TITLE    : Two Hearts Stand Alone Pt. 06
STORYID  : two-hearts-stand-alone-pt-06
SUMMARY  : The conclusion to their incredible story.
AUTHOR   : photodad@lit
DATE     : 2011-02-17
CATEGORY : adult-romance
FLAGS    : h
TAGS     : |friends|prom|18 year old|romantic|novel|softcore|long story|love|relationship|tragedy|


<i>Author's note



This story is quite long, and it is highly recommended that you start from part one to see where the characters come from.



Please remember to vote at the end, and 5's are appreciated if they are deserved.</i>



***



Chapter 30



The four shared the stage elevator up to the ready room floor, posing for pictures in front of the stainless steel Tonight Show with Jay Leno Backstage sign mounted on the wall. The same spot where the pre-show interview was done. Matthew and Jay followed the couple to their room and engaged them in light conversation, mostly about what they thought of the show. A small crowd of assistants and interns filled the doorway to watch with curiosity.



Then, Jay turned the thread toward something he had a passion for. "So, Chris. When your dad gets the money from insurance, you get to go back to driving that Olds?"



Chris shook his head, saying that he overheard his parents talking about trading that car in on top of the insurance money to get a nicer, more age-appropriate car for his dad.



Jay was put back a little. "What? You're a working man, what, next week? And going to school soon? You're not going to have a car?"



Chris shrugged. "Well, I figured when my ankle gets limber enough to press the pedals, I'd use part of my paycheck as a down payment on a used something or another."



Leno frowned. "What are you driving, Christine?"



"Nothing's mine. I've been borrowing my mom or dad's cars," her voice had a hint of sadness, but her face was still glued to her Perma-grin expression from everything that had happened toward the end of the show. Chris was happy that even with her idols in the room, she still glanced frequently at the new shiny on her finger.



Jay shook his head. "That just won't do. Just doesn't seem right that you two don't have cars to get you from place to place. So, Chris has a job near home, and obviously he'll be going to school there. Where are you going, Christine?"



She answered that she had always dreamed of going to Auburn, and so would be going there.



Jay looked at his friend and said, "Not right at all, is it, Matt? They won't get to see each other without rides."



McConaughey shook his head in agreement. "That sucks bad. I don't see how y'all will do it."



Leno reached in his jacket pocket, pulled out a checkbook, sat down and started writing out the date. "I'm going to give you a graduation gift to go toward getting your new cars," he said.



Matthew asked, "How much you giving them, Jay?"



"$25,000."



McConaughey motioned at his assistant, who handed him his own checkbook. "I'll match it," he said as he started to write. "You give yours to Chris, mine will go to Christine."



Chris and Christine were dumbfounded as the two men wrote out the checks. As Jay tore out his, Chris finally found some words. "Really, that's not necessary. We would find our own way to get our vehicles." Jay handed the check over anyway, and Chris looked at his name and the numbers written out below. "But it is very much appreciated!" he finished. "Thank you very much, sir!" he exclaimed as he excitedly shook Jay's hand.



Matthew handed Christine her check, but she was still at a loss for words. Instead, she jumped up and hugged him fiercely. He had written on her memo line, "Congratulations on your graduation and engagement!"



Before saying goodbye, Jay said that he wanted pictures of them with their cars in exchange for the gift checks. They promised that they would do so immediately after their purchases. Last to leave were the assistants and interns who stayed behind to shake the couple's hands. One of Jay's interns handed Christine his card with Jay's personal email address written on the back.



Finally they were alone. As soon as the door closed, Christine leaped into Chris's arms, shrieking, "Ahhh! Oh my God, we're getting married!"



"Hell yeah, sweetie! Thank God you said yes!"



She stepped away slightly and looked up at him. "Are you kidding? What on Earth would make me say no?"



"I don't know. A thousand things...and nothing...all at the same time. Too soon to ask, not as attracted to me as I am to you, being apart mostly for the next four years...anything."



She kissed him. "Don't be absurd. I love you. Always have, always will." The ring caught her eye again. "This looks so familiar, and isn't it a wedding ring?"



"It's my grandmother's. She had the wedding and engagement rings fused together decades ago. When I approached Mom about asking you, she gave it to me. I can't think of a better home for it than on your finger."



Christine was frustrated with her confusion. "It fits perfectly. How is that possible?"



He held up her class ring on his pinky finger. "I loaned this to Mom so she could get that sized, cleaned, and polished. You didn't notice your ring was gone from my hand a few days ago?"



"No...I...ugh. How often do you check someone's jewelry? This...all this is just perfect, Chris. The ring, your proposal, the show. Perfect! Why are you so good to me?"



He kissed her and pulled her tight to him. "Probably the same reason you tolerate being around me. I love you."



"Mmm. I love you, too." Then as an afterthought, she gave a jab to his stomach. "And, I don't just tolerate you."



He chuckled. "I know. You do wondrous things for me, too."



They helped each other remove the mics from under their clothing, breathing a sigh of relief to see that they had, indeed, remembered to turn them off when the show ended. Chris's ankle reminded him that it was there with a throbbing ache, and he moved around more and more slowly helping Christine get things together until she commanded him to sit down. She finished up, he picked up his crutches, and they opened the door to find Brad there, waiting patiently for them. He called down the hall for another assistant to help him take their things to the car, and they made their way down the hall, gladly receiving hugs to the staff members who offered them.



Just before the exit, another group of staffers were waiting for them, presenting two boxes of parting gifts. Hats, t-shirts, mugs, keychains...all with the Tonight Show logo. The group gave them hugs, congratulating them and wishing well with their futures. 



Outside, a group of twenty or so teens had gathered and cheered when they saw CC appear. Most had visited the gift shop while the couple was visiting with their host and fellow guest after the show, and donned similar merchandise that Chris and Christine just received as gifts. They recognized several from the airport yesterday. A marker was thrust in front of them, and they wrote out autographs on shirt tails and hat bills. After each signature, group members took turns to take pictures with the happy couple.



Brad asked them where they wanted to go, once they finally made it inside the car. Christine spoke for them both and said that they should celebrate at a nice restaurant. They didn't change after the show, so they were already dressed for the occasion. 



He had gotten to know their personalities the last couple of days, so a few minutes later, he pulled up at the Pinnacle Building where Arnie Morton's Steakhouse was located. A valet approached, but Brad stayed in the driver's seat, explaining he was merely dropping off his "fare." He lowered the passenger window and got Chris's attention. "Order the 'Dinner for Two' special. It's off-menu, fantastic, and will save you a bit of money."



An employee opened the door for them with a smile, and they were greeted warmly by the Maitre'D. "What's the occasion?" he asked.



Christine glanced around and noticed the attire was mostly business casual, so it was a natural question to be asked. But there were so many answers she could have given...that they were alive, that they just met Jay Leno and Matthew McConaughey, and got money for two cars from the experience. Instead, she decided to go with her happiest answer, and the one most understandable to someone outside their circles. "We just got engaged," she beamed while showing her ring.



"Oh excellent!" their host said jubilantly as he took her fingers lightly and inspected the ring. Then he gently pecked her hand and released it. "Do you have a reservation for yourself and the lovely bride to be?" he asked Chris.



"Sorry, no. We just came from...a show, and our driver took us here."



"Not a problem! You came at an excellent time. A tad later, and you might have had to wait." He instructed a hostess to lead them to a specified table and wished them congratulations.



The experience was unlike any other they had for dinner. A cart rolled up to their table with fresh, unprepared foundations for the entrees, and the waiter described each in mouthwatering detail. Chris took Brad's advice and asked for the dinner for two special, and the waiter gladly presented their options. Throughout their three-course meal, employees stopped by the table to wish the couple congratulations on their engagement. Even the general manager, Kevin, stopped by to check on things and wished them a happy future together.



During dessert, Christine slipped her phone out of a hidden pocket in her dress and called Brad to let him know they would be ready in about ten minutes. As soon as they finished eating, the waiter cleared their plates and set the bill in front of Chris, saying that there was no hurry. But Chris glanced at the now-busy entrance and knew it would be polite to keep the after dinner conversation brief. He pulled out his check card and placed it in the bill jacket without even glancing at the total. 



But, Christine's eyes got wide, because she did get a look before he closed the folder. "I'll help you with that when we get back," she whispered.



He shook his head. "C, let me get this. Whatever the amount is on that slip, you're worth a million times more than that to me."



The waiter picked up the bill, and Christine waited until he was gone before speaking. "The customary tip for that amount is like 25 bucks alone! More like 35 or 40 if we give what's right for the unbelievable service we got."



Chris shrugged.



"Well, thank you, then," she said, giving a smile that would melt anyone's heart who saw it.



The waiter returned with the slips for Chris's signature and gave Christine a special souvenir menu that had "Congratulations on your engagement" printed as the header. He wished them a bright future together, as did the rest of the wait staff on their way out. The Maitre'D took Christine's hand and kissed it again, giving them his best wishes as they exited.



Brad was waiting out front, and opened the door for them. When asked where to go next, Chris said that they would just like to enjoy the city for a while before returning to the hotel. Brad nodded as he understood what Chris meant.



As they pulled away, Christine brought out her phone again, opting to text rather than "ruin" the mood with an overly long phone conversation. She typed, "Moms, just letting you know the show went great. Hope you enjoy watching it as much as we did doing it. There are a few surprises at the end. Love you both, C." She selected numbers for both her mom and Chris's and sent the message.



She returned the phone to her pocket and snuggled up to Chris for the car ride. They played with each others fingers and hands while Brad leisurely drove them through the best parts of LA and the surrounding areas. It was a tossup as to which was more romantic...the beautiful city lights at late sunset, or the quiet company of each other. Christine gave up trying to decide. Calling the night in total as the best she's ever had worked for now.



The last glow of the sun dipped into the Pacific, and they enjoyed the sparkling lights of the city dance past them for a couple of hours. Brad started looping back toward the hotel, and both of their phones started buzzing at almost the same time. It was their moms, of course, excitedly wishing them congratulations. 



Chris's mom broke out of her normalcy and rushed through saying a bunch of things. Most of them helpful, some not, but all well-intended. She ended up saying goodnight way before Christine's mom, saying that she had school to teach the next day. 



Christine's mom broached the subject a different way, asking for and about every detail from start to finish of the show. Christine happily chatted with her about everything, her mom now ranking in the top three of her best friends, after Chris and Jill. It shouldn't be that way, she knew, but it just was. But, the open conversation she was having now definitely had her mom fast approaching Jill's spot. The phone got handed to her dad about the time Chris hung up.



"Good to see he took my advice and popped the question elegantly," he greeted his daughter.



Butterflies of the good kind got startled in her stomach, spreading warmth throughout her as she suddenly turned and stared wide-eyed at Chris while she madly tried to thrust down the emotion in her throat. Finally she found some words, "You knew he was going to ask?" The voice was there, just not very strong.



"I didn't think he'd do it on a national stage, during probably the most-watched Tonight Show in recent years. But, yeah, I figured he was going to pop the question."



"Why? What made you think that?"



"Because he asked me if he could ask you."



Her nostrils flared and her chin quivered for the second time that night. "You asked my daddy?" she asked Chris. She could hear her dad chuckle on the other end.



Chris grinned in that oops-I-got-caught way. "Yeah, I asked him last week."



Like all little girls, she had dreamed, wished, and even planned for how she wanted to be asked to take such a leap. Romantic setting, maybe after being sung to, her family as witnesses, the traditional one-knee pose, and the old-school thoughtfulness of her beau to ask her father for permission. It was even written on the inside cover of her journal, hidden far back under her dresser. Even she had forgotten long ago that the journal existed. He had more than satisfied four of five on her wish list, and she already forgave him of the fifth. But now she was being told that he had even done that one.



The feeling of absolute love consumed her, and she straddled his lap in the back seat, planting a big kiss on his lips. "When did you talk to him last week? We were so busy..."



"Something this important, you just have to make time." Word for word, the phrase came from Chris's lips and through the phone.



She cringed, having forgotten that the phone was still to her ear when she kissed Chris. There was no way her dad missed that. Thinking quickly for a graceful way out of the awkward situation, she said, "Daddy, thank you so much for letting him ask me!"



"You're welcome, sweetie." She could hear the smile in his voice.



"I better go before I start bawling."



"Okay, I understand. See you on Saturday at 11, right?"



Oh yeah, the airport. "Yes, I'll be there to pick up you and Mom then."



"Very well. Have fun tonight. And...don't get pregnant!" Before she could respond to that one, she heard him chuckle knowingly as he terminated the call.



Still astride him, Christine stared above his head, absently watching the traffic behind them. Brad braking hard for the light ahead threw her off balance, but Chris caught her elbows before she went far. It snapped her out of her thoughts of happiness.



She leaned forward and attacked his mouth with her tongue, breaking the kiss to say, "God, you're perfect!"



Chris looked shocked. "No I'm not."



"Why won't you believe me?" she pouted.



"Because if you knew what I was thinking right now, you certainly wouldn't think me perfect."



She sat up on him. "Well, 'for better or worse,' right? I better start getting used to it, so go ahead and tell me."



"I'd rather show you, and we'd have to be in our room, first."



"Chris..." she warned.



"Fine, what I really want to do is bunch up that pretty dress, pull aside your panties and just go for it...right here, right now."



"'Tis okay by me," Brad called from his driver's seat. "Not like I haven't seen that in my car before," he added.



Christine blushed. "God, you're perfect," she repeated. "You've been reading my mind."



They made out fiercely, but kept their decency...at least until they made it back to their room.







The return trip the next morning was a repeat of the one out to California, save one glaring difference. Whereas several recognized them before, it seemed that everybody who glanced their way knew them now. Like long lost friends, people came up to them to enthusiastically offer their congratulations, and ask how their trip was going. They endured what seemed to be hundreds of handshakes and hugs with smiles. Fellow passengers across the aisle from Chris struck up conversations while in the air. Chris understood about every third word due to the engine noise, but he bobbed or shook his head at appropriate moments to be polite. Ever the approachable couple.



The attendant on their final flight to their destination was an angel in disguise. She picked up on their brief unintentional look of despair when the seat opposite the aisle was occupied with an overly friendly male. Much to CC's relief &#x2013; even they had limits -- the attendant asked the man if he would mind sitting on the emergency row to man the door, in the unlikely event that was needed. He said sure, and Christine could feel Chris melt into his seat. Unknown to him, his finger had been tapping for the last hour.



"Can I get you anything else?" the attendant asked, even though she hadn't directly acted on anything they requested.



Christine glanced down at his hand in hers and saw that it was quiet. She smiled beautifully. "No, I'm so thankful for the quiet, I could kiss you."



The attendant looked around before leaning in. "I AM staying in town for the night, if you want, we could..."



"Kidding, just kidding," giggled Christine to interrupt her.



The attendant rushed to recover from her out of bounds step. "I...well...if, uh..."



Christine grabbed the girl's hand. "Shh...It's okay. Happens all the time, so...I don't recall this happening, do you?"



"So...a Sunkist for you? What about you, Chris? I mean, sir?"



"Coke will be fine," Chris said slowly, unsure of what just happened.



"Sure thing, I'll get those to you once we're in the air." Then she disappeared behind the curtain just ahead of them.



He looked at Christine. "What happens all the time? Girls hitting on you?"



"Girls, guys...whatever. You said I'm pretty, right?"



"I'm not sure I like that...well...SHE'S kinda hot, maybe we COULD get her number and see if..."



Christine reached over and smacked his chest, forgetting about the brace there. "OW! Down, boy. I'm not into that!" She dropped his hand so she could rub the smarting one. "When does that thing come off, anyway?"



"Never if you keep trying to slap me," he grinned.



"And if I promise to stop?"



He pursed his lips, considering whether he wanted her to stop the playfulness. "Eh, don't stop. Either way, I'm just wearing it for the long trip. I'm done with it once I get home. Screw what the doctor said. It itches too much."



She flinched when he knocked his doctor. Christine knew that type of attitude in patients irked her dad. "Don't let Daddy hear you say that," she reminded him.



It just slipped out, and he felt like a heel, so he silently nodded to avoid shoving the foot that was now in his mouth down further into his throat.



They landed about an hour later, and as with the other flight today, the flight crew gathered at the doorway to give their congratulations to the couple. Christine gave the embarrassed attendant a hug and whispered her thanks for a great flight. They made their way up the jetway and were about halfway down the terminal when three brilliant spotlights mounted on TV cameras made Christine second-guess her decision on wearing a t-shirt.

<hr pg="2" />When the lights flipped on, a large group of teens standing behind the security gates started cheering. As they approached, they could make out the congratulations written on a number of posters the youngsters were holding up. They were mobbed by bouncing girls and guys with goofy grins as soon as they cleared the checkpoint. The three local station reporters actually saved them briefly. The interviews took about ten minutes in total, and those crews left, rushing to get the footage back to their bosses before the 10 o'clock news deadline. The teens returned to surrounding their role models, shaking hands, hugging, kissing, and asking for autographs. At last, they said goodbye to the final group, pausing for a moment before heading down to pick up their luggage.



Christine looked at Chris and giggled. "THAT is a lot of lipstick," she said.



He rubbed his cheeks to no effect. "Better?" he asked.



She shook her head. "I'll get it off you at home."



They turned to the escalators and nearly jumped. Chris's parents were standing just behind them. "Hey," he said while hugging his mom. "When did you get here?"



"Forty minutes ago to wait for your flight," his mom responded, turning to hug Christine. "Welcome, future daughter-in-law!"



Christine returned the tight hug, and received one from his dad. "We didn't see y'all. Where were you?"



"In the restaurant, waiting for the crowd and cameras to go away," his dad responded. "Ready to get your bags?"



"Sure," Chris said, leading the way downstairs.



By the time they got to baggage claim, the conveyer had stopped, and theirs were the only bags, stationed just outside the belt doorway. Chris's dad scooped them up and they headed for the cars. Outside the parents' car, it was decided that they would go out for dinner and a restaurant close by was picked. The bags went in that car, and his dad gave Christine $40 to pay for her parking tab.



On their way out of the parking garage, Christine commented, "That was a change."



"What was?"



"Your parents. I don't know, it seemed like before they didn't want me around you. Now they're taking us out to dinner, your dad gave me money for the parking toll, your mom actually called me DAUGHTER!"



He chuckled. "Don't get too carried away. She said 'daughter-in-law'. Besides, they've always loved you."



"Hmph. I beg to differ. Before Prom, I was barely allowed into your house."



Chris yawned and stretched. "Don't take it personally. I don't think they figured you were going to be around all that long."



She handed the money over to the collector. When the gate didn't open, she looked at the amount due screen. "What the hell?! $74?!!" she griped at the collector.



"Three days in short term parking, honey," the lady said without interest.



"Look at his foot! You don't think I was gonna make him walk three miles from the back-40 to the terminal, do you?"



"I still need $34, miss."



"Oh for Pete's sake. I've never heard of such a thing. $74? There should be a law against it. Damn, at least charge a lower per-day rate instead of per-minute after a certain time," Christine rambled while she fished her wallet out of her purse and forked over another two bills.



"Six is your change. There's signs stating our pricing over the traffic lanes. You have yourself a nice evening," the attendant droned on and activated the gate.



Laughter snorted through Chris's nose when they pulled into the restaurant parking lot. Christine had mumbled under her breath the whole way. "WHAT?" she fired at him when she threw the Suburban into park.



"Nothing," he shook his head and grinned at her temper when he slid out to go inside on his crutches.



Chapter 31



Christine made herself useful at Chris's the next morning, hating to be alone in the empty house for very long. She headed straight to the kitchen after using the key given to her last night at dinner, and made some omelets and toasted bagels much to the delight of Chris's parents. The three were eating at the table when Chris came downstairs.



She rose to meet him with a kiss. "How was your first night back in your usual bed?" she asked while plating up his breakfast.



"I don't think I've ever slept that hard," he answered. He sat down at the empty place and glanced at the clock on the wall. "Don't y'all have to be at work?"



"Took the day off. Check came in yesterday." His stepdad had that way of keeping chatting simple.



His mom elaborated, "I got a sub, and your dad called in sick. We're going car shopping today."



Chris and Christine looked at each other. She was the first to speak. "Can we come? My dad is friends with a manager at a dealership. He'll give you a great deal if I'm with you."



His mom looked over at her spouse, but he only shrugged. "I suppose that would be fine. You two won't be bored tagging along?"



Chris started chuckling, then choking slightly when he inhaled a piece of egg that was in his mouth.



"Smooth," Christine said sarcastically. She turned to his mom. "Actually, we received a gift after the show."



The woman raised her eyebrows. "Do tell." 



"They gave each of us money for a car."



"They?"



"Jay and Matthew."



"How much?" asked his stepdad.



"25 grand each," Christine stated and Chris cringed. 



She was right, she wasn't around them much before, and it showed. To her, there was nothing wrong about sharing her enthusiasm over a generous gift, but Chris knew the timing could be better. His dad was funny and moody about weird stuff like this.



His dad confirmed the fear and dropped the fork on his plate. "Wow, isn't that swell? My car gets destroyed, and Y'ALL get money for it." He jumped up, rinsed his plate off, and trudged off to get ready upstairs.



Christine was thoroughly confused. "Did I say something wrong?"



His mom patted the girl's hand. "He's not mad at you, sweetheart. Money has never come easy for us, and he had to file a bunch of paperwork for the insurance to reimburse us for the car. He's more mad at them for taking so long." She got up and followed her husband.



Christine was still stunned, sitting there and shaking her head. "I'm sorry Chris. I didn't know..."



"Don't worry about it. He spouts off, then drops it. Happens all the time."



Christine got up and cleaned up the kitchen, doing her best to atone for her unknown sin. When she was done, Chris asked her to run him up to the ATM while his parents were getting ready so he could deposit his check.



A couple of hours later, the four of them walked into the Honda showroom. Christine asked the receptionist if she could see someone, and a few minutes later, a middle-aged man in a business suit appeared. He lengthened his stride when he saw her.



"Christine!" he bellowed, scooping her up and twirling her around. "It's been worlds of ages since I saw you last. You look good for...well, you always do."



"Thanks, Mr. John."



"Forget about the Mr. part. You're a young woman now. It's just John. What brings you here today?"



She introduced Chris as her fiance, and his parents. She explained that they were hoping to trade up their Oldsmobile. He said that he would be glad to help them.



"On a side note, do you take third-party checks?"



"Not sure I follow."



She showed him the check she received.



"Really? Is this the same..." he began.



"Yup. My idol!" she interrupted proudly.



"If you say it's good, I'll guarantee it for the business office. If it turns out to be fake, I know where you and your dad live..." he ruffled her hair like he used to when she was smaller. "Engaged, huh? Congratulations! When did this happen?"



Christine looked hurt. "You didn't see the show?"



"Bits and pieces. We had it playing here," he gestured to a wide screen display stationed in the waiting area. "I saw you sing...you looked wonderful!"



"You saw the show here? Weren't you closed?"



"I stayed late to help a couple finish up their paperwork. We did the final signing when you were finishing the song. So, who's first?"



It was decided to let Chris's parents start, and he assigned one of the better members of his sales team to feel out Christine's needs while he worked with the older couple. A few hours later, paperwork was being signed for the two sweetheart deals.



Chris's parents chose an Accord that was nicely optioned out, and John worked with the business office to squeeze enough trade-in value out of the old car, and combined that with the insurance money so that they only ended up paying about $1200 difference, and that was mostly the fees. On paper, the purchase price was $1 over invoice.



Christine made it no secret that she needed her car to come very close to the amount on that check without going over. Any less, and she'd feel like she betrayed the spirit of the gift. The saleswoman first came up with the logical solution of a near-base Accord model, too. But after test driving it, Christine didn't feel it suited her. The lady called her manager's cell phone, since he was out on a drive with the parents. A new idea surfaced and was pitched to Christine. After that test drive, she fell in love. The end result was a hybrid Civic, and to get the most out of the check, it was loaded up with options like fog lights, leather interior, CD changer, and navigation system. The final setup put the retail over $30,000, and the saleswoman got a little put off that John authorized massaging the numbers so that Christine's total out-of-pocket cost matched her check. But, the manager assured her he would comp her paycheck for selling the vehicle under invoice. He also put the other purchase under her name to appease her.



All parties were pleased by the end of the transactions, and Chris's parents asked their son if he, too wanted to buy a vehicle. John apologized, unaware that there might have been a third deal. Chris played down the worry, saying he had his heart set on a pickup. John brought up his used inventory on his computer, not wanting to ask Chris to hobble around the lot aimlessly. Then came the news that dismayed Chris. 



Only two trucks were on-site, one was just traded in and in such poor condition, it was doomed to the liquidator auctions. The other sounded good...a couple of years old, low miles, and in good shape. But, the price was far over what Chris could pay today. Impulsively, he said he could pay the difference with a loan, since he got a new job, but John stopped him. He took Chris to the side and discretely counseled him that a smarter option would be to be patient, and search Craigslist for gems. He gave some tips on what to look for, most notably mileage and years within warranty. He promised that in the meantime, he'd use his contacts to keep an eye out for what Chris was looking for.



A porter was summoned to shuttle the family to lunch or where ever while the new cars were being detailed. When they returned from the mall a couple of hours later, the cars were ready, and everyone left with smiles.



That evening, Christine was on Chris's bed upstairs, watching him start his search of Craigslist. She was laying on her belly, and it was only a few moments later that her head fell onto her crossed arms in slumber. A post on the seventh page caught his eye, and he read it over and over, making sure he read it right. Year old truck, 5K miles, diesel 4x4, price - $25,000, cash. He responded to the email, knowing that the poster just had forgotten to take it down. No way it could still be available.



He gave up looking for the night, kneeled next to Christine and started rubbing her back without intentions. Not that there could be, his parents room was across the hall. Besides, it just felt like a good thing to do.



She moaned that it was feeling nice, and asked him if he wanted to come with her to let Pepper out. It was tempting since he knew what the visit over there would lead to, but he decided against doing so. He had spent a lot of time away from home, and he just didn't want to hear his stepdad's irritated sigh if he passed by him on the way out. So, she settled for letting him do his back rub on her before telling him good night...along with a guilt trip of making her enter her house alone.



That ploy actually worked...sort of. Sure enough, his dad was watching TV and Chris said he was going over to make sure the house was clear for Christine. His dad told him to stay, that he would follow Christine over, and make sure she made it in okay. No need for her to drive there, back here, then back over again. So that's what happened. He didn't just watch her go inside, he followed her in and made a quick check around. When Rex outside, and Lady and Pepper inside didn't seem agitated, and the house was checked, he wished his future daughter-in-law a good night and left. Christine let her dogs out while thinking that Chris's dad might be strange, but he still cared. She did a few chores, let the two dogs in and fed them, and called it a night. 



The room was dark, not even the usual glow from the light at the far corner of her driveway was shining in. Chills tingled down her spine as Christine felt that she wasn't alone in her room. "Pepper?" she whispered to no response. There was a rustle then a thud near the foot of her bed, and she bolted upright in startle.



"Hello, Christine," a rough voice taunted. "I've been watching you. You're not so perfect. Not like you make yourself to be."



"What are you doing in my room?" she asked, frightened.



"Oh, I'm here to find out how naughty you can be," he hissed as a dark hand streaked toward her neck.



Suddenly she was in the passenger seat of an old car. It smelled of stale cigars and beer, and they were flying down a deserted road at what seemed to be a thousand miles an hour. She looked around her, desperately trying to find a handle, window, anything she could use to escape. To her horror, there was only him and the tunnel of headlight-illuminated trees they were flying through.



"Where are you taking me?" she demanded. That came out surprisingly strong.



A chuckle. "To heaven," he said huskily. "Well, heaven for me...you? I'm afraid it might feel closer to hell."



"Where's Chris?"



The voice laughed. "Chris? Who's Chris? If he were any kind of man, he certainly wouldn't have left you all alone in that big house."



"I had Pepper with me." God, that sounded like a pitiful excuse right now.



"Your dog was much too easy. She didn't even yelp when I threw her against the wall."



"What kind of sick bastard are you?"



The car was stopped now. When did that happen? Christine was laying with her head against the armrest of the door, her naked legs sprawled across the center console. The gearshift handle dug into the outside of her upper thigh.



"Now, if you just lay just like that and take it like the slut I know you to be, I might not kill you."



She felt his angry shaft dig against her inner thigh, hot and steel hard. Christine thought hard about what she could do, fighting and grasping at any possibility, but the answer always came back with nothing. She couldn't even twist her legs to the side to so much as resist. A scream formed from deep inside her when she felt the fiery point cross over and position itself for its violation of her.



Her screams echoed off the sides of the car, enveloping everything around her, and she felt a long tongue licking across her forehead. The intruder turned furry and smelled like flea dip...



Christine woke with a start, hearing herself screaming at the top of her lungs, and Pepper was frantically licking her face. The screams subsided when she started to realize she was in her room. Panting, she clasped her arms around her dog, whimpering her name. She was covered in sweat, her underwear drenched, and the sheets stuck to her back. Pepper licked a couple more times, whining.



"Okay, Pepper. I'm okay," she said while her heart started slowing from overdrive. "Just a bad dream. I'm okay. Whew...oh my God, where did that come from?"



Christine laid there a few minutes, allowing her breath to catch up and the trembling in her hands to stop. Her mind tried to analyze what might have sparked the nightmare. The last few days had been excellent to her. She had left her mom's Suburban at Chris's house since she had driven her new car home, but she was going to walk over today to retrieve it. There was one possibility, but it didn't seem to fit. She was only teasing about the empty house, so that she could maybe hump Chris like a lost rabbit a few more times. Maybe God was "getting her" for lying. She looked up at the ceiling. "Okay, I won't contrive things to get laid anymore, alright?" There was predictably no response, so she added, "Please no more dreams like that one."



Her phone rang as she was getting out of the shower. Chris said that he got a response to his email, and that the truck was still available, and he wanted to go see it. She told him she would walk over so she could pick up her mom's truck and she'd see him in whatever time was necessary to get ready to do so.



He had to wait only about 20 minutes before she let herself into the house. She shied away from his hello embrace, stating that she had a bad dream.



"Just...I think it would help me if you'd let me initiate the next contact, okay?" she had said.



Chris tried to press her in concern, but she didn't elaborate. A few minutes later, they were headed up to where Chris was directed to meet with the seller. The truck was better than advertised, having lots of extras that were not mentioned in the posting. It was a metallic white Ford super-duty King Ranch 4x4 with a crew cab, running boards on the sides, brush bar that guarded the front, a four light off road bar above the cab, and a two tank spare fuel pod in place of a toolbox at the front of the bed. The interior was plush with a CD player, leather seats, extra power ports for laptops and cell phone charging, and electronic knob control for engaging the on-demand four wheel drive.



Chris questioned why it was being sold at that price. The story was that it was purchased by the owners for a small tree service company they ran. But, shortly after laying out the cash for it, the demand for their services tanked along with the economy, and now they were needing to get what they could out of the truck to move to the Northwest and try their luck there. The reason it wasn't picked up yet is that none of the potential buyers had the cash, or didn't want a customized truck.



He loved it as soon as they pulled up. It looked tough, and went along with his "Be Prepared" personality. The advertised price was less than half what Chris guessed to be the sticker price would be if new. His mind was made up.



"I'm unwilling to carry twenty-five thousand in bills on me."



"Well, we need cash, son."



"I can understand that. Can you understand why I wouldn't want to carry that any further than a bank lobby?"



"I suppose so, but we can't go any further down than what we listed it for."



"No, I know. I have the money available. Would you be willing to come with me to my local bank branch? They might even have a way to deposit it into your account electronically. Would be safer for both of us."



"Sure, why not? It's only time I'm wasting if you don't have it. I'll bring the title with me in case you do. They can witness the signature at the same time. What bank you use?"



Chris told him, and the guy said he knew of a branch not far away. They followed him there, and a lengthy discussion with the branch manager ensued, regarding the check deposit only a day before. At last Chris convinced the manager to look up the image of the held check, and after putting two and two together about Chris and the show, an EFT was set up to get the funds from Leno's account instantly. The discussion turned to what would satisfy the seller, and he settled for a cashier's check, since he now didn't need to fear a counterfeit check being handed to him. The title was signed and witnessed, and he handed Chris the keys, thanking him for pretty much bailing him out of a tight spot.

<hr pg="3" />Outside the bank, Christine needled Chris. "Okay, genius. How are you planning on getting it home?"



He admitted that he didn't think that far ahead. "I guess I could call Dad to meet us here when he gets off work."



She rolled her eyes. "There'd still be a car left without a driver."



The seller turned around before getting into his car. "He can drive can't he..." The sentence trailed off when he saw the boot on Chris's right foot. "Ohh...well, where do you live?"



Chris told him the general area.



"That's not all that far away, so I'll deliver the truck there. Meet me back at the house and I'll have my wife follow us."



"Thanks, but we'll figure something out...even if I have to take this boot off."



The guy chuckled. "It might be dark by the time you figure it out, it seems. Please, it's the least I could do for taking the truck off our hands. Besides, we can deposit this check on the way back and pay some bills."



It was agreed, and by the time his parents got home from work, Chris's new truck was parked out front.



His mom cooked dinner with Christine helping, and the bulk of the conversations was about the new cars. His dad said that he would trim the tree that hung over the driveway in back, and move the new truck tomorrow afternoon to where his Firebird used to sit. As much as Chris made fun of Christine driving her mom's "beast," the Suburban looked like a puppy next to his truck, and the acquisition never would have cleared the branches of the oak tree.



The dishes were finished, and they all retired to watch TV in the den. Christine laid out on the couch, her sandals on the floor next to her. Chris sat in the upright chair next to the television, watching it from the harsh angle. This intrigued his mom. Normally, the two would sit up on the couch, nestled against each other. Chris didn't complain but looked uncomfortable in the hard chair. She asked him to go with her to the kitchen so she could show him something.



Once alone, she asked why they weren't sitting together, and he told her about Christine having a bad dream. He didn't know what it was about, but suspected it might be related to her being in the house alone. Either way, Christine seemed to need some space for now. His mom nodded and went back in the den to offer Chris's old room downstairs for tonight.



"Really?" Christine asked readily. She was starting to admit to herself that she was dreading going back to her house.



"Sure. Just for tonight until your parents get back home tomorrow."



"Thanks!" Christine beamed and started putting her sandals on. "I gotta let the dogs out and feed them, but I'll be right back. It really means a lot to me."



Before Chris could offer, his dad popped up from the recliner. "I'll go with you, C. I can take care of your dogs while you get some things together to bring over for the night."



The two left and Chris had a puzzled look on his face. "What's with Dad suddenly?" he asked his mom.



"He really likes her. And, since she's going to be family soon, he's helping her out."



"Yeah, but to offer to trim the tree so my truck will fit? I could do that myself in a couple of weeks. Wouldn't hurt the truck to be in front that short of time."



His mom hugged him. "Just accept it. What he doesn't say in words, he makes up for in actions. He loves you both."



Later on that night when everyone in the house had gone to bed, Christine climbed the stairs into Chris's room. She sat on his bed and enveloped him in a tight hug.



"Thanks for being understanding with me today," she said. "That dream really had me spooked."



"What was it about?"



She shook her head. "I don't want to get into it. Not sure where it came from, I've been so happy lately."



"I love you," he said.



"Love you, too."



They kissed for a few minutes before she went back to her room for the night.



Chris and Christine didn't see each other much after breakfast the next morning. She had to pick up her parents from the airport, so his mom took him out to the insurance office so they could change the vehicles on their policies. His doctor also wanted to see him at the hospital for another follow-up. After that was lunch and clothes shopping for his new job.



Christine welcomed her parents with hugs that were returned just as fiercely. There was a celebratory lunch, and when they got home, her parents inspected and fawned over her new car. The rest of the afternoon was spent with Christine presenting her slideshow of pictures taken on the trip.



The two families met the next morning at church with no shortage of hugs. At one point during the Mass, their pastor announced the engagement to the congregation, and the couple stood to acknowledge the solid round of applause. Everyone was very happy to see that the pair they watched grow up together had made a commitment to each other. Then, it was announced that Chris would be taking over the diocese youth office tomorrow. There was another round of hopeful applause, as the youth program had seemed a bit lost over the last year. It would be nice to see better direction in the future.



They all had brunch after Mass, chatting excitedly about the events that took place over the last week that would eventually join the two families.



"So, when is the wedding?" asked Christine's mom.



CC looked at each other. Through all this, they hadn't thought about when. "We haven't gotten that far," admitted Christine.



"Maybe a long engagement? Wait until we're done with school?" suggested Chris.



That was considered at length by all. There seemed to be some hesitation from the parents, but Chris and Christine were content to wait until then. In the end, it was tentatively agreed that the date would be determined sometime in the future.



Chapter 32



Christine picked up her new boss the next morning, and they arrived at the office at 8. The first part of the day was spent on hiring paperwork, the most unusual piece being the morality clause. By signing, the employee agreed that should they ever be caught or arrested doing something that could embarrass the diocese, or cause harm to any child, the employment would be terminated, regardless of the outcome at a trial. She joked to him that any ideas he might have about "public fun" were out of the question. Once the packs of papers were complete, there was a tour of the office that included introductions, which benefited the couple more than anyone else.



After lunch was an office meeting that the bishop called, and to start it off, he offered "CC" warm congratulations on their engagement. Christine was surprised that he actually used their school's pet name for them. The meeting was designed to acquaint the pair on how each department worked, and what resources were available to Catholics in the area. At the end, he asked Chris for his plan on how to "right the ship" of the neglected youth program. His answer impressed the room, and surprised Christine, since she thought he would be stumped as this was his first day there.



"Well," began Chris. "Young people are very passionate when motivated. If there is a clear goal, they will work towards it, sometimes to the detriment of other things in their lives. Especially if they can see how their work would visibly benefit the greater good. For the college and high school groups, I'd like to start a project called 'Unity Through Community Action.'"



The opening statement resulted in a number of people leaning forward on the table to hear more. The bishop himself rested his elbows on the conference table with his hands clasped before him. Chris spent the next half hour detailing what was in his head, ranging from compiling a database that could be sorted by each youth volunteer's strengths and assets, to getting professionals to volunteer time to teach skills like first-aid, event planning, and effective communication. He envisioned getting to a point that the parish youths could be collectively viewed by the community as a valuable asset when needed. There would be monthly meetings for emerging leaders, and quarterly get-together events to facilitate cohesion with the rest of the volunteers.



There was a general consensus that his idea meshed well with the teachings of the Church, and he was given the green light to start organizing the movement. Then he was asked what he planned for the younger children. Chris's response was that the children's part of the youth program seemed at first glance to be the most stable from what he had witnessed at his parish. He said that for now, at least, he would seek to maintain the program at its current level, with occasional performance reviews of the religious education teachers that were involved with the non-parochial school students.



The meeting was closed and most went home at this point. Chris and Christine headed back to their office to get a couple more hours of work in.



"You know you just tripled my workload?" she said to him.



"Nah. I'll do the legwork on the project, if you keep doing what you were planning on doing."



"Okay..." she said, not at all convinced.



But, true to his word, that's pretty much what happened. She knew she was only temporarily there, so she worked her tail off to get the office set up for her successor, trying to get things where everything Chris needed would be easy to find for whomever the next receptionist would be. Christine built a directory consisting of nearly any number that would possibly be needed in their office. Near the end of her short tenure, she printed out a hardcopy that was organized by category. It was later called "The Yellow Pages of the Diocese" by envious co-workers. The other projects she took on included tackling the confused jumble of books in Chris's office, and reworking the layout of furniture in the reception area. All this took time, and none of it was completed until about a week before she left for college. 



Her most prized accomplishment, oddly enough, was convincing her pastor to donate a flatscreen and Wii console for the reception area. She purchased two white boards and organized Wii bowling and tennis tournaments for the area youth leaders and office mates. Anyone in a parish was invited, and several would occasionally stop by, but those two were the most regular groups. Their office became a popular hangout on Friday afternoons once she had it all set up.



Chris spent many hours on the phone to put his plan in motion. The first step was a conference call with all the parishes' youth directors to sell the idea to them and get their feedback. He used a very good idea that was brought up in that call, and organized a potluck/field day/meet-and-greet party for all the area youth. After ensuring the information was filtered down through the parishes, he picked several of the more active non-Catholic churches and invited their youth to attend. The bishop caught wind of the party and warned him of one reservation he had. The event had to get insured. Chris apologized for not thinking of that, but the bishop dismissed it and said it was all part of learning. The insurance rider cost would come out of Chris's budget.



The field day was a huge success. He stopped the activities after about an hour for a meeting, joking that it was the price of admission. The "UAC" concept was pitched and the attending youth jumped at the chance to volunteer. Before the end of the picnic and field day, meeting places and times were being organized among the youth without being prompted.



Later in the week they started their jobs, Chris received a letter that was forwarded from NBC. It was a letter of congratulations from a viewer who was moved by the show they appeared on. The bottom line was that she felt that the couple who endured so much should have an easier start to the rest of their lives. To make her point, there was a check enclosed for $2500. CC discussed extensively with their parents as to what should be done with the check. It was tempting to keep, but they felt guilty to profit from a story that was made so public due to the loss of their friends. Giving the check back to the donor would likely hurt her feelings. In the end, they decided a compromise was best, keeping half for themselves, and depositing the other half in a separate savings account.



If one gift was made from viewers, it was possible there would be others later. So, the idea was to keep the separate account for a couple of weeks, then split that money among the families of their classmates. Well, donations rolled in after that, and a bank manager approached them to suggest a trust. In the end, the trust got administered by Sister Collins. The families were told of the trust, and it was decided to reserve the amount for their requests for a year. After that, the account was advertised for donations in the diocese and it was reserved to fund tuition scholarships for students who otherwise could not afford to attend Catholic High. The Trust of Light exists to this day, replenished continually by local parishes and alumni of the school.



At night after work during those first couple of weeks, Chris and Christine spent a couple of hours writing personal responses to the letters that poured in, thanking the generous person for their gift and detailing how the money was being put to use. They treated themselves with a few small purchases, but overall kept most of the gifts in an account to be used later on during their college years. Truth was, they were so busy that they didn't have much chance to be intimate with each other, let alone buy and use frivolous things like video games, as others in their age group might have done.



Christine had been so involved in her job, that she had almost forgotten about Auburn until she received a housing packet. She was at the kitchen table that Saturday morning, poring over dorm choices when her parents joined her for breakfast. Her sudden gasp startled them. Although her scholarship covered the total cost of on-campus housing, the amount it cost still shocked her.



"What is it?" her mom asked.



"$1800 to $3100 EACH semester?!"



"Yeah, but that covers power, water, sewer, and janitorial services for the shared bathrooms," her dad said around a bite of cereal. "Not to mention free repairs if a door breaks, or an outlet stops working."



"I sure am glad I have this scholarship. That's like a third of a mortgage payment." Dealing with several hard luck cases at the diocese office, she was getting schooled quickly in how the real world works.



Her dad looked up, as that statement just gave him an idea. "You and Chris are still getting married, right?"



She held up her left hand, displaying her ring. "Duh, Daddy."



He smiled, glad she hadn't lost her wit through the work at the office. "Well, just throwing this out there, but it would be a shame to throw away 20 grand at the end of four years on a room you won't ever use again."



Her mom was confused now. "What are you getting at?"



"Yeah, Daddy?"



"Why don't you buy a house near campus?"



Christine laughed. "Psht. Like we could do THAT."



"Why not?"



"No credit, not enough for a down payment, no income...to name a few reasons."



"If you use Chris's income...you said you were getting married," he suggested. "He makes plenty to buy a house now. And, his parents are going to let him stay at home until you graduate, right?"



"That's the plan." Christine folded her arms against her chest, and she was acutely aware of her thumbnail when it grazed across her nipple through her shirt. It had been almost a month now since her and Chris last had sex back in California. She was itching for his touch again, and pretty sure he was randy as well, but there just weren't any opportunities at either parents' houses, and no time for anywhere else. She shook her head clear of her daydream. Must be horny, she thought, to be thinking about that during this serious conversation. "That still leaves the issue of no down payment."



"There's that account with half the money you received from the Tonight Show audiences," her mother reminded. "Or, have you two spent it already?"



"When could we have? No, it's still there, but not really enough for a down payment. Besides, we were hoping to have some of it available for the wedding and honeymoon."



"Then I'll make a deal with y'all," said her dad. "If you use half of that gift money for a down payment, I'll match it double."



"What? That's a lot of money, Daddy. I couldn't ask you to do..."



"You're not. I'm asking YOU. Besides, how many more brothers and sisters do you have behind you?"



"Well, none. But..."



"But nothing. Happy graduation!"



"You didn't do this for Tom, or Mary, or..."



"Eh, consider it a perk for being the baby of the family. Just don't tell any of them."



"Thanks! A lot! But I wouldn't feel right for Chris to pay the mortgage all alone."



"Still with the objections, huh? We'll talk with the scholarship board and get your housing part applied toward the mortgage payments." He cocked a grin out of the side of his mouth. "Anything else keeping you from saying yes?"



"What about after I graduate? I don't think we'd want to live in Auburn...certainly not next to the university."



"Then rent it out after you leave and get some income out of it...or sell it."



"You have an answer for everything, don't you Daddy?" She ran around the table to hug her dad.



"I try," he said with a smile.



Her hug lingered around her dad, then she jumped up. "I'll go pitch it to Chris," she said suddenly as she snatched her keys and purse off the kitchen counter and flew out the door.



Christine parked in back and let herself in through the garage. She found him lounging on the sofa in the den, sprawled out in a t-shirt and jean shorts, tapping out an email on his Android. She launched herself in a hop and landed on his lap.



"Oof! Hey, C!" he greeted her with a kiss.



His mom giggled from her seat in the nearby recliner. "You're awfully spunky this morning, Christine."



"What are y'all watching?" she asked all bubbly, though it was obvious that the Weather Channel was on.



"Oh just waiting for the next tropical update," Chris said. "Exciting, huh?"



"Mmm boy! Y'all sure know how to live it up!" she agreed sarcastically. Still sitting on his lap, she sat back against the cushion to let him see the segment that started to play.



Most of the news was about three storms far out into the Pacific, and there was a brief mention of a wave coming off the African coast before the station went back to commercials.



"Now that you can see we're still 'all clear,' you wanna hear why I came over?" she asked.



"Oh, I just thought you wanted to see me," Chris feigned disappointment.



She rewarded his fishing expedition with a peck on the lips. "Well, that too. But, Daddy wanted me to ask you something."



Christine went on to relate the house idea, and while Chris was silent through most of it, his mom came up with nearly the same objections Christine did earlier. She gave the same answers her dad gave her, but Chris's mom was wary about him signing a mortgage for a place he wouldn't even be in.



"Are you two really getting married?" she asked in accusation.



Christine held her hand up for the second time that day. "You gave us the ring..."



"Yes, but you haven't begun to talk about even when or where the wedding would be held."



"Mom," Chris warned.



"No, really Chris. Don't you see my point? What if you sign for this house, and something unforeseen happens between you two. You could be stuck holding the bag."



"That won't happen," argued Christine.



"No?"



"No."



"You're so sure about that? Okay, let me approach it from another angle. When was the last time you and Chris rolled in the hay?"



"Mom!" shouted Chris.



"Oh stuff it, Christopher. I'm not stupid," she chastised. Turning back to Christine, "So?"

<hr pg="4" />"In LA," Christine admitted quietly.



"I figured. You know why? I can see you're getting antsy. If I weren't here right now, I'd bet my shorts that you'd be fooling around with him on the sofa. Imagine you're feeling like this while you're away at school. Some guy catches your eye, a friendly lunch turns to wine..."



"That won't happen," Christine said with a clenched jaw.



"No? Not even if a Matthew McConaughey reincarnation was that friend? Remember you've been without sex for a while in this situation."



"No. That's not fair."



"Yeah, kinda below the belt, Mom," Chris chipped in.



"I said stay out of it, Chris," his mom shot back. "No possibility there at all?"



"No! I'm only horny now because I miss being with Chris outside of work." The pressure his mom was putting on was forcing admissions she normally wouldn't make.



"That's my point. You'll really miss Chris when you can't even see him for long stretches. Do you think he'll be able to forgive you if you slip up?"



That was answered with fire from her eyes. "I won't slip up," Christine said defiantly.



"Maybe, maybe not. It's harder for guys to resist girls who tempt them. Would you be able to forgive Chris if he hit it off with someone here who could take care of his needs whenever he wanted?"



The argument hit home and Christine's eyes flooded with tears. That scenario could actually happen. She saw how the older girls in the youth groups looked at him during the summer picnic. Some of the younger ones, too. Several were frequent visitors to their office, seeking to spend time by just chatting with someone. The thought shook her. "Are you asking my permission for Chris to cheat?"



"No, I wouldn't do that. But, could you handle it if he did?"



"Mom, stop! I wouldn't."



Christine put a hand up to stop him. "No, I don't think I could handle that," she conceded.



"You wouldn't have to, because I won't cheat. There's no one in the world I'd want to do that with," Chris affirmed.



It made her feel better, but Christine continued anyway. "I already feel like we're married. I trust Chris almost more than I trust my own parents. That's what marriage is built on, right? Love and trust? If he decided to break that trust, then yes, our relationship would probably be over." After a pause she added, "But, he wouldn't have to worry about that for long, because I think I'd kill him. Well, after I chopped his balls off and served them to his mistress on a bed of spaghetti."



There was some silence before the last sentence sent the three into uncontrollable giggles.



"That's all I wanted," his mom said after getting her laughter under control.



"A laugh?" questioned Chris.



"No, you idiot. I wanted you two to think about the risks before taking on such a big deal as buying a house."



The harsh interrogation caused Christine to forget that she was still in Chris's lap. Her behind and back started protesting the uncomfortable position, and she slid to sit on the floor between his legs. "I appreciate your intention, Mrs...uh, Mom." She was still getting used to calling her by the recently requested name. "But, couldn't you have just said that's what you wanted?"



"Yes, and then what? Get the usual teenaged hohum answers of 'yeah, sure, okay?'"



The den fell silent, as the three thought about things. The TV was displaying yet another local weather slideshow set to elevator music. Chris absently played with her hair before him. It always resulted in tangles that she'd have to brush out later, but it was a small price to pay for the endearing feeling it gave her.



He broke into the quiet. "You'd really cut my nuts off?"



* * *



They received permission to take Wednesday through the weekend off for house hunting. Chris's parents elected to stay home, but Christine's parents organized the trip. They had left work early on Tuesday, meeting with a lender, and scored pre-approval. Piled into the Suburban, the four started their six hour journey to Auburn early the next morning. First was lunch, then the afternoon was spent with a realtor recommended to her dad through a rather lengthy chain of contacts. The idea of house shopping seemed like fun, but actually going through the business of touring houses a few miles apart was actually grueling. By the time dinner was over and they were checking into the hotel, the family was spent from the fruitless search. The houses they saw were either too run down, too far away from campus, or too far out of budget. Her dad started questioning the recommendation.



CC were too drained to pay attention at check-in, and were shocked when her mom handed them keycards to an adjoining room.



"You two have been pretty tied up the last few weeks, so I thought I'd let y'all get some frustration out of your systems," her dad said.



"Daddy..." Christine blushed.



"Just try to make it so we don't have to hear, okay sweetie?" added her mom with a wink before disappearing into their own room.



They stood before their door, dumbfounded. "Were they serious? Or is it a trap?" asked Chris.



"I don't know," she said with a pause. "You know what? I don't care...I'm horny, so just get in the room!"



Their clothes were off in a flash, and Chris hovered over Christine on the bed, kissing and fondling her. He lowered himself down on top of her, poised to enter heaven.



"You're still on the pill, right?"



"Yes, you know me...forever the optimist in this regard. So, go right ahead."



"Good," he grinned as he sank inside her.



Both grunted at the same time in utter satisfaction. "Ooh...something is different this time," she sighed.



"Bad?"



"No...good. It's just different."



A couple of strokes went by before he answered. "No boot this time," he breathed in her ear.



That was the "different". His ankle had been injured ever since they started romancing the sheets, and to do the blissful thing they were doing now, she was always on top. Now that it was nearly back to 100%, the missionary position was completely new to her. With him on top, she still moved her hips to what she judged was the best effect, but it was a reaction to his movements. The unpredictable rhythm changes sent thrills through her, and kept her guessing and wanting more. Christine found she could also relax a bit more and just relish at times what was being done to her. She definitely had figured out the pluses of being on top, but there certainly was something to be said for being on the bottom, as well.



Christine could see in her dad's face the next morning that today was a last chance for realty lady. If it didn't go well, or at least come close to what she needed, he was probably going to fire her and find a new agent. When they met her, it seemed that she somehow knew it as well. Or, at least replayed yesterday's conversations in her head and actually listened this time. She greeted them with a renewed pep. Chris said later at dinner that it was more like a hyper chihuahua that O.D.'d on caffeine. Christine nearly snorted soda out her nose on that remark.



The agent rapid-fired a string of sentences that would have to be repeated twice to understand, and finished with something they did understand. That through her research late into the night, she found what they were looking for. It was an estate offering that was put on the market day before last.



Once he squeezed between Christine and her mom in the back seat of the realtor's car, Chris grumbled into Christine's ear, "Why would she think we need an estate? What does she think we have? Millions?"



She elbowed him in the ribs while grinning, thinking that he was joking. But his expression said otherwise. "I thought you'd remember that from your grandmother passing away?"



He shook his head.



Christine rolled her eyes. "Well, in this case, the owner has died. The person or committee who is taking care of his or her final business, in other words, the 'estate', is selling the house. Probably to make it easier to split up assets to multiple heirs or maybe to settle a final debt."



Chris stared at her with wide eyes. "And you know all this, how?"



She snorted in frustration with him that he didn't notice who all she talked to when at work. "Rosemary in Finance and I have gotten to be decent friends in the office while waiting our turns at the copier."



About fifteen minutes later, they pulled into a driveway shaded by a huge magnolia tree. The houses were rather close here, so Chris wondered which yard belonged to the driveway they were in. To his relief, the realtor led them to the right. It was a moderately sized two story house, much smaller than the ones either of them grew up in. The front was quaint, with a classic porch that had been screened in covering the length of the front wall. The small front yard had no grass, only bare dirt and roots from the gorgeous tree they parked under. Brick covered the first floor walls, and vinyl siding had been recently installed on the second story. The house was older, and the roof showed its age, but it was promising to Chris.



The agent led them back to the driveway and presented an exterior staircase that led to the private apartment on the second floor. Chris's eyes lit up and he was sold at that point. They could have a renter to help offset the mortgage. A detached garage echoing the architecture of the house was in back, along with a small patch of earth directly behind the house that could pass as a tiny yard, or manageable garden. Much of the space was taken up by a large, well-kept deck leading off from the kitchen. They climbed the steps of the deck, and the agent took them inside through the kitchen/back door.



She apologized for running the tour in the opposite direction than normal (coming in through the front door), but she felt that CC would get a better feel of the house, if they entered like they were coming home from the store. The kitchen cabinets and appliances were unmistakeably bottom-shelf, but were updated and new only two years ago. All the flooring in the house, this room was vinyl, had been replaced at the same time the kitchen was redone. Stepping out of the kitchen brought you into the living room, and a low hung light hinted where a dining table should go off to the side. The opposite wall held doors to the bathroom, bookended by two bedrooms. A staircase ran up along the wall of the kitchen.



The agent took them upstairs and clicked off the deadbolt on the door at the top. There was a bedroom, living/study area, kitchenette, and a bathroom. The upstairs had obviously been converted from its original design to make it a separate apartment, but everything a college student needed to live here was in place. They looked at the exterior staircase, and it was solid. Either it was added or replaced along with the deck out back.



Christine had them stay upstairs to turn on faucets and walk around while she went downstairs. She was checking on what noise there would be if she had a neighbor up there. Surprisingly, there was only one minor creak, and it could only be heard in the kitchen. When she returned to join the group, she mentioned that she didn't even hear water rushing through the pipes. The agent took them back outside to show why. When the upstairs got remodeled, a separate meter for power and water were installed when the house got rewired and re-plumbed seven or eight years ago. The water supply pipe for upstairs ran up inside an exterior wall.



They were shown the detached garage next, which was little more than a sturdy shelter for a small car plus room for a small assortment of lawn equipment. Judging by the bare landscaping, that space was likely used for extra storage of junk. The small strip the weathered driveway squeezed through between the houses meant that the apartment dweller would have to park on the street, apparently common practice if you looked up and down the tree shaded ribbon of asphalt.



The realtor could tell by body language that the young couple was interested, and better yet, they were thinking. She said that she'd leave them for a moment and would be on the deck out back if they had questions.



When the lady was out of earshot, Christine turned to Chris. "I want it, I want it, I want it! Can I have it, please?" she asked in her best excited little girl's voice.



He and her parents laughed.



"It's a party house," her mom commented. "Did you see that deck out back? There's water rings where the kegs sat." She tapped the hard crust under her feet. "This yard has probably been packed with a hundred kids all at once on a number of times."



"It would be only if I wanted it. How many parties have I been to, Mom? I mean the kind you're thinking takes place here?"



"I don't know. Two?"



"NONE! How many have I been invited to? About a dozen. It's not my scene. The deck would be nice if I have a few friends over, but I certainly won't be holding keggers like you're imagining." She slipped her arm into Chris's. "What do you think, baby?"



"The extra income from upstairs would be nice."



Her shoulders slumped. "Turn off the businessman for a minute. What do you think about me living here?"



"Well, now that we're here, I'm not sure I like the idea of you living alone. It has some age, but it's been updated and kept up. I won't have to spend my weekends up here doing your yard work, that for sure. But what matters is what you think. What do you like about this house?"



"It's kinda small, if I don't use the upstairs, but that makes it feel cozy. School is only four or five blocks away, so I could walk to class if I really wanted. Yeah, it's old, and certainly not what I'm used to at home, but for some reason I feel like it's mine already."



They chatted a bit more about what they've seen, while Dr. Barron inspected different points on the outside of the building. A few minutes later, the realtor returned.



"Well, what do you think?" she asked.



"It's kinda small," Christine said intending for the statement to be a compliment.



The lady saw it as an objection, though. "Well, I don't think you've seen the porch yet."



She led them up the set of steps in front, unlocked the storm door and let them inside. The porch was eight feet deep and spanned the width of the house. It had a classic southern charm and Christine could picture herself reading on a swing or having a cup of coffee at a white wicker table. While the uncovered deck out back would be useful for night entertainment, this was a perfect relaxation spot for mornings or afternoons.



"If you think this is small, I could show you your last alternative that's available right now."



Wanting to keep options open, her dad agreed, saying they would bookmark this house as a possibility. The agent made a call, then asked them to get in the car.



Christine was confused when they drove onto campus. They parked near a freshly constructed set of buildings known as "The Village." A university representative allowed them inside and took them to a dorm on the second floor and let the realtor do the rest.



"These are called 'super suites' and from what I've seen of your personality, the best match of student housing to your style. Most are like this one &#x2013; four single bedrooms, two baths, and a shared living/dining area. They afford as much privacy as possible in a shared living setup."



She peeked into one of the bedrooms. "This is tiny!" she exclaimed.



"10 and a half by 8 and a half. The largest bedrooms for a single person on campus."



"The sink and vanity aren't even in the bathroom. We'd be climbing all over each other in the morning to get ready." She wheeled and popped Chris's arm. "Don't even say it."



He laughed. "What?"



"I know what you were thinking. A bunch of half-dressed girls squeezing together to get a piece of the mirror..."



The realtor grinned. "Anyway, these are really nice dorms...I'm jealous that I didn't have this when I went here. I have an 'in' with the housing department and could make sure you get picked for one of these. But, they're about three grand each semester."



They were fresh and new, and something told Christine that the setup really was the cream of the crop for dorms. But, after seeing the house, this was a bit of a letdown. "I don't know," she said and left it at that.



"Okay, so you have three options right now for being close to campus. The house we saw earlier, this dorm, or an apartment. And that house is the only one relatively nearby within the budget you told me. Unless you want to keep looking, although you'd definitely have to drive in to reach campus."



Chris inhaled deeply in a sigh. "Let's go back to the house we saw this morning."



The group stood in the front yard again while Christine sat on the front steps, already making herself at home. Her dad asked some questions about the neighborhood and they learned that about 40% of the houses were rentals with about 2/3 of those rented to university staff. That number was slightly skewed, though, because it was common for four, five, and even six students to share a house in order to afford the rent. About half of the non-rented properties were longtime residences, last being on the market over ten years ago. She asked if they wanted to hear about schools in the area, and Dr. Barron said it was unnecessary, since this was going to be an investment property. Unless Christine and Chris might want to stay past graduation?



Christine shook her head emphatically no. The realtor finished her sales pitch by running down other location matters like grocery and mall shopping, restaurants that were in the area, as well as noting the fast food joints that ringed the campus, banks, and churches. When she was done she asked, "So, do you want to make an offer?"



They did, and went back to her office to do the paperwork. Christine's dad took over drawing up the bid. The purchase price was offered at $10,000 below asking, and included allowances for a new roof, heating and air conditioning units, fence for the back yard, and replacing two windows that were cracked or fogged. The agent expressed doubt that the bid would be accepted, since the asking price was already low at $129,000. The bid would only give the seller about $90,000. Dr. Barron stood firm and said that if the seller refused, they could rebid.



Christine was browsing racks at an Auburn apparel store in the mall after lunch when her dad's phone rang. When he came back after stepping away, he was all smiles.



"It was accepted!" he announced.



Store clerks be damned, Christine jumped into his arms with joy. "Really? Thank you so much, Daddy!"



He kissed her on the cheek. "You're welcome, sweetheart. But remember, I'm only giving you most of the deposit. The payments will be on y'all."



Chris came up and expressed his sincere gratitude to her parents as well. He paid for Christine's selections, and they left the mall to start writing their names hundreds of times on stacks of paperwork waiting for them at the realtor and bank offices.



Chapter 33



"Chris?" Christine asked impatiently.



He was distracted, looking at a link the bishop forwarded to him from a meeting with the county emergency management team. "What?" he said dismissively.



She sighed. It finally happened that work invaded dinner. "I asked you a question. Would you put down the phone for a minute?"



"You're on yours," he replied without looking at her.



"I know. That's the reason for the question I just asked."



He read the last sentences quickly then put the phone back on his belt and looked up. "Okay, what is it?"



"Sister Cat says Cindy showed up. She wants to know what to do."



He sighed, knowing her parents were footing the bill for dinner, and work seemed to find them at the most inopportune times. Why couldn't it have been earlier? They had strolled the campus for hours, giving Christine her first real close-up look at where she would spend so much time for the next four years. Chris was glad to spend time with her, and walking while holding her hand without time crunches or deadlines was a real treat. But, one building started looking just like the one before, and HE wasn't going to be there much. He prayed for a short distraction. Just a little one to break up the monotony and keep him alert enough to interact with Christine more easily on details that she cared about but he didn't.

<hr pg="5" />"Let me talk to her," he said after considering for a second.



Christine handed her phone over, and she and her parents watched his side of the conversation.



"Hey Sister! It's Chris...She did?...Well, I said she can't be on the team...I know she's co-director and it starts tonight...How many are coming?...I see...yeah, that's pretty good for summer...No, that team can handle that many...Tell her this, a co-director is supposed to CO-operate and make every meeting...Right...Yeah, that's why we have the meetings, so you're not sitting there...Exactly...Yes, she told me that excuse...She's not prepared, though...Because I asked her about her talk, and...Right... Yes...No, not the next one either...Sorry, that's something you tell your supervisors as soon as you know about it...Exactly, not an hour before...Okay...Yeah, have a good retreat...Should be able to be there Sunday... Hang on, let me look..." He rolled his eyes and brought up a web page on his own phone. "Yes, we received his form Monday...well, what can I tell you? Things happen. Maybe handwritten on the back?...Okay, good...no problem...Okay...Alright...Well, call me if you need me...Bye."



"Sorry," he said handing her phone back. "Leadership retreat starts tonight." He was going to elaborate, but decided to stop before their eyes glazed over.



Her parents waved their hands, dismissing his apology. Lord knows how many times dinners like this were interrupted by calls to the doctor's phone. The table conversation eased back to the house being purchased, Christine's tour earlier in the day, and whether or not she was going to opt for the student meal plan now that she was going to live off-campus.



Later while alone in their room, Chris tapped out a couple of email responses, and Christine updated the diocese youth program's Facebook page. Chris finished first, put his phone on the charger, and came up behind Christine. He wrapped his arms around her midsection, leaned down and kissed her neck, using his chin to scoop aside enough of her hair to do so.



She giggled, "Hey! Let me finish this, sweetie."



He kept nuzzling anyway. "You can. I just wanted to play with that delicious neck for a bit."



Christine paused her typing on the phone long enough to give his hair a brief pet. "That's all, huh?" She betrayed her feigned annoyance by tilting her head to the side and brushing her hair back in a quick motion, giving him direct access to her vulnerable throat.



"Yep." He bent down and gave her collarbone a couple of licks. "Uh, nope, maybe not all," he said as if changing his mind.



She finally put up her Droid and just stood there to allow him to do as he wanted. Her heart fluttered, and her breathing increased as she watched in the mirror while he undressed her slowly from behind. He did so in a way that seemed to present her beauty to...well...her. It was odd, seeing only his arms wrapping around to undo the buttons of her blouse. The shirt opened, unveiling her young skin and her bra. She watched her weight shift as she spread her legs apart slightly to give her a better base against her sudden unsteadiness. Christine gasped when her bra was undone and slid slowly down her arms. The pert mounds rose and fell slightly in time to her quickening breaths. He was kissing her back, and so was out of view when the pair of hands undid her jeans, but left them over her hips.



Chris returned to a more upright position and used those hands to trace every curve of her torso. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked in her ear.



Her eyes flicked up to his in the mirror. "It's just me," she said.



"No, no. Look at the star of this scene. The girl in the picture." 



Her eyes reluctantly tore away from his to return the slight stare of embarrassment.



His hands glided over each part he was describing. The voice was soft and hypnotic. "Isn't she beautiful? Her face, so pure. Her throat, smooth and vulnerable. The collarbones providing interest. The slope of her upper chest leading the eyes down to the soft curves of her breasts. Her arms toned, elbows graceful, hands &#x2013; delicate, petite, and feminine. See how her nipples are small and soft pink. Perfect compliments to her lips. Her sides are slender and hold the perfect and unmistakeable shape of what should be female. And her stomach is soft and smooth to the touch, but firm like the athlete she is."



The hands dipped just inside the waistband of the panties that peeked through the flaps of her jeans. Christine's breath caught for a second and she was starting to tremble with sexual energy. This was so odd. It was like she was being seduced by her own image. But, it was also highly erotic. She knew Chris wanted to make love to her. That was obvious by the lump that pressed into her backside. But he was showing her WHY he wanted to make love to her, and that made her dripping wet. She was practically panting and a whimper escaped her lips.



"She must be turned on, now. See how her nipples are firming up?" he asked. "Does she turn you on?"



"Yes," she admitted in a whisper. She felt locked in her position, hips barely moving...seeking some kind of friction from her panties.



His hands left the front of her, and she groaned in protest. They returned to her body at her shoulders, the tips teasing her neck. He saw one of her hands twitch.



"What do you want to do?" he asked.



A moan escaped her lips.



"It's okay, you can show me what you need to do," he said with a voice that seemed too gentle and compassionate to be real.



The hand that barely moved now traveled over and slowly dipped into the panties. When it reached what it was searching for, Christine let out a half-moan, half-grunt. Her foot moved slightly further away from the other to allow her easier access.



"Oh yes," Chris breathed into her ear. "You see how turned on she is? She can't help it. Her needs are trumping her hesitation. Is she wet?"



A sigh broke out of her mouth. The hand was moving determinedly inside her pants. "Oh my God. So wet," she breathed.



His hand slid down under hers, and a melodic moan rewarded him. Her fingers traced between his, guiding his hand as he manipulated her. Finally, he came around in front of her, and allowed their tongues to meet and play with each other. He eased her backward until she laid on the bed and he finished undressing her.



Their first night in the room was straightforward, needed passion. Last night, they explored many different ways and positions to enjoy each other. Tonight was all about love. Making, receiving, and sharing the love they held for each other. It was unhurried, gentle, and very emotional. But most of all, it was pure, real, and absolutely wonderful.



* * *



Christine was daydreaming again. This time watching Billy swing the Wii remote around while he was working hard to defeat his opponent made of pixels had set it off. Billy is the seven year old son of one of the girls working downstairs. The babysitter had fallen through again, and Christine gladly let him play in their waiting room while he waited for his mom's eight hours of work to pass.



Kids. Would Chris want one (or more) with her? They hadn't talked about that yet. It had been nearly a week since they signed their intent to buy on the house. Closing was scheduled for three weeks from this coming Friday. It happened to be the day before her orientation. She could hardly wait. This time next month, she and Chris would be homeowners, moving her into the place she would be living the next four years.



Her daydreams were frequent now. Those three wonderful nights her parents had allowed...no... given them had resparked the romance between her and Chris. Especially the last night. Now, they frequently flirted with each other, giving loving glances and smiles. Up to that point, things had gotten a bit stale...all work and no play. Quite literally. As usual now, her daydream of having a child of her own turned into serious thought. She'd want one, didn't matter boy or girl, but it would have to be after she had settled a few years into her career as a teacher. Until then, she was sure that her classes of other people's youngsters would satiate that need and allow her to put motherhood off.



The phone rang, startling her out of her mind's vision. The bishop's secretary was calling to summon Chris to a meeting. After telling him about it and he left, she quickly looked at his appointment calendar on her computer to see if she missed that. No, either it was an unplanned meeting, or someone didn't tell her about it. It turned out to be the first one.



The wave from Africa had held itself together in its week's journey and developed into Tropical Storm Kyle south of Cuba. It was projected to enter the hot Gulf waters and take an aim on somewhere in north Florida. This would be the first test for Chris's fledgling project.



The hurricane made its slow march toward their hometown, and Christine succumbed to her fragile nerves from the ordeal in late spring, throwing up twice. Once while she was helping Chris move loose furniture out of her backyard, then again when a pine tree snapped in half with an exploding pop in her front yard during the wildest weather. Both times Chris helped her clean up and assured her that everything was going to be alright. Relief washed over her and the city when it turned out that he was right. A cold front arrived early and started its work to tear apart the storm just as it was making landfall.



Things could have been much worse. But as it were, power was out through most of the city, and fence and tree contractors would be rejoicing for months. A group of college students from a parish in Tallahassee had come over the day before, and teamed up with CC to direct traffic at several intersections where the lights were disabled. The rest of the local parishes' youth groups spread out to check on the elderly, cleaning up their yards, and then moved on to helping clean up their own church grounds. Some volunteered to help local drugstores who had limited the number of customers allowed inside at at time for security. The volunteers helped move through their lines of people waiting to get in by writing down customers' purchase prices on pads of paper to be added up by hand at checkout.



The National Guard took over traffic control the following morning, and the pastor of a satellite church on the beach called Chris to see if he would take him and a few others to see the church when the bridge reopened later that day. A 4x4 was needed, since the roads were completely washed over with sand. Chris agreed and worked with Christine and her list to call as many teens and college people with jeeps and other four-wheelers. By noon when officials opened the beach for a few hours to home and business owners, there was a convoy of 13 vehicles from the diocese that joined the pedestrian line crossing the bridge. After dropping off the pastor and his group at their church, Chris organized a shuttle service with the other teens. Together, they ferried 184 people to their damaged homes and back again at dusk.



The actions by the youth groups, now collectively called UCA, was recognized by several callers and hosts of radio talk shows. Their effort was labeled as the "bright spot" during the emergency, and when things calmed down, Chris and his network was officially included as an asset to the county emergency management office for future events.



* * *



The youth office was organized more or less to Christine's satisfaction, and when they returned a week after the hurricane, she turned her attention to helping him actually run the department. Just in time, too, because the busy back-to-school period was beginning. There were lots of calls and visits from parents. Some were asking for help to get their child into one of the parochial schools. Others wanted find an open religious education class, since their kid was attending public school. There were requests for scholarships to Catholic High, as well as inquiries into Catholic scholarships for college.



They went to dinner after a particularly long meeting with a highschooler about her troubled family and abusive boyfriend, looking forward to returning to Auburn in a couple of days.



"Think she'll break up with him?" he asked, breaking the silence.



Christine twirled a strand of fettuccine absently with her fork. "I doubt it," she sighed. "As sick as it may seem, she's accepted him as being comfortable. She knows what to expect, even if it is bad. Like us...I don't think I could leave you even if you turned asshole and started hitting me." She put the pasta in her mouth and chewed for a second. "Don't get any ideas, though. I may not leave you, but I'd certainly kill you if you started that shit."



He chuckled uneasily. "I don't think I could bring myself to hurt you. So, that won't be a problem."



She smiled, "I know. Just saying."



He finished eating and sat back. "I guess I need to find a replacement for you."



That brought a dagger of a look from her.



"For the office. You're going to be gone soon, and I'll need a new secretary."



She gulped down the food in her mouth. "Oh yeah. That! And, I prefer 'administrative assistant.'"



"Whatever," he smiled jokingly.



"Hush, you! Who are you going to get?"



"I have no idea. I guess whoever the office manager slings my way."



She giggled. "You could have Jimmy..."



His face crunched up in fierce dislike. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Spending all my time listening to his boyfriend stories, while guarding my own rear? No thanks."



Christine was playful now that she was teasing him. "Oh come on. He's sweet, and not like that at all."



"Really? Why do you think he came back from the beach with strep throat after Memorial Day weekend?" He shivered visibly. "Yuck!"



"He'd have your back..."



"Shut up!"



She was laughing now. "Then how about Becky?"



"I'd have to get a steel chair and have the cracks repaired in the floor every two weeks."



"Christopher! How can you say that about such a nice girl?"



"She's an elephant! I'm not just talking about her weight. Oh my God, her voice just makes me want to yell 'SHUT UP!'"



"Oh come on. You know you like hearing about what her evil babies did to her that day, or her ex, or the water department, or..."



"Exactly. Everything is someone else's fault. She talks about her kids like they're 3. Have you seen them?"



"No, they're like 4 and 6, aren't they?"



"14 and 16!! If she was my mom, I think I'd act out too! And don't get me started on how she addresses me... 'Mr. Zehyr, Sire.' Any time I see her, it's 'hello, sire.' Ugh!" He looked at her and saw that Christine was obviously enjoying her needling. "You're just trying to set me up with people I can't possibly like, aren't you?"



"Better that than some supermodel of a girl," she said as she took another bite.



"As long as she has some brains, I wouldn't mind."



"I'll bet." She thought through her mental list for a second. "Are you SURE you could handle an attractive and flirty girl in your office with me being away for so long?" She pursed her lips. "Let me rephrase that. Can you keep your hands to yourself if your assistant was pretty and an uncontrolled flirt?"



"I think I'm doing a pretty good job having you in the office," he offered.



"Thanks," she beamed. "But your hands are everywhere but to yourself once we get into my car or your truck."



He grinned sheepishly. "You're different. I'm going to marry you."



She sat back now that she finished eating and crossed her arms over her chest. "Not if you touch her."



"Fine," he said in an exaggerated sigh. "No more playing 'find the pen.'"



Christine squirmed at the delicious recollection of his hands searching inside her clothes for the named object when they were alone. And, she was a bit uncomfortable that their naughty game was brought up in this public restaurant. "You better not. Promise me."



"Seriously, C. I won't even be tempted."



"Heh. I doubt that with whom I have in mind. But, I'll trust that you'll keep your word to not touch her." She got up from the table.



"You're gonna leave without telling me?"



"Just going to the little girls' room to powder my nose," she said with a wink.



He paid the tab and waited for her to appear at the front of the restaurant. When she came out of the restroom, she said that he had an interview scheduled for Tuesday after they got back.



"So you're not going to tell me who?"



"Nope! It's a surprise," she said with a smile, then a kiss.



* * *



After the house passed the inspection, her family and Chris returned to Auburn for the big meeting at the realtor's office. It took about an hour and a half to sign next to the x's and get the copies notarized. Her dad co-signed the mortgage to get them a lower interest rate, then handed over the deposit check. Chris and Christine were handed the allowances check from the bank, and lastly were ceremoniously given the keys to the house. Before leaving the office, her dad stopped by the property management department to get recommendations on contractors to hire for the repairs.



They spent the last of the daylight at the house, exploring and trying to find every secret it held. Internally, Christine was already shopping and laying out furniture. The back bedroom downstairs held an unwanted surprise. The walls and carpet seemed to be a darker shade of beige than the rest of the house, and when Christine touched one of the walls, her hand came away sticky and coffee brown.



"What the crap is this?" she asked her hand.



Her dad looked over the carpet, then the telltale holes around the window. "Weed farm," he said matter-of-factly. "Rug's been cleaned, but you can still see the stain marks. They covered the window with black plastic so that people outside wouldn't be able to see the grow lights burning all night."



"Damn it!" she exclaimed, clearly upset at knowing her house used to supply the campus burn-outs with pot.



"Eh, don't worry, C. We can redo the walls with Kilz and replace the carpet in here. Let's go, it's getting dark," suggested Chris.



"But why didn't we see this before?" she whined.



Her dad surmised that the air conditioner was probably turned off when they made their bid, and that the evaporated residue started leeching out of the walls. Might also be why they got such a good deal on the place.



While Christine was busy at orientation, her parents and Chris worked with the house. Her dad lined up contractors to visit during the day while Chris used his time to set up the utilities. Later in between contractor visits, they worked together to tackle the bedroom. With it being empty, it did not take long to put on the barrier coat, then the finishing layer of paint. That done, they decided to pull the carpet up. The first corner rolled back to reveal a silver lining. A solid hardwood floor was underneath, and in pretty good shape. The spills were small and did not go past the carpet pad. Christine's mom mopped the floor, and the room was worlds different with only minutes to spare before Christine was done at the college.



When her mom returned Christine to the house, she couldn't believe how different the second bedroom looked, especially with the wood floor. She would need to refinish it, but it looked decent as it was. Her parents humored her and they all sat on the carpet in the living room as she talked about her day. More than anything else, she was excited the most about getting six 'rush' invites for sororities. She doubted that she would join any, since she already had a place to stay, was comfortable with her study habits, and made friends relatively easy anyway. Her class schedule and highlights of the campus tour were related as well, and soon the two guys started hinting at the need for dinner.



Chris and Dr. Barron spent the next day cleaning the house while she and her mom went shopping for some necessities. By the time they returned, the house was clean. The bathroom got stocked with linens, and the kitchen now had basic cooking utensils along with a set of plates, glasses, and silverware. While the girls were setting up those areas, the guys busied themselves with hanging the blinds Christine had picked out. They returned home that night very much ready for bed.

<hr pg="6" />Chapter 34



Chris was in his office a few days later, reviewing and signing off on Holy Communion and Reconciliation courses that were proposed by the different parishes for their public school kids. It was a project that the bishop had been hounding him for over the last couple of weeks. Every time he started it, his eyes would glaze over after the first two pages. It was so flipping boring. Most had turned in nearly identical proposals, but he still had to read through them to make sure each element that the bishop had outlined as a requirement was present.



Suddenly, there was a knock outside his office followed by a pair of shrill squeaks and bird-like chattering. The two hyper squirrel voices continued on in rapid sequence, and eventually toned down into two pleasing and melodic female voices conversing with each other. He figured that Amy down the hall had yet another obscure triumph in her life and Christine was humoring her again in her usual exuberant style.



Christine knocked on his door and opened it. "Chris, dear. Someone is here to see you." She read the look on his face. "It's your interview," she added.



Double great, he thought sarcastically to himself. He liked Christine's occasional 'little girl' hyperness as it was cute, and she knew to use it in moderation. He wasn't sure he could handle hyper 24/7. He sighed, pretending it was relief due to a break in his work of the afternoon. "Okay, send her in."



The girl walked into his office and he had to do a double-take. It just couldn't be.



"Ann?" he asked.



"Surprise!" grinned Christine.



He got up and came around the desk to shake Ann's hand, but received a hug instead. Chris just didn't know what to say at that point.



"Well, I'll let you two get on with the interview," Christine said as she turned to the door.



"Wait," he said abruptly, finding his words. "You got her here, so you can stay." He looked at Ann. "What are you doing here?"



"I'm interviewing for a job," she giggled.



"I see that. But what are you doing HERE? I'd thought you would be at some big shot lawyer's office or insurance company in Atlanta, Nashville, or even Orlando."



She sighed, and he motioned for her to have a seat. She sat in a chair in front of the desk, he returned to his chair, and Christine settled into the loveseat.



"When I left Disney," Ann began. "I slung applications and resumes everywhere. I got calls back, but mostly they were telling me that they'd really like to have me, but there just wasn't room. I was about to go back to Disney to apply for a permanent position when Christine called me out of the blue one night."



"We were at the restaurant, and remember when I went to the bathroom?" Christine chimed in.



His eyes darted over, somewhat dark. "Yeah, I remember." The edge in his voice was a bit sharp.



Christine rolled her eyes up to the ceiling for an instant. He was in 'boss mode' and didn't like interruptions. Instead of getting upset or cowering, she sat there defiantly looking at him with her chin cocked up just a smidge.



"So, about the interview," Ann said to break the weird tension. "What would you like to know?"



"I already know what I want to. You're hired. Do you have questions for me?" asked Chris.



She shook her head.



"Pay is $12 an hour. I won't really have regular office hours once school starts, so you should be here in the afternoons from 2 to 9 so that you can assist parents and older kids after school. Also, work calls when you're 'off' sometimes."



At that, Christine snorted through her nose. Chris threw a look over at her. "Sorry," she said. "But that was funny! Ann, they'll call you most any time of the day...and night. Usually about stupid crap that could have been sent through an email or could have waited until tomorrow."



Ann responded with a smile. "It seems you both are trying to talk me out of coming here. I hadn't dreamed of working for a Church, but to work for a young man like Chris, and to work with children and teens...oh my God, I really want to do this. What's the worse part? Come on, hit me with it, Christine!"



Christine glanced at Chris and he shrugged. "Very well. Somebody who hasn't done this before may not like it. I personally do." She looked directly at Chris to make a point of showing that she meant that. "Chris has an open door policy. I mean REALLY open door. Not many know about it. Just the officemates here, the youth directors at the parishes, and some teen leaders. Plus a few others. Anyway, at any point in time, you might have a secretary from downstairs burst through the door to vent about her boss or the bishop. Or, you might get a call at 2 in the morning from a girl who's sobbing because the butthead boyfriend she shouldn't have been with in the first place broke up with her. In that case, you don't have to pretend that you're awake. Believe me, if you admit that you were asleep, they'll still apologize and start talking all the same. Anyway, some people might be put off by that part of the job, but I actually enjoy it."



Ann was soaking all this up like a sponge. "You mean I'll get to talk to teens and other young people myself?"



"Yeah, more than he does. You're going to be his gatekeeper. If a question is easy and you know it, or are more likely to answer it well, you go ahead and answer it so that he doesn't get bothered. And unofficial office Murphy's Law seems to apply especially here...you'll end up knowing much more than he does, just as most secretaries do. Does that frighten you?"



"Not at all! I think I'll love it here. You haven't told me the bad part yet, far as I can tell."



Chris nodded his head. "I thought what she said might scare you off, and assumed that we'd be meeting for dinner or something later as friends. But, since you're still sitting... I have to warn you that it's gonna be a busy year ahead."



"I can handle that. What's up?"



"First up in February is the Right to Life march in D.C. We have to recruit as many youths as we can and give them all an opportunity to go. Even if their family can't pay their way."



"So fund-raising...okay. What else?"



Christine answered this time. "In May, the Pope is visiting New York. We've already got a list going on who wants to attend. It's four pages long. About a third of those so far come from unfortunate families."



"Hmm...so LOT'S of fund-raising," Ann said. "Should be interesting."



Chris could see the wheels turning in her head. "You have some ideas?"



Ann said that she had a couple. One was to have the parishes work to come up with the funds as much as possible to help their people go. The other was to have a field day in the fall and then again in the spring. They could request donations as an entry fee, and also have a "Penny War" between the parishes. Whichever parish wins, they receive a soon-to-be coveted silly trophy &#x2013; like a beat-up bowling pin or something. They would have to bring it to the next fund-raiser and put it up for grabs again.



When she laid that idea out along with some other things, Chris felt like he hit the lottery. As a manager, losing Christine and her organization skills was tough. Not to mention the personal side of separating physically from her loving and friendship. But, Ann could be a Godsend. She already had some ideas that would really help him out, and she had the energy to keep up.



"So, where are you going to stay?" he asked her.



"My parents until I can afford something closer."



Christine's eyes went wide. "No way are you driving an hour each way every day. I'll talk to my mom. You can stay in Tom's room until I move out, then you can have mine."



Ann was shaking her head. "I'm not going to put your mom out, just so I can get to work a bit quicker."



The younger girl insisted, "But you're going to use up every check just to pay for fuel."



Chris stepped in. "We can talk with the housing department. There's a couple of vacancies, and I'm sure they'll allow you a cheap rent for a couple of months until you can save up for a deposit."



The girls allowed this to settle matters and both looked at him expectantly.



Chris sighed. "You're sure you want to do this? It seems a bit beneath your ability."



Ann nodded. "Yes! Working for you, with young people of all different types and ages. I think I'll love it!"



"You're sure?" he asked again. "You heard the pay rate?"



"Money isn't everything, just makes things a bit easier," she smiled. "When can I start?"



Chris explained that the bishop would have to first approve the hire, since the receptionist pool wouldn't be used, and then there was usual paperwork that included a drug test and background check.



"We didn't have to go through that," objected Christine.



"I know, but a number of people in this office practically watched us grow up. They probably know or remember more about us than we do. Ann is completely new to them. Or, are you Catholic?"



She shook her head. "Southern Baptist, but not unschooled. I'm familiar with the differences of our faiths."



"Could you bring yourself to counsel others in line with Catholic Doctrine? Not that you'll be doing much of that, but to answer simple questions?"



"Yes, I'll give proper answers according to your faith. This is my resume that you can show the bishop."



Christine reached for it, but Chris stood and took it himself. "I'll be back in a minute. You can keep Ann company."



He was gone for about twenty minutes before he returned with the bishop in tow. The leader wanted to spend some time with Ann to feel her out. He urged the couple to take a lunch together, and sat down at Chris's desk. When they returned a half hour later, he was on his way out and laughing.



"You certainly have an eye for talent, Chris," he said while chuckling. "Start her packet. She can transition with Christine as soon as the background stuff clears." With that, he clapped his hand on Chris's shoulder and headed up the hallway, guffawing about "rolling beans."



Chris and Christine stepped inside and looked at Ann quizzically. She said that she spent the last ten minutes or so telling the bishop about some of the antics of her fellow interns. While Chris spent the rest of the afternoon feeding Ann one form after another, Christine rushed to finish up her directory. It was completed that afternoon with time to spare, so she downloaded it into her phone, and sent it to the main printer. With a cute grin of accomplishment, she picked up the warm and stapled book from the bottom tray of the fancy device down the hall. She was just as proud of her proficiency with the machine, as she was at what she considered to be an overly comprehensive book of contacts. Christine laid the book on the center of her desk and then called the moms to invite them to dinner so they could meet her friend.



The two families always seemed to enjoy meeting, especially over a meal. They got along marvelously, and it was almost like they were already related. They were curious about the young lady the kids had talked about ever since their Grad Nite trip. When they met her, both sets of parents immediately fell in love with her. Her charm, wit, energy, and infectious smile held their attention from the second introductions were made.



Christine's mouth fell open when her mom offered Ann a place to stay. She hadn't mentioned anything to her about that. Ann declined at first but relented in the end to agree to stay in Nancy's room. Christine tried to offer hers, but her mom reminded her that most of her furniture would be leaving with her when she went to school in about a week and a half. Chris offered his suggestion about the housing, but Mrs. Barron said that having Ann in the house would help ward off the looming 'empty nest' syndrome. It had been more than 24 years since it was just her and the doctor, and she was already missing Christine's company.



Dinner was good, and each couple picked up their own tab. Chris paid for Ann's meal, much to her protests. She said goodbye and left immediately from the restaurant to start her long drive home. Chris promised to call her as soon as her background check cleared.



Everything being clear, the blank background results were returned in only a couple of days. He called to let her know that the expected result appeared, and that she could start the next day, or take Friday off and have one last extended weekend to herself. She appeared in his office at nine the next morning, anxious to start.



Except for the rides to and from work, lunches, and dinners, he rarely saw his two receptionists ... administrative assistants ... he corrected himself. Christine was cramming Ann with every bit of information she had compiled herself over the last couple of months. Ann complimented her on the directory every chance she got, knowing how much it would help her later. She was amazed by Christine's description of how she found the office, and how little direction they got, since there was no transition from the previous director. Ann couldn't be more impressed with how far along the office had come and how simple Christine made contacts and information to be found.



Some nights Chris would walk over to the Barrons' to soak up 'together' time with Christine, only to find both of them either on her bed or on the den floor, pouring over one of the binders Christine had set up. They would be dressed only in underwear and t-shirts, and at first Chris was a bit uncomfortable, being Ann's boss and all. He dragged his eyes away from Ann's tush that first night, chastising himself for repeatedly having his gaze drawn to the panty-encased curves. The second time he found them that way at her house, he half-expected it and his eyes behaved themselves for the most part. Christine surprisingly made it easy on him, never chastising or teasing him for occasionally checking out Ann's assets. Then again, to be fair, he was checking out Christine's far more often, and that pleased her immensely.



* * *



A trailer had to be rented for Christine's move-in. His parents donated the breakfast table and chairs, since they wanted an excuse to buy a new set anyway. Her parents allowed her to take her own bedroom set, a couple of bookshelves, as well as her desk. In a surprising move, his parents insisted that she take the antique bed that Chris used during his recovery. His mom made a point to say that the bed was for the spare room, so that he had a place to sleep. CC smiled amongst themselves, knowing full well that bed would rarely be used...at least by him. His mom knew it too, but at least she could tell herself that she tried. The 'Lemon Drop' room, as Christine had named it for the bright yellow walls, was being converted into a study...again, interference from his parents in an attempt to steer him in the right direction for studying.



Tom and Jill came up from South Florida, Mary and Nancy came with their beaus, and along with Ann, they all helped load up the furniture into the trailer hitched to Chris's truck. He suspected they all wanted to see Christine's new place more than help. By eight, everything was loaded and Ann and Christine used sleeping bags in her room to rest the night before the trip up to school.



Christine heard the familiar diesel outside right at 11, the time she was expecting his text. Instead, a few seconds later, her window opened just like old times. Ann startled, but Christine put a calming hand on her shoulder.



"Hey Chris," she greeted quietly as his leg stepped through.



"Hey!" He looked around for a second, acutely aware that the room was changed today. "Looks different now. Instead of Pepper, there's Ann. Sleeping bags instead of a bed."



"Hey Chris," said Ann.



"Sorry, Ann. Didn't mean to wake you." He turned to Christine. "Ready to go?"



"Go where?"



"You'll see. You didn't think I'd let you leave me without a sendoff, did you?"



"Umm, I guess I did." She hurriedly threw on a pair of jeans and sneakers, figuring socks weren't necessary. "Ann, could you cover...?"



"You're in the bathroom," Ann winked.



"Thanks," Christine said as she ducked through the window.



The couple made small talk as he drove. Neither could believe that the day for her to head to college was arriving tomorrow.



When he made a certain turn, there was only one place that he was heading. "The beach?" Christine asked with sparkles in her eyes.



He just nodded. A few minutes later, he paid the toll for the bridge, and then seemed to drive forever until he pulled into a deserted lot. After letting her out, he reached to the back and pulled out a blanket.



"Unfinished business," Chris said as he closed the door and locked the truck.



They strolled a long way down the shore, holding hands and talking...just enjoying being with each other. There was a spot between two smaller dunes that had been spared by the recent hurricane and he spread out the blanket there. She sat down and he settled behind her, wrapping his legs to the outside of hers, and holding her body close to his with his arms. For a long time nothing was said, they sat listening to the tiny ripples of the Gulf lap at the sand. Both just didn't know what to say to each other. Too much went through their heads.



Finally Chris started kissing the top of her head, moved her hair out of the way and traveled down to caress her ear with his lips. "I just don't know what to say," he whispered. "Other than I love you."



She turned neatly in his arms and sat Indian-style facing him. "I know what you mean. I'm really going to miss you too." Christine took his hands and held them in hers. "I love you so much Chris. This isn't the end...is it? Please tell me that we'll feel like this about each other at the end of the next four years...please?"



He looked in her eyes, and the pain of the reality their impending separation set in. "I think we'll feel it even stronger then," he choked out. "At least I know I will."



She embraced him and started kissing furiously while willing him to lie back.







Chapter 35



Only a few hours after he returned her to her room, a convoy assembled in front of her house and headed off to tuck Christine into her new home. As much coffee and showering she got in to try and hide it, everyone could tell that there was not much sleep between her and Chris. She, Ann, and Chris were at the head of the line in his truck. Once on the interstate headed north, Ann took the wheel and somehow gracefully exchanged seats with him. They were sitting three across, since Christine's stereo, computer, and other fragile items were in the back seat. The seat exchange allowed the couple to catch up on their z's against each other while Ann drove.



About halfway up, Chris woke to the vibrating on his hip. Christine had roused from his stirring, and she took the phone call from his mom, keeping the charade that Chris was still driving. His mom wanted breakfast. Ann turned off at the next exit and parked at a fast-food place. He crawled over her to get out first, and the three were laughing when the others caught up.



"Your boyfriend copped a feel on his way out," Ann said in a whisper while giggling to Christine.



"She leaned into me," Chris protested.



"I'm sure," Christine said lightly. "Besides, Ann, I saw you grab my fiance's butt."



"He almost fell out of the truck," she pouted.



Christine took a couple of running steps and hopped on Chris's back. "Just don't take it further than that, you too. Chris, take me inside," she commanded while pointing to the door. "Ooh...too much coffee."



He shrugged her off. "Hey now, no peeing on my back!"



That sparked some more giggles from the girls before Christine got serious suddenly and sprinted inside. The rest of the families thought it odd that the two seemed more refreshed now than when the trip started, but attributed it to the coffee intake earlier.



<hr pg="7" />"Hey Chris, you in a hurry to get rid of her?" his mom asked when they all sat and started eating.



He furrowed his brows. "No, why Mom?"



"Well, try to keep it below 80, okay?"



The three snickered.



"What's so funny?"



"I kept telling him that the whole way," stated Ann, to which Christine nearly blew milk out her nose.



"Sorry, Mom. I thought I set the cruise control to 80."



"It said 85 most of the time. Speed limit is 70, you know."



He rolled his eyes. "Alright. I'll tame it down for the geezers back there."



Ann had to stifle an outright laugh with the back of her hand when she saw the look his mom gave him.



A potty break and a few more hours later, Chris pulled up in front of the house. The guys all went straight to work to unload while the girls toured the house and then started the final cleaning. While the beds and desk were getting assembled, the ladies left in the Suburban to go shopping. They returned with the truck full of groceries and more work for the boys. Since Chris had put Christine on his bank account earlier in the summer and given her a card, she got the white wicker furniture for the porch she wanted, as well as a sensible coffee table for the living room. She got a good deal on a display model leather sofa and loveseat by flirting with the sales guy, who in turn cashed in a couple of favors with his manager. Those were being delivered tomorrow (for free).



Lunch was served shortly after the wicker was put in place on the porch. A gentle warm breeze wafted through the screens and carried with it the faint Westminster ringing of the Samford Hall clock tower on campus barely a mile away. It was the first of many Old South lunches that Christine enjoyed on her porch, but this was her favorite of all of them combined, because everybody she loved was present.



The after-lunch task list included hanging the curtains and other personal touches that were bought for her by the other ladies as house-warming gifts. Before heading out for dinner, the females fawned over the house's much-improved interior, even though it was still a bit sparsely furnished. The families split up after dinner to claim their hotel rooms, leaving the three who rode in the truck together to sleep in the house. The understood arrangement was that Chris would have the spare bedroom as it was his old bed in there after all, and the two girls would share Christine's room. Very few actually believed that the room 'assignments' would stick.



Once everyone was gone, Chris unhitched the trailer and said he was going to shop himself. The girls decided to stay and take it easy, so he went up to Best Buy alone. When he returned, Christine's bedroom was filled with giggles. They had taken an evening stroll toward the University and returned with Ann's purchases from one of the liquor stores. Needless to say, the pair were quite hammered and thought everything was funny.



Each with a bottle in their hand, the girls went in the living room and sat on the floor to entertain themselves by watching Chris tote in several boxes and making silly remarks about what he fished out of them. They ooh'd and ahh'd in exaggeration as he pulled out the wall bracket and then the flatscreen TV. There were naughty comments made as he worked with the bracket.



"So, when you're wone with the dall, are ya gunna mount me?" Christine slurred as she giggled.



Ann wrapped an arm around her friend. "Don't worry hunny. He'll get to you when he's finished screwing."



After a series of laughs and giggles, Christine pouted. "I want him to mount me now. I'm all wet." She looked down at herself. "Oh wait...that's pee."



Ann fell over laughing as Christine staggered to the bathroom. She suddenly became thoughtful. "Chris! Did you want some?" Ann asked while Christine was out of the room.



"Pee? No thanks," he replied while clipping the TV to the bracket.



"No no no no...me!" Quickly she corrected herself. "I mean me beer...mine beer...ugh...you know what I mean."



"Nah, I want to get this done tonight," he said, trying to ignore her state.



She sat as she watched him, visibly swaying to her heartbeat since her normal automatic motor control that usually counters the slight movement was considerably out of order. When Christine appeared briefly to move to her bedroom, Ann practically crawled to make use of the vacated bathroom.



Chris had set up the audio stand and was unpacking the new stereo when both reappeared in skimpy t-shirts and underwear. Christine got overly affectionate with him when she came out, and any pretense of hiding his appreciation for their flirting went out the window with her bold touches. He gently guided her to sit next to her friend and went back to finishing his new setup. The girls tried to tease him away from his task by gradually stepping up the naughty talk. By the time he was hooking up the rear speakers behind them, they asked him to play 'guess what I'm touching.' 



He let out a bit of a groan when he heard that, his imagination getting the better of him. Ann started by describing a soft and warm orb with a taut and slightly rough center. He zeroed his eyes on what he was doing, deciding not to participate. After the fourth description of a female part, there was a moan from Christine, followed shortly by Ann saying, "and it's not mine."



That got his attention. He whipped around, only to find both girls sitting and staring at him, their arms behind them on the floor, propping themselves up.



"Gotcha!" exclaimed Christine.



Rolling his eyes, he turned back to make the final connection. When he powered everything up to test it, Ann said, "Aww. I think we disappointed him." She got behind Christine, wrapped her arms around her and lifted the two small globes of her friend through the shirt. Christine squeaked in surprise and Ann said, "Hey Chris! Would you have rather seen this?"



He turned back to them and his breath caught. Seeing Ann holding and playing with Christine's twins with Christine's legs spread slightly before her giving him a lovely view of her white panties had a very visible effect on his pants. He dropped the remote on the floor, went over to kneel before his sexy bride-to-be, and kissed her passionately. Ann removed her hands from the front and stroked her friend's back while Chris kissed her. He picked her up and started carrying Christine to her room.



"You ready to christen your house?" he asked.



"I've been ready," she replied as he kicked the door closed behind him. "Glad you stopped playing hard to get."



"Don't be too quiet!" Ann called after them. "I'd like some material for my imagination!"



* * *



Chris got up early the next morning to gather the boxes and stack them in the garage until the trash pickup in a couple of days. By the time Ann and Christine got up and showered, he had breakfast made. They were cleaning up when the rest of the families arrived, and the guys drooled over the setup Chris had put together in the living room. Christine wasn't her usual peppy self, but at least the moms attributed that to helping Chris set up the TV.



The washer, drier, and living room set arrived before lunch, so the families all took seats to visit before they headed back that evening. Chris was staying at the house for a few more days, so at dinner Dr. Barron gave him the schedule of when and what work was to be done on the house. Christine was a bit emotional that night, thanking everybody for helping move her in with eyes filled with tears of gratitude and love. The last goodbyes were said and Christine, Ann, and Chris stood in the front yard to wave at the tail-lights.



The house didn't seem so empty during the next few days. First was an alarm crew that worked all day to set up a top-shelf system, compliments of and insisted by her father. The banging on the roof began early the following morning and continued during daylight hours the next two days. A number of plywood panels had gone soft up there. They were replaced and that only prolonged the maddening drumming. The air conditioner got replaced on the last day Chris and Ann were there.



While all the work was going on, Christine kept her "family" busy, rearranging furniture, decorating walls, and breaking ground on the fall garden she had planned for out back. Well, Chris did all the lifting, moving and digging. Christine and Ann stayed busy "supervising." But each night, his fiancee rewarded him with delicious intimate treats. The first night she gave him a bath with a "happy ending." The next night was a blow job after he showered. And when he was exhausted from digging the new garden, she let him watch her openly masturbate. That only lasted so long before he pulled her onto him and she happily finished them both off.



Ann happily spent the days with them, getting to know and like them both more and more. The first couple of nights, she took Christine's car and went shopping for the next day's supplies, affording the couple a bit of privacy. The last night, however, she laid on the couch with the TV on, but listened to their frolicking with her hand down inside her jeans.



That last day was reserved for some downtime, spent just to hang out with each other. The house was mostly finished, but Christine wanted to save some decorating tidbits to fend off boredom. Prowling the local malls, Ann was surprised by how many people stopped in their tracks to see if their recognition was correct. To her, the couple was just CC, but she had forgotten the national fame their story had gotten them. She was used to guys occasionally giving double-takes to her attractiveness, but with her friends, it was a constant thing. Chris and Christine seemed to take it all in stride, though, graciously greeting the few who actually stopped to say hello.



After lunch, though, Christine's mood seemed to drop in temperature like the air after the first cold front in Fall. Ann knew right away that her friend was dreading the next few hours. Christine put on a pretty good front for her lover, but when he wasn't looking, her shoulders would sag just a bit and her head dropped. By dinner, Christine was full-blown depressed, and didn't even try to hide it any more. Chris seemed to ignore it, but Ann knew he sensed it.



When the waiter left to bring dessert, Chris asked, "Are you okay?"



Ann shot him a look that screamed "dumbass."



Christine didn't look away from her half-eaten meal. "I know it's wrong of me to ask, but could you change your mind and stay with me?"



Ann fiddled with her phone and excused herself, "I'm going to powder my nose."



Chris sighed. "I don't know what to say, C. I love you, and I wish I could stay with you here..."



"I know, I know..." she interrupted. "Just saying what I wish could happen."



"It'll be fine. You'll do great at school, I'll do fine with work and school. We'll see each other most weekends."



She sighed heavily this time. "Still, this is going to be so hard."



"I know."



Back at home, Chris did some last-minute touchups for Christine, hitched up the trailer and came back inside where Ann and Christine were sitting together on the couch. He rubbed his hands together briskly in nervousness.



"Okay! We're all set, I think you're all set. You have plenty of clean underwear?"



His poor attempt at humor fell flat. Ann had a mixture of a grimace and a scowl on her face, while Christine gave an ever-so-slight smile.



"I have plenty of underwear," she said while getting up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him tight against her body. "If you stay, I'll show them to you in any manner you want."



"That's really tempting," he said just before they entangled themselves in kissing.



* * *



Chris and Ann's ride home was mostly silent. She understood that he was in a good deal of pain to say farewell to Christine. Seeing her standing in her driveway slowly waving was heartbreaking. Still, the days ahead would be busy, and she was confident that both would bury themselves in work to distract themselves from the separation. And that's what Chris did. At work, he drove Ann hard to get projects done ahead of their planned schedule. When the semester started, she'd man the office while he was in class, then he'd come in after school to review what had been done and set up more projects for the next day. His mood was sour, and she let it go for the first few days until she had enough and followed him into his office, closing the door behind her. That was the first and only time she ever touched, or more like grabbed, a boss.



That conversation was heated at first, but at last she made him see what an ass he was becoming. What Christine did to calm Chris down was through her light touch and calm demeanor. Ann did it through asserting herself. The working relationship improved after that day, and the job began to feel almost as pleasurable as a hobby again.



Things were vastly different for Christine. The house seemed emptier than she could have imagined, starting the instant Chris and Ann hopped in the truck. She grew more and more homesick by the day, well really it was Chris-sick. Not one to watch a lot of TV, she busied herself with chores around the house, and all too soon, her decorating and nest-making tasks had run out. She looked forward to classes starting next week.



The classes were relatively below her level, so she picked up two more open ones on the second day. They were back-to-back, and all early in the day. It was a suicide schedule, and she was determined to finish college quickly so she could truly start her life with Chris. That said, all the classes were finished every day by two in the afternoon &#x2013; designed to afford herself time to do the homework. All it did, though, was give her more time to dwell on her loneliness. Chris made it up for the first weekend of school as promised. It was a happy homecoming, filled with passion. They left their house only to eat, and the rest of the time they made love like playful porpoises. However, Christine still wasn't satisfied by the time he tore himself away late Sunday night.



One day the next week, Christine was in the cafeteria, cheek propped on a fist and her other hand lazily twirling the rest of the spaghetti she didn't feel like eating. She barely noticed the person sitting down across the table from her until the only voice that would drive nails down her spine drifted through her numbed ears.



"Hey Christine." The voice was without cheer or resentment, and looking back, Christine supposed it had a tinge of hope.



But the hope was lost on her at that moment. She looked up in bewilderment. "Cathy? What are you...never mind. I'm not in the mood to do this now. I was just leaving."



Christine grabbed her tray and stood up, but a thin hand shot over and gripped her wrist. "Christine, wait. Would you sit down please?"



The hand felt like what Christine imagined would happen if the Devil touched Holy Water. Physically, it was cold from the air conditioning, but mentally, it sizzled and burned Christine's flesh. Kicking herself for being a sap, she sat back down. "What is it?" she asked coldly.



Cathy had to wait a few seconds while Christine returned nods and "hey's" to several students who recognized her. "Wow, you're popular!"



Christine grimaced. "Yeah, that's why I was eating here. Alone." She looked pointedly at Cathy, then at the had still locked onto her wrist. "What do you want? Or, can I go home now?"



Cathy drew in a long and shaky sigh. "I wanted to tell you I was sorry for what I did to you... well, in regard to Chris."



"Apology accepted." Christine moved her feet to get up, but the hand held firm.



"Please wait. At that retreat, I had no idea you liked him. When you killed your knee, I should have known then that he was destined for you. He didn't say anything to me before he was over that rail like a shot to be at your side. But I was stupid, and I lorded it over you at the hospital that he was with me at the dance, and you weren't at the dance at all. I feel so bad now for doing that. All it got me was a peck on the cheek goodnight, and I'm sure he raced straight for you afterward."



"Yeah, he came back that night." Christine couldn't help puffing up her chest a bit.



"I deserved that. I was a bitch then. I don't know how it can be possible, and it's a lot to ask, but I hope that at some point you can forgive me?"



Christine softened her stiffness and sighed. After all, Chris was hers now. She glanced at her ring as confirmation of that. "So, how are you here? I thought you were going to the junior college back home?"



The words "I forgive you" never came from Christine's mouth toward Cathy, but the more open posture and opening dialogue spoke volumes. The portal was open between them now, and the conversation lasted through dinner.



Cathy's dad came into a large bonus at work, and he was the one who surprised Cathy with an enrollment to Auburn. However, she clashed with her suitemates in the dorm, and until now did not know a single person at the school. She and her boyfriend were then confronted with a long distance relationship, and things were not pointing to a lifelong attachment anyway, so she broke up with him before leaving. Cathy asked about the trip to California and the show, and Christine opened up by relating the experience and even showing the pictures on her cellphone. She also related her troubles in adapting, that even though she has her own house, it was very much empty. Along with that, she was starting to feel pressure to find a tenant for the upstairs studio to make ends meet.



Cathy didn't say anything, but cast a hopeful look which hit Christine like a lightning bolt. She asked if Cathy wanted it, and the answer was an enthusiastic yes. So, like the young girls they were, ground rules were laid out, plans were made, and even a cooking rotation was worked out. When they left the eatery after their second meal, Cathy promised to ask her dad to pay the sublet instead of the dorm, and the girls parted with a hug and greatly improved spirits.



The promise of an unexpected surprise for Chris couldn't overcome the obstacle facing him against making the trip the next two weekends. Two team members for two different retreats had to leave, one involuntarily due to a drug sting at a school. Chris had to lead one retreat, and he and Ann had to supplement the chaperones at the other. So nearly a month went by before Christine was opening his driver's door almost before he had parked in the driveway. She all but pulled him out of the truck to kiss him, oblivious that Ann was in the seat next to him.



A few minutes went by before Christine had her fill of the make-out session with Chris, Ann awkwardly looking at the improvements in landscaping that had been made in the front yard to give the couple a shadow of privacy. Christine finally said hi to her, then took Chris's hand and excitedly led him toward the front porch.



"Yard looks nice!" he exclaimed. "Is this my surprise?"



"No," giggled his fiancee. "That was to kill time last weekend. The surprise is inside. Come on!" She nearly pulled his arm out of its socket toward the screen door.



Chris stopped cold when he stepped through the door and saw Cathy perched nervously on the sofa. He glanced wildly around the place, searching for something.



Ann picked up on it and asked, "What is it Chris?"



"I'm looking for TV cameras...you know, from like Jerry Springer or something."



Christine giggled. "No cameras...this is my surprise."



"Well, I'm all for clothes being ripped off girls in fights, but I wanna record it."



Cathy got up and gave Chris a hug and a peck on the cheek. "No fights, we're housemates! You like what we did in the yard last weekend?"



Christine didn't fault him for the ill attempt at humor. He often did it to deflect uneasiness. She looked at Ann. "Ann, this is Cathy," she introduced.

<hr pg="8" />Ann smiled and shook the new girl's hand. "So this is Cathy. No wonder Chris is as nervous as a chicken in a foxhole. Nice to meet you."



Cathy spoke up. "Don't worry Chris, things are patched up, and we're friends now."



Christine nodded, went to the kitchen and passed out sodas. "Cathy was unhappy in her dorm, and I was unhappy with the empty house. She found me, and here we are."



Chris took a swig and said, "so that explains your better mood on the phone lately."



She nodded. "Yeah, but I wasn't happy you weren't here the last two weeks. It worked out, though. We got Cathy moved in the previous weekend, and were able to plant those flower and shrub beds out front last weekend."



They all got settled, but it wasn't long before Chris followed Christine into her bedroom. The other two girls smiled knowingly when the door closed, and Ann went back to grilling Cathy on her past. A couple of hours went by and Cathy went to the kitchen to make lunch. Ann followed and Cathy asked how they got there so early. The answer was that Chris picked her up at five in the morning and drove nonstop to get there by 10. Just as the sandwiches and soup were finished, the couple reappeared from the bedroom, hair a little sweaty, and Christine was in different shorts. There were a couple of goodnatured jabs about whether they had fun, which were answered with an honest yes.



Lunch was lighthearted, as all became more comfortable with the new friendship bonds, and Christine announced that her other surprise was that she picked up two more classes. She was already considered a sophomore because of the dual enrollment courses in high school, and she figured a couple of "suicide" semesters would allow her to graduate the following spring, and get her masters in four years, if not three. She belayed Chris's anxiety by assuring him that the courses so far were just as easy as high school.



Chapter 36



Things played out to plan, more or less. Chris made the trip up nearly every weekend, sometimes with Ann, and on home game weekends, he'd also bring a high school student picked at random to see the game with them. Christine and Cathy broke out of their shells and amassed a respectful amount of friends who would join them at the house for elaborate tailgate parties before games. Chris's large flatscreen would be brought out to the front porch for watching other games during the party, tables were set up and arranged with copious amounts of food that were brought (typically by parents) as 'admission' for the potluck party. They were good, clean fun and had a reputation of being so with the neighbors and families of the participants alike.



During their second year, Cathy and Christine saw a poster that made them stop and laugh. It was touting how great the football team was before homecoming, and as they went, they saw several more creative ones. Christine got an idea, and they went back to the first one and made a video tour of them, taking turns commenting or making fun of the sayings. Christine emailed the video to Jay Leno, and was offered $50 a shoot if they could make a series of similar silly videos. They did, and JayBirds on Campus was a hit with the show. The housemates were often seen on and off campus together, and one of the new friends made a comment that they should be called "CC". Christine was offended, but kept quiet. Cathy, on the other hand, laid into him, explaining in no uncertain terms that the pet name was reserved to only refer to Chris and Christine, and that it was given to them by their dead classmates. He quickly got the point, and the subject matter was forever off the table.



For Chris, the Right to Life march went off without a hitch, and according to those who went, he and Ann had planned and coordinated a "perfect" trip to see the Pope when he came to America. But as time went on, he could see that Ann was severely underwhelmed by her duties. She had such great capacity that being a receptionist was like playing computer Solitare...it was brainless for her. So, the following spring, he asked if she wanted to sit in for him on the Emergency Management planning meeting. She jumped at the opportunity and had the time of her life. Mingling with authority figures, being asked for opinions and having them ready...it was a realized dream that she wanted, without ever knowing it.



Chris's director demands ramped up to the point that he handed his project over to Ann, which was a welcome diversion for her. By Chris's junior year, Ann took Chris to dinner and reluctantly informed him that she was ready to start her own non-profit organization that was based off what he started. He reacted warmly and assured her that in no way would it sour their friendship. She took a deep breath to push down the potential embarrassment before asking if she could steal the active teens and contacts from the diocese. To her relief, he gladly said he would do whatever she needed to be successful.



* * *



Ann came with him for only one more home game after she left his office and helped find him a good, though very young, assistant. She knew that this game was a milestone in his and Christine's life &#x2013; the last home football game that Christine would be a student, and it was the Iron Bowl &#x2013; Alabama at Auburn. It was big for Christine, therefore it was a must-see.



As Chris drove up to the house, Ann could see that Christine and Cathy did not disappoint. The front yard was still devoid of grass, but had been freshly mulched with pine straw, and beds of hardy shrubs created a border around the space. The screened-in front porch had a large orange on blue AU banner draping each side of the door. Cathy had made them for her design class last year and they looked as new now as they did then. Chris grimaced at the row of pennants laid out on the sloping porch roof. They looked good, but when he bought them a ladder, the girls promised him that it would be used for indoor cleaning only. The eave was burdened with orange and blue paper lanterns, and the driveway was lined with orange and blue paper bags with a tealight candle in each. There was no doubt as to where the party would be late into the night after the game.



There was cause to celebrate, win or lose. Christine had already graduated two years before, having completed her undergraduate work at the end of her sophomore year. In the spring, she would be receiving her masters degree in primary education. Cathy would also be graduating in the spring, finishing up her undergraduate. She still had two years to go, since she decided to shed her childhood dream of being a fashion designer and adopted a more grounded desire to become a pharmacist. That came about during Christine's graduation dinner when all three families were present. Christine's dad brought up pharmacists because they finish school 2 years earlier than doctors, yet still bring in 80-100k a year. Science and Math were easier for Cathy than she thought, and the money sounded good, especially for not having to touch patient's icky parts. Chris would also be graduating with a business degree in the spring. Unbeknownst to Ann, the others also wanted to express their happiness for her new operation, as well as for landing her hunky fire chief boyfriend. But alas, he couldn't make the trip, since he was on-duty and the assistant was on vacation.



The garage door was up and they could barely make out Christine's figure rooting though her car. Chris parked close and she didn't move, pretending not to hear. Ann shouted "hey" as she made a beeline for the kitchen door to afford them privacy in their greeting each other.



Chris came up behind Christine and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey sweetie," he said as he nuzzled into her neck. "Didn't you hear me pull up?"



Christine rolled her eyes at the pleasure being induced to her delicate flesh and groaned, "I did, but if I let on...oooh...you wouldn't have been able to do what you're doing now."



He pecked and nibbled her jaw, then her ear before whispering, "I missed you terribly." Then he felt the scratchy material she was wearing and took a step back. "When did you get this?"



She gave a twirl. "We finished them last night. You like it?" She stepped around to the back of the car. "There's a surprise in the trunk."



He eyed the replica cheerleader uniform with lusty approval and followed her around the corner of the car before pushing her slightly between the shoulder blades. She played along and plopped over the trunk lid. "The trunk can wait," he said gruffly.



"The car's not what I'm talking about," Christine flirted back.



Chris took the opportunity to feel under her skirt, and he froze for a second.



"The uniforms are identical...well, except I forgot one piece this morning," she said coyly. When he undid his fly, she continued, "What? Here?"



Despite the thin protest, she was ready and willing, and Chris made an easy entrance. "Yeah, I'll be quick...besides, my truck is blocking the view."



Inside the house, Chris found the other two girls busily preparing food for the party a little later. Christine slipped into her room unnoticed and when she returned, she flipped her skirt with a wink as she passed Chris, displaying the orange bloomers she had "forgotten" earlier. He offered his help in the kitchen, but was pushed out so the girls could gossip. He took the cue and switched to "mule" mode, working hard to move two of the picnic tables they acquired over the last few years to the front yard, placing and filling the ice chests with cold sodas (they kept the beer in the fridge to better control who it went to), and moved the TV and hooked it up on the porch, tuning in to GameDay just as the first guests arrived.



It was a grand party, starting out with about 15 regular friends, but as people parked in the street out front for the walk to the stadium, it grew like normal to about 50 people mingling between the front and back yards. The weather was supposed to get quite cooler later in the night, but for now, all enjoyed the waning mild temperatures and clear skies. Christine was in familiar form, making up for lost time with Chris by hanging on him the entire time, unable to let go of her possessiveness. Chris thought it was cute, and enjoyed her company that was coupled with the light-sweet scent she always wore for him. He returned her affection with kisses and smiles in between conversations.



As the sun dipped below the trees behind the house, the air started hinting at a chill, so Cathy and Christine retreated to the house to change out of their cheerleading costumes. Ann came over and perched on the porch swing next to Chris.



"You seem lost," she mused while nursing a beer.



"Hmm?"



"Lost in thought. Something bothering you?"



Chris sighed. "I'm going to miss these. This is the last one, you know."



Ann giggled. "Well, we all have to grow up at some point, you know."



"But I don't wanna..." he whined with a grin.



She chided, "Chris, you're the most grown up college student I know. You can't play that card with me," she grinned. Then, with a sigh, "Christine will miss this house more than you, you know. What are y'all going to do with it?"



"Well, there's enough equity to sell it, but I think we'll keep the house. Cathy still has another two or three years, so we'll probably rent her the downstairs and find a new tenant for the top. After that, it'll be a nice little income maker."



"So when's the date?"



His eyes shot over at Ann.



"Oh come on, give me a break. I've known you for about four years now...besides, I'm a little tipsy. At least a hint?"



He cleared his throat. "At four years, I'd thought you'd know better."



"You're not my boss anymore," she reminded him. "As a friend?"



"C wants to find a teaching job first and get settled into that. Then we can figure out a date."



"So, year after next."



He shrugged. "Something like that, I think."



Christine appeared from the doorway and Ann quickly leaned into his ear, whispering, "well, don't let it go on too long. You gotta seal the deal at some point." With that, she rose quickly to compliment Christine on her game outfit.



Chris uttered a low "Yeow" when he took in her fresh makeup, complete with the school's initials on one cheek and a tiger paw on the other. Her legs and hips were wrapped in skin-tight denim and she wore a fluffy orange pullover sweater that showed off her flat tummy. She walked over to him, but he made no attempt to get up. Instead, Chris wrapped his arms around her lower back, and proceeded to kiss the new ornament adorning her belly button.



"You like it?" she asked.



"Mmhmm! When did you get it?"



"Well, it was a surprise for last weekend, but..." she rolled her eyes.



The air went out of his chest. "I had to work! There was..."



She put a finger to his lips with a smile. "I know...it's okay, really. Glad you like it. It's not slutty to you?"



"Sexy, yes. Slutty, no. Unless...you got a tramp stamp to go with it."



She twirled for him. "SO observant, aren't you? I thought you'd know that I don't when you..." suddenly, she remembered the company around them. "Well, if I had one, let's just say you would have seen it."



"I love you!" He swatted her backside playfully as he got up to announce that the party would be paused in ten minutes until after the game.



Several people helped get the food and valuables inside the house. Everything else stayed out for the after-game celebration. During the march to the stadium, Christine blew off a couple of Chris's statements on whether she'd be warm enough. On the third time, she said that his jacket would be warm enough, and she reached in, pulled out a flask from his inside pocket and took a swig of scotch before replacing it. Their little group had a good laugh.



Outside the gates, they split from their party friends, and joined Cathy's boyfriend of about a year. She started arguing with him about why he didn't come to the party, and accused him of liking his frat brothers more than her. The other three gave them space, but she ended up rejoining them without him. Cathy grumbled about him wanting her to sit with him and his obnoxious frat buddies, but she did that for the last three games. After some empathy and encouragement, their little band made their way past the ticket readers.



The game was as intense as it was billed, filled with violent grudge hits and smart plays. Alabama and Auburn were tied at the half. Chris returned from the concession stands to find Christine staring down a spot in the crowd.



"What is it?" he asked.



She shook her head. "Nothing I guess. He's gone now."



"Who?" This was asked by Chris, Ann, and Cathy at the same time.



Christine felt sheepish. "I don't know. Could have sworn this guy kept staring at me."



"Where?" Chris asked with more than a little edge.



"I said he's gone now, but he was like 30 seats over and 15 rows down. Nevermind...could be the booze plus my imagination."



When the bands left the field and play resumed, her paranoia was forgotten.



The second half was a different story than the first. After a couple of great defensive series, their squad broke free and scored on a long run. A turnover followed, resulting in another score for the good guys, and then the floodgates opened. The four friends had student and guest passes for the game, an incredibly lucky lottery draw that spared Chris from scalpers for his and Ann's tickets this year. They didn't know anyone else around them, but that didn't stop the cheers, high-fives, and hugs they shared with the strangers around them while their team pulled away. Near the end of the game, Christine spotted the red light of one camera aimed at her, and she made an enthusiastic greeting directed back home.



They stayed with the crowd for several minutes after the game, celebrating the victory before Chris urged them to hurry out so they could host the second half of the party. Cathy's boyfriend was waiting for her at their gate, looking for some action to complete the night, no doubt. But she still smarted from his earlier absence, and flatly told him to "bug off." The others asked if she was okay, and she said she was, but really didn't see that relationship lasting much past the beginning of Christmas break...maybe even Thanksgiving. Christine was about to say something to soothe Cathy when her phone buzzed in the back pocket. It was her mom, and she walked a couple of paces ahead to get clear of the chatter of her friends.



Her mom was happy about the result of the game, apologized for not being able to attend, and thanked her for the spirited greeting. She said that Christine looked lovely on TV, but was disappointed to see the new jewelry on her daughter's belly. Christine rolled her eyes as her mom continued by saying that she was grown now and could do what she wanted, but embellishments prominently displayed could attract unwanted attention, especially with her becoming a teacher next year. Christine assured her that her attire and adornment was solely to please Chris and that she didn't walk around campus like that. The conversation returned to more happy thoughts and assurances that they would talk later about plans for Thanksgiving.



Christine wished her love, hung up and turned to face her friends. Suddenly a blur came from behind the trash can she passed and flung her against a parked car.



"What the..." she started to shout but was cut off by a very sharp pain on the side of her neck.



"Shut up," the assailant growled.



Chris's legs tightened to leap forward but he froze in an awkward crouch when he saw the knife.



"Keep quiet," the man hissed. "She's coming with me." 



He opened the door and slid in, pulling her with him. Putting a knee on her thighs, he reached over to close the door and just like that, she was gone.



* * *



The old land-yacht Cadillac sped away and Chris was off and sprinting after it. Ann unsnapped her phone from her belt and dialed 911. The car had turned down a street and she saw Chris staring it down as he crossed. When the operator answered, Ann lost sight of Chris as he kept his unreal pace toward his house.



"Yes, emergency! My friend was just kidnapped," she said shakily as she struggled to remain calm enough to give clear information.



As she gave details and descriptions, she fended off Cathy's hysterical screaming and clutching at her. A group of three guys came running up and after deciphering what Cathy's babbling and crying was about, they ran off to their car just ahead to see if they could find the assailant themselves. As Ann was describing the last of the details she could remember, Chris's truck came roaring toward the intersection, made a hard right and peeled off, lights blazing. She quickly added to the operator who Chris was, and that he was attempting to chase down the kidnapper. She gave a description of the truck and pleaded that police not interfere with him.



"He cut her! He fucking cut her!" Chris shouted in his mind as he had run off, the vivid drops of blood forming on his love's pretty neck burned into his mental vision.



When he finally had reached his truck, he stepped up on the side rail, ripped off the covers to the off-road lamps, and turned the outer two toward the outside. Chris threw the truck in reverse, not caring about running over the various chairs and coolers left in the driveway before the game. He had memorized what the car looked like as he crossed the street it turned down, and from what he saw, the driver hadn't turned off that street yet. The car didn't flash past on any of the cross streets ahead, so he knew they didn't circle back. That meant the asshole was heading either west or north, and the plates weren't from that county, so that probably meant he was heading out of town limits. When he sped toward the cross street, he saw Ann was on the phone. He trusted that she would know what to do, and it appeared the trust was not misplaced. Chris offered a silent prayer while dodging traffic to help him find the car while Christine was still alive.

<hr pg="9" />Cathy was beside herself, bawling while alternating kneeling and clutching Ann. Ann told her the best they could do right now is wait for the patrol officer being sent to take a statement and any other information. Putting an arm around Cathy and using her free hand to scroll through contacts in her phone, she shivered against the chill in the air and the adrenaline. She found what she was looking for &#x2013; the contact info for one of the youth directors she had met at the youth rally in New York. Ann quickly reintroduced herself and asked for his help.



A few minutes later, a number of police cruisers could be seen racing down the cross streets, and one screeched to a halt in front of Ann and Cathy. A small crowd of attendees heading to the post-game party had caught up and gathered around the two girls. The officer asked for space, and then interviewed both girls. He jotted a few notes and radioed for an investigation unit to survey the spot the kidnapper had sprung from and where he had parked his car. Tape was strung around the area, and they waited. The youth director from across town arrived with six parishioners. Ann told them what she knew, and that Chris was headed west. They planned out their strategy, and decided each would take main roads west and north.



It was not too long after the group left that Ann suddenly had a brainstorm. She found the app on her phone and closed her eyes as she brought it up. It was a GPS hide-and-seek game, and miraculously a dot labeled Christine was moving along a map. She nearly screamed to get the officer's attention and showed him where Christine was. He radioed it in and she dialed Chris's number.



"Has she called?" he asked as soon as he picked it up.



There was a perceived long pause. "No. But I have her cellphone on Hide and Seek. They're heading down Route..."



Chris started a string of profanity, and whirled the truck around.



"You're on the wrong road," Ann said as calmly and plainly as she could in order to try not to infuriate him more.



"I KNOW! Damn! Why didn't I think of that? Ugh, so mad at myself!"



Ann ignored that. She saw his blip change course. "Okay, three roads down, take a right and it will take you back on track. Oh no."



"What is it?"



"Nothing...well, something. I think he figured out her phone was on, 'cause her dot is gone now."



Chris asked for and received where exactly the last location was. He hung up at the turn, skidded around the corner and floored his beast.



After relaying the same information to the impromptu search team from the church, Ann then called her boyfriend. "Jason," she said when he picked up.



"Hey...what's wrong?" Jason knew it was weird for Ann to address him so clipped.



"It's Christine. She's been taken." Ann gave a short version of what happened and wanted to know what else to do.



Jason had gotten to know Christine through his girlfriend, although he already knew her by name from the tornado ordeal. In fact, he was there the night Chris and Christine were dug out of the collapsed building. Since then, he had championed a revamped search protocol and technology, and his efforts rewarded him with the mayor's appointment of Fire Chief last year.



"Alright, sweetie. Just stay at her house, you said you were close, right? Okay, yeah, when they release you from questioning, go there and be a contact point. Let me get some things together and I'll be on the road in 45 minutes or so. See you in about 4 hours."



Cathy had gotten a grip and was now talking with the rest of the friends who were supposed to be celebrating the victory with her just a few blocks up the street. Over and over to new people gathering, she explained what happened there. Ann looked around and a police van had arrived and the inspector was working to figure out if there were any clues left behind. That did not look promising. She asked the officer if they could go home, and he said yes after she explained that her destination was a few blocks up. Ann invited everyone to come over and stay for moral support if they wished.



A few stayed to keep Cathy's spirits up, and later to clean up the trashed yard, but most went home after Ann issued empty promises to call them if she heard anything. She plopped down on the sofa, and with a heavy sigh, she dialed the number to Christine's parents.



"Mrs. Barron? Yeah, it's me. Listen, I have some terrible news..."



It was the hardest call she's ever made. Christine was &#x2013; stop it, IS...she thought to herself &#x2013; the girl she was instructed to research for hosting Grad Nite. A girl she liked immediately upon just hearing and reading about. A girl whom she fell in love with as a friend during the last few years. Whose parents hosted Ann's temporary living arrangement for the first year when she took Chris's offer. Now, Christine is the girl whose parents' voices were twisted in anguish over her disappearance.



Ann called Jason back in tears after talking with the Barrons and asked him if he could make sure they made it up okay, since they insisted in joining the search. He told her that some of his off-duty search and rescue squad volunteered to come with him, and that they would swing by to escort the Barrons up.



Even with the misdirection, Chris was back on the trail ahead of everyone else. He didn't see anything near the spot where the signal was lost. He half expected to see skid marks at the next intersection up the road where the perpetrator might have changed direction. But there weren't any, so he continued on. He slowed down at each side road, trail, or overgrown driveway, allowing his off-road lights to peer down them. Chris had gone so far, that signs were indicating that a freeway was quickly approaching. If the car made it that far, there was small hope of seeing Christine ever again. 



Then, out of the corner of his eye, something rebounded the light that came from the top of his truck. He came to a stop and backed up to the indentation of the woods. Several yards deep, an unmistakeable reflection of a license plate appeared. Chris clicked on his hazards and moved the truck off the road. He called Ann with where he was, and she said that she would relay it to the others after making him promise to be careful. He grabbed the tire iron from under the seat, got out, and made his approach down the lane. Some of the lower branches were broken, and the tire tracks were fresh. His suspicion was confirmed after he passed a few trees...no doubt about it, this was the car he was tracking down.



With a deep breath, he continued his slow and wary creep. His heart thumped when he didn't see any movement and the driver door was open. "Christine?" he called out, but there was no response. Carefully and slowly, he rounded the open side of the car. The dome light was on, but he still couldn't see anything. Chris glanced around and into the woods, belatedly thinking that it was very possible that he could get jumped. He raised the iron as menacingly as he could and peeked in through the open door. What he saw made him turn pale white and gasp.



On the floorboard was Christine's cell phone, laying in two halves with tiny pieces that had chipped off. Her shoes and jeans were laying crumpled up on the passenger floor, sliced down the front and had dark stains that he guessed correctly were blood. A body too big to be hers was sprawled across the seat, and a very soft and hideous labored gurgle could be heard as the figure worked to breathe. Chris poked a leg with the rod in his hand, and received a twitch and a garbled moan as a result. He called 911 with what he found and where. Deciding to leave his truck at the road as a marker for the responders, Chris peered into the woods, hoping and not hoping at the same time to find Christine lying there somewhere. He yelled out her name about 50 times to no response before he heard the sirens approaching.



From behind the trail lights of his truck came two flashlight beacons and an authoritative barked order, "Weapon down! On the ground!"



Chris called back, "I'm Chris! Chris Zehyr!"



"Put your weapon down! Kneel on the ground!" yelled the reply.



Chris realized he still had the tire iron in his hand. Slowly, he placed it on the roof of the car and kneeled in the cold mud, holding his arms out to the side, palms facing the officers.



"Hands behind your head, knees apart, ankles crossed!"



He did as asked and found that it would be difficult to get up quickly from this position. Cautiously the flashlights got closer until he made out that guns were aimed at him. He stayed still until one of the officers restrained his wrists behind his back with cuffs and helped him up. Chris offered his ID by directing the officer to his back pocket. The other officer found the man laying on the front seat, and after failing to get a response, radioed for an ambulance. Chris's ID was checked, and he was released from his restraints when a few more sirens pulled up.



"Sorry, it's dark, and we didn't know what we were going to find," apologized the deputy who had restrained Chris.



"No, it's okay, I understand."



"Is this the car that took your girlfriend?"



"Fiancee, and yes, without a doubt."



"You do this?" asked the deputy covering the figure in the car with his weapon.



Chris shook his head and said no. Three more deputies strode down the lane and got up to speed. One went back to his car to start patrolling the road in search of Christine, who may be wandering on foot, now. One of the newer officers commented that there was blood on the ground. Small drips lead several feet into the woods, but then were lost. Also lost was the trail of disturbed leaves. It was as if the maker of the trail took off and flew, or disappeared into the ground. The volunteers from the local church were the next to arrive, and quickly spread out into the woods with flashlights. Next was the ambulance, and when the paramedics turned the body over, things got more than a little gruesome.



A large pool of splattered vomit was smeared on the seat under the man's head, a car cigarette lighter was wedged into his eye socket, and his throat was discolored with early bruising. Chris immediately recognized the face as the person who had thrown Christine into the car. The monstrous knife laid near his hand, and had blood stuck to the point. The kidnapper's breathing was getting more and more shallow as the EMT's worked to stabilize him. They radioed for an air ambulance, to which one of the officers grumbled, "tell the pilot to take his time."



Some eager reporter must have been listening to a scanner, because the news van pulled up just before the helicopter started circling to find a place to land. The police, now causing a scene by their sheer numbers, met the camera crew and successfully were able to move them a few dozen yards from the scene. The chopper landed on the rural highway, and Chris ran to ask the pilot if he saw anything that might resemble Christine while he was circling. The answer was a head shake in the negative.



Chris went back to the officers who were now looking through the car. The trunk was open and the contents that were inside chilled him. Rope, shovel, large garbage bags, and a tarp. He swallowed back the lump in his throat to ask about what was being done to find Christine. The response was that several of the new arrivals were already looking through the woods, hopefully trying to pick up more of the blood splatter trail. They suggested to him to go home and wait for word that she was found, or failing that, find out in the morning how to help look for her. Chris didn't want any part of that, so he grabbed a flashlight from his truck and trudged for a few minutes before being found by the reporter. The eager beaver female's attractiveness was lost on the preoccupied Chris. She walked beside him as he looked, cameraman in tow. Chris answered a few of her questions before interrupting her and said that they would be more useful if the camera could aim ahead of him with its bright light. They obliged and the reporter would offer a dramatic narrative once in a while to fill in the monotonous task, hoping they could use some footage for the morning news. After about 40 minutes, the light grew dimmer, and they trudged off back to their van.



Chris's batteries were dying, too, so after a few more shouts of his loved one's name, he headed back to beg some fresh batteries off one of the officers. That request was fruitless, and he was once again encouraged to head home, as the church group had decided while he was gone that it was too dark and dangerous to continue until daylight. He thought for a minute and remembered passing a convenience store several miles back. He wasn't giving up, but he'd take a break for batteries and a grab-and-run coffee in order to continue looking for her.



Ann called to see what was going on. She was tired of fielding questions to which she didn't have any answers to. Chris updated her on what was found so far, but only mentioned that the kidnapper was injured, and didn't give the gory details to what extent. Ann actually had news for him on that front. The man died on the way to the hospital. Then she asked what Chris did to him, but he told her that was the way he found him. Also, another theory presented was that there was a partner in the crime, and the partner had worked over the guy and taken Christine with him. Chris explained that he was heading for batteries and coffee to continue looking for Christine. Ann pleaded with him not to give up, and his response was a clipped "call you back."



There, in the fall grass on the other side of the road, an image flashed on the edge of his vision. A color different than the grass that mostly hid it. A distinctive color. A color that made his heart rise every time he saw it. Chris stomped on the brake pedal and nearly shoved it through the floorboard. The truck skidded and dogtracked a few hundred feet, and Chris had it in reverse before it came to a full stop. The lights on his truck cast bright white cylinders in all directions as they passed through the black rubber smoke the tires created in the stop. He had to look at that again. At least to prove to himself that he wasn't seeing things.



Chapter 37



The Barrons were second in the caravan of flashing lights, cruising between 90 and 95 miles an hour on I-65 toward where they would join in the search. The Zehyrs were directly behind them. Jason was setting the pace ahead in his red and white pickup with the dazing red strobes running full blast on the roof. Behind the Zehyrs were two search and rescue trucks, one of them carrying two specially trained dogs.



Christine's mom accepted the call as soon as Ann rang in again. She was a nervous wreck from the last report that the suspect's vehicle was found, but not Christine.



"Mrs. Barron?"



"Yes," she answered briskly. As she listened, she slumped back in the seat in sobs. In barely a whisper, she ended the call with, "Thanks Ann for letting us know."



"What? What is it?" Dr. Barron asked in worry and impatience.



It took a few seconds for Mrs. Barron to collect herself enough to speak. "They found her. Chris found her. She's alive!" She sobbed again in mighty relief, secretly thinking she'd never utter those words. Not twice about her youngest daughter. "Just keep following Jason. Ann's calling him now to have him bring us to the hospital."



"Okay, maybe he'll slow down now."



"I hope not," the mother said plainly.



An hour later, they were pulling up to the emergency entrance of the hospital. The caravan's arrival made for spectacular TV as several news vans were camped outside. The arriving group ignored the cameras as they marched briskly inside. Ann was waiting for them and ran up to the two mothers and embraced them tightly in a group hug.



"She's not great, but she's fine," Ann whispered to them. "She's a bit dazed, cold, and dirty, but she'll be fine."



"Thank you," Mrs. Barron sobbed against her. "Thank God! Thank you!"



"Don't thank me. I'm just the messenger. Come on, I'll take y'all to her."



She led the way to the elevator, and after she hit the button that would take them to the proper floor, Jason picked up her hand and squeezed it, to which she replied with a tired smile. Briskly she walked to the room with the others in tow and she stood to the side to allow them in first. Instead of entering the room, Jason took her by the hand and guided her to a secluded waiting room down the hall, where she collapsed in exhausted relief and sobbed heavily in the protection of his arms.



Christine was sitting up and sipping hot cider, staring blankly at the far wall while Cathy fussed with her mane, trying to make her presentable. Chris was on the other side of the bed, giving her arms and face a gentle sponge bath to clean the mud stains off her skin. She smiled weakly at her mother's call of her name. The others made way and Mrs. Barron nearly pounced on her daughter, giving her a tight hug. Dr. Barron came around the other side to complete the circle of love.



"Ow, Mom," Christine grunted. "I'm hurt there."



"Sorry, honey." She backed off an inch. "I'm just so happy you're...well, they called and said that...oh my God, I'm so glad you're alive." She looked over at Chris. "Thank you, thank you for finding my baby!"



He waved it off with a shake of his head, and the mother squeezed her grown child again. Ann hadn't lied. Christine was a mess. The white bandage pad at her neck was a stark contrast to the reddish brown mix of mud and blood that stained her skin. Her dad looked at her chart after a few minutes of hugging. She was being treated for hypothermia, shock, cuts to her neck and abdomen, as well as a bruise on her throat. He asked if the heating blanket was too hot, but Christine mumbled that it felt good. 



In the corner of the room, Chris stood and watched the family reunite. Cathy was embracing him from behind, unconsciously planting gentle kisses on the back of his shoulders, of which he was barely aware. Christine looked over at them, smiled and held a hand out toward Chris. Cathy suddenly realized what she was doing.



"Oh, Christine. I'm sorry...I wasn't trying to...oh my God, I'm sorry."



Christine shook her head slightly and gave a small smile. "It's okay. I feel the same way and more about him. Roles reversed, I'd be doing more to show my appreciation."



Ann and Jason made it to the room with Ann a bit more composed. Christine said hi to Jason and thanked him for bringing her parents. He gave her a peck on the forehead and said that he would see her tomorrow. Ann followed him out briefly and asked what he was doing. He said that he wasn't going to waste the trip for the other guys, and planned to run a "live" drill for the dogs. Jason promised Ann that he'd be careful after she told him that a manhunt was now underway to find a possible partner, since Christine refused or was unable to talk about the ordeal right now.



He met the volunteers from his department downstairs and briefed them. They talked about getting a hotel room, but Jason had other plans. Soon after, they were at the crime scene, getting the dogs prepared to work. After a few hours, he called Ann to tell her the drill was a success and she instructed him to pick her up from the hospital, and that she'd let them into Christine's house to let the team sleep before they headed back.



* * *



Christine woke with a start, half-thinking the previous night was a bad dream. She got her bearings and realized that the ordeal was not, in fact, her imagination. She looked over and found Chris sitting on a chair next to the bed, sleeping hunched over with his head at her side. Christine reached out and petted his hair.



"Sweetheart. Sweetie, get up."



He roused and started to look around.



"Chris, you shouldn't sleep like that, you'll get a crick in your back," she admonished sweetly.

<hr pg="10" />Groggily he looked at her. "It was already hurt from last night."



"I'm sorry you had to lift my fat ass out of the ditch."



He smiled at her joke. "You have a perfect ass."



The corner of her mouth turned up into a cocky grin. "I do, don't I?"



"Yep, all 98 pounds of it."



Christine turned to see Cathy sitting on the other side of where she lay. "Shut up. Eww, I'm not a stick! One-oh-eight, thank you very much," she said with an impish grin.



Cathy pursed her lips and plucked a couple of hairs from Christine's arm, one of her favorite methods of teasing her housemate. "So 'ditch,' huh? You DO remember last night..."



Christine's brows furrowed. "Yeah, everything. Unfortunately. Well, almost. The fuzzy part is that I was stumbling near the...and then Chris's face while he ... HEY! No free sneak peaks, Cat!"



"What? You're the one talking!"



"You're gonna find out the story along with everyone else. Nice try though. I only want to go through it once."



"You're impossible."



"You're slutty."



Cathy slumped back in a pout. "I resemble that remark!"



Christine smiled at her. "I know, sweetie. I love you anyway." She stretched. "Where's Mom and Dad, or Ann?"



Chris replied, "Our folks are down in the waiting area, sleeping."



From the doorway Ann said, "And I just got here. Good to see you up."



Christine reached up to her and Ann came over to share a hug. "Sorry to ruin the weekend for you, Ann."



"Oh hon, you made it up to us by making it through."



Jason spoke up. "Yeah, by the way, what WERE you doing in those woods? The dogs tracked you going EVERYWHERE but toward the road for a good while."



Christine let out a little chuckle. "I'll get to that eventually, but the short version is that I didn't want to be followed by...him...and I got turned around." She reflected a bit on that, then shook her head. Her mood turned dark. "How far down are my parents?" she asked her fiance.



"End of the hall."



She turned back to the others. "Could you get them? And, take your time, I wanna talk to Chris alone for a minute."



They nodded and left the room.



The couple looked at each other and blurted out to each other, "I'm sorry."



Christine got angry at this. "Sorry?! Why are YOU sorry?"



"You got taken, I should have done something to stop it."



"Listen to me," she stared deep into his eyes to command his attention. "Nothing could have been done different. You hear me? NOTHING!" She touched the bandage on her neck. "Remember this? There was nothing you could have done. I am alive because you DIDN'T jump to save me."



He sulked, but let it go.



"But Chris," her eyes turned away. "I am so sorry. I did a terrible thing, and I know it's stupid to think you wouldn't, but I gotta ask you to forgive me."



He shut his eyes tight and then looked at her. "Anything he forced you to do was forgiven the instant it happened...and that doesn't even explain it. Not forgive...I wouldn't...I don't hold any of that against you. Why would you think that? I mean, he forced himself on you."



She sobbed hard twice. "That's just it. He didn't."



The confusion on Chris's face couldn't have been more plain. "What do you mean 'he didn't'? You just...?"



Christine was getting frustrated. She didn't want to go through the whole story again and again out loud. But without any information, the conversation was two ships passing in the dark. "NO! He didn't touch me, except with the knife, and to rip off my shoes and cut off my pants. And I didn't touch him, until..." There was a long pause as tears blurred him out. "I killed him...didn't I?"



There was a long pause before Chris found words again. "Wha...what makes you think that?"



"He didn't follow me, at least I didn't hear anything...and no one has said anything about him. Not that he might come here after me, not that they're looking for him. I pieced it together last night, and the only reason would be that he's dead...and * I * did that!" Her head was bowed so low in shame that her chin rested on her chest. "God, forgive me!"



Chris squeezed her hand. "C, look at me. They were looking for a possible partner. Are you saying there wasn't one?"



She nodded. "Just me and the guy."



He nodded back. "Whatever you did, you had to do to get away and stay alive. I'm SURE God has forgiven you. I know that I'm PROUD of you. Please don't make this your fault in your head."



She sniffed and grabbed his head to hug it tight. "Okay," she whispered. After a few seconds, she asked in his ear, "Do I look presentable for guests?"



He chuckled as did she at the sudden concern of trivial things. "Yeah, Cathy and I finished cleaning you up after everyone else left the room early this morning."



"Hmm, humor me and give me a mirror?"



He did, and she had to admit that other than the yellowing hand print her kidnapper left and the bandage on her neck, she was pretty tidy, all things considered. Still, she started fussing with her hair. Chris gave it a stroke and told her that was what he spotted in the ditch. She smiled at that.



"By the way, Jay called to see if you were okay."



"Jay?"



He glared at her. "Yeah, Jay! You know, the guy you've been staying up 'till 3a.m. editing videos to send him once a month for the last three years?"



The light finally went on in her head. "Oh! How's he been?"



Chris shook his head. "He was asking about YOU. His personal life didn't come up. I told him we'd call him today, if you were up to it."



"Okay."



Chris chuckled to himself. Not much could faze Christine and rattle her since the prom years ago. Not even popular celebrities calling to see if she was okay. But, the fact that she was deeply worried this early about how he thought of her since she took a life concerned him. No matter the circumstances that forced her to do it.



The parents were happy to see Christine up and alert, quite some distance to her spacey demeanor earlier in the morning. A nurse interrupted the extended hugging to take Christine's vitals and ask her questions to judge her mental state. After the care worker left, there was an awkward silence since no one really knew what to say or how to approach the heavy subject of Christine's abduction. Ann decided to meet it head-on, and said that before they got into it, she suggested that everyone have breakfast first. It made sense, since an investigator was coming in later to take her statement, and Christine had already expressed her desire to relay the story only once. The plan got finalized when a tray was brought in for Christine. Chris and Mrs. Barron ordered trays for themselves and the others left with promises to return very soon. Christine smiled to herself as she heard their chatter fading down the hallway, remarking at how good she looked.



She was perfectly capable of doing it herself, but Christine allowed Chris and her mom to uncover and arrange her breakfast for her. Spontaneously, she grabbed Chris's neck and pulled him to her lips. "I love you!" Then, she repeated the display for her mom.



The group of visitors returned about an hour later with some welcome additions. Christine's siblings had arrived, along with Jill, and three of Christine and Cathy's closer friends from on campus. Tears of joy filled the room, and Christine welcomed their embraces one by one. The chatter had barely started dying down when two uniformed officers, one police, one sheriff's department, arrived. Just behind them was the hospital administrator. He noted the amount of people in the room, and offered the use of a conference room a few doors down the hall. It was agreed that Christine would feel easier in a more open room. She turned down the wheelchair offer and the group filed to the new meeting place. Chris stayed behind and helped her up, handing her a robe that Ann brought from the house. He asked if he should call Jay when they got in the room, and she said yes.



Everyone was in their seats when they came in, and Christine self-consciously took her's at the head of the table. Chris went to a side table and started punching in a number.



One of the investigators shifted in his seat. "What's he doing?"



"Calling Jay," Christine said plainly.



He looked puzzled. "A lawyer? Friend?"



"No, Jay Leno," said Chris. "He said he wanted to hear this as well."



"Ha ha!" The man shared a laugh with his counterpart, both thinking that Chris was being sarcastic.



"Hello?" The voice came from the speaker at the center of the table.



"Hi Jay! It's Christine."



"Christine! It's good to hear from you, kid! How are you doing?"



It was clear now that the voice was indeed Leno's, and the investigators sat with jaws dropped.



"I'm better, now, thank you. Jay, I know you can't see them, but there's a room full of people who want to say hello. Everybody, this is Jay Leno. Jay? This is my mom..." She introduced everybody present, and each said hi. The officials in the room both professed that they were fans when they said hi.



Once the introductions were out of the way, the investigators each placed a recorder on the table. The deputy said, "I just didn't put it together that you were..." he looked at Cathy "...and you! Oh wow, don't I feel silly? Y'all are the JayBirds!" Both girls nodded. "Wow. So, anyway, Christine. You want this to be your sworn statement?" He glanced pointedly about the room.



"Yes, sir. Everyone present is a loved one and they're welcome to hear what I have to say. Well, except y'all, but you HAVE to be here, right? Though, I must say that I'm pleased to meet you."



The room chuckled.



"You, too. I wish it was under different circumstances. Mr. Leno, I must advise you that this conversation is about to be recorded. You may stay on the line, if you wish. But if you do not agree to have anything you might say on record, I have to ask you to terminate the call."



"I'm fine, officer."



"Very well." Both investigators clicked on their devices, and each in turn went through swearing in Christine, Chris, Ann, and Cathy, and then identified their case number for the records.



The first question went to Chris about what he saw. The events were rehashed in great detail, including time, date, locations, and descriptions of the assailant and his car. Most in the room already knew most of it, but aside from the investigators, they were shocked at what Chris saw when he found the car. Ann and Cathy stated that they agreed in whole to what Chris had said about the abduction itself. Then came Christine's turn. The whole room seemed to lean into the long table at once.



She drew in a long breath and held it for a few seconds. "I was walking a few steps ahead of the others, finishing up a call with my mom. When I turned back, this guy leaped out from behind a garbage can and threw me against his car. I was about to try and break free, but then he jabbed a long knife against my neck. He said something to the effect that I was coming with him. Then he got inside and pulled me with him. As we raced along the streets, I was thinking that once we slowed down for traffic, I'd jump out, but then there were no handles whatsoever on my door. He saw me looking around and told me that it was useless, he had thought of everything. That upset me and I started screaming, pleading with him to let me go.



"He didn't say anything else until we were almost out of town. I couldn't see where we were going, because I was crying so hard. Finally, through my sobs, I heard him talking. He said that he wanted me since my story broke from the disaster four years ago. He'd attempted to get me a number of times before, but I'd always cross the street before I got near his hiding spot. Thanks, Chris, by the way for teaching me to avoid blind spots. Anyway, that night, he bought a ticket to the game, and found us. He said that seeing me drove him mad with love. When I spotted him, he left to set up his move to make me his forever. He said that he vowed to himself that he was taking me that night, no matter what. The whole time, I kept looking around the car for something I could use to break out. There wasn't much. Some old clippings about the disaster with my picture on them and Chris torn out, candy wrappers, and other paper trash.



"He'd been thinking about this night for almost four years, and I was in the situation for only minutes. I was way far behind, trying to catch up. The whole time we were driving, he kept saying how pretty I was, how sexy my tits, ass, or stomach was. Always using past tense. That tipped me off that he wasn't just going to use me and throw me away. I felt the panic setting in, and did my best to punch it down. If I didn't do something, this was going to end very poorly for me. Like, 'THE END'.



"My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and he went into a rage. It was directed more toward himself for not remembering to get rid of that, but anyway, he reached over, dug under my butt and yanked the phone out. He smashed it against the dashboard and let the pieces fall to the floor. I tried to use the distraction and yanked on the steering wheel, but corrected for it quickly and shoved me back to my seat. He was so strong. We went on a few miles, the incessant 'you were so beautiful, your tits were so pretty,' and so on continued until he dove the car into this little crack in the trees on the side of the road."



Christine's face grew dark and cold, and she paused for a bit before continuing. "As soon as he had the car turned off, he grabbed my legs and swung them toward him. I tried a few things I could think of to discourage him. I spit in his face, but he just ripped off my shoes. I flooded my jeans, and that seemed to disgust him, but it only inflamed his rage. He yelled at me, 'you fucking bitch,' grabbed my neck with one hand, and the other found his knife. Hot, searing pain traveled down toward my crotch as he cut my pants and underwear off. He didn't care that the knife point was scratching me and making me bleed all over the place. The knife went through the denim like butter. He ripped the pants off me, and somehow, I made sure my knee was pressing against a button on the console. It opened my privates up to him, but I didn't care. That lighter was about to become my only weapon. The visual of me open to him excited him immensely, and his breathing became shallow and raspy. It was hideous.



"'Oh yeah, I knew you wanted this,' he said as he undid his own pants and pulled them down. He worked a leg out of them, and when he set it down for balance, he was straddling my free leg. We looked at each other in an instant of hesitation, and I knew &#x2013; I think he did too &#x2013; that this mistake would be my only way out. I drove my knee as hard as I could toward his chest, and it came to a hard stop between his legs. He immediately threw up on me, but still held my throat in that bear-grasp he had. I moved my leg, grabbed the hot lighter and jammed it as hard as I could into his eye. He screamed in pain, and to my horror, the lighter stuck there. He still wouldn't let go, so I balled my fist and punched his throat. He went limp, and finally let go of my neck.



"I wrestled my way out from under him, climbed over and got out through his door. I knew which way the road was, but I figured that's where he'd look first if he came to. So, I started running through the woods, remembering belatedly that kicking the leaves would leave a trail, so I started following tree roots and the bottoms of cliff edges. The bleeding had stopped, and after a while, I started following the road from inside the woods. Cars would pass, but I was naked from the chest down, and didn't want to be seen. Stupid, I know.



"I could see the convenience store on the horizon, and the woods were thinning out anyway, so I ran along a ditch. It was so cold, my legs and hands were numb. I started getting very tired, and stumbling as a result. Next thing I know, the mud felt good against my gashes, and I just wanted to sleep. Way off in my dream distance, tires were squealing, followed by Chris calling my name. I don't remember seeing him until the paramedics were looking after me in his truck."



There was silence in the room when Christine finished. She finally broke it again. "I killed him, didn't I?"



One of the investigators said, "he died on the way to the hospital."



She shook her head and tears filled her eyes. "I'm so sorry. All I wanted was to get out. He wouldn't let go." Chris took her hand and squeezed it.



The investigator finished writing some notes and said, "I see this case as closed. Clearly self defense."



The other agreed, and they gave their cards to Christine, telling her to call them if she ever needed anything. They said goodbye and left. Jay decided to remind everyone that he was still listening.



"So, Christine, if you want a break, you could come out here for a few days."



She declined, and then she also declined his offer to be on his show again. Leno then extended a no-strings invitation to the couple to stay in his guest house, should they ever visit California. They thanked him and he ended the call after getting a renewed promise that they would send him a wedding invitation when that event comes around.



In her assigned room again, Christine was clearly in a more glum mood. The interview and story took a lot out of her as she predicted. Her assigned doctor came and checked her over, including the superficial cuts to her neck and abdomen. He remarked that she was "one lucky girl" to have survived such an encounter with minor cuts and bruises. The nurse would be in for a final bandage change, and she would be released.



Chatty banter circulated the room as everyone briefed each other on what was new in their lives. Christine managed to get Chris and Ann's attention and told them quietly in no uncertain terms that she did NOT want a scene when she left. Chris assured her they'd come up with something. Cathy overheard them, and excitedly pitched a plan to them. It was far fetched, and Christine was uneasy about parts of it, but it sort of appealed to her in a cloak-and-dagger kind of way.



About an hour later, Ann appeared in front of the dozen or so cameras stationed at the entrance. She read a self-prepared "statement from the family" that expressed gratitude to the care workers and rescue personnel that took care of Christine after the ordeal. She mentioned the dozens of officers who worked for hours to try and track her down. There was also a word of thanks to Jason, who brought a search squad with him, even though it turned out that she had escaped and was found before they arrived. With a PR background in her arsenal, Ann actually invited questions. She ended up relaying the story, pieced together from her first-hand knowledge and Christine's side of the story. When asked what happened to the kidnapper and if he was on the loose, Ann replied:



"Yesterday was a very traumatic experience for my friend, Christine. In the end, she was forced to fight for her life. Even under duress and promise that her life would end only after being subjected to the shame and pain of brutal rape, she attempted several less drastic methods to break free with no effect. She deeply regrets the ultimate level of violence that was required to successfully escape."



A reporter pressed the issue, "so, she killed him?"



"Christine is a woman of deep faith, and I feel that she believes more than anyone that all life is precious. She gave her assailant several opportunities to let her go, but he would not relent. Christine was not given a choice. She faced certain torture and death, and her survival instinct triumphed over his twisted lust and hate."



After the conference ended and the cameras were turned off, Ann handed each reporter her new business card, sternly instructing them that if there were more questions, to contact her directly &#x2013; not Christine. The move was pretty much blown off and crews mumbled under their breath to each other as they turned away from her toward their vans. Ann put two fingers to her mouth and let out a shrill whistle that got their attention and spun every head around.

<hr pg="11" />"I'm serious, folks! Christine is a do-not-contact entity. I will get a judge's restraining order against each of your networks, if I have to."



It was not an empty threat. Ann would deplete every cent from her savings and max out her credit to protect Christine's privacy. Luckily, it turned out that the media decided it wasn't worth the hassle.



Meanwhile, the families and friends left through separate entrances, leaving Cathy alone at the loading dock with Christine, making sure she got into her morbid "costume" okay. The workers whom Cathy hired for this stunt smiled and shook their heads as the zipper was pulled up and Christine shot her friend a bird before disappearing from sight. Cathy donned her aviator sunglasses and watched them wheel out Christine. She followed close behind and snapped a picture of the scene before walking off toward Jason's truck. The ruse worked, since she spotted two paparazzi photographers hanging out off to the side. They had glanced at the cargo being loaded into the van, but didn't move to question it.



* * *



The plan was to allow Christine to sleep in the next morning, but she was at her computer in the living room, finding video coverage of her ordeal on YouTube and news websites, and picking at a muffin while watching. Cathy was the next up, although she had already decided to play hooky from school. In fact, she texted both of their current professors the day before and received permission to take the whole week off.



Christine tossed a paper at her feet. "How do you explain that?"



Cathy picked it up. It was the student paper, and the top headline blared, "Tide Washed Up!" "So? We won the game!" she asked.



Christine glanced over. "Flip it over, look real careful on the second half, you twit." It was the same banter they usually had, but there was a bit of edge on it this morning.



Under the glowing article about the game was the only other article on the front page titled "Escape Artist." There was a large photo picturing Christine being loaded into the van and two lurkers with cameras loitering beyond the stretcher. It's caption read, "Campus sweetheart Christine Barron leaves hospital in body bag with paparazzi unaware in the background. Her housemate and friend came up with the ruse to allow Christine's exit without harassment." The article about the events was actually written well, and put Christine in a very positive light. It questioned the level of security along the perimeter of the campus, and both campus and city police responded by promising increased regular patrols, and high visibility enforcement for future home games.



Cathy skimmed the article before responding. "Are you talking about the photo?" Christine just glared at her. "I'm sorry! It was too good to keep to ourselves!"



"It was creepy, Cat! BEYOND creepy, it was sick and twisted! I survived near death, and you have me stuffed into a BODY BAG!"



"But you agreed..."



"Yeah, 'cause it was a quick way out. I didn't want it glorified! Damn!" Christine was yelling, even though she didn't intend to. Seeing the story all morning from other eyes than hers made her finally believe it all was real. She grabbed her muffin and coffee, spun around to the living room and plopped in a huff onto the couch. Flicking on the TV, Christine barely uttered a word the rest of the day.



Christine nodded numbly at the suggestion of eating lunch out when the parents came from their hotel with Ann. While the sisters, Tom, and Jill took up the guest room and Cathy's spare bed, there just wasn't enough room for the rest. Jason had left the night before, needing to get back on duty at home. Christine finally woke her exhausted Chris as she got ready. She excluded herself from the conversation during the meal, and was melancholy when they returned.



Late in the afternoon, she spontaneously took out her violin, sat on Chris's lap on the sofa, and began to play some scales. Playing had always seemed to take her mind off things, and without any communication of what she wanted, Chris lightly rubbed her shoulders and back, and planted soft kisses to her neck. She played random non-specific tunes absently until Tom picked up on one. He flicked on her keyboard stationed at a nearby wall and echoed the melody. It brought Christine into focus, and soon the brother and sister were playing an instrumental duet to "Need You Now."



Christine flowed into another tune, and her brother followed. Together they played several tunes, some from church, some from show tunes, and some from the radio. The whole while Chris held her from behind, making her feel safe. It improved her mood until she finally stopped and said that she was hungry again. Those were the first words she spoke since yelling at Cathy that morning.



Dinner was much more pleasant. She wasn't back to her chatty self by any stretch yet, but she actively took part in conversations that steered well clear of sensitive subjects. Well, except one in a roundabout way. Since it was rather obvious that it would be best for Ann, Chris, and Christine to take up their schools' offer of the week off, and Thanksgiving was later that week anyway, it was agreed that everyone would head back home tomorrow. Plans were made that Ann would drive Cathy back in Chris's truck, while Chris would drive Christine in her car. She agreed, but whined about the seatbelt possibly chafing her cut for hours. Chris overruled the objection by giving her a choice of either putting a pillow in between, or having him carry her all the way down. She giggled her agreement to the former.



It was good to hear her laugh again. So much so that Tom rang his glass for an announcement. Jill stood up and announced that they had set a date, FINALLY, and that their wedding would be in the summer. Everyone clapped and toasted the announcement.  











Chapter 38



Christine was used to hearing the boot-steps on the porch by now. Back when she returned from Thanksgiving following her abduction, the police had made good on their increased patrol promise. One afternoon, she flagged one down and made a promise to keep a heater and fresh coffee on the porch for any of the officers on duty while she was home. He told the others, and soon her porch had become somewhat of an unofficial sub station. They would sit at the table and fill out reports in front of the heater while sipping java from one of the clean mugs she kept stocked for them out there. Most of them would check in with her at least once during their shift, and often she'd strike up a conversation. Before long, she knew their dating life or whose kids were sick or how far along they were on a hobby project. She also listened while they vented about supervisors or particularly distasteful suspects. One had taken a fancy with Cathy, and it wasn't long before they were dating.



The officer on duty had already chatted with her earlier in the evening, so she was a bit puzzled when she heard the knock at the door. She put her homework down on the coffee table and answered it.



"Hey Officer Jim! Did Sally win her match today?" The look on his face made her worry. "What's wrong?"



"She did, actually. But, Christine, I'm so sorry. I have a subpoena to serve you."



"What?!"



"Yeah," he sighed as he filled out the serving paperwork. "I don't normally do this, but since it was yours, I read it. I think it's a crock of shit, personally." He handed her the summons to respond and went back to finishing out his form.



She skimmed through the 20 page document. "Wrongful death?! What the FUCK!"



"That's what I said. Verbatim. Here, sign this." She did and when he took back the clipboard, he said, "Any one of us will gladly testify for you. All of us will, if you ask."



Christine nodded and thanked him. She plopped down on the sofa and dialed the phone. "Judge Jenkins? It's Christine Barron...Yeah...Hi...not so good. I think I need your help," she said tearfully.



The respected man who shared a room with Chris for Grad Nite listened as he had her read the summons. He told her that he still held a bar license for Alabama and that he would represent her at no cost. She was to scan and email him the subpoena, and he would respond for her. He FedEx'ed the response the next day, which was a motion to dismiss, and a motion to fast-track the hearing. The ordeal turned into a waiting game, always there in the back of her head while she continued to bull-rush through this last semester. 



Christine had been recovering well from the emotional trauma of what had happened that night. She was often melancholy, and at the bidding from Cathy and Chris, she would occasionally talk with a counselor on campus. She drove to campus most of the time, and on the few days she didn't, Cathy's new and caring man in uniform would drive them to class. She was cracking open her shell again, but this lawsuit from the man's sister made her pop her head back in...even if just a little.



Behind the scenes, and kept from her, Judge Jenkins worked overtime on her case. The other side had agreed to the fast-track, since the motion to dismiss was denied, and promptly filed for discovery of evidence, as did Jenkins in return. The plaintiff's case and evidence was weak. Basically, she lived with her brother who was Christine's attacker after his wife and daughter were killed in a traffic accident just before Christine's high school story made headlines. Their side was that he was merely a confused but non-violent person who wanted only to have Christine's company for a while. They presented evidence that a blow to the throat was what killed him. 



Jenkins responded a bit heavy-handed in an attempt to keep Christine from having to deal with a court trial. The local police were asked for, and gladly gave 22 character testimonies about Christine. The case file was opened and the graphic notes that detailed the scene were presented, including tests that confirmed the sliced jeans were stained with only Christine's blood and urine. Also detailed were the witness accounts as to how her neck was cut when she was taken, and the bruising on her neck that matched her attacker's hand. When he called his counterpart attorney to confirm they received the evidence listing, he hinted at the possibility of a counter-suit, should they keep pressing for a trial. The other lawyer started to blow him off, but Jenkins asked if the plaintiff would be able to afford his fees, Christine's counseling and medical fees, the rescue effort costs, or her family's travel costs to console and comfort her after she was found. Oh, and he'd also tack on her last semester's tuition if she couldn't pass due to the distractions of trial, not to mention the emotional anguish she'd be sure to endure.



There was a bit more posturing over the next week or so, but the case ended up being dropped. Christine was notified just before Valentine's Day. She was so happy, she and Cathy shot one last clip for the Tonight Show.



Jay introduced it two days later in his monologue:



"Everyone remembers Christine Barron, right? Prom miracle, got engaged on my show, has since been appearing in the JayBirds on Campus clips we've featured over the last few years, right? Well, last fall just after the Iron Bowl &#x2013; War Eagle, by the way Christine! &#x2013; she was grabbed and pulled into a car right in front of two friends and her fiance, Chris. She was threatened to be raped and never to be seen again. Long story short, she manages to kill the guy with her bare hands and escape. Now, this girl stands about five foot nothing, barely moves the scale needle past 100, and she did it with her BARE HANDS! - I guess it just goes to show you, hell hath no fury like a tiny woman cornered.



"All kidding aside, she very much regretted having to do what she did, even though she was forced to for survival. It's an incredible story, and many people didn't even hear about it because she understandably didn't want much public 'to-do' over it. Anyway, here's her first video since then."



Set on the steps in front of her house, it was a farewell video for the JayBirds. In it, she jokingly thanked Jay for making her and Cathy celebrities at Auburn. Cathy thanked the audience for their support of the series, as well as Jay for the opportunity. They both reflected on the best and worst parts of making the videos, and the life-experience they gained from it. The rest of the video was a tear-jerker. In the first public revelation of her difficulty to cope with the events, Christine thanked Chris in detail for his support throughout the last three months of her emotional recovery. The clip ended with:



"Your beacon guided me every step of the way through the darkness. Without your strength, patience, and persistence, my light would have been extinguished. You are my light. You are my life. And, I can only hope that you will understand just how much I love you. 



"To everyone else, my wish is that you have someone who makes you feel the same way. Happy Valentine's Day!"



Jay added in a somber tone, "We'll be right back after this." The stage lights were dimmed as he walked slowly to his desk, and the audience was left to reflect on what they had just seen. It was one of the few times the band did not play something when the show ended a segment.



* * *



The next few months were a blur. In addition to her studies, Christine was applying for jobs to start off her new career. The timing was rather poor, as the public schools were going through a period of cuts. In turn, the parochial schools were flooded with applications from teachers who already had experience. In the end, the school where she and Chris met offered her a position starting in the fall, contingent upon her receiving her master's degree.



In the final weeks of school, Christine bounced around a lot. She went home with Cathy for Chris's graduation, was back for Cathy's graduation and her own degree ceremony, and then back down for Catholic's graduation, to which Chris had made a tradition of attending the last four years. Then, it was back up with Chris, Ann, and Jason for moving day. Cathy's parents and boyfriend were there as well, and they helped to rearrange and clean Cathy's new quarters downstairs. The deadbolts to the interior stairwell were reinstalled last, and many tears were shed between the two friends as they bid each other luck in their futures.



Summer was busy as well. There were two weeks of entertaining guests leading up to Tom and Jill's wedding, lesson plan meetings at work, followed by classroom setup. Chris also had a number of youth events going on, so her free time was limited to work on settling into their new apartment. 



She loved having the new living arrangement with him. Now that they were together and alone, they could do whatever they fancied, and on a whim. There was an unspoken agreement. If he gave her some nice foreplay from time to time, he could present himself for a blowjob or even just bend her over and take her straight out of the blue. No matter what she was doing, she would happily oblige, and he would do the same, if roles were reversed. More than that, she loved that they could talk face to face freely. It is hard to understand how much is communicated through facial expression and body language until you have to go through extended periods without it. There were so many arguments with Chris while she was at Auburn, simply because one or the other just didn't have the pieces that completed the 'signals'.



There were a couple of times that an acquaintance would joke that she had Chris on a short leash. She hated that phrase. He made it well known to her that he'd rather be near her than any other place. Besides, she didn't think of her connection to him as a firm and set length. Rather, she felt that their bonds to each other were more like giant rubber bands. There was a lot of give and take, but still a limit, and even that limit had a small gray area. For instance, that time in the hospital when Cathy was holding Chris and absently kissing his back. Christine really didn't mind, and in fact was grateful to Cathy. Chris looked wound up tighter than a piano string, and she just couldn't bring herself to be that tender at that moment. It was physically and emotionally impossible. She saw Chris begin to soften up and relax under Cathy's touch, and it soothed her own heart that he was getting more comfortable. At the same time, he knew where the limit was, and she didn't see any desire in his eyes to pursue anything more from his former girlfriend.



At the other end of their 'band,' he wouldn't admonish her if she chose to dress or act flirty when they were out. His comfort with her playfulness allowed her to have a bit of fun, and in return, there were times that they got a little bonus from her lilt. Instead of repairing their air conditioner, the apartment maintenance crew replaced it. Delivery ended up being free for their new bed. Flirting was fun for her, and when she was in that mood, it made sex the next few nights that much hotter. She loved that he didn't mind it, but she also made sure that most of the flirts were directed at him.



School starting soon thrilled her. It made her nervous, but she was excited. So very excited. Even though he never said anything, she feared that she was annoying him by constantly talking about it. She held such an anticipation for the first day to come, that Chris barely got a good-luck kiss in before she bounced out the door. Quite literally, actually. In her excitement, she misjudged the door frame and her shoulder glanced off, propelling her back against the open door. Christine looked back, and Chris just smiled and shook his head, issuing an "I love you" as she successfully closed the door on her second attempt.



The first bell rang, and students started filing in. They were so cute, hanging up their bags, saying "hi Miss Barron!" Some even gave her a welcome gift. Little minds waiting to be challenged and filled with wonder. It was exciting. And then, as it turned out, so very disappointing for Christine. As the first semester wore on, she got more and more dismayed. It wasn't that she was inept. She did well, her students had high scores in their testing, and she was well-liked by the students, teachers and parents at the school. But, something was clearly amiss, and by the time spring break rolled around, she absolutely hated her job. She couldn't put her finger on what made her feel that way...maybe it was the constant discipline she had to do with children this young, or maybe her view of the career was too different from reality. Whatever the reason, this field of work just was not right for her, and it would not be healthy for her to continue past this year.



No one saw that more than Chris. He held her for hours as she sobbed about returning to work after Christmas break. She was angry at herself and deflated that she didn't like it, especially after enduring those years of coursework and absence from Chris to get there. Late at night, near the end of the school year, she was on top of him, making slow love. She wondered aloud what she could do in her life from this low point. Chris asked if she wanted to stop and talk about it, but she stayed where she was, saying she liked being connected to him. He asked what she enjoyed doing, but she couldn't come up with an answer. He pressed further and told her to think about things outside of a working environment. She mentioned that she liked playing music, but even that was a chore when he wasn't there to listen or play with her.



That's when a bell sounded in her head. The answer was right there in front of her, or rather, under her at the moment. She just wasn't happy without him. For an instant, she was elated that she figured out her trouble. But then she felt guilty and was worried that she was so addicted to her lover, that she'd never find a career she could stand. She said all this aloud to him, and paused when she felt him tense up. She knew the look when he said "I'm sorry," so she smiled warmly and cradled his head to her breasts as he ejaculated into her. He remained hard, and she resumed her slow milking. The fact that he apologized for cumming, even though in her eyes he certainly didn't have to, melted her heart even more for him. Being coupled with him while she unloaded her mental burden aroused her in a different and deeper way.

<hr pg="12" />He apologized again for climaxing during what he thought was an inappropriate moment, and she hushed him, encouraging him to allow his orgasms to happen, no matter where they fell in conversation. After a couple of minutes to collect his thoughts, he asked if she wanted to work for him again. He reminded her that his secretary was moving away to a bigger college, and he needed a replacement, anyway. She worried what their families' perception would be of her, but he made a good point. They were already living together, not one of his mom's favorite things about the couple. So who would be better to please? Herself, or his mom? Christine jumped at the chance, and her mood turned 180 degrees. As her tempo increased, she proposed that they get married by the following summer, come hell or high water. She came when he said yes.



* * *



Christine had become beyond happy. Working with Chris (neither considered her to be working FOR him) was like having the final piece to the puzzle. For him, too. The two were in synch with each other, and the job became almost too easy. On weekends spent preparing for the wedding, Christine absolutely shone. She was a ball of energy, and it was hard for the moms to keep up. Cathy finished up her schooling and had moved back to their town for her internship. Her now-fiance was able to move with her and found a spot with the local sheriff's department. Tom and Jill settled down locally, and for vacation, Christine's sisters drove in for the three weeks leading up to the big event.



Neither felt good about being thrown the cliché bachelor/bachelorette party, so, the two were combined into one young and somewhat wild small private drinking party at Tom and Jill's house. The rehearsal dinner two nights later was large and held at the same place their high school graduation dinner was held. Christine's dad sprang for lots of flowers at the church, as well as a limo for the couple. Tom was Chris's best man, with four retreat directors he had befriended being groomsmen. Christine's side of the altar had no bridesmaids, only maids and matrons of honor. Her sisters, Jill, Cathy and Ann all looked lovely as they stood in front of the congregation. Chris took his spot at the front of the aisle, cool and confident. When the doors opened to reveal his bride's entrance, his smile lit up the church. The packed pews stood on cue to the wedding march, and the array of flash strobes was dazzling. Christine became a textbook definition of the 'blushing bride' when all the attention focused on her.



She kissed her father on the cheek, joined hands with Chris, and they stepped up to their assigned spot. Until now, it was a long-held secret between them that the bishop would officiate their wedding. So, Chris's mom and especially his crazy aunt swelled with pride when the bishop made his opening remarks.



He smiled down on them and said, "My, my, my. What a long road you two have taken! Many of us here guessed what you could become together when you played in the yard outside as mere youngsters. Today, you will confirm that feeling we've had about you all along. Dearly beloved, we gather today to FINALLY join these two souls in Holy Matrimony..."



There had to be a long pause, as the church stood and gave a resounding ovation. When the couple turned to acknowledge them, Chris muttered to her, "Don't cry, don't cry, makeup, makeup." He handed her a tissue from his pocket, and when they turned back to the bishop, he answered the surprised look with a shrug. "Be prepared, right?" The wedding party who knew him best had a good chuckle.



The service went as planned, and had a formal tone until the vows. The bishop announced in a slow over-exaggerated effect, "If anyone here...objects to this union...may they speak now or forever hold their peace." He added, "And if so, may you have your head examined." He looked challengingly across the church. There were chuckles, but no one moved. "Good...I didn't think so. I cannot imagine a more in-love couple."



Chris and Christine had opted for the traditional vow agreement with "I do's." When those were done, and the rings exchanged, the bishop turned them around and said, "I'd like to be the first to introduce Chris and Christine Zehyr! Chris, now you may kiss your wife." As Chris and Christine tenderly met, the building erupted in cheers and applause.



The photo session afterward took forever. Pictures were snapped of the very happy couple with every combination of their loved ones that could be thought of. Even the large combined families' photo was completed with Chris holding a portrait of Lady, who had passed away two years after high school, and Christine holding a portrait of Pepper, who died after delivering a litter last fall. With the session done, the couple was left alone for a few minutes. They sat on the altar steps, holding hands and making small talk, decompressing before the reception. The photographer had turned on her way out, and snapped a quick candid shot of them. The resulting image was their favorite of the whole event, capturing the absolute naked essence of "them."



The extended delay gave the reception time to get ahead on "feeling good" and the atmosphere was quite festive when they arrived. A great cheer rose when the DJ introduced Mr. and Mrs. Zehyr to the room. Dinner was interrupted quite frequently with the ringing of glasses, prompting CC to stop mid-bite and kiss.



The bishop made the first toast, mirroring the fondness he had of the couple, and relating some of the more humorous moments he had with them through the years. He made an announcement that startled everyone but the couple. They were leaving the diocese to start a consulting business to aid youth programs of churches across the region. He assured them that they would be sorely missed by him and everyone else in the diocese, and wished them well in their new venture.



Next was Tom, who admitted that he wasn't especially fond of Chris dating his baby sister. But that changed when he found out they were missing together that tragic night. He knew that Chris would take care of her, and it was doubly confirmed when Chris found her when she was in trouble again nearly two years ago. He expressed sadness at the loss of the dogs who had been so instrumental six years ago, and said that as one of their wedding gifts, her parents were giving them one of Pepper's daughters from her last litter.



Newly appointed to her position as county director of emergency operations, Ann gave the last toast. She thanked the couple for giving her start toward her new career, and for being such inspirational friends. Without them, Jason wouldn't have been there to propose to her fifteen minutes previous. Christine jumped up at that announcement and ran around the long table to hug and congratulate the couple.



The music started in earnest again, and Chris and Christine warmly accepted hundreds of congratulations. Jay couldn't make the date, and neither could McConaughey, but Jay's wife Mavis introduced herself to them to deliver their gift to the newly weds. She expressed happiness to finally meet the couple who Jay would talk about from time to time. There was a break in well wishes, so Christine discreetly opened the envelope in her lap. She nearly fell over after reading it. In the letter, Jay expressed his condolences for not being able to attend. He also enclosed an artist's rendering of a rather large house that was drawn from bits of what he gathered that Christine dreamed of through her sporadic conversations with him through the years. He promised that it would be built and fully furnished on a lot large enough of their choice. They got up to find Mrs. Leno, and actually had to catch her on her way out to the parking lot. She was given fierce hugs, but she said that Jay felt that they really were deserving of it.



Once back inside, the DJ announced it was time for their first dance. Their pre-chosen song, Nickelback's "If Everyone Cared" played, and they swayed and turned in each other's arms.



Leaning into his ear, she said softly, "Do you realize that this is our first dance since..."



"Yeah, I was just thinking that. Don't worry, nothing but clear skies today." She had a chuckle at that. "You nervous about starting our new business?"



She shook her head. "No, together we can make anything work." She leaned against him and sighed, "I love you so much."



"I love you more."



She pinched his nose as the song ended. "I don't think so."



They parted for the mother/son and father/daughter dance. After a few bars, Dr. said to her, "I guess you and the scrawny kid who kept coming over worked out."



"Oh stop, Daddy. He's not scrawny!"



He chuckled. "He was back then. I'm very happy for you. How do you feel? Tired yet?"



Her eyes shone with the brightest green he'd ever seen from her. "Daddy, I just married my best friend. I could dance for days without stopping! How can I be any happier than that?"

