Guy, Angel, Will and Christian. Shopping and Introductions.

[palace_will]

Angelina looked over at Guy and laughed as she continued their conversation. “Okay, so I like red. And satin – ahh shit and anything velvet.” She shrugged and stopped, pointing. “And I like that. Oh fuck, red velvet boots.” She turned to get Will’s attention where he was watching the other people window shopping. “Let’s go in here, c’mon, yeah?” She said and grinned.

Guy sighed and shook his head. "Bad idea, Angel. Even ignoring the whole red velvet thing in boot form, you don't want to be buying boots right now," Guy advised.

"What the hell?" She said laughing, staring in the window. "Look at that - red velvet. That is perfect."

Will looked at the windows of the store Angel was urging him into and suppressed a sigh. Silver foil and geometric shapes in the window display did not bode well for the contents. Not that he'd know. If it fit and looked neat, Will'd wear it. He glanced over his shoulder at the hovering bodyguards and rolled his eyes, "Once more into the breach." Jess snorted and the other dude, Angel's, grinned. It was a frightening sight and several shoppers scurried. Will decided not to encourage a second smirk and hurried over to Angel and Guy to see what they were looking at. "Ooo. I like those." he said.

Angelina grinned at Will. "Ohh outnumbered, c'mon." She plucked Guy's sleeve and steered him toward the door.

Will gave Guy an apologetic look that didn't match the grin on his face. "I meant for me!" he told him before sailing off in Angel's wake as she tugged Guy inside.

Guy glared at Will. "You are not helping!" he growled, shuddering at the sight of the boots again, hauled along by Angel, who was pretty damned strong for a knocked up chick. "Look, Angel," he said, attempting to appeal to her common sense. "Two things you might want to consider here- it's almost spring, and we're in Calera here - gonna keep getting hot. And as it gets hotter, your feet are gonna swell. Boots plus swollen feet equals bad. I listened to me older brother bitch like all hell when his wife was pregnant, trust me on this one."

"He has a point. I think." Will offered his opinion and then, seeing the look he was getting from the pair of them, he shrugged and wandered over to the counter, leaning lazily on the glass.

Angel stopped and spun. "My feet are going to swell?" She said, eyes wide. "Oh my god. This really sucks. Okay." She looked around and grinned. "Do they make velvet sandals? Maybe shorts?"

"Velvet equals hot, Angelcakes. New fabric." Guy said, shaking his head again.

"Pffft, guess that rules out leather too huh?" She turned and poked at a pile of t-shirts. "These are cute. This green would look good on you Will." She said and held up a dark green shirt. "Want one?"

"I get enough of the 'Scarlett' without wearing Sherwood green, Angel." Will grinned. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

"Just a suggestion." She smirked at Guy. "Touchy ain't he?"

"Bit too dark for him anyway, Angel... need to match up a bit closer with his eyes," Guy said. "'Though you got pretty close on it. This one'll suit him better." Guy said with a grin, grabbing up the alternate shirt in Will's size, after a quick scan of his torso to make sure he had it right, and tossing it towards the cash desk.

Pretending to be offended, Will huffed. "And to think I was just about to say how pretty you'd look in that!" he retorted, pointing at a dress on the far wall. "I won't now." He folded his arms and leaned even heavier on the counter, staring down at the jewelry under the glass. "Hey!" The shirt landed on the desk in front of him, cutting off his view. He picked it up. "Oh, like that. On second thought, I forgive you." He told them grandly.

Laughing, Angel held her arms out to the side. "Okay, so Will's sorted. What suits me?"

"Hmmm... that's actually not too bad, Will. Nice call," Guy said, cocking his head to the side and peering at the dress. "And with that whole glowy - thing she's got going on, she can pull off the undertones in the fabric..." Guy started muttering under his breath, heading over to the wall and flipping through the rack, searching for the right size, handing it off to a clerk to take to a fitting room, then scanning the rest of the racks himself, still babbling quietly as he selected things.

Angel squinted. "I fucking glow?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Undertone? Glowy? Good grief." He looked at Angel and gave her a cheeky grin. "‘Course you do, love." he told her. "All expecting women glow. It's in the contract."

Angel muttered. "Glow. Swell. Shit.. I'm an emergency beacon." Raising her head she grinned at Will. "You know, Marton found out what it is - girl or boy. He asked me if I want to know, I'm not sure though." She shrugged. "What'd you think?"

"Yeah, I know. He said." Will mock-frowned. "Wouldn't tell me though. Sod! Said, 'A man should have at least one secret.'" Will put on a ponderous tone, eyes twinkling. "He's King fer crying out loud! Secrets are his stock-in-trade." Jesting over, he addressed the question with a shrug. "Up to you, I guess. Some people like surprises, others don't. Makes it easier to buy beforehand though, I guess."

"Angel? You have a preference- strappy sandals, or thongs?" Guy called from the other end of the store, holding up a shoe in each hand.

"Your personal dresser wants you." Will grinned.

"He's precious isn’t he?" She stage whispered and then called to Guy. "Strappy. Oh and heels? High ones. Look at those." She pointed to some very long dangly silver earrings. "Nice."

"You're seventeen feet tall!" Guy objected.

"And I got legs all the way to here." She said pointing to her ass and laughing. "I like heels!"

"Center of gravity's gonna be off for the next while," Guy warned. "'S not like we can't go shopping again after the baby is born, you know. You need shite you can wear now."

"Emergency beacon that wobbles? Fuck.. " She groused and turned back to Will. "I haven’t decided yet if I want to know." She patted her stomach. "I've got a pretty good idea what Bubba is anyway." Pointing she said suddenly, " That, I don't give a shit - I want that."

"I love tall women in heels." Will protested on Angel's behalf. "It's kickass! 'Sides, heels are for showing off legs. She can wear 'em sometimes, just not all day!" He glanced at Angel. "Sisters." he explained his knowledge. "Lots of 'em. What?" He swung his head around.

"That vest. The black one, damn it's pretty." She walked to the wall before turning to him. "And man, I love women with long legs. Guy what about that with a skirt, black one? Even one of those maternity ones."

"Be it on your own head," Guy sighed, handing the vest off to the clerk and grabbing another pair of shoes. "And that skirt is already waiting for you in the change room. You want to start trying stuff on- I can still keep grabbing stuff while you run through things."

"Headed that way now." Angel said, striding to the dressing room, grabbing a dark blue linen shirt. "Nice." She said, remembering that Marton had liked that color on her, remarking that is suited her skin tone. She started trying on the skirt with the blue shirt, opening the door and calling for the guys when she was dressed. "So?"

"Okay, now, that's nice." Will looked at Angel with appreciation. "Definitely."

Guy walked a circle around Angel, checking the lines of the shirt. "I can't believe I never thought to try you in that color - completely suits you ya know? You look fuckin' classy in that one."

"Classy huh? Cool." She said and smiled at them. "If I can't have red velvet, guess this'll do. Okay, lemme try on the other stuff and then I want coffee - oh and pie - banana pie. Oh fuck yeah with fudge sauce." She licked her lips and grinned.

"Food sounds good." Will pushed off the counter and wandered over to the windows to look at a bag he'd spotted. He glanced out through the glass and muttered under his breath. "Guy?" His friend looked up and Will waved him over. "We have a wee problem,” he said, pointing out the window at the growing assembly of paparazzi.

"Ah, fuckin' shite. I blame you," Guy sighed. "How the hell they find us anyway?"

Angel looked to where Will was pointing. "What's going on?"

"We got company, darlin'." Will told her, western-style. He looked at Guy. "Tis my fault. Maybe if I left?"

"No. Fuck em. What's the big deal? What do they want?" She frowned, but felt a slight buzz of excitement. Paparazzi, cameras, she was going to be famous; she bit her lip against a smile.

"Me." Will told her, turning from the window and pulling her gently back out of view. "Trouble is, I don't know what Marton wants on this." He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "We walk out of here together, it's gonna be all over the papers, the vid, which is fine cause we don't care. But Marton?"

"Marton is ashamed of me - of this?" She said, pointing to her stomach. "Fine. Ya'll stay here. I'll leave. Fuck em, they don't know me."

Will held her back. "That's not what I meant, hon.,” he told her. "It's not about shame, it's about control. Last thing Marton wants is you getting hurt, right? We go out there and they ask, we answer with the truth, it turns into a feeding frenzy right there and then. We've only got two protection officers with us. Not enough for this kind of thing. Shit!" He ran his fingers through his hair, racking back his long locks with a careless tug. "What do you think, Guy? Make a run for it or call for help?"

"I don't like running a pregnant lady through that crowd- or the scene it's going to cause if they ask and we give 'em the truth. We'll have a fuckin' riot- those aren't normal print, that's the tabs out there. They could give a fuck." Guy answered, cursing under his breath. "There a back way out of here? Any way to tell if they've got it staked out too?"

"Hang on a sec. Let's get the experts in." Will walked over and tapped on the glass, Jess immediately coming in thru the door. They consulted in undertones and then Will nodded, walking back to where Guy and Angel were standing. "Jess says we should just go. Say nothing, let 'em take their pics and head back to the car."

Kane walked closer to Angel and looked down at her. "Ma'am, stick close." He said and nodded.

"What? You don't have a pocket I'll fit in?" She said in a clipped tone. Kane looked at her and grinned.

"Don't do that." She mumbled and then looked at Will and Guy and held her arms out. "C'mon boys, let's give em a show."

Will shook his head. "Wait a minute." He walked over to the store clerk and talked to him for a few moments, handing him something before returning. "There." he said with a satisfied smile. "They're gonna send your selection up to Palace. 'Least that way the shopping trip isn't a complete bust." He took her arm and looked around Angel to Guy. "C'mon Mr. Face." he grinned. "My money's on them knowing you're in here, too."

Guy snorted. "Yeah, because it's my face been all over the papers lately, and I usually have a cadre of reports following me around," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Umm, Guy?" Will waited while Jess pushed open the door, the bell on top tinkling. "The new cards are out or did no one tell you. Brochures, too." He winked at Angel. "Ladies first." he said.

"Aw fuck- forgot about that. Again!" Guy muttered, looking up with a winning smile as they walked through the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, so it's not like I really have a problem with people touching me arse, you understand. But that back there- that was really a bit much," Guy huffed, rubbing his rear end, which had received a few particularly hard pinches.

Will looked at Guy's backside. "Little remodeling never hurt anyone, Guy." he chuckled. "If you hadn't gone so close to that little herd of admirers we gathered, wouldn't have happened." He punched the lift button and the doors closed, headed for Royal.

"If I hadn't gone that close to 'em, it would have been you they were groping." Guy pointed out, sticking his tongue out at Will. "And last I recall, you didn't have much of a problem with the state of being of my arse."

Angelina laughed and leaned back to look at Guy's backside. She turned to them and shrugged dramatically. "It's a very nice ass, but yeah I do think you were trolling for it." She said and laughed again then looked down. "Man, I'm ready to get these fucking heels off."

The lift door pinged open and Will stepped out, holding the doors for Angel. Guy came out with Angel's hand tucked under his arm and his bracelets immediately beeped. "Oops." Will reached over and pressed his bracelet to Guy's, coding him into Royal. "Sorry. Forgot."

"You sneaking people in now, William?"

Will turned and grinned. "Only the cute ones, dear." he told Christian who was just coming out of the P.P. lift across the way.

Guy turned at the familiar voice. Three piece dark suit, tie matches the shirt perfectly, over all, good look on him. Okay- I have to stop doing this now. It's getting absurd. Go back to just checking out arses. "Afternoon, Christian- and just think- only a moment ago he was telling me my arse needed remodeling, and now I'm cute. Changeable one, isn't he?" he said with a sigh.

Angel's eyes narrowed at the name. Christian. Daddy's eldest son, the Crown Prince. She patted Guy's arm, eyes never leaving the stately man. "You know you're precious, tha's all that matters."

"Changeable, yeah." Will grinned. "Tasteful, too. Looking mightily fine there, dude. Off out?" He slid a finger down the double-breasted suit.

"Yeah. Industry meeting." He looked at Guy and smiled. "The lady's correct. Will's just jealous because his butt is a little on the skinny side." Ignoring the 'harrumph' from Will, he eyed his friend, waiting to be introduced.

Will took Angel's arm and moved her closer. "Christian, may I present Ms. Angelina Jolie. Angel, this is Crown Prince Christian." It wasn't quite a formal introduction, Will knew how to do them, but found them tedious. Nor was it completely informal; Will thinking the middle ground was best. Christian smiled politely, "A pleasure." he told her, watching her keenly.

Angelina raised an eyebrow and then ducked her head. "Your highness." She looked back up at him. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"And you." Christian nodded. "Finding everything to your liking, I trust? No problems?" She looked decent enough, he thought, given what his father had told him about she and Harry, he'd expected, well, he didn't know quite what. But if Marton was prepared to be as pleasant as possible, then so was he.

"Everyone's been - very nice." She said and turned to wave at Guy and Will. "And of course, the guys here have been entertaining me, so I don't get too bored waiting for the little fella." She said, patting her hand across her stomach and smiling at him.

"Good." Christian's smile was a lot more genuine, a tad warmer. "Guy and Will are both very entertaining, in their own inimitable fashion, of course." he teased, glancing from one to the other. "I have to get on." he apologized, offering Angelina his hand. "Look forward to seeing you again."

Angelina took his hand, shaking it. "It was a pleasure to meet you, I'm sure we'll run into each other again." Inclining her head she smiled and took Guy's arm again as they started down the hall.

Christian laid his hands on Will's shoulders. "See you tonight," he told him, pausing to kiss his cheek before stepping into the lift with Lawrence.

"Bye." Will waved and waited until the doors closed before hurrying after Guy and Angel, passing through the scanner with scarcely a pause and catching up with them outside Angel's door.