Queen take on Lizzy, I think most of the family does."

They were silent for a little while. "I don't want to let you down Davis."

"I don't want to let you down Laura."

"O.K." she said between tears, not even realizing she was crying.

"O.K. I'll see you next week. I love you."

She still couldn't say it. "Goodnight Davis." She hung-up and slowly undressed. Could she do it? Could she give her heart fully to Davis?