Part II

Chapter 13


"No, don't park here. You'll get a ticket," Celine told her when Darcy stopped near an alley.

Darcy looked up and down the street. "I park it anywhere else and we won't have a truck to return to."

"They know me around here, they won't touch it."

Darcy looked over towards Celine doubtfully. Then looked around again. She did not see anyone around but she could feel them. She moved the truck to another space.

"Well, come on. Our trailers probably are about ready to pee in their pants with all these delays," Darcy told her softly, shutting the driver's door firmly while keeping vigilant to what was not going on around her.

"We needed a nap. Besides, it gives us the edge, right?" Celine closed her door noticing that it was still too early for the street regulars to gather. They did not want to antagonize the shop owners so they stayed away during business hours.

Memories, good and bad played across her mind as she led Darcy up one street and crossed, and then over another, unconsciously taking the same evasive route she had taken in the past to see if anyone was following her. She could feel the eyes of people watching her from their shop windows, wondering if she was going to ask for a handout or get sick on their stoop. Then they would have to call the police…

"Celine!" a soft but sharp call had her turning. "Are you alright?" Darcy asked putting a hand on her elbow.

"Yeah," her voice, even to her did not sound alright.

"Memories?"

She merely nodded and resumed her walk, though slower and not with the same slumped shoulder posture she maintained when she was exhausted and scared. Something had happened here and the eyes looking back at her knew about it. She looked up at one face in the rock-n-roll record store. The rings and tattoos did not have to be clear, she knew them by heart. Abruptly she turned and walked into the store.

"Tom…" she took a deep breath, "you're still a dickhead in my book…but thank you," and then she turned and walked back out, passing a surprised Darcy who exchanged looks with the bald ringed and tattooed youth.

"Hey, M!" he called to her.

She turned.

"Watch your back," he said in a lower voice. "Your street friends have been picked up…someone's hunting you."

She nodded and resumed her walk, again taking different routes until she was where she wanted to be.

"What is this place?" Darcy asked.

"It's where some of us met to be safe. Safety in numbers, right?"

"Hmm." Darcy kept an eye out while Celine disappeared behind a trash bin that was filled beyond it's capacity.

"Darc?" she whispered.

Darcy turned and joined her. "Damn, it stinks."

"Come on. We can sneak back to the truck this way," she told her softly.

"They aren't going to be out there. If they haven't cornered us now, it means they know you have the key and where we're going next."

"So…what do we do?"

"The unpredictable."

Both women looked out from behind the trash bin in another alley. A rent-a-post office-box stationary store was what Darcy was looking for. While Celine waited in the alley, Darcy went in for some supplies. When she came back out, they stopped at a phone booth that still had a phone book attached. Darcy addressed twelve different envelopes and inserted something in all of them. Celine then led her down another skinny alley and across the street where they could see the truck. Darcy's eyes searched each vehicle and delivery truck that was parked on the street. She had memorized who was there when they parked and who was there now.

"That one right there," Darcy pointed at a beat up brown pizza delivery van. See the stuff on the side there? It's monitoring. You wait here, let me go put these under the tires."

"No, I'll put them under the tires…they would expect me to do it. You create a diversion," Celine took the nails wondering when Darcy picked them up.

"Okay." Darcy pulled her coat inside out and put a cap over her head. She appeared two yards from where Celine was walking like a young guy, pausing to look over a poster of a scantly clad rock singer advertising a drink. Celine nearly choked when Darcy pulled something out of the coat pocket and looking up and down the street…not seeing any pedestrians, drew something on the figure. Celine moved out from her position and ran across the street, placing the nails against each tire and moving low around cars and then back onto the sidewalk.

Darcy disappeared in a store and while she was probably changing to something else, Celine unlocked the truck, and just as she was pulling out Darcy hopped into the truck bed. After driving in and out of alleys that Celine knew intimately she stopped the truck long enough for Darcy to hop into the passenger side.

"Well…"

"Well what?"

"What did you do to the poster?"

"Nothing. It's against the law to graffiti," she informed Celine. "Turn around here, and go back up that block and park."

Darcy dropped an envelope in one of post office drop boxes. "Come on, let's go to the next city and do the same."

It was cumbersome to hop onto the freeway, get off at every other city, find a post office or drop box and drop off another envelop. After the last one was gone, Celine was happy to let Darcy take over the driving.

"Home," she said happily.

Celine smiled at her. "Thanks, Darcy."

"For what?"

"For not…for not asking me to…well, you know."

"Well, I'm not that excited about walking into a cross-fire. The problem with law enforcement slayings is that there are people involved that equate collateral damage as 'just one of those things'. Shall we stop at…"

"I gotta see Gail. She's probably worried shitless and I'm worried about her too."

"Okay, but don't you think you should wait until the badge gets to it's destination?"

Celine sighed. "Yeah. You're right. So are you hungry?"

"Let's get out of this city first. A truck stop that I know of has good food and quick service."

****
Instead they stopped at a McDonalds for Darcy and Wendys for Celine, since her favorite truck stop had a new name and was too busy looking. While they ate in the car, Darcy's eyes would occasionally glance in the mirror.

She caught Celine's eyes and nodded slightly then resumed her eating. Finished she took their trash to dump it and Celine got out to go into the restroom.

The truck was on the road for about twenty minutes with two people sitting in the cab. Cars without markings except having flashing lights on their roofs, boxed the truck in and forced it off to the side of the road.

In no time the truck was surrounded with people pointing semiautomatics and rifles at them.

"What's going on," Jack demanded.

"This is Blue Toad to the Lone Ranger there, gonna put ya on hold while we jaw with these cowboys pointing guns at us; over," James released his finger on the mic.

[Come on Blue Toad, Lone Ranger comin back at ch'ya. Cowboys with guns? Let me call my cousin and see what's up the road thar. Don't want to upset my load, out.]

"Get the fuck out of there!" one of the men shouted. "Hands above your heads…turn and face the hood of the vehicle and lay across the hood!"

"Sure, only don't shoot. We don't own a gun nor even want to know about their use."

"Bad karma," his brother added.

Meanwhile the voices on the CB were telling the men with guns, who still had not identified themselves, that their vehicles and license plates were noted and others would be looking out for them.

"Where are the two women?" one of them demanded, ignoring the noise on the radio.

"We don't have any women with us," Jack told them his face being squished against the dirty hood while his wallet was removed and further roughly patted down. Only Jack knew these guys were not used to doing this because they forgot to check under his arm which would not make any difference because he did not carry any weapons…however, the truck was wired for recording everything that was going on.

"There isn't any more room for anyone in there," James added, "Ouffff." His body was slammed from behind.

A call from one of the truckers had the men hesitating. Lone Ranger was asking about their hold up. It seems a truck going in the opposite direction had spotted them and was giving Lone Ranger the details…with information on their weapons. The men quickly slid their guns to a less threatening position.

Jack and James felt the pressure on their backs lessen. One of the men that removed Jack's wallet dumped the contents on the freeway disdainfully.

"You'll pick that up," James informed the man in a low voice. "Because you and I know, the chances of getting hit by a vehicle if one of us retrieves it is high and I don't think you would want the truckers to be announcing that over the air waves.

"Damn it, Bill! Pick the shit up and let's go!" a voice behind them ordered.

The man did as he was ordered, angrily slamming the wallet and contents on the hood of the dusty truck. The twins remained standing outside of the truck until the two vehicles departed. Then Jack pulled out a plastic bag and gloves. Carefully he dropped Jack's wallet into the bag with its contents. James added the registration papers that had also been handled.

"Bag it, Daniel," James parodied.

"You watch too much television, bro." Jack tossed the plastic bags onto the floorboards and then they both looked for the bug on the truck.

"Tailpipe," James informed his brother. He pulled the gadget off and tossed it into the brush. "I learned that on television too," he smiled.

They continued their check and then hopped back in, heading for the nearest mall along the freeway where they could buy some games for their play station two.

*****

Celine stretched her legs out and then turned to pet Mandy's head. She had wiggled in absolute happiness at being reunited with Darcy.

"So, where to?"

"To my sisters. I need to let her know we're okay and I need a good safe adrenalin rush by beating Tony five out of five on the Indy. No, better make it four out of five. I don't want to completely demoralize him."

"So, do you think things will get quieter once we get back home?" Celine asked idly as she stroked the head that was lying across the console.

Darcy smiled. "So you plan on remaining?"

"Yeah. I remember the reason I quit the busy life was to see if I could find the fire to draw again. I'm drawing…but now I need to get to the next step…find out what medium to work in. I was at that step when I joined the 'money' club. I think I'll start with water color."

"Hmm. George paints with water colors…or he used to." Darcy was quiet for a while.

"Did he do the painting in your dinning room?"

"Yeah. It's was me when I was younger and into showing horses."

"I…thought it was your sister."

"Plastic surgery and age," Darcy replied without looking towards Celine.

"Why?"

"I had to have reconstructive surgery because of the accident anyway…and my sister and Tony thought since I was not going to be able to run away very well if I were to be recognized, they would give me a fighting chance."

"You…" Celine stared at her hard. "It wasn't something little was it? I mean it just wasn't the mayor to a small town or a group of police officers mixed up in this child prostitution ring…"

"No. It went higher," Darcy shook her head. "But that's finished."

"Geeze! So, what happened?"

"In the beginning of the investigation it kept stalling, which had Della and Tony worried that someone was interfering with the FBI's involvement. I was still in a coma and vulnerable. BJ and TJ stayed at my bedside and my sister, being the nurse she was, had connections at the hospital so for a while I was kept safe… Sometime around then they begin the surgery on my face, to put it back together…and that's when they decided to get me out of town too."

"Gawds…" Celine breathed frightened, "and then I bring this into your life."

Darcy laughed. "Quite alright. I was getting bored…but…some of this physical stuff I can skip. It's one thing to do mock battles and another to get flattened for real."

"Hmm. I've heard I'm good at giving massages," Celine's lips curled up into a smile.

"Really? Who did you give them to?"

"Gail, when we were in college. She was a track star and would come home from road trips walking like she was sore. She said she didn't want the male trainer touching her."

"Well, if it's been that long…you sound like you can do with some practice. Don't mind volunteering…just so you know, if you hear me snoring…don't wake me."

Celine giggled which advanced into laugher as Darcy looked wounded.

"Hey. Isn't that what massages are supposed to do?"

Celine held up her hand. "Wait a moment…this is In Your Dreams speaking to Deamer?"

"No. It's Darcy saying to Martha…I'd like to go slow and get to know you."

Celine smiled. "Okay, but…I haven't been called Martha for so long…"

"Well, I don't feel comfortable with Marti. I keep seeing the reruns of the Mickey Mouse Club and the Spin and Marty shows."

"Ewww. Okay, let's compromise…how about Celine."

"Hmm. I can deal with that."

****
"Hey, wake up. We're here," Darcy nudged Celine.

Celine woke stretching her jaw into a yawn. "It's daylight," she mumbled.

"Hmm." Darcy looked up at the sky as she stepped out of the truck. "Sure is. Hi, BJ! Hey, TJ. Aren't you two supposed to be at school?"

Each of the kids gave their aunt a hug.

"We got time off because we're getting our school project ready."

"Crazy Albert mailed us the motor plans and the drawings on how to put the little monsters together. The rules are we have to do it all ourselves."

"When is it due?" Celine asked after BJ hugged her and TJ gave a polite hand shake.

"Next week. The class comes over and we demonstrate it. Wanna see it? We have the dogs guarding it against any of our competitors from sabotaging it."

"Sabotaging it? What kind of school is this?"

"A very competitive one. Hi, hon." Della gave her sister a long hug and the released her. She then gave Celine one. "A friend of yours is here. I sent her the message Darcy had me send and she was on my door step the next day."

"Gail?!"

"Yep. She's trying to beat Tony in the new game he has. Good thing she's a lesbian or I would worry…"

"She is…" Celine decided not to tell her that once a month she did dabble with the male sex. Something to do about an itch.

"Hey, kiddo!" a woman that could be mistaken for being a relative of Celine's came out of the house and wrapped her arms around Celine. They held onto each other for a while and then Gail stepped back to look her over. She touched the tip of Celine's nose.

"I thought you couldn't wear contacts?"

"I…uhmm…don't."

"Della told me you had amnesia for a while. Gawds, kid. You scared the hell out of me but I knew you were all right…you know that connection we have…I just knew you were still alive." She gave her another hard hug and released her.

"Yeah. Well, I was found and well taken care of…Dark and Deadly…meet In Your Dreams…" Celine gestured towards Darcy who was standing next to her twin sister.

Gail's green eyes blinked a few times and then narrowed studying Darcy closely. "Yeah? How the hell did you two manage to connect when you didn't even do the 'private' chats?" she demanded.

"The gawds willed it, Gail," Celine told her glibly, while thanking whatever gawd it was.

"You mean you two knew each other before all this?" Della asked surprised.

"Well, no…" Darcy sighed. "Damn. Can we get into this another day? I'm bushed."

"Sure, sure. You got your usual room…ahh…" Della was uncertain just where to put Celine. If she and Darc had a relationship she wanted them to feel comfortable sleeping together but if Gail and Celine had a relationship, which Gail had not really admitted to anything more than close friends, but could close friends also be 'fucking buddies' as Darcy used to refer to some of her old girlfriends? Della shuddered inwardly at Darcy's old persona…something she had picked up while she was in the military. She could not understand if they were identical twins, how Darcy could find military life that tempting to join when she abhorred having her life that structured. Maybe they were just twins that looked a lot alike.

"I've the Chinese room. A gorgeous bed! Hey, we have a lot to catch up on and you owe me!" Gail told her firmly.

"Okay…" At that time Celine's stomach rumbled.

"Old Faithful," Gail told everyone.

"Good. Let's raid the frig," Della replied and hauled her husband off the couch. "Hon, make us some of your egg sandwich specials…unless any of you prefer something else. Margaret has a lot of left overs. We are a 'raid the frig' bunch of addicts," Della informed Celine and Gail.

"You don't look like you're wearing it," Gail told her frankly admiring Della's shape.

"We miss meals because of our involvement in projects," Tony said, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist. "And I chase her on the treadmill," he added with a laugh.


Chapter 14

"Alright, Marti, so what do you remember…and why do they call you Celine…that your undercover name or something?" Gail's voice was teasing and since both had a glass of wine, with their ribs and rice snack, they both were relaxed.

"I don't remember anything related to the accident…nor do I think I want to…" she told Gail firmly, and then pulled the covers up over her head, feeling too light headed for her to be involved in a serious conversation.

Gail pulled the covers from over her head. "Still don't drink much, huh?"

"Have I ever?" she asked seriously.

"Not that I recall…I was just teasing. So, tell me about where you're staying."

"I can't. Not yet anyway. We had a 'home invasion' of the weird kind at Darcy's place. Darcy didn't think it was a legal raid and Crazy Al was talking government conspiracy theories…which though far fetched…still are close enough to the truth. I don't want to get you involved Gail." She rubbed her face with both palms and groaned. If they had found her in the desert than they had obviously knew of her friendship with Gail.

"There was an FBI agent that came knocking on my door and then two days later a Narc cop," she elbowed her friend. "How 'not involved' can I get? Come-on, give. I'm between jobs and need an exciting vacation…something that will drive me back into work," Gail encouraged.

"Gail, when was the last time you took a vacation?" Celine asked, watching her friend from close up. Gail's head was just a foot away from hers on her pillow.

"About a month ago with you…it didn't turn out like most people say their vacations should end. So…how come you don't wear glasses anymore?"

"Eye surgery…what have you been doing since you got out of the hospital? Darcy said you were in the hospital."

"Laser eye surgery? No, kidding? Just like me! Isn't it great?"

"Yeah…only I don't remember that much of having glasses." She started to giggle.

"What? What? Tell me," Gail threatened her with tickling.

"I didn't realize how attractive Darcy was until I put on glasses. I got a pair of glasses about a week before the surgery."

"Wow. I was wondering how you managed without yours. The highway patrol officer introduced me to this agent while I was flat on my back in the hospital. I had no where to run and couldn't just pick up the phone and call for a lawyer. He was asking questions about the accident and handed me what was left of your glasses asking me about them. He didn't believe my story when I said they weren't mine and I didn't know whose they were. He had a box with evidence bags. Things picked up at the scene of 'the accident', he says. Not much stuff…ownership papers and insurance coverage…things that could not be resold as a matter of fact. Kinda got me suspicious. I asked him about my CDs, clothes and stuff in my suitcase. He said he was wondering about that himself…but he wanted me to stick to what he was showing me. When I could, I called my lawyer to find out who cleaned out my car. It's either the tow truck guy or the highway patrol guy because his office got real uncomfortable when my lawyer asked questions about my belongings."

"I remember I had a backpack…I guess that's gone too."

"Hmm. And my wallet with two ATM cards in it and one with your name."

Celine looked at her for a moment. "I don't have a…oh…Darcy mentioned I had a joint account with a college roommate… At the time I thought it meant I was in a relationship or something." Celine pursed her lips for a moment. "Didn't we talk about this before?"

Gail had read all she could on amnesia when she got the cryptic message from Della about Marti. She knew enough not to push her on what she could not remember since it may cause more trauma connecting it with something that was painful to remember. But she was real curious and she was getting heat from her lawyer and private investigator about the whereabouts of Marti, who was causing them a real pain…though they were getting paid for the pain.

"Do you remember the conversation we had on the drive to Tahoe about your courier job?"

"Hmm. I remember I told you that I witnessed something that I should not have, which is why I'm worried about these people looking you up."

"Just testing you. I guess that wasn't what caused you to forget everything."

"I think it was an overload…let's talk about something else. What do you plan on doing now that you don't have a company to run…or even better…have you heard from…what is his name?"

"The two Bens. As a matter of fact…I'm being sued by both of them. Those conniving sharks knew each other and set me up for the sale. It seems I did not tell them that when I leave I would be taking the copy rights to certain designs that I had not put into the business. They were supposed to be my next project…a new business. My lawyer said they don't have a leg to stand on. It does not have anything to do with their business…it would be going into a completely different direction."

"Damn, Gail! You live dangerously. You may think all this is small business stuff but…" Celine let air out in exasperation. Judhith had a good saying for things like this, 'It is as hard to follow good advice as to give it', and sure enough, she who did not follow others advice very well, was giving it. Gail had been in the business for almost fifteen years and she certainly did not need to hear from her who had no experience in that field. "I worry about you. You're my family," she told her softer.

"Hmm," Gail's lips turned up at the corners, "so, as family we have no secrets, huh?"

"Of course we do. All family's have secrets…jeeze, if they didn't no one would talk to each other. What?"

"How did you meet IYD?"

"It was an accident…when I started to remember things…she told me she was IYD and she guessed I was Dreamer." Celine closed her eyes and sighed. "I wanted to know who she was and look what the Ladies of Fate did. How blessed…ehh?"

"Yeah. You've got some real strong 'mojo' girl. You also left a lot out. Hmm. I'm gonna have to stick close to you."

Celine yawned wide, cracking her jaw. "I gotta get some sleep. We've been on the run since I don't know when."

Gail looked at her friend whose eyes were already closed. She leaned over and turned off the light, deciding the rest of her information gathering would have to wait.

Chapter 15

Family breakfasts at the Westerly's was chaotic. Margaret set it up like a buffet. Under each silver lid was a surprise, from crepes stuffed with something sweet or tart to other breakfast treats: waffles, pancakes, eggs, sausages, warm muffins and best of all, coffee.

It was the aroma of coffee that had Gail waking up. She rolled over and nudged her dozing friend. "Hey," she croaked. "I'm hungry."

"Hmm," Celine mumbled and obediently rolled out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom.

Gail set out clothes for herself and when she heard the toilet flush she knocked on the door and entered. Celine was stepping into the shower. From years of sharing a small dorm bathroom, they had little shyness of being seen with nothing on.

Celine was dressing when a soft knock on the door had her hopping over to open the door. Gail must have locked it because Celine was sure she did not.

Darcy was looking down at her boots when Celine opened the door. A wide smile appeared on Celine's face at seeing the almost embarrassed Darcy.

"Good morning, Darc. Sleep well?"

She nodded. "You guys ready?"

"Gail! You about ready?"

"No. I'll meet ya downstairs. I know how you are when you're hungry and have to wait. Go ahead. I need to put a face on," Gail hollered back.

"She's only kidding," Celine informed Darcy in an undertone. "Okay. See ya downstairs. But ya better hurry. I'm very hungry!" she yelled back. "Come in and wait for me to put my boots on." Celine gestured for Darcy to come in.

Celine sat back in the chair and while she pulled her boots on, Gail came sauntering into the room without anything on. Darcy who was leaning against the wall near the door lifted her eye brows up a few notches. Gail kept her college athlete's physique by continuing with her running and using light weights, so Celine thought she was impressive, though she was not interested in Gail in a sexual way. However, the way Darcy looked her over, Celine felt jealous and then guilty.

"Oh, hi. I thought you two were gone," Gail nodded casually at the two and went to the bed where her clothes were laid out.

"We are now. You have one minute and by then I'll be back for seconds," Celine told her and headed towards the door Darcy opened.

"Naw. You have to breathe so that gives me five minutes," Gail told her as she slid on her jeans. But by then the door was closed. Gail laughed to herself at Darcy's expression and Marti's. Obviously Marti liked IYD, but they had not done anything yet. All talk and little show, she thought humorously.

"So, does Gail always walk around in the buff?" Darcy asked as they walked down the stairs.

"We've roomed together for four years…I think it's nothing for us to see the other naked…come to think of it…I don't think she has ever shown an embarrassment about her body. I always thought that had something to do with her being an athlete…you know taking showers around other women."

"Hmmm," Darcy felt a little better about hearing that. "So, what are you two going to do?"

"I'm going back with you…aren't I?" Celine looked back at her worried.

"Sure…if you want."

"Good. I want. I haven't changed my mind." Celine stopped on the stairs and turned to face Darcy. Darcy stopped abruptly not wanting to run into Celine and knock them both down the stairs. Celine wrapped her arms around Darcy's waist and gave her a hug, resting her head on her chest.

Darcy was surprised and for a moment didn't do anything…then she wrapped one arm around Celine and returned the hug. "What's that for?"

"Cause I needed it," she told her in a muffled voice.

There was silence for a while, Darcy not relaxing her hold on Celine. "I needed it to. Thank you." She whispered kissing the damp hair that came up to her chin. Celine gave her another squeeze and released her. She intertwined her fingers in Darcy's free hand and tugged her onto her level, getting Darcy to release her hold on the banister.

"So, what are we going to do?" Celine asked.

"We're going to see what Tony has. He's been in touch with the FBI office in San Francisco. I heard his phone ring early this morning."

Celine leaned against Darcy and her arm slid comfortably around her waist as they walked into the dinning room area where BJ and TJ were discussing heatedly the placement of a monster.

"Quieter!" shouted Tony as he came out of the study, looking grumpy. "You two sound like you're on the senate floor." He brightened up when he spied Darcy stepping away from Celine to pick up a plate, handing one to Celine and then choosing one for herself.

"Good morning, Gals. Sleep well?"

Darcy nodded as she took a peek under the lid that covered still steaming muffins. "Hmmm," she said about the aroma. "Like a baby," she responded to Tony's question.

"We spent the night catching up on…"

"Good morning everyone! Ahh. Tony, I know you cheated and I figured out how you did it. I want a rematch!" Gail demanded cheerily.

"Where's Della?" Darcy asked as she put some crepes on Celine's plate that appeared next to the pinchers she was holding, and then dropped some on to her plate.

"Out at the barn. We have two new brood mares and a stud."

Darcy looked surprised. "What about Jasper?"

"What about him?"

Darcy turned to see her twin standing in the doorway to the dinning hall. She had removed her boots and was in stocking feet.

"Two studs mean trouble," Darcy repeated her sister's favorite saying. Della would rather work with the brood mares and send away for the sperm. She had little patience with stallions and their sensitive nostrils to any female in heat. Though, Jasper was her baby and she always made concessions towards him.

"Well, we now have Medicine Man, Ancient Fire…she is beautiful. You should see her. The sun hits her coat and it's like looking at fire. We also have Arabian Princess. She's another gray with nice black mane and tail and dark fetlocks."

"What about Medicine Man?" Darcy cleverly knew her sister was hiding something about this horse.

"Want to see him?"

"After we eat?" Celine begged. "I want to too."

"Okay. I'm gonna shower and change," Della turned to Tony and pecked his cheek. "Good morning, hon. Your business finished?"

"No!" Tony grumbled. "I'll tell ya when you get back. I'll have your plate ready, so hurry back or it will be cold."

"Or before Darcy eats everything." Della ran up the stairs laughing at her sister's attempt to say something with a full mouth in retort.

When Della returned the dinning room was full of laughing voices, everyone trying to out do the other in outrageous tales…the rule was they did not have to be truthful.

****
"So," Della started as she sat next to her husband that was driving the first cart, to the stables, "what's happening?"

"The managers of each region are sniping at the other, but all coming up with a suggestion that they should get gift trip separate from the others of their building."

"Oh. The very thing you're trying to discourage."

Tony nodded his head. "These gift trip packages are supposed to equalize everyone in the greater scheme of things…yet these guys insist that separate restrooms and eating facilities is not enough. I think I've been too lenient."

"Hmm. Maybe more teleconferencing than having everyone fly to this city or that," Della suggested.

"Hmm. Yeah. No more bonuses unless a region performs well. No more perk packages."

"I think a lot will quit," Della mentioned with a smile.

"Good. They can go somewhere else and bleed the stocks dry. I'll gladly buy their stock options back and start looking for another type of regional manager."

"Are you going to have TJ listen in?"

"Yeah, he needs to be in on this stuff," grunted Tony.

"I think BJ is old enough to start getting involved," Della hinted.

Tony glanced at his young wife smiling. "Yeah? You think she has the head for this stuff?"

"About as much as TJ. I think some of her acting out has to do with her being left out of the family business. I got her interested in horses….but I'm not her real parent…and I really do think if you show her the same…"

"You think I'm favoring one over the other," he finished. "Okay. You're seeing a lot better than me." Tony squeezed Della's hand that was resting on his knee.

"You two up there, you're making me wanta get married," Darcy taunted.

"Jealously will give ya heart burn," her sister told her and turned around, throwing a key at her.

Darcy caught the key and laughed. "What key is this too? Wine cellar?"

"I'll show you," Della told her with a hint in her voice that it was a real nice surprise.

"Hmm." Darcy looked back at the other cart that BJ was driving and had TJ, Celine and her friend Gail. The four of them were engaged in an animated conversation. Darcy wondered what the four of them could find so interesting.

Darcy sat back in the cart and watched the landscape of human design pass by. She remembered many picnics she had with her sister when she was working for Linda, Tony's first wife under trees, near a pond, and sometimes on the terrace. She still was in the military and came home on leave. Della lived on the estate as a live-in nurse to Linda.

A horse's clear bugle call sounded through the strand of trees that separated the bend in the road from an unobstructed view of the beginning of the stables. An answering call, that Darcy recognized as Jasper challenged the new comer.

"Oh, boy," Darcy muttered. "You have your hands full, sis."

Tony stopped the cart and hopped out. He held his hand out for Della who took it and kissed his knuckles and then slid his arm around her waist. The gesture was so natural and it caused Darcy to wonder about herself and all the information on identical twins…or maybe they were just twins that had looked identical.

As she stepped out of the cart an arm slid around her waist. She looked into the blue eyes of Celine whose smile was doing things to her stomach. Darcy cleared her throat and could feel Celine's laugh vibrate against her body.

"You got the key?" Della turned towards her when they stopped in front of a closed paddock. The angry sounds of a stallion came from within.

"You purchased a hard head," Darcy mentioned.

"He's been mistreated," Della told her. "Just up your alley. Happy Birthday, sis."

Darcy looked nonplused. "It's not our birthday yet."

"I know. But you refuse to make it to our parties so…"

"Well you keep giving these huge parties and I don't know anyone," she whined.

Della rolled her eyes. "And we're related…like that," she patted her heart.

Tony started to hoot with BJ and TJ following suit. "So do you!" three voices chorused.

"I do not! That's whining!"

The three just laughed harder.

Darcy grinned and carefully pulled the doors to the paddock opened. An elegantly shaped head pushed it's head out, ears laid back and teeth barred. Darcy leaned back in time to get out of the way. An ear piercing call to war barreled out of the stallion's lungs.

"Oh my gawds!" Celine breathed. "He's gorgeous!"

His coat was silver with black spots and his mane was pitch black. He had scars around his head, some looking recent.

"How did he get those?" Darcy asked.

"I would say a mixture of self inflicted and from his handlers," Della watched her sister as she studied the injured horse.

Darcy nodded. "When can I take him?" Her thoughts were already on where she was going to put him and how she and Judhith were going to start his gentling.

"Whenever you're ready. For Jasper's sake…the sooner the better."

"Good. I'll start now," Darcy had turned her body away from the stallion that was leaning out of the stall and trying to reach her with barred teeth. Her voice was soft.

"We'll be visiting the other new arrivals," Della reached for Tony's hand and glanced up into his dark eyes. "I want you to see her. She's so beautiful."

"They both are," BJ said in a firm voice.

"Okay, okay. No favorites. Come on everyone." Della led the way out of the stallions' area.

Celine did not want to leave but Darcy's attention was elsewhere. She turned and followed the others. "What is she going to do?" she asked as she came alongside of BJ.

"Gentle him," BJ answered.

"How does she do that?"

"Hmm. When you get back to her place, you'll be able to watch her. Right now, she needs to get him to trust her enough to let her put him in the trailer."

"We're going to trailer him back with us?" Celine was excited. She was imagining just what the mare and filly would be thinking about their new neighbor.

"Yeah. Here are our two new ladies. Ancient Fire and Arabian Princess," she waved at the two mares that were with each other in the small corral. "They grew up together and when I was looking at Ancient Fire I just could not separate them."

Tony nodded. "You're right. She's beautiful. I hope her offspring can capture the coloring."

"Well, I like Arabian Princess," BJ told the two feeling they should not be leaving out the other.

"Then she is yours," Tony told his daughter, smiling at her as if that was the plan all along. "But you have to train her too." Both parents smiled at her suppressed squeal.

TJ laughed and nodded at his father. "Nice gift, pop. Does this mean I get my BMW roadster?"

"Not until your grades improve and your driving record clears," Darcy and Tony chorused.

"Ohhh," he groaned.

"You sound like Aunt Darcy," BJ told him making a face.

While the four continued chatting, Celine fell in with Gail who was looking at some of the other mares that were roaming over a large pasture, some playing and others just feeding on grass.

"Horses like peacefulness. It makes them confident," BJ told the two women. "So keeping them in a small stall is not good. Horses are claustrophobic. One of the things we do besides raising champion brood mares, is we train new horse owners. They stay about a week in the bunkhouse on the other side of the barn, getting acquainted with either the horse they bring or with one they purchased from us. We always do a background on our buyers, just to make sure they're going to good homes. We aren't in this for the money…though it's nice…it's a love."

Gail and Celine smiled at BJ whose eyes lit up on the subject.

"So you do a lot of business?" Gail asked.

"Not during the winter, though that would be a good time because a lot of owners don't know what to do with their horses during cold and wet weather. That's school time and we're both in school during the day," BJ answered.

"Della likes working with the horses more than the people and when dad's home they spend a lot of time doing things together and hanging around horses is not one of dad's things," TJ explained as he caressed one of the younger horses that came up to see what they were doing.

"Do you work with the horses too?"

He smiled. "Not as much as BJ and Della. I help when they need an extra hand. I like the miniature train business better. Besides, dad has me working on a business degree so I can one day sit at the meeting tables and know what those guys are telling me."

"Don't go to the mangers. Go to the sources…customers and clerks," Gail told him knowingly.

"Call each customer?" Tony asked interested, as he and Della joined them.

"Yeah…like doing follow ups to see if they are satisfied with service or send out a survey. However, mailings you won't get too much response on and for the phone follow-ups, you need to make sure the caller isn't obnoxious or a disinterested teen working for extra bucks. You need a caring voice on the other end. Remember everyone is getting bombarded with phone calls of someone trying to sell something."

"Hmm," Tony grunted as his thoughts went over this and his problems with his mangers. It was an idea to follow up with. His repeat sales were not as good as his new sales. The mixed reasons from the mangers was like listening to excuses and finger pointing but nothing that made sense.

"Dad, why don't we do that?"

"Hmm. Maybe you and BJ can do some calling. Get a feel for the client base," he agreed. "But first things first…BJ has a mare over there that she needs to start working with. Mighty fine lady she is," he smiled at his daughter.

Minus BJ, the four moved back to the stallion barn where they could see Darcy in a large corral working with the young stallion.

"Magnificent stud," a young woman mentioned as the group wandered to the side gate.

"Ginger, how are you doing?" Della greeted.

"Ginger this is Celine and Gail…gals, this is Dr. Ginger Peskas. She's our vet."

"Hello," Ginger smiled at the two women and then gestured at Darcy and the stallion.

"She's got him to trust her. Now she just has to work on his ramp skills. I noticed when they were unloading him he shies from anyone that is standing next to the ramp."

Della nodded in agreement and for a while more the family did a lot of horse talk, not intending on leaving Gail and Celine out, but they did. The two women were intent on watching Darcy who was touching the stallion and putting a halter on and removing it and then doing the same with different equipment, from blanket to saddle. After each successful task, Darcy would step back and let the stallion stand alone awhile and when he would come walking up to her she would add something else. Finally she stopped and began taking the tack off. He followed her into his covered area but she closed the gate so he was left wandering around the corral. His nose led him to food where he was content to munch.

Darcy met them at the carts looking pleased. They all got into their respective carts and headed back to the mansion.
****

"So, Missey Gail, what do you plan on doing with yourself?" Celine asked her as they headed upstairs to change or take a nap.

"Well, Tony owes me a rematch…and then you and I need to discuss you."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

Gail laughed. "Marti, if the FBI comes knocking on my door and the same day a narc, then yes. We have something to discuss. Have you told anyone about…?" she gestured with her hand.

"Uhh, about what?" Celine whispered melodramatically.

"Well, the shooting…"

"Yes. She told me," Darcy walked into the room looking a little angry.

"Okay. So…what's going to happen now that she's remembering things?" Gail asked defensively. "I don't want Marti to be taking heat for this stuff. She's not cut out for it."

Celine laughed. "Gail, you are not telling me anything I don't know. We mailed evidence to Agent Bennett in the Los Angeles FBI office."

"And Judge Montero was also notified that the evidence is with Agent Bennett and what it is," Darcy added.

"And we…"

"It's closed," Darcy told both women firmly. "So let's forget about it for a while. I was going out to the Westside to check on something for Della. Do you want to go, Celine? I understand Gail has a challenge with Tony so we won't be missed," she teased.

"Yeah. I'm about that close to beating him 5 for 0."


Chapter 16

"Run that by me again," Celine asked as she glanced back at the trailer that was behind them.

The stallion had been loaded without any problems and they had left within fifteen minutes of telling Gail they were going to check on some horses in another area. BJ had done most of the work, all but loading the stallion.

"I don't want to say anything against your friend Gail, but someone has been following her and after all that mess we've just escaped from…I don't want to be attracting it again."

Celine buried her face in her hands in mock exasperation. "I could have told you if you asked. Her last business was a partnership…she sold her half to a guy from the land down under, and now both of them are suing her because they were after one of her ideas that they thought belonged to the business but what she feels is what her next business will be about. If someone is following her…it's from that mess."

Darcy nodded but did feel any comfort in that knowledge. She was getting that familiar feeling of something was right and that cloud was around her friend Gail, though Gail herself looked alright. And if Della picked up on it too, which was why she and Tony had them leave while they kept Gail busy, then there was something to it.

"Where are you going to keep your stud?" Celine asked in a teasing voice.

"I sent an Email to the twins so Judhith will be getting his own area set up and away from the filly and mare." Darcy grinned at the thought of her family expanding.

"What are you smiling about?" Celine asked gently stroking the hand that she was holding.

"I was thinking of Judhith."

"Should I be jealous?"

Darcy laughed. "Not that way. Judhith has been talking about setting up a farm like Della and Tony's is but on a smaller scale. Well, she's getting her wish. That woman is going to be very busy. I want you to remember…if you're cycling…"

"Don't go near the stallion," Celine parroted Della.

"Don't go near the barn. That way we won't have him trying to jump fences…just in case."

"Darcy, isn't that a slight exaggeration," Celine objected.

"Hmm. Depends on which way the wind is blowing." Darcy brought their clasp hands to her lips and kissed Celine's knuckle.

****
Even though they got home late, Judhith, Ellen, the twins, and Eva were at the ranch waiting for them. They were all excited about the stallion and Celine had to admit, the stallion was beautiful. To watch him move quietly into his lighted area after touching noses with Clementine who had taken a nonthreatening position to be introduced to him, Celine was amazed at how changed he was from the morning greeting of hostility.

Celine told everyone good night and headed first to the shower and then to bed. She was tired. She heard the others leave sometime later. Unable to sleep, she rolled out of bed and quietly moved down the hall towards Darcy's room. The door was opened and she could hear the shower. For some reason, Darcy was showing in the dark.

"Darcy?"

The shower stopped. "Yeah?" Darcy stepped out of the shower, a dark shape in a dark room. Celine moved towards her, somehow finding her. Her hands moved over the wet form, starting at her shoulders and down her arms to her wrists, where two sets of fingers intertwining as both women stepped forward. Celine pressed against Darcy, feeling her pajama top absorbing the water from Darcy's dripping form. Lips met, softly at first and then roughly as both women sought a release from the build up of sexual tension between them.

Celine could feel herself being backed into the wall and when she was pressed against it, Darcy dropped her hands and began to explore her body not yet moving her hands under the loose shirt. Celine, not shy, cupped her hands around Darcy's breasts, feeling the hard nipples against her palms. She groaned as Darcy's fingers gripped her buttocks, kneading a rush of warm liquid down her core, more than dampening her pajama bottoms.

"This is it…" Darcy whispered between nibbles and sucks along Celine's jaw line, mouth and ear lobe, "this is where you are either all talk or willing to show." She bit Celine's ear lobe and this time Celine brought one leg up and around Darcy's waist, hooking her leg around her and pulling her in closer.

"This is a two way street, Darlin'. Show me that this is no dream," Celine wrapped her other leg around Darcy's waist and while she sucked on her neck and undulated against her stomach, she could feel Darcy carrying her somewhere.

She felt herself settled on a bed but her attention was on the mouth that was fixed on her nipple, and through the shirt Darcy sucked on it making Celine arch in desire, trying to bring more of Darcy's naked body into contact with hers…but she still has clothes on. Celine rolled them over, not getting resistance from Darcy, and sitting on top of Darcy, she quickly pulling off her own dampened top and flung it away from her. Her hands moved back to Darcy's breasts, playing with Darcy's nipples that were surrounded by pebbled areoles that her sensitive fingers caressed as they moved up to the stiff nipples that she could picture her lips sucking.

Darcy's hand slipped between the waistband of her pajama bottoms and found her wet mound, sliding her fingers between Celine's swollen and wet labium and quickly into her vulva. Celine cried out and pushed down on the fingers that entered her reflexively, groaning at the pleasure of being entered by Darcy. She pinched Darcy's nipples, lowering her lips to one and sucking as much of her breast as she could into her mouth. Celine dropped the breast and her lips moved to Darcy's as their bodies moved for a quick release that they both wanted for a start…to end the teasing they had been enduring since they had first met in a chat room.

Darcy's legs opened wider as Celine's clothed leg slid between hers, pressing on her wet center as she rode Darcy's fingers. Celine's tongue entered Darcy's willing mouth, using her rolled tongue to simulate the feeling Darcy's finger was giving her. Darcy's body quivered as she came, and Celine strove to quickly follow. They held each other for a moment and then Celine started to explore Darcy's body with her hands, delighting in the feel of the muscle moving under her touch.

"So, Dreamer, what you said you liked was that for real?" Darcy whispered hoarsely, as she body trembled from where Celine's hands were going.

"Yeah, In Your Dreams," she enunciated slowly, "and was that all brag about what you said or…was it just you dreaming for it?" She pinched Darcy's nipple hard and got a groan.

"Let's find out," Darcy grabbed Celine's face between her hands and kissed her hard, pressing as much of her body against Celine as possible. Her hands ran along Celine's arms, until their hands intertwined and she rolled them over so Celine was below her. "Do you trust me?" Darcy asked in a soft voice next to Celine's ear.

Celine could feel a fresh release of hot liquid coating her inner thighs in anticipation. "Yes." She answered too quickly. "I…I mean…I don't know," she took back. However her body was shaking and pressing against the strong body she desired, confusing her speech and thought.

"Shark is the word to stop," she told her as she moved Celine's arms above her head. She felt straps being tied around each wrist and Darcy's warm hands moving her body into a different position, her legs spread and also held in place.

A small candle was lit, and before Darcy placed the blindfold over her eyes, Celine realized she had not seen this room before.

"You are not to cum without my permission. If there is anytime you want me to stop…the word is 'shark'," she explained again in a soft voice . "Do you agree?" her voice whispered.

"Yes," she told her in strangled voice. Again anticipation had images going through her head on what their conversations on the chat room were about…her egging IYD and IYD not giving any space coming back with things that Celine had never heard of, which had her visiting a porno shop later to see what IYD was getting at.

Time had passed as Darcy prepared things but Celine's imagination kept her occupied so when the first touch, cold, caressed her nipples, Celine jumped. A kiss, soft and then hard on her lips, had her reaching up to continue the press but the soft lips were gone. Warm lips wrapped around one nipple while cold fingers pinched her other. It was enough to elicit a groan from her. She took a deep breath, imaging the smell of leather and sex.

Something hot hit her stomach, and her breath caught, and then a cold touch. Over her body the two sensations were applied, sometimes intersected with the touch of lips, or sucking, leaving what she imagined were reddened marks of possession on her body. Her center was throbbing and wiggling for some sort of release. A warm mouth sucked her big toe, and played with it as if it were a vulva over a dildo, going up and down slowly and then fast as her toe was lubricated with Darcy's sucking. She heard a growl, surprised that it was from her.

Something warm was dripped over the other toe. Darcy treated it with erotic tongue swirls and then engulfed the toe and whatever she had coated the toe with, with her mouth.

Celine wanted the mouth against her throbbing center. "Darcy, please…I need to cum," Celine pleaded.

Darcy ignored her as she moved to her ankles, kissing, nibbling, caressing, and only using her mouth and hands while Celine wanted to feel her naked body lying on top of hers. Hands pulled her pajama bottoms down over her buttocks, giving her an erotic image of herself, spread eagle on a bed, naked on top with her pants pulled down only enough to reveal her hairy mound.

Something cold pressed against her hot swollen lips, and without askance, Celine tilted her hips up asking for something more to touch her. It was cold but it was something. Two fingers followed the cold wet cube of ice, sliding into her slick opening and then sliding back out. Celine groaned in disappointment, wrapping her fingers on the wrist restraints she pulled, getting a small satisfaction at hearing the creak, the characteristic sounds of leather moving.

Leather restraints. The idea of leather had Celine groaning and undulating on the bed trying to get some attention to what she felt needed the most attention.

Then Celine felt Darcy's weight on her, and she was not naked anymore. She could smell and feel leather. The cool surface was quickly warmed as she struggled to lift her restrained legs to wrap around Darcy's waist and pull her tighter against her.

"Ohhh….gawds!" Celine drew out, letting the erotic images of a black leather clad figure draped over her naked body send signals to all points of her body. Only, she was not completely naked and Darcy did not seem to be in a hurry to remove her pajama bottoms. It forced her to feel the difference of her upper body and lower, but her legs were spread so that it didn't make that much of a difference.

"You're thinking too much," a voice whispered in her ear and then bit her ear and then a wet tongue wiggled in her ear causing noise and different sensations to vibrate her clitoris that Darcy's leather clad stomach was leaning against.

Celine undulated faster against Darcy's stomach, trying to find pressure to relieve herself, but Darcy lifted her body.

"Darcy, let me feel you," she insisted.

"You are not playing the game right," Darcy informed her.

"I…I can't right now…I just want you!"

Darcy laughed, though not unkindly. "All talk, huh? Let me introduce you to a little bit of erotica," she continued to tease, using Celine's 'Dreamer' chat persona's own words.

"Oh, damn!" she groaned wiggling on the bed in frustration.

Then she took a deep breath as a finger slid between her parted legs and scooped up her wetness. A finger pressed against her lips but it was not of her own essence. She opened her mouth and sucked on the finger, twirling her tongue around it and treating it as Darcy had her toe.

"While you're tasting me, I'm tasting you," Darcy informed her, humming near her ear but not touching her besides the finger in her mouth.

Celine grabbed the finger and bit it gently until Darcy removed it. She could feel Darcy's weight settle over her, and then her legs against her sides. The blindfold was removed and Celine could see the leather vest Darcy wore with a deep v cut accentuating her breasts. Celine's mouth watered to wrap her lips around one of the nipples she could see pressing against the soft leather. Her eyes looked down and she could see that Darcy was wearing leather chaps, with her mound uncovered. Her heart started to beat faster, as her eyes lifted to look into the dark eyes that the flickering candle reflected in.

Darcy moved up her body and sat on Celine's face, her puckered swollen lips settling on Celine's tongue that snaked out to lick her.

Darcy shivered as a curled tongue slid along her swollen lips, sucking them as if they were candy. Her hands slid along the ties that bound Celine's hands above her head, releasing them. Lifting a little she turned around so that she could share sensations with Celine, burying her face in her mound.

She moved her tongue over her labium as Celine was dong to hers. However, Celine, now no longer restrained, buried her face deeper into Darcy, pressing her tongue as far as she could in side her and using her jaw to brush against her clitoris, causing Darcy to cum faster than she wanted to. Darcy paused while her body parts spasmed in Celine's mouth, and then she resumed her own tongue attack on Celine's sensitive parts. As Celine's body rose from the bed with her own climax, Darcy slid the pajama bottoms off her. Darcy moved back onto the bed to lie on top of Celine, kissing the lips that came up to meet with hers.

"You don't know how to play the game," Darcy told her smiling against the lips that curled into a smile against hers.

"We'll just have to practice more. You can teach me," she whispered rolling Darcy over and unbuttoning her vest. Her lips attached themselves around a stiff nipple, teasing them into hardness, then moving to the other. Her fingers moved down Darcy's chest and stomach, sliding between the leather chaps and skin. Her legs spread over the leather, liking the feel against her skin. "Soooo, nice!" she whispered huskily as she pulled as much of the breast into her mouth as she could.

She rocked against Darcy's mound that pressed against her for better friction, both of them rocking to the same rhythm. Darcy's hand's gripped her buttocks, squeezing, and both throats growled as their passions escalated again.

"Ohhhh, gawwwwddddds, Darcy!" she exploded as one of Darcy's fingers slid between them and up along her inner walls, needing friction and something to squeeze around and rub against. "Darcy, please…harder…." Celine was suddenly interrupted when Darcy switched positions.

"Wait…wait, baby…don't move…think of what you want me to do…hold those thoughts…" Darcy told her as she reached into the drawer alongside of the bed. She pulled out a harness and a dildo, rubbers and some lubricant. It only seemed like minutes until she was sliding between Celine's legs, pulling her legs up and pressing them so that they were nearly over her head, Darcy entered her quickly and then withdrew. "Gawds, you are so wet…it slides so good," she breathed.

"Oh, Darcy, faster…harder…I need to cum," Celine panted as she pressed hard against each thrust Darcy made. As they built up their rhythm, their cries at each thrust punctuated their passion.

Darcy could feel Celine rest her legs on her leather clad back. At each thrust Celine's heels bounced against her back. Her leather clad legs were sensitive to the feel of the leather chaps on her skin. She looked into the half lidded eyes of Celine.

"Let me see your eyes," she demanded hoarsely.

Bright blue lantern-like eyes opened wide and then shrank to blue rings around dark iris' from the dim lighting in the room.

"Darcy, I'm cumming!"

"Good!" she grunted as her own climax was near.

Both women screamed their release. Darcy gave a few more thrusts, with Celine's hands holding onto her bare butt, and then started to slowly pull out the dildo, except Celine restrained her.

"Wait. Just a few more moments," she panted.

Chapter 17

Midmorning Darcy was in the stallion's corral, working with him, though to Celine's untrained eye, she was brushing him.

Celine was sitting in the enclosed porch, painting. Outside the weather was cold and clouds, though not dark, were rushing across the sky. She had long pushed aside the sweater she had draped over her shoulders for warmth. Her water color brush whisked downward as she smeared the grays to create the appearance of rain in a dark alley, and then looked again at the huddled people she had left as dark blobs seeking some shelter from nature's cleansing wash that would be better appreciated from a warm and dry place.

For a long time she stared at the painting, reliving the feeling the numbing cold that left no part of her body untouched, and the cramps in her stomach from lack of food soon forgotten as she willed her body to heat itself. It was concentrating on something other than how she felt that got her through another miserable night. Each moment was survived by not thinking in time frames but by completion of dreams…moving onto the next until it was time for when the soup kitchen would open.

"Celine," a soft voice called her back, and warm hands wrapped around her cold ones. It took more than a few calls to get her to realize that she was crying…for those that she left behind and that were still struggling to survive. She realized that there was nothing she could do to help them…because they could not survive in a self-structured world where dependability to show up for a job would give them some relief.

She could feel herself being rocked as she sobbed for everyone that was barely surviving and were just waiting to die. The soft voice continued to whisper to her and she gradually stopped crying…nestled in the warm embrace.

"Celine. Martha. Hey. Wake up sleepy head," Darcy's voice called to her.

Celine's eyes popped open when Darcy shook her shoulder.

"Hey. Do you always fall asleep after you paint something?" she asked teasing.

Celine pulled the blanket that was covering her down to her lap and looked to where she thought her painting was and then around her wondering what she did with it.

Darcy gestured over towards the window. "You left it over there."

Sitting against the window on the sill was her painting…it was a grim scene from street life; however, there was a pale figure that was walking through the alley, carrying food and a thermos. Celine blinked a few times, wondering who had added the figure.

"It's like an angel helping those people," Darcy mentioned.

"I…yeah. I guess," Celine replied uncertain, wondering if she was blanking out again. Looking about her she noticed that her tools were neatly laid out. The pallet with many colors smeared across it, was dry and the brushes cleaned.

"I just finished up with Medicine Man," she leaned over and kissed Celine's lips, lingering as the tip of her tongue ran over Celine's relaxed lips. "I thought maybe, we could soak in the Jacuzzi."

Celine giggled when Darcy's hand slid down her side and tickled her. "Hey, no tickling."

Darcy stood up and gestured to the painting. "You really captured the plight of street people in the bad weather. Memories?"

Celine did not look back at the painting but nodded. "Something is not right about something…" she shook her head unhappy. "It's like at the tip of my tongue and I can't figure out what is not right."

Darcy looked at the painting and then at Celine. She pulled the hassock in front of Celine, and sat on it, taking up Celine's cold hands and wrapping them in hers. "Is it about your friend that was killed?"

Celine shook her head. "No," she said with certainty. "It's not about that." She sighed relieved. Then she frowned and looked up at the painting, wondering about her dream which was fading quickly. She leaned over to kiss Darcy. "It'll come to me," she whispered against her lips. Leaning back she looked into the dark eyes of her lover. "Do you think that stuff I got caught up in is finished?"

Darcy nodded. "Too many people have evidence that it exists and all have an ax to grind. I learned a lot about how to work the press from BJ. She saved my butt when someone was hunting me. Come on, let's go work out."

Darcy's fix for most things.

"And then a soak in the Jacuzzi," Celine reminded her.

*****
The two women snuggled on the coach, Darcy acting as a pillow to Celine, as both women quietly read their books. Both felt pleasantly relaxed and not ready to go to bed yet. The cats were sleeping on the backs of the couch, Mandy was lying in her corner, wrapped in a tight circle…however, her eyes were moving as if following something.

Celine moved from one position and then another until she finally got up, turning and giving Darcy a kiss on the forehead.

"I'm going to paint some. I have some ideas floating around that I need to put them down."

"Sure…do you want to paint in here?" Darcy shocked herself in asking.

Celine smiled and shook her head. "Water coloring can be messy. I'll be in the kitchen."

Darcy could feel a tug of disappointment and quickly dismissed it as getting too dependant on someone and reminded herself quickly of what it had once led to.

*****
Celine washed the fastened paper in water and then laid the board on the table. She then carefully picked her colors, squeezing them out on her pallet. She watched as the color dropped onto the wet paper and spread into patterns, and then with her brush coaxing them into something recognizable. She moved to another area and again dropped color onto the wet space and studied the pattern it created. Encouraged by her brush and the addition of more color in some places, and then pulling up the excess with a sponge or a dry brush, she nodded her pleasure as each give interesting textures to her creation. She blotted, then applied more color, some wash, color; each time using different brushes for differing effects. Her work continued; in her mind there was no set theme that she was aware of, it was coming to life as she worked.

"A labor of love?" a soft voice asked.

Celine looked up startled and then smiled at Darcy. She straightened her back and then stretched it, feeling and hearing her spine readjust.

"Why did you change clothes?"

"I usually don't wear the same clothes two days in a row." Darcy leaned forward and kissed her gently.

Celine returned the kiss, taking pleasure in the lips that caressed hers. Leaning back and looking into the dark eyes she asked, "What time is it?"

"Time to feed the horses." Darcy went over to the coffee machine and started to prepare coffee. "Want some?"

"No. I…want to finish this up." She glanced at the picture and could see things that still needed to be added and embellished. She realized this painting was more complicated and busy than the other. She did not hear Darcy leave; she had turned back to the painting, adding images, bringing out shading to more detail. It was not until dinner time that she was finished. She simply put her brushes away and left the last painting to dry.

*****
A light tapping woke Celine.

"Uhhh!" she groggily responded. "Yes?" she tried again. She pulled the covers back and went to the door, wondering why Darcy was not coming in.

She pulled the door opened and found a gun pointing at her head. A gloved hand pulled her roughly around and shoved her against the wall. Hard hands patted her down. Frightened into silence, she numbly endured the hands going over her body. Nothing was said as the gloved hand jerked her around and shoved her down an unfamiliar hall. Where were they taking her? Where was she?

A dark room loomed ahead and just the idea that she was returning to this place had her screaming and frantically back peddling to avoid what descended on her.

*****
"Celine!" Darcy's voice was frantic as she tried to avoid getting hit with flaying fists to prevent Celine from choking herself in the bedding that was wound around her.

"Martha!" she tried again, this time getting less physical movements, but the sobs that came out of the swathed damp figure wrenched her heart. Celine was frightened.

"Okay, okay. I'm here…I'm here, hon. Wake up," Darcy soothed as she pulled at the sheet and finally was able to get Celine free. She held the trembling woman in her arms and rocked her, not listening to the incoherent sobs from her, but rather feeling the fear she radiated.

Mandy lent her own noise and finally jumped up on the bed and lay on the other side of Celine.

It took a while before Celine realized that Darcy was not wearing anything. She caressed the skin that pebbled under her touch and then stopped embarrassed. She pushed away a few inches from Darcy, who easily loosened her grip.

"What's going on Celine?"

"I…nothing. It was just a nightmare." She took a deep breath and let it out, realizing that her chest hurt.

"Something you've had before," Darcy said with certainty.

Celine looked up at her startled. "How did you know?" she asked faintly.

"Tell me about it."

Celine shifted uncomfortably. "I don't really know what it's about…just that when I have it…I know I had it before."

"Does it have something to do with your paintings?"

"My paintings? Of the horses? No. Why do you think that?"

"Come on. I want to show you something." Darcy stopped long enough to grab the robe behind Celine's door for herself.

Darcy turned the light on in the dinning room, where she had propped along the floor leaning against the wall were seven water color paintings.

Celine looked at them doubtfully. "Where did you get these?"

"You painted them…in the last two days."

Celine looked at Darcy with disbelief. "That is not something I would do…" she gestured nervously at the seven not looking at them. "It's not my technique. And why would I want to paint something so damn depressing!? And two days? I…it was just yesterday."

Her voice caught and fearfully she turned her back on them, looking out the window, vaguely noticing that the sun was coming up.

"Before you came here, when was the last time you painted?"

Celine shook her head not wanting to think about it…not understanding why. Celine left the room, frightened to be left alone but more frightened by what Darcy was asking her.

"Martha! What are you running from?" Darcy called after her.

"Nothing!" she shouted back walking faster.

Darcy watched her, knowing that time was running out but not knowing why. Her own intuition was not reliable and too often getting her into things way over her head…but this was important and it was annoying that she could not get a grasp on why.

In her room, Celine quickly changed into workout clothes. It was something she learned from Darcy. When anxious, tire the body out and the cognitive functions would follow.

Darcy joined her but left her to herself. A light flickered from someone entering the kitchen. Judhith's voice called to them from the first floor that she was delivering some supplies from Jack's visit to the city.

Darcy stopped her workout and ran up the stairs.

Celine shut out the voices muttering upstairs and turned on the treadmill. She usually started and finished her workouts with the treadmill. When she finished, she went directly to her room and showered. She picked up a book near her bed and reclined on the Roman bench chair, ignoring her growling stomach. She did not want company, she wanted to not think; yet, the struggle to concentrate on the words of the book brought her to the third turn of the page and she did not know what her eyes were scanning.

Celine put the book aside and got up to stand staring out the window. She had a view of the barn. She could see Darcy working with the stallion and Judhith watching. Still feeling something hovering just out of her peripheral and unwanted Celine dressed and left the house to go for a walk. Mandy followed, doing her dog-thing; stopping to sniff, then rushing ahead for a few yards and looking back at her. Mandy looked happy. Unconsciously she smiled at the dog, pulling her coat around her tighter. It was chilly.

She did not note if it was her or Mandy that set the fast pace, not intent or interested in a destination. Her thoughts were more on observing small things around her, determined to focus on the present and not the images that were just near the surface of consciousness.

*****
"Well, where the hell did she go?!" Darcy slapped her leg angrily.

"Mandy is with her. If she gets into trouble…"

"She's already in trouble! Look at the paintings!" Darcy gestured upset.

"It's almost like looking at one of those ink blots," Judhith agreed. She glanced at the twins who were still studying the paintings as if they were a marvel. Shrinks, she thought disgusted.

Darcy had driven into town when it grew dark because Celine had not returned. She took the paintings to have James look at them. He and Jack had been therapists in their other life…before LC. James specialized in artists while Jack liked the corporate types who wanted to be artists.

John had left to go back to the hospice after deciding that the others could handle this. Eva was thinking maybe she would have to get the Hummer out for patrol duty so she waited around the office, playing 'Tomb Raider'.

Jack pulled up a chair and handed Darcy a cup of tea, deciding she did not need to be wound up any more than she was with caffeine.

"Tell me again…but this time…describe your impressions…No. Don't use your critical side of how she appeared to you. I want your emotional feel for what was happening around you."

Darcy took a deep breath, letting the aggravation at Jack's request out. She closed her eyes to center herself. During her stay at the hospice, when she finally acknowledged she was able to sense things most others could not, Jack patiently had taught her how to sharpen these skills. Since she could not move around much without pain, the lessons were the only thing that relieved her boredom.

"She was in the kitchen, painting. When I stepped across the threshold…I felt out of it…like I was stepping into a room I was not familiar with. She was bent over a painting, talking to herself, telling herself where to put things and this was too dark and that was not quite right. But…I didn't recognize her…I mean…it was her voice and all, but she was so different…like, she was a stranger."

Darcy was quiet for a moment, as she went over in her minds eye her fear of approaching this stranger…like she was…

"…in a dream. It felt like I was in a dream and I was watching her paint a nightmare. I had stepped back and went into another room…where it was normal. She was there for over twenty-four hours. No breaks…when she finally went to bed she woke up screaming that she did not want to go back."

"How long from the time she went to bed to the waking up?" James asked, knowing that Darcy was not going to use 'feeling' terms and would remind Jack he should stop asking her to be something she was not.

"About an hour." Darcy glanced at one of the paintings. "She didn't remember the paintings…or she didn't want to talk about them."

She turned to Jack and James asking, "What's happening to her?"

"Did you know that she was in one of your mother's classes?"

Darcy looked guilty. "Yeah. She repeated to me one of her refrains about creativity."

"Have you spoken with her lately?"

"No."

"Well…I spoke with Della. She has your mother's notes on her students."

Darcy sighed. "So…"

"She found her notes on Martha Newcomb. She wrote," he looked at the paper in his hand, "'Ms. Newcomb will either go mad or leave her painting all together because she refuses to accept her abilities to paint clairvoyant events', end of quote."

"Damn," she whispered softly. "This family thing can be a pain in the ass sometimes."

"You know, Darcy, you were once in the same boat. You could probably help her out best since you've been there and passed the test," James suggested.

"So…that explains why she went into an art business that was so structured. She needed the discipline to keep herself from seeing things that scared her…" Jack mentioned to his brother.

"Hmm. Until two years ago, when she quit her job and went onto the streets. Maybe being so structured didn't work. Della is going to speak with her friend Gail. From what I understand, she hasn't started any new ventures lately. The two men that own her last business are suing her for something."

"Well, that will keep Della busy," Darcy laughed. "So, how is everyone?"

"Why don't you get yourself a satellite and you can connect to her yourself?" James asked.

"Because I like being out in the middle of nowhere with only the animals to talk to," she responded.

"Hmm." Jack and James commented in unison.

"What about Celine?" she went back to their original problem.

"Well, it's cold out there and will be getting colder. Let's trust Mandy and the Fates that brought her to us."

"Whatever she's been putting off all these years is coming back to her and she needs to face it," Judhith told the others firmly. "There are some things we can't outrun."

"Here, here," Darcy agreed looking at Judhith and then the twins. They all learned that first hand.


Chapter 18

"But why are you burning your socks?" Celine asked frustrated. It made no sense to her why Crazy Al was burning his socks when it was cold and socks were important.

"They've got holes in 'em! No use for 'em that way."

"Well, can't you recycle them?"

"I am. I'm using them for fuel…turning them into ash and then I'll scatter their remains on my garden." He sat back and pulled out a pipe that he liked to chew on. "Not like we got birds out here that would use the yarn for a nest," he mumbled as he regarded the empty bowl. He was wishing he had not given up smoking.

Celine got up from the chair he had cleared for her to sit on and paced the room. His eyes followed her as she circled the area. He paced too so he had a nice area cleared for things like that. He also had demons that chased him even into his waking hours. He could tell when someone had the same malaise and Celine had it. It fascinated him to watch her. He had no idea what he looked like so this was an eye opener. She did not look all that scary…yet.

She refused to look into the fire as if something may be in there. He looked into the fire. He was not afraid anymore to face his fear. He had the whole desert to run and scream out the panic it possessed him with and no one to call the police on him. He saw things…things that could happen in the world and things that did not belong in this world.

Once he shouted out what he saw in his visions on street corners…but no one wanted to hear it. No one wanted to change their ways. He tried many things to tame the visions from drugs to religion… it was all wrong. After one year in a mental institution he decided it was not worth preaching to the unbelievers. Following his release from the mental institution he had fled into the desert and found LC.

Al picked up a flare gun he used to warn off any visitors…it was not for him this time. He could see it coming…it was the eyes…looking this way and that for things that only she could see. It could be scary…

"Where you going?" she asked frightened.

"Gonna send up a flare. If'n ya gonna jump in the fire…might as well do it now and get it over with," he told her solemnly.

When he returned, the young woman was sitting too close to the fire for it to be comfortable.

"Just sit right on that stool. It's all rigged up for the ride," he told her. He knew how to ride it out without getting hurt.

The woman blinked her darkened eyes at him, and he could tell she was just about there. She did not need any drugs…she had that thing in her. She sure enough did.

She listened to him and sat on the padded stool. She was not seeing the flames…she was seeing the dark entrance that was behind like a tunnel behind a water fall.

"Go on and jump," his voice encouraged. "It's not gonna hurt if ya do it. It's gonna hurt if you don't."

And she went in.

Against the darkened tunnel walls ran reels of tape of things happening in peoples lives. She knew it was past, present and future events. Only with practice would she be able to discern what could be future. She could hear someone talking but it did not concern her so she moved on. She had been here more than once…maybe more than a dozen times.

The expected garden was just on the other side of the tunnel opening. She just had to get to it. However, this time she did not run frightened to the other side, tripping over the uneven ground caught in someone's nightmare, feeling like Alice in Wonderland. Then she had been running from someone…or was it to someone? And it was because she wanted to change what she had seen was going to happen…she was going to interfere with another's destiny. She needed to talk to the person in the garden. Ask him or her what was happening to her and what was she supposed to do with what she saw.

The light in the garden was bright, but the fauna surrounding the stone bench absorbed most of it, lessening the whiteness of everything so she could differentiate from one thing to another…and even as she thought this, things began to color with their own uniqueness. Now the fuchsia bush was recognizable and the ferns, African violets and marigolds. There were plants she did not have names for, but as she noticed them, the names came to her. And then, there on the bench was who she was expecting.

She felt welcomed.
*****

As Darcy headed for home, frustrated at not knowing where Celine was, a flare reflected off the jeep's dusty hood. Stopping suddenly she jumped out of the jeep and stared in the direction of Crazy Al's place.

"Damn! Mandy! Of all the people she takes him to. Blasted dog! What could she be thinking?" She slapped her jeans in frustration and then pounded on the hood of the jeep. Why couldn't she stay with me? I would have shown her! Yet she knew that she would have been awkward and not a good leader. Crazy Al was the person best suited to teach her but…

Darcy got back into her jeep and resumed her ride home. She remembered it was a group thing. Everyone meditated on the new member and gave her whatever energy and blessings she needed to make a successful crossing to find her teacher on the other side or wherever it was. Darcy certainly did not know where she went when she was in trance. Her teacher was a creature she was never able to describe or even put a species name to…she merely called it Jo.

Darcy parked the jeep next to the truck, taking time to stop at the barn and check up on the llamas, horses and goats. She should be tired but she was not.

In the frontroom she lit two candles and some incense and then folded her legs into a seated position before a small table that only had a vase of flowers supplied by her hot house. In a soft voice she began the mantra that would help her slip into a sleep-like trance and to the garden where they all gathered.

*****
"What is it you fear?"

"What I will see." A cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She just wanted to control what she could see…yet was that not the whole point. If she was to see something that was horrible and it could be prevented she wanted to know how to help those involved prevent it.

"Yet you choose to see."

"I want to help!" Her hands shook in her lap at her fear of facing someone that was braver than her, because if she took this predicted path, she would perish or suffer greatly.

"Help with what?"

"I… don't want them to suffer," she whispered. I don't want to see suffering.

"A child suffers when she cannot have something she wants at that moment."

"It's not the same."

"No?"

She knew that was not true the moment she had said it. The memory of a moment out of her own childhood and feeling her mother's anguish at her wails replayed in her mind's eye. She could see the ripple effects of what could happen if her mother gave into her childish impulsive needs and the ripple effects of her mother not doing so. There was no judgment in the revisiting of this episode in her life nor did she know what her mother had done.

"It's like exercising…you can push yourself until you are exhausted and experience the immediate, next day or future effect it has on your body…or you can just do so much and stop…or you can not do any exercises at all and experience another type of present and future."

"This is not like exercising…this is life and death…" then she laughed. "Okay…I get it. It's all subjective. So…it's like playing god."

"It's all subjective…"

"Well, I am interfering with…"

"Interfering or participating…it's all subjective."

"So…it's a matter of knowing what the consequences are," she muttered.

"If you like chess games."

"I don't. Too much brain work. I just want to help," she said plaintively.

"Yes."

"So how can I help?"

"You have a tool."

"But, I don't know what I'm seeing…I don't understand it!"

"When you paint a tree…is that how the tree really is?"

"A trick question…depends on what the lighting is and what type of medium I'm using…and still, no. I can never really show what the tree is like. Each person has to experience it on her own..."

"Yes. And so it is with your visions. You paint your interpretation of a tree, and from there others will interpret what they understand it to mean in relationship to them. Does that take away from the meaning of the tree?"

"I understand symbols and how subjective as well as collective they can be in meaning. I just…" Suddenly it was crystal clear to her. "I can just paint what I see…" But some of it is terrible!

"If you paint a garden…will everyone see the same garden?"

"That's subjective…"

"Yes. Because for some people with unpleasant experiences in a garden it would have ominous meanings, while to others it would mean nothing…and today it would mean one thing and tomorrow another."

She sighed. "Okay. I…just don't want to be hung out to dry because they're controversial or…well, you know."

"It is a choice…"

"So, you're saying my paintings can be interpreted however the person who looks at it sees it?" This was not what she really wanted. She would rather the viewer see what she was trying to show. Then she laughed. As if that were possible.

"As it is with all art…be it written, audio, oral or visual. Yes," was the amused return.

She nodded understanding. Looking out over the garden she could see a gathering of people. She did not recognize anyone, or did not care to focus on individuals, she merely noted that it was not just her garden; however, it did not bother her at the moment.


Chapter 19

It was early morning and the sun was just breaking over the white laced mountain peaks to the north-east. Mandy had chased another rabbit into it's burrow. Celine was still laughing at the expression on Mandy's face when the rabbit had suddenly appeared before both of them and sped off. It had caught them both flat footed.

Celine watched the land come to life around her. When she smiled her face felt as if it were cracking. Peering through her vapored breath, she squinted at something that appeared to be headed towards her but she could not understand what it could be.

"Hey!" she hollered suddenly. The figure changed course and headed towards her. A small figure detached itself and followed by starts and stops. Mandy took off and ran barking at the familiar figures.

Darcy stopped in front of Celine and slid off Ginger Ale. Celine stumbled over the uneven ground and wrapped her arms around Darcy, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry. I…went for a walk and found myself just walking," she told Darcy, her voice muffled in the cold coat fabric. "Crazy Al found me. He said he would let you know I was alright." She looked up into Darcy's face worried that Darcy was angry.

"He did. Are you headed anywhere special?"

"Yeah. I was looking for a place where I can get some banana nut pancakes," she smiled as she watched Darcy's face that did not show any anger, just relief.

Darcy turned around, leading Ginger Ale with a lead rope she had snapped onto her halter, Pride and Mandy following.

"Hey. You rode without reins?"

"Yeah. So…are you feeling better?" Darcy asked as they followed the road back to Darcy's home.

"Yeah. I think I know why I stopped painting."

"Hmm."

Celine linked her hand with Darcy's looking up at her worried. "Darcy, do you mind me living with you?"

"I…no! I know I'm not easy to live with," she took a deep breath, "I'm…just not used to living with anyone other than the animals. Did you want to move?"

"No. I like it out where you are. We're kinda lucky that we cycle at the same time. That's a plus, don't you think?"

Darcy gave a short laugh. "Maybe for our sakes…but I don't know about the animals and neighbors."

"That is the nice part about being so far out from people…I don't have to worry about being interrupted from my work every twenty minutes by phone calls, door bell ringing, neighborhood fights, more propaganda being fed through the news…" suddenly Celine stopped. She did not want to think about politics and how the people in power were killing everyone on the planet for their insatiable need for domination and… A squeeze on her hand stopped her thoughts.

"You are not helpless… Believe in the power of thought, intention and that there is something more than what you can see," Darcy smiled at her, "and cannot see."

Celine squeezed her hand back. "I'm frightened, Darcy."

"We all are on occasion. Those that are cruel are like vampires…they live on the energy of despair. If you believe that things are hopeless and there is nothing you can do…it is the beginning of despair. To believe that a god is behind it all…that is despair. It is giving up your divine power to evoke change either through prayer, compassion…which is not pity…or physically doing something. Don't get me wrong that I have something against those that give up thinking for themselves or those that think because they are in places of power that this gives them a 'god-blessed' right to abuse others… I think we are all here to learn something and experience where and who we are. You are only responsible for yourself…and considering how much we all deal with each day, I would say that is plenty enough."

Celine smiled and gave a small laugh, then looked up at Darcy. "That's the most I've heard you speak. Can you tell me more about Last Chance?"

Darcy's eyes were watching ahead of them and looked over at Celine briefly. "Yeah, sure." She looked back up the road. "I think we have a visitor."

****
"But they're wonderful!" Jennifer told the two women. "I know seven to eleven galleries, east and west coast, that would love to show them."

"I don't know. They're not exactly lovely to look at," Celine told her doubtfully.

"Oh, you don't know what you have here," Jennifer told her seriously. "The galleries I'm speaking of are small. I can get maybe four of your paintings in each. How many more do you have?"

"That's the lot, Jen," Darcy told her dryly.

"I'm not sure how many I can do a week," Celine spoke slowly. She knew how many she could probably paint a week but she did not want to give any figures…she knew what it was like to work in an environment that depended on consistent manic productivity and she did not want to get back into that mode of living…not out here.

"Do you mind if I take pictures? I can send the images to the galleries over the internet and see if they're interested. You'll find out that I'm right. These will sell like hotcakes…" she smiled over at Darcy who had made her breakfast specialty…banana nut pancakes.

Celine rubbed her forehead, already images were coming to her, as if the idea of finding a market was priming her creative pump.

"Sure. Go ahead," Celine agreed.

"Good! I'll send you an Email to the LC general delivery," Jen smiled pleased. She had already taken pictures of them at the general store. Jen had been visiting her elder uncle whom she had brought to the hospice after he was black listed from every hospital and retirement home in most states. At John's suggestion she had visited the general store to look at the water colors and immediately wanted to know who the artist was, hoping it was not someone that died.

Darcy raised two eyebrows over this statement. Obviously she had been discussing this with one of the twins. Darcy was thinking she needed to explain to Celine the co-opt way they ran the town. She could either contribute to the idea or be taxed by the town… whichever way she felt comfortable with.

After Jen left Celine sat for a few moments looking thoughtful. "Well…I guess this puts me in the big world again…I'll need an agent…tax consultant…bank account…" her voice trailed off when she caught Darcy's shaking head.

"Last Chance is run like a co-opt…we have people who take care of things like that…if you want to join."

"Really?!" Celine looked relieved.

"Yeah. If you want to consider joining, a meeting will be called and we'll give you an idea of the business and profits, how things are managed…things like that."

"Aren't you worried that someone will take advantage and run off with the profits?"

Darcy laughed. "We have outside auditors for that. We've already been through that. Live and learn."

Celine nodded. "Can I live here…with you?"

Darcy rose from here chair and came over to Celine. She picked up her cold hands and kissed the knuckles. "I…would like to think we already answered that. If you want, I have a shed in the back that I do some art work in, pottery when I'm in the mood. I can section it off and turn it into a space for you, if you'd like."

Celine smiled. "Can I see it?"

END

This is the beginning of a series.


To be continued in A Different Dream