All characters found in this story are the creation of JD Jenkins and are her property exclusively.
Feedback: I would love to hear what you think of this story. Please email me at jdjenkins7@aol.com and let me know what you think!
Author's Note: For anyone familiar with my stories, you might recognize these characters from my story "Shadows". While the characters and setting and some of the incidents may seem familiar, this story is not necessarily a prequel to that story. At this point, I am playing around with how the two stories will fit together, and as a result one or both stories may be altered at some point. Also, this story takes place in one of my all time favorite towns, Madison Wisconsin. Most of the places mentioned are factual, but some are not, created for the purpose of this story. I hope all this rambling makes sense!
Dedication: I want to thank my beautiful partner in life for never letting me give up on myself. This story, as with all creativity that comes from me, is dedicated to her. Thank you sweetheart.
Part 4
The phone rang in an obscenely loud manner, waking Rowan from her sound sleep. "Who the fuck?" She mumbled as she fumbled around for the phone.
"Nice talk," Jessie teased from her prone position on her back. She instantly missed the warmth of Rowan who had been laying half on top of her and half on the bed, but her eyes took in with appreciation her lover's naked form.
Giving her lover a quick slap, Rowan made one final reach for the phone and successfully snagged the handset from where it was charging. "Hello?" She croaked her throat dry from the previous night's activities. Jessie snorted at the break in Rowan's voice, knowing full well that she was responsible for it.
"Danni?" Rowan was wide-awake now as she listened to the voice on the other end. She glanced at the digital alarm clock sitting on her nightstand. It read 4:30 am. "Well, of course I'm glad to hear from you but-" It was obvious that she had been cut off by the party on the other end. "Yes, but-" Again. "Danni, no! You can't stay here! There's not enough room for you and-" A sigh rumbled through Rowan's chest as she held back her anger. "No. No! Danni, no!" Her voice got progressively louder as she held her ground. "No, and that's it!" With a decisive motion she cut off the conversation by pressing the talk button.
Not bothering to ask, Jessie just waited patiently for Rowan to tell her what the call was about.
"Sometimes I could just scream!" Came the unexpected response.
Jessie could see the tension in her lover's body and she reacted without thought. Gathering Rowan to her, she held her tightly, gently caressing her naked back until she felt her relax and melt into her. Where her breathing had been erratic from anxiety, it was now steady and deep.
Waiting a few more heartbeats, Jessie took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "So, do you want to talk about it now?" Her voice was gentle, not wanting to push the precious woman in her arms.
"That was my sister," Rowan's body tensed every so slightly as she spoke, as if just the very thought of the phone call made her want to jolt up and hit something.
Completely confused, Jessie tried not to make her voice too demanding. "Your sister?" She had thought that Rowan was an only child. Where did a sister come in?
"Yeah. Family's a strange thing isn't it?" The question was rhetorical, but Jessie still considered it with great thought.
"I'm not one to comment on that," the dark-haired woman gave a humorless laugh as she thought of her own family of two.
Rowan made a note of this comment deciding to probe further after she'd explained her own situation. "Danni, short for Danielle. My parents adopted her when she was 9. They'd been married for a few years and couldn't seem to conceive on their own. So, they tried being foster parents for awhile, and eventually adopted Danni."
"I assuming that this was before you came along?" Jessie asked lightly, her eyebrow arching upward.
Rowan laughed softly. "Definitely. After they adopted Danni the found a new doctor who suggested mom have surgery to clear up her tubes. So, they tried and after that, I was conceived." She grew silent as her face grew serious. "I think Danni always resented me."
"Did your parents treat her differently than they treated you?" Jessie had heard the regret in her voice.
"No, not at all. But, Danni had had a hard life before she'd been adopted. Typical story, really. Her birth mother had been on drugs when she got pregnant and hadn't bothered to stop just because she was carrying a life. Danni's birth father wasn't around, from what I know of. She went from foster home to foster home before she ended up with my parents." Again, Rowan seemed to loose herself in thought. "I think that it was too late for her." She rubbed her face against Jessie's bare shoulder, taking in the scent of her lover for a brief moment.
"She was 11 when I was born. My first memories of her are just looking at her hair." Rowan giggled quietly. "She had this…FLAMING red hair that stood up in all directions no matter what was put on it or how they brushed it. When she was like, 17 she shaved it all off. Mom got so mad!" Rowan laughed loudly this time as the memories swept her away.
"Did you two get along?" Jessie's desire for information about Rowan's mysteriously appearing sister was held, barely in check, by her greater desire to comfort her love.
The mirth left Rowan's face at this question. She looked down at where Jessie's bare arms touched her naked stomach, trying to control the tears that were forming. "When I was growing up, I thought that the sun revolved around her. I looked up to her with the innocence that only a child can have and in the end, I got hurt because of that innocence."
"She let you down?"
"Something like that," Rowan said vaguely. "When she turned 18 she had already been using drugs recreationally. After that she got more involved, dealing as well as using." The back of her hand began to slowly stroke Jessie's arm. The need to connect to her lover as she spoke was overwhelming. "On my 10th birthday I found out that she couldn't come to my party because she was in jail."
Jessie quickly did the mental math, figuring that Danni had been 21. "Do you know what for?"
"My parents wouldn't tell me at the time. It wasn't till later, when I tried to find Danni to tell her about my parents' accident that I found out she was in prison because she'd been involved in the murder of a cab driver on the north side of Madison. She didn't get out until three years after mom and dad died." Falling silent for a minute, Rowan stared out into her mind's memories.
Deciding that she would be best able to help if she just let the story come from Rowan, Jessie sat there, holding on tightly. She was prepared to hold on for the rest of time if need be. In the back of her mind the combination of Rowan's sister's name, the red hair, and the crime triggered some kind of memory response, but she wasn't going to deal with that just now. Rowan's needs came first.
"When she got out I didn't hear from her for almost a year and then a letter comes from Texas, of all places." She paused, looking at Jessie for a minute. "Now, this part is going to sound unbelievable, and I understand. When I first heard I thought that she'd been taking drugs again. But, it's all true."
"Okay," Jessie said, uncertain of what she was being prepared for.
"While she was in prison, she participated in this…" Rowan searched for the right word. "…correspondence program. You see, they would match prisoners with people on the outside who were willing to communicate with them via letters. It was a way for them to gain some kind of interpersonal communication skills, or something."
"Right, I've heard of that."
"Well, Danni met someone and they, supposedly, fell in love." Rowan smiled at Jessie's puzzled look. "I know, that part doesn't sound too bad. But, here's the thing. The man she married was 30 years older and is a millionaire who owns a cattle ranch or something in Texas."
"You sister went to jail and then married a millionaire she met while in jail?" Jessie's voice sounded almost as incredulous as the story.
"I know," Rowan sighed. "Sounds impossible, huh?"
"Definitely." Feeling a bit disconcerted, but not overwhelmed, Jessie remembered the original source of this topic. "So, that was her on the phone?"
Rowan's body tensed again as she was reminded of the phone call. "Oh yeah, that was Danni. She's going to be coming to Madison, for some stupid reason, and is bringing her two kids."
"Kids?"
"Oh yeah, she and the elder Texan have to children, a boy and a girl. Olson James Detwiler, the 5th is almost 8. Sunshine Detwiler is almost 6. My nephew and niece." She couldn't help the small smile that came over her face as she thought about the two children. Despite the annoyance of her flaky sister, she truly adored her niece and nephew.
"I can tell you like the kids. So, what's the problem? You meet up with them for an afternoon and then you don't have to worry about them again." Family was not something that Jessie totally understood. She'd never met any of them, only her mother, and for the life of her, she couldn't understand people's attachments to their extended family.
"The problem is that she wants to stay here."
Jessie paled as she realized what that meant. "Here?" She croaked out. "In this house?"
Nodding, Rowan couldn't help but smile at her lover's perplexed face. "Yes, that's what she wants. Of course, I told her no."
"I…I'll go back to the apartment while she's here." Jessie tried to appear nonchalant, but in truth she was having painful heart palpitations at the thought of spending a night without Rowan's warm body cuddle up next to her. You can do it J. You're a big girl, don't let something like this bother you.
Despite the facet that the mere idea of her sister staying with her turned her stomach, she couldn't help but warm at Jessie's sweetness. "You'll do no such thing. If she comes, I still want you here." A flash of insecurity passed over here. "Unless you don't want to stay while she's here."
A warm flush came over Jessie, inspired by both Rowan's words and the small dash of uncertainty. She wants me, her heart sang in response. Lifting the naked woman in her arms, Jessie quickly flipped her gently onto the bed, immediately positioning her own bare body on top of her. "I," she said nipping lightly at Rowan's neck. "Will be here," another nip on the other side of the beautiful neck. "Forever." Her eyes burned into Rowan's soul as the heat between their two bodies grew.
"Thank you," she said as she pulled Jessie's head down to capture her lips in a searing kiss.
"Do you know," Jessie began to ask as she laid herself fully on top of the smaller woman, her hands now free to caress and fondle the woman below her. "How much I love you?" Not letting her lover respond she softly nibbled on the woman's neck, relishing the arching body under her. "I want to take you now," she growled in a low voice as her mouth descended to Rowan's breast. "I want to make you cry out for me." Her tongue slowly circled a nipple, her eyes watching as it grew in anticipation.
"God, yes," Rowan said right before Jessie's hot mouth took her breast fully, suckling it, at first gently and then harder as their passions grew. Rowan reacted to Jessie's electric touch, causing soaring sensations to travel up and down her sweating body.
The pleasure that Rowan reacted to also filled Jessie as she took her over the edge again and again. Her fingers found the center of Rowan's needs, creating a frenzied rhythm of heat and a flow of pleasure and passion. With every pump of Jessie's arm, Rowan soared higher, crying out louder and louder.
Their bodies were joined, seared by the fire they were creating, melted together so that they were one. As one cried out in pleasure, the other cried out in an exact echo. Where one began and the other ended, neither knew nor cared. It was one pinnacle shared by two minds, one heart, and one soul, forever binding them together. Which, if you asked either one of them, was right where they should be.
Laying together, their bodies cooling from their lovemaking, Rowan and Jessie both silently watched the sunrise through one of the bedroom's windows. Her body feeling sated and lazy, Rowan could only lay there, drowning in the sensations that were still shooting intermittently through her body. As she remembered the touch of Jessie's mouth and hands, an uncontrollable shiver ran through her frame.
"You cold?" Jessie was immediately concerned, grabbing at the covers that had been totally disregarded. With tender motions she covered her lover, making sure that no space was left open for air to get through. "There, that better?" She asked, kissing Rowan's golden hair.
"Hmmm…except for one thing."
Puzzled, Jessie's eyebrows came together in a gravitational pull toward the bridge of her nose. "What's that?"
"You're not in here," Rowan gestured with her head at the cocoon that Jessie had created for her.
Smiling, Jessie rubbed at her forehead. "Well, we can definitely do something about that." With quick motions, she lifted the closest edge of the covers and slid her body under. As her cooled body came into contact with Rowan's now warm body, she felt the flame of desire ignite once again sprouting through her tender nerve endings.
"Much better," Rowan murmured, her head instantly finding a resting place on Jessie's shoulder.
They laid in comfortable quiet for a few moments. Jessie was torn between thinking about the naked body lying next to her, and the startling news about Rowan's sister. "Do you have any other family secrets that you're keeping from me?" Her tone was light, but it also carried a bit of wariness.
Rowan pretended to think about this a few minutes before she answered. "No…I think Danni's the only family secret I have." Her hand gently caressed the slope of Jessie's strong jaw. "What about you? I don't really know anything about your family, other than Anne, of course."
""Well, it's not really an easy question to answer." Jessie felt rather helpless.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know any of my family, other than my mother."
"Grandparents?" Rowan asked, incredulously watching as Jessie shook her head no. "Aunts? Uncles? Cousins?" Each received the same negative answer. "What about your father?" Rowan was tentative in asking this, never having heard either Anne or Jessie talk about the man who had contributed to Jessie's conception.
"He's dead." Jessie's mouth turned down in a frown as she thought about what little she knew about her father. When she was younger she had held a lot of resentment and bitterness toward the man who had fathered her, but never lived long enough to be a part of her life. She didn't even know what he looked like. She remember that once, when she'd been about 11 she had come across her mother starring at a small back and white picture, tears streaming down her face. But, as Jessie moved closer to see what she was looking at, she hid the picture. "That must have been him," she whispered to herself, just now putting two and two together.
"What must have been him?" Rowan's voice was soft, respectful of the difficult situation.
"My father. She must have a picture of him." She went on to explain the memory that had just surfaced. "She must have been looking at a picture of him."
"And you say that she was crying? She must have loved him very much." Rowan's voice was wistful, her romantic cravings kicking in.
It was very difficult for Jessie to respond to that. "She only talked about him a few times…" she faded off, a wistful look in her eye, a look which did not go unnoticed by Rowan. "I had all the usual questions, I guess. The other kids all had fathers, or at least knew who their father was. Mom…well, it was hard on her and even as a kid I knew that it hurt her to talk about him."
Rowan smiled as she tried to imagine her lover as a child, with her large blue eyes and her dark hair. She could see a child like resemblance in her lover when she smile, really smiled. But that didn't happen very often.
"She told me that he died in Vietnam." Now Jessie was starring at something far away from the bedroom they were laying in. "When I left home, I took a trip to Washington DC. I went to…" her voice broke as she remembered the hardened girl she was then. Despite her tough attitude, she still had the emotions of a child who grew up without a father. "…the wall. You know, the Vietnam War Memorial? He…he wasn't there." Jessie struggled with the ghostly memories of pain she had felt growing up.
Over the years she had put the memories and the hurt away in a small box in the back of her mind, never wanting to revisit them. And yet, every day she found herself thinking about the man she never knew. Did she really look like him? She didn't look like her mother. Did she talk like him? Was her smile like his? Did they share similar interests? And with the every day questions there inevitably was the morbid questions concerning his death. Had he died in battle? Had he come home in a wooden box? Or was he left to rot in the jungle's humidity? So many questions without answers flooded her mind when she least expected it, leaving her unable to get beyond the mystery of her father.
Rowan felt stabbing pain through her body as she realized Jessie's suffering. She felt helpless to do anything to console her lover, wanting so badly to erase the pain she was feeling, and yet realizing that it was impossible. Tears streamed down her own face as she held on tightly to Jessie's warm body, both of them realizing how fortunate they were.
Years of bottling up her feelings made the moment even more powerful for Jessie as she realized yet again the extent of Rowan's hold on her. Tendrils of her lover had been woven throughout Jessie's being, creating an inescapable web. The sob caught both women unaware as Jessie broke completely, unleashing the pain that had gathered in her chest.
Putting her cheek against Jessie's, Rowan cried with her, both women holding on to each other as a lifeline and salvation.
After a while the tears stopped flooding, only leaking out occasionally. Neither woman had moved, both of them lost in their own thoughts.
The alarm finally went off, signaling that it was time to start the day, but neither of them moved. They sat, holding each other, as the song Cocaine ended and the morning announcers came on.
"This is the Bob and Tom show on WIBA 101.5 FM coming to you live from the station that plays classic rock that rocks!"
With an internal sigh, Rowan closed her eyes, willing herself back together so that she could face the day before her. Cupping Jessie's face with her hand, she drew her face closer so that she could softly kiss warm lips. Salt from the tears she'd shed was still on Jessie's lips, adding another dimension to her wonderful tasting kiss. The kiss deepened out of need and reassurance, recreating the heat that had barely had time to die down. They both pulled away at the same time, gasping for breath.
"Whoa," Rowan said breathlessly.
"We seem to be going from one extreme to the other."
"At least we ended on a happier note, right?" The sadness that had consumed Jessie's face earlier had faded somewhat, leaving only minute traces over the smooth planes.
Giving her lover a small, weary smile, Jessie brushed the blonde hair off her forehead before leaning over to place small kisses around her mouth. "I never knew happiness before I knew you. Thank you." Giving Rowan another quick kiss, she got out of bed and made her way to the shower.
Her breath having left her body at the power of her lover's words, Rowan couldn't help the smile that tugged forcefully at the sides of her mouth. "Wow," she said softly to herself before getting up. "Let's see if she needs some help in the shower."
Between classes and students with their ever-persistent questions, Rowan found her thoughts wandering back to Jessie's father. There was an unexplainable need to get answers for her lover, wanting to somehow help the painful ache she knew Jessie must feel. While she'd grown up with a very loving father, she did know the pain of loss. And it killed something inside of her to see that pain in the woman she loved.
"Got to figure out something," she finally muttered, forgetting that she was standing in front of a classroom filled with anxious freshman. She was almost startled to see almost two dozen pairs of eyes looking at her in bewilderment. "Sorry, just talking to Ralph here." She pointed over her shoulder at the empty space next to her, confusing her students even more. A few snickers in the back of the room indicated that some of them thought she'd lost her mind. Good, maybe that will scare them into their homework more often, she thought with a satisfied smile. "Okay, so where were we? Who wants to beginning reading Hills Like White Elephants out loud?"
A groan was barely stifled as the students looked at each other to see who would volunteer. Rowan's smile was slightly sinister as no one raised their hand. Another day, another victim.
"Jessie?" Rowan let herself through the front door, using her foot to close it behind her. Dropping her briefcase by the chair, she heaved an armful of papers onto the seat before turning around to lock the door. "Jess?"
The lights were on in the living room and kitchen, a sure sign that her lover was home, but there was no sign of where Jessie could be. After checking the downstairs and not finding anyone, she made her way upstairs.
The sound of now familiar, light snoring coming from the bedroom alerted her to Jessie's location. Entering she as touched by the sight of her dark-haired lover curled up in her bed. Our bed," she amended her thoughts with a tickle of delight. Tigger was curled up near Jessie's head, one paw lightly touching the sleeping woman's head. Upon hearing Rowan's approach, Tigger sleepily opened his eyes, blinked slowly, and then stretched his entire body while widely opening his mouth in a yawn.
"Hedonist," Rowan told him with an affectionate smile. She pulled her shoes off and climbed into bed behind Jessie, curving her body to match that of her lover.
"Hon?" She whispered softly, reaching up to stroke the sleeping woman's face, while pressing her body closer.
Jessie's beauty never failed to cause her breath to catch in her chest. She had known beauty before, but it wasn't close to the dark, glorious beauty Jessie held in just a mere look. How did I get so lucky?
She shook off her thoughts, concentrating on the conundrum before her. Why was Jessie in bed so early? Granted, she hadn't known Jessie all that long, but this didn't seem usual for her.
"Jess? Honey, are you okay?"
This time Jessie answered by mumbling into her pillow. "Sick. Flu."
"Oh boy," Rowan sighed. "Didn't you get a flu shot?"
"No." Jessie's tone of voice sounded like a petulant child, causing Rowan to laugh softly before chastising her lover.
"Jessie! You work in health care. Surely you know better than to skip your flu shot!"
"Don't get sick."
"Uh huh, sure. So, you're not sick now?"
"Nope."
"Then what are you doing in bed?"
"Dunno."
"If you don't know, then how did you get here?"
"Dunno."
If she weren't so worried about Jessie, Rowan would have been rolling on the floor, the conversation striking her as completely out of character and definitely funny.
"Can you sit up for me, sweetheart?"
Jessie lifted her head about an inch off the pillow, a silly smile on her face. "You called me sweetheart!" She seemed very pleased at this endearment.
"Well, you are my sweetheart, sweetheart."
Still grinning, Jessie began to sit up. Her grin, however, turned to a grimace as her stomach protested the sudden movement. "Oh God," she moaned as she unsteadily tried to get up from the bed and make it to the bathroom before it was too late.
Sensing her lover's need without words passing between them, Rowan helped her up and quickly walked her to the bathroom, the taller woman leaning against her heavily.
"You..don't…have..to stay," Jessie gasped as she leaned over the toilet, hoping that the waves of nausea would pass without her having to throw up. Rowan had helped her there and then stood by dutifully, waiting to help. Truthfully, Jessie was embarrassed and didn't want Rowan to suffer through seeing her so sick and helpless.
Before Rowan could answer, an even stronger wave passed over her and she was left with no choice as her stomach rebelled. It felt like hours passed as she continued to get sick, and she had thought that Rowan had gone ahead and left when she felt a cool clothe on the back of her neck.
Moaning, she tried to relax her body as she felt strong hands rub her back and her neck, making her instantly glad that her lover had not abandoned her, despite her earlier desire for just that.
Poor baby, Rowan thought as she brushed at the hair plastered to Jessie's clammy forehead. The ill woman had finally fallen into a light sleep, her body exhausted from the convulsions of dry heaves. Rowan was really concerned, but wasn't sure what more she could do other than make sure that the woman was comfortable and that she tried to keep liquids down.
Unable to stifle a huge yawn, Rowan drowsily looked at the clock and realized that it was already midnight. Sluggishly getting off the bed without jostling her lover, she quickly stripped out of her clothing, not bothering to put on anything else, and climbed into the bed beside Jessie.
Realizing she'd forgotten to turn the light off, she groaned loudly in frustration, her only desire at that moment to sleep. Reaching around, she found a book on her night table. With a well-aimed hurl, she managed to hit the light switch, instantly throwing the room into darkness. Curling her body around the slightly feverish one, she held the woman tightly, feeling very protective of her lover's weakened state. Snuggling into Jessie's back, she closed her eyes and let herself drift into the pleasant feeling of slumber, her mind doing little happy dances at the feeling of Jessie in her arms.
Jessie's first awareness was a sharp, pounding pain in her head. It was soon followed by the realization that her sides and her lower back were sore and it was then that the memories of her praying to the porcelain god the day before came back. Groaning, she tried moving her tongue in her mouth, not surprised to find that it felt like it had been drained dry of all moisture, leaving a putrescent taste that permeated her mouth.
Slowly, trying to ignore her head and the other aches and pains that seemed determined to remind her that she was alive, she moved her toes. That done, she proceeded to slowly move her fingers. They seemed to work as they should, reassuring her in some small way.
Using what little saliva she could muster, she attempted to wet her lips, her head protesting the little movement. Assessing that she was on her side, she slowly lifted one crusted eyelid, blinked sluggishly in an attempt to clear her vision, and then tried to find the alarm clock. With another groan she realized she would have to move her body a little bit to be able to see the face of the clock.
Feeling like she was moving under water, she shifted, putting her weight on an elbow, and managed to catch a glance before her elbow collapsed under her weight.
10:30. Sunlight attempted to sneak around the dark shades that had been pulled over the windows, letting her know that it must be in the AM. Rowan would already be at work. She felt disappointed that she'd only seen her lover long enough the night before to vomit and then fall back asleep. I must look like shit, she thought to herself, unable to get the energy to voice it out loud. I feel like shit.
"Good, you're awake!" An annoyingly cheerful, and yet very familiar, voice came out of nowhere. If Jessie hadn't felt so weak she would have jumped, startled. "I was going to let you sleep as long as you could." Rowan sat down carefully on the bed, not wanting to jar Jessie's body. She knew very well what it was like to have a night like Jessie did, and she knew that she'd be hurting today. A hand instantly went to Jessie's hot forehead, a frown forming on her face. "How do you feel?"
"Dying," she croaked out, her throat aching and her mouth sticking to itself.
"Be right back." She hurried out of the room, coming back with a tall glass of water.
Forgetting her pain, Jessie sat up in bed, eyeing that glass as if it held the secret fountain of youth. Eagerly, she took the glass from Rowan and tried to reign herself in as she drank from it, feeling the water slide all the way down to her beyond empty stomach, hitting it with a cool and oddly comforting force.
After taking a few careful sips, she paused, sitting absolutely still as she waited to see if the water would stay down. A diffused wave of queasiness followed, but nothing like what she had experienced the night before. The water would stay down, but she'd better be careful of what else she tried to consume.
"Better?" Rowan's voice filtered through Jessie's self-examination.
Nodding, Jessie laid her head back against the headboard, feeling exhausted from her small effort.
"I'll bring you some chicken broth a little later." The back of Rowan's hand went to Jessie's cheek, concern flooding her face. "Why don't you try to go back to sleep?"
"'Kay," was the quiet reply. With help, Jessie's managed to lay back down. She turned on her side, curling up around a pillow, and her breath soon evened out in sleep.
Checking her watch, Rowan saw that it was almost noon. When she'd gotten up in the morning, the first thing she did was call the English Department office, telling Debbie, the secretary, that she'd be out all day. Debbie assured her that she would make sure notes were placed on the appropriate places so that her students would know.
Next, she called Jessie's office. She told the person who picked up that Jessie wouldn't be in for the rest of the week because she was ill. The woman was very sympathetic, stating that her husband was sick with the flu as well. They chitchatted briefly about how it was 'going around' and then Rowan said her good-byes.
Looking at her sleeping lover, Rowan took in her pale face and her flushed cheeks. With a tender touch, she caressed the soft skin there, smiling as Jessie leaned into her touch even in her sleep. "I'll take care of you, baby," she whispered softly before leaning over and placing a light kiss on her forehead. Despite Jessie's self-reliant nature, she had a feeling that even Jessie needed someone when she was sick. And truthfully, even if she didn't, Rowan wasn't going to take no for an answer. She loved Jessie, and to her that meant that she would be there to take care of her when she was in need.
The day passed quietly as Jessie slept and Rowan caught up on housework before settling down to grade some papers. Around five o'clock that night, Jessie came hobbling down the stairs, her eyes still heavy from sleep, and came across Rowan stretched out in the arm chair, papers littering the floor around her, sound asleep. Tigger was curled up in her lap, his arm possessively over one of Rowan's hands.
"So you left me for her, huh?" Jessie only received a blink in return from the feline. "I don't blame you."
Kneeling by the chair, she reached out and brushed Rowan's cheek with the back of her hand, marveling at the softness she found there. You sweet thing, she thought silently, smiling to herself at the absolutely preciousness of the woman before her.
Green eyes slowly opened, blinking lazily before focusing on the woman. "Hey," Rowan croaked, her throat dry from sleep.
"Hey yourself."
"How ya feeling?" A hand instantly went up to feel Jessie's forehead.
"Better than before. Not 100%, but better."
"Your temperature seems to have gone down, but you're still hot."
"So I've been told," Jessie said, leering at Rowan with a roguish smile.
"You must be feeling better if you're up to flirting," Rowan teased back.
Standing up, Jessie stretched her arms above her head, rotating so that her back and shoulders cracked. "Oh yeah, that felt good," she said purred as she dropped her upper body down at the waist, touching her toes to stretch the rest of her sore body. With a loud groan of pleasure, she straightened up, stretching her calf muscles by flexing her feet at the ankles.
Enjoying the show, Rowan just watched, smiling. "Would you like anything to eat?"
Wrinkling her nose, a habit picked up from Rowan, Jessie thought about the consequences of eating. "A part of me is hungry, but my stomach is just not ready for it." She patted the body part even as she felt a slight wave of queasiness wash over her. Actually, there were a few things that she could probably eat that would keep her stomach calm, but she felt that she'd already put Rowan out enough and didn't want to make her do any more work.
"Not even some mashed potatoes?"
Jessie's eyes lit up, a smile taking over her face. "Mashed potatoes?" She asked, wondering if Rowan had read her mind. That was one of the few things that her stomach could always handle when she was sick.
"Yup. Or, how about some Jell-O?"
Wide eyes grew even wider as Jessie heard this. "RED Jell-O?" She asked in disbelief.
"Yup. Both cherry AND strawberry."
Licking her lips, Jessie was definitely ready to test her stomach's limitations. Putting her hands out, Rowan silently asked for Jessie to give her a hand out of the chair. Once settled properly on two feet, she got up on her tiptoes and kissed Jessie's nose. "Follow me," she said in a husky voice, crooking her finger in a 'come hither' gesture.
Like a well-trained animal, Jessie obediently followed her lover into the kitchen. Getting a bowl down, Rowan moved to the stove where a large pot sat on the back. Taking the lid off, she dished out freshly mashed potatoes.
"You made them? They're homemade?" Jessie couldn't get over the idea that her lover had actually cooked for her. And not only had she cooked, she'd done it in exactly the way that Jessie liked most.
"While you were passed out upstairs, I made a little call to a certain bookstore to find out what foods were your feel good foods." Rowan was delighted at the other woman's reaction, little balls of joy bouncing through her as she watched Jessie take a taste bite of the potatoes and groan in delight.
"Feel good foods?" Jessie asked around the potatoes in her mouth.
"Yeah. I think that everyone has certain foods that when they don't feel well, or when they're sad, make them feel better." She smiled when Jessie handed the empty bowl to her, a pleading pout on her face. Turning to dish out more potatoes, she continued. "It just so happens that your mother understood exactly what I meant and was more than happy to give me the secrets to your stomach."
"Remind me to thank her," Jessie said in between the happy humming that was coming from her as she ate. Finishing her second bowl of potatoes, she put the bowl down with a flourish and rubbed her stomach in appreciation. Leaning against the counter, she closed her eyes as she let the food settle. She felt warm all over from both the low-grade fever she still had and the treatment she was receiving from her lover. She couldn't remember anyone ever taking the time to take care of her like this.
Watching her lover, standing in her kitchen, eating the food she'd just made her, filled Rowan with a sense of being. Her life, and her house, had been so empty for so long. She was never at a loss for friends, but they never were really allowed to get too close. She doubted that any of them realized that she always held something of herself back. When they needed something, they never hesitated to call her and she never failed to do all that she could. But, if they really took time to analyze the friendship, they would realize that Rowan never once called them for a favor. She never once asked for help. And that's how she preferred it. But it was lonely sometimes. And now, her kitchen, her home, and her life were filled with this tall, dark haired woman who took her breath away with just a look. Lucky didn't cover how Rowan felt. She felt truly blessed.
She'd had relationships, friendships, and lovers, but none of them were what she needed. With each and every one of them she felt something missing, something that kept her from feeling complete. But, in Jessie she had found that element. That one missing piece that left her feeling totally satisfied with their relationship. Now, if only I could figure out how to officially ask her to move in, she thought. She'd been debating the issue with herself for days, knowing that Jessie really did live there with her, but they'd never made it official. Honestly, it felt to her like something they should celebrate, something that should be commemorated in some way, even if it was only in words.
Sidling over to where her lover was obviously deep in thought, Jessie used her hip to nudge the other woman. "You okay?" She hesitated in asking, simply because she felt so completely indebted to this woman.
Why not now? Rowan mentally prepared herself. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, she repeated as a mantra. "Actually, I'm not okay."
Jessie eyebrows immediately come together as concern flooded her. "Are you feeling sick? Damn, I should have made sure you didn't get sick. I could have gone back to my place-"
Rowan stopped her right there, feeling a little exasperated. "No. I'm not sick. And you should not have left. That's what's wrong."
If she was puzzled before, Jessie was now beyond puzzled. She had no idea what Rowan was getting at. Putting her bowl down on the counter, Jessie began to steel herself against whatever Rowan was going to say. "I'm afraid I don't quite understand."
"You. Your apartment. I don't like it."
"Huh?"
"I don't like that you have a place that you can run to, that you have a place where you can go to escape this," she gestured between them with her hands. "Us. I don't want you to have anywhere to run if we fight, or anywhere to hide if you're getting scared."
Jessie's body tensed at the barrage coming from Rowan. In truth, she hadn't really thought about running, but there was something in the back of her mind that knew she'd have an escape if she needed one.
"I want you to live here. I want you here when you're scared, I want you here when you're mad. I want you here no matter what. I want to know that each and every night I'll be able to count on you being in my bed, no matter what." Taking a deep breath, Rowan straightened. "I want you to move in here. Permanently." There. She'd said it. The very words that she'd been wanting to say for awhile now.
Focusing on her breathing for a moment, Jessie allowed herself to think before she answered. It was true. Her apartment was an escape for her. She'd never figured that Rowan would see that. And, she admitted to herself, it was cowardly. For all intended purposes, she was living at Rowan's house. She'd really become comfortable with that arrangement. But, she would always have her apartment to go to if she needed it. An out. Did she want to have an out.
Inwardly crestfallen at Jessie's lack of response, Rowan tried to be patient and give Jessie time to answer. Fear made her skeptical, but her heart knew that Jessie couldn't turn away from this. Not now. They were both too entrenched with each other to turn away.
Absently, Jessie rubbed one hand over her stomach lightly, feeling the potatoes beginning to churn there. A part of her brain registered that she wasn't going to be sick, but the potatoes were still causing quiet a stir in the otherwise empty organ.
"I…I don't want to leave, Rowan. If you'll have me, I'd love to live here. With you." She turned blue eyes onto her lover, hoping that Rowan would see the depth of what she was saying there. Searching green eyes out, she took Rowan's hand in her own and held it tightly. "I want to build a home with you. I want to be so tied to you that I can't leave even if I want to." Her last sentence was said with quiet embarrassment. Her need was so obvious at that point that it scared her.
Looking at her with wide eyes, Rowan felt very much like a deer in headlights. The raw emotion and need coming from Jessie was overwhelming, but at the same time completely welcome. Without words, Rowan threw her arms around the taller woman, holding her close, tears forming and then falling from her eyes. "Thank you," she finally whispered, still holding on tight, ready for the rest of their life together.
The next day Jessie felt considerably better, but Rowan made her promise to stay home and just rest.
"I told them you wouldn't be in for the rest of the week, so you might as well just take advantage of it."
"You did what?" Jessie didn't know if she was pissed off or grateful, the two emotions running closely together.
"I figured that you probably haven't take a single sick day since you've been there, and, like most companies, you'll loose your sick days when the year's over. It's already November, so it's about time you took a few."
Rowan's logic seemed flawless. It was all true. What's a few days? Jessie reconciled with herself. "There goes my perfect attendance award," she mumbled in half hearted protest.
"If you're good and stay home and get better, I'll give you an award that will make up for that one," Rowan purred softly into Jessie's ear, grinning a little when she saw that ear turn red at what she was suggesting.
Gulping, Jessie tried to take a few deep breaths. "Okay," she managed to squeak out.
Looking at the woman fondly, Rowan reached over and rubbed the back of Jessie's neck. "Are you going to be okay by yourself? I can stay home again if you need me to?"
"No, no, I'll be fine." She protested, not wanting the blonde to miss any more work because of her. "Thanks for yesterday though. I…I…" she found herself uncharacteristically stumbling over her words, finding words of gratitude difficult to verbalize. "I really can't tell you how much I…appreciate you staying here and taking care of me." Her head lowered. "I don't deserve it."
Lifting her chin, Rowan starred intently into her lover's eyes. "I love you. Therefore, you do. Simple as that." Leaning down she gently met familiar lips with her own, resting there a moment in a sweet kiss. But even the simplicity of that action couldn't prevent the sparking of desire that she felt.
"Call the English office for me if you need anything. I'll make sure they come and get me." She stood straight, trying to stop the trembling she felt in her legs.
"Okay. Play nice with your students," Jessie smiled at her lover, attempting to quell her own feeling of wanton lust.
Tucking in the covers around her lover, she kissed her on the forehead one last time before leaving.
Her morning classes over, Rowan settled into the chair in her office. She had three hours in her office in case her students needed anything, and then she was done for the day. She debated calling Jessie, but she didn't want to wake the woman in case she was sleeping.
Her dilemma was solved when her office phone buzzed. "Rowan, you have a call on line 3," one of the English department secretaries' voice came through the speaker on the phone.
"Thank you," she answered before picking up the phone and hitting the blinking line. "Hello?"
"Hey," the familiar, sexy voice rumbled through the handset, giving Rowan goosebumps.
"How ya feeling?"
"Not too bad. We've…got a situation here." Jessie's voice was hesitant, as if she were unsure of how to tell her something.
"Okay, what kind of a situation?" Truly puzzled, she waited patiently for her lover to explain.
"Well, it's better if you heard for yourself."
There was a muffled sound as the phone was passed from Jessie to someone else.
"Rowan?" Another familiar voice bubbled through, immediately giving Rowan a headache.
"Danni. What are you doing at my house?" More than a bit angry at her sister's total disregard for her, Rowan tried to keep her voice even.
"I told you I was coming. I guess I should have called to remind you." Danni acted as though everything was perfectly normal. "You should have told me that you had a new girlie and that she was living here though," her voice chastised gently.
Gritting her teeth, Rowan continued to try to keep her temper from seeping into her voice. "And I thought I told you that you couldn't stay with me."
"You were serious?" Rowan could imagine the blank expression on Danni's face. "Oh, I didn't think…"
"And," Rowan's voice rose in consternation. "Jessie is NOT my girlie. She is my girlfriend, my lover, my friend, but you will not refer to her as my girlie, you understand?"
"Geeze Rowan," Danni's voice lowered in a whisper. "You know that I don't have a problem with you being into chicks and all that. God knows I did plenty of exploring myself when I was in prison."
Counting to ten backwards, Rowan tried to even her breathing so that she could control her reaction. Deciding to ignore that subject for the moment, she blatantly made sure that her sister knew she didn't want her staying with her. "I'm sure you can find a room in a hotel nearby."
"A hotel?" Again, Danni sounded surprised at the suggestion. "Why, I don't think that a hotel will take Sylvester!"
"Sylvester? The dog?"
"Why, yes!"
"You brought the dog all the way with you from Texas?" Rowan could not believe what she was hearing.
"He loves to travel and the kids hate to be apart from him." Danni made it sound as though this were perfectly acceptable reasoning.
Exasperated, Rowan rubbed at her forehead with the heel of her hand. "How long are you going to be here?" She finally asked, resigned to her fate.
"Only a week, honey, only a week."
"Put Jessie back on the phone, please?" She waited as she was once again passed from one woman to the other.
"Hey there," a low sexy voice drawled, and Rowan was unable to prevent the chill that went through her.
"Listen, I'm sorry. It seems that they're going to be staying with us." She quickly remembered their conversation the night before, and amended that statement with a question. "But, only if that's okay with you?"
Jessie took a moment to look around at the newly arrived guests. The two children, despite the fact that their mother seemed to almost shake with nervous energy, were sitting sedately on the couch. The dog in question, a small Jack Russell terrier, was sniffing around the room, his tail doing a fair impression of his mistress, twitching with energy. Wait till he finds Tigger, Jessie thought. The poor dog. "It's okay with me," she finally answered.
Rowan let out a sigh as she finally took a deep breath in relief. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. Now, why don't you go to bed? I'll be leaving here in another two hours or so and then I'll take care of everything."
"Sounds good to me." Jessie realized that she was feeling kind of tired. Being sick sucked, she noted as she inventoried her body's state of being. Everything still ached, especially her back and her sides, and her head was letting itself be heard with a dull roar.
"I'll see you soon babe, love you."
"Love you too."
"Gimme back to my sister, then go upstairs."
"Yes teach," Jessie smirked into the phone, but dutifully handed it to Danni before trudging up the stairs.
"Wow, Rowan, you really picked a good looking one this time," Danni said as soon as she was sure Jessie was out of hearing range.
Sighing, Rowan had a gut feeling that the week wasn't going to be easy. "Listen, let her rest, she had the flu right now and I want her to be able to get as much sleep as she can. You and the kids'll have to share a room; I only have one guest room. You, you can take the attic, but try to keep it down up there, okay?"
"No problem Rowan. The kids wanted to go to the zoo anyway, so I'll just take them as soon as we've gotten our stuff upstairs. Don't you worry about a thing." As her sister said this, a loud barking came over the phone, followed by a very familiar meow.
"What's going on?" Rowan demanded above the ruckus she could hear in the background.
"Dammit, Sunny! Stop grabbing him by his tail!" A loud crash followed the scolding, and the sounds of a little girl crying followed. "Baby, are you okay? OJ, don't just stand there, help your sister!"
Danni must have hit the off button on the phone because that was all that Rowan heard before she was met with a click and then dial tone. Quickly glancing at the clock and then at her empty office, she gathered her things and ran out her door, posting a hurriedly written note on her door, telling students that her office hours were canceled for that afternoon. As she hurried home, she prayed that her house was still in once piece.
Sighing, Rowan finally went into her bedroom, taking great comfort in the fact that the lump under the covers indicated that her lover had managed to get some sleep through everything that had happened.
She'd gotten home two hours before and had spent the time cleaning up after Sylvester's run in with Tigger. After chasing each other around the house to the point of exhaustion, the two animals had flopped down in opposite corners, both breathing heavily and eyeing each other. Finally, Tigger got up and cautiously approached the resting dog. Too tired to chase after the cat, Sylvester merely followed him with his eyes. Tigger stopped right in front of the dog and warily leaned over and sniffed at the dog's face. Staring at Sylvester as though he were an unknown, foreign object, Tigger again leaned into him and took a quick swipe of the dog's nose with his tongue. When Sylvester didn't react, Tigger got closer, finally settling his body next to the dog and laying his head on his paws. Now, they were fast asleep, oblivious to the damage their explorations with each other has caused.
Danni, of course, offered to pay for the vase that was broke when the lamp fell and hit the side table in the living room, but Rowan didn't really care about the object. What bothered her was the invasion of her home. She asked Danni to go ahead and take Sunshine and OJ to the zoo, leaving her to clean up the mess.
Before they left, she gave her niece and nephew hugs, smiling into their uncertain faces. It had been a few years since she'd seen them, and they had only vague recollections of a nice aunt who had a gentle touch. "Are you hurt?" she softly asked Sunny as she wiped at the drying tears on her face.
"No ma'am," the girl answered hesitantly.
"Good," Rowan kissed her smooth forehead and looked at her sister. "It's obvious she didn't get her manners from you," she teased.
"Well, Ollie insisted that they both have some kind of formal training when it comes to that kind of thing." Danni still had a hard time adapting to the life of the terribly wealthy, and it was a source of some contention that her daughter had better table manners than she did. At dinner parties in their home, she'd taken to following Sunny's lead as to which fork to use when.
"I'm sure," Rowan murmured, aware of her sister's deficiencies. Jail had done nothing to improve her abilities in the social niceties. Helping her niece with her coat, Rowan smoothing out her shoulder length hair, then helped put a snow hat on. "Are you sure it's not too cold to go to the zoo?" She asked her sister for the second time.
"Nah, just bundle them up well and they'll survive."
Dubious, Rowan helped with the task and then saw them off before beginning the cleaning of the living room, then headed up stairs to check on her lover.
Climbing into bed beside Jessie's deep breathing form, Rowan studied the other woman's face intently, seeing each and every nuance. The lines that were starting to stand out around Jessie's eyes and on her forehead were smoothed in sleep, and the tenseness around her mouth was gone. Leaning over, Rowan gently kissed Jessie's forehead, much like as she had done with her niece earlier. Settling back against the pillows, she nestled her body so that it was touching the length of Jessie's, smiling as the other woman reached out for her even in sleep, drawing her even closer still. Closing her eyes, she just allowed herself to luxuriate in the feeling of home before sleep claimed her.
The smell of food woke Rowan from her nap. Wiping at the saliva that had formed at the corner of her mouth, she sniffed the air cautiously. Pizza. She sniffed again. Dominos? One last sniff. No, Rocky's! Her stomach echoed her realization with a growl.
In 1974 the first Rocky Rococo's was opened and pizza had never been the same since, as far as Rowan was concerned. It was one of the few fond memories she had with her sister. She could remember Danni taking her by the hand and going to Rocky's and sharing a slice of pizza and an order of breadsticks.
She remembered, Rowan thought to herself as she found her stomach gave every indication that it remembered. "Jessie?" Rowan softly called to the sleeping woman, unsure if she should wake her. After receiving no response, and quelling her immediate concern by seeing that her lover was indeed still breathing, she decided to just let her sleep, saving her some pizza for later.
Crawling slowly out of the bed, Rowan stretched her lithe frame, her back cracking in several places as she did so. Covering her mouth as she yawned, Rowan went to her closet and changed into a pair of sweat pants and an old UW sweatshirt, smiling at the smell of laundry detergent that wafted from them. Grabbing a pair of socks, she made her way down the stairs.
The tv was on, quietly playing a children's show of some sort. Her first sight of her visitors was of OJ sneaking up behind Sunny, yanking her hair hard, and then running away.
"MOOOOMMM!" Sunny whined loudly. "He's doing it again!"
"Am not!"
"Am too!"
"Am NOT!"
Now brother and sister were both standing, facing each other, looking for all the world as though they were getting ready to rumble.
"I want you both to sit down, OJ you take the chair, Sunny, you sit on the couch and I don't want either of you moving until I tell you to, do you understand me?" Danni stalked into the living room from the kitchen, her hair looking like it had gone to war with a wind tunnel and lost.
"Yes mama," the children said in well practiced unison, their attention immediately sucked back to the television.
Sighing, Danni started to turn back to the kitchen before she saw her sister standing on the steps. "Hey, I didn't know if I should wake you two or not," Danni said with a smile.
Something had changed in her sister, Rowan realized. Gone was the frazzled, at the end of her nerve Danni that she remembered last time she saw her. It seemed as though there were now some kind of peace within her, calming her usually raw character. She seemed…grown up, Rowan realized suddenly. While her sister was older than she was, Rowan had always felt older, more responsible than Danni, and neither of them had ever really questioned that assessment. But something had changed, and Rowan found herself actually liking the change. Maybe she could mend some fences with this new attitude of her sisters. Maybe they could develop a real relationship, rather just one based on the common bond of growing up in the same house.
"I smelled the food," Rowan said with a rueful smile. "I never could resist Rocky's pizza."
"I know," Danni wrinkled her nose, a trait that she shared with her sister despite the fact that biologically they weren't related in any way. "Come on in and have some. The children had too much to eat at the zoo and they're not really hungry, but that doesn't mean that we can't eat."
Rowan followed her sister into the kitchen, shocked to see at least three pizzas and two big bags of breadsticks and sauce sitting on her counters. "Are you preparing to feed an army?" She asked as she peeked inside the first box.
"No, this is quiet normal for us. We all like different kinds, so I usually get three or four different pizzas just to make everyone happy." She shrugged. "It's not like it matters how much we spend on it," she acknowledge, self aware of her own financial status since being married to a millionaire.
"True," Rowan said easily, having no financial complaints of her own at the moment. Searching through all the boxes, she finally selected a square slice of sausage and pepperoni pizza. Taking a large bite, she hummed in delight as the familiar sauce came into contact with her taste buds. "Oh yum, I haven't had this in so long!" She moaned out loud.
"Well, I'm glad I picked well then," Danni said, smiling at her sister's pleasure, selecting a slice for herself.
They ate in silence, both of them lost in their own memories. After finishing her second slice and quiet a few breadsticks, Rowan wiped at her mouth and regarded her sister. "So, why are you in town?"
"No reason, really. Ollie's in Europe somewhere, and I didn't want to go with him this time, so I thought I'd bring the children here to show them where I grew up."
"Why now?" There was something going on, something that Rowan couldn't put her finger on.
"I could never hide anything from you, could I?" Danni smile at the woman who had always been a thorn to her, finally seeing with her own eyes the woman that her little sister had become, and smiling at her. "I'm sick." She put up her hand to stop the inevitable questions. "It's nothing too bad, but I want to be able to make sure that I've given the kids everything I can just in case something happens, and that includes giving them some of my history."
"What is it?" Rowan's stomach clenched as she suddenly thought about loosing her sister. A week ago she would have felt sorry for her sister, but she wouldn't feel this overwhelming sadness. Just in a day her attitude toward Danni had changed completely. She found herself wanting to connect with this woman, and now she was presented with the idea of loosing her. It was incomprehensible.
"Leukemia," she answered softly, a gentle smile on her face. "When we get back to Texas I have to go in for some more tests and then I'll start either chemo or radiation therapy. After that I'll have to have a bone marrow transplant."
It sounded frightening to Rowan, but Danni spoke very calmly, her peace with the situation obviously had already been made. "That's it? You make it all sound so simple."
"That's the gist of it all. The hardest part will be finding a donor. Since we don't know any of my biological relatives, it makes it harder to find a donor."
"I-" Rowan began, only to be stopped by Danni.
"I already checked. You're not the right blood type. But thank you," Danni patted her hand. She knew her sister would be willing to help, no matter the history between them. "You want to know something?"
"What?"
"I know it sounds strange, but this is the best thing that's ever happened to me." Danni got up from her seat at the kitchen table, and went to look out the window over the sink. "When I found out, I really took a hard look at myself and my life. And I didn't like what I saw. I began to wonder why I was living at all, when I was only going through the motions, never really feeling anything deeper than the surface." She paused, her eyes focusing on something outside, her hand going to play with the necklace she wore around her throat. "I did some stupid things in my life, Ro. I played with fire more times than I can tell you." She stopped, her head dropping to her chest for a moment. "And, after all of that, I was still here, still breathing. And then, in the end, my own body betrayed me." She gave a humorless laugh. "Ironic how life plays its games. It was then that I realized that if I didn't do something to reclaim my life then I might as well let this cancer eat at me and destroy me because I wasn't doing anyone any good otherwise."
Rowan moved so that she was standing behind her sister. She looked at their reflection in the window as she took her sister's hand in her own. "I'm happy you found your way," she said softly, squeezing Danni's hand.
They stood there for several moments, looking out into Rowan's small back yard. Dusk had come and gone, leaving just a hazy light in the sky before darkness claimed the day completely. In the shadows of her yard, Rowan saw something that startled her.
"What the hell is that?" She said out loud, looking at a moving figure in the yard. The figure hadn't seen them, but it was obvious that who ever it was didn't want to be seen as the figure slunked from hiding spot to hiding spot.
Danni saw the moving shadow as well. "Do you think it's the neighbors?" She couldn't think of any reason why anyone would be hiding in her sister's back yard.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out!" Rowan stalked into the living room, grabbing her coat off the coat rack, and throwing it on. Opening the closet, she groped along the shelf on top until she found the Mag-lite she kept there, turning it on to test the batteries. A feeble, but full beam met her approval. She turned the light off, and began unlocking the front door. "I'll be back in a minute. Stay inside." She told her sister as she pulled the door open, stepped outside, and pulled the door closed again. "I hope she listens to me," Rowan mumbled out loud, closing her coat against the cold winter air.
Her plan was to sneak up on whomever was sneaking around her back yard, proving herself the sneakiest of them all. She wasn't going to let someone just come into her yard and get away with it!
Moving around the side of the house, she stayed close to the house itself, watching the shadows around her as she went. Finally, she reached the back of the house, peaking around the corner into her backyard. The picnic table and benches she used in the summer were stacked along the back, along with a small pile of wood in case she wanted a fire. She finally taken her grill in a few months before, realizing that the snow would soon be upon them. Other than that, everything looked normal from what she could tell in the fast approaching darkness.
Scooping out every shadow and nuance of the yard, she was finally satisfied that who ever had been out there was gone. "Dammit, I wanted to catch someone!" She walked around the back of the house, stopping once she was in front of the kitchen window. Danni was still standing there, looking around nervously. Waving to her, Rowan indicated that she hadn't found anything and that she was going to go back around front. Danni nodded her head in understanding, and Rowan gave her a thumbs-up along with a reassuring grin.
As she turned the corner of the house, she found herself face to face with someone dressed head to toe in black, carrying something large in their hand. Found 'em was the last thought she had as something hard hit her in the head, knocking her completely unconscious.
Danni got nervous when her sister went out the door. Something didn't feel right about all of this. Despite everything, Danni had learned recently to trust her instincts. And her instincts were telling her that something was desperately wrong about this situation.
She checked in the living room and saw that OJ and Sunny were still watching television, neither one of them seeming to be aware of the ominous feeling that Danni could almost taste in the air. Maybe I'm just paranoid, she thought to herself, unable to move beyond her nervousness.
Going back to the kitchen, she continued to stare out the window, not seeing the moving shadows that had been there before. At last she saw Rowan through the window and a wave of relief flooded her, but still did not help her fear to dissipate. Indicating that she was going to come back in, Danni nodded to her sister, still watching as Rowan disappeared out of the view of the small window.
She continued to stand there, her mind waiting for the sound of Rowan coming through the front door. Minutes passed and she still didn't hear anything. The feeling of dread was heavy within her as she waited. Finally, she couldn't wait any longer.
Checking to see that the kids were still in the living room. Both OJ and Sunny were engrossed in whatever show was on the television, the ever present Nickelodeon symbol in the corner. Satisfied that she could go look for Rowan without the kids being disturbed, she slipped on her coat before opening the front door and going outside. She went along one side of the house, not seeing or hearing anything. Approaching the back yard, she kept her eyes on the shadows, looking for any sign of either the intruder or her sister. Nothing. Moving across the back yard, she felt a slight headache from her eyes straining so much in the dark and wished that she'd thought to look for another flashlight. Turning the corner of the house, she began to move up the last side of the house. Almost immediately her right foot caught on something on the ground, and she stumbled forward, landing on something soft and pliable.
Fumbling with her hands, she realized that she had fallen over a person. Searching for the person's face, she was shocked to see Rowan's sweet face, chalky in the moonlight.
A sudden thought hit her with the force of a thousand elephants. The kids! Her mind screamed as she berated herself for leaving the kids alone. Scrambling to get up, she began to run toward the house, only to run into an unmoving object. With horror she realized that she'd found whomever Rowan had seen in the back yard.
With a silent scream, Danni fell to the ground, her body instantly collapsing as she went unconscious from the blow to her scalp.
With an anticipating pull in her stomach, Jessie watched as Rowan crawled up the length of her body, both of them naked, a feral look of desire in Rowan's green eyes. Her body reacted without her giving it any thought, the flooding between her legs, the tightening of her nipples and the rapid beating of her heart all in synch with her constant tug in her lower abdomen.
Rowan finally was lying on top of her, but she continued to move forward so that her breasts were swaying over Jessie's face. There was no hesitation as she reached out and sucked one of Rowan's nipples into her mouth, moaning as she felt it harden as her tongue ran over it.
Pulling away with a teasing smile, Rowan move seductively over her lover, teasing her with her breasts and mouth, until she finally settling her lips over Jessie's mouth. Before her lips came down to meet Jessie's, Rowan flicked her tongue out, wetting her lips in a sensual dance.
As Jessie had hoped, Rowan slowly met her lips, her hot mouth enticing her own, her tongue causing havoc within her entire being. Responding immediately to Rowan's kisses, Jessie's body surged into Rowan's, electric heat building between them. Pulling away for a moment, Rowan gave Jessie a sexy smile as she allowed herself to rest fully on Jessie's body, one hand snaking down Jessie's firm abdomen, resting between her legs. She then returned her mouth to Jessie's, her cold, wet lips…
Cold?
Wet?
Jessie's mind, though filled with the erotic sensations coursing through her body, realized that somehow this wasn't right. Wet, definitely, but cold did not fit into the picture that her mind was seeing. Looking at Rowan, she examined her lover's face curiously, trying to figure out this conundrum. Opening her mouth, Rowan meowed frantically.
Meowed?
No, this definitely wasn't right.
Slowly she came to surface from her dream, not wanting to leave the molten heat of it behind, but unable to reconcile whatever was sniffing at her mouth with a cold nose with what she wanted to be feeling. Dragging her mental feet, Jessie slowly responded to the wake up call, her hand lazily reaching to brush whatever it was away. But, the cold nose persisted, this time accompanied by the occasional lick of a dry, rough tongue.
"Tigger," she managed to say, brushing the cat away again, only to have him return again. "Okay, okay, I'm up, I'm up." She finally managed to open her eyes, her hands coming up to rub away the blurriness left behind by sleep. Eventually she was able to focus, seeing the annoying face of Tigger right before her. The cat was standing on her chest, his front paws firmly planted, his nose nudging her even as she looked at him. "What is wrong?"
"Merrrow," Tigger answered, looking at her expectantly.
"What?"
"Merrrooooow," he repeated, bumping his head against her even more firmly this time.
"Christ, if you woke me up cause you want food, you're in big trouble mister!" She sat up as she swung her legs over so that her feet were firmly on the floor. She vaguely remembered Rowan getting into bed at one time, but now the bed was disappointingly empty of blondes. "Water I might be able to forgive you for cause if my tongue was that dry I'd be pissed if there were no water too. But, If it's just food, then we're going to have words, you and I."
She stood up, taking a minute to get her legs steady under her. Trudging to the bathroom, she was intercepted by Tigger. The cat raced over, placing his body almost directly under her foot, causing her to have to stumble to the side to avoid stepping on the cat. She glared at him, and then stopped in her tracks.
"Come here Tigg," she said gently, crouching down and offering her hand, the cat immediately responding. She reached out and touched an odd looking spot on his fur. It was wet. Pulling her hand away, she looked down and found what she was afraid she'd find. Blood.
Her eyes moved to the doorway that opened out into the hallway and the sense of foreboding that was heavy in her chest increased. There were bloody cat prints coming into the room from the hallway, indicating that wherever the blood came from it wasn't just a little bit. It had to have been a lot if Tigger was able to track it all the way up the stairs and into the hallway.
She checked Tigger to see if the blood was coming from him. She doubted that he'd be in such a amiable mood if he were cut, considering that he was a first rate drama king. As she let the cat go, she noticed that he limped a little, as though his left front paw hurt. He looked at her, his worry evident in his eyes. Something had happened, and something had scared him, his tale enlarged even still.
"Shit," she cursed softly, immediately getting to her feet. Going to the closet, she pulled out a bag she'd stuffed in there after the roses had been delivered to the house. Pulling out yet another bag from that one, she unzipped it. From there she pulled out a French-fitted case, crafted of hand-tooled, black leather. She stared at the combination lock on the case for a long moment before she put the numbers in the right positions. Sighing deeply, she opened the case, revealing a part of her past that she never wanted to have to face again.
She'd first seen the Desert Eagle in an old movie with Mickey Rourke and had fallen in love with the gun. Since then she'd owned several different models, but the one she had now was her favorite. It was a big and heavy gun, heavier than most handguns, weighing almost 5 pounds when loaded. She'd gotten the .41 magnum model with the gold barrel and trigger, and smooth black grip. It was beautiful. Anywhere that she went the gun went with her, striking fear into her enemy's eyes more than once with its recognizable, triangular barrel. The recoil from the gun would knock most back, but Jessie had gone to a range and practiced reacting to the gun's shot, learning how to move with the gun rather than against it. In the end, she and the gun worked as one.
Laughing humorlessly as she checked the magazine, she realized that the gun had lasted longer than anyone else in her life had. The hardest part about leaving Chicago and her past behind had been getting used to every day life without the feeling of her gun at her side. She had lovingly put it away, polished and cleaned, vowing to never take it out unless absolutely necessary. That time was now, she realized.
With slow but deliberate steps, she made her way down the hallway, noticing that Tigger stayed with her, watching her to see where she went. She wondered if maybe the cat was more intelligent than she'd ever given him credit for.
Pausing at the top of the stairs, she closed her eyes for a moment, focusing only on what her ears were picking up. The only sound she heard was the annoying background rumble of the television. Using all her senses she tried to see if she could feel anyone downstairs, but she couldn't. The house felt very empty.
With her back against the wall of the stairs, she slowly made her way down, pausing on every stair and listening to see if the sounds changed, but they didn't. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she felt the same sense of emptiness coming from the house. There was no one in the house, she was sure of it. Walking carefully into the living room, she only confirmed her instinct. The living room was empty, but the front door was wide open, grabbing her attention right away.
A plaintive meow from Tigger reminded her of the blood that had first alerted her. Looking for that cat, she found him huddled in the corner over something on the floor. A puddle of blood surrounded the area. Rushing over, Jessie realized that Tigger had been standing over the prone form of Sylvester, the dog. He wasn't moving and his eyes were closed, but Jessie picked up the slight rise and fall of his chest as his lungs continued to work. Kneeling down, she briefly felt ridiculous as she prepared to find the dog's pulse. She finally found the slight flutter of his heart in his neck, thankful that the dog was still alive. They'd have to get him to the vet right away. Examining the dog quickly she realized that he had a knife wound on his hindquarter, producing the copious amount of blood that was now tracked up the stairs.
Ripping the bottom of her shirt, she wound it around the dog tightly, trying to stop the blood from continuing to flood out of the wound. A soft, gentle tongue reached out and licked her hand for a moment as the dog regained consciousness just long enough to thank his rescuer.
Tigger moved closer, taking a protective stance over the dog, reaching out and licking the dog's head every now and again in reassurance.
"Stay with him," Jessie said in a low voice that wouldn't carry. Tigger looked at her then blinked slowly, settling down next to the dog, a paw resting against the dog's front leg.
She covered the distance between her and the front door quickly, waiting at the door for a brief moment before moving through the door frame. She crouched down in the doorway, allowing her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness outside. Her ears picked up movement to her left, the sounds of someone walking around the house, an occasional grunt filling the air.
Hefting the large gun her hand, she gripped it lightly, keeping her arm tense as she prepared to raise it at whoever was coming around the corner. Finally, a dark figured came slowly around the corner. Raising her gun, Jessie's finger rested over the trigger. "Who are you?" Her voice was all steel, her anger evident in even the way she was standing.
"Jess…"
The voice that was closest to her heart reached her ears and she shakily lowered the gun in shock. "Rowan?" She said softly, rushing forward as she saw the figure of her lover being to waiver. She reached Rowan just in time to catch her as she fell forward.
Gently lowering Rowan to the ground, she quickly checked over the woman's body. The only injury that she could find was a large gash on her forehead. Blood was only trickling out at this point, although it was evident that it had been bleeding more profusely at some point. The wound was swelling as the area around it darkened with bruising. "What the hell happened?" Jessie whispered as she brushed her fingers over her lover's cheek.
Lifting Rowan carefully, she grunted slightly at the weight. Her body still hadn't recovered from the flu, but she forced her muscles to respond. Carefully she took Rowan into the house, lowering her onto the couch. Picking up the phone, she called 911 requesting an ambulance and the police, giving them Rowan's address before hanging up.
Leaving Rowan on the couch, she grabbed her keys from the table in the living room, she went back out the front door, locking the door behind her. Keeping her senses completely alert, she walked the perimeter of the house, not finding anyone else, including the cop that was supposed to be watching the house.
What HAD happened? There was supposed to be an officer watching the house at all times. How many times had she and Rowan passed by the officer on duty? There had never been a lapse before. What had happened that would cause it to happen tonight? It all made her very suspicious. Had she misjudged Mike? Was he involved in this somehow?
Satisfied that there was nothing else for her to do outside, she went back around front as she heard the sirens coming closer. Remembering Sylvester, she went inside and called the Animal Hospital, arranging for someone to come and pick up the dog at the house right away and take him to the hospital.
Letting the EMS into the house, she waited at the door for the familiar figure walking quickly up from his unmarked sedan. Her eyes looked at him with distrust and undisguised anger as he approached the door. He slowed down, seeing everything she was portraying and, warily holding his hands up, he tried to explain.
"Jessie, I am not sure yet what happened. Your mother called the station and told me that the car outside her house was gone. Then I heard the call for this address and came right over. I promise we'll get this figured out." His faded blue eyes were filled with sincerity, but she wasn't going to blindly trust this man anymore. Looking through the doorway behind her, she saw the EMS workers concentrating on Rowan and she struck with the pain that she had no choice but to trust this man. If she didn't, she was putting both their lives on the line and she wasn't willing to sacrifice the one person who had brought her light.
Sighing inwardly, Jessie moved back to let Mike through the door. She was going to let him help, but she was also going to keep her eyes and her ears open. First sign of being double-crossed and she would make sure that Mike Moore was never given the opportunity to hurt Rowan again.