The Fate of Destiny Part 107 C
Kathy squeezed past Alex and Lynnette on her way to find out where Will had gone and just got to the door in time to see him helping Sarid into her car. When he turned, she stomped over to him. "Will… what did you do?"
"She's not ready." He shrugged and ushered her back into the building out of habit. "She's still very much in love with the two-timing jerk she just divorced. She had a drink and some nice conversation but she's ready to go home and work on letting the feelings die."
"Will…" She groaned, allowing his hand on her elbow to guide her through the crowds just like he always did until she was at her own table once more. "Didn't you try?"
"She was nice. Not ready." He repeated and leaned in to meet her eyes. "You ever think that I can choose my own dates?"
"I would if you could." She wrinkled her nose when she got a whiff of his breath. "Have you been drinking?"
"I'm off-duty. I'm at a wedding reception. I'm entitled to a drink." He straightened and patted his pockets. "And a smoke, which I'm off to do… outside, where I can be alone for a moment." He turned and ran right into Danny. "Hey, congratulations. You finally caught her."
"Now if I could find her." Danny snickered but couldn't wipe the cheesy grin from his face. "Seen her? Girl in a white dress?"
"You check with her dad?" Will gestured with his lighter.
"Right." Danny nodded and wove through the tables, picking up Oriel as he went. "Dance with me until I can made a trade?"
"Berty? Watch Mattie?" Oriel rose from her chair.
"Sure…" Berty groaned but took the sticky little hand. When they sat down, the boy was more concerned with his crayons and the table cloth. She felt him sit before she saw him. She turned away and he moved to the other side, directly into her line of sight. So she faced forward.
Sebastien sighed heavily and turned his chair so he could face her. "Come on, Bert. Aren't you ever going to talk to me again?"
"I hadn't planned on it." She bit out. They sat in silence for a long time. Mattie hummed, traveling around the table with his crayons, making colorful designs all over it.
"You look pretty. Like a girl." He rested his hand on the back of her chair.
"Nice of you to notice." Arms crossed, she stared straight ahead, eyes on the disco lights.
"Come on, Berty… We could already pass auditions for Springer… Did you really want to secure our very own special episode?" He hated pleading but here he was, begging for her to speak to him again.
"You're just being stupid." She cursed under her breath. "Why did my mom have to be such a ho?"
"Come on. You don't mean that." Seb sat up, ready to get angry. "She's not."
"You're not my brother."
"No. I'm not. You're not my sister but neither can you be my girlfriend."
"So I'm just your father's girlfriend's daughter. I'm just this annoying little girl who follows you around like a puppy dog, hoping you'll pat her head every once in a while."
"Liberty. You're my friend. I don't let you tag along. I invite you to hang with the guys." His dark eyes watched her face carefully. "I like you hanging around. When I'm at your house, it feels more like home than my grandma's ever has… part of that is you. I don't like Roswell. I never have. I have always just wanted to go home to Boston… and I'm going now but I'm gonna miss you and my friends and your house. I love your mom and I know you do too. I could have gone back sooner, to live with my other grandparents but you guys are why I stayed. I really, really like your family… part of which is my family."
Swallowing back a lump, Liberty finally looked at him. She tried not to let the tears form but, they were warm and threatened to spill over her lashes. "If… Jesse and my mom weren't… could you look at me? That way?"
"Don't like to think about what ifs… what ifs are a luxury that people can't really afford. Once you make your bed, you have to lie in it. We've got a little sister and annoying as she can be… we both love her." A ghost of a smile on his lips. "Do I think you're pretty? More than I probably should."
"You sound like Mom."
"She's a smart lady." They sat in silence for a while as Mattie continued his mission to make his father pay for a ruined tablecloth. Seb's eyes watched everything except her. "Was that your first kiss?"
"Yeah."
"Wow. That's uh… some natural talent. Make sure the next guy you kiss deserves it." He met her eyes. "I'm just… some jerk who doesn't even know if he's broken up with his girlfriend or not."
"You're not a jerk. She doesn't appreciate you or what all you've been through together if she can just… blow you off like this."
"Can we not talk about her right now?" He pleaded. "She's a sore spot these days."
"Did you kiss and make up?" Jesse commented as he passed.
"There's no kissing. You're a pervert." Berty griped at him.
"So, we're in a better mood now. You haven't insulted me all day. I was beginning to feel hurt, that we had lost our connection." He shook his head and kept on moving. He scooped up his daughter. "You having fun?"
"Uh-huh." Gina wrapped her arms around his neck. "When we gonna cut the cake?"
"You have to ask the bride or the groom."
"Dem's Emmy and Danny not bride and groom." She shook her head at him. "How come people keep sayin' that?"
"Come on, little monkey, your mommy misses you."
"Why? I's right here."
"Finally caught her?" Max patted Jesse on the back as they maneuvered the tables to get to their destinations.
"Doesn't mean she'll stay caught." Jesse snorted.
"You should lock her up while you've got the chance." Max cleared his throat as he unceremoniously moved Beth's chair a foot away from Gabriel's, almost making the teenagers fall by the sudden lack of support. "Are we having a good time? Good. Alright. I'd leave the chairs where they are. Thank you."
"Cousin Max! Dad's looking for you." George called over the table that separated them.
"Where is he?" He looked to his cousin's boy.
"Dunno. He was here ten minutes ago. I think he was looking for Aunt Di, too." The teen was pulled away by a pretty girl and lost to them for the moment.
"I'll find him." Max kissed his wife's lips as he passed. Clapped Valenti on the shoulder. "Isabel's on the other side of the room. Go ahead and have another drink."
"She's not the boss of me."
Liz just laughed. "Whatever you need to tell yourself."
"I'm my own man. I used to run this town."
"Yes sir." Max nodded and kept moving. His eyes on his oldest daughter flirting with the best man, again. He really needed to build that tower.
"If the bride and groom would report to the stage… we've got traditions to uphold." The deejay announced over the music. "That's the bride and groom to the stage, please."
Max met Danny and Emily at the stage and set about getting them set up. Michael appeared a few moments later. They were almost ready when Isabel rushed up. "Anybody seen Grampa Valenti?"
"No." Max shook his head. "Maybe he went outside for some fresh air."
"You're lying. I know he's in here somewhere. The doctor said he wasn't supposed to put any weight on his foot… and not for a long time at all." She went off on him.
"Isabel." Max gripped her shoulders. "He's 65 years old. He knows more than you what he's capable of. His firstborn grandchild just got married. He's having a good time. Leave him alone. If his foot bothers him, he'll tell us."
"All you single guys, all you single guys… on the dance floor please. It is time for the garter toss. All you unwed guys on the dance floor. All you available guys on the floor for the garter toss."
"He shouldn't be on his feet. Doctor's orders." Isabel glared at her brother.
"As a doctor, I've prescribed a day of fun. He needs it. Let him have it." Max steered her to the steps. "Go get your boyfriend on the dance floor for the garter toss."
"She never gives up." Michael shook his head and planted the chair facing away from the dance floor. They backed away to let the couple do their thing. "If he dies, it'll be because she smothered him."
"It's the reigning theory." Max nodded and watched the garter sail through the air and landed in the hand of the one man in the crowd not really paying attention.
"On the stage, fella. Ladies! All you beautifully single ladies gather please for the bouquet toss."
Max reached down and helped Will up on the stage. "Caught the garter, huh."
"Wasted luck." Will shrugged. He looked at the ladies gathered behind the bride but he didn't see them. "Maybe I'll meet someone in there."
"You'll notice that he called for the guys five or six times but the ladies only once." Max snorted and took the glass of soda when Michael handed it to him.
"The ladies prepare for the day when they're ten years old. Guys really don't think about it until after they're officially engaged." Michael made a face. "Emily used to get married to her dolls."
There was a mad stomping of heeled feet and some groans. It was difficult to make out the winner in the crush. The DJ turned on the mike. "Okay, on the stage little lady." Max snorted and sipped his coke but got out of the way. Will waited as the crowd of women parted. The brunette that had caught the coveted prize was unexpected. Kathy took her place next to Will and stared up at his impassive face with wide blue eyes. They posed for their picture without a word. Will gulped when the DJ spoke again. "So, how's about a smooch, eh?" The crowd cheered and so Will did it. He kissed a young woman, 10 years his junior and his assignment in front of her family. Just a soft placement of lips on hers.
He had to hold back a groan. Her lips were so soft but he didn't dare linger. He just pulled back and waved to the crowd before getting them both off the stage. "Sorry," he whispered to her before heading straight to the bar. "Bourbon. Neat."
Kathy stood there and watched him toss back a couple of drinks before heading to the ladies room. He apologized for kissing her. She felt a little light-headed from such a small kiss. Wow. When she hit the edge of the floor, her father was waiting. "Daddy?"
"I needed a dancing partner." He smiled at her. She rolled her eyes at him but took his arm and remembered her aunt's wedding so long ago when he had danced with her. He spun them around and pointed towards Will. "You want me to punch him? I will. An unauthorized kiss, if I ever saw one." He really felt an urge to punish the Agent for following through on that kiss. "Say the word."
"Daddy. It's just a tradition." She shook her head at him. "I'm 25. It was a peck. He was just appeasing the crowd of humans who like to giggle like immature little girls at the sight of two people kissing, which it barely was." He still had a scowl on his face. "You're such an ogre. What are you going to do when I get married?" She pouted at him. Her lips were still burning. Had Will not felt that?
"You're not getting married. I've already decided."
"Daddy." She slugged him in the arm.
"There's a new resident. Transferred from Cruces. You should meet him. He's a nice guy. He's 27, promising." Max felt a piece of his heart dying even as he forced the words out.
"I can find my own dates. Besides, I'm leaving in a few days. It wouldn't be fair to make him fall in love with me and then me go away. Even it if did work, how do we know he won't have a problem with a wife who earns more than he does?"
"Okay. I'll butt out."
"May I cut in?" Liz tapped her daughter on the shoulder. "My husband owes me a dance."
"He's all yours. Watch out. He's all growly like a bear." Kathy stepped back and yanked her little brother onto the dance floor. "Come on, we're cutting a rug."
"If the girls see me dancing with my sister, it's all over." David groaned.
"You're too young to be concerned with girls." Kathy bumped his hip with hers. "You're not supposed to be taller than me. No one's ever going to believe you're my little brother."
"It's not my fault you're a midget."
Liz smiled at them as they danced away, still bickering. She turned her gaze to her husband. "So you're all growly over what? Will kissing Kat? He kisses Beth all the time."
"On the cheek."
"It was for show." Liz brought his head down her a sizzling kiss. "If it had been like this… I would understand…"
"No… not like that." Max breathed and glanced around. "Think there's a closet somewhere?"
"You're horrible."
"I love you."
"You think you can get me into a janitor's closet at my son's wedding with a few fancy words?" Her fingers wound into the short hair at the base of his neck. "I don't think so."
"Your mouth says the words but your eyes…"
"Don't go there."
"Love you."
TBC next post
The Fate of Destiny Part 181E CC/UC ADULT 09/02/10 COMPLETE
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, Erina, Forum Moderators
Part 107d
The Fate of Destiny Part 107 D
"You two are disgusting." Michael passed by Max and Liz to get to the bar. He sat next to Will as the agent downed another glass of bourbon. "Can I get a beer?"
"You drink?" Will tapped the bar.
"For grandfather of the bride."
"Ah." He nodded and saluted when Michael wandered away with the glass. The intoxicated agent accepted his new glass. The bartender stared at him. "Don't look at me like that. You would've kissed her too." The bartender nodded and flicked his eyes back to the brunette on the dance floor. "I wanted to kiss her better." The bartender nodded. "I work for her father."
"You're fucking crazy." The bartender poured him another drink.
"I had an excuse. Tradition."
"She is of the clan of the Hottie."
"And too young for me. Not… illegal young but maybe inappropriate young."
Berty caught the tail end of that as she picked up the bottle of cider her mother had sent her for. Glancing around, she saw her cousin's blue eyes on the agent. She almost started laughing. "Wait till I tell Beth about this."
"Tell Beth what?" Liz appeared suddenly.
"Nothing." Berty watched her aunt glance pointedly at the bottle in her hands. "I'm on an official errand."
"Uh-huh."
"Mom's waiting."
"She can wait. I'll take that over." Liz held out her hand for the bottle and turned to the bartender. "Are you paying attention to who you're serving?"
"I thought she was old enough." The bartender tried to defend himself.
"I'm thinking you never once looked at her face. She's clearly underage." Liz scolded him. "Don't make me get my husband over here."
"She's right… her husband… scary guy."
"Same guy who's going to kill you for kissing his daughter?" Bartender poured the agent another shot.
"The same."
"He won't kill you… today…" Liz set the cider down and hit the bar. "Whiskey."
"Did it finally hit you?" Will asked as he polished off his glass. "Little Danny gone for good?"
"Something like that." Liz winced as she swallowed. "What can you tell me about the dick who dumped my daughter?"
"Who? The last boyfriend? He got a transfer. He doesn't do long distance." Will shook his head. "He wasn't making her happy."
"No?"
"No. Definitely not." He shook his head as he thought of the conversation about Dustin. "He's not the kind of guy who would stick around anyway… Sad to say I introduced them."
"It's not your fault." Liz breathed and finished her glass. "So, this girl who broke your heart…" She nodded when he met her gaze. "You're drinking like a broken man, Will… and I don't think it's about the ex-wife."
"She's… perfect but… not for me. I keep too many secrets for her taste." Will relented and rolled his eyes. "You'd think I'd learn."
"No runner-up for Mrs. Goldblum?"
"Doesn't seem like it. I just hope that the next Mrs. Goldblum will hold onto the title longer than the last one."
"Happiness." Liz tapped her newly refilled glass against his and wandered away. "Some for you and some for my daughter." She left the bottle of cider on Isabel's table. "Berty's banned from the bar area."
"Liz? Are you drunk?" Isabel grinned suddenly.
"I only had two drinks." She shook her head but couldn't deny the really heavy feeling in her brain. "Whoa… um… maybe…"
"You sit. I'll find Max." Jesse pulled out a chair for her.
"I haven't had a drink since I went off the pill." Liz confided in Isabel. "You think?"
"With our blood chemistry, who knows." Isabel leaned over to kiss Jesse before he disappeared on her again. When she saw the bridesmaid's dress, Isabel reached out and pulled Beth to the table. "You know where your dad is?"
Beth looked to her mother, who was in no condition to yell. "Is she drunk?"
"Possibly." Liz leaned on her hand with a crooked smile.
Beth glanced at Gabriel, who still had a hold on her hand then at her aunt's pleading expression before she pretended to look while she reached out to find her father. "I think I see him over with a bunch of doctors."
"How do you know they're doctors?" Gabriel followed her gaze.
"Egh. I grew up with a doctor in the house. They all cut their meat the same. It's enough to make you want to go veg for real." Beth dragged him away before her mother could throw a drunken fit about his presence. "Let's go."
"Where?"
"To a quiet corner far away from prying eyes." She turned, walking backwards, drawing him into the empty hall across the way.
"Uh-oh… away from prying eyes. A dark room that's supposed to be off limits." Gabriel bent to brush his lips against hers. "Could lead to trouble. Clothes could get wrinkled, make up could get smudged."
"Keep dreaming, Romeo… it's just… too loud, too many people in there." Beth plopped into a chair.
"Too tired for a little fun."
"That's what she said." Max's voice boomed into the hall. "Beth, front and center."
"We were just sitting. Talking. It's loud in there." She felt tears forming in her eyes. She really didn't want to go back in there. "Dad, please. We'll be good." He motioned her closer. She had to get to her feet and stand with him just outside the hall doors. He could see Gabriel but she couldn't. "Dad, it's too loud in there. We weren't going to do anything. I just needed the quiet. The space."
"Okay." Max nodded and dropped a kiss on her head. "It's time for your meds… or did you forget?" She nodded that she had and held out her hand. He dropped one pill in her hand and she rolled it between her fingers. "You okay?" A shrug. "Do you need to go home? I could get Sebastien to drive you." He reached out to grab the soda that Michael carried, ignoring his friend's glare. "You need a little more? I've got some half-doses in another pocket."
"You sound like a pusher." She shook her head and popped the pill into her mouth and took a swallow of the offered soda. "If I don't feel better in half an hour, I'll find you."
"Half an hour and then you and your boyfriend must be back in the hall designated for your brother's wedding reception."
"I understand. 30 minutes, starting now." She peered around the door. "You have a watch?"
Gabriel nodded to them, surprised when she walked back into the empty hall without her father. Max leaned in. "Remember bend back phalanges and an elbow to the solar plexus are pretty good at warding off unwanted advances."
"Bye Daddy."
"You owe me a dance when you get back in there." Max didn't shut the door all the way but he hoped that he knew his daughter well enough that she wouldn't do anything she wasn't supposed to, especially in her current condition. When he returned to the family tables, Liz was rocking herself and singing softly to David, who was just nodding to her. "What happened here?"
"She had some whiskey." David answered, ignoring her pinching his cheeks and kissing his forehead. "We've been looking for you."
"My love, what happened?" Max couldn't keep the smile off his face as he knelt in front of her. "How much did you have?"
"Two shots." Liz answered proudly. "I'm just buzzing but Will is drunk. He had way more than I did."
"No evading by pointing out other's wrongs." Max chided her lightly. "Let's get you moving around, burn off some of that alcohol." He pulled her to her feet. "David? Find us some coffee and some cookies."
"On it." David hopped up and scooted passed his aunt and her boyfriend as they headed to the main foyer.
The couple founded the second set of bathrooms and carefully ducked inside. Jesse peered under all the stall doors and swiftly moved to lock the door. Isabel slipped off her panties before hopping up on the counter. There was a flurry of hands as garments were pushed aside and unzipped. There was no time for niceties. Jesse shuddered when he slipped inside of her hot body, watched her tongue run over her lips as he began a swift rhythm. Her eyes fluttered closed as she bit her lip to keep the cries from escaping her mouth. Leaning back a little, she wrapped her legs around his body, pulling him deeper inside. He tried to keep a steady grip on her as he thrust forcefully between her legs but his hand slipped and she almost hit her head on the mirror if she hadn't whipped a hand back with a loud slap. Her hips undulated against him, grinding, seeking release. They were so close when they heard a door open and a giggle.
Panicking they realized there was more than one entrance to this bathroom, around a U-bend they hadn't seen. Jesse yanked her against his body and swiftly carried her into a stall with an out-of-order sign on it. The toilet missing, he pressed her against the back wall, unable to stop moving. Isabel clamped her hand tightly over his mouth when she felt the telltale jerking of his hips against hers. He pulled her thighs higher, allowing him to thrust so much deeper and faster. His reward was her teeth on her lip, the sudden tightening and quivering around his cock just before he spilled inside her. Keeping completely still, they kept an ear out for whoever had entered.
A giggle reached their ears along with some masculine grunts. Isabel took her hand off her boyfriend's mouth and placed it on her own to keep from laughing aloud. They had escaped into the bathroom like horny teenagers only to be intruded upon by… probably some horny teenagers.
"We weren't the only ones to get his idea." The familiar voice reached their ears. "Look at that palm print."
"Can we focus just a bit here, please?" The raspy voice pleaded. Then the male voice chuckled. "Panties on the floor. Guess someone was in a hurry."
"Sh." She giggled again. "Now I'm gonna wonder who out there doesn't have any."
Isabel's chest shook with unspent laughter. Jesse buried his face in her shoulder, his own hitching in silence. If only the new couple knew that the old couple had never left.
Danny captured her mouth as he pulled her closer, thrusting frantically. Emily pulled away to find the sensitive spot behind his ear, her blood heating up. It had really been too long since they had allowed themselves to be together. Knowing that now he was all hers forever, she moved against him with renewed fervor. The strap of her dress fell off her shoulder, exposing the curve of her breast for his attack. She arched against him as their bodies shifted into a new position. "Faster." He didn't have to be asked twice. Her high-pitched cry bounced off the walls of the bathroom when she came. A few thrusts later he was grunting out his orgasm. His chest heaved against hers. "I love you."
"I love you." Danny moaned even as he knew he'd have to set them to rights and get back to the reception. "I love you, Mrs. Evans."
"I love you, Mr. Evans. You think we can make it the rest of the night?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Jesse waited until he heard the door close before he set Isabel on her feet so they could fix their clothes. "That was special."
"They're young and in love." She pressed her lips against his. "We were like that once…" She sighed heavily, she shouldn't have said that. "Sorry, I…"
"It's okay. It's true. Patty and I didn't make it to the plane landing."
"Kyle and I caved on the limo ride to the airport." Clinging together, they made their way out to the reception once more. Isabel looked at him. "Sebastien says your mom won't protest once he's gone to college."
"Maybe." He kissed her forehead. "I've got a few other people to consider… your father-in-law… your… hellcat of a daughter."
"Berty will have to deal with it." Isabel shook her head at him. She passed her sister-in-law, who looked a great deal more sober. "Lose something?"
"The bride and groom." Liz sighed and tried to keep herself steady. If anyone knew she was still dizzy, they'd make her go home. "I don't know where they went and Nathan wants a picture with him and his kids. My parents want pictures with our cousins…"
Isabel quickly covered her mouth to keep the laugh from escaping. "Check the bathrooms. Where's my brother?"
"Trying to entice Kat into falling for that young man over there." Liz pointed to her husband as he introduced his resident to a very patient and annoyed Kathleen.
Max kept an arm around his daughter, a piece of his soul dying as he introduced his transfer resident. "Sam Oliver, my daughter Kathy. We're all doctors, here."
"Nice to meet you." Kathy nodded and shook his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet such a pretty lady." Sam smiled and they stood awkwardly until Max left them alone to chat.
"Okay, um… my dad is a meddling fool who may have had some to drink." Kathy leapt into an explanation.
"Actually, I didn't have the heart to tell him that I'm gay." Sam cut her off.
"Alright then. I'm gonna go scoping. I find any of your people, I'll send them by." She shook his hand again.
"The best man?"
"Very much straight and marked for death." She backed away with a smile.
"I'm what?" Jamie popped up behind her.
"I was just going to find you." She lowered her eyelids and bit her lip.
He knew that look. "You got a place?"
"Empty hall, next door. Ten after cake-cutting." She whispered.
"A rendezvous. I feel dirty in the good way."
"My brother finds out and we're both dead."
"Message received." Jamie moved through the tables, nodding to the bride's father as they crossed paths.
TBC
"You two are disgusting." Michael passed by Max and Liz to get to the bar. He sat next to Will as the agent downed another glass of bourbon. "Can I get a beer?"
"You drink?" Will tapped the bar.
"For grandfather of the bride."
"Ah." He nodded and saluted when Michael wandered away with the glass. The intoxicated agent accepted his new glass. The bartender stared at him. "Don't look at me like that. You would've kissed her too." The bartender nodded and flicked his eyes back to the brunette on the dance floor. "I wanted to kiss her better." The bartender nodded. "I work for her father."
"You're fucking crazy." The bartender poured him another drink.
"I had an excuse. Tradition."
"She is of the clan of the Hottie."
"And too young for me. Not… illegal young but maybe inappropriate young."
Berty caught the tail end of that as she picked up the bottle of cider her mother had sent her for. Glancing around, she saw her cousin's blue eyes on the agent. She almost started laughing. "Wait till I tell Beth about this."
"Tell Beth what?" Liz appeared suddenly.
"Nothing." Berty watched her aunt glance pointedly at the bottle in her hands. "I'm on an official errand."
"Uh-huh."
"Mom's waiting."
"She can wait. I'll take that over." Liz held out her hand for the bottle and turned to the bartender. "Are you paying attention to who you're serving?"
"I thought she was old enough." The bartender tried to defend himself.
"I'm thinking you never once looked at her face. She's clearly underage." Liz scolded him. "Don't make me get my husband over here."
"She's right… her husband… scary guy."
"Same guy who's going to kill you for kissing his daughter?" Bartender poured the agent another shot.
"The same."
"He won't kill you… today…" Liz set the cider down and hit the bar. "Whiskey."
"Did it finally hit you?" Will asked as he polished off his glass. "Little Danny gone for good?"
"Something like that." Liz winced as she swallowed. "What can you tell me about the dick who dumped my daughter?"
"Who? The last boyfriend? He got a transfer. He doesn't do long distance." Will shook his head. "He wasn't making her happy."
"No?"
"No. Definitely not." He shook his head as he thought of the conversation about Dustin. "He's not the kind of guy who would stick around anyway… Sad to say I introduced them."
"It's not your fault." Liz breathed and finished her glass. "So, this girl who broke your heart…" She nodded when he met her gaze. "You're drinking like a broken man, Will… and I don't think it's about the ex-wife."
"She's… perfect but… not for me. I keep too many secrets for her taste." Will relented and rolled his eyes. "You'd think I'd learn."
"No runner-up for Mrs. Goldblum?"
"Doesn't seem like it. I just hope that the next Mrs. Goldblum will hold onto the title longer than the last one."
"Happiness." Liz tapped her newly refilled glass against his and wandered away. "Some for you and some for my daughter." She left the bottle of cider on Isabel's table. "Berty's banned from the bar area."
"Liz? Are you drunk?" Isabel grinned suddenly.
"I only had two drinks." She shook her head but couldn't deny the really heavy feeling in her brain. "Whoa… um… maybe…"
"You sit. I'll find Max." Jesse pulled out a chair for her.
"I haven't had a drink since I went off the pill." Liz confided in Isabel. "You think?"
"With our blood chemistry, who knows." Isabel leaned over to kiss Jesse before he disappeared on her again. When she saw the bridesmaid's dress, Isabel reached out and pulled Beth to the table. "You know where your dad is?"
Beth looked to her mother, who was in no condition to yell. "Is she drunk?"
"Possibly." Liz leaned on her hand with a crooked smile.
Beth glanced at Gabriel, who still had a hold on her hand then at her aunt's pleading expression before she pretended to look while she reached out to find her father. "I think I see him over with a bunch of doctors."
"How do you know they're doctors?" Gabriel followed her gaze.
"Egh. I grew up with a doctor in the house. They all cut their meat the same. It's enough to make you want to go veg for real." Beth dragged him away before her mother could throw a drunken fit about his presence. "Let's go."
"Where?"
"To a quiet corner far away from prying eyes." She turned, walking backwards, drawing him into the empty hall across the way.
"Uh-oh… away from prying eyes. A dark room that's supposed to be off limits." Gabriel bent to brush his lips against hers. "Could lead to trouble. Clothes could get wrinkled, make up could get smudged."
"Keep dreaming, Romeo… it's just… too loud, too many people in there." Beth plopped into a chair.
"Too tired for a little fun."
"That's what she said." Max's voice boomed into the hall. "Beth, front and center."
"We were just sitting. Talking. It's loud in there." She felt tears forming in her eyes. She really didn't want to go back in there. "Dad, please. We'll be good." He motioned her closer. She had to get to her feet and stand with him just outside the hall doors. He could see Gabriel but she couldn't. "Dad, it's too loud in there. We weren't going to do anything. I just needed the quiet. The space."
"Okay." Max nodded and dropped a kiss on her head. "It's time for your meds… or did you forget?" She nodded that she had and held out her hand. He dropped one pill in her hand and she rolled it between her fingers. "You okay?" A shrug. "Do you need to go home? I could get Sebastien to drive you." He reached out to grab the soda that Michael carried, ignoring his friend's glare. "You need a little more? I've got some half-doses in another pocket."
"You sound like a pusher." She shook her head and popped the pill into her mouth and took a swallow of the offered soda. "If I don't feel better in half an hour, I'll find you."
"Half an hour and then you and your boyfriend must be back in the hall designated for your brother's wedding reception."
"I understand. 30 minutes, starting now." She peered around the door. "You have a watch?"
Gabriel nodded to them, surprised when she walked back into the empty hall without her father. Max leaned in. "Remember bend back phalanges and an elbow to the solar plexus are pretty good at warding off unwanted advances."
"Bye Daddy."
"You owe me a dance when you get back in there." Max didn't shut the door all the way but he hoped that he knew his daughter well enough that she wouldn't do anything she wasn't supposed to, especially in her current condition. When he returned to the family tables, Liz was rocking herself and singing softly to David, who was just nodding to her. "What happened here?"
"She had some whiskey." David answered, ignoring her pinching his cheeks and kissing his forehead. "We've been looking for you."
"My love, what happened?" Max couldn't keep the smile off his face as he knelt in front of her. "How much did you have?"
"Two shots." Liz answered proudly. "I'm just buzzing but Will is drunk. He had way more than I did."
"No evading by pointing out other's wrongs." Max chided her lightly. "Let's get you moving around, burn off some of that alcohol." He pulled her to her feet. "David? Find us some coffee and some cookies."
"On it." David hopped up and scooted passed his aunt and her boyfriend as they headed to the main foyer.
The couple founded the second set of bathrooms and carefully ducked inside. Jesse peered under all the stall doors and swiftly moved to lock the door. Isabel slipped off her panties before hopping up on the counter. There was a flurry of hands as garments were pushed aside and unzipped. There was no time for niceties. Jesse shuddered when he slipped inside of her hot body, watched her tongue run over her lips as he began a swift rhythm. Her eyes fluttered closed as she bit her lip to keep the cries from escaping her mouth. Leaning back a little, she wrapped her legs around his body, pulling him deeper inside. He tried to keep a steady grip on her as he thrust forcefully between her legs but his hand slipped and she almost hit her head on the mirror if she hadn't whipped a hand back with a loud slap. Her hips undulated against him, grinding, seeking release. They were so close when they heard a door open and a giggle.
Panicking they realized there was more than one entrance to this bathroom, around a U-bend they hadn't seen. Jesse yanked her against his body and swiftly carried her into a stall with an out-of-order sign on it. The toilet missing, he pressed her against the back wall, unable to stop moving. Isabel clamped her hand tightly over his mouth when she felt the telltale jerking of his hips against hers. He pulled her thighs higher, allowing him to thrust so much deeper and faster. His reward was her teeth on her lip, the sudden tightening and quivering around his cock just before he spilled inside her. Keeping completely still, they kept an ear out for whoever had entered.
A giggle reached their ears along with some masculine grunts. Isabel took her hand off her boyfriend's mouth and placed it on her own to keep from laughing aloud. They had escaped into the bathroom like horny teenagers only to be intruded upon by… probably some horny teenagers.
"We weren't the only ones to get his idea." The familiar voice reached their ears. "Look at that palm print."
"Can we focus just a bit here, please?" The raspy voice pleaded. Then the male voice chuckled. "Panties on the floor. Guess someone was in a hurry."
"Sh." She giggled again. "Now I'm gonna wonder who out there doesn't have any."
Isabel's chest shook with unspent laughter. Jesse buried his face in her shoulder, his own hitching in silence. If only the new couple knew that the old couple had never left.
Danny captured her mouth as he pulled her closer, thrusting frantically. Emily pulled away to find the sensitive spot behind his ear, her blood heating up. It had really been too long since they had allowed themselves to be together. Knowing that now he was all hers forever, she moved against him with renewed fervor. The strap of her dress fell off her shoulder, exposing the curve of her breast for his attack. She arched against him as their bodies shifted into a new position. "Faster." He didn't have to be asked twice. Her high-pitched cry bounced off the walls of the bathroom when she came. A few thrusts later he was grunting out his orgasm. His chest heaved against hers. "I love you."
"I love you." Danny moaned even as he knew he'd have to set them to rights and get back to the reception. "I love you, Mrs. Evans."
"I love you, Mr. Evans. You think we can make it the rest of the night?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Jesse waited until he heard the door close before he set Isabel on her feet so they could fix their clothes. "That was special."
"They're young and in love." She pressed her lips against his. "We were like that once…" She sighed heavily, she shouldn't have said that. "Sorry, I…"
"It's okay. It's true. Patty and I didn't make it to the plane landing."
"Kyle and I caved on the limo ride to the airport." Clinging together, they made their way out to the reception once more. Isabel looked at him. "Sebastien says your mom won't protest once he's gone to college."
"Maybe." He kissed her forehead. "I've got a few other people to consider… your father-in-law… your… hellcat of a daughter."
"Berty will have to deal with it." Isabel shook her head at him. She passed her sister-in-law, who looked a great deal more sober. "Lose something?"
"The bride and groom." Liz sighed and tried to keep herself steady. If anyone knew she was still dizzy, they'd make her go home. "I don't know where they went and Nathan wants a picture with him and his kids. My parents want pictures with our cousins…"
Isabel quickly covered her mouth to keep the laugh from escaping. "Check the bathrooms. Where's my brother?"
"Trying to entice Kat into falling for that young man over there." Liz pointed to her husband as he introduced his resident to a very patient and annoyed Kathleen.
Max kept an arm around his daughter, a piece of his soul dying as he introduced his transfer resident. "Sam Oliver, my daughter Kathy. We're all doctors, here."
"Nice to meet you." Kathy nodded and shook his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet such a pretty lady." Sam smiled and they stood awkwardly until Max left them alone to chat.
"Okay, um… my dad is a meddling fool who may have had some to drink." Kathy leapt into an explanation.
"Actually, I didn't have the heart to tell him that I'm gay." Sam cut her off.
"Alright then. I'm gonna go scoping. I find any of your people, I'll send them by." She shook his hand again.
"The best man?"
"Very much straight and marked for death." She backed away with a smile.
"I'm what?" Jamie popped up behind her.
"I was just going to find you." She lowered her eyelids and bit her lip.
He knew that look. "You got a place?"
"Empty hall, next door. Ten after cake-cutting." She whispered.
"A rendezvous. I feel dirty in the good way."
"My brother finds out and we're both dead."
"Message received." Jamie moved through the tables, nodding to the bride's father as they crossed paths.
TBC
part 107E
The Fate of Destiny Part 107 E
Michael pulled his wife through the tables. No one would miss them if they disappeared for twenty minutes. Through the kitchen door and out the back to his car where he had left it parked under bunch of trees. "On the hood or in the backseat?"
"Backseat." She smacked him. He knew better. Damn. Car seat. "Maybe the hood… what if someone sees?" She let him lead her to the side of the car where the trees hung low. He captured her mouth and pressed her against the broad side of the car.
"No one's coming back here." He reassured her as together they moved everything they needed to out of the way. Gripping her thighs just behind the knees, he pulled her up and guided his ready cock into her hot wet core. She began wailing the second he began moving. The car rocked with his every movement. "Ori--" He gasped out when her walls fluttered around him. She'd never come that quick before.
A flurry of French passed over her lips too quick for him to catch anything as she curled around his body, convulsing. Her hips rolled against his as her orgasm rushed over her, her arms hooked under his arms, over his shoulders until finally he came after her. "Ce… ce merveilleux." She peppered kisses all over his face.
"You okay?"
"Great." She captured his mouth for the most aggressive kiss she'd ever given him. "I love you."
"Love you." He shut his eyes as he set her on feet but she didn't stop kissing his face. "Is it because we're outside? You're never like this." She blushed a deep crimson and buried her face in his chest. "It is, you little exhibitionist."
"We should get back. They're going to cut the cake soon." Oriel kept her eyes on his shirt buttons as she straightened his shirt and zipped him back up.
"This is good to know."
"If you tell anyone, I'll kill you." She dragged him back to the reception around the front of the building where Max and Will were smoking and chatting with Valenti and Mr. Parker. "Gentlemen enjoying yourselves?"
Max shrugged and took a drag on his cigarette. "Don't tell her if you see her."
"When I saw her last, she was drunk." Oriel shrugged.
"She's faking sober. She doesn't want to go home. We've all offered to take her." Jeff rolled his eyes. "That girl… I swear."
"She's not going to let Danny out of her sight until it's time for him to go." The elder Evans shook his head. "Maybe you can talk her into sitting still until cake time."
"I'll try. Don't stink up my husband. I don't want to have to de-odorize him before I let him into bed." She pointed her finger at the smokers. Michael sent her into the hall with a swat on her behind.
"Something wrong?" Michael studied his somber buddies.
"No." Will shook his head but his jacket hung open to expose his gun, the hook off its safety belt. A sly grin crossed his face. "But uh… Mr. Valenti and Dr. Evans nearly had a throw down."
"Did not." Max protested, waving his cigarette around.
"She's a pretty lady. I asked her to dance. She said yes." Valenti defended himself. "We're friends."
"We're all friends, Jim." Jeff patted the former sheriff on the back. He leaned in. "She's his mother. He's protective."
Danny burst out, barely able to contain his laughter. "Dad… come in here. I think she relapsed."
"What?" Max dropped his cigarette, stomping it out as he made for the door. When they group pushed their way into the dance hall, Max covered his mouth to keep in the guffaw. His wife was slow dancing with her mother. Nancy had Liz's head on her shoulder, stroking her hair like she was a sleepy little girl trying to avoid a nap. "Please tell me someone got that on camera."
"What is Mom doing?" Beth suddenly appeared at her father's side.
"She's drunk." Max shrugged but couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "You okay?"
"I'll be fine."
"Where's… Pinhead?"
"Bathroom. Nice of you to ask. We're dancing now. No caveman antics." She narrowed her eyes at him and moved further into the dance hall. David popped up to sneak a spider onto Beth's head before wandering away as if he hadn't done a thing. The second his back was turned, Beth plucked the spider from her hair and dropped it on the floor, stabbing it with her heel before it could scuttle away.
"She scares me sometimes." Will mused aloud. "But… on the plus side, no one is ever going to get the drop on her. You think she'd like to go into the FBI?"
"No more bourbon for you." Max said but his face was neutral. She scared him sometimes, too.
"I'm fine. Looks like cake time." Will changed the subject.
"I have to… (snicker) collect my wife." He took a deep breath and cut in on his mother-in-law. "I'll take her."
"I think she's coming down." Nancy handed Liz off.
"We thought she was coming down half an hour ago." He shook his head. "Stand in up there?"
"Sure thing. Where's my husband? Is he sober?"
"They were right behind me. Pretty certain the grandfathers have capped themselves."
"Don't be too sure." Jim grunted as he passed them to make his way to the stage to spend a few moments with his granddaughter while he could.
"There you are. How's your foot?" Emily pulled a chair out for him to sit.
"Your father-in-law fixed it. We'll take the cast off tomorrow. Just love irking Isabel."
"She'll find you up here." Danny warned as they got ready to cut the huge cake.
"I'm sitting now."
"Smile pretty for the camera." Danny turned Emily's face to the photographer.
"This is the lamest part of the wedding." She said through her teeth.
"You insisted." Danny smiled right back as their hands pushed the engraved server through the fluffy white cake in front of them.
"You didn't fight me."
"Cake?" He picked up the piece and held it up to her face.
"If you smash that in my face, I'll smash your face into the cake."
Danny let a more genuine smile slide onto his face as he broke a piece off and fed it to her. "You wanna take off early, then?"
"As soon as they let us." She pushed his hand to his mouth so he could taste the cake. "It's good, huh."
"Hmm-mmm." He nodded and handed off the server to his grandmother who was taking care of the task in lieu of his drunken mother. He kissed his grandma Nancy's cheek and took the plate to hand to grampa Valenti. They got busy passing cake this way and that way and setting aside empty tiers. "Hey, Kat?"
No response. Nancy glanced around and thought she saw the girl in question heading outside. "I think she got a phone call. What did you need?"
"No, I was just going to ask her if she'd seen Jamie. I wanted to make sure we were taken care of for the summer." Danny shook his head. "I'll catch him before I leave tonight."
Beth popped up to smush a piece of cake in her brother's face. "Your brain is quiet."
"I'm happy." He shrugged and cleaned his face, pulling his little sister into his arms for a short dance behind the wedding party's table. His little sister wasn't exactly little anymore. "Dad looks like he wants to kill your boyfriend."
"Yep. He's been devising several interesting ways to dispose of the body."
"Do I need to have a chat with this young man?"
She snorted and ducked under his arm to take a piece of cake from the table for Gabriel. "If you're gonna chat with anyone, chat with the best man…" She saw them duck out of the room even as she realized the words had passed over her lips. She shouldn't have said them to Danny of all people. "I mean… Shit… Danny, don't." Her eyes on the doors they had just passed through.
Jamie made sure no one was watching them as they ducked into the empty hall. Kat pulled off her panties while he secured the doors. Then they raced to a darker corner to ensure they would not be caught. She pushed him onto a chair and straddled his lap, flicking open buttons and exposing his chest to her. He cupped her face and brought her lips to his. Their tongues clashed and melded while their hands roamed to familiar spots. Her straps slid down her arms, exposing her breasts for his mouth to taste. Biting back a moan, her hands slid down his chest and down to pull his cock out of his pants. His large hands slid down her back and cupped her ass, pulling her closer, then traveling down her thighs until he found the hem of her dress to delved beneath and drew her onto his aching cock.
His moan vibrated through her breast. Her hips rocked, his hands guiding her and yanking her forward as he slouched to catch a different angle. The familiar flush heated her body, arching her away from his mouth. Last time, that was the best she felt and that was all she expected this time until he yanked her hips up as he charged them onto the nearest table. Her legs splayed wide, her dress bunched around her waist, Jamie slammed his hips against her. "I heard through the grapevine that I was disappointing last time. I have a rep to keep and I never disappoint."
Her hips rolled against his with every thrust, her body heating up further as he teased her body. His tongue lapped at her nipple in tantalizing patterns. His hands busy massaging her thighs. Her hands gripped his head and shoulders, arching her body against him, enjoying this new level of pleasure. "Oh… Oh…"
"That's it." He breathed on her heated skin, his fingers moving inward to tease her folds around his thrusting cock. His hips moved faster. Their chests heaved together. His thumb slid over the hard, slick little nub and he was rewarded with a violent bucking of her hips. "Yes… Kat… yes, come on."
Kat clawed at his back when she couldn't keep it together anymore and everything around her seemed to shatter. Amidst her trembling, she felt him come inside her. Then they were both startled when a bulb popped over their heads. Their breaths came in deep paths until they were calm. "That… was amazing."
"I expect a full retraction…"
"Oh baby, I take it all back."
Tbc next post
Michael pulled his wife through the tables. No one would miss them if they disappeared for twenty minutes. Through the kitchen door and out the back to his car where he had left it parked under bunch of trees. "On the hood or in the backseat?"
"Backseat." She smacked him. He knew better. Damn. Car seat. "Maybe the hood… what if someone sees?" She let him lead her to the side of the car where the trees hung low. He captured her mouth and pressed her against the broad side of the car.
"No one's coming back here." He reassured her as together they moved everything they needed to out of the way. Gripping her thighs just behind the knees, he pulled her up and guided his ready cock into her hot wet core. She began wailing the second he began moving. The car rocked with his every movement. "Ori--" He gasped out when her walls fluttered around him. She'd never come that quick before.
A flurry of French passed over her lips too quick for him to catch anything as she curled around his body, convulsing. Her hips rolled against his as her orgasm rushed over her, her arms hooked under his arms, over his shoulders until finally he came after her. "Ce… ce merveilleux." She peppered kisses all over his face.
"You okay?"
"Great." She captured his mouth for the most aggressive kiss she'd ever given him. "I love you."
"Love you." He shut his eyes as he set her on feet but she didn't stop kissing his face. "Is it because we're outside? You're never like this." She blushed a deep crimson and buried her face in his chest. "It is, you little exhibitionist."
"We should get back. They're going to cut the cake soon." Oriel kept her eyes on his shirt buttons as she straightened his shirt and zipped him back up.
"This is good to know."
"If you tell anyone, I'll kill you." She dragged him back to the reception around the front of the building where Max and Will were smoking and chatting with Valenti and Mr. Parker. "Gentlemen enjoying yourselves?"
Max shrugged and took a drag on his cigarette. "Don't tell her if you see her."
"When I saw her last, she was drunk." Oriel shrugged.
"She's faking sober. She doesn't want to go home. We've all offered to take her." Jeff rolled his eyes. "That girl… I swear."
"She's not going to let Danny out of her sight until it's time for him to go." The elder Evans shook his head. "Maybe you can talk her into sitting still until cake time."
"I'll try. Don't stink up my husband. I don't want to have to de-odorize him before I let him into bed." She pointed her finger at the smokers. Michael sent her into the hall with a swat on her behind.
"Something wrong?" Michael studied his somber buddies.
"No." Will shook his head but his jacket hung open to expose his gun, the hook off its safety belt. A sly grin crossed his face. "But uh… Mr. Valenti and Dr. Evans nearly had a throw down."
"Did not." Max protested, waving his cigarette around.
"She's a pretty lady. I asked her to dance. She said yes." Valenti defended himself. "We're friends."
"We're all friends, Jim." Jeff patted the former sheriff on the back. He leaned in. "She's his mother. He's protective."
Danny burst out, barely able to contain his laughter. "Dad… come in here. I think she relapsed."
"What?" Max dropped his cigarette, stomping it out as he made for the door. When they group pushed their way into the dance hall, Max covered his mouth to keep in the guffaw. His wife was slow dancing with her mother. Nancy had Liz's head on her shoulder, stroking her hair like she was a sleepy little girl trying to avoid a nap. "Please tell me someone got that on camera."
"What is Mom doing?" Beth suddenly appeared at her father's side.
"She's drunk." Max shrugged but couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "You okay?"
"I'll be fine."
"Where's… Pinhead?"
"Bathroom. Nice of you to ask. We're dancing now. No caveman antics." She narrowed her eyes at him and moved further into the dance hall. David popped up to sneak a spider onto Beth's head before wandering away as if he hadn't done a thing. The second his back was turned, Beth plucked the spider from her hair and dropped it on the floor, stabbing it with her heel before it could scuttle away.
"She scares me sometimes." Will mused aloud. "But… on the plus side, no one is ever going to get the drop on her. You think she'd like to go into the FBI?"
"No more bourbon for you." Max said but his face was neutral. She scared him sometimes, too.
"I'm fine. Looks like cake time." Will changed the subject.
"I have to… (snicker) collect my wife." He took a deep breath and cut in on his mother-in-law. "I'll take her."
"I think she's coming down." Nancy handed Liz off.
"We thought she was coming down half an hour ago." He shook his head. "Stand in up there?"
"Sure thing. Where's my husband? Is he sober?"
"They were right behind me. Pretty certain the grandfathers have capped themselves."
"Don't be too sure." Jim grunted as he passed them to make his way to the stage to spend a few moments with his granddaughter while he could.
"There you are. How's your foot?" Emily pulled a chair out for him to sit.
"Your father-in-law fixed it. We'll take the cast off tomorrow. Just love irking Isabel."
"She'll find you up here." Danny warned as they got ready to cut the huge cake.
"I'm sitting now."
"Smile pretty for the camera." Danny turned Emily's face to the photographer.
"This is the lamest part of the wedding." She said through her teeth.
"You insisted." Danny smiled right back as their hands pushed the engraved server through the fluffy white cake in front of them.
"You didn't fight me."
"Cake?" He picked up the piece and held it up to her face.
"If you smash that in my face, I'll smash your face into the cake."
Danny let a more genuine smile slide onto his face as he broke a piece off and fed it to her. "You wanna take off early, then?"
"As soon as they let us." She pushed his hand to his mouth so he could taste the cake. "It's good, huh."
"Hmm-mmm." He nodded and handed off the server to his grandmother who was taking care of the task in lieu of his drunken mother. He kissed his grandma Nancy's cheek and took the plate to hand to grampa Valenti. They got busy passing cake this way and that way and setting aside empty tiers. "Hey, Kat?"
No response. Nancy glanced around and thought she saw the girl in question heading outside. "I think she got a phone call. What did you need?"
"No, I was just going to ask her if she'd seen Jamie. I wanted to make sure we were taken care of for the summer." Danny shook his head. "I'll catch him before I leave tonight."
Beth popped up to smush a piece of cake in her brother's face. "Your brain is quiet."
"I'm happy." He shrugged and cleaned his face, pulling his little sister into his arms for a short dance behind the wedding party's table. His little sister wasn't exactly little anymore. "Dad looks like he wants to kill your boyfriend."
"Yep. He's been devising several interesting ways to dispose of the body."
"Do I need to have a chat with this young man?"
She snorted and ducked under his arm to take a piece of cake from the table for Gabriel. "If you're gonna chat with anyone, chat with the best man…" She saw them duck out of the room even as she realized the words had passed over her lips. She shouldn't have said them to Danny of all people. "I mean… Shit… Danny, don't." Her eyes on the doors they had just passed through.
Jamie made sure no one was watching them as they ducked into the empty hall. Kat pulled off her panties while he secured the doors. Then they raced to a darker corner to ensure they would not be caught. She pushed him onto a chair and straddled his lap, flicking open buttons and exposing his chest to her. He cupped her face and brought her lips to his. Their tongues clashed and melded while their hands roamed to familiar spots. Her straps slid down her arms, exposing her breasts for his mouth to taste. Biting back a moan, her hands slid down his chest and down to pull his cock out of his pants. His large hands slid down her back and cupped her ass, pulling her closer, then traveling down her thighs until he found the hem of her dress to delved beneath and drew her onto his aching cock.
His moan vibrated through her breast. Her hips rocked, his hands guiding her and yanking her forward as he slouched to catch a different angle. The familiar flush heated her body, arching her away from his mouth. Last time, that was the best she felt and that was all she expected this time until he yanked her hips up as he charged them onto the nearest table. Her legs splayed wide, her dress bunched around her waist, Jamie slammed his hips against her. "I heard through the grapevine that I was disappointing last time. I have a rep to keep and I never disappoint."
Her hips rolled against his with every thrust, her body heating up further as he teased her body. His tongue lapped at her nipple in tantalizing patterns. His hands busy massaging her thighs. Her hands gripped his head and shoulders, arching her body against him, enjoying this new level of pleasure. "Oh… Oh…"
"That's it." He breathed on her heated skin, his fingers moving inward to tease her folds around his thrusting cock. His hips moved faster. Their chests heaved together. His thumb slid over the hard, slick little nub and he was rewarded with a violent bucking of her hips. "Yes… Kat… yes, come on."
Kat clawed at his back when she couldn't keep it together anymore and everything around her seemed to shatter. Amidst her trembling, she felt him come inside her. Then they were both startled when a bulb popped over their heads. Their breaths came in deep paths until they were calm. "That… was amazing."
"I expect a full retraction…"
"Oh baby, I take it all back."
Tbc next post
part 107F
The Fate of Destiny Part 107 F
Just as they were sitting up to fix their clothes, the doors opened. "Kat! You in here?"
"I locked the door, I know I did." Jamie hissed as he hurried to zip himself up.
Kat hopped off the table and tried to get her straps back into place. Maybe they hadn't been seen yet. "Stay here." She fixed herself up as much as possible and approached the square of light. "Danny? That you?"
"There you are… have you seen…" Danny trailed off as he peered into the shadowed corner behind her. "What are you doing in here with the door locked?"
"Nothing, it's quiet in here."
"Dammit, Kat." He pulled her out of the hall and outside.
"Hey, cool it." She fought against him, but knew she wasn't getting out of this without a fight.
Outside, there was only the limo driver within hearing distance. "Don't you have enough fuck buddies?"
"We're adults. We know what we're doing."
"Do you? Do you have to screw my friends?" He sighed heavily and leaned against the limo.
"I don't sleep with all of your friends." She protested. "It was only two… three…" She winced as she ran through the faces in her head. "Five. Tops."
"I only have seven friends…"
"Well, when you say it like that…"
"I know that I can't tell you what to do." Danny shoved himself to his feet. "Sleep with every guy on the planet. I don't care. Just… these are my friends, Kat. They talk amongst themselves about the girls they've been with and I don't need to hear the details of your sex life through them. Okay? I know that you and Jamie had that fling a couple of years ago. I dealt with it… I don't want you to be that girl. That girl that…"
"It won't happen again. I'll stay away from your friends. I'm not that girl…" She wrapped her arms around her upper-body, tears stinging at her eyes. When Jacobi said it, she could find the humor in it because they were friends… but this was her big brother.
"I know you aren't…" He tried to hug her but she wouldn't let him.
"Hey, Kat?" Beth walked outside with an arm around both Gabriel and Will. "Can you drive us all home? Gabriel's got to get his brats from the sitter and Will's drunk."
"Hurry back." Danny finally managed to get Kat to look at him. "I wanna say goodbye but not before I have to leave. Okay? Kitty?"
"Yeah, I'll be back soon." She relented still stung from the almost accusation.
"Bye Danny." Beth reached up to hug him goodbye. "Tell Em I said to have a blast."
"You're not coming back?" He peered down into his little sister's face and saw the pain she was hiding. "You okay?"
"Yeah, it's uh… either take another half dose and be drooling on your suit or I go home and rest before people show up. I'm okay, though." She gave him a small smile. "Drama."
"Oh, hey, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to project." He apologized profusely for whatever part he played.
"It wasn't just you… there are a lot of people in there. Cousin Nate's in a custody battle. Mom's drunk and projecting. Dad is worrying about you, about Kat, about me… and grandma. Will's drunk too… he's got all sorts all by himself."
"You sure you wanna ride home with him?"
"He's ready to pass out."
"Okay. You take care of yourself, kiddo. If you need someone to talk to, you call. I won't mind. I'll be back in two weeks."
"Have fun. Congratulations." She leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I'm so happy for you and Em."
"Thanks. Go rest." Danny stood and watched them pile into Will's car. Kat had to fight the agent for his keys but eventually they all piled in and drove off.
Kathy kept her eyes on the road but she could feel how bad off Will was. When she looked to the rearview to ask Gabriel directions, she found them making out like they had probably been dying to all night. "Will, you know where this kid lives?"
Will cleared his throat but didn't speak. He just shook his head and attempted to fish a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket. It took his a few tries but he finally got it lit, so Kat rolled down his window. It took him a few moments before he spoke. "So you found some fun tonight?"
"Hey, I brought you some fun and you let her go home alone."
"She wasn't looking for fun." Will tilted his head back to see why the back seat was so quiet. "Hey buddy… mind keeping your hands in respectful places. That's my fiancée you're mauling."
"Will, shut up." Kat glared at him. "How'd you know what I did or didn't do tonight?"
Will clenched the filter between his teeth as he pat his pockets down and came out with a pair of tiny panties. "There was a power surge and I volunteered to look around. Picked these up before your father stumbled onto them."
Kat pulled them out of his fingers. {God! Is it pick on Kathy night?} Suddenly, Beth leaned forward and plucked the ashy cigarette from Will's mouth and tossed it out the window. "Pull over, he's gonna be sick." The second the car was still, Beth shot from the backseat and pulled Will out his door and to the ditch before he lost it. Kathy started from the car but a chilly gaze from her sister stilled her. "Just stay in the fucking car, Kathleen."
"Did you two get into a fight or something?" Gabriel asked her when she was seated once more. Kat just shook her head and shoved her panties into the glove compartment. Beth had been pissed at her for days whenever Will was around. Who knew what was going on there. The kid cleared his throat. "What did he mean, his fiancée? Isn't he… old?"
"Beth proposes to him at least eight times a year. It's a thing they have. He's probably the best friend she has… and she doesn't get to see him often enough. I think she started proposing figuring that if they got married, he would take her with him wherever he went and she could see him all the time. She was 12 or 13 or something." She watched Beth rub Will's back as he purged everything he had to drink all night. "We haven't had a chance to talk, Gabe."
"It's Gabriel."
"Okay, Mr. Formal… treat her right. She's had a few boyfriends and they didn't pay the right kind of attention to her."
"What kind is that?"
"You make her laugh. The others were so fucking pretentious with this Goth crap, they wanted her to be death poems and midnight funerals all the time. She likes to laugh. She's got a sick sense of humor, sure but… you're good for her and I think even my parents can see it… eventually. Mom is just… trying to keep Beth a little girl for as long as possible. She doesn't like what she sees when she looks at you… except that if she was 16, she would. You should have seen my dad when he was younger…"
"What do you mean?"
"Kid, you're walking sex… and it terrifies my mom. I asked for birth control and was denied. Beth hasn't even brought it up… and she's almost 17. My boyfriend was my age and you're… older than her."
"Your dad already gave me the death threat."
"Wow, he just stepped right in, didn't he." Kathy nodded to herself, impressed with how off kilter her parents really were over this kid.
"We don't sleep together. We haven't been together long. I tease her about it but we have rules that I stick by. I'm really not in the position to make mistakes. I'm the only one who's around to take care of my brothers and sister. I won't push Beth into doing something that'll make both our lives hell."
"That's good to know, Gabriel. My mom had her innocence stripped away pretty young and she tries to make sure that we keep ours. That's all." She met his eyes in the rearview and saw that he was confused so she turned around to face him. "She stopped trusting her parents when she was 16… and Beth stopped when she was 13. We don't know why."
"Is it because of what happened to her?"
"Maybe. You know about that?"
"I know she had to go away for a while… I didn't know her then. Joey didn't know much either."
"Good ol' Gay Joey." Kathy smiled for a moment. "It was a hard time that I wasn't here for and maybe that's when it started but it scares my mother to death the way that Beth doesn't confide in her the way that me and Danny used to… but it's easier for me and Danny. Mom is young to us. She's not my biological mom so I'm always trying to keep her close. Beth is just like any other kid who has older siblings who overshadow her and whose parents are in that age too far advanced to understand with a little brother that everyone is always spoiling rotten." She shrugged. "But you're good for her. If you really, really care about her…"
"I don't push her."
"You won't make things worse for her at home. I'm not saying to back off. Just… cool the bad boy routine when you go over. My dad is like… an alpha male and any other alphas are gonna get eaten, simple as that. Just acknowledge his authority in his presence."
"Mint." Beth's hand appeared next to Gabriel's face. "I know you've got some. You don't always taste that good." He put a small tin in her hands and she popped one into Will's mouth where he leaned against the car. "Repeat after me. I, William Arthur Goldblum."
"I, William Arthur Goldblum." He repeated as he carefully sucked on the mint.
"Do solemnly swear."
"Do seldomly swear."
"Cute but no. Do solemnly swear never to drink more than a quarter of my body weight for the rest of my life."
"Your body weight or mine?"
"Yours."
"I swear it, then."
"Good. Get your ass back in the car."
Once everyone was settled again, it was a quiet drive as Gabriel was let out at his complex and Beth at the house. Kat didn't like the way Beth glared at her the whole ride. Finally she got Will to his hotel only to find that he'd misplaced his key card and the security camera glaring right at her. She had to drag him to the front office, get replacements for the key and drag him to his room. Once there, she set the room key on the table and tucked the extra into her dress. Carefully, she guided him to the bed to sit so she could take off his shoes. "You're a miserable drunk, Will Goldblum." He just nodded and tried to get out of his jacket. Stepping between his legs, she leaned him forward so she could work at getting his jacket off, then his gun strap, and then his necklace. Then she felt his lips on the skin exposed by the sharp dive in fabric on her dress. His hands slid up her back. Her lips tingled remembering that kiss at the wedding just a couple of hours ago. Suddenly, she felt horrible for what she and Jamie had done despite how well he had treated her. She had a fear that Will would taste Jamie on her body. Pulling off the gold chain, she extricated herself from his arms to set the chain and revolver next to the room key. Rushing around the room, she gathered aspirin from his shaving kit and poured a glass of water. "I'll bring your car back tomorrow. Night, Will."
Will watched her disappear through the door and flopped back on his bed. He was so drunk. He stared at the aspirin in his hand and shoved them into his mouth, swallowing all the water before reaching for the phone. "Max? It's Will."
"Will? You get back okay?"
"Just making sure Dan and Em haven't left yet. Kat's on her way back."
Max frowned at his wife's cell phone. "You okay?"
"I'm good. Just soused. Dr. Kat fixed me up before she left."
"They won't leave for another twenty minutes. She'll make it back on time if she's already on her way."
"Good. Have fun, Max."
"We will." Max nodded to his wife and hit the off button. Liz let loose the giggle she'd been holding since the phone rang. "Are you sober now?"
"All it took was some loving, I guess." She kissed his lips before she sat up to button her dress back together. She let him slip from her body with a sigh. Moving to the other side of the seat, she let him get his clothes together. "He's married, Max. My baby's all grown up."
"I know… but he'll be back in two weeks and you'll see how happy he is." Max pulled her close to him. "Maybe you should have another drink. You weren't so bothered about it twenty minutes ago."
"I know… because my stud of a husband kept me distracted." She let her hand slide up his thigh, biting her lip wistfully when his penis stirred under her touch.
"Liz… we don't have time for another round." He moaned when her hand closed around the reawakened flesh.
"I don't but you do…" She kissed his mouth furiously while she worked him up for a quick release. "Sometimes I like to do for my husband… with no strings attached."
"No… strings?" Max let his head fall back against the seat as her mouth slid down his length, his hips arching to get deeper. "Oh shit…" He clenched one hand in his hair and the other ran down his wife's back, aching to grip her head but knowing he'd mess up the elaborate hairdo she was sporting. "Oh… shit… Liz… you're going to get payback when we get home tonight…"
Her mouth moved up and down with renewed fervor, tongue teasing all the sensitive spots she'd learned to find over the years. His hips bucked while she kept her mouth in a tight circle around his throbbing flesh. Liz reached down and slipped her hand into his pants and under his sensitive sacs until he spilled into her mouth with a muffled grunt. "Oh God…"
"God! I'm blind!" The exclamation came from outside the car.
Liz nearly choked on her hard-won prize when she realized who had spied their teenage-like antics. Hand over her mouth, she tried not to spray the contents as she controlled her throat's reflexes. "Was that Kat?"
"I think so." Max shut his eyes and tried not to laugh. It wasn't really funny but… it really, really was. "We'd better…"
"Okay." Liz let the laugh spill over her lips. Reaching under the seat for the wet naps she always kept in the car, she and Max freshened up to rejoin the party about to bid farewell to the newlyweds. "You still going to pay me back?"
"Count on it."
tbc
Just as they were sitting up to fix their clothes, the doors opened. "Kat! You in here?"
"I locked the door, I know I did." Jamie hissed as he hurried to zip himself up.
Kat hopped off the table and tried to get her straps back into place. Maybe they hadn't been seen yet. "Stay here." She fixed herself up as much as possible and approached the square of light. "Danny? That you?"
"There you are… have you seen…" Danny trailed off as he peered into the shadowed corner behind her. "What are you doing in here with the door locked?"
"Nothing, it's quiet in here."
"Dammit, Kat." He pulled her out of the hall and outside.
"Hey, cool it." She fought against him, but knew she wasn't getting out of this without a fight.
Outside, there was only the limo driver within hearing distance. "Don't you have enough fuck buddies?"
"We're adults. We know what we're doing."
"Do you? Do you have to screw my friends?" He sighed heavily and leaned against the limo.
"I don't sleep with all of your friends." She protested. "It was only two… three…" She winced as she ran through the faces in her head. "Five. Tops."
"I only have seven friends…"
"Well, when you say it like that…"
"I know that I can't tell you what to do." Danny shoved himself to his feet. "Sleep with every guy on the planet. I don't care. Just… these are my friends, Kat. They talk amongst themselves about the girls they've been with and I don't need to hear the details of your sex life through them. Okay? I know that you and Jamie had that fling a couple of years ago. I dealt with it… I don't want you to be that girl. That girl that…"
"It won't happen again. I'll stay away from your friends. I'm not that girl…" She wrapped her arms around her upper-body, tears stinging at her eyes. When Jacobi said it, she could find the humor in it because they were friends… but this was her big brother.
"I know you aren't…" He tried to hug her but she wouldn't let him.
"Hey, Kat?" Beth walked outside with an arm around both Gabriel and Will. "Can you drive us all home? Gabriel's got to get his brats from the sitter and Will's drunk."
"Hurry back." Danny finally managed to get Kat to look at him. "I wanna say goodbye but not before I have to leave. Okay? Kitty?"
"Yeah, I'll be back soon." She relented still stung from the almost accusation.
"Bye Danny." Beth reached up to hug him goodbye. "Tell Em I said to have a blast."
"You're not coming back?" He peered down into his little sister's face and saw the pain she was hiding. "You okay?"
"Yeah, it's uh… either take another half dose and be drooling on your suit or I go home and rest before people show up. I'm okay, though." She gave him a small smile. "Drama."
"Oh, hey, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to project." He apologized profusely for whatever part he played.
"It wasn't just you… there are a lot of people in there. Cousin Nate's in a custody battle. Mom's drunk and projecting. Dad is worrying about you, about Kat, about me… and grandma. Will's drunk too… he's got all sorts all by himself."
"You sure you wanna ride home with him?"
"He's ready to pass out."
"Okay. You take care of yourself, kiddo. If you need someone to talk to, you call. I won't mind. I'll be back in two weeks."
"Have fun. Congratulations." She leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I'm so happy for you and Em."
"Thanks. Go rest." Danny stood and watched them pile into Will's car. Kat had to fight the agent for his keys but eventually they all piled in and drove off.
Kathy kept her eyes on the road but she could feel how bad off Will was. When she looked to the rearview to ask Gabriel directions, she found them making out like they had probably been dying to all night. "Will, you know where this kid lives?"
Will cleared his throat but didn't speak. He just shook his head and attempted to fish a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket. It took his a few tries but he finally got it lit, so Kat rolled down his window. It took him a few moments before he spoke. "So you found some fun tonight?"
"Hey, I brought you some fun and you let her go home alone."
"She wasn't looking for fun." Will tilted his head back to see why the back seat was so quiet. "Hey buddy… mind keeping your hands in respectful places. That's my fiancée you're mauling."
"Will, shut up." Kat glared at him. "How'd you know what I did or didn't do tonight?"
Will clenched the filter between his teeth as he pat his pockets down and came out with a pair of tiny panties. "There was a power surge and I volunteered to look around. Picked these up before your father stumbled onto them."
Kat pulled them out of his fingers. {God! Is it pick on Kathy night?} Suddenly, Beth leaned forward and plucked the ashy cigarette from Will's mouth and tossed it out the window. "Pull over, he's gonna be sick." The second the car was still, Beth shot from the backseat and pulled Will out his door and to the ditch before he lost it. Kathy started from the car but a chilly gaze from her sister stilled her. "Just stay in the fucking car, Kathleen."
"Did you two get into a fight or something?" Gabriel asked her when she was seated once more. Kat just shook her head and shoved her panties into the glove compartment. Beth had been pissed at her for days whenever Will was around. Who knew what was going on there. The kid cleared his throat. "What did he mean, his fiancée? Isn't he… old?"
"Beth proposes to him at least eight times a year. It's a thing they have. He's probably the best friend she has… and she doesn't get to see him often enough. I think she started proposing figuring that if they got married, he would take her with him wherever he went and she could see him all the time. She was 12 or 13 or something." She watched Beth rub Will's back as he purged everything he had to drink all night. "We haven't had a chance to talk, Gabe."
"It's Gabriel."
"Okay, Mr. Formal… treat her right. She's had a few boyfriends and they didn't pay the right kind of attention to her."
"What kind is that?"
"You make her laugh. The others were so fucking pretentious with this Goth crap, they wanted her to be death poems and midnight funerals all the time. She likes to laugh. She's got a sick sense of humor, sure but… you're good for her and I think even my parents can see it… eventually. Mom is just… trying to keep Beth a little girl for as long as possible. She doesn't like what she sees when she looks at you… except that if she was 16, she would. You should have seen my dad when he was younger…"
"What do you mean?"
"Kid, you're walking sex… and it terrifies my mom. I asked for birth control and was denied. Beth hasn't even brought it up… and she's almost 17. My boyfriend was my age and you're… older than her."
"Your dad already gave me the death threat."
"Wow, he just stepped right in, didn't he." Kathy nodded to herself, impressed with how off kilter her parents really were over this kid.
"We don't sleep together. We haven't been together long. I tease her about it but we have rules that I stick by. I'm really not in the position to make mistakes. I'm the only one who's around to take care of my brothers and sister. I won't push Beth into doing something that'll make both our lives hell."
"That's good to know, Gabriel. My mom had her innocence stripped away pretty young and she tries to make sure that we keep ours. That's all." She met his eyes in the rearview and saw that he was confused so she turned around to face him. "She stopped trusting her parents when she was 16… and Beth stopped when she was 13. We don't know why."
"Is it because of what happened to her?"
"Maybe. You know about that?"
"I know she had to go away for a while… I didn't know her then. Joey didn't know much either."
"Good ol' Gay Joey." Kathy smiled for a moment. "It was a hard time that I wasn't here for and maybe that's when it started but it scares my mother to death the way that Beth doesn't confide in her the way that me and Danny used to… but it's easier for me and Danny. Mom is young to us. She's not my biological mom so I'm always trying to keep her close. Beth is just like any other kid who has older siblings who overshadow her and whose parents are in that age too far advanced to understand with a little brother that everyone is always spoiling rotten." She shrugged. "But you're good for her. If you really, really care about her…"
"I don't push her."
"You won't make things worse for her at home. I'm not saying to back off. Just… cool the bad boy routine when you go over. My dad is like… an alpha male and any other alphas are gonna get eaten, simple as that. Just acknowledge his authority in his presence."
"Mint." Beth's hand appeared next to Gabriel's face. "I know you've got some. You don't always taste that good." He put a small tin in her hands and she popped one into Will's mouth where he leaned against the car. "Repeat after me. I, William Arthur Goldblum."
"I, William Arthur Goldblum." He repeated as he carefully sucked on the mint.
"Do solemnly swear."
"Do seldomly swear."
"Cute but no. Do solemnly swear never to drink more than a quarter of my body weight for the rest of my life."
"Your body weight or mine?"
"Yours."
"I swear it, then."
"Good. Get your ass back in the car."
Once everyone was settled again, it was a quiet drive as Gabriel was let out at his complex and Beth at the house. Kat didn't like the way Beth glared at her the whole ride. Finally she got Will to his hotel only to find that he'd misplaced his key card and the security camera glaring right at her. She had to drag him to the front office, get replacements for the key and drag him to his room. Once there, she set the room key on the table and tucked the extra into her dress. Carefully, she guided him to the bed to sit so she could take off his shoes. "You're a miserable drunk, Will Goldblum." He just nodded and tried to get out of his jacket. Stepping between his legs, she leaned him forward so she could work at getting his jacket off, then his gun strap, and then his necklace. Then she felt his lips on the skin exposed by the sharp dive in fabric on her dress. His hands slid up her back. Her lips tingled remembering that kiss at the wedding just a couple of hours ago. Suddenly, she felt horrible for what she and Jamie had done despite how well he had treated her. She had a fear that Will would taste Jamie on her body. Pulling off the gold chain, she extricated herself from his arms to set the chain and revolver next to the room key. Rushing around the room, she gathered aspirin from his shaving kit and poured a glass of water. "I'll bring your car back tomorrow. Night, Will."
Will watched her disappear through the door and flopped back on his bed. He was so drunk. He stared at the aspirin in his hand and shoved them into his mouth, swallowing all the water before reaching for the phone. "Max? It's Will."
"Will? You get back okay?"
"Just making sure Dan and Em haven't left yet. Kat's on her way back."
Max frowned at his wife's cell phone. "You okay?"
"I'm good. Just soused. Dr. Kat fixed me up before she left."
"They won't leave for another twenty minutes. She'll make it back on time if she's already on her way."
"Good. Have fun, Max."
"We will." Max nodded to his wife and hit the off button. Liz let loose the giggle she'd been holding since the phone rang. "Are you sober now?"
"All it took was some loving, I guess." She kissed his lips before she sat up to button her dress back together. She let him slip from her body with a sigh. Moving to the other side of the seat, she let him get his clothes together. "He's married, Max. My baby's all grown up."
"I know… but he'll be back in two weeks and you'll see how happy he is." Max pulled her close to him. "Maybe you should have another drink. You weren't so bothered about it twenty minutes ago."
"I know… because my stud of a husband kept me distracted." She let her hand slide up his thigh, biting her lip wistfully when his penis stirred under her touch.
"Liz… we don't have time for another round." He moaned when her hand closed around the reawakened flesh.
"I don't but you do…" She kissed his mouth furiously while she worked him up for a quick release. "Sometimes I like to do for my husband… with no strings attached."
"No… strings?" Max let his head fall back against the seat as her mouth slid down his length, his hips arching to get deeper. "Oh shit…" He clenched one hand in his hair and the other ran down his wife's back, aching to grip her head but knowing he'd mess up the elaborate hairdo she was sporting. "Oh… shit… Liz… you're going to get payback when we get home tonight…"
Her mouth moved up and down with renewed fervor, tongue teasing all the sensitive spots she'd learned to find over the years. His hips bucked while she kept her mouth in a tight circle around his throbbing flesh. Liz reached down and slipped her hand into his pants and under his sensitive sacs until he spilled into her mouth with a muffled grunt. "Oh God…"
"God! I'm blind!" The exclamation came from outside the car.
Liz nearly choked on her hard-won prize when she realized who had spied their teenage-like antics. Hand over her mouth, she tried not to spray the contents as she controlled her throat's reflexes. "Was that Kat?"
"I think so." Max shut his eyes and tried not to laugh. It wasn't really funny but… it really, really was. "We'd better…"
"Okay." Liz let the laugh spill over her lips. Reaching under the seat for the wet naps she always kept in the car, she and Max freshened up to rejoin the party about to bid farewell to the newlyweds. "You still going to pay me back?"
"Count on it."
tbc
part 108
The Fate of Destiny Part 108
Alex tapped his phone against his leg. It was still early. He hadn't gotten used to Roswell time again yet. No one would be up for two hours… or so he thought. "Mommy!"
At Gina's scream, Alex shot to his feet and tore down to her bedroom where she was wailing and waving her arms around, her nose bleeding profusely. "What happened?"
"It's the dry weather." Isabel ran in, ready with a wet cloth to wipe up her daughter's face. "Lean forward, sweetie. It'll be over soon."
"Is she okay?" Alex helped where he could.
"Yeah. Jesse used to get them when he was little, too. Uncle Max says the membranes in her nostrils are thin. When it gets hot and dry, the membranes shrivel and break. They only last until they clot…" She waved her hand over the pillowcase, cleaning it of its mess. "He can't heal them without changing the shape of her nose… which we don't even know if he can do…"
"Why is she like this?" Alex sighed and pulled his little sister into his lap, holding the cloth to her nose while she breathed through her mouth.
"We don't know." Isabel shook her head and cleansed the blood off of Gina's nightgown. "I wish I could see if she would respond better in a more humid climate but… our life is here." She smiled down at her baby. "Maybe we stay inside today. Daddy's gonna bring over the humidifier and you can watch cartoons…"
"I wanna play." Gina pouted and whined. "Outside…"
"I know…"
"Hey Mom…" Alex covered Gina's ears. "What if I take her with me for a while? Just for the rest of the summer. I'm still on vacation and it'll be easier for me to drag her around over there and work than for you to find a sitter… since Jesse's mom's not doing so well."
"Maybe. I'll talk to Jesse about it."
--
"What are you working on?" Max leaned over his daughter's head while she tapped away. "Is that my manual?"
"I want full contributor's credits." She joked as she kept typing. "I got the results back from my experiments. Don't worry, all top secret. I've cracked our code."
"Expound." Max demanded as his eyes swept from side to side trying to keep up with her words as they appeared on screen.
Kat grinned but never stopped typing. "Syd and I got together and we have deciphered the anesthesia riddle. I've been working on this for a while but she sent me some samples she'd taken of the generals they use for surgery, some locals, like the one that you were allergic to and I did some tests and I just got the final analysis back from a colleague. Our ratio chart." She announced as she clicked on another window. "In the unlikely event that we need surgery, this is what we can have… nearly pure theory until practice but it should be a good guideline."
"Five ccs of… really?" Max pulled a chair over to sip his coffee while he read. "Anything with neuron blockers use sparingly… Wait… what about that? I've got Beth on that."
"Her dose is small but it packs a big punch because of the blockers." Kathy explained. "The way our blood reacts is to initially protect itself from harm... Imagine a… seed. This is your blood cell." She opened a sunflower seed and held the kernel out to her father. "When you introduce the damage, this cocoon pops up." The shell wrapped around the kernel. "You have to bypass the defense system with something it wants. Excedrin has caffeine in it and tolerable levels of pain killers. Our bodies love caffeine. In theory a quarter dose would work if you were drinking coffee all day to open up our bodies."
"So what is it that happens that makes the aspirin react so strongly?"
"That… is because of the acidity destroying the body's water content. It attacks the seed covering and the brain cushions itself and uses all other moisture to combat the acid. Your brain swells and you act…"
"Drunk."
"Because of our bodies' need for moisture, alcohol really does a number on us. Water is the unifying factor. Saline works but we'd need a caffeine additive to entice the body to absorb the moisture as well as just letting it in. So the neural inhibitors are good to keep us from feeling pain but feeling drunk is not good so… It would be a process. The inhibitors, a saline and caffeine drip, perform surgery and then an inhibitor wash."
"So what you're saying is that too much time in surgery could cause a loss of oxygen to the brain?"
"Yes. That's why your reaction to the local made you so tired. You were getting some oxygen and moisture but not enough and the cushion began to dry out. You were healing but so slowly because your brain was taking care of itself, drawing on the rest of your body. Next time we'll know to get you some caffeinated teas and coffee to aid in re-hydration. Our bodies thrive on diuretics. Tabasco and coffee stay in our systems and actually aid in our everyday digestion, so it's more than just a preference in taste, it's a biological need."
Max kissed her head. "You make me proud. I've suspected but… my resources here are so limited."
"The real challenge is going to be staying on top of all the new stuff. Memorizing chemical compositions… I'm going to leave you with a chart and I'm going to give one to Danny and hopefully… eventually we can do the computations on the spot. In the event… God forbid… of a major emergency. On the fly, phone calls to home to whoever so foreign hospitals don't screw us over. It means… dad… we'll have to have it written in our charts."
"You'll all have to wear allergy alert bracelets or something." Max nodded to himself. "I'll talk to my superiors… we'll get you guys in for a physical. He's been bugging me to bring our cult into the 21st century."
"Well, Dad, I don't know how you got away with it this long… a doctor who doesn't practice on his family what he preaches to his patients. I bet they lay that 'first, do no harm' bit on you a lot."
"I'm making breakfast… you want?"
"Sure, I gotta get Will his car back."
"He'll sleep late… we'll eat, go for a run…"
"You're still punishing him for that innocence little kiss?"
Max ignored her and moved on into the kitchen. "So, did you like Dr. Oliver?"
"Sure… we're gonna get together the next time in town. He knows a good place where we can pick up men." Kathy smirked as she hit the save button. When she turned, her father was standing still with a puzzled expression on his face. "Sam seems to think you're slightly homophobic and didn't want to break the news to you."
"Really? He's gay?"
"More and more."
"Damn it. I knew that was too easy." He sighed and reached for the coffee pot to refresh his cup. "He was nice, dresses like a grown up, knows his field."
"You dress nice."
"Your mom dresses me."
"Morning." Beth and David stumbled down the stairs. "Food?"
"Soon." Max promised them. "Sleep okay?
"Still in bed." Beth's eyes were barely open. "I hate that stuff, Dad… I feel like I'm walking in a fog."
"But your brain?"
"Muted."
"Kat's working on something. Maybe we'll find something else." He moved around getting pans warmed and plates set on the counter. David got up from the table to head down the little hallway and Max cut him off. "Hey, Mom's sleeping."
"I was just gonna…"
"Let's let her sleep in. Kay, chief?" Max steered the boy back to the table.
"But…"
"Let it go, runt." Beth cut in. "They had sex last night and Mom's naked still."
"Bethany!" Max and Kathy shouted.
"If you don't want me to know, don't think about it. I get all kinds of creepy visuals and he's gotta learn sometime. You talk to us like we're five and we don't understand. OH God!" She cried, fingers pressing on her brain as she was assaulted by images from the night before. "I'm not even fucking reading. Just stop thinking!"
Kathy watched in horror as her little sister seemed to be falling apart. Then all of a sudden, Beth got really still. David had a hold of her hand. "Breathe, Beth, breathe."
"Wow… he's like… human lithium." She breathed.
"Beth?" Max kneeled in front of her, pulling her hand slowly out of her little brother's. "Are you okay?" She barely nodded. "Okay. Okay. Sit… okay. Let's take it easy, today. No work. I'll call Grandpa and let him know you won't be in this week. Are you hungry?"
"Feel like I'm gonna hurl." Beth croaked out, she broke out in a cold sweat. "I'm gonna go lay down."
Liz rushed out of the bedroom, her nightclothes thrown on hastily. "What happened?"
"Just a small break. We're doing fine now." Max spoke calmly even as Beth tried to get to her feet and swayed a little. "Yesterday was too loud but it's quieter today, right?"
"I'm not five." Beth shook her head and made her way up the stairs, gripping the hand rail the whole way to her room. "I'm not fine."
--
Michael breathed out heavily, trying to catch his breath. Oriel stretched beside him, her lip caught between her teeth as she came down. "If all I had to do was open a window… I would have done it a long time ago."
"You don't think we do this enough?" She rolled into him, those curves pressing against him.
"That's not what I said."
"Shall we make it a point? Once… twice a week?"
"Our babysitter is on her honeymoon."
"She's not the only one who can take care of the boys. Beth or Berty… David or Kyle…" She slid on top of his body, sitting up. "Isabel and Jesse go out once a week to be alone together."
"That's them. We… don't need a date night." His eyes feasting on his gorgeous wife. "If you don't calm down, I'll shut the window."
"The boys won't be up for another hour."
"You're going to wear me out. I swear, I'll shut the window." He groaned even as her hot flesh ground against his reawakening flesh.
"How long until you can transfer?"
"Six months and by then the new building will be up."
Dipping her face down next to his, she stopped teasing him. "They want me to tutor in foreign languages this year as well. If I put my name down at the college, I can make a little extra. Start the college funds for the boys."
"Don't take on too much." He really couldn't think when she was sitting on top of him with her breasts pressing up against him. Since the night before, he had lost count of the number of times they'd screwed. He should really shut that window before the neighbors woke up and got a show.
Cupping her rear end, he brought her down onto his erection. He watched her face; eyes closed, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, brown hair all over the place. Her palms pressed against his chest as she slid up and down his shaft. Her breasts bobbed lightly as she moved slowly at first but once she got going, they bounced heavily. Her hands dug in, he'd probably have bruises when she was done with him. He gave up trying to guide her hips and let her go. Her hot, wet folds enveloped his straining cock again and again. He watched a bead of sweat as it trickled from her collarbone down between her breasts, along her stomach and into her belly button. She bounced on him almost violently. Damn that window. He almost couldn't hold it together but then her head tipped back and her breath caught and her body trembled over him. That look on her face did it to him every time. Pulling her hips down against him, he let loose a hot stream of seed.
After a moment, she slid off of his body and lay down beside him, kissing his face. Michael just shook his head, kissing her back and lifting his hand to use his powers to shut the window and pull the blinds. "You're a dirty, dirty girl."
"But you like it."
"Well, I'm not going to fight it but I draw the line at actually having an audience."
"Mommy!" The little voice carried through door from down the hall.
--
"Morning." Jesse walked in with the humidifier and winced. "Too late?"
"Yeah." Isabel nodded into her coffee cup. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."
"Hey Jesse." Alex called from where he was standing looking out at the backyard. It was starting out to be a beautiful day and Gina was settling into a bad mood because of it. He waited until his mother had disappeared down the hall. "Um… hey… She didn't want me to ask you but I want to make sure the offer gets put on the table officially."
"What's that?" Jesse poured himself a cup of coffee and sat to try to cheer his daughter up.
"I might go home early and if I do… I could take Gina with me. Get her out of your hair for a couple of months before school starts up again. I'm still on vacation and if I have to work, I could take her with me. It wouldn't be a big deal. Mom said she'd think about it and talk to you…"
"My mom's pretty sick…" Jesse sighed heavily. "She wants Gina to stay over there more often and I'd like to let her but… Lynnette is already so busy keeping up the house and Gina would just tire her out faster. I don't want Gina to remember her being so sick. For the record, I think it's a good idea. I'll talk to Isabel."
--
Beth sat between two trees in the middle of the graveyard. The only living creatures she could hear were a pair of squirrels making new squirrels a few trees over. She liked the quiet and if the cemetery was off limits, she'd have to find a new quiet spot.
--
Will let Kathy in as he finished getting dressed. She handed him his car keys, which made him wince. "Sorry."
"How much do you remember?" She fished for details as she stretched her aching muscles. That run reminded her of how much she missed runs with her father.
"I remember… the wedding and the garter toss. Then I had a long conversation with Mr. Bourbon. Um… vaguely recall that I threatened an old guy and then it's pretty much a blank." He shrugged.
"Oh." She nodded to herself. "You don't remember telling Gabriel to keep his hands off your fiancée? Or 'seldomly' swearing to Beth that you'd lay off the hooch?"
"Nope." He shook his head though he remembered quite well. "My rental is in one piece?" Neither of them brought up what had happened in that room the night before.
"You're just lucky you don't have to forfeit your cleaning fee. Beth saved you from that. Thank her later."
"How's she doing?"
"Not so hot." Kathy shook her head and flopped back on the unmade bed. "She spazzed out this morning. Sex and the parents are enough to traumatize me, forget Beth and her uninvited movie reels."
"Why? What happened with you?"
"Don't make me relive it." She scoffed and kept her eyes on the ceiling. She really wanted to rewind and play the day before a little differently. In a way that didn't have her nearly banged to death on a table in an empty hall, warding off wanted advances from a handsome man and witnessing her parents engaged in fellatio. "I saw way too much of my parents' private life. Beth probably got an uncensored version. She locked herself in her room and hasn't come out all day."
"And all the trauma from last night probably. All your family's junk and that asshole showing up towards the end there. Warding off her boyfriend's octopus hands and you and Danny… it's amazing how much that girl can hold."
"But I don't think she's holding on very well at all."
--
Berty strode into her mother's office, waving at Bruce and sneaking back into the conference room where her mother and Jesse were having lunch. "Hi Mom…. Hi… you."
"Berty…" Isabel sighed and stabbed her salad with her fork but eating was no longer on her mind. "Can we help you?"
"Well…" She stepped further into the room and took a seat across from them. "As you both know, Alex has laid a proposal on the table. My suggestion is that he takes all three of us. You two have had a busy summer and you both think it's going to stay that way. If Alex takes all three of us with him back to Florida, you wouldn't have to worry about getting home in time to see if we're fed or if we're ordering out too much. Lynnette doesn't have to worry about Mrs. Ramirez and Gina both. You won't have to worry if we're tiring out Grampa. Alex will take care of us."
"I'll tell you what I told your brother. I'll think about it."
"Please, please? Alex's lease is almost up and he said we could help him look for a new place." She leaned on the table to administer puppy dog eyes. "I've never seen the ocean, neither have Kyle and Gina… and you got to. Grandma showed us the pictures." Suddenly she made a sick face and sat up. Eyes on the ceiling as she forced the words out. "Plus, while we're gone, you don't have to worry about date nights."
Jesse leaned in to whisper in Isabel's ear. "She's got a point. Also, that thing you were wanting to do… you could do it while they were gone and you wouldn't have to worry about keeping up with them while you recover."
"You're all ganging up on me." Isabel complained, her fork breaking in her grip. "When I get home, I want game plans. His proposed grocery lists, menu plans, activities because you're not going to Florida to sit on the couch all summer."
"Yes!" She rushed around the table to kiss her mother's cheek and then Jesse's. Ew. "Oh. Gross." She wiped off his cheek with his napkin and then wiped off her lips. "We'll get it done."
"I'm wearing you down." Jesse winked at her. "You love me. You do."
"You're disgusting."
--
"She won't come out of her room." Max shrugged and sat down on the couch with the remainder of his family. David had been in a mood all day. "Hey, you wanna talk about what you did?"
Liz had her arms around her baby, kissing his forehead and holding on tight. David just shook his head and leaned into his mother.
"Have you done that before?"
"Once." The boy nodded. He wouldn't look at his father. "Last Christmas when Cousin Nate was down. We were all at Grandma's and he got into a fight with his ex-wife on the phone. Then Grandma and her sister were worried about George hearing. Then Danny and Emily were arguing about the chapel. Beth was quiet cause her head hurt and Mom wanted her to open up and talk to one of the cousins, I forget which. Then you and Danny got into it about which clinic he was going to intern at. It wasn't near as bad as it was this morning but she got all… Like she was trying to tear her brain out. All I did was give her a hug. She got real still and I left her alone. Then she was okay. I didn't even know I had done anything." He shrugged and let his mother baby him. "I just… was thinking… Beth used to tell you when I wasn't feeling so hot and I wanted to do the same thing for her."
"It's a good thing to want." Max reached over and rubbed the boy's shoulder. "For Beth to be better. I want that too. It's gonna take a while I think. Try not to think about it. It makes her worse when we worry."
"Max, is she really okay?" Liz glanced up at the staircase.
"Won't know until she talks to me. This morning… she was groggy from the pills and then she was reading everything in sight."
"She wasn't reading, Dad. She said." David protested. "She just… saw. She didn't want to that's why she went all… crazy."
--
Alex helped Irene to her bed. They had to stop twice because she had a coughing fit. "My niece is crazy."
"Sometimes." Alex nodded as he lifted her onto the bed.
"She told me you asked her to marry you and she said no."
"She didn't say no. She didn't answer. She thinks I'm fickle."
"No, you came back. Take her. Take her away. I don't want her. She steals my coffee. I can have coffee. Makes me drink tea. Tea is good when you're sick. I'm not sick. I'm old." She took the glass of water from him when he offered.
"I think Jesse told her to hide it. He thinks caffeine is bad for you."
"Says the boy who drinks nothing but at work." She lay back, tired. "My family is crazy, Alex. You're a good boy. I like you. Marry Lynnette. Take her away. She's going to finish college and have no where to work in Roswell. That's why Jesse left. A tired old lady brought him home. I think I ruined his life, he gives me a granddaughter. Life is so full of surprises." She smiled at the young man who was so smitten with her niece. "Like little Gina. Special little Gina who talks in riddles and…"
"What's that?"
"Nada… just a sleep old woman babbling. Go. She's waiting."
"Good night, Mrs. Ramirez."
"Good night, Alex."
Alex just shook his head and continued down to the kitchen where Lynnette was washing their plates. "She's sleepy."
"She's sick."
"She's sleepy." Alex shook his head. "She was babbling."
"She… she gets crazy ideas now. She thinks Gina's a psychic." Lynnette snorted as she set the last of the dishes on the rack to dry. "She's seven. She's just a good guesser."
Alex shook his head at her and pulled her into his lap. "I'm going home."
"Good."
"I want you to come with me."
"I can't."
"I know… I'm gonna try to take the little ones with me. Give the old people a break." When she didn't respond, he laid his head on her shoulder. "I don't know what it's going to take for you to believe me but I love you and I really want to take you with me."
"I used to be a good girl." She sniffed and let her hands over his. "Then I turned into a bad girl… I need to learn how to be a good girl again. Then we'll talk."
--
Gabriel flopped down on his bed after his shower. His muscles ached all over. The only places that hired teens straight out of high school involved manual labor. It bit, hard. He heard his window open and groaned. What now? Thieves? Picking up his head, his eyebrow arched when the shapely leg slid inside followed by a familiar posterior. "Beth?"
"Hi." She called out as she fumbled her way through the window.
"Not that I mind but what are you doing?"
"I missed you." She whispered and lay out on the bed with him. He was quiet.
"I missed you too… but I am so tired, sweetie." He cupped her cheek and kissed her lips gently.
"That's okay… I just wanna sleep here. I'll go home before they miss me."
"Ah… so you snuck out to sleep with me, eh?"
"Only in that I want to sleep next to you."
"Okay. Come on." He pulled her into a sitting position and began removing her long chains, hanging them on an empty hook next to his bed. Then the boots got tossed on the floor. "Are you comfortable in that?" His fingers ran up the corset lacing on her back. She kissed his lips lightly and reached behind to untie the knot and loosen the laces. Then her fingers gripped the top and the hooks seemed to just slip apart. He helped toss it aside, leaving her in a thin tank top and a pair of jeans. "I could lend you some shorts. It gets hot in here at night."
Beth smirked at him and knelt on the bed as she flipped open her belt buckle and lowered the zipper of her jeans. His eyes were riveted to the patch of red revealed there. Sliding off the bed, Beth tugged down the jeans, almost laughing at his disappointed face. "That's right buddy, I'm a boxer-briefs gal."
"I had no expectations." He lied smoothly as she stretched out once more, looking a hell of a lot more comfortable than before. Her eyes roamed all over his face as he shared his pillow with her. Those amber orbs flicked down to his chest a couple of times behind those glasses. "Do you want me to put a shirt on?"
"No. I'm okay." Her head shook from side to side. For two seconds she got a very clear image of what he wanted to do with her in his bed. "You look tired."
"I am." He took a deep breath and pulled her glasses off her nose and set them on the nightstand. "Are you a cuddler or a kicker?"
"Don't know. I haven't shared a bed with anyone since I was nine."
"Oh?"
"My dad was sick and I had to stay at my aunt's. Me and Berty had to share… pretty certain my sleep habits have changed since then."
"Let's assume you're a cuddler." Gabriel rolled her onto her side and fit his body behind hers, holding her lightly, his lips grazing her shoulder. "I sleep on my side and I don't move much. You need more room, you've got that whole other side."
"Got it." She lay her arm over his. "Go to sleep, Gabriel. You've got work in the morning." Years of practice had her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling as if she were asleep within minutes. When his arm relaxed over her and his breathing came in even puffs against her back, she knew he was asleep. It was so quiet and peaceful. No insomniacs in his neighborhood… except one. Her. A couple of times he pulled her tight up against him in his sleep, his erection prodding her but he always relaxed and shifted his hips away… even in his sleep the way he did when they made out. Once his hand touched everything there was to touch before settling on her boob, where it stayed for the rest of the night. Dawn was creeping in the window when he started to wake. His large hand squeezed her breast hard, fingers pulling at her nipple through her tank. His hips pressed against her, grinding into her rear, his lips sucking at her shoulder and neck. She had to bite her lip to keep from moaning and waking him up.
A tiny beeping invaded his dream and suddenly he relaxed around her. He took a deep breath and rolled away, cursing when he nearly fell off the bed. "Oh shit." Through slitted eyes, she watched him move. "Ah, fuck," he cursed when he sat up, readjusting himself before standing to gather his clothes. Her eyes almost popped open when she saw the tent in his shorts. Still, her back felt cold without him and she rolled over. "Oh, hey." Gabriel grabbed his clothes and held them over his morning erection. "You sleep okay?"
"Yeah." She lied as she readjusted her tank top as important areas had shifted. "Going to work so early?"
"I may have molested you a bit in our sleep. Sorry about that."
"What time is it?" She reached for her glasses.
"Early. I gotta get dressed and get kids fed. You should get home before you're missed."
Sitting up, she got a very clear image that he wanted her out of the room so he could fix his little problem. When she reached for her pants, he bit back a groan, she slid into them and stood up. "I'll get the kiddies breakfast started. You get dressed."
"You don't have to."
"I came over uninvited, it's the least I can do." She started for the door but he pulled her back. "What?"
Gabriel plucked a shirt out of his closet and tossed it at her. "My little brothers will stare and I don't want anyone but me ogling your goodies."
--
"He's right." Max sighed heavily into his pillow.
"Who is?" Liz drew the words on his back.
"David. She's not reading. Not on purpose." He sighed again. "I didn't give any hints to why I didn't want him in here. She just… blurted it out… and she was right. I didn't want him in here because you were naked, asleep in bed."
"Is that what she said?"
"Well, she knew how we ended up that way. I can't say I know what visuals she's getting but I'm sure she'd rather not."
"We'll just have to be careful. I should have gotten up when you did. You know he likes to cuddle with me when he can."
"He's 12."
"He's too old. Okay. Whatever. He's my baby." Liz lay there for a moment. "Max? Why are you looking for those kids you healed?" He didn't answer. "I saw their names on the computer. You've got dossiers on all of them."
"Before the wedding, I was trying to tell you something and I didn't want you to blow it out of proportion." Max rolled to face her. "I want to be clear that nothing happened."
"Obviously something did."
"It was very strange and very upsetting for me." He tried to get that out and across to her. "I had a woman in and her symptoms didn't make sense with her history. She had cancer but not what she had before. I was explaining things to her and there was a moment where I almost kissed her. I didn't… I didn't particularly want to but it… just… There was something else going on there and when I thought about it… it felt a lot like that time with Sydney… when I didn't stop it from happening. So I asked her… she felt she took advantage of the connection she felt to me. The woman was one of the kids I healed. So… same rules apply… I guess."
"I don't understand. What happened?"
"She was lonely and scared… and I think she wanted to kiss me. My lips actually tingled. I had to… get out of there until it stopped. I've been researching but coming up with nothing. It's not an attraction but a pull. They aren't really aware they have it."
"So it's a side effect of you healing them."
"From certain and natural death."
tbc
Alex tapped his phone against his leg. It was still early. He hadn't gotten used to Roswell time again yet. No one would be up for two hours… or so he thought. "Mommy!"
At Gina's scream, Alex shot to his feet and tore down to her bedroom where she was wailing and waving her arms around, her nose bleeding profusely. "What happened?"
"It's the dry weather." Isabel ran in, ready with a wet cloth to wipe up her daughter's face. "Lean forward, sweetie. It'll be over soon."
"Is she okay?" Alex helped where he could.
"Yeah. Jesse used to get them when he was little, too. Uncle Max says the membranes in her nostrils are thin. When it gets hot and dry, the membranes shrivel and break. They only last until they clot…" She waved her hand over the pillowcase, cleaning it of its mess. "He can't heal them without changing the shape of her nose… which we don't even know if he can do…"
"Why is she like this?" Alex sighed and pulled his little sister into his lap, holding the cloth to her nose while she breathed through her mouth.
"We don't know." Isabel shook her head and cleansed the blood off of Gina's nightgown. "I wish I could see if she would respond better in a more humid climate but… our life is here." She smiled down at her baby. "Maybe we stay inside today. Daddy's gonna bring over the humidifier and you can watch cartoons…"
"I wanna play." Gina pouted and whined. "Outside…"
"I know…"
"Hey Mom…" Alex covered Gina's ears. "What if I take her with me for a while? Just for the rest of the summer. I'm still on vacation and it'll be easier for me to drag her around over there and work than for you to find a sitter… since Jesse's mom's not doing so well."
"Maybe. I'll talk to Jesse about it."
--
"What are you working on?" Max leaned over his daughter's head while she tapped away. "Is that my manual?"
"I want full contributor's credits." She joked as she kept typing. "I got the results back from my experiments. Don't worry, all top secret. I've cracked our code."
"Expound." Max demanded as his eyes swept from side to side trying to keep up with her words as they appeared on screen.
Kat grinned but never stopped typing. "Syd and I got together and we have deciphered the anesthesia riddle. I've been working on this for a while but she sent me some samples she'd taken of the generals they use for surgery, some locals, like the one that you were allergic to and I did some tests and I just got the final analysis back from a colleague. Our ratio chart." She announced as she clicked on another window. "In the unlikely event that we need surgery, this is what we can have… nearly pure theory until practice but it should be a good guideline."
"Five ccs of… really?" Max pulled a chair over to sip his coffee while he read. "Anything with neuron blockers use sparingly… Wait… what about that? I've got Beth on that."
"Her dose is small but it packs a big punch because of the blockers." Kathy explained. "The way our blood reacts is to initially protect itself from harm... Imagine a… seed. This is your blood cell." She opened a sunflower seed and held the kernel out to her father. "When you introduce the damage, this cocoon pops up." The shell wrapped around the kernel. "You have to bypass the defense system with something it wants. Excedrin has caffeine in it and tolerable levels of pain killers. Our bodies love caffeine. In theory a quarter dose would work if you were drinking coffee all day to open up our bodies."
"So what is it that happens that makes the aspirin react so strongly?"
"That… is because of the acidity destroying the body's water content. It attacks the seed covering and the brain cushions itself and uses all other moisture to combat the acid. Your brain swells and you act…"
"Drunk."
"Because of our bodies' need for moisture, alcohol really does a number on us. Water is the unifying factor. Saline works but we'd need a caffeine additive to entice the body to absorb the moisture as well as just letting it in. So the neural inhibitors are good to keep us from feeling pain but feeling drunk is not good so… It would be a process. The inhibitors, a saline and caffeine drip, perform surgery and then an inhibitor wash."
"So what you're saying is that too much time in surgery could cause a loss of oxygen to the brain?"
"Yes. That's why your reaction to the local made you so tired. You were getting some oxygen and moisture but not enough and the cushion began to dry out. You were healing but so slowly because your brain was taking care of itself, drawing on the rest of your body. Next time we'll know to get you some caffeinated teas and coffee to aid in re-hydration. Our bodies thrive on diuretics. Tabasco and coffee stay in our systems and actually aid in our everyday digestion, so it's more than just a preference in taste, it's a biological need."
Max kissed her head. "You make me proud. I've suspected but… my resources here are so limited."
"The real challenge is going to be staying on top of all the new stuff. Memorizing chemical compositions… I'm going to leave you with a chart and I'm going to give one to Danny and hopefully… eventually we can do the computations on the spot. In the event… God forbid… of a major emergency. On the fly, phone calls to home to whoever so foreign hospitals don't screw us over. It means… dad… we'll have to have it written in our charts."
"You'll all have to wear allergy alert bracelets or something." Max nodded to himself. "I'll talk to my superiors… we'll get you guys in for a physical. He's been bugging me to bring our cult into the 21st century."
"Well, Dad, I don't know how you got away with it this long… a doctor who doesn't practice on his family what he preaches to his patients. I bet they lay that 'first, do no harm' bit on you a lot."
"I'm making breakfast… you want?"
"Sure, I gotta get Will his car back."
"He'll sleep late… we'll eat, go for a run…"
"You're still punishing him for that innocence little kiss?"
Max ignored her and moved on into the kitchen. "So, did you like Dr. Oliver?"
"Sure… we're gonna get together the next time in town. He knows a good place where we can pick up men." Kathy smirked as she hit the save button. When she turned, her father was standing still with a puzzled expression on his face. "Sam seems to think you're slightly homophobic and didn't want to break the news to you."
"Really? He's gay?"
"More and more."
"Damn it. I knew that was too easy." He sighed and reached for the coffee pot to refresh his cup. "He was nice, dresses like a grown up, knows his field."
"You dress nice."
"Your mom dresses me."
"Morning." Beth and David stumbled down the stairs. "Food?"
"Soon." Max promised them. "Sleep okay?
"Still in bed." Beth's eyes were barely open. "I hate that stuff, Dad… I feel like I'm walking in a fog."
"But your brain?"
"Muted."
"Kat's working on something. Maybe we'll find something else." He moved around getting pans warmed and plates set on the counter. David got up from the table to head down the little hallway and Max cut him off. "Hey, Mom's sleeping."
"I was just gonna…"
"Let's let her sleep in. Kay, chief?" Max steered the boy back to the table.
"But…"
"Let it go, runt." Beth cut in. "They had sex last night and Mom's naked still."
"Bethany!" Max and Kathy shouted.
"If you don't want me to know, don't think about it. I get all kinds of creepy visuals and he's gotta learn sometime. You talk to us like we're five and we don't understand. OH God!" She cried, fingers pressing on her brain as she was assaulted by images from the night before. "I'm not even fucking reading. Just stop thinking!"
Kathy watched in horror as her little sister seemed to be falling apart. Then all of a sudden, Beth got really still. David had a hold of her hand. "Breathe, Beth, breathe."
"Wow… he's like… human lithium." She breathed.
"Beth?" Max kneeled in front of her, pulling her hand slowly out of her little brother's. "Are you okay?" She barely nodded. "Okay. Okay. Sit… okay. Let's take it easy, today. No work. I'll call Grandpa and let him know you won't be in this week. Are you hungry?"
"Feel like I'm gonna hurl." Beth croaked out, she broke out in a cold sweat. "I'm gonna go lay down."
Liz rushed out of the bedroom, her nightclothes thrown on hastily. "What happened?"
"Just a small break. We're doing fine now." Max spoke calmly even as Beth tried to get to her feet and swayed a little. "Yesterday was too loud but it's quieter today, right?"
"I'm not five." Beth shook her head and made her way up the stairs, gripping the hand rail the whole way to her room. "I'm not fine."
--
Michael breathed out heavily, trying to catch his breath. Oriel stretched beside him, her lip caught between her teeth as she came down. "If all I had to do was open a window… I would have done it a long time ago."
"You don't think we do this enough?" She rolled into him, those curves pressing against him.
"That's not what I said."
"Shall we make it a point? Once… twice a week?"
"Our babysitter is on her honeymoon."
"She's not the only one who can take care of the boys. Beth or Berty… David or Kyle…" She slid on top of his body, sitting up. "Isabel and Jesse go out once a week to be alone together."
"That's them. We… don't need a date night." His eyes feasting on his gorgeous wife. "If you don't calm down, I'll shut the window."
"The boys won't be up for another hour."
"You're going to wear me out. I swear, I'll shut the window." He groaned even as her hot flesh ground against his reawakening flesh.
"How long until you can transfer?"
"Six months and by then the new building will be up."
Dipping her face down next to his, she stopped teasing him. "They want me to tutor in foreign languages this year as well. If I put my name down at the college, I can make a little extra. Start the college funds for the boys."
"Don't take on too much." He really couldn't think when she was sitting on top of him with her breasts pressing up against him. Since the night before, he had lost count of the number of times they'd screwed. He should really shut that window before the neighbors woke up and got a show.
Cupping her rear end, he brought her down onto his erection. He watched her face; eyes closed, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, brown hair all over the place. Her palms pressed against his chest as she slid up and down his shaft. Her breasts bobbed lightly as she moved slowly at first but once she got going, they bounced heavily. Her hands dug in, he'd probably have bruises when she was done with him. He gave up trying to guide her hips and let her go. Her hot, wet folds enveloped his straining cock again and again. He watched a bead of sweat as it trickled from her collarbone down between her breasts, along her stomach and into her belly button. She bounced on him almost violently. Damn that window. He almost couldn't hold it together but then her head tipped back and her breath caught and her body trembled over him. That look on her face did it to him every time. Pulling her hips down against him, he let loose a hot stream of seed.
After a moment, she slid off of his body and lay down beside him, kissing his face. Michael just shook his head, kissing her back and lifting his hand to use his powers to shut the window and pull the blinds. "You're a dirty, dirty girl."
"But you like it."
"Well, I'm not going to fight it but I draw the line at actually having an audience."
"Mommy!" The little voice carried through door from down the hall.
--
"Morning." Jesse walked in with the humidifier and winced. "Too late?"
"Yeah." Isabel nodded into her coffee cup. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."
"Hey Jesse." Alex called from where he was standing looking out at the backyard. It was starting out to be a beautiful day and Gina was settling into a bad mood because of it. He waited until his mother had disappeared down the hall. "Um… hey… She didn't want me to ask you but I want to make sure the offer gets put on the table officially."
"What's that?" Jesse poured himself a cup of coffee and sat to try to cheer his daughter up.
"I might go home early and if I do… I could take Gina with me. Get her out of your hair for a couple of months before school starts up again. I'm still on vacation and if I have to work, I could take her with me. It wouldn't be a big deal. Mom said she'd think about it and talk to you…"
"My mom's pretty sick…" Jesse sighed heavily. "She wants Gina to stay over there more often and I'd like to let her but… Lynnette is already so busy keeping up the house and Gina would just tire her out faster. I don't want Gina to remember her being so sick. For the record, I think it's a good idea. I'll talk to Isabel."
--
Beth sat between two trees in the middle of the graveyard. The only living creatures she could hear were a pair of squirrels making new squirrels a few trees over. She liked the quiet and if the cemetery was off limits, she'd have to find a new quiet spot.
--
Will let Kathy in as he finished getting dressed. She handed him his car keys, which made him wince. "Sorry."
"How much do you remember?" She fished for details as she stretched her aching muscles. That run reminded her of how much she missed runs with her father.
"I remember… the wedding and the garter toss. Then I had a long conversation with Mr. Bourbon. Um… vaguely recall that I threatened an old guy and then it's pretty much a blank." He shrugged.
"Oh." She nodded to herself. "You don't remember telling Gabriel to keep his hands off your fiancée? Or 'seldomly' swearing to Beth that you'd lay off the hooch?"
"Nope." He shook his head though he remembered quite well. "My rental is in one piece?" Neither of them brought up what had happened in that room the night before.
"You're just lucky you don't have to forfeit your cleaning fee. Beth saved you from that. Thank her later."
"How's she doing?"
"Not so hot." Kathy shook her head and flopped back on the unmade bed. "She spazzed out this morning. Sex and the parents are enough to traumatize me, forget Beth and her uninvited movie reels."
"Why? What happened with you?"
"Don't make me relive it." She scoffed and kept her eyes on the ceiling. She really wanted to rewind and play the day before a little differently. In a way that didn't have her nearly banged to death on a table in an empty hall, warding off wanted advances from a handsome man and witnessing her parents engaged in fellatio. "I saw way too much of my parents' private life. Beth probably got an uncensored version. She locked herself in her room and hasn't come out all day."
"And all the trauma from last night probably. All your family's junk and that asshole showing up towards the end there. Warding off her boyfriend's octopus hands and you and Danny… it's amazing how much that girl can hold."
"But I don't think she's holding on very well at all."
--
Berty strode into her mother's office, waving at Bruce and sneaking back into the conference room where her mother and Jesse were having lunch. "Hi Mom…. Hi… you."
"Berty…" Isabel sighed and stabbed her salad with her fork but eating was no longer on her mind. "Can we help you?"
"Well…" She stepped further into the room and took a seat across from them. "As you both know, Alex has laid a proposal on the table. My suggestion is that he takes all three of us. You two have had a busy summer and you both think it's going to stay that way. If Alex takes all three of us with him back to Florida, you wouldn't have to worry about getting home in time to see if we're fed or if we're ordering out too much. Lynnette doesn't have to worry about Mrs. Ramirez and Gina both. You won't have to worry if we're tiring out Grampa. Alex will take care of us."
"I'll tell you what I told your brother. I'll think about it."
"Please, please? Alex's lease is almost up and he said we could help him look for a new place." She leaned on the table to administer puppy dog eyes. "I've never seen the ocean, neither have Kyle and Gina… and you got to. Grandma showed us the pictures." Suddenly she made a sick face and sat up. Eyes on the ceiling as she forced the words out. "Plus, while we're gone, you don't have to worry about date nights."
Jesse leaned in to whisper in Isabel's ear. "She's got a point. Also, that thing you were wanting to do… you could do it while they were gone and you wouldn't have to worry about keeping up with them while you recover."
"You're all ganging up on me." Isabel complained, her fork breaking in her grip. "When I get home, I want game plans. His proposed grocery lists, menu plans, activities because you're not going to Florida to sit on the couch all summer."
"Yes!" She rushed around the table to kiss her mother's cheek and then Jesse's. Ew. "Oh. Gross." She wiped off his cheek with his napkin and then wiped off her lips. "We'll get it done."
"I'm wearing you down." Jesse winked at her. "You love me. You do."
"You're disgusting."
--
"She won't come out of her room." Max shrugged and sat down on the couch with the remainder of his family. David had been in a mood all day. "Hey, you wanna talk about what you did?"
Liz had her arms around her baby, kissing his forehead and holding on tight. David just shook his head and leaned into his mother.
"Have you done that before?"
"Once." The boy nodded. He wouldn't look at his father. "Last Christmas when Cousin Nate was down. We were all at Grandma's and he got into a fight with his ex-wife on the phone. Then Grandma and her sister were worried about George hearing. Then Danny and Emily were arguing about the chapel. Beth was quiet cause her head hurt and Mom wanted her to open up and talk to one of the cousins, I forget which. Then you and Danny got into it about which clinic he was going to intern at. It wasn't near as bad as it was this morning but she got all… Like she was trying to tear her brain out. All I did was give her a hug. She got real still and I left her alone. Then she was okay. I didn't even know I had done anything." He shrugged and let his mother baby him. "I just… was thinking… Beth used to tell you when I wasn't feeling so hot and I wanted to do the same thing for her."
"It's a good thing to want." Max reached over and rubbed the boy's shoulder. "For Beth to be better. I want that too. It's gonna take a while I think. Try not to think about it. It makes her worse when we worry."
"Max, is she really okay?" Liz glanced up at the staircase.
"Won't know until she talks to me. This morning… she was groggy from the pills and then she was reading everything in sight."
"She wasn't reading, Dad. She said." David protested. "She just… saw. She didn't want to that's why she went all… crazy."
--
Alex helped Irene to her bed. They had to stop twice because she had a coughing fit. "My niece is crazy."
"Sometimes." Alex nodded as he lifted her onto the bed.
"She told me you asked her to marry you and she said no."
"She didn't say no. She didn't answer. She thinks I'm fickle."
"No, you came back. Take her. Take her away. I don't want her. She steals my coffee. I can have coffee. Makes me drink tea. Tea is good when you're sick. I'm not sick. I'm old." She took the glass of water from him when he offered.
"I think Jesse told her to hide it. He thinks caffeine is bad for you."
"Says the boy who drinks nothing but at work." She lay back, tired. "My family is crazy, Alex. You're a good boy. I like you. Marry Lynnette. Take her away. She's going to finish college and have no where to work in Roswell. That's why Jesse left. A tired old lady brought him home. I think I ruined his life, he gives me a granddaughter. Life is so full of surprises." She smiled at the young man who was so smitten with her niece. "Like little Gina. Special little Gina who talks in riddles and…"
"What's that?"
"Nada… just a sleep old woman babbling. Go. She's waiting."
"Good night, Mrs. Ramirez."
"Good night, Alex."
Alex just shook his head and continued down to the kitchen where Lynnette was washing their plates. "She's sleepy."
"She's sick."
"She's sleepy." Alex shook his head. "She was babbling."
"She… she gets crazy ideas now. She thinks Gina's a psychic." Lynnette snorted as she set the last of the dishes on the rack to dry. "She's seven. She's just a good guesser."
Alex shook his head at her and pulled her into his lap. "I'm going home."
"Good."
"I want you to come with me."
"I can't."
"I know… I'm gonna try to take the little ones with me. Give the old people a break." When she didn't respond, he laid his head on her shoulder. "I don't know what it's going to take for you to believe me but I love you and I really want to take you with me."
"I used to be a good girl." She sniffed and let her hands over his. "Then I turned into a bad girl… I need to learn how to be a good girl again. Then we'll talk."
--
Gabriel flopped down on his bed after his shower. His muscles ached all over. The only places that hired teens straight out of high school involved manual labor. It bit, hard. He heard his window open and groaned. What now? Thieves? Picking up his head, his eyebrow arched when the shapely leg slid inside followed by a familiar posterior. "Beth?"
"Hi." She called out as she fumbled her way through the window.
"Not that I mind but what are you doing?"
"I missed you." She whispered and lay out on the bed with him. He was quiet.
"I missed you too… but I am so tired, sweetie." He cupped her cheek and kissed her lips gently.
"That's okay… I just wanna sleep here. I'll go home before they miss me."
"Ah… so you snuck out to sleep with me, eh?"
"Only in that I want to sleep next to you."
"Okay. Come on." He pulled her into a sitting position and began removing her long chains, hanging them on an empty hook next to his bed. Then the boots got tossed on the floor. "Are you comfortable in that?" His fingers ran up the corset lacing on her back. She kissed his lips lightly and reached behind to untie the knot and loosen the laces. Then her fingers gripped the top and the hooks seemed to just slip apart. He helped toss it aside, leaving her in a thin tank top and a pair of jeans. "I could lend you some shorts. It gets hot in here at night."
Beth smirked at him and knelt on the bed as she flipped open her belt buckle and lowered the zipper of her jeans. His eyes were riveted to the patch of red revealed there. Sliding off the bed, Beth tugged down the jeans, almost laughing at his disappointed face. "That's right buddy, I'm a boxer-briefs gal."
"I had no expectations." He lied smoothly as she stretched out once more, looking a hell of a lot more comfortable than before. Her eyes roamed all over his face as he shared his pillow with her. Those amber orbs flicked down to his chest a couple of times behind those glasses. "Do you want me to put a shirt on?"
"No. I'm okay." Her head shook from side to side. For two seconds she got a very clear image of what he wanted to do with her in his bed. "You look tired."
"I am." He took a deep breath and pulled her glasses off her nose and set them on the nightstand. "Are you a cuddler or a kicker?"
"Don't know. I haven't shared a bed with anyone since I was nine."
"Oh?"
"My dad was sick and I had to stay at my aunt's. Me and Berty had to share… pretty certain my sleep habits have changed since then."
"Let's assume you're a cuddler." Gabriel rolled her onto her side and fit his body behind hers, holding her lightly, his lips grazing her shoulder. "I sleep on my side and I don't move much. You need more room, you've got that whole other side."
"Got it." She lay her arm over his. "Go to sleep, Gabriel. You've got work in the morning." Years of practice had her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling as if she were asleep within minutes. When his arm relaxed over her and his breathing came in even puffs against her back, she knew he was asleep. It was so quiet and peaceful. No insomniacs in his neighborhood… except one. Her. A couple of times he pulled her tight up against him in his sleep, his erection prodding her but he always relaxed and shifted his hips away… even in his sleep the way he did when they made out. Once his hand touched everything there was to touch before settling on her boob, where it stayed for the rest of the night. Dawn was creeping in the window when he started to wake. His large hand squeezed her breast hard, fingers pulling at her nipple through her tank. His hips pressed against her, grinding into her rear, his lips sucking at her shoulder and neck. She had to bite her lip to keep from moaning and waking him up.
A tiny beeping invaded his dream and suddenly he relaxed around her. He took a deep breath and rolled away, cursing when he nearly fell off the bed. "Oh shit." Through slitted eyes, she watched him move. "Ah, fuck," he cursed when he sat up, readjusting himself before standing to gather his clothes. Her eyes almost popped open when she saw the tent in his shorts. Still, her back felt cold without him and she rolled over. "Oh, hey." Gabriel grabbed his clothes and held them over his morning erection. "You sleep okay?"
"Yeah." She lied as she readjusted her tank top as important areas had shifted. "Going to work so early?"
"I may have molested you a bit in our sleep. Sorry about that."
"What time is it?" She reached for her glasses.
"Early. I gotta get dressed and get kids fed. You should get home before you're missed."
Sitting up, she got a very clear image that he wanted her out of the room so he could fix his little problem. When she reached for her pants, he bit back a groan, she slid into them and stood up. "I'll get the kiddies breakfast started. You get dressed."
"You don't have to."
"I came over uninvited, it's the least I can do." She started for the door but he pulled her back. "What?"
Gabriel plucked a shirt out of his closet and tossed it at her. "My little brothers will stare and I don't want anyone but me ogling your goodies."
--
"He's right." Max sighed heavily into his pillow.
"Who is?" Liz drew the words on his back.
"David. She's not reading. Not on purpose." He sighed again. "I didn't give any hints to why I didn't want him in here. She just… blurted it out… and she was right. I didn't want him in here because you were naked, asleep in bed."
"Is that what she said?"
"Well, she knew how we ended up that way. I can't say I know what visuals she's getting but I'm sure she'd rather not."
"We'll just have to be careful. I should have gotten up when you did. You know he likes to cuddle with me when he can."
"He's 12."
"He's too old. Okay. Whatever. He's my baby." Liz lay there for a moment. "Max? Why are you looking for those kids you healed?" He didn't answer. "I saw their names on the computer. You've got dossiers on all of them."
"Before the wedding, I was trying to tell you something and I didn't want you to blow it out of proportion." Max rolled to face her. "I want to be clear that nothing happened."
"Obviously something did."
"It was very strange and very upsetting for me." He tried to get that out and across to her. "I had a woman in and her symptoms didn't make sense with her history. She had cancer but not what she had before. I was explaining things to her and there was a moment where I almost kissed her. I didn't… I didn't particularly want to but it… just… There was something else going on there and when I thought about it… it felt a lot like that time with Sydney… when I didn't stop it from happening. So I asked her… she felt she took advantage of the connection she felt to me. The woman was one of the kids I healed. So… same rules apply… I guess."
"I don't understand. What happened?"
"She was lonely and scared… and I think she wanted to kiss me. My lips actually tingled. I had to… get out of there until it stopped. I've been researching but coming up with nothing. It's not an attraction but a pull. They aren't really aware they have it."
"So it's a side effect of you healing them."
"From certain and natural death."
tbc
Part 109
AN: So we did the running around and worrying and actually we had little to worry about... it was everyone else and geez, we're all hating mother nature just a bit right now. Got word that some family members weren't as lucky as we were. So writing is a back seat thing but I'll be visualizing so much while we get things together.
The Fate of Destiny Part 109
Isabel handed a checklist to each child. "Everything on the list must be in your bags. Berty, you need a new swimsuit. Kyle, make sure the sunscreen is as high as you can find it. You will behave or Alex will send you home. Got it?"
"When are we leaving?" Berty bounced on the balls of her feet.
"This weekend. Alex is getting the plane tickets and Jesse is getting note out to the FBI so they know there's more than one of you over there."
"Yes!" Kyle high-fived his sisters.
"Mommy… I don't wanna go." Gina pouted suddenly.
"You don't want to go stay with Alex for a while?"
"Beth's got a boo-boo."
"Oh, I see. Well. Uncle Max will take care of her boo-boo. That's what he does." She kissed her baby's head.
"When are we going to the mall?" Berty cut in.
"Oh… sweetie, I don't have time. I have six cases open and I have to go to Las Cruces for a meeting."
"But Jesse goes to all of the out of town meetings."
"He needs a break from traveling. Hey." She smiled at her girls. "Maybe Jesse can take you to the mall?"
"Yes. Daddy can take us." Gina jumped up and down, pulling on Berty's hand though Berty was scowling at their mother.
"Jesse has the time." Isabel met her daughter's gaze. "He's gotta take Gina shopping anyway."
"Fine."
--
Gabriel stretched out on the bed once more, dressed for work and hating to leave. "I love this… seeing you when I go to bed and waking up to you right here but you know what'd be better?"
"We're not having sex."
"I know that." He pinched her leg. "When you get here, I'm tired out of my mind. When I wake up, I have to go… I got a half day today. I would like to spend my half-day off with you… with us both awake."
"That would be nice." Beth nodded though she was tired. She was the only one not sleeping during their sleepovers. "What about the kids, honey?"
"That's creepy, don't do that… but you have a point." He glanced at the clock. Tick-tock. "Got it. I'll go to work and when I get back… I send them to the pool… I'll meet you at your place."
"You want to go to that scary place?"
"That's where you live and I'm a little sick of the environment around here."
"Okay. My place… two?"
"One…"
"Spend time with the kiddies, man."
"Alright. Two." Gabriel shot off the bed, dropping a kiss on her lips. "I'm gonna be late."
--
Kathy knocked on the door and waited until Will opened the door. He blinked at her but stepped aside. "You're up early."
"My dad talked me into a run this morning. I… um… just needed to get out of the house but… I couldn't think of any place to go… I hope you don't mind."
"I was just going to get up anyway." He motioned to the chair. "Let me get showered and I'll be better company." He left her alone so he could wash up. He wanted very much to have more clothes on when he talked to her. Steam filled the stall and warmed his sleepy bones. Then the stall door opened and he could only pray that he was dreaming. When he turned, she stood in all her naked radiance, waiting for his reaction… and that came unbidden. His hands shot down to cover himself. "Kat…"
"Don't tell me that kiss didn't do things to you." She spoke clearly enough but he couldn't believe his ears. She stepped closer. "Will… please. Tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way."
"Is this a discussion we have to have in the shower? Without clothes?"
"Yes."
"What do you want to hear? That I haven't been able to think straight since the wedding? That I dream about you?"
"Yes." She smiled and reached for him but he backed away.
"But I work for your father."
"No. You work for the government who feels guilty for torturing my father and who now are kissing ass by having you make sure no one gets close enough to hurt us that way again. They're probably also hoping you're going to give them a heads up when the big Alien Invasion occurs. They don't pay you to look after me. You do that as a favor to my father."
"We can talk about this with clothes on." Will protested, he didn't have anyplace to go. She was blocking the door and he had a knob poking his ass. All he could do was get water falling directly in his face and blinding him, still he kept his hands over semi-erection.
"If we do that, you'll find a reason why we shouldn't do this. If you want me, talk to me, Will."
"Why do you do this?" He carefully reached behind him to shut off the water. "If I want you… that's one thing. If I care, I won't jump into the sack first off, Kat." He looked like she was going to cry and he didn't want her to do that. "Kat… this is wrong."
"Is it?" The air had begun to cool and her body seemed to reach for him. "I'm old enough to date without my father's permission. Have been for a while. You don't have to report to anyone on your love life. Why can't we just cut the bullshit? Just… get to it."
"Because!"
"Why."
"Because, when I tell the story of how we got together, I will not tell my children that I got together with their mother when she followed me into the shower."
Kathy stood there stunned for a long moment. "Our children? Do they happen in a world where we aren't wrong? I mean… for our children to happen, you'd have to want this. You'd have to want me. This," she gestured to her body, her breasts bobbing with the movement, "would not be an issue."
"I am an old guy. You need someone younger."
"It's ten years."
"Right. I remember Gavin Rossdale when he was a member of Bush. I remember when Remy Zero was a band. I remember the idiot president's ever-lasting term. Most of that happened before you were born or when you were in diapers. I remember the World Trade Center. I went there when I was six." He searched his brain for more reasons. "I… My parents met Kurt Cobain. And me by proxy before his death. Do you even know who that is?"
"Yes. I do. Nirvana. Grunge movement. I've also heard of Remy Zero. My dad still listens to Bush. I did my government term paper on the idiot president of which you speak. I'm young but not innocent. I just know what I feel and what I want. I want you."
"God, Kat. You make me feel like a dirty old man." He leaned on the wall.
"You are not old." She moved closer. "This is not wrong." She touched his back "you think about me and picture children." She allowed her hand to run over his back. Just doing that felt better to her than any other touch she'd ever given. "you don't feel old."
"I am so going to get murdered in my sleep." Will groaned but turned to the beautiful girl molesting him. "I am attracted to you but it is unethical If you were someone else, I might not have qualms about doing anything you want to do but I am at times very afraid of your father."
"Forget my father. Do you want me?" She slid her body between him and the wall. His hand cupped her cheek. His breath came in short harsh puffs on her face. She slid her hands up his chest. "Will?" Was her heart beating fast? She was the calm one here. Then his other hand rested on her hip. And then she had to close her eyes. She had waited days for him to kiss her again.
Will took her lips and suddenly it was like he had stopped breathing. Her returning pressure felt so right, he pulled her closer, not caring about his body's reaction anymore. He knew this wasn't going to end with a kiss. As he pulled her away from the wall and toward the stall door, he got dizzy. Her tongue clashed with his. Her body was soft against his. He was pulling them out of the stall when an image of her as a child appeared in his mind. She was laughing and teasing her brother.
Kathy moaned as they made their way back towards the bed. Her mind was filled with Will. She tried to shove away the memories of his short-lived marriage. She had never seen a picture of the woman but the blonde was there in his mind, startling her enough to stop for a moment.
"Kat… is that supposed to happen?"
"Only when you mean it." She breathed against his lips. "It happens to my parents all the time. Let's not talk about this now. We're busy."
They fell on the bed together. Tasting, touching. He wanted nothing more than to be inside her but when he opened his eyes again to look at her, his breath caught. He had always seen that she was beautiful but in this moment, she was everything. His cock throbbed between her legs but he couldn't do it. Not this way. Not after that talk they'd had in Santa Fe. Not after the things he'd seen from inside her. 'Only when you mean it,' she had said and he did. His kisses slowed until they were just laying together, tears forming in her eyes. "Don't cry."
"Will… please." She wrapped her arms around him, trying to pull him inside her.
"Maybe we will… just not today."
"Will." She pleaded.
"Not today." He told her firmly even as he pushed himself off of her and the bed. "Get dressed. We're going for coffee."
"Will?"
"Can you do this the right way?" He asked her sincerely. "Honestly? Hanging out, dating… getting to know each other before we hop into bed?"
"You want to do it that way?"
"I'd prefer it. I like you, Kat. I want to love you and we'll never know for sure if we start this way." He gestured to the bed.
"So I'm not alone feeling this?" Did she have to look so vulnerable and unbelievably beautiful?
"Let's find out the right way." He backed up. "I'm gonna take a cold shower now. Please don’t undo my hard work here."
"Your hard work?"
"Kat…" He groaned. "You're killing me. Believe me, I'd like to jump back onto the bed and just bury myself in you… but of all people… you're the last person I want to hurt by going too fast. Now. Put some clothes on. I got a thing to take care of."
--
Jesse groaned and rubbed at his eyes. "She wants a one-piece. There are a thousand bathing suits in this store… in this mall and she can't have one?"
"Sir, she's a busty young lady. We don't have any that would fit her. We have many bikinis that she could try on." The saleswoman tried to explain to him.
Jesse looked to Berty, who tried to cross her arms over her chest but couldn't hide the problem. It was the dress fitting all over again. "What do you think?"
She ran her eyes over the scraps of fabric hanging from the racks. Water filling her eyes. "I don't want a two-piece."
"She's lovely young woman. I'm sure we can find something flattering."
For once, Berty didn't shrug off Jesse's arm when he wrapped it around her. He lowered his voice. "Maybe she finds you something decent and you… connect it later?"
"I'd need help."
"Mom will be back later tonight."
"I guess."
"Okay." Jesse turned back to the saleswoman. "Something… conservative. She's self-conscious. She… just… popped up over the last year or so."
"Pervert." The woman muttered under her breath.
Jesse nearly lunged at the woman. Berty stepped in. "We're not shopping here."
"I'm speaking to your manager." Jesse spat out over her head. "We won't be buying anything else either. You can put our selections back."
"Daddy, where we goin' now?" Gina hopped off her chair to follow them out.
"To any store but this one."
--
tbc next post
The Fate of Destiny Part 109
Isabel handed a checklist to each child. "Everything on the list must be in your bags. Berty, you need a new swimsuit. Kyle, make sure the sunscreen is as high as you can find it. You will behave or Alex will send you home. Got it?"
"When are we leaving?" Berty bounced on the balls of her feet.
"This weekend. Alex is getting the plane tickets and Jesse is getting note out to the FBI so they know there's more than one of you over there."
"Yes!" Kyle high-fived his sisters.
"Mommy… I don't wanna go." Gina pouted suddenly.
"You don't want to go stay with Alex for a while?"
"Beth's got a boo-boo."
"Oh, I see. Well. Uncle Max will take care of her boo-boo. That's what he does." She kissed her baby's head.
"When are we going to the mall?" Berty cut in.
"Oh… sweetie, I don't have time. I have six cases open and I have to go to Las Cruces for a meeting."
"But Jesse goes to all of the out of town meetings."
"He needs a break from traveling. Hey." She smiled at her girls. "Maybe Jesse can take you to the mall?"
"Yes. Daddy can take us." Gina jumped up and down, pulling on Berty's hand though Berty was scowling at their mother.
"Jesse has the time." Isabel met her daughter's gaze. "He's gotta take Gina shopping anyway."
"Fine."
--
Gabriel stretched out on the bed once more, dressed for work and hating to leave. "I love this… seeing you when I go to bed and waking up to you right here but you know what'd be better?"
"We're not having sex."
"I know that." He pinched her leg. "When you get here, I'm tired out of my mind. When I wake up, I have to go… I got a half day today. I would like to spend my half-day off with you… with us both awake."
"That would be nice." Beth nodded though she was tired. She was the only one not sleeping during their sleepovers. "What about the kids, honey?"
"That's creepy, don't do that… but you have a point." He glanced at the clock. Tick-tock. "Got it. I'll go to work and when I get back… I send them to the pool… I'll meet you at your place."
"You want to go to that scary place?"
"That's where you live and I'm a little sick of the environment around here."
"Okay. My place… two?"
"One…"
"Spend time with the kiddies, man."
"Alright. Two." Gabriel shot off the bed, dropping a kiss on her lips. "I'm gonna be late."
--
Kathy knocked on the door and waited until Will opened the door. He blinked at her but stepped aside. "You're up early."
"My dad talked me into a run this morning. I… um… just needed to get out of the house but… I couldn't think of any place to go… I hope you don't mind."
"I was just going to get up anyway." He motioned to the chair. "Let me get showered and I'll be better company." He left her alone so he could wash up. He wanted very much to have more clothes on when he talked to her. Steam filled the stall and warmed his sleepy bones. Then the stall door opened and he could only pray that he was dreaming. When he turned, she stood in all her naked radiance, waiting for his reaction… and that came unbidden. His hands shot down to cover himself. "Kat…"
"Don't tell me that kiss didn't do things to you." She spoke clearly enough but he couldn't believe his ears. She stepped closer. "Will… please. Tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way."
"Is this a discussion we have to have in the shower? Without clothes?"
"Yes."
"What do you want to hear? That I haven't been able to think straight since the wedding? That I dream about you?"
"Yes." She smiled and reached for him but he backed away.
"But I work for your father."
"No. You work for the government who feels guilty for torturing my father and who now are kissing ass by having you make sure no one gets close enough to hurt us that way again. They're probably also hoping you're going to give them a heads up when the big Alien Invasion occurs. They don't pay you to look after me. You do that as a favor to my father."
"We can talk about this with clothes on." Will protested, he didn't have anyplace to go. She was blocking the door and he had a knob poking his ass. All he could do was get water falling directly in his face and blinding him, still he kept his hands over semi-erection.
"If we do that, you'll find a reason why we shouldn't do this. If you want me, talk to me, Will."
"Why do you do this?" He carefully reached behind him to shut off the water. "If I want you… that's one thing. If I care, I won't jump into the sack first off, Kat." He looked like she was going to cry and he didn't want her to do that. "Kat… this is wrong."
"Is it?" The air had begun to cool and her body seemed to reach for him. "I'm old enough to date without my father's permission. Have been for a while. You don't have to report to anyone on your love life. Why can't we just cut the bullshit? Just… get to it."
"Because!"
"Why."
"Because, when I tell the story of how we got together, I will not tell my children that I got together with their mother when she followed me into the shower."
Kathy stood there stunned for a long moment. "Our children? Do they happen in a world where we aren't wrong? I mean… for our children to happen, you'd have to want this. You'd have to want me. This," she gestured to her body, her breasts bobbing with the movement, "would not be an issue."
"I am an old guy. You need someone younger."
"It's ten years."
"Right. I remember Gavin Rossdale when he was a member of Bush. I remember when Remy Zero was a band. I remember the idiot president's ever-lasting term. Most of that happened before you were born or when you were in diapers. I remember the World Trade Center. I went there when I was six." He searched his brain for more reasons. "I… My parents met Kurt Cobain. And me by proxy before his death. Do you even know who that is?"
"Yes. I do. Nirvana. Grunge movement. I've also heard of Remy Zero. My dad still listens to Bush. I did my government term paper on the idiot president of which you speak. I'm young but not innocent. I just know what I feel and what I want. I want you."
"God, Kat. You make me feel like a dirty old man." He leaned on the wall.
"You are not old." She moved closer. "This is not wrong." She touched his back "you think about me and picture children." She allowed her hand to run over his back. Just doing that felt better to her than any other touch she'd ever given. "you don't feel old."
"I am so going to get murdered in my sleep." Will groaned but turned to the beautiful girl molesting him. "I am attracted to you but it is unethical If you were someone else, I might not have qualms about doing anything you want to do but I am at times very afraid of your father."
"Forget my father. Do you want me?" She slid her body between him and the wall. His hand cupped her cheek. His breath came in short harsh puffs on her face. She slid her hands up his chest. "Will?" Was her heart beating fast? She was the calm one here. Then his other hand rested on her hip. And then she had to close her eyes. She had waited days for him to kiss her again.
Will took her lips and suddenly it was like he had stopped breathing. Her returning pressure felt so right, he pulled her closer, not caring about his body's reaction anymore. He knew this wasn't going to end with a kiss. As he pulled her away from the wall and toward the stall door, he got dizzy. Her tongue clashed with his. Her body was soft against his. He was pulling them out of the stall when an image of her as a child appeared in his mind. She was laughing and teasing her brother.
Kathy moaned as they made their way back towards the bed. Her mind was filled with Will. She tried to shove away the memories of his short-lived marriage. She had never seen a picture of the woman but the blonde was there in his mind, startling her enough to stop for a moment.
"Kat… is that supposed to happen?"
"Only when you mean it." She breathed against his lips. "It happens to my parents all the time. Let's not talk about this now. We're busy."
They fell on the bed together. Tasting, touching. He wanted nothing more than to be inside her but when he opened his eyes again to look at her, his breath caught. He had always seen that she was beautiful but in this moment, she was everything. His cock throbbed between her legs but he couldn't do it. Not this way. Not after that talk they'd had in Santa Fe. Not after the things he'd seen from inside her. 'Only when you mean it,' she had said and he did. His kisses slowed until they were just laying together, tears forming in her eyes. "Don't cry."
"Will… please." She wrapped her arms around him, trying to pull him inside her.
"Maybe we will… just not today."
"Will." She pleaded.
"Not today." He told her firmly even as he pushed himself off of her and the bed. "Get dressed. We're going for coffee."
"Will?"
"Can you do this the right way?" He asked her sincerely. "Honestly? Hanging out, dating… getting to know each other before we hop into bed?"
"You want to do it that way?"
"I'd prefer it. I like you, Kat. I want to love you and we'll never know for sure if we start this way." He gestured to the bed.
"So I'm not alone feeling this?" Did she have to look so vulnerable and unbelievably beautiful?
"Let's find out the right way." He backed up. "I'm gonna take a cold shower now. Please don’t undo my hard work here."
"Your hard work?"
"Kat…" He groaned. "You're killing me. Believe me, I'd like to jump back onto the bed and just bury myself in you… but of all people… you're the last person I want to hurt by going too fast. Now. Put some clothes on. I got a thing to take care of."
--
Jesse groaned and rubbed at his eyes. "She wants a one-piece. There are a thousand bathing suits in this store… in this mall and she can't have one?"
"Sir, she's a busty young lady. We don't have any that would fit her. We have many bikinis that she could try on." The saleswoman tried to explain to him.
Jesse looked to Berty, who tried to cross her arms over her chest but couldn't hide the problem. It was the dress fitting all over again. "What do you think?"
She ran her eyes over the scraps of fabric hanging from the racks. Water filling her eyes. "I don't want a two-piece."
"She's lovely young woman. I'm sure we can find something flattering."
For once, Berty didn't shrug off Jesse's arm when he wrapped it around her. He lowered his voice. "Maybe she finds you something decent and you… connect it later?"
"I'd need help."
"Mom will be back later tonight."
"I guess."
"Okay." Jesse turned back to the saleswoman. "Something… conservative. She's self-conscious. She… just… popped up over the last year or so."
"Pervert." The woman muttered under her breath.
Jesse nearly lunged at the woman. Berty stepped in. "We're not shopping here."
"I'm speaking to your manager." Jesse spat out over her head. "We won't be buying anything else either. You can put our selections back."
"Daddy, where we goin' now?" Gina hopped off her chair to follow them out.
"To any store but this one."
--
tbc next post
Part 109b
--
Max laved her nipple and jerked her hips down on his. Liz cried out softly, bracing a hand on the cabinet so she didn't hit her head. Water boiled softly next to them but they were too caught up to notice. Liz braced her feet on his hips and bucked hard, changing their position just a little.
Just another afternoon in Max’s current spree of love-making. The kids were all off at their summer activities and the house was theirs. Liz’s hand slipped a little on its grip of Max’s shoulder under his scrub top. His right hand held her lower back and his left held her chest against his mouth. A moan slipped out of her mouth as her arrival was imminent but as this was round two, Max was going to make it last.
Gabriel abandoned his quest and very, very quietly returned to Beth's room. He just stared at her for a minute but thought about her parents going at it like dogs in heat down in the kitchen. She looked up at him. "Not thirsty after all? Or did they give you a hard time?"
"Nah… Didn't even see me." He resumed his position on her bed. "I really don't think they know you're home."
"Huh?"
"They were busy." He shrugged at her. "I didn't want to interrupt."
"Oh my god." Her jaw dropped. "In the kitchen?" She shuddered. "They're disgusting."
"I didn't see much… a tongue, a nipple. There was some moaning and groaning." Gabriel leaned over to look her in the eye. "It was kind of hot." He laughed at her face. "Your mom has some killer legs… like someone I know."
A banging of cabinets suddenly reached their ears and then a really sharp cry. Beth groaned and buried her face in his chest. "They are so gross." She wrapped her arms around him. "You have no idea what it's like to grow up hearing crap like that. They're old and he's still hot for my mom."
"That's a good thing. They're still in love after… how long?"
"Hm… since '99. Almost 30 years."
"That's a long time to love someone. To learn… their bodies." His hands ran down her sides, over her ass and up her back. "To know what turns you off and on." He kissed her lips softly. "In 30 years, I want to know that this ass." His hands drifted back down to give her a good squeeze. "Can still do this." He took her hand and placed it over his crotch. She lightly squeezed his growing erection before moving her hand away. It was a little soon but he was only teasing. "Every single time."
"I like that I do that to you."
"Every time you walk into a room." He began to lead her hand back but she slid it behind his neck to pull his head down to hers.
"You think about this stuff?"
"Only since you kissed me." He licked his lips. "I think about it. About you with some gray in that rainbow up there. Me with a balding Mohawk… cause in my future, I'll finally have a Mohawk. A passel of kids wearing old band t-shirts, not ashamed to say 'yeah… my folks still get it on.' Or 'my folks are still hot for each other, they're disgusting.'" He lapped at her lips for a moment. "As a child of a messy divorce, I vow that I will only ever be with one person for the rest of my life… and so far… you're shaping up to be that someone."
Beth shifted onto her back to stare at the ceiling. "My parents hate you and you want to model our future couplehood after them?"
"They're so together. I like it."
"Ups and downs are horrendous. You don't even know the half of our family history."
"Explain."
"Kathy."
"I need more than that." He leaned over her to look into her eyes.
"Why do you think she's the favorite?" He shrugged, though he recalled what Kathy had told him days before. "She's got blue eyes." He waved at her to go on. "My dad cheated on my mom one week before they were married."
"Potent guy…" Gabriel breathed. "So they're not perfect." He felt sorry they had gotten into it. "Where's… uh…?"
"Dead."
"How?"
"My mom ate her."
"Seriously."
"Died. Never even touched Kat, my mom says. Squirt and spleecht."
"You're crude."
"Why'd your mom leave?" She turned the conversation around on him.
He closed his eyes and lay back. He shrugged slightly. "She met a new guy who didn't work on the road."
"She just left her kids alone?"
"My dad told her she couldn't take us. She didn't work. Dad won the suit. Sounds simple. It wasn't."
"So we've each got our own twisted family history. Just trust me when I say my parents are not the people you want to be in 30 years."
"How about…" He lowered his face to hers. "We become Gabriel and Beth."
"Now you're talking."
"Break it up." Liz barked into the room. She was really tired of being the one to walk into these scenes. One of these days it was going to be Max's turn and he was going to have a heart attack. "No boys in the bedroom. You know that." She looked flushed herself but she was very angry. "Off the bed. Now."
"You know, for someone who wants their rules enforced." Beth got to her feet and moved toward the door. "You're not setting a very good example."
"Excuse me?" Liz stepped back and let Gabriel escape down the stairs. "You are not to speak to me this way."
"I wouldn't if my boyfriend didn't go into the kitchen for a drink and see you and Dad screwing on the kitchen counter. How am I supposed to know which rules to follow if you and Dad aren't following them yourself?"
Liz didn't know whether to laugh or cry… so she got mad. "Your father and I are married. You are 16 years old. You are not to have boys in your room. You are not to speak to me this way."
"I can't believe you. You're going to yell at me because you were acting inappropriately. You don't have any high ground here." Beth was taller than her mother and she used it to her advantage. "Do you know what it's like to have your boyfriend tell you that he's seen your mother's breasts? My friends should not be afraid they're going to get a show when they come over."
"Who is the parent here?" Liz bit out.
"That's what I'd like to know."
Liz stood there long after the front door had shut.
"Liz? Did Beth come home?" Max called up the stairs.
--
Kathy cupped her hands around her glass. They were trying to have a discussion about their feelings. "It's more than just the kiss at the wedding."
"Oh?" Will sipped his coffee slowly. They were a little awkward.
"You don’t remember this but when I drove you back from the wedding… I was trying to make you more comfortable and you… started touching me and I wanted to let you but…"
"I… wasn't completely drunk when I did that…" He winced to himself. "I still had enough to be… uninhibited but once I started, I couldn't stop. It was probably a good thing you did… although… I was thinking that you didn't want it."
"I did… but I felt bad…" She turned her eyes to the window. "I thought there was something broken inside me. When I did what I did… it all fell together and I thought it was worth it… until you started kissing me and I felt… ashamed. Even though I felt… that way for the first time… I was afraid that when you kissed me that you'd taste him on me and so I had to go… The thing I thought was broken wasn't it… it was something else completely."
"You're not broken. I know it feels that way sometimes… Look at me. I feel broken all the time. You're just… waiting for the pieces to fall together." Will reached over and took her hand. "Just like… everyone else… human, alien… some mix of the two."
"We can't just start from the beginning, Will… we know each other a little too well. It's like… First date, get to know you, then the other stuff. But we did the second part first… and normally… I do the third thing before the second thing…" Her blue eyes landed on their hands. "Except that I trust you already."
"Alright then. Rules. I like rules so forgive my outline of the rules." He cleared his throat. "Nights in and nights out do not end in a bed for a month. If we can't… find something in common by then…"
"Something in common? Like how we both hate Fellini. Think random people are morons… like that kid at the park who always tries to land that board but always racks himself."
"His balance is all off and he never learns. There's something wrong with him. I mean really. Random chimps the government use to test NASA equipment are smarter than that kid."
"Do they still do that?"
"No."
"Will."
"Sometimes… but I can't prove it."
"Uh-huh."
--
"She's sixteen. She's not wearing that." Jesse told the salesgirl at the new store.
"This is in."
"She's not worried about fashion. She wants something that will cover her… My God!" Jesse exclaimed. "If I bring that home, her mother will kill me."
"She's gorgeous. This bathing suit was made for her."
"Daddy…" Gina tugged on her father's hand. "Veo nalgas de Berty."
"You see?" Jesse pointed to his daughter. "Think coverage. Think… she's not going to be making out with every boy in Florida… You know, Berty… I'm not so sure that you should go."
"Mom already said I could go." She turned to the sales girl. "Seriously. Don't worry about fashion. Think… Amish. I want to be decently covered. Okay? My mom will seriously freak if I come home in something like this."
"You're seriously going to pick parental approval over fashion?" The girl leveled her gaze on the teen in front of her.
"They're letting me go to Florida without them… so… yeah."
"Look, I've been through this with eight salespeople. I think on this girl as a daughter. I don’t want her ogled or whistled at or fantasized about. I want her covered." Jesse pleaded.
"Buddy, you don't need a conservative bathing suit. You need for the entire population of straight men and gay women to spontaneously go blind. This is a very hot young woman. She's got it all. Looks, body… and I can tell she's feisty. Do you really want to cover it all up?"
"Yes." Jesse and Berty said together.
--
Gabriel was just getting ready for bed when the window opened. He helped her in, surprised when she made the first move and pulled him into a deep kiss. He leaned her against the desk and she slid onto the surface, pulling his body between her legs. Her arms wrapped around his middle, squeezing for dear life. Her tongue flicked over his tongue stud, making him moan and pick her up. Her arms hooked over his shoulders to keep their proximity as he blindly stumbled around for the bed.
Beth allowed herself to be lowered onto the bed. She still had her arms hooked over his shoulders and her hands clinging to his head. His mouth wandered down her throat, sucking and tonguing. "Gabriel…" she breathed as he tugged at her blouse only to find her breasts were restrained in the corset. He growled in frustration and pulled back to examine what he had to work with. Even when she arched her back, not nearly enough of those luscious orbs were exposed. The hooks wouldn't give. She needed his mouth there. "Snap 'em."
"What?" He breathed, reaching down to adjust himself a bit.
"The bones. Snap the stays. I'll re-bone it later. Just snap them so it folds." She shifted on the bed, listening to her boots scraping against his. The flaps of her skirt fell apart from her legs. She watched him swallow, his Adam's apple seemed stuck with the bike chain there. His fingers gripped the top of the corset, pulling away from her flesh before bending and snapping the top so it folded just enough for him to have free access to the full soft flesh. She watched his eyes flick from her heaving bosom to her face a few times. Was she inadequate? Her brow knit together until he smiled and slipped his forearms underneath her upper body, fingers gripping her shoulders.
"Sorry, I…" He leaned down to capture her lips. "I hesitated too long. I just had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to taste. This." His tongue dipped into her warm mouth. "Or this." Gabriel bent his head, sliding down along her body to capture a nipple. His tongue stroked quickly. Up. Down. Around. Flicking quickly. Then he pulled it with his lips before sucking the hardened brown tip into his mouth and his stud hit the sensitive tip.
"Oanh." Whatever that meant. Bethany arched into his mouth, grasping the back of his head. Then he switched sides, giving the other nipple the same treatment. /Gabriel slid his hand along her thigh and used his thumb to rub the tender flesh of her inner thigh. He used the ring on his middle finger to snag her fishnets and rip them open over her warmth.\ Beth moaned loudly, whimpering when he pulled off her breast.
"Sh." He whispered, "No one knows we're in here." He took her mouth hungrily for a few long moments and then slid his mouth and pierced tongue down to her breasts once again. Beth swallowed another moan. /After a moment of fumbling, his fingers slid beneath her underwear and lightly traced her crevice, dancing around her protruding nub.\ When she released another deep moan, Gabriel chuckled against her sternum. "Beth, sh."
Taking a deep breath, she shut her eyes and let him continue. /Light pressure against her clit and then stroking fast.\ "Ah-anh." She squeaked, her knees gripped his body. Panting, her body tensed. "Wow," she breathed. Then she relaxed, laying limp on the bed, releasing his hips from between her knees, her hands sliding out of his hair and down his arms. A few minutes later, when his mouth and hand still hadn't returned to her, she opened her eyes to find Gabriel's green eyes fixed on her. "What?"
"Did you just come?" He brushed her hair out of her flushed face.
"Come?" She bit her lip and stared up at him. His lipstick had all come off and then she realized that his other hand was still under her shoulder.
"Orgasm, sweetie." The hand under her shoulder was the one he had just used, right? His hands had been underneath her and then he pulled one back, right?
"You only used your mouth?" She asked softly.
"And my tongue." His mouth curved up. "I made you come just by doing that? Hm. Never done that before." Then he sat up and away, suddenly. His face contorted like he was being tortured. "I… uh… Gotta… go… take care of this… I'll be back."
Beth watched him get up and leave the room. When the door had shut behind him, she sat up and reached under her skirt. Her nets were still whole and everything was in its proper place aside from being soaking with arousal. What had just happened?
tbc
'-)
Max laved her nipple and jerked her hips down on his. Liz cried out softly, bracing a hand on the cabinet so she didn't hit her head. Water boiled softly next to them but they were too caught up to notice. Liz braced her feet on his hips and bucked hard, changing their position just a little.
Just another afternoon in Max’s current spree of love-making. The kids were all off at their summer activities and the house was theirs. Liz’s hand slipped a little on its grip of Max’s shoulder under his scrub top. His right hand held her lower back and his left held her chest against his mouth. A moan slipped out of her mouth as her arrival was imminent but as this was round two, Max was going to make it last.
Gabriel abandoned his quest and very, very quietly returned to Beth's room. He just stared at her for a minute but thought about her parents going at it like dogs in heat down in the kitchen. She looked up at him. "Not thirsty after all? Or did they give you a hard time?"
"Nah… Didn't even see me." He resumed his position on her bed. "I really don't think they know you're home."
"Huh?"
"They were busy." He shrugged at her. "I didn't want to interrupt."
"Oh my god." Her jaw dropped. "In the kitchen?" She shuddered. "They're disgusting."
"I didn't see much… a tongue, a nipple. There was some moaning and groaning." Gabriel leaned over to look her in the eye. "It was kind of hot." He laughed at her face. "Your mom has some killer legs… like someone I know."
A banging of cabinets suddenly reached their ears and then a really sharp cry. Beth groaned and buried her face in his chest. "They are so gross." She wrapped her arms around him. "You have no idea what it's like to grow up hearing crap like that. They're old and he's still hot for my mom."
"That's a good thing. They're still in love after… how long?"
"Hm… since '99. Almost 30 years."
"That's a long time to love someone. To learn… their bodies." His hands ran down her sides, over her ass and up her back. "To know what turns you off and on." He kissed her lips softly. "In 30 years, I want to know that this ass." His hands drifted back down to give her a good squeeze. "Can still do this." He took her hand and placed it over his crotch. She lightly squeezed his growing erection before moving her hand away. It was a little soon but he was only teasing. "Every single time."
"I like that I do that to you."
"Every time you walk into a room." He began to lead her hand back but she slid it behind his neck to pull his head down to hers.
"You think about this stuff?"
"Only since you kissed me." He licked his lips. "I think about it. About you with some gray in that rainbow up there. Me with a balding Mohawk… cause in my future, I'll finally have a Mohawk. A passel of kids wearing old band t-shirts, not ashamed to say 'yeah… my folks still get it on.' Or 'my folks are still hot for each other, they're disgusting.'" He lapped at her lips for a moment. "As a child of a messy divorce, I vow that I will only ever be with one person for the rest of my life… and so far… you're shaping up to be that someone."
Beth shifted onto her back to stare at the ceiling. "My parents hate you and you want to model our future couplehood after them?"
"They're so together. I like it."
"Ups and downs are horrendous. You don't even know the half of our family history."
"Explain."
"Kathy."
"I need more than that." He leaned over her to look into her eyes.
"Why do you think she's the favorite?" He shrugged, though he recalled what Kathy had told him days before. "She's got blue eyes." He waved at her to go on. "My dad cheated on my mom one week before they were married."
"Potent guy…" Gabriel breathed. "So they're not perfect." He felt sorry they had gotten into it. "Where's… uh…?"
"Dead."
"How?"
"My mom ate her."
"Seriously."
"Died. Never even touched Kat, my mom says. Squirt and spleecht."
"You're crude."
"Why'd your mom leave?" She turned the conversation around on him.
He closed his eyes and lay back. He shrugged slightly. "She met a new guy who didn't work on the road."
"She just left her kids alone?"
"My dad told her she couldn't take us. She didn't work. Dad won the suit. Sounds simple. It wasn't."
"So we've each got our own twisted family history. Just trust me when I say my parents are not the people you want to be in 30 years."
"How about…" He lowered his face to hers. "We become Gabriel and Beth."
"Now you're talking."
"Break it up." Liz barked into the room. She was really tired of being the one to walk into these scenes. One of these days it was going to be Max's turn and he was going to have a heart attack. "No boys in the bedroom. You know that." She looked flushed herself but she was very angry. "Off the bed. Now."
"You know, for someone who wants their rules enforced." Beth got to her feet and moved toward the door. "You're not setting a very good example."
"Excuse me?" Liz stepped back and let Gabriel escape down the stairs. "You are not to speak to me this way."
"I wouldn't if my boyfriend didn't go into the kitchen for a drink and see you and Dad screwing on the kitchen counter. How am I supposed to know which rules to follow if you and Dad aren't following them yourself?"
Liz didn't know whether to laugh or cry… so she got mad. "Your father and I are married. You are 16 years old. You are not to have boys in your room. You are not to speak to me this way."
"I can't believe you. You're going to yell at me because you were acting inappropriately. You don't have any high ground here." Beth was taller than her mother and she used it to her advantage. "Do you know what it's like to have your boyfriend tell you that he's seen your mother's breasts? My friends should not be afraid they're going to get a show when they come over."
"Who is the parent here?" Liz bit out.
"That's what I'd like to know."
Liz stood there long after the front door had shut.
"Liz? Did Beth come home?" Max called up the stairs.
--
Kathy cupped her hands around her glass. They were trying to have a discussion about their feelings. "It's more than just the kiss at the wedding."
"Oh?" Will sipped his coffee slowly. They were a little awkward.
"You don’t remember this but when I drove you back from the wedding… I was trying to make you more comfortable and you… started touching me and I wanted to let you but…"
"I… wasn't completely drunk when I did that…" He winced to himself. "I still had enough to be… uninhibited but once I started, I couldn't stop. It was probably a good thing you did… although… I was thinking that you didn't want it."
"I did… but I felt bad…" She turned her eyes to the window. "I thought there was something broken inside me. When I did what I did… it all fell together and I thought it was worth it… until you started kissing me and I felt… ashamed. Even though I felt… that way for the first time… I was afraid that when you kissed me that you'd taste him on me and so I had to go… The thing I thought was broken wasn't it… it was something else completely."
"You're not broken. I know it feels that way sometimes… Look at me. I feel broken all the time. You're just… waiting for the pieces to fall together." Will reached over and took her hand. "Just like… everyone else… human, alien… some mix of the two."
"We can't just start from the beginning, Will… we know each other a little too well. It's like… First date, get to know you, then the other stuff. But we did the second part first… and normally… I do the third thing before the second thing…" Her blue eyes landed on their hands. "Except that I trust you already."
"Alright then. Rules. I like rules so forgive my outline of the rules." He cleared his throat. "Nights in and nights out do not end in a bed for a month. If we can't… find something in common by then…"
"Something in common? Like how we both hate Fellini. Think random people are morons… like that kid at the park who always tries to land that board but always racks himself."
"His balance is all off and he never learns. There's something wrong with him. I mean really. Random chimps the government use to test NASA equipment are smarter than that kid."
"Do they still do that?"
"No."
"Will."
"Sometimes… but I can't prove it."
"Uh-huh."
--
"She's sixteen. She's not wearing that." Jesse told the salesgirl at the new store.
"This is in."
"She's not worried about fashion. She wants something that will cover her… My God!" Jesse exclaimed. "If I bring that home, her mother will kill me."
"She's gorgeous. This bathing suit was made for her."
"Daddy…" Gina tugged on her father's hand. "Veo nalgas de Berty."
"You see?" Jesse pointed to his daughter. "Think coverage. Think… she's not going to be making out with every boy in Florida… You know, Berty… I'm not so sure that you should go."
"Mom already said I could go." She turned to the sales girl. "Seriously. Don't worry about fashion. Think… Amish. I want to be decently covered. Okay? My mom will seriously freak if I come home in something like this."
"You're seriously going to pick parental approval over fashion?" The girl leveled her gaze on the teen in front of her.
"They're letting me go to Florida without them… so… yeah."
"Look, I've been through this with eight salespeople. I think on this girl as a daughter. I don’t want her ogled or whistled at or fantasized about. I want her covered." Jesse pleaded.
"Buddy, you don't need a conservative bathing suit. You need for the entire population of straight men and gay women to spontaneously go blind. This is a very hot young woman. She's got it all. Looks, body… and I can tell she's feisty. Do you really want to cover it all up?"
"Yes." Jesse and Berty said together.
--
Gabriel was just getting ready for bed when the window opened. He helped her in, surprised when she made the first move and pulled him into a deep kiss. He leaned her against the desk and she slid onto the surface, pulling his body between her legs. Her arms wrapped around his middle, squeezing for dear life. Her tongue flicked over his tongue stud, making him moan and pick her up. Her arms hooked over his shoulders to keep their proximity as he blindly stumbled around for the bed.
Beth allowed herself to be lowered onto the bed. She still had her arms hooked over his shoulders and her hands clinging to his head. His mouth wandered down her throat, sucking and tonguing. "Gabriel…" she breathed as he tugged at her blouse only to find her breasts were restrained in the corset. He growled in frustration and pulled back to examine what he had to work with. Even when she arched her back, not nearly enough of those luscious orbs were exposed. The hooks wouldn't give. She needed his mouth there. "Snap 'em."
"What?" He breathed, reaching down to adjust himself a bit.
"The bones. Snap the stays. I'll re-bone it later. Just snap them so it folds." She shifted on the bed, listening to her boots scraping against his. The flaps of her skirt fell apart from her legs. She watched him swallow, his Adam's apple seemed stuck with the bike chain there. His fingers gripped the top of the corset, pulling away from her flesh before bending and snapping the top so it folded just enough for him to have free access to the full soft flesh. She watched his eyes flick from her heaving bosom to her face a few times. Was she inadequate? Her brow knit together until he smiled and slipped his forearms underneath her upper body, fingers gripping her shoulders.
"Sorry, I…" He leaned down to capture her lips. "I hesitated too long. I just had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to taste. This." His tongue dipped into her warm mouth. "Or this." Gabriel bent his head, sliding down along her body to capture a nipple. His tongue stroked quickly. Up. Down. Around. Flicking quickly. Then he pulled it with his lips before sucking the hardened brown tip into his mouth and his stud hit the sensitive tip.
"Oanh." Whatever that meant. Bethany arched into his mouth, grasping the back of his head. Then he switched sides, giving the other nipple the same treatment. /Gabriel slid his hand along her thigh and used his thumb to rub the tender flesh of her inner thigh. He used the ring on his middle finger to snag her fishnets and rip them open over her warmth.\ Beth moaned loudly, whimpering when he pulled off her breast.
"Sh." He whispered, "No one knows we're in here." He took her mouth hungrily for a few long moments and then slid his mouth and pierced tongue down to her breasts once again. Beth swallowed another moan. /After a moment of fumbling, his fingers slid beneath her underwear and lightly traced her crevice, dancing around her protruding nub.\ When she released another deep moan, Gabriel chuckled against her sternum. "Beth, sh."
Taking a deep breath, she shut her eyes and let him continue. /Light pressure against her clit and then stroking fast.\ "Ah-anh." She squeaked, her knees gripped his body. Panting, her body tensed. "Wow," she breathed. Then she relaxed, laying limp on the bed, releasing his hips from between her knees, her hands sliding out of his hair and down his arms. A few minutes later, when his mouth and hand still hadn't returned to her, she opened her eyes to find Gabriel's green eyes fixed on her. "What?"
"Did you just come?" He brushed her hair out of her flushed face.
"Come?" She bit her lip and stared up at him. His lipstick had all come off and then she realized that his other hand was still under her shoulder.
"Orgasm, sweetie." The hand under her shoulder was the one he had just used, right? His hands had been underneath her and then he pulled one back, right?
"You only used your mouth?" She asked softly.
"And my tongue." His mouth curved up. "I made you come just by doing that? Hm. Never done that before." Then he sat up and away, suddenly. His face contorted like he was being tortured. "I… uh… Gotta… go… take care of this… I'll be back."
Beth watched him get up and leave the room. When the door had shut behind him, she sat up and reached under her skirt. Her nets were still whole and everything was in its proper place aside from being soaking with arousal. What had just happened?
tbc
'-)
part 110/114
The Fate of Destiny Part 110
"She went for another walk this morning." Liz told Max when he walked in after a surgery. "Early again."
"How early?"
"I heard her come back just after sunrise."
"You think she's hanging out in the cemetery again?"
"Where else?"
"She does have a point. We should be more careful." He poured himself a cup of coffee. She shot him a look, of which he missed her point. "Think about it. What if I had been at your house? We're just talking. I get thirsty, you tell me to go ahead and grab something from the kitchen… I come back with a story. Hey your parents are screwing on the kitchen counter. I saw… their parts…"
"Maybe but that doesn't excuse the fact that she had a boy in her room, on her bed. I know that she's got some problems, Max. I know that it's difficult for her but… cutting her slack is one thing and letting her get away with murder is another. Kathy was afraid to mindwarp. We didn't have to worry about it. Beth uses her powers… all the time… and maybe… maybe when the drugs wear off she can't control it but we can't treat her different because she…" Liz trailed off. "She scares me. She's so powerful and that's when she's on the drugs. The control she has when she's on that stuff… is astounding. When you were her age, you couldn't do that. It took Michael years to get that kind of accuracy."
"I know… but just because she's got that control… doesn't mean she can handle it. When she comes down, she sees everything, Liz. When she… after the wedding… I know that I kept thinking about how you were still in bed… and I had just been talking to Kat and I know we were trying to pretend she didn't see what she saw… When you try not to think about something… you think about it more." Max let out a harsh breath. "I think she's… outgrowing the pills."
"Max… you don't mean…"
"She's kept her promise. She's not reading. She gets headaches more and more often. She's spending way too much time in that graveyard and I think it's because she's not in control of it anymore. The drugs aren't helping enough."
"I don't want her doped up and drooling in a corner somewhere." Liz felt the tears spring to her eyes.
"Neither do I. She's sleeping a lot?"
"Yeah… all morning usually." She wiped at her eyes. "Max… what's going to happen to her?"
"Kathy and I will figure something out. Probably more drugs. It's just… like her brain has been dozing all this time and now she's… waking up."
"Like when… when you and…"
"Kind of."
--
Isabel looked over the suits her daughters had chosen. "These are darling."
"Mom… could you…" Berty tugged on the bottom half of the suit. Her hands kept covering her belly button. "I need help fixing it."
"Why?"
"Why? Mom… it's too…" Berty sighed and turned to the mirror. "Both of us nearly had heart attacks but we didn't have much choice, even with the mix and match half of the store."
"Daddy kept covering his eyes and yelling at the ladies in the stores." Gina bounced on the bed.
"Hey Isabel?" Sebastien called into the back of the house.
"I'm in Berty's room." Isabel called back and reached forward to readjust the lines of the suit. "I think it looks fine, sweetie. You look pretty."
"I look naked."
Sebastien and Kyle poked their heads into the room. "Mind if I take Kyle with me to shoot hoops? We'll only go for a couple of hours."
"If I smell any smoke or alcohol on either of you…" Isabel warned them and paused at the expressions on their faces. "What?"
"She can't wear that." Sebastien shook his head at Berty's suit. "No way."
"Uh-uh." Kyle Jr. joined in.
"Why not?" Isabel wanted to know the reason why everyone hated the suit but her.
"Are you kidding? In town, I can maybe keep my friends away from her. Maybe." Sebastien pushed the door open. "In Florida? Alex is not going to have a chance in hell of keeping the guys off her."
"It's bad enough my friends want to hang out here to check her out. If she wears that, I'll never be able to get them out." Jr. shook his head.
"See." Berty tugged on the top. "I need help to fix it."
"Dear God. Stop. Don't touch anything." Sebastien covered his eyes. "Fix the suit, Isabel… for everyone's sakes."
--
“You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack if you keep eating here.” Lynette warned Alex as she set down a plate of hot wings in front of him.
“I come for the atmosphere and the company.” He bantered with her. “There’s this really hot waitress who works here. She usually gets off about now.”
“You…” She sighed. “Alex…”
The game was getting old for both of them. “If you can honestly tell me that you feel nothing, I’ll go back and I won’t bother you again.”
“I have to count out. We need to go somewhere and talk.”
--
Gabriel slid his hand up her skirt and pulled off the nets. As he was running his hand back up her leg, his fingers hit an uneven patch. His fingers traced around it. They stopped kissing. "What's this?"
She pulled his hand out from under her skirt. "Nothing."
"Let me see." He reached for the edge of her skirt.
"No."
"Beth… what's wrong?"
"It's just…" She hesitated. "When I was 13, I had that fit and part of it was this." She pulled up the skirt to reveal the scar she still bore, that she usually took such great care to hide. "I uh… heard voices in my head. All I could do was pretend them away, which more often than not made my head hurt. I… should have said something to someone but I thought I could handle it. One day, it was too much. I was trying to block it out. Meditate. I don't recall consciously scratching myself but I was pretty far in and I didn't feel it. I scratched all the way through the skin and partway into the next layer of tissue before my brother found me."
Gabriel held up his right hand and wiggled his fingers. That's when she noticed that his thumb and index finger moved strangely. "I used to get headaches. No voices but pretty bad. Light bothered me but I didn't want to bother anyone about it. It was in the middle of my parents' divorce. One day it got so bad. The kids were playing with the neighbor and I was downing aspirin like crazy. I'd heard that if you got a pain somewhere else that it would take your mind off the first pain. I tried scratching, pinching, handmade tattoos. That day… it was just so bad. I couldn't feel my right hand and I panicked. I picked up a hammer and I went at it, trying to feel something in my hand. I passed out because even though I couldn't register it… my body did. Shock, they said.
"When I came to, they were examining me in the ER. I had broken all the bones in my thumb and shattered the topmost one. My index finger was in similar shape. These ones were all broken." He showed her his hand, pointed to the long bones in the back of his hand. "They had to operate to realign everything. I'm surprised I didn't remember sooner but it was actually your dad who did it… and he diagnosed the shadow they found in my brain."
"My dad?" Beth looked at him. "My dad."
"I really didn't remember because of all the drugs I was on for the pain but Eva remembered when I was telling her about dinner that night. She had a crush on him. All I really remember is that the shadow looked bigger in the first x-ray than in the one they did in Santa Fe the following week."
Beth ran her fingers over his index finger and thumb. "Didn't he fix it?"
"Yeah but there was nerve damage and the breaks took forever to heal. The first two bones are fused at the joint. So, I'm a lefty now. It's why I write my a's the way I do. It's easier. I can still push the clicker on my cameras so I'm happy with it."
"And your brain. You said your shadow shrank."
"Yeah, I could swear but the doc thought I was mistaken."
"My dad diagnosed it?" Beth took a deep breath. "Now I'm going to have to be nice to him."
"What about you? Your voices just vanished?"
"Something like that." She lied. She tried to read him but she couldn't latch on. "I spent a summer at a camp. Therapy, in a way."
"You ever find out what caused it… the fit?"
"We kind of always knew what it was… I just… needed to adjust. Once I stopped caving to pressure to be ok, it was easier to be ok." She moved closer to him once more. His fingers caressed the skin around her scar. Her dad had offered to heal it but she needed the reminder that however stressful being a reader was, it could always be worse.
--
Alex listened intently to every word off of her lips. The park was quiet around them. This was the most civil a direct conversation they had had since he'd been back. "When you called me, my friends were over and one of them told someone who told one of your exes and before I knew it, everyone knew. That bitch came to lord over me that it was what you did. You got what you wanted and then you dumped me. I just… I believed her because I was heartbroken and I just couldn't understand."
"Lynette, huh." Alex wrapped an arm around her. "She… I'm sorry she did that to you but it wasn't true. She likes to pick and choose what she wants to remember of our relationship and since I broke up with her, I'm the bad guy even though everyone knows she was sleeping with Sam Rivas before we broke up. She's bitter and jealous."
"She just… she's always around to lord it over me that she had you first."
"You had me longest. You made me happy. I want you. Not her. I'm… way over her."
"Oh yeah? When did that happen?"
"When?
"Yeah, when I got over Danny Espinoza, I was sitting at the Crashdown, eating a salad and I realized that I didn't care that he never called me back." She let her hand rest on his knee.
"I was sitting in Jesse's car and I saw you instead of her. I realized how much I was hoping that it was NOT her." Alex cupped her face. "The first time I saw you smile, I started falling… and I… can't tell you how much I regret breaking up with you. I don't care about anyone else you've been with. I don't care how you think I should feel about you. I only know how I feel." He pressed his lips softly against hers, relieved when her hand slid up to his thigh. "I'll wait. However long you want me to. However long you need."
"It's not fair. You're going back and you go to all those parties and you meet famous people. What if you decide you want a pop star or a model?"
"First off. I don't work with pop stars. We're more an alternative to that. Or try to be. I'm talking to the guys about being a little more selective with the label. Models… not for me."
"Turned you down?" She teased.
"Beside the point. Even if they were all throwing themselves at me… I wouldn't do it. Any girl I dated just reminded me they weren't you. I'm just so sorry it took me so long to realize that I couldn't love anyone else." He ached inside. "I love you, so much… but I'm going home this weekend. I know that you can't go with me now… but soon?" He covered her hand with his. "After you graduate?" When she didn't answer, he leaned his head on hers. "When you're ready… promise me, you'll call me."
"I'm not going to hold you back. I don't own you and I won't keep you from being happy because I'm not happy with myself."
"Do you love me?"
"Yes." She sniffed loudly and curled into him.
"That's all I need." His throat threatened to close up. "I'm coming back to drop off the kiddies at the end of the summer. I'm not saying I want an answer by then… I'm just saying, I'll be back."
--
Michael stared at his boys sleeping in their beds. Tonight they were already asleep when he got home. His wife kissed his shoulder in passing to the bedroom. "Come to bed, it's getting late."
"Maybe I should try to get my job back at the hospital." He whispered before turning to follow her. "Did Em call?"
"No." Oriel smiled to herself. "I imagine she's busy." She pushed him onto the bed and straddled his lap. "You said yourself, in six months you'll be back in town."
"I just… miss them." He sighed and cupped her bottom against his body. He let her worried blue eyes study him. He was just tired. Tired of commuting, tired of missing his boys' lives when he used to eat lunch with them everyday at the hospital.
"Something came for you today." She reached over him to the large envelope that she'd almost forgotten about. "I think it's from Laurie."
Michael took the envelope and pulled out the contents. Reading the letter first, it was mostly just a 'how are you doing, there are pictures of the kids enclosed' type of letter and then it got to the meat of the matter. "She wants an official DNA test to prove I'm family."
"Why?" Those blue eyes narrowed as she examined the letter for herself.
"So she can put me in her will. So that… we can take her kids if something happens to her." Michael didn't like wills. They were a jinx on the whole long, healthy, life thing. "She doesn't want her husband's family to contest… so she wants the DNA test."
"But Michael…"
"She knows Kathy is in the blood business. If anyone looks, she's just a scientist who does this sort of thing." His eyes ran over the documents. His to sign and send back once he agreed. “Nothing’s going to happen to her but I won’t let them go to someone else. I know what it’s like to not have anyone.”
--
Beth watched her father work on his alien anatomy book. He turned and looked relieved when he saw her but he wasn't in the mood to yell at her. He did need to say something. "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you. Calling around, checking out ditches…"
"In the cemetery." She lied, shrugged and sat next to him to read the screen. He was working on genetic consistencies. "Dad… five years ago… did you have a kid come into the ER with a bunch of broken bones?"
Max sat back and reached over to place his hand on her back, relieved when she let him do it. She had shrugged him off so much in the past but it didn't stop him from trying. He thought about her question. He had learned not to ask where these questions came from with his kids. Most times they didn't know themselves. The retro-cog was one ability he was never sure of. "Six years ago. It was a boy… 12 years old. He had taken a hammer to his writing hand. Said it started with a headache. He had overdosed on aspirin and tequila. He lost the feeling in his right hand, I think it was. It turned out that he had a tumor that was growing pretty rapidly. I had to go in and reset the bones in his hands, had to pin the joints. It took hours… While I was in there… I stopped the tumor from growing… maybe shrank it down a bit…"
Beth leaned her head on the desk, eyes closed. When he peered closer, there were tears beneath the lids. He pretended he didn't see anything. "Do you remember his name?"
He took a deep breath. "No… they flew him out to Santa Fe to have the tumor removed, he never came back to me. He must have worn those casts for months though. Even after the pins came out."
"Thank you, Daddy." She sat up and kissed his cheek. A tear smearing against his ear. "He really appreciates it. I… appreciate what you did."
Max's breath caught when she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "Your boyfriend?"
"I love you, Daddy." Embarrassed, she ducked her head and pulled away. "Night, Daddy."
"Love you, too." He called after her. He was still sitting there when Liz got up to check on the kids. She stopped and stared at him. He cleared his throat. "You'd forgive me if it was my fault that Gabriel is dating our daughter, right?"
"Max?" She watched him wipe his face. "What's wrong?"
"I healed a kid once. Just enough so he'd make it to the surgeons who could fix him. It wasn't a big deal. He reminded me of Danny so I figured, it couldn't hurt to…" Max sniffed loudly. "Sometimes I wonder how the kids turn out that I don’t see the case through… this one grew up and got better and stronger and is dating our little girl."
tbc
110/114... catching up fast.
"She went for another walk this morning." Liz told Max when he walked in after a surgery. "Early again."
"How early?"
"I heard her come back just after sunrise."
"You think she's hanging out in the cemetery again?"
"Where else?"
"She does have a point. We should be more careful." He poured himself a cup of coffee. She shot him a look, of which he missed her point. "Think about it. What if I had been at your house? We're just talking. I get thirsty, you tell me to go ahead and grab something from the kitchen… I come back with a story. Hey your parents are screwing on the kitchen counter. I saw… their parts…"
"Maybe but that doesn't excuse the fact that she had a boy in her room, on her bed. I know that she's got some problems, Max. I know that it's difficult for her but… cutting her slack is one thing and letting her get away with murder is another. Kathy was afraid to mindwarp. We didn't have to worry about it. Beth uses her powers… all the time… and maybe… maybe when the drugs wear off she can't control it but we can't treat her different because she…" Liz trailed off. "She scares me. She's so powerful and that's when she's on the drugs. The control she has when she's on that stuff… is astounding. When you were her age, you couldn't do that. It took Michael years to get that kind of accuracy."
"I know… but just because she's got that control… doesn't mean she can handle it. When she comes down, she sees everything, Liz. When she… after the wedding… I know that I kept thinking about how you were still in bed… and I had just been talking to Kat and I know we were trying to pretend she didn't see what she saw… When you try not to think about something… you think about it more." Max let out a harsh breath. "I think she's… outgrowing the pills."
"Max… you don't mean…"
"She's kept her promise. She's not reading. She gets headaches more and more often. She's spending way too much time in that graveyard and I think it's because she's not in control of it anymore. The drugs aren't helping enough."
"I don't want her doped up and drooling in a corner somewhere." Liz felt the tears spring to her eyes.
"Neither do I. She's sleeping a lot?"
"Yeah… all morning usually." She wiped at her eyes. "Max… what's going to happen to her?"
"Kathy and I will figure something out. Probably more drugs. It's just… like her brain has been dozing all this time and now she's… waking up."
"Like when… when you and…"
"Kind of."
--
Isabel looked over the suits her daughters had chosen. "These are darling."
"Mom… could you…" Berty tugged on the bottom half of the suit. Her hands kept covering her belly button. "I need help fixing it."
"Why?"
"Why? Mom… it's too…" Berty sighed and turned to the mirror. "Both of us nearly had heart attacks but we didn't have much choice, even with the mix and match half of the store."
"Daddy kept covering his eyes and yelling at the ladies in the stores." Gina bounced on the bed.
"Hey Isabel?" Sebastien called into the back of the house.
"I'm in Berty's room." Isabel called back and reached forward to readjust the lines of the suit. "I think it looks fine, sweetie. You look pretty."
"I look naked."
Sebastien and Kyle poked their heads into the room. "Mind if I take Kyle with me to shoot hoops? We'll only go for a couple of hours."
"If I smell any smoke or alcohol on either of you…" Isabel warned them and paused at the expressions on their faces. "What?"
"She can't wear that." Sebastien shook his head at Berty's suit. "No way."
"Uh-uh." Kyle Jr. joined in.
"Why not?" Isabel wanted to know the reason why everyone hated the suit but her.
"Are you kidding? In town, I can maybe keep my friends away from her. Maybe." Sebastien pushed the door open. "In Florida? Alex is not going to have a chance in hell of keeping the guys off her."
"It's bad enough my friends want to hang out here to check her out. If she wears that, I'll never be able to get them out." Jr. shook his head.
"See." Berty tugged on the top. "I need help to fix it."
"Dear God. Stop. Don't touch anything." Sebastien covered his eyes. "Fix the suit, Isabel… for everyone's sakes."
--
“You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack if you keep eating here.” Lynette warned Alex as she set down a plate of hot wings in front of him.
“I come for the atmosphere and the company.” He bantered with her. “There’s this really hot waitress who works here. She usually gets off about now.”
“You…” She sighed. “Alex…”
The game was getting old for both of them. “If you can honestly tell me that you feel nothing, I’ll go back and I won’t bother you again.”
“I have to count out. We need to go somewhere and talk.”
--
Gabriel slid his hand up her skirt and pulled off the nets. As he was running his hand back up her leg, his fingers hit an uneven patch. His fingers traced around it. They stopped kissing. "What's this?"
She pulled his hand out from under her skirt. "Nothing."
"Let me see." He reached for the edge of her skirt.
"No."
"Beth… what's wrong?"
"It's just…" She hesitated. "When I was 13, I had that fit and part of it was this." She pulled up the skirt to reveal the scar she still bore, that she usually took such great care to hide. "I uh… heard voices in my head. All I could do was pretend them away, which more often than not made my head hurt. I… should have said something to someone but I thought I could handle it. One day, it was too much. I was trying to block it out. Meditate. I don't recall consciously scratching myself but I was pretty far in and I didn't feel it. I scratched all the way through the skin and partway into the next layer of tissue before my brother found me."
Gabriel held up his right hand and wiggled his fingers. That's when she noticed that his thumb and index finger moved strangely. "I used to get headaches. No voices but pretty bad. Light bothered me but I didn't want to bother anyone about it. It was in the middle of my parents' divorce. One day it got so bad. The kids were playing with the neighbor and I was downing aspirin like crazy. I'd heard that if you got a pain somewhere else that it would take your mind off the first pain. I tried scratching, pinching, handmade tattoos. That day… it was just so bad. I couldn't feel my right hand and I panicked. I picked up a hammer and I went at it, trying to feel something in my hand. I passed out because even though I couldn't register it… my body did. Shock, they said.
"When I came to, they were examining me in the ER. I had broken all the bones in my thumb and shattered the topmost one. My index finger was in similar shape. These ones were all broken." He showed her his hand, pointed to the long bones in the back of his hand. "They had to operate to realign everything. I'm surprised I didn't remember sooner but it was actually your dad who did it… and he diagnosed the shadow they found in my brain."
"My dad?" Beth looked at him. "My dad."
"I really didn't remember because of all the drugs I was on for the pain but Eva remembered when I was telling her about dinner that night. She had a crush on him. All I really remember is that the shadow looked bigger in the first x-ray than in the one they did in Santa Fe the following week."
Beth ran her fingers over his index finger and thumb. "Didn't he fix it?"
"Yeah but there was nerve damage and the breaks took forever to heal. The first two bones are fused at the joint. So, I'm a lefty now. It's why I write my a's the way I do. It's easier. I can still push the clicker on my cameras so I'm happy with it."
"And your brain. You said your shadow shrank."
"Yeah, I could swear but the doc thought I was mistaken."
"My dad diagnosed it?" Beth took a deep breath. "Now I'm going to have to be nice to him."
"What about you? Your voices just vanished?"
"Something like that." She lied. She tried to read him but she couldn't latch on. "I spent a summer at a camp. Therapy, in a way."
"You ever find out what caused it… the fit?"
"We kind of always knew what it was… I just… needed to adjust. Once I stopped caving to pressure to be ok, it was easier to be ok." She moved closer to him once more. His fingers caressed the skin around her scar. Her dad had offered to heal it but she needed the reminder that however stressful being a reader was, it could always be worse.
--
Alex listened intently to every word off of her lips. The park was quiet around them. This was the most civil a direct conversation they had had since he'd been back. "When you called me, my friends were over and one of them told someone who told one of your exes and before I knew it, everyone knew. That bitch came to lord over me that it was what you did. You got what you wanted and then you dumped me. I just… I believed her because I was heartbroken and I just couldn't understand."
"Lynette, huh." Alex wrapped an arm around her. "She… I'm sorry she did that to you but it wasn't true. She likes to pick and choose what she wants to remember of our relationship and since I broke up with her, I'm the bad guy even though everyone knows she was sleeping with Sam Rivas before we broke up. She's bitter and jealous."
"She just… she's always around to lord it over me that she had you first."
"You had me longest. You made me happy. I want you. Not her. I'm… way over her."
"Oh yeah? When did that happen?"
"When?
"Yeah, when I got over Danny Espinoza, I was sitting at the Crashdown, eating a salad and I realized that I didn't care that he never called me back." She let her hand rest on his knee.
"I was sitting in Jesse's car and I saw you instead of her. I realized how much I was hoping that it was NOT her." Alex cupped her face. "The first time I saw you smile, I started falling… and I… can't tell you how much I regret breaking up with you. I don't care about anyone else you've been with. I don't care how you think I should feel about you. I only know how I feel." He pressed his lips softly against hers, relieved when her hand slid up to his thigh. "I'll wait. However long you want me to. However long you need."
"It's not fair. You're going back and you go to all those parties and you meet famous people. What if you decide you want a pop star or a model?"
"First off. I don't work with pop stars. We're more an alternative to that. Or try to be. I'm talking to the guys about being a little more selective with the label. Models… not for me."
"Turned you down?" She teased.
"Beside the point. Even if they were all throwing themselves at me… I wouldn't do it. Any girl I dated just reminded me they weren't you. I'm just so sorry it took me so long to realize that I couldn't love anyone else." He ached inside. "I love you, so much… but I'm going home this weekend. I know that you can't go with me now… but soon?" He covered her hand with his. "After you graduate?" When she didn't answer, he leaned his head on hers. "When you're ready… promise me, you'll call me."
"I'm not going to hold you back. I don't own you and I won't keep you from being happy because I'm not happy with myself."
"Do you love me?"
"Yes." She sniffed loudly and curled into him.
"That's all I need." His throat threatened to close up. "I'm coming back to drop off the kiddies at the end of the summer. I'm not saying I want an answer by then… I'm just saying, I'll be back."
--
Michael stared at his boys sleeping in their beds. Tonight they were already asleep when he got home. His wife kissed his shoulder in passing to the bedroom. "Come to bed, it's getting late."
"Maybe I should try to get my job back at the hospital." He whispered before turning to follow her. "Did Em call?"
"No." Oriel smiled to herself. "I imagine she's busy." She pushed him onto the bed and straddled his lap. "You said yourself, in six months you'll be back in town."
"I just… miss them." He sighed and cupped her bottom against his body. He let her worried blue eyes study him. He was just tired. Tired of commuting, tired of missing his boys' lives when he used to eat lunch with them everyday at the hospital.
"Something came for you today." She reached over him to the large envelope that she'd almost forgotten about. "I think it's from Laurie."
Michael took the envelope and pulled out the contents. Reading the letter first, it was mostly just a 'how are you doing, there are pictures of the kids enclosed' type of letter and then it got to the meat of the matter. "She wants an official DNA test to prove I'm family."
"Why?" Those blue eyes narrowed as she examined the letter for herself.
"So she can put me in her will. So that… we can take her kids if something happens to her." Michael didn't like wills. They were a jinx on the whole long, healthy, life thing. "She doesn't want her husband's family to contest… so she wants the DNA test."
"But Michael…"
"She knows Kathy is in the blood business. If anyone looks, she's just a scientist who does this sort of thing." His eyes ran over the documents. His to sign and send back once he agreed. “Nothing’s going to happen to her but I won’t let them go to someone else. I know what it’s like to not have anyone.”
--
Beth watched her father work on his alien anatomy book. He turned and looked relieved when he saw her but he wasn't in the mood to yell at her. He did need to say something. "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you. Calling around, checking out ditches…"
"In the cemetery." She lied, shrugged and sat next to him to read the screen. He was working on genetic consistencies. "Dad… five years ago… did you have a kid come into the ER with a bunch of broken bones?"
Max sat back and reached over to place his hand on her back, relieved when she let him do it. She had shrugged him off so much in the past but it didn't stop him from trying. He thought about her question. He had learned not to ask where these questions came from with his kids. Most times they didn't know themselves. The retro-cog was one ability he was never sure of. "Six years ago. It was a boy… 12 years old. He had taken a hammer to his writing hand. Said it started with a headache. He had overdosed on aspirin and tequila. He lost the feeling in his right hand, I think it was. It turned out that he had a tumor that was growing pretty rapidly. I had to go in and reset the bones in his hands, had to pin the joints. It took hours… While I was in there… I stopped the tumor from growing… maybe shrank it down a bit…"
Beth leaned her head on the desk, eyes closed. When he peered closer, there were tears beneath the lids. He pretended he didn't see anything. "Do you remember his name?"
He took a deep breath. "No… they flew him out to Santa Fe to have the tumor removed, he never came back to me. He must have worn those casts for months though. Even after the pins came out."
"Thank you, Daddy." She sat up and kissed his cheek. A tear smearing against his ear. "He really appreciates it. I… appreciate what you did."
Max's breath caught when she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "Your boyfriend?"
"I love you, Daddy." Embarrassed, she ducked her head and pulled away. "Night, Daddy."
"Love you, too." He called after her. He was still sitting there when Liz got up to check on the kids. She stopped and stared at him. He cleared his throat. "You'd forgive me if it was my fault that Gabriel is dating our daughter, right?"
"Max?" She watched him wipe his face. "What's wrong?"
"I healed a kid once. Just enough so he'd make it to the surgeons who could fix him. It wasn't a big deal. He reminded me of Danny so I figured, it couldn't hurt to…" Max sniffed loudly. "Sometimes I wonder how the kids turn out that I don’t see the case through… this one grew up and got better and stronger and is dating our little girl."
tbc
110/114... catching up fast.
Part 111
AN: We may be caught up by the end of this week, beginning of next week at the latest. Even if I don't have the time to sit down and write for the next couple of weeks, there will be new parts for a few weeks in a row. Monday will be my regular posting day for new parts.
Also wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who's reading and enjoying. Thanks to those to take a moment to say kind words and it could just be the feminine hormones talking but I get a little teary-eyed when you gush so. (It also serves to inflate my huge ego.) I don't know when the story is going to be over and I hope you can forgive me for this week's rollercoaster. '-) Happy Reading.
The Fate of Destiny Part 111
Kathy let herself into Will's room and slid into bed with him. He rolled over and eyed her both wearily and warily. "It's early."
"I know." She studied his sleepy face. "Can I tell you something?"
"Sure."
"Now… when I look at you or think about you, my heart speeds up and sometimes I think I can't breathe." She leaned back into the pillows and cupped his face. "I've never felt like that before. Like it is a dire need to be in a position to make you smile."
"You feel a dire need to make me smile?"
"Yes and I meant what I was saying the other day. We… didn't start this right and I don't think we can follow the protocol in this particular instance."
"No?"
"No. Maybe you're right about the sleeping together thing but I can't see you and know that you might feel the same way I do and not do this." She pulled him down and lightly kissed his lips. "If I can't do this… then it doesn't feel real and you're still my bodyguard… and we can't do this."
Will stared down at her with those pale blue eyes peeking out from under those dark lashes. He loved the way that looked. Most people thought she looked unnatural but those eyes pulled at him somewhere deep inside. "You're right."
Their lips met and melded. Mouthed opened and tasted. It was gentle but demanding and growing hotter by the second. Kathy broke for air but laced her fingers through his hair, guiding his mouth down her throat. Her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. That's exactly where his mouth headed, down into the folds of her blouse and laved her heart with his tongue. One hand slid up her blouse to caress her soft skin and then detoured down into her pants.
"Oh… I thought that was off limits." She panted as his fingers slid down and into her coarse curls. His only response was to nudge his way to a hardening nipple and tease it relentlessly. Kathy tore at his shirt to get her hands inside and against his skin.
"I said, we shouldn't sleep together but I think I need to make my intentions clear." Will panted against her damp flesh, his fingers teasing those hot folds until she was slick and ready for him to pump one finger slowly in and out of her tight opening. Her body arced under his, that breast he'd freed thrusting into the air. The light gasps and grunts that passed over her lips had him mesmerized.
"Will… Can I do this to you?" She bit her lip and her eyes fluttered closed.
"Well, I'm not done yet but you can have your turn. I may insist on it."
Her hips rode his hand fiercely. Kathy gripped his shoulders and opened her eyes to look into his. "Make me yours, Will."
He slid another finger into her body and recaptured the hard nipple in his mouth. His thumb traced over the top of her sex then ran up the length of her nub and back down then back up and over and then down again. Her hands kept moving, touching his shoulders, tangling in his hair, caressing his cheek. Then she was just holding on as he worked faster to make her body feel everything he wanted it to feel, everything he wanted to give her. Kathy shut her eyes as it came upon her, shattering her earth and taking away her body. When she came down, his face rested on her chest. "How was that?"
"I think you should reassign yourself. You're too good to act so stiff all day." Kathy licked at his lips. "Your turn."
"Hate to break it to you but… well, it hasn't happened in twenty years but my body took care of itself." He brushed her hair out of her face. "But don't worry, it was good for me too." They kissed softly for a moment, his hand pulling out of her pants to rest on her stomach. "So you needed a declaration of intention?"
"Yeah, I think I did."
"I'm an old guy, Kat. I move a little slower than what you're used to."
"Because you're careful but you don't need to be careful with me."
"Yes, I do."
"We'll hold off on sex until you're ready but know that I need to be touched. Always have. I can't just… have coffee with you for a month. I need some of this other stuff too."
"Okay. Maybe but sometimes, I want to touch you and it not lead to this. Touch is about intimacy but intimacy is not always about touch."
"Okay. Teach me… because I don't know if you noticed but my examples… have always been handsy with each other. Touching always meaning more." Kathy let her hand skim down his body.
"I'll have you know that other people's parents aren't quite so horny all the time. My examples… didn't touch hardly at all in public. It may take us awhile to reach an acceptable middle ground."
"I hope it takes forever. I never want to lose the feelings you give me." Then she wrinkled her nose and shifted her legs. "Except for this one… um… you really did just lose it, didn't you."
"Don't make fun… some of us haven't gotten any in a long time." Then his pupils dilated when she picked up his hand and sucked a finger into her mouth, sucking her juices off and reawakening his impatient flesh. "Mmm. Kat… don't tease."
"I never tease."
--
Beth eyed the catalog and knew what her mother would say. Liz raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything when Beth placed it on the table. She'd just say she wouldn't pay for that crap and Beth would have to earn the money for it herself. "I'm feeling better. I can go back to work. I'll go tonight… I already told Grampa."
"If you're sure." Liz conceded. It bothered her that Beth spent so much time in her room alone. "We do need to have a talk. About the house rules."
"Mom… can we not go there?" Beth glared at her.
"I won't have you disrespecting me or the rules of this house. Gabriel can come over if your father or myself is here. He is under no circumstances allowed in your room and most certainly not allowed on your bed with you. If you can't do it… can't hang out in the living room where I can see you, you don't need to hang out at all."
"This is what you call staying out of it?"
"I never said I would stay out of it. I said I wouldn't say a word against him, no matter how I felt."
"Tell me. How do you feel? Come on. Just say it."
Liz nodded and leaned forward. "I feel that he's the wrong boy for you. He's a bad influence. I feel he'll pressure you into a relationship that you're not ready for. If you don't break up with him and stay away from that type of boy, you'll end up hating yourself for letting it happen."
"You've managed to take something almost completely innocent and turn it into something dirty. I am not you. I'm not going to fuck up my life the way you did yours." Beth growled and stormed from the room.
--
Alex watched the kids from the safety of his umbrella shaded seat. His brother and sisters and Sebastien all splashed in the pool with the rest of Roswell trying to beat the heat. Jules and Lynette had tried to get him to their side of the pool all day but he was content where he was, visions of love competing with the glare of the sun off the water. Reaching for his bag, he pulled out his notebook and began composing. He was doing well until he looked up and saw the guys approaching his little sister. He couldn't concentrate after that. She smiled and shied away but the guys were persistent. Her friends tried to help but even given their strong physical statures, the guys still towered over them.
"Hey! You might want to cut it out." He called over. The guys turned, glanced him over and snorted, turning back to their quarry. "I said, cut it out."
"What are you going to do?"
"Well, a few things occurred to me. I could walk over and punch your lights out but that's not civilized. I could ask politely but you're not quite civilized enough for that approach. I could, however, appeal to your feeble-minded sensibilities… I don't know if you're smart enough for that but um… I'll give it a shot." He rose from his chair and crossed to the young men. They were out of high school but not long. "If you persist in your endeavor you'll find yourself with two options, leaving her alone as she wants or forcing her into something she doesn't want."
"How do you know what she wants?"
"I'm her brother but that's beside the point. The first option makes us all happy. The second option is scarring for my little sister, it'll make me angry and you'll find yourselves in county lock up."
"How do you figure?"
"Well, I'm a pretty good guesser and I think you're over 18."
"So."
"She's really not and forcing yourself on her will put you in the immediate vicinity of a statutory rape case. In this county, you will be convicted."
"What?"
"I apologize, I'm moving too fast for you. You're probably not from around here or you would know who she is and know that she's 16 and she's the former Sheriff's beloved only daughter. He may not be around but everyone in Roswell loved him dearly and would ruthlessly prosecute anyone to cause her harm. Then you factor in that her mother is the city's most successful lawyer and I don't see you getting away with minimum sentencing. I realize that this is all a bit much for your tiny brain, which by the way says a lot about your tiny… anyway. Point is this: it is in your best interest to leave the girls alone, especially that one."
"What are you going to do if I punch your lights out where you stand?"
Alex pretended to think it over. "Well, that is a problem but seeing as I've been talking to you rationally for five minutes in front of witnesses and have done nothing to provoke such an attack, I'd have to press assault charges and have your ass thrown in jail. When I give my statement I will include the following. 'My attacker was hitting on underage girls and when I asked him nicely to leave the girls be, he attacked me.' As I said, this town is rigged to defend this girl and you would find yourself in the hands of a police force who might take out on your person, their anger for attempting to molest this girl."
"Is there a problem?" Sheriff Soltero appeared with Sebastien right behind him. So that's where Seb had disappeared to.
"Just a confused couple of boys." Alex told him. "I tried to explain the rules and they don't seem to be absorbing them so well. Statutory laws and harassment, not to mention penalties for assault. I keep telling them that these girls are too young for them."
"And they are." Soltero motioned for the young men to follow him. "You're tourists. I can tell… I've got a speech that you need to hear."
"But we didn't do anything."
"I'm gonna give it anyway."
Alex felt a little relieved when they were finally escorted out of the pool by Sheriff Soltero. Sebastien looked relieved too, his arm draped over Berty's shoulder. Berty looked guilty. "What's wrong?"
"I didn't want them hanging around."
"I know."
"It just…" She trailed off.
"It happens a lot more than we like." Sebastien finished for her.
"You need charm school, kiddo." Alex motioned her over to sit with him, allowing Seb to rejoin his friends. He clasped his hands between his knees. "Mom is a good teacher if you let her. Dealing with everyone out there takes a certain finesse. Dad had it too."
"I don't. I always send the wrong signals and Sebastien always has to save me." Berty complained.
"You didn't need it before but you do now. You put out this… vulnerable vibe and guys will take advantage of it because they know you think you can't help yourself but you can. You know you can even if you think you can't." He gave her a meaningful look and twitched his fingers a little.
"How did you learn?"
"Well, unlike you, I only had one parent for the first seven years of my life. Mom was my only role model. Look at me. I'm kind of a dork but… my phone was always ringing and I could have a date any time I wanted. We have charisma. We do. It's inside us. That thing that makes people look at Mom, we have it to. Obviously you have it, no doubt about it. You need to learn how to control it. To use it."
"Like how Mom can smile real pretty and say something really mean?"
"Exactly and you're smart too. Think… the redhead in grandpa's movies. She was always poised and cool and collected and she always cut the Duke down. Always." Alex grasped her hands. "And you know what? We'll have the whole summer to get you trained on the worst assholes on the planet… music industry slime will crawl at your feet by the time I'm done with you. These Roswell jerks… you'll flick them off your hand like they were dust."
"Promise?"
"Absolutely. You can't hide but you can make people do what you want. Always… We're Isabel Evans-Valenti's children… we were born to make people bow at our feet." He winked at her. "Sometimes acting like the royalty you really are is the only way to be left alone like one of the normal people."
--
Will sought out the brunette as he entered the Crashdown. Kathy was in the back with her grandparents. When she spotted him, she blushed a little and he could feel the heat rising in his own face. There wasn't a moment that had passed in the day that he hadn't thought of that morning in his hotel room. When he blinked he saw her. The way her head tilted back when she moaned. The shape of her mouth as she gasped, how her body seemed made to wrap around his. How she cried out when she came. How she arched beneath him when he was deep inside her. Only he hadn't been, not yet, at least not the way that he could be and for the first time really thought he could be.
Sex had never been that good, not even with his ex-wife. He still felt a little dirty about it. Especially after transferring Dustin for doing the same thing. He had yelled at the Agent for two hours about this very thing. He sat at the counter and took the cup of coffee when she offered it. Bethany took her break next to him. "How's anarchy working for you?"
"Quite well. How's the man these days?"
"Quite well." He looked her over. "You can go ahead and read me. I've got an old pop song stuck in my head."
"It's not pop… It's hybrid-rock that happened to be popular when you were 11 years old." She wrinkled her nose at him. "I didn't even have to read you. It really is stuck, isn't it."
"For two days now. I thought you were getting good at blocking."
"I'm not trying today. Anyway, you're projecting."
"Projecting?"
"Yeah… it's just… all out there. Like… you're in love or something." She shrugged. "You've got the lyrics all messed up."
"Do I?
"You've got the second verse and the second line of the first verse there."
"Are you sure you're good at that reading thing? Do you even know what you're talking about?" He narrowed his eyes at her.
"You're hiding something." Beth turned to him, cross swinging around her neck. She stared at him, smile growing on her face. She slapped a hand over her mouth and turned to her sister. "You dirty girl."
"What?" Kathy hadn't been paying attention to them.
"Nothing." Beth had to hold in the laugh. "We were talking about this song he's got stuck in his head. I think maybe I've heard it before. Maybe Gabriel's got it at his house. I'll find the right lyrics for you, Will."
"You're weird." He frowned at her, confused by her rapid speech and the evil glint in her eyes.
"I know." She kissed his cheek and hopped off the stool. "I've got tables to weird out."
--
Jim sat in his recliner but didn't watch the movie that played on the screen. His daughter-in-law sat reviewing a case file on the couch next to him. "You don't have to sit with me. You could be out with Jesse."
"Jesse's spending the night with his mom. Lynnette needed a night off." She smiled when she glanced up at him.
"You don't have to sit with me." He repeated.
"Are you saying you want me to leave you alone?" She lifted her brown eyes completely from her work.
"Just that you don't have to sit with me."
"Dad? Did I do something wrong?" She set her books on the coffee table and turned to face him fully. He fiddled with the remote for a very long two minutes. "Dad?"
"Put me in a home, Isabel."
"I will not." She set her jaw, refusing look away.
"I don't need to be a burden on you."
"You aren't."
"An inconvenience while you move on."
"You're not."
"Dammit, Isabel!" He slapped the remote down on the arm of his chair, sending it clattering to the floor.
"Dammit, Jim!"
"I'm not a child." He bit out.
"Then stop acting like one." She bit right back. "When Kyle and I invited you to live here… it was because we love you and we wanted you here and out of that house all by yourself. It wasn't conditional on anything. Kyle made me swear we would never put you in a home. I won't do it. I wouldn't do it to my mother or my father, God rest his soul. I won't do it to you." Tears filled her eyes but she wouldn't let them drop. "It tore Kyle apart, the way your dad got, left to himself in that place and… I can't do it." She hated when he talked about this stuff. Wills and homes and burdens. "You are not here because I feel obligated to take care of you. You're here because I am devoted to a wonderful man whose strength I've admired through all that knowing me has put him through. Don't bring this up again… You're not helpless, you're not a burden. You are loved by me, by your grandchildren and even Jesse. Please… don't."
"Okay." Jim sat back to watch his movie, tears shining in his eyes.
After a few moments to compose herself, Isabel got up to get a glass of water to cool down. When she returned, refreshed, she picked up the remote and set it on his chair, then picked up her books again to work on her case. "Max got kind of mad when you were dancing with my mom at the wedding, huh." All she got was a shrug of his shoulders. "You should have seen him when he met Mr. Turnbow. He was a nice enough man but Max hardly paid him any attention." She made notes and tuned pages. "I hear Mrs. Avery has put herself on the market. She's a pretty lady."
"You don't think she's a little young?"
"She's 58, I think. It's only seven years."
"Avery, her husband was a councilman, wasn't he?"
"He was."
"She's too refined for me. Find me someone who doesn't mind sitting on the porch with a beer. I don't think Mrs. Avery was a fan of Hank Williams, Jr."
"I'll keep my eyes peeled."
They didn't say a word while the Duke socked it to the bad guys in an all out brawl. Jim changed the channel to an explosion of glass and gunfire. "I didn't mean to seem ungrateful."
"I'm sorry I put you in this position…"
"I love that little girl just like everyone else."
"I know you do…"
"I love you like a daughter. I don't want to be the reason that you're not happy."
"Who says I'm not happy." She looked at him with a smile. "I've got everything I need. Jesse's been a patient man and right now… it's not me we're waiting on. I can be patient, too."
"What are you waiting on?"
"Jesse." She smiled broader. "We did it my way for a long time. Jesse's trying to figure out his way. He has ideas of how life should be and it's not going according to his plan. He'll figure something out that you and I have already got down pat."
"Life's too damn short to think there's a plan."
"That's right."
--
Max sank onto the couch and pulled Liz into his arms. "She went to bed?"
"As soon as she got home from work." Liz nodded and lay her head on his chest. "I can't seem to say anything right to her. I promised that I wouldn't say anything against him but she asked. She asked me flat out what I thought of him."
"Liz…" Max groaned but stopped. "I don't like him either. She knows. She just… I want to throttle her sometimes… but she's still in there, that little girl we miss. I see her sometimes, when Will is over here or sometimes when I see her with… that kid. I get glimpses of our daughter. She's guarded around us and it has to do with whatever happened that day."
"I know but I don't know what set her off. I've gone over it and over it and sometimes… right when I think I have it nailed and she'll say something and I'll have to start all over again."
"Like when?" Max stroked her hair and got comfortable.
"Like the whole cheerleading thing. I never factored it in. Crowds and what it must be like when there's two hundred people thinking the same thing at the same time. The power that must be behind a thought like 'catch it.' Or the mass explosion at a touchdown. Even at a junior high game, parents and students get excited. I never once thought it hurt her. She never told me. Never implied it. She was honestly trying then, you know? Giving it a shot and since… she's been seeing him, she's stopped."
"I don't think so. I think she tries just as much but it's getting harder because she's getting stronger."
"It's just… something triggered it. Something happened and it wasn't just she couldn't stop it. Something had to happen. She read someone or…" Liz sighed heavily. "I don't know. I thought she was going retro-cognitive or precognitive but…"
"I don't think she was ever pre-cog, Liz… maybe a little retro-cog there for a while but… not in a long time. Maybe it just faded out."
"Maybe."
--
David eased open the door and slid inside. He made a glow in his hands so he could read the stack of discs for the CD he wanted. He tried to be quiet. If Beth caught him borrowing her CDs she'd kill him. He didn't see the boots lying in his way. They sent him onto the bed… the empty bed. Beth wasn't home. She'd kill him if he ratted her out. So, he took the CD he wanted and went back to his room. He could hear his parents discussing her in the den. They didn't know.
--
Beth slid into the room and slid into bed. Joey rolled over and rubbed his eyes. "Aren't you in the wrong bed?"
"Can't go home tonight and he's got to work tomorrow morning. You mind?"
"Fine." Joey tucked a pillow under his arm. "You better not snore."
"No groping." She shot back.
"It's a risk you run by sleeping here."
"Whatever."
"You could take the floor."
"So could you."
"It's my bed." Joey rolled to look at her. "What's wrong?"
"My mom." Beth shrugged and shut her eyes. "What else would it be?"
"You ask for it, you know." His brown eyes wandered over her form next to him. "You act out. She reacts. It's a dance you do. You ever think of just… asking them?"
"Wouldn't do any good. They'd just lie to me. I just need to sleep."
tbc
Also wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who's reading and enjoying. Thanks to those to take a moment to say kind words and it could just be the feminine hormones talking but I get a little teary-eyed when you gush so. (It also serves to inflate my huge ego.) I don't know when the story is going to be over and I hope you can forgive me for this week's rollercoaster. '-) Happy Reading.
The Fate of Destiny Part 111
Kathy let herself into Will's room and slid into bed with him. He rolled over and eyed her both wearily and warily. "It's early."
"I know." She studied his sleepy face. "Can I tell you something?"
"Sure."
"Now… when I look at you or think about you, my heart speeds up and sometimes I think I can't breathe." She leaned back into the pillows and cupped his face. "I've never felt like that before. Like it is a dire need to be in a position to make you smile."
"You feel a dire need to make me smile?"
"Yes and I meant what I was saying the other day. We… didn't start this right and I don't think we can follow the protocol in this particular instance."
"No?"
"No. Maybe you're right about the sleeping together thing but I can't see you and know that you might feel the same way I do and not do this." She pulled him down and lightly kissed his lips. "If I can't do this… then it doesn't feel real and you're still my bodyguard… and we can't do this."
Will stared down at her with those pale blue eyes peeking out from under those dark lashes. He loved the way that looked. Most people thought she looked unnatural but those eyes pulled at him somewhere deep inside. "You're right."
Their lips met and melded. Mouthed opened and tasted. It was gentle but demanding and growing hotter by the second. Kathy broke for air but laced her fingers through his hair, guiding his mouth down her throat. Her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. That's exactly where his mouth headed, down into the folds of her blouse and laved her heart with his tongue. One hand slid up her blouse to caress her soft skin and then detoured down into her pants.
"Oh… I thought that was off limits." She panted as his fingers slid down and into her coarse curls. His only response was to nudge his way to a hardening nipple and tease it relentlessly. Kathy tore at his shirt to get her hands inside and against his skin.
"I said, we shouldn't sleep together but I think I need to make my intentions clear." Will panted against her damp flesh, his fingers teasing those hot folds until she was slick and ready for him to pump one finger slowly in and out of her tight opening. Her body arced under his, that breast he'd freed thrusting into the air. The light gasps and grunts that passed over her lips had him mesmerized.
"Will… Can I do this to you?" She bit her lip and her eyes fluttered closed.
"Well, I'm not done yet but you can have your turn. I may insist on it."
Her hips rode his hand fiercely. Kathy gripped his shoulders and opened her eyes to look into his. "Make me yours, Will."
He slid another finger into her body and recaptured the hard nipple in his mouth. His thumb traced over the top of her sex then ran up the length of her nub and back down then back up and over and then down again. Her hands kept moving, touching his shoulders, tangling in his hair, caressing his cheek. Then she was just holding on as he worked faster to make her body feel everything he wanted it to feel, everything he wanted to give her. Kathy shut her eyes as it came upon her, shattering her earth and taking away her body. When she came down, his face rested on her chest. "How was that?"
"I think you should reassign yourself. You're too good to act so stiff all day." Kathy licked at his lips. "Your turn."
"Hate to break it to you but… well, it hasn't happened in twenty years but my body took care of itself." He brushed her hair out of her face. "But don't worry, it was good for me too." They kissed softly for a moment, his hand pulling out of her pants to rest on her stomach. "So you needed a declaration of intention?"
"Yeah, I think I did."
"I'm an old guy, Kat. I move a little slower than what you're used to."
"Because you're careful but you don't need to be careful with me."
"Yes, I do."
"We'll hold off on sex until you're ready but know that I need to be touched. Always have. I can't just… have coffee with you for a month. I need some of this other stuff too."
"Okay. Maybe but sometimes, I want to touch you and it not lead to this. Touch is about intimacy but intimacy is not always about touch."
"Okay. Teach me… because I don't know if you noticed but my examples… have always been handsy with each other. Touching always meaning more." Kathy let her hand skim down his body.
"I'll have you know that other people's parents aren't quite so horny all the time. My examples… didn't touch hardly at all in public. It may take us awhile to reach an acceptable middle ground."
"I hope it takes forever. I never want to lose the feelings you give me." Then she wrinkled her nose and shifted her legs. "Except for this one… um… you really did just lose it, didn't you."
"Don't make fun… some of us haven't gotten any in a long time." Then his pupils dilated when she picked up his hand and sucked a finger into her mouth, sucking her juices off and reawakening his impatient flesh. "Mmm. Kat… don't tease."
"I never tease."
--
Beth eyed the catalog and knew what her mother would say. Liz raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything when Beth placed it on the table. She'd just say she wouldn't pay for that crap and Beth would have to earn the money for it herself. "I'm feeling better. I can go back to work. I'll go tonight… I already told Grampa."
"If you're sure." Liz conceded. It bothered her that Beth spent so much time in her room alone. "We do need to have a talk. About the house rules."
"Mom… can we not go there?" Beth glared at her.
"I won't have you disrespecting me or the rules of this house. Gabriel can come over if your father or myself is here. He is under no circumstances allowed in your room and most certainly not allowed on your bed with you. If you can't do it… can't hang out in the living room where I can see you, you don't need to hang out at all."
"This is what you call staying out of it?"
"I never said I would stay out of it. I said I wouldn't say a word against him, no matter how I felt."
"Tell me. How do you feel? Come on. Just say it."
Liz nodded and leaned forward. "I feel that he's the wrong boy for you. He's a bad influence. I feel he'll pressure you into a relationship that you're not ready for. If you don't break up with him and stay away from that type of boy, you'll end up hating yourself for letting it happen."
"You've managed to take something almost completely innocent and turn it into something dirty. I am not you. I'm not going to fuck up my life the way you did yours." Beth growled and stormed from the room.
--
Alex watched the kids from the safety of his umbrella shaded seat. His brother and sisters and Sebastien all splashed in the pool with the rest of Roswell trying to beat the heat. Jules and Lynette had tried to get him to their side of the pool all day but he was content where he was, visions of love competing with the glare of the sun off the water. Reaching for his bag, he pulled out his notebook and began composing. He was doing well until he looked up and saw the guys approaching his little sister. He couldn't concentrate after that. She smiled and shied away but the guys were persistent. Her friends tried to help but even given their strong physical statures, the guys still towered over them.
"Hey! You might want to cut it out." He called over. The guys turned, glanced him over and snorted, turning back to their quarry. "I said, cut it out."
"What are you going to do?"
"Well, a few things occurred to me. I could walk over and punch your lights out but that's not civilized. I could ask politely but you're not quite civilized enough for that approach. I could, however, appeal to your feeble-minded sensibilities… I don't know if you're smart enough for that but um… I'll give it a shot." He rose from his chair and crossed to the young men. They were out of high school but not long. "If you persist in your endeavor you'll find yourself with two options, leaving her alone as she wants or forcing her into something she doesn't want."
"How do you know what she wants?"
"I'm her brother but that's beside the point. The first option makes us all happy. The second option is scarring for my little sister, it'll make me angry and you'll find yourselves in county lock up."
"How do you figure?"
"Well, I'm a pretty good guesser and I think you're over 18."
"So."
"She's really not and forcing yourself on her will put you in the immediate vicinity of a statutory rape case. In this county, you will be convicted."
"What?"
"I apologize, I'm moving too fast for you. You're probably not from around here or you would know who she is and know that she's 16 and she's the former Sheriff's beloved only daughter. He may not be around but everyone in Roswell loved him dearly and would ruthlessly prosecute anyone to cause her harm. Then you factor in that her mother is the city's most successful lawyer and I don't see you getting away with minimum sentencing. I realize that this is all a bit much for your tiny brain, which by the way says a lot about your tiny… anyway. Point is this: it is in your best interest to leave the girls alone, especially that one."
"What are you going to do if I punch your lights out where you stand?"
Alex pretended to think it over. "Well, that is a problem but seeing as I've been talking to you rationally for five minutes in front of witnesses and have done nothing to provoke such an attack, I'd have to press assault charges and have your ass thrown in jail. When I give my statement I will include the following. 'My attacker was hitting on underage girls and when I asked him nicely to leave the girls be, he attacked me.' As I said, this town is rigged to defend this girl and you would find yourself in the hands of a police force who might take out on your person, their anger for attempting to molest this girl."
"Is there a problem?" Sheriff Soltero appeared with Sebastien right behind him. So that's where Seb had disappeared to.
"Just a confused couple of boys." Alex told him. "I tried to explain the rules and they don't seem to be absorbing them so well. Statutory laws and harassment, not to mention penalties for assault. I keep telling them that these girls are too young for them."
"And they are." Soltero motioned for the young men to follow him. "You're tourists. I can tell… I've got a speech that you need to hear."
"But we didn't do anything."
"I'm gonna give it anyway."
Alex felt a little relieved when they were finally escorted out of the pool by Sheriff Soltero. Sebastien looked relieved too, his arm draped over Berty's shoulder. Berty looked guilty. "What's wrong?"
"I didn't want them hanging around."
"I know."
"It just…" She trailed off.
"It happens a lot more than we like." Sebastien finished for her.
"You need charm school, kiddo." Alex motioned her over to sit with him, allowing Seb to rejoin his friends. He clasped his hands between his knees. "Mom is a good teacher if you let her. Dealing with everyone out there takes a certain finesse. Dad had it too."
"I don't. I always send the wrong signals and Sebastien always has to save me." Berty complained.
"You didn't need it before but you do now. You put out this… vulnerable vibe and guys will take advantage of it because they know you think you can't help yourself but you can. You know you can even if you think you can't." He gave her a meaningful look and twitched his fingers a little.
"How did you learn?"
"Well, unlike you, I only had one parent for the first seven years of my life. Mom was my only role model. Look at me. I'm kind of a dork but… my phone was always ringing and I could have a date any time I wanted. We have charisma. We do. It's inside us. That thing that makes people look at Mom, we have it to. Obviously you have it, no doubt about it. You need to learn how to control it. To use it."
"Like how Mom can smile real pretty and say something really mean?"
"Exactly and you're smart too. Think… the redhead in grandpa's movies. She was always poised and cool and collected and she always cut the Duke down. Always." Alex grasped her hands. "And you know what? We'll have the whole summer to get you trained on the worst assholes on the planet… music industry slime will crawl at your feet by the time I'm done with you. These Roswell jerks… you'll flick them off your hand like they were dust."
"Promise?"
"Absolutely. You can't hide but you can make people do what you want. Always… We're Isabel Evans-Valenti's children… we were born to make people bow at our feet." He winked at her. "Sometimes acting like the royalty you really are is the only way to be left alone like one of the normal people."
--
Will sought out the brunette as he entered the Crashdown. Kathy was in the back with her grandparents. When she spotted him, she blushed a little and he could feel the heat rising in his own face. There wasn't a moment that had passed in the day that he hadn't thought of that morning in his hotel room. When he blinked he saw her. The way her head tilted back when she moaned. The shape of her mouth as she gasped, how her body seemed made to wrap around his. How she cried out when she came. How she arched beneath him when he was deep inside her. Only he hadn't been, not yet, at least not the way that he could be and for the first time really thought he could be.
Sex had never been that good, not even with his ex-wife. He still felt a little dirty about it. Especially after transferring Dustin for doing the same thing. He had yelled at the Agent for two hours about this very thing. He sat at the counter and took the cup of coffee when she offered it. Bethany took her break next to him. "How's anarchy working for you?"
"Quite well. How's the man these days?"
"Quite well." He looked her over. "You can go ahead and read me. I've got an old pop song stuck in my head."
"It's not pop… It's hybrid-rock that happened to be popular when you were 11 years old." She wrinkled her nose at him. "I didn't even have to read you. It really is stuck, isn't it."
"For two days now. I thought you were getting good at blocking."
"I'm not trying today. Anyway, you're projecting."
"Projecting?"
"Yeah… it's just… all out there. Like… you're in love or something." She shrugged. "You've got the lyrics all messed up."
"Do I?
"You've got the second verse and the second line of the first verse there."
"Are you sure you're good at that reading thing? Do you even know what you're talking about?" He narrowed his eyes at her.
"You're hiding something." Beth turned to him, cross swinging around her neck. She stared at him, smile growing on her face. She slapped a hand over her mouth and turned to her sister. "You dirty girl."
"What?" Kathy hadn't been paying attention to them.
"Nothing." Beth had to hold in the laugh. "We were talking about this song he's got stuck in his head. I think maybe I've heard it before. Maybe Gabriel's got it at his house. I'll find the right lyrics for you, Will."
"You're weird." He frowned at her, confused by her rapid speech and the evil glint in her eyes.
"I know." She kissed his cheek and hopped off the stool. "I've got tables to weird out."
--
Jim sat in his recliner but didn't watch the movie that played on the screen. His daughter-in-law sat reviewing a case file on the couch next to him. "You don't have to sit with me. You could be out with Jesse."
"Jesse's spending the night with his mom. Lynnette needed a night off." She smiled when she glanced up at him.
"You don't have to sit with me." He repeated.
"Are you saying you want me to leave you alone?" She lifted her brown eyes completely from her work.
"Just that you don't have to sit with me."
"Dad? Did I do something wrong?" She set her books on the coffee table and turned to face him fully. He fiddled with the remote for a very long two minutes. "Dad?"
"Put me in a home, Isabel."
"I will not." She set her jaw, refusing look away.
"I don't need to be a burden on you."
"You aren't."
"An inconvenience while you move on."
"You're not."
"Dammit, Isabel!" He slapped the remote down on the arm of his chair, sending it clattering to the floor.
"Dammit, Jim!"
"I'm not a child." He bit out.
"Then stop acting like one." She bit right back. "When Kyle and I invited you to live here… it was because we love you and we wanted you here and out of that house all by yourself. It wasn't conditional on anything. Kyle made me swear we would never put you in a home. I won't do it. I wouldn't do it to my mother or my father, God rest his soul. I won't do it to you." Tears filled her eyes but she wouldn't let them drop. "It tore Kyle apart, the way your dad got, left to himself in that place and… I can't do it." She hated when he talked about this stuff. Wills and homes and burdens. "You are not here because I feel obligated to take care of you. You're here because I am devoted to a wonderful man whose strength I've admired through all that knowing me has put him through. Don't bring this up again… You're not helpless, you're not a burden. You are loved by me, by your grandchildren and even Jesse. Please… don't."
"Okay." Jim sat back to watch his movie, tears shining in his eyes.
After a few moments to compose herself, Isabel got up to get a glass of water to cool down. When she returned, refreshed, she picked up the remote and set it on his chair, then picked up her books again to work on her case. "Max got kind of mad when you were dancing with my mom at the wedding, huh." All she got was a shrug of his shoulders. "You should have seen him when he met Mr. Turnbow. He was a nice enough man but Max hardly paid him any attention." She made notes and tuned pages. "I hear Mrs. Avery has put herself on the market. She's a pretty lady."
"You don't think she's a little young?"
"She's 58, I think. It's only seven years."
"Avery, her husband was a councilman, wasn't he?"
"He was."
"She's too refined for me. Find me someone who doesn't mind sitting on the porch with a beer. I don't think Mrs. Avery was a fan of Hank Williams, Jr."
"I'll keep my eyes peeled."
They didn't say a word while the Duke socked it to the bad guys in an all out brawl. Jim changed the channel to an explosion of glass and gunfire. "I didn't mean to seem ungrateful."
"I'm sorry I put you in this position…"
"I love that little girl just like everyone else."
"I know you do…"
"I love you like a daughter. I don't want to be the reason that you're not happy."
"Who says I'm not happy." She looked at him with a smile. "I've got everything I need. Jesse's been a patient man and right now… it's not me we're waiting on. I can be patient, too."
"What are you waiting on?"
"Jesse." She smiled broader. "We did it my way for a long time. Jesse's trying to figure out his way. He has ideas of how life should be and it's not going according to his plan. He'll figure something out that you and I have already got down pat."
"Life's too damn short to think there's a plan."
"That's right."
--
Max sank onto the couch and pulled Liz into his arms. "She went to bed?"
"As soon as she got home from work." Liz nodded and lay her head on his chest. "I can't seem to say anything right to her. I promised that I wouldn't say anything against him but she asked. She asked me flat out what I thought of him."
"Liz…" Max groaned but stopped. "I don't like him either. She knows. She just… I want to throttle her sometimes… but she's still in there, that little girl we miss. I see her sometimes, when Will is over here or sometimes when I see her with… that kid. I get glimpses of our daughter. She's guarded around us and it has to do with whatever happened that day."
"I know but I don't know what set her off. I've gone over it and over it and sometimes… right when I think I have it nailed and she'll say something and I'll have to start all over again."
"Like when?" Max stroked her hair and got comfortable.
"Like the whole cheerleading thing. I never factored it in. Crowds and what it must be like when there's two hundred people thinking the same thing at the same time. The power that must be behind a thought like 'catch it.' Or the mass explosion at a touchdown. Even at a junior high game, parents and students get excited. I never once thought it hurt her. She never told me. Never implied it. She was honestly trying then, you know? Giving it a shot and since… she's been seeing him, she's stopped."
"I don't think so. I think she tries just as much but it's getting harder because she's getting stronger."
"It's just… something triggered it. Something happened and it wasn't just she couldn't stop it. Something had to happen. She read someone or…" Liz sighed heavily. "I don't know. I thought she was going retro-cognitive or precognitive but…"
"I don't think she was ever pre-cog, Liz… maybe a little retro-cog there for a while but… not in a long time. Maybe it just faded out."
"Maybe."
--
David eased open the door and slid inside. He made a glow in his hands so he could read the stack of discs for the CD he wanted. He tried to be quiet. If Beth caught him borrowing her CDs she'd kill him. He didn't see the boots lying in his way. They sent him onto the bed… the empty bed. Beth wasn't home. She'd kill him if he ratted her out. So, he took the CD he wanted and went back to his room. He could hear his parents discussing her in the den. They didn't know.
--
Beth slid into the room and slid into bed. Joey rolled over and rubbed his eyes. "Aren't you in the wrong bed?"
"Can't go home tonight and he's got to work tomorrow morning. You mind?"
"Fine." Joey tucked a pillow under his arm. "You better not snore."
"No groping." She shot back.
"It's a risk you run by sleeping here."
"Whatever."
"You could take the floor."
"So could you."
"It's my bed." Joey rolled to look at her. "What's wrong?"
"My mom." Beth shrugged and shut her eyes. "What else would it be?"
"You ask for it, you know." His brown eyes wandered over her form next to him. "You act out. She reacts. It's a dance you do. You ever think of just… asking them?"
"Wouldn't do any good. They'd just lie to me. I just need to sleep."
tbc
112/114
The Fate of Destiny Part 112
Liz knocked on the door when her dad had called and said Beth hadn't shown up for her shift. There was no answer. When she opened the door, the bed was made and the girl's shoes everywhere. No note, nothing… and her pills were sitting on the dresser. Liz picked them up and sat on the bed, running names through her head of all the people she could call and find out where Beth went. Then her eyes caught the little dustless ring where the pills had been. Her mouth fell open. Beth hadn't touched the bottle in enough days to let dust collect around it.
--
Berty turned in the mirror to look at her backside. "Mom?"
"Yes?" Isabel poked her head into the room, hopping on one foot while she tugged on a shoe.
"Would you kill me if I started wearing clothes like Beth?"
"Kill? No. Question your sanity? Yes." Isabel examined her daughter's outfit. "You're wearing that on the plane?"
It was a dark dress that hugged her curves and covered her up. She had finished it off with dark fishnets and a pair of combat boots. "I was just trying it out. I don't think I like it."
"I'm not wild about it either. I know you and Beth aren't as close as you used to be but you don't have to dress like her to keep her." She leaned in the doorway and watched her daughter's face. The girl only shrugged. "Alex told me he's going to teach you how to be a bitch."
"Yeah… I just… Beth isn't really mean or bitchy most of the time. People stay away from her because of the way she dresses. I don't think it'll work on me. Alex says we've got something in us that attracts people."
"He may be right. Come. Get changed. You'll make Alex mad if you're late getting to the airport. I'm off to work. Make sure you stop by to say goodbye."
--
Liz counted the days on the calendar then spilled the contents of the bottle onto the counter. Then she reached for the bottle they kept in the kitchen. All there. Every single pill of the last batch from the pharmacy. Even if she had some left over from the old bottle, she would have run out days ago.
Gripping the phone, she dialed every number she could think of and no one knew where her daughter was. Then she ripped the house apart looking for the school directory. She called every Goth punk she could remember their name. No one had seen Beth in days. When David walked into the kitchen, she nearly bit his head off without meaning to.
"She's not home?"
"No. I haven't seen her since she went to bed last night. She left before I woke up this morning. You didn't see her anywhere?"
He shook his head, wondering if he should tell her that Beth hadn't been home since last night. "Do you think something happened to her?"
"I don't know. What's that kid's name? The one she hangs out with… with the dog collar?" Liz flipped through the directory.
"Joey Montoya."
"Montoya…" Liz murmured to herself as she found the name and dialed.
--
Joey glanced at the phone when it rang. Beth glared at it before picking it up and checking the ID. "It's my mom. Guess she finally noticed I was gone."
"You did or didn't want her to know you were gone?"
"If she was going to notice, you'd think it would have been sooner. Hello, I been here since… 10:30 last night and it's 5:52 now. 19 hours." She took a deep breath when the phone stopped ringing finally.
"You kind of ran away. Maybe she thought you were coming back…" Joey idly flipped through a stack of burned discs. "You're just lucky I'm the only one home. If my mom answers the next time she calls, she'll turn you in."
"Thanks for the support."
"I said you could crash here. I didn't say I'd cover for you. Ask them."
"Shut up."
--
Gabriel grabbed the phone as he inched around the table making sure his brothers and sister were fed. "Yeah?"
"Is this Gabriel Silerio?"
"It is." He nodded to himself, recognizing the voice.
"This is Mrs. Evans, Beth's mom. I need to know if you've seen Beth today."
"No, not today."
"Has she called at all?"
"No, uh, usually she calls me around now or… I talk to her later on…" He eased around the question. "Is something wrong?"
"Beth and I had some words yesterday and I haven't seen her today. She didn't go to work and she didn't tell anyone where she went. If you see her… or speak to her, tell her to call home."
"What did you fight about?"
"That's between Beth and I."
"Was it about me or other stuff?"
"If she calls, tell her to call home."
Gabriel was left with a click in his ear and curious faces around the table. "She didn't come over last night, right?" The boys shook their heads and Eva looked like she was going to cry. She loved Beth almost as much as Gabriel did. "She didn't call today?" More shaking heads. "Okay. Try to stay off the phone. I'm gonna call around."
--
Alex kissed his mother's cheek. "We'll be okay."
"Alright. Have fun. Be careful and call me if they get out of line. I'll dreamwalk them if I have to." Isabel let him go and waved to the kids in the car who were too cool to kiss their mother goodbye. "Be good for your brother."
"We will!" They chorused. "Bye Mom!"
Jesse waved to them and had to pull Isabel back inside the office to get back to work. "They'll be okay."
"I'm gonna have an anxiety attack." Isabel sank into Bruce's chair and lay her head on the desk. "How could I just let them go?"
"Aw… Mama bear not ready for the cubs to leave the den?" Bruce shook his head at his boss and handed Jesse a cup of coffee. "It'll be okay. Alex is a smart kid. You'll see. They'll come home with smiles and a tan."
"Hopefully." Isabel groaned, suddenly in a bad mood. "I miss them already."
"You do not." Jesse laughed at her. "Think of the quiet house and the time to relax without all those mini-crises that teenagers have. No nosebleeds at six in the morning…"
"Sleep…" Isabel murmured and sat up. "Maybe you're right. It's a vacation for me, too…" She looked around the office. "Kind of."
--
Max pulled off his scrubs and yanked his street clothes on. Liz was worried and waiting. Beth had left early that morning and no one had seen her all day. She had missed work with no call. Max was irritated. Not by Beth. By Liz.
Max climbed into the car and scanned the streets. He didn't say a word. Liz was torn between laughing and crying. "Don't say this is my fault, Max."
"I didn't say a word."
"Max." That dig went deep.
"Liz, just stop. What ever happened yesterday is between the two of you and it's why she didn't go to work and why she didn't come home."
"I feel horrible, Max. She's my daughter. This… distance makes me sick but I'm not caving just so she'll love me again."
"I don't like him, Liz. I can still interfere but… She's stopped reading us. It's progress. We can't shut down on her when she's giving us room to love her."
"I counted her pills, Max." Liz sniffled into a Kleenex. "She hasn't taken any in days."
"Her little bottle. the one she keeps with her."
"She left it. It's full. It's been… maybe a week. I'm just afraid that when we find her… she'll be… Max. I can't think about it." She stared out the window. "Where are we going?"
"To the Silerios. Maybe Gabriel knows where she is."
"I called. He didn't."
"Let's just stop by." Max steered the car to the boy's apartment and made himself be quiet. The closer he got to that door, the more irritated he was with Liz. It felt strange but oddly familiar. He knocked on the door and Gabriel threw it open as if he'd been waiting for someone. "Is Beth here?"
"No." The boy sagged. "She hasn't called. Usually she calls me but not all day. Please believe me."
"I do." Max said even though he didn't really. He really wanted to rush the apartment and look for himself but something inside tugged at him to believe the boy. "Listen… Beth's mom…" He was overwhelmed by annoyance, just like in the car. "She found Beth's meds. She hasn't been taking them for nearly a week. We're afraid for her. If you see her, if she calls. Call me. It's important."
"She's on medication? She didn't tell me that." Gabriel looked hurt for a moment. "Because of her… problem?"
"She told you?" Max nodded. "Probably an edited version then. She gets headaches still. I have her on medication to control how strongly they affect her. She doesn't have any with her. I can't stress how important it is that you contact me if she calls you. If you care about her at all…"
"I will." Gabriel nodded. "I promise."
Max pulled out his wallet and found a card. "This is my beeper number. Don't give it out but… you hear from her, beep me."
"You got it."
--
"Like this." Alex sucked in a breath and puffed out his cheeks, then pulled on his ears. Gina copied him, squinting her eyes and shaking her head. "Make some spit and swallow."
Finally her ears popped. She worked her little jaw. "Better."
"Razor." He settled back into his seat.
"Hey Alex? How big is your apartment?" Kyle called over the back of his seat.
"One bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room. I've got a smaller room, or big closet, whichever, it's where I keep my computer stuff. Right now I'm paying by the month… so if I find a better place, you guys might not have to sleep on the floor long." Alex shrugged at them.
"How big a place are you looking for?" Berty craned her neck around her seat to see her big brother.
Alex shrugged with a small smile. "The next place I live in, I want it to be permanent. Two or three bedrooms… maybe two bathrooms… living room, rec room."
"You mean a house? A house?" She tilted her head at him. "Just for you?"
"I don't know. I'm not going to be single forever, Bert. Gotta think about the future. Make plans."
"He's talking about marrying Lynnette, you dope." Kyle pinched his sister.
"Excuse me, I'm going to have to ask the two of you to sit down properly. We'll be landing within the hour." A flight attendant admonished them as she passed.
--
Gabe opened the door and relief washed through him at the sight of rainbow-colored hair and wire-frames. "Beth."
"Hey."
"Don't hey me." He pulled her into the apartment. "Your dad is looking for you."
"I know. I don't want to go home yet."
"You can stay if you call him."
"No."
"Fine. Stay here." Gabriel reached for the phone and pulled out the card. "I'm calling him."
Beth yanked them out of his hands. "Don't."
He took a breath. "You went off your meds."
"He told you?" She stepped back as if she had been shoved.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? I've been worried all night and then your dad comes and tells me what's going on… I've been scared out of my wits for the last three hours and you pop up with 'hey.' Let me call him."
"No." Beth shook her head.
"Give me the phone, Beth, don't make me take it."
"No."
--
Max sat up straight. Liz turned her weary head in his direction. "What is it?"
"She's okay."
"She… Beth? Where is she? How do you know?"
"I don't know. I just do." Max grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair. "I'll be back."
"Do you know where she is?"
"No… but I'll find her." Max climbed into the car and just followed that feeling of relief that had rushed him in the kitchen. Before he knew it, he was standing outside the Silerios' door for the second time that night. He could hear arguing.
"Give me the phone, Beth."
"You have no idea what it's like to live there."
"I don't. I really don't. I hated your mom when she called over here to tell me that you were missing. I really did but she loves you. Your mother is around. Your father is around. He came here to ask me to call him when you turned up… like he knew you'd come here first. He hates me. I know that. He loves you. Your folks are around. I'm raising myself here. Myself and my brothers and my sister… and your folks are so worried… they came here. They told me about your meds. I have to show the same respect and call them back. Give me the phone."
"I'm not going home. I can't." Beth burst out. "Please, Gabe. Let me stay here, tonight. I'll call home in the morning for my meds. I promise. Just… for tonight."
"Okay but I'm mad at you. You're sleeping on the couch."
Max's heart clenched when his daughter laughed a little.
"Can I call and tell him that you'll be home in the morning?" There was a silence. "I won't tell him that you're here. I'll just say you called."
Max quickly turned his beeper to vibrate. A few moments later he felt it dance in his hand.
"Thanks Gabriel."
"Do you need something? Aspirin?"
"Do you have Excedrin?"
"No, just the generic stuff."
"Then no. I'm allergic to that other stuff."
"Really?"
"Yeah… my dad had a surgery, he told them what to use… they used the wrong stuff and too much of it… he nearly died. I'm careful… I'm fine. I promise."
Max strode to the door and knocked. There was a scuffling and then silence before Gabriel opened the door. "You paged…"
"Yeah… I… heard from Beth. She's okay. I talked her into going home first thing in the morning."
"Okay…" Max nodded and pulled a pill bottle from his pocket. "If she comes here first… these are her meds. She's got to get back on them."
"How do you know I won't just take these and get high?"
"Because for anyone to get high off of that… they'd need five bottles. These are special, just for Beth. If you see her… make sure she gets on them. She's been off awhile so she can double up but… no more than two every… eight hours… Just make sure she gets them."
"I will." Gabe took the bottle and stared at it. It didn't make sense.
"Night." Max walked away and when the door shut behind him, he ducked behind a tree.
"Well? You heard the man."
"They… fence me in."
"I met you fenced in. I want that girl back. This girl in front of me is crazy. I've been praying since six o'clock this evening. Take the meds."
Max made his way home in a fog. When he got home, David was waiting on the stairs. The boy looked guilty. "I should have said something last night. I went to get a CD and the bed was empty but I didn't want to make her mad at me. I didn't know something would happen."
"It's okay." Max knelt in front of the boy. "She's okay. No one took her. She just… ran off." Too many emotions ran over the boy's face for Max to discern.
"Doesn't she know not to do that?" David wiped at his eyes in a fury. "When Mom said she didn't go to work… I thought…"
"I know… you yell at her when she gets home. Okay? With my permission. Tell her that she can't do this because we worry and because she scared you."
"I kept thinking… and she's really okay somewhere?"
"Yeah. Go to bed. She's coming home tomorrow." Max kissed his head and rubbed his shoulders. "Calm down some, drink some tea and meditate for a while before you go to sleep. It's really okay." It took a moment for the boy to compose himself enough to go to his room but he did, then Max walked through the house, one of his fears confirmed by his son. He changed and crawled into bed but didn't sleep. "I don't think she's been going out for walks in the morning, Liz."
"No?"
"I think that's when she gets in. I think she's been staying at Gabriel's over night."
"I'm going to cut his—"
"I don't think they're sleeping together. He looks… bigger than when we first met him. He prays for our daughter… I conclude that if they were sleeping together… he wouldn't pray so often or work out so much."
"You'd better be right… Did you find her?"
"Kind of. She's on her meds now. That much I know. She'll be home in the morning."
tbc
Liz knocked on the door when her dad had called and said Beth hadn't shown up for her shift. There was no answer. When she opened the door, the bed was made and the girl's shoes everywhere. No note, nothing… and her pills were sitting on the dresser. Liz picked them up and sat on the bed, running names through her head of all the people she could call and find out where Beth went. Then her eyes caught the little dustless ring where the pills had been. Her mouth fell open. Beth hadn't touched the bottle in enough days to let dust collect around it.
--
Berty turned in the mirror to look at her backside. "Mom?"
"Yes?" Isabel poked her head into the room, hopping on one foot while she tugged on a shoe.
"Would you kill me if I started wearing clothes like Beth?"
"Kill? No. Question your sanity? Yes." Isabel examined her daughter's outfit. "You're wearing that on the plane?"
It was a dark dress that hugged her curves and covered her up. She had finished it off with dark fishnets and a pair of combat boots. "I was just trying it out. I don't think I like it."
"I'm not wild about it either. I know you and Beth aren't as close as you used to be but you don't have to dress like her to keep her." She leaned in the doorway and watched her daughter's face. The girl only shrugged. "Alex told me he's going to teach you how to be a bitch."
"Yeah… I just… Beth isn't really mean or bitchy most of the time. People stay away from her because of the way she dresses. I don't think it'll work on me. Alex says we've got something in us that attracts people."
"He may be right. Come. Get changed. You'll make Alex mad if you're late getting to the airport. I'm off to work. Make sure you stop by to say goodbye."
--
Liz counted the days on the calendar then spilled the contents of the bottle onto the counter. Then she reached for the bottle they kept in the kitchen. All there. Every single pill of the last batch from the pharmacy. Even if she had some left over from the old bottle, she would have run out days ago.
Gripping the phone, she dialed every number she could think of and no one knew where her daughter was. Then she ripped the house apart looking for the school directory. She called every Goth punk she could remember their name. No one had seen Beth in days. When David walked into the kitchen, she nearly bit his head off without meaning to.
"She's not home?"
"No. I haven't seen her since she went to bed last night. She left before I woke up this morning. You didn't see her anywhere?"
He shook his head, wondering if he should tell her that Beth hadn't been home since last night. "Do you think something happened to her?"
"I don't know. What's that kid's name? The one she hangs out with… with the dog collar?" Liz flipped through the directory.
"Joey Montoya."
"Montoya…" Liz murmured to herself as she found the name and dialed.
--
Joey glanced at the phone when it rang. Beth glared at it before picking it up and checking the ID. "It's my mom. Guess she finally noticed I was gone."
"You did or didn't want her to know you were gone?"
"If she was going to notice, you'd think it would have been sooner. Hello, I been here since… 10:30 last night and it's 5:52 now. 19 hours." She took a deep breath when the phone stopped ringing finally.
"You kind of ran away. Maybe she thought you were coming back…" Joey idly flipped through a stack of burned discs. "You're just lucky I'm the only one home. If my mom answers the next time she calls, she'll turn you in."
"Thanks for the support."
"I said you could crash here. I didn't say I'd cover for you. Ask them."
"Shut up."
--
Gabriel grabbed the phone as he inched around the table making sure his brothers and sister were fed. "Yeah?"
"Is this Gabriel Silerio?"
"It is." He nodded to himself, recognizing the voice.
"This is Mrs. Evans, Beth's mom. I need to know if you've seen Beth today."
"No, not today."
"Has she called at all?"
"No, uh, usually she calls me around now or… I talk to her later on…" He eased around the question. "Is something wrong?"
"Beth and I had some words yesterday and I haven't seen her today. She didn't go to work and she didn't tell anyone where she went. If you see her… or speak to her, tell her to call home."
"What did you fight about?"
"That's between Beth and I."
"Was it about me or other stuff?"
"If she calls, tell her to call home."
Gabriel was left with a click in his ear and curious faces around the table. "She didn't come over last night, right?" The boys shook their heads and Eva looked like she was going to cry. She loved Beth almost as much as Gabriel did. "She didn't call today?" More shaking heads. "Okay. Try to stay off the phone. I'm gonna call around."
--
Alex kissed his mother's cheek. "We'll be okay."
"Alright. Have fun. Be careful and call me if they get out of line. I'll dreamwalk them if I have to." Isabel let him go and waved to the kids in the car who were too cool to kiss their mother goodbye. "Be good for your brother."
"We will!" They chorused. "Bye Mom!"
Jesse waved to them and had to pull Isabel back inside the office to get back to work. "They'll be okay."
"I'm gonna have an anxiety attack." Isabel sank into Bruce's chair and lay her head on the desk. "How could I just let them go?"
"Aw… Mama bear not ready for the cubs to leave the den?" Bruce shook his head at his boss and handed Jesse a cup of coffee. "It'll be okay. Alex is a smart kid. You'll see. They'll come home with smiles and a tan."
"Hopefully." Isabel groaned, suddenly in a bad mood. "I miss them already."
"You do not." Jesse laughed at her. "Think of the quiet house and the time to relax without all those mini-crises that teenagers have. No nosebleeds at six in the morning…"
"Sleep…" Isabel murmured and sat up. "Maybe you're right. It's a vacation for me, too…" She looked around the office. "Kind of."
--
Max pulled off his scrubs and yanked his street clothes on. Liz was worried and waiting. Beth had left early that morning and no one had seen her all day. She had missed work with no call. Max was irritated. Not by Beth. By Liz.
Max climbed into the car and scanned the streets. He didn't say a word. Liz was torn between laughing and crying. "Don't say this is my fault, Max."
"I didn't say a word."
"Max." That dig went deep.
"Liz, just stop. What ever happened yesterday is between the two of you and it's why she didn't go to work and why she didn't come home."
"I feel horrible, Max. She's my daughter. This… distance makes me sick but I'm not caving just so she'll love me again."
"I don't like him, Liz. I can still interfere but… She's stopped reading us. It's progress. We can't shut down on her when she's giving us room to love her."
"I counted her pills, Max." Liz sniffled into a Kleenex. "She hasn't taken any in days."
"Her little bottle. the one she keeps with her."
"She left it. It's full. It's been… maybe a week. I'm just afraid that when we find her… she'll be… Max. I can't think about it." She stared out the window. "Where are we going?"
"To the Silerios. Maybe Gabriel knows where she is."
"I called. He didn't."
"Let's just stop by." Max steered the car to the boy's apartment and made himself be quiet. The closer he got to that door, the more irritated he was with Liz. It felt strange but oddly familiar. He knocked on the door and Gabriel threw it open as if he'd been waiting for someone. "Is Beth here?"
"No." The boy sagged. "She hasn't called. Usually she calls me but not all day. Please believe me."
"I do." Max said even though he didn't really. He really wanted to rush the apartment and look for himself but something inside tugged at him to believe the boy. "Listen… Beth's mom…" He was overwhelmed by annoyance, just like in the car. "She found Beth's meds. She hasn't been taking them for nearly a week. We're afraid for her. If you see her, if she calls. Call me. It's important."
"She's on medication? She didn't tell me that." Gabriel looked hurt for a moment. "Because of her… problem?"
"She told you?" Max nodded. "Probably an edited version then. She gets headaches still. I have her on medication to control how strongly they affect her. She doesn't have any with her. I can't stress how important it is that you contact me if she calls you. If you care about her at all…"
"I will." Gabriel nodded. "I promise."
Max pulled out his wallet and found a card. "This is my beeper number. Don't give it out but… you hear from her, beep me."
"You got it."
--
"Like this." Alex sucked in a breath and puffed out his cheeks, then pulled on his ears. Gina copied him, squinting her eyes and shaking her head. "Make some spit and swallow."
Finally her ears popped. She worked her little jaw. "Better."
"Razor." He settled back into his seat.
"Hey Alex? How big is your apartment?" Kyle called over the back of his seat.
"One bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room. I've got a smaller room, or big closet, whichever, it's where I keep my computer stuff. Right now I'm paying by the month… so if I find a better place, you guys might not have to sleep on the floor long." Alex shrugged at them.
"How big a place are you looking for?" Berty craned her neck around her seat to see her big brother.
Alex shrugged with a small smile. "The next place I live in, I want it to be permanent. Two or three bedrooms… maybe two bathrooms… living room, rec room."
"You mean a house? A house?" She tilted her head at him. "Just for you?"
"I don't know. I'm not going to be single forever, Bert. Gotta think about the future. Make plans."
"He's talking about marrying Lynnette, you dope." Kyle pinched his sister.
"Excuse me, I'm going to have to ask the two of you to sit down properly. We'll be landing within the hour." A flight attendant admonished them as she passed.
--
Gabe opened the door and relief washed through him at the sight of rainbow-colored hair and wire-frames. "Beth."
"Hey."
"Don't hey me." He pulled her into the apartment. "Your dad is looking for you."
"I know. I don't want to go home yet."
"You can stay if you call him."
"No."
"Fine. Stay here." Gabriel reached for the phone and pulled out the card. "I'm calling him."
Beth yanked them out of his hands. "Don't."
He took a breath. "You went off your meds."
"He told you?" She stepped back as if she had been shoved.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? I've been worried all night and then your dad comes and tells me what's going on… I've been scared out of my wits for the last three hours and you pop up with 'hey.' Let me call him."
"No." Beth shook her head.
"Give me the phone, Beth, don't make me take it."
"No."
--
Max sat up straight. Liz turned her weary head in his direction. "What is it?"
"She's okay."
"She… Beth? Where is she? How do you know?"
"I don't know. I just do." Max grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair. "I'll be back."
"Do you know where she is?"
"No… but I'll find her." Max climbed into the car and just followed that feeling of relief that had rushed him in the kitchen. Before he knew it, he was standing outside the Silerios' door for the second time that night. He could hear arguing.
"Give me the phone, Beth."
"You have no idea what it's like to live there."
"I don't. I really don't. I hated your mom when she called over here to tell me that you were missing. I really did but she loves you. Your mother is around. Your father is around. He came here to ask me to call him when you turned up… like he knew you'd come here first. He hates me. I know that. He loves you. Your folks are around. I'm raising myself here. Myself and my brothers and my sister… and your folks are so worried… they came here. They told me about your meds. I have to show the same respect and call them back. Give me the phone."
"I'm not going home. I can't." Beth burst out. "Please, Gabe. Let me stay here, tonight. I'll call home in the morning for my meds. I promise. Just… for tonight."
"Okay but I'm mad at you. You're sleeping on the couch."
Max's heart clenched when his daughter laughed a little.
"Can I call and tell him that you'll be home in the morning?" There was a silence. "I won't tell him that you're here. I'll just say you called."
Max quickly turned his beeper to vibrate. A few moments later he felt it dance in his hand.
"Thanks Gabriel."
"Do you need something? Aspirin?"
"Do you have Excedrin?"
"No, just the generic stuff."
"Then no. I'm allergic to that other stuff."
"Really?"
"Yeah… my dad had a surgery, he told them what to use… they used the wrong stuff and too much of it… he nearly died. I'm careful… I'm fine. I promise."
Max strode to the door and knocked. There was a scuffling and then silence before Gabriel opened the door. "You paged…"
"Yeah… I… heard from Beth. She's okay. I talked her into going home first thing in the morning."
"Okay…" Max nodded and pulled a pill bottle from his pocket. "If she comes here first… these are her meds. She's got to get back on them."
"How do you know I won't just take these and get high?"
"Because for anyone to get high off of that… they'd need five bottles. These are special, just for Beth. If you see her… make sure she gets on them. She's been off awhile so she can double up but… no more than two every… eight hours… Just make sure she gets them."
"I will." Gabe took the bottle and stared at it. It didn't make sense.
"Night." Max walked away and when the door shut behind him, he ducked behind a tree.
"Well? You heard the man."
"They… fence me in."
"I met you fenced in. I want that girl back. This girl in front of me is crazy. I've been praying since six o'clock this evening. Take the meds."
Max made his way home in a fog. When he got home, David was waiting on the stairs. The boy looked guilty. "I should have said something last night. I went to get a CD and the bed was empty but I didn't want to make her mad at me. I didn't know something would happen."
"It's okay." Max knelt in front of the boy. "She's okay. No one took her. She just… ran off." Too many emotions ran over the boy's face for Max to discern.
"Doesn't she know not to do that?" David wiped at his eyes in a fury. "When Mom said she didn't go to work… I thought…"
"I know… you yell at her when she gets home. Okay? With my permission. Tell her that she can't do this because we worry and because she scared you."
"I kept thinking… and she's really okay somewhere?"
"Yeah. Go to bed. She's coming home tomorrow." Max kissed his head and rubbed his shoulders. "Calm down some, drink some tea and meditate for a while before you go to sleep. It's really okay." It took a moment for the boy to compose himself enough to go to his room but he did, then Max walked through the house, one of his fears confirmed by his son. He changed and crawled into bed but didn't sleep. "I don't think she's been going out for walks in the morning, Liz."
"No?"
"I think that's when she gets in. I think she's been staying at Gabriel's over night."
"I'm going to cut his—"
"I don't think they're sleeping together. He looks… bigger than when we first met him. He prays for our daughter… I conclude that if they were sleeping together… he wouldn't pray so often or work out so much."
"You'd better be right… Did you find her?"
"Kind of. She's on her meds now. That much I know. She'll be home in the morning."
tbc