~ Second Generation ~
by Littlespit

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Disclaimer: These characters are mine; although they very well may resemble a certain Warrior Princess and bard we all know and love.

Love/sex warning: Yes, there is a loving and sexual relationship between people of the same gender. If this offends you or is illegal where you are, please grow up or move on. If you are under the age of 18, go away and play with your toys until you're old enough.

Violence: There is some playground violence in this part (Childish bullies and bigots) There may be reference to rape, though no graphic depiction.

Hurt/comfort: Some discomfort happens in this part. Not between the main characters, but something they have to deal with.

Dedication: This story is dedicated to my Sandra, you complete my soul beloved…. always remember.

Feedback welcome at Littlespit@cox.net

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Second Generation
Part 2 (conclusion)
by Littlespit

A comfortable pattern formed for Angela, Elise and the girls. Angela spent many days and too many evenings working on security projects. The Richardson's had been extremely pleased with the work Angela had done, and had spread the word to friends and clients. As a result, Angela had more work than she knew what to do with. She had actually had to turn down a few potential customers only to have them say that they would wait until she was available. Things were going well!

Both young girls would stay with Elise on the evenings that Angela had to work late. Elise liked this arrangement because on those nights, Angela would use her key to let herself into Elise's house, she would then come upstairs, check on the girls and then join Elise in bed. Some nights, Elise would be so fast asleep that Angela would simply place a soft kiss against her skin then drop off to sleep herself; but other nights, Elise would stay awake until Angela slipped between the sheets and then the two women would make love until they both fell into an exhausted sleep.

The girls had been given the go ahead to use their 'pet' names for their parents. Both girls wound up calling Angela "Pop" on a day-to-day basis, though Ellie stilled called her mother "Mom" when they had heart-to-heart talks or "Mommy" when she had an owie that needed to be mended.

One afternoon, Elise was working in her home office when the phone rang. She was in the middle of some complicated coding so she allowed the answering machine to pick up the call. "Hello, Ms. Covington, this is Jodine Smythe, the nurse from Coleman Prep. If you can please call me at your…" Hearing that the call was from Angel's school, Elise grabbed up the phone.

"Ms. Smythe, this is Elise Covington, is there a problem with Angel?" Elise asked anxiously.

"I'm afraid so, Ms. Covington. There was an altercation on the schoolyard and Angel's arm is injured. I think it would be best if you come right away and take her to have it X-rayed." informed the infuriatingly calm nurse.

"X-rayed? What happened?" demanded Elise as she hurriedly went through the house and collected her purse and keys.

"I believe it would be best if you come to get Angel. We'll explain everything when you arrive. She is in no immediate danger, but her arm should be looked at as soon as possible."

"I'm leaving now, I'll be there within twenty minutes." informed Elise.

"We'll see you then, Ms. Covington." Answered Ms. Smythe.

As Elise got behind the wheel of her car, she dialed Angela's number on her hands-free cell phone. 'Please answer, baby, I need you' She thought.

"Angela Popodopolis" the phone was answered.

"Angela? Angel's been hurt at school. I'm on my way there now." Elise's voice shook as she informed her love.

"Angel's hurt? I just got a call to come and get Ellie!" Taking a breath, Angela continued, "What happened?"

"I have no idea. The school nurse just called and said I need to come get Angel and take her to get her arm X-rayed. What's wrong with our Ellie?"

"From what I gather, she's got one whopper of a black eye. I'm mainly going in because the principal wants to talk to me about whatever happened on the schoolyard." Angela informed Elise.

"How far are you from the school right now, Baby?" Elise asked.

"I'm pulling in as we speak, love. I was heading for the Principal's office, but now I'm going to go to the nurse's office first to check on our Angel girl. I'll wait with her until you get there, then I'll go on ahead to the Principal's office. Once I have that out of the way I'll meet you wherever you take Angel."

"Thank you love, I should be at the school in fifteen minutes or so," said a relieved Elise.

Angela jumped out of her car and rushed into the administrative office building of the school. The receptionist saw her and assumed that she would go directly to the principal's office and was surprised to see the tall woman march right past the door to that office and down to the nurse's station.

"Ms. Popodopolis, Ellie is in the principal's office. She isn't injured to the point of needing to stay with the nurse." informed the receptionist, trying to be helpful.

"I understand that, but my other daughter IS injured enough to need the nurse's care and I'm going to sit with her until Ms. Covington arrives." declared Angela, her blue eyes filled with concern. "Will you please send Ellie into the nurse's area so that I can take care of her as well?"

The receptionist simply nodded then headed in to the principal's office so that she could send young Ellie in to be with her mother and 'sister'?

Angela's heart clenched when entered the nurse's area and saw Angel. She was sitting on a cot holding an ice pack to her forearm and she had tears streaking down her cheeks. Angela quickly crossed the room and knelt in front of the little girl.

"Hey, Munchkin," she said softly.

The moment Angel realized that Angela was there she began to sob. She immediately leaned in to Angela's embrace and cried her little heart out into Angela's chest.

"Mommy, it hurts," she sobbed.

Angela's heart broke at the pain in Angel's voice yet at the same moment, it filled with joy that she had been called 'Mommy'. She rather liked when the girls called her Pop, but at a time like this, it felt so good to be Mommy. She wrapped Angel in her arms and rocked her until the sobs began to subside, and then she took a tissue and mopped the tears from the small face.

Angela carefully cupped the injured arm, "Let me take a look little one," she said.

"Be careful," warned Angel.

"I promise," Angel assured her. She then removed the ice pack and gently began to inspect the injured area. The arm was clearly broken just above the wrist.

As Angela was inspecting the little girl's arm she felt another small body lean against her side. She replaced the ice pack on Angel's arm then reached around and pulled Ellie into a hug. After the hug ended Angela held Ellie away from her and looked into the little girls' eyes. Angela's eyebrows disappeared beneath her dark bangs when she saw the dark purple shiner around her daughter's left eye.

"Did you two have a fight?" She asked incredulously.

An angry scowl came over Ellie's face. "No. We didn't fight. I'm not supposed to say anything until we're in the principal's office so that…" a look of disgust covered the small face, "everyone can have their say."

It was impossible for Angela's eyebrows to go any higher on her forehead so her eyes simply opened wider at her daughter's comment.

"Ok, honey. As soon as Mamma gets here and takes Angel girl to the hospital, we'll go to the principal's office." She gently stroked the small black eye, "This hurt?"

Small shoulders shrugged, "Yeah, a little."

Angela moved to sit on the cot beside Angel. "Would you like me to hold you until Mamma gets here?" she asked softly.

The small blonde head nodded and Angel leaned against the tall woman. Angela carefully picked the little girl up and set her on her lap. She then indicated that Ellie should sit beside her so that Angel's lower legs rested on the girl's lap.

"There ya go, we'll both hold you, how's that?" Asked Angela.

Again, Angel only nodded but she also leaned her full weight into Angela's chest. The three of them sat like that until Elise finally walked into the room. Even through her adrenaline packed panic, Elise thought her heart would burst at the sight that greeted her. 'My family,' she thought. She quickly moved to join the threesome.

As soon as Elise was close enough, she brushed Angel's blonde bangs back and leaned in to kiss the warm forehead. "Baby, what happened?"

Angel's green eyes once again filled with tears. "Sally pushed me down really hard and I hurt my arm bad!" she cried.

"What?!" exclaimed Elise. The need to confront whomever pushed her child warred with the need to get the little girl medical attention. Elise's body shook with rage that someone would push her daughter so hard that she broke her arm.

Elise felt Angela's hand take her own. Her blue eyes bored into Elise's angered green orbs, "El, you take our Angel to the ER. I'll take our little 'Rocky Balboa' here to the principal's office and find out exactly what happened."

It wasn't' until Angela made the reference to the fictional prizefighter that Elise looked over and noticed the shiner on Angela's eye. As she took that in, she felt her anger raise another notch. "What, in the name of Hades, is going on?" she demanded.

"I don't know yet, love, but let's get you two off to the ER and I'll go find out. The only thing I'll ask is that you stop in with me to the principal's office and let her know that…well…" Angela's voice faltered for a moment, "that I can speak for both of us."

The look of fierce determination that covered Elise's face was almost enough to make Angela smile, "You bet your sweet gorgeous ass, I'll tell her you can speak for us."

"Ok then, let's get going," Angela said as she stood with Angel still cradled in her arms. "You grab Rocky and let's get to the principal's office."

Elise turned and offered her hand to Ellie, "C'mon, Rocky, let's go."

"Who's Rocky?" a confused Ellie asked.

The women realized their movie references were going completely over the little girl's head. The irony of the generation gap gave them a small laugh, relieving a bit of the tension they felt.

Once the foursome arrived at the principal's office, Elise asked to speak with the principal privately for a moment. She noticed that Sally and her mother were sitting in the waiting area outside the office and that neither of them looked happy.

Once she entered the Principal's office she made it clear that she would only take a moment because she needed to get her daughter to the ER.

"I understand, Ms. Covington, we can talk about what happened here after you get young Angel taken care of."

"You can count on the fact that I will be back to address this issue, Principal Timmons, but, in the meantime, I wanted you to know that Ms. Popodopolis has full authority to speak for me until I am able to be here."

"I see," Commented the attractive salt-and-pepper haired principal. "I'm sure you realize that any legal action that might be necessary on Ellie's behalf can only be authorized by you," the principal paused and the soft look in her eyes told Elise she understood the nature of Angela and her relationship, "please be assured, I will take Ms. Popdopolis's words on this issue with Angel in the same manner I would take the word of any child's parent."

Elise nodded, "Thank you. Ms. Popodopolis and I will discuss this situation this evening and if there is any action we think I need take on Angel's behalf, I will let you know tomorrow."

"Understood," replied Principal Timmons.

The exchange only took a few minutes and once it was done, Elise went back out to the waiting area to retrieve Angel. After Angela carefully transferred the small girl into Elise's arms, she bent and placed a soft kiss against her soft cheek then whispered into the small ear, "We'll see you at the hospital as soon as we're done here, baby."

"Ok, Pop," Angel replied. Then, looking down at Ellie she said, "Don't you let them get you into trouble, Ellie. You're my hero."

Ellie's mouth quirked into a lopsided grin at being called Angel's hero. "I'll always protect you, Angel. We're friends forever, remember?"

"Friends forever" repeated Angel.

The women's eyes met as they both relived similar moments from their own childhood. A feeling of warmth invaded both adult hearts at both the memory and at the reality that history was indeed repeating itself in their daughters.

"Where are you going to take her?" Asked Angela.

"I'll take her to the ER at Scripps Mercy I guess." Answered Elise.

"All right, El. We'll come over there as soon as we're done with the Principal. We'd better go in now. I'll see you as soon as I can. I love you, El..." She leaned in and placed a kiss on Angel's forehead, "I love you too, my Angel."

"I love you too," Elise answered. She looked from one set of blue eyes to the other set of matching blue, "I love both of you."

"I love you too, Mamma," Ellie said solemnly.

Elise walked out to take Angel to the Emergency Room while Angela and Ellie entered the principal's office.

****

Principal Timmons greeted the mother and daughter; she then stuck her head out the door and indicated that Sally James and her mother, Petra, should join them. Once they were all inside the office, Principal Timmons closed the door and sat behind her desk.

"All right, here is what I know," the principal began, "at the afternoon recess, Ms. James was witnessed speaking to Angel Covington. At one point during the heated discussion, Sally was overheard using some extremely inappropriate and hurtful words!"

"But!" Sally started to interrupt.

Principal Timmons raised her hand in warning and with a stern look cautioned, "Miss James, you are in enough trouble right now as it is. I would not push the matter by interrupting, if I were you."

"Yes Principal Timmons," said Sally, though her face held a look of defiance.

"Thank you," replied the principal, "Where was I? Ah, yes, before any of the teachers could intervene, Sally forcefully shoved Angel to the ground. When Angel landed, she seriously injured her arm. She is, as we speak, on the way to the Emergency Room to get treatment." The principal paused to look at the faces of the two adults facing her. The face of Angela Popodopolis was a stoic mask, but beneath the surface her blue eyes flashed with carefully guarded anger. Ms. Jame's face was much more expressive, showing confusion mixed with disappointment and anger.

"While Angel was on the ground, writhing in pain I might add," Principal Timmons sent a stern disapproving look toward Sally, "Sally attempted to kick her."

Petra James gasped at this last bit of information, "Principal Timmons, you must be mistaken. I cannot imagine Sally doing something like that!" she cried desperately.

"I am quite certain of the facts as I witnessed the events myself," explained the Principal. "Now, I say Sally attempted to kick young Angel because the moment Angel was pushed, a dark-haired blur..." Principal Timmons eyes moved to look at Ellie, "raced across the schoolyard and stood between the fallen Angel and Sally. It was at this point that Sally again used derogatory statements and proceeded to punch Ellie in the eye."

Taking a moment to look from one young girl to the other, Principal Timmons asked, "Is that an accurate description of this afternoon's events?"

Ellie nodded her head, whereas Sally shrugged her shoulders and maintained her defiant facial expression.

"Miss James, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I don't know," pouted the little girl.

"Sally, did you push Angel down and then punch Ellie in the face?" asked Petra.

Again the small shoulders shrugged. Sally's eyes looked everywhere but into her mother's eyes.

"Answer me, young lady," demanded the increasingly angry mother, "Did you do the things Principal Timmons described?"

Finally, Sally realized there was no way she could avoid facing up to her actions so she admitted, "Yeah, I shoved Angel and then I hit Ellie. But they made me so mad!"

"You know better than to push or hit another person. I don't care what they did, there is no excuse for you to have done those awful things." Exclaimed the distraught Mother.

Angela's firm voice entered the discussion, "Ellie, what stared all of this?"

Ellie's tear filled eyes stayed focused on the floor, "Angel told Sally that she wanted you to talk to her class on Parent's Career day. Sally said that you had to be her parent and Angel said that you were her parent," taking a deep breath Ellie continued, "Then Sally said you couldn't be her parent because she knew her Mom and you were my Mom and besides you were a woman so you couldn't be Angel's other parent." A sad look came over Ellie's face, "Angel said that you were so her other parent because her Mamma loves you and we're a family."

Angela's hand moved to rub comforting circles against Ellie's back, encouraging her. She leaned in close to her daughter and assured, "Angel was exactly right, baby, we are a family." She then took Ellie's chin and brought the young blue eye up to meet her own, "What happened after that, Ellie?"

Ellie forced herself to look into her mother's eyes, "Then Sally said…" Ellie's eyes began to fill with tears, "she said that Angel was a freak and that her mom was a stupid dyke."

Angela's eyes closed against the pain she felt, both for herself and for her two daughters. The fact that such a small child could spew such hateful words broke her heart.

Ellie continued with her story, "After Sally said that, she said that if Angel's mom was a dyke then Angel must be one too." A small smile came to Ellie's lips, "Then Angel said that she's rather be a dyke than to be a meanie like Sally. That's when Sally pushed her down. Mom, she pushed her really, really hard!"

Pulling Ellie onto her lap, Angela gave her a reassuring hug. "I know she pusher her hard. Is that when you came running?"

"Yeah, I was already headed over there 'cause I could tell that Sally wasn't being nice and I wanted to make sure Angel was ok."

"Good girl," complimented Angela with another hug.

"I couldn't get to Angel before Sally pushed her, Mom. But when I saw Sally try to kick Angel while she was on the ground I ran as fast as I could and got between them. That's when Sally yelled at me and told me to get out of the way and called you a name too." Ellie's eyes dropped to the hands in her lap as she told the last part of her story.

Again, Angela lifted the little girl's chin and met her eyes, "What did you do when she called me a name?"

"I remembered what you always tell me, Mom, even though I wanted to hit her, hard, that hitting isn't the answer and that I have a responsibility to control my temper so I don't hurt people. But it was hard, Mom." Ellie whined.

"I am so proud of you, Ellie." complimented Angela.

"Anyways, I just stood there and did the breathing exercises that Master Kang taught us and I didn't say anything back. When I turned to check on Angel, Sally slugged me!"

Angela couldn't keep the smile off of her face at the astonishment in Ellie's voice. She shook her head slightly and said, "Yeah, I was kind of wondering how she had managed to get a hit in on you."

Looking over at the Principal and the Jones's Angela explained, "Ellie and I have been taking martial arts lessons since she was four. She holds a red belt in Tae Kwon Do."

Petra Jones's eyes grew to the size of saucers. The realization that her daughter had come through the incident unscathed was amazing.

With an embarrassed look Ellie said, "I lost my concentration because I was focused on Angel." She then looked over at Ms. Jones, "Ms. Jones, I wouldn't' have hurt Sally, even though I wanted to, but I should have been able to block her punch without even blinking."

Angela ruffled the child's dark hair, "Hey, give yourself a break. You maintained your cool, you protected Angel and you learned a lesson about not letting your guard down."

"Yeah, I guess," muttered Ellie.

Principal Timmons chose that moment to speak again, "I appreciate and commend your restraint, Miss Popodopolis." She then turned to Sally, "Miss Jones, your actions were inexcusable. You know that physical violence will not be tolerated in this school and you also know that respect for others is just as important here." The principal folded her hands on top of her desk, and looked at the elder Ms. Jones, "I don't believe in suspending a student when they misbehave. I am of the opinion that most children see the time off from school as a kind of reward."

Petra nodded.

Principal Timmons continued, "First, Ms. Jones, I need to ask you what your thoughts are regarding the verbal remarks your daughter has made toward Angel and Ellie's parents."

Petra aimed a stern look at her daughter, then turned back to look at Principal Timmons, "I'm not only shocked that she would say such heinous things, but it hurts me to my core that Sally has the ability to be so cruel. To be honest, I don't know where she learned such terms much less that she knows what they mean!" She looked again at her daughter, "I've tried to teach her how powerful words are and I've tried to instill in her that the only evil people in this world are those that would do harm." Her eyes filled with tears and her voice quivered as she continued, "It seems I have not taught her those lessons, and that I have also somehow missed that she has the ability to be one of those hurtful people."

"Where did you learn such hateful words, Sally?" She asked her daughter.

Hearing the hurt in her Mother's voice chipped much of the ice from around Sally's heart, "Grandpa Ellis said that Aunt Bev and Aunt Sally were degenerate dykes and that they were going to hell. He said that any girl that likes girls or any boy that likes boys should be locked away from decent people."

All of the adults in the room were shocked to hear those words pouring from a seven year old's mouth. For a moment no one spoke, but then Ms. Jones finally said with a sad sigh, "Honey, I know you love your Grandpa Ellis, but…look at me…" Petra waited until her daughter's eyes met her own, "your Grandpa is wrong. The things he said to you are hurtful and hateful. Your Aunt Bev and Aunt Sally are not going to hell, they are not doing anything wrong." She took her daughter's hands, "Is what Grandpa said the reason you stopped wanting to go visit your Aunts?"

Sally's face was filled with confusion, but she nodded and affirmative answer to her mother's question. Her mind reeled, trying to understand the conflicting messages she had received from her Grandpa and now from her Mother.

Petra looked at Principal Timmons and then at the Popodopolises, "I see that I have some brainwashing to undo here. I hadn't realized that her Grandfather was filling her mind with such hatred and bigotry." Her eyes sought out Angela's "I am truly sorry that she said the things she did, and I can hardly believe she was capable to inflicting such physical harm on your daughters. There is no way for me to make up for that. Please, send Angel's hospital bills to us and we'll pay them." A smile crossed Petra's face, and then she looked down in to her daughter's face, "Actually, Sally will pay for them."

Sally's eye grew wide. She knew hospital bills were expensive, how was she going to pay for a hospital bill? Her Mom must be saying that just to sound good.

Petra's Motherly intuition told her what was running through her daughter's mind so she continued, "All of Sally's allowance will go toward the hospital bills, she will also be given extra chores around the house to earn extra income and that money will go to pay the bills. She may not see any allowance money in her own pocket until she's thirty, but she will pay Angel's hospital bill."

Angela decided she liked Petra Jones. She was obviously distressed about her daughter's horrid actions and it seemed as if she would show the girl that actions came with consequences.

"As soon as the bills arrive, we'll forward them to Sally." Angela said solemnly.

The conversation that followed included Principal Timmons's discipline plan for Sally as well as a discussion about respect for others. Sally was made to apologize to both Ellie and Angela for her actions and a promise was made by Petra that the issue was not closed and that she would do everything in her power to make her daughter understand the seriousness of her actions.

As the discussion wound down to an end Angela looked at her watch as the cell phone in her jacket pocket began to ring. She pulled out the small phone and flicked it open. "Angela Popodopolis," she answered.

"Hi love," Elise's tired voice came through the earpiece. "We've been waiting here all this time. They still haven't called her in."

"Oh baby, you're kidding?" asked Angela anxiously.

"No, and she's really hurting. This isn't right!" cried Elise.

"Honey, let me make a phone call. I'll call you right back," said Angela.

"Oh, I'll have to call you back. They won't let me use the cell phone inside the hospital so I'm on the pay phone in the waiting area," informed Elise.

"Ok, just keep calling until you reach me. Talk to you in a few. I love you, El and tell our Munchin that I love her too."

"I will, and I love you two too." Elise said as she hung up the phone.

Angela disconnected from her call with Elise then pulled out her palm pilot and looked up the number of her orthopedic doctor. She dialed the number, hoping that Dr. Greene would be willing to squeeze Angel into his schedule. After only two rings the receptionist answered the phone and Angela explained the situation. After being put on hold for a few minutes, Angela heard the doctor's voice come on the line. She repeated her dilemma to the doctor and he promptly said that he would see Angel as soon as they could get to his office. Angela thanked the doctor and hung up the phone hoping Elise would phone her back quickly.

Realizing she had been ignoring the other people around her, Angela apologized, "I'm sorry, that was Ms. Covington and the ER still has them waiting. I've arranged to have my orthopedic see her so we need to get going."

"Of course, I understand," Principal Timmons answered. "I'll call the Covingington house later to check on Angel, if that's all right with you?"

"We'd appreciate it," answered Angela. Then to Mrs. Jones she said, "I hope you can help her understand all of this. I don't envy you right now."

"Thank you, Ms. Popodopolis, and again, I am so sorry for all of this." Ms. Jones replied.

Standing up, Angela bade everyone good-bye then took Ellie's hand and led her out to her car. As she stared the car her cell phone began to ring. She set the phone in the hands-free cradle then answered, "Angela Popodopolis."

"Hi Love, what's up?" asked Elsie.

"Baby, go tell those Neanderthals in the ER that you don't need them. I called Dr. Greene and he said he'd see Angel as soon as we can get her to him. I'm on my way to get you right now, just wait outside the ER and I'll pick you up."

"You're kidding? That's wonderful. They just told me that there was some huge accident on the freeway and that's why there is such a long wait. They said it would be at least another hour before they can get to Angel." Elise growled, "I am so angry right now I could scream!"

"Calm down, El, we're almost there," soothed Angela.

A few minutes later she pulled into the parking lot of the hospital Emergency Room. Elise and Angel were waiting outside and Angela hopped out of the car and went around to help Angel get settled in the seat beside Ellie. The trip to Dr. Greene's office took only ten minutes and Angel was taken to the doctor as soon as they entered the office.

An exam and X-ray session were followed by a trip to the casting room where Angela chose a purple colored fiberglass for her cast. The doctor said that the cast would have to stay on a minimum of six weeks, but that the break should heal without trouble.

After they were done in the Doctor's office, the family piled into Angela's car and they drove back to pick up Elise's auto that was still in the hospital parking lot. The girls stayed in Angela's car for the ride home and Elise stopped on her way home to pick up pizza for their dinner. The group was subdued the entire evening yet both Mothers felt that it was necessary for them to talk about what had happened. The family discussed the hurtful things that were said and, as painful as it was to admit, Angela and Elise told the girls that they might have to endure more encounters of small-minded bigotry. They discussed how much the cruel words hurt and they used the incident as a lesson for Ellie and Angel about how very powerful words are and how words, wrongly spoken, can easily lead to physical violence. It was a huge lesson for such small girls to have to learn, but since it stared them all right in eye they couldn't avoid it.

Once the girls were settled in bed for the night Angela and Elise went downstairs and huddled together on the soft couch. The stress of the day caught up with Elise and she clung to Angela as she wept tears of frustration, anger and hurt.

"Our babies shouldn't have to put up with this kind of thing!" Elise rasped, "They should be swinging on Monkey Bars and playing dodge ball, not dodge fist!"

Angela agreed wholeheartedly with Elise, "I know. I hope that Principal Timmons will do something so the other students know that what happened today won't be allowed to happen again."

After a moment a knowing smile crossed Angela's face, "Oh, I think Principal Timmons will make very certain the students know that Sally's behavior will not be tolerated. I think Sally's words and actions hit a bit too close to home for Principal Timmons, if you know what I mean" she arched a brow and sent a meaningful look toward Elise.

"Ahhh, that's right, Principal Timmons has that beautiful wife at home, doesn't she?" smiled Elise.

"Yup, but her wife can't hold a candle to the woman that hold's my heart" Angela whispered against Elise's ear.

"You amaze me, my Angel. We've had the most horrific day, our girls were hurt and yet you know just the right thing to say to make me feel completely loved and cherished," Elise leaned back to look into Angela's eyes, "Do you have any idea how much I love you? We'll get through this…together."

"Forever, El." Angela said softly before placing a kiss on Elise's lips. "Baby, it's been a crazy day, I'm sure you're as exhausted as I am, let's head up to bed. I want to wrap you in my arms and hold you close all night."

"Perfect," sighed Elise.

Ì Ì Ì

Two weeks after Angel and Elise's schoolyard encounter with Sally, Angela was finishing up a job for one of her larger clients, Mr. Reynolds. As was her custom she met with clients, personally, at the conclusion of every job to walk them through their custom designed system. As she walked through the luxurious beach home with Mr. Reynolds, he repeatedly stated his happiness with the way the system was designed and with its thoroughness. He was impressed that, although his 'vacation home' would be protected close to the level of fort Knox, the security system design flowed flawlessly with the interior design in a way that it was practically imperceptible to the untrained eye. Granted, the design was costly, but cost was of no consequence when it came to the safety of his family. As Angela's walk-through concluded, Mr. Reynolds thanked her profusely for her excellent work then he turned to her and asked her if she had any family. Angela's guard immediately arose; she feared that Mr. Reynolds would turn out to be another one of her clients that assumed that because she was a beautiful woman and unmarried, that she was fair game. Mr. Reynolds keen eye picked up on the subtle change in Angela's demeanor and guessed at the reason. He quickly assured her that he had no personal interest in her. He told her that he was so impressed with the design and execution of his new system that he wanted to give her a bonus, of sorts.

Angela assured him that she cost of the system would leave her with a tidy profit and that a bonus was not necessary but Mr. Reynolds insisted that she hear him out. He said that if, after he explained his idea for the bonus, she still wanted to refuse he would let the matter drop. Thirty minutes later, Angela drove away from the job site wearing a huge grin on her face.

Although she hadn't made plans with Elise that evening, she directed her car to Elise's house instead of her own. She was anxious to speak with Elise about her 'bonus'. She glanced at her watch and saw that she would have a few hours to spend with Elise before the girls got out of school. 'I hope Elise likes this idea!' thought Angela as she pulled into Elise's driveway.

As Angela walked to Elise's front door she pulled out her key. Although her first instinct was to knock on the door, she had learned the previous week that when Elise had given her the key, she had given her Carte blanche to enter her home. When Angela had knocked on the door a week previous, Elise had answered it, then had put her hands on her hips and glared at the taller woman and asked, "Did you lose your key, Baby?"

Angela had been confused, "Um, no. I just thought…it's not my house so…"

Elise had then grabbed Angela by the front of her shirt and hauled her into the house. She poked the taller woman in the chest as she said, "I don't give out keys to just anyone, Ms. Thing. When I gave you that key I told you that you could use it to come in whenever you wanted. I meant it."

Blue eyes had opened wide at the feisty blonde's speech, "Ok, ok, I just thought that you wanted me to use it when I came in late at night so I wouldn't have to wake you…"

"No, that wasn't what I said and that wasn't what I meant," stated Elise. "As far as I am concerned, you can come and go here whenever you want," another poke in the chest, "Got it?"

Angela smiled a 100-watt smile, "Got it!"

Elise had leaned up to capture Angela's soft lips in an enthusiastic kiss, "Good." And that, had been that.

Angela smiled again as she remembered the encounter then she let herself into the house. Figuring that Elise would be busy in her home office, Angela headed to the back of the house. When she reached the office, she leaned against the arched entryway and took a moment to study the woman she loved. Elise was completely engrossed in her work and hadn't noticed Angela's arrival. The security specialist in Angela cringed at how easily someone could sneak up on Elise.

"Hey," Angela said softly.

Elise jumped, "Gods! You startled me." Angela saw an odd look cover Elise's face and noticed that she had reached up to cut the power to her monitor. She didn't think very much about it, since she would have done the same thing if someone, even Elise, were looking over her shoulder as she designed a system.

"Sorry, Honey, I thought it would be better if I said something instead of doing what I really wanted to do," Angela smiled and waggled her eyebrows at Elise.

A knowing smile covered Elise's face, "And just what was it that you really wanted to do, Ms. Popodopolis?"

"Turn back around and I'll show you," Angela answered in a husky tone. Elise swiveled her chair so that she was once again facing her now black computer screen and waited. After only a moment, she felt Angela's hands as they covered her shoulders then slid down her arms and around her waist. She then felt Angela's lips against the side of her neck. "This, is what I wanted to do," Elise felt a shiver of desire flow through her as Angela whispered against her ear.

"Oh, Baby, that is so much better than just a 'hey', but I think I would have had a heart attack the moment your arms touched my shoulders!" Elise commented.

"Yeah, you were pretty lost. I had been standing there for a few minutes before I said anything." Angela informed her.

Elise admitted that she became tunnel-visioned when she worked. Angela voiced her concerns about safety issues and suggested that they sit down to discuss the possibility of a security system for Elise in the near future. Elise agreed that it might not be a bad idea, that ever since Angel and Elise's encounter at school, she had been feeling less secure. She realized that there are some wackos in the world that might try to do their family harm simply because of the gender make-up of their relationship. Once that issue was covered, Elise said, "This is such a great surprise, I'm so glad to see you, my Angel."

Angela, who had maintained her hold around Elise's waist, said, "I'm glad to see you too, El." She placed another kiss against Elise's soft neck, then nibbled a path up to her ear and nibbled that as well, "But I'm not just here to fool around, I want to talk to you about something."

The affect that Angela's nibbles had on Elise made it difficult for her to talk, she cleared her throat then asked, "Angela, if you want to talk you're going to have to stop doing that. If you keep nibbling on my ear like that, I'm going to throw you down on this desk and have my wicked way with you!"

Angela moaned, "Forget talking." She then made a full-on assault of Elise's sensitive ear.

True to her word, Elise quickly took the upper hand and did indeed take Angela atop her desk. As soon as Angela was once again able to breathe, she made a counter attack on Elise. Parry, thrust, lunge, the 'battle' lasted until both women lay naked and sweating in an exhausted heap on the floor of Elise's office.

Elise rested on her rug-burned side as she lovingly ran her fingertips over the front Angela's body. "What was it you wanted to talk about, love?"

Angela kissed Elise's forehead, "Thank you for that amazing loving, baby. Talk…oh…yeah." Gathering her thoughts, Angela began to tell Elise about the bonus Mr. Reynolds had offered.

"The client I finished up with today was very happy with his system and has offered me a bonus."

Elise broke in, "Angel, that's great!"

Angela hugged Elise tighter to her body, but held up her hand to halt Elise's enthusiastic comments, "Wait, love, let me tell you about it. It's not exactly the usual bonus."

Elise raised her head from Angela's shoulder and looked into the blue eyes, "Ok, tell me about it."

Angela nodded, "Mr. Reynolds is one of the top executives with Disney. He asked me if I have a family, and I told him that I had two young daughters and a beautiful partner…" Angela felt Elise's arms tighten around her, then continued, "He offered us a complimentary week in a Suite at the Disneyland Hotel with passes to the park for all of us."

Elise's face broke into a huge smile. "You're kidding!? That would be perfect. When I asked Angel what she'd like to do for her birthday, she said she wanted to go to Disneyland…with Ellie, of course."

Angela smiled, "Of course. I'll call Mr. Reynolds tomorrow and tell him that we'll take him up on his offer."

"That's great, honey. Should we tell the girls or should we keep it a surprise?" asked Elise.

A lopsided grin came over Angela's face, "If we tell them now they'll drive us crazy with 'How much longer until…' questions. I vote for secret."

Elise nodded, "I agree completely. Oh, this is going to be so great, Angel!"

Angela wiggled her eyebrows at Elise, "Yeah it will. I hope that the suite has a door between where the girls will sleep and where we will sleep."

Elise couldn't stop the blush that covered her face, "you do, huh?"

"Mmmm hmmmm, I do." smiled Angela. Angela checked her watch and sighed, "I should get home. Ellie's due to be dropped off in twenty minutes."

Elise reluctantly accepted that Angela would have to leave. They made plans for a Friday night 'Adult Date', agreeing that Elise would arrange for Bonnie to keep the girls overnight. After lengthy good-bye kisses, Angela headed for her home.

After Angela left, Elise returned to her office, "Whew," she said to herself, "That was a close one!" She walked over to her computer screen and powered up the monitor. The P2 Logo of Angela's security company swirled slowly in the center of the screen. Elise smiled and sat down to work on the web site she was designing as a surprise for Angela's birthday. The elaborate and classy design was to be one of the gifts she would give her lover. Angela's birthday was only two days before little Angel's big day. Elise shook her head at the seeming coincidences of all of their birthdays. Angel and Angela's birthdays were 2 days apart in late October and Elise and Ellie's birthdays fell on the same day in April. 'Surely the fates had a hand in all of this' pondered Elise.

***

Two weeks before the planned birthday expedition, Angela received a package from Mr. Reynolds. When she opened the thick manila envelope and looked through the contents her eyes grew wide. "Oh my god," she gasped as she looked at the bounty before her. Her immediate action was to pick up the phone to call Elise.

When Elise picked up the phone, Angela barely gave her time to say hello before saying excitedly, " Baby, get over here!"

"Angel, what's wrong?" asked Elise worriedly.

"Nothing, you've got to see what Mr. Reynolds sent. Get over here!"

"I'm on my way!" Elise laughed.

When Elise arrived at Angela's house, Angela led her in to sit at the kitchen table. Once they were settled at the table, Angela pulled out the package from Mr. Reynolds and handed it to Elise, "Look at this, baby!"

Elise took the package and opened it. The first item was a letter from Mr. Reynolds that thanked Angela for her superb work. The letter gushed with praise and made it clear that Mr. Reynolds would be recommending P2 Security to anyone and everyone who needed the kind of services that Angela could provide. "Wow, love," Elise's eyes looked up filled with pride, "this is a wonderful letter."

Angela shrugged the compliment off, "It's what I do. Look at the rest."

Elise gave Angela a look of consternation, but she knew better than to get into a discussion about Angela's blasé attitude right then. Instead she concentrated on the rest of the package. The package not only contained a notice of the complimentary suite at the hotel and four annual passes to the Disneyland parks but also restaurant comps and passes to Universal Studios, and Medieval Times Tournament! When Elise took a closer look at the package she noticed something. "Honey, did you notice that he sent you a hotel comp for the Hilton in Studio City too?"

Angela smirked, "Wow, a client that actually listened when we talked. I remember that when we were talking about our families I mentioned that Angel was dying to go to Disneyland and the California Adventure and that Ellie wanted to see Universal Studios and Hollywood. This is Amazing, now both girls will get a special trip for their birthdays. First, Angel gets Disney then, in a few months, Ellie will get her wish to see Universal Studios and tour Hollywood."

"The girls are going to go nuts, you know that don't you?" asked Elise.

"Oh, yeah. But we'll win the 'Best Moms of the Year' contest hands down," smiled Angela. "Has Angel asked you what you're going to do for her birthday?"

"For both of my Angels' birthdays…" smiled Elise. "Yes, of course, she's been driving me crazy with questions and guesses. I still think it's better that we haven't told the girls where we're going. They would be so hyper about it they'd never sleep."

"Ain't that the truth," smiled Angela.

**

The day finally arrived for their trip to start. The women had planned and plotted to make the event a surprise for both girls. They had each packed suitcases for themselves and the girls and had taken them over to Bonnie's house for hiding. They told the girls that they were going to have a family birthday celebration at Grandmamma's house for Angel and Angela.

When they arrived at Bonnie's, the door to the house opened before the four of them were even halfway up the front walkway. Bonnie walked out to meet them with two huge balloon bouquets. She handed the first bunch of balloons to Angel and the second one to Angela. "Happy birthday to our Angels!" she exclaimed, as she kissed first the girl then the woman on the cheek. Both of the birthday girls blushed with pleasure at the loving attention of the older woman.

The group spent the evening celebrating the birthdays. Bonnie gave gifts to both Angel and Angela and small gifts were given to Angel from both of her Moms. When they saw the disappointment on Angel's face at the seemingly small bounty, the women smiled at one another. Elise looked at Angel and asked, "What's wrong honey?" Small shoulders shrugged as the little girl quietly said, "Nothing, I guess."

Elise's heart went out to her daughter. "Hey, love, you've got another gift coming tomorrow on your real birthday…ok?" Angel's blue eyes immediately brightened,

"Really?! What is it?" Asked the little girl.

"It's a surprise and we're not telling." Smiled Angela.

Angel took a deep breath as if to say something, then thought better of it and simply nodded.

Elise looked over at Bonnie and asked, "Mama, is it on?"

"All booted up, on line, and ready to go, Darlin'," answered Bonnie with a wink.

Elise took Angela by the hand, "Come on, gorgeous, time for one or two of your gifts from me."

"One or two of?" asked Angela.

"Yup…I plan on spoiling you rotton, Angel mine." Smiled Elise as she led Angela into Bonnie's study. Elise pulled out the chair in front of Bonnie's computer and motioned for Angela to sit down. As soon as the tall brunette was seated, Elise swiveled the chair around so that Angela was facing the computer screen. "Ok, type in www.p2security.com," instructucted Elise.

Angela did as she was instructed and smiled as the home page of the web site Elise had designed came up. The swirling P2 logo and the slick menu options along the sides impressed her. "Go ahead and explore, baby." Elise said softly.

Angela's eyes misted as she realized how much loving thought and work had gone into this gift. "You designed this for me?"

"Yes, I looked through all your brochures and information packages to get the information. If you want to add or delete anything, just let me know and I'll make the changes." Elise answered.

"Baby, it's wonderful. I've been thinking I need to get a web site, but before I found you I had no idea how to go about doing that. Thank you so much, El, I love it…and you spoil me." Reaching up, Angela pulled Elise down for a long thank you kiss.

With a gleam in her eye, Elise said, "You can explore the site more later, I have something else for you." She pulled out a CD ROM and put it into the drive. She bent to whisper in Angela's ear, "Do you remember our phone conversations last week while you were out of town?"

Angela's eyes met Elise's and her voice dropped to a sexy husk, "Of course I remember. Gods, you have no idea what it did to me, talking to you like that."

Elise blushed as she thought about what she was about to do. "I got the idea for this after our 'conversation' the first night you were away." She reached over Angela's shoulder to pull up the video display program then pulled up the file on the CD Rom. She handed Angela a pair of earphones that were connected to the computer then said, "I'm going to go check on the girls and get them down for the night. I'm going to lock the door on my way out." Pointing to the earphones, "Put those on, then hit this key to play your gift."

Angela's eyebrows had disappeared into her bangs, but she nodded her understanding, so Elise leaned in to kiss her, then left locking the door behind her. Before she headed in to take care of the girls, she leaned against the locked door with her heart racing. She had never done anything like this before and she hoped Angela's reaction would be a good one. As she nervously stood there, she heard Angela's muffled voice moan, "Oh…gods….oh….gods…" followed by a deep groan. Elise smiled at Angela's reaction to her second "gift" then went to find the girls.

Once the girls were tucked into bed, Elise went to talk with her Mom. "Mama?"

Bonnie looked up, "What's on your mind, love bug?"

Elise took a deep breath, "Mama, I'm going to ask Angela to marry me. I want to adopt Ellie and I want her to adopt Angel."

"Darlin', nothing would make me happier!" Beamed Bonnie, "You two belong together. You sit right there, Honey, I'll be right back." When Bonnie returned, she held a small box in her hand. She handed the box to Elise, "I've been holding this for the day you would be ready."

Elise opened the box and gasped. Tucked into a bed of midnight blue velvet was a wide ring. The design of the ring struck a chord in Elise's soul. The ring was half yellow gold and half white gold, the pattern resembled the cogs of a gear. Set into each square cog of yellow gold was a small round blue sapphire. "Where is this from?" Asked Elise.

"It's the ring your Aunt Janice gave your Aunt Melinda." Bonnie answered quietly. "They said the design goes back thousands of years to a weapon wielded by Mel's original ancestor."

"The pattern looks and feels so…. familiar." Elise said softly. "This is perfect, Mama. Pray she'll say yes."

"Darlin' there's no doubt in my mind about that!" said Bonnie with a knowing smile on her face.

As Elise was tucking the girls in bed and talking with her mother, Angela sat transfixed in front of the computer screen. Her mouth had gone dry, her nipples had become as hard as erasers and her panties had quickly become soaked as she watched the 'movie' unfold. She remembered that, during their first session of phone sex, she had told Elise that she wished she could see what Elise was doing while they talked. Obviously, Elise had taken her seriously, because there on the screen was Elise dressed only in an emerald green teddy, on her bed with a telephone headset on. The sound from the video was Elise's side of their conversation. Angela remembered the conversation clearly as she watched the video unfold.

"What are you wearing?"

"The green silk teddy you love."

Groan, "Gods, you look so beautiful in that….and out of that."

"Mmmm, well, I'm in it at the moment."

"I wish I could see you."

A small giggle, "I wish you could too."

"Are your nipples hard?"

"Mmm Hmmm"

"Touch them through the teddy for me."

Moan, "Angel, gods, that feels so good. Touch yours for me too."

Groan, "El, that feels so good."

"Oh yeah, Angel mine, it feels like heaven."

"Caress your belly through the silk, move your hand slowly over your body for me."

Heavy Breathing. "Angel, stroke your thighs for me."

"You feel so good, El. Pull the top of your Teddy off, let me touch your skin."

As Angela watched, the entire conversation was acted out in front of her. Culminating in Elise's naked body writhing in orgasm calling her name into the phone, her eyes staring into Angela's from the screen.

Angela was so aroused from watching the video that she couldn't move. She rewound and watched her beautiful love no less than four times. She finally closed the program down, pulled the CD out of the computer and went to find the love of her life to show her what the gift had meant to her.



The next morning Elise and Angela woke up the girls at 6:00 am. As usual, Ellie was awake almost immediately, but Angela tried to roll over and cover her head with blankets so that she wouldn't have to wake up yet.

Angela smiled at the sleepy girl, her heart swelling at the similarity between mother and daughter. She sat on the edge of Angel's bed and brought the sleepy girl into her arms, rocking her slowly and laying kisses on her face and hair to gently bring her awake.

The sight of Angela gently waking her daughter brought such an overwhelming joy to Elise that tears filled her eyes. She smiled down at Ellie and held out her arms to the girl. Ellie didn't hesitate and went immediately into Elise's embrace. After rocking the dark haired girl for a time she said, "C'mon, Ellie girl, let's get you dressed then go help Grandmamma get breakfast going while Angel finishes waking up."

After breakfast was eaten, Elise and the girls helped Bonnie with the dishes while Angela went into the garage to retrieve their packed bags and placed them into the car. Once that chore was done, Angela went into the house and signaled to Elise that everything was ready.

Once the last dish was put into the dishwasher, Elise said "Girls, it's time for us to get going. Give Grandmamma a kiss then we'll get on the road."

"Aw, Mom, do we have to go home already?" whined Angel.

"Did I say we were going home?" asked Elise with a twinkle in her eye.

Angel's eyes brightened, "We're not going home? Where are we going? Ellie's coming with us, right?" the questions came machine-gun fast out of Angel's mouth.

Laughing, Elise reached into her pocket and pulled out the four passes to the Disney resort. She waved them in front of Angel's face. Angel's eyes opened as big as saucers and after the realization of what she was seeing set in she let out a scream that threatened to deafen anyone near her. "Ellie! We're going to Disneyland!"

The girls did a happy dance and hopped around like crazed creatures for a full five minutes. Finally, Angel ran over to her parents and, still hopping, asked, "When are we leaving…can we go now? C'mon, Mom and Pop…let's go!"

Elise reminded the excited birthday girl to thank her Grandmama for her generous gifts and the special birthday celebration she had given her. As the little girl rushed through her 'thank you' to Bonnie, Elise's eye caught with Bonnie's and they shared a 'Mommy bonding moment'. Once hugs and goodbyes were exchanged with the eldest member of the family, the four younger females piled into the car and began their week-long vacation.

When they at the Disney Resort, Angela blinked at the vast changes that had happened since the last time she'd visited the park. The parking lot she remembered from her childhood was no longer in existence. The only thing that looked even vaguely familiar was the distinctive profile of the Matterhorn mountain. "When did all of this happen?" Angela pondered aloud.

"Good Lord, I had no idea!" Elise exclaimed. "How do we find the entrance to the hotel?" As she looked at the street signs she said, "Oh! Baby, turn here. That sign says Downtown Disney/Resort Parking…maybe that's it."

Angela turned the car where Elise indicated and after only a few missed turns, they finally found the entrance to the Disneyland Resort Hotel. Angel and Ellie were fairly bursting at the seams to explore everything they saw. Their parents, however, were ready to find their room and take a nap. Between their marathon of love-making the previous night and trying to rein in two very excited little girls during the two-hour drive the women were exhausted. Elise looked over at Angela and smiled ruefully. "We're going to be so completely wiped out after this week…"

Angel's smirk was accompanied by a snort, "We're going to need a vacation to recover from our vacation."

When the family of four reached the reception desk, Angela pulled out the packet she had received from Mr. Reynolds. She presented the front desk clerk with the letter and certificates and waited as the perky, squeaky clean, girl punched information into her computer terminal. After only a moment, the clerk's eyes sparkled up at Angela and Elise and she smiled enthusiastically as she passed over two key cards. "Welcome to the Disney Resort Ms. Papadopolis! You're booked into the VIP suite so when you get into the elevator, just pop this key card into the slot and it will bring you up to your rooms." Pausing to take a breath, she continued. "If there is anything you need, just ask one of the cast members. All meals, room service and amenities are available to you at no charge. We hope you have a great time at the Happiest Place on Earth!"

Just then a side door opened and out walked Mickey Mouse carrying a gaily-wrapped package. Angel's eyes about popped out of her head when she realized that the oversized tag on the package had her name on it. Mickey strolled over in his Mickey-mouse way and tipped his head to the side as if pondering something. He pointed first to one girl then the other as his pointed to the tag. "I'm Angel! I'm Angel!" The birthday girl squealed. Mickey handed over the package and then gave first Angel, then Ellie a big hug. He then indicated that Angel should open her up her package. The package contained Disney memorabilia, Disney T-shirts and sweat shirts, socks and even jean jackets with Disney characters embroidered on the backs. There was four of everything…two sets that would fit the younger pair and two sets for the women. The jean jackets even had their names embroidered on the breast pockets…one for each of them.

"Whoa…" Elise muttered, completely amazed at the bounty. "Angel, what do you say to Mickey?"

"Oh Mickey, thank you so much! This is the best birthday in my whole entire life!"

After saying their good byes to Mickey Mouse, Angela and Elise herded their daughters onto the elevator and finally made their way to their suite. Once again, the couple were overwhelmed by the generosity of Angela's 'bonus'. The Suite consisted of a huge common living room/dining room which was flanked on two sides by bedrooms. One room contained two queen sized beds as well as a sitting area. Attached to the first bedroom was a bathroom that could have doubled for a skating rink it was so large. The floor, sink counters and bath enclosure were all done in alabaster colored marble with gold fixtures. The second bedroom contained the biggest bed any of the family had ever seen. A separate sitting area as well as a dressing area accompanied the larger room as well. The bathroom off the Master bedroom made the first room's luxurious bathroom look like the john from the corner Shell station. The sunken tub and separate shower stall with multiple showerheads were separated from the toilet and bidet. The girl were fascinated by the bidet and, after it's function was explained to them, they giggled about 'water up the heiney' for long minutes.

The adults felt a bit shell shocked from the day's surprises and excesses and the need for some down time became paramount. Angela decided that she would bite the bullet and lay down the law. "Ok girls, your Mama and I need to rest for a while…" She gave a stern look in response to the whining groans. "I know you're excited to be here. I know you want to go play in the parks but you are so wound up that you're going to make yourselves sick." She looked at her watch and then continued, "It's only noon. We'll order up some lunch and then I want you to go into your room and rest for a while. We'll have plenty of time to go to explore after that."

The girls realized that they had no choice in the matter and acquiesced to their mothers' wishes. Once lunch was ordered and eaten the girls went into their room while Angela and Elise collapsed on the massive bed. "This is too much…" Angela commented about the overwhelming generosity of Mr. Reynolds.

Before she dropped off to sleep Elise snuggled against her tall partner and mumbled, "You must have installed one hell of a security system, lover…"

Hours later, Elise woke up in a highly aroused, erotic state. A warm, wet mouth was attached to her left breast and long fingers were stroking her sex from front to back and back to front. Her hips were already rocking to the rhythm set by her dark lover's hand and she realized she was a breath away from climax. "Oooooooh, Angel, ooooh yeah, right there…don't stop, don't you dare stop."

Angela's low husky voice breathed in her ear, "I'll never stop. I love you, Cum for me El." The passion in Angela's voice along with the warm vibration against her ear sent Elise over that blissful edge. She arched into Angela's body as she moaned her lover's name as a prayer.

"Think they're done?" The women heard a young voice whisper a bit too loudly.

"No. I only heard Momma moaning; in a minute, Pop will scream and then maybe they'll come out."

Elise buried her face against Angela's body, "Oh my god, Angela, they've been out there listening!"

Angela was torn between mirth and ire. Mirth won out. "Baby? Look at me." Once she had Angela's gaze locked with her own, Angela continued, "All they heard was their parents loving one another. We've never tried to hide our love from them and we've never been particularly careful about being quiet; so I'm not surprised that they've heard us." Angela finally let out a low chuckle, "At least they know our loving is very mutual since they obviously feel they need to wait to hear both of us scream!"

Elise once again buried her face against Angela's breasts, though smiling this time. "I guess we should go talk to them."

"You mean I don't get my opportunity to scream?" teased Angela.

Elise captured her tall lover's mouth in a passionate kiss then promised, "I'll make you scream until you're hoarse later…I'll make 'em wonder why their Pop is walking funny for days."

With a loud moan, Angela threw her legs over the side of the bed and rose from the bed. She looked back at Elise and smirked with a whisper, "You'd better put your clothes back in order, 'cause I'm gonna let the monsters in." With that, she walked over to the double doors of their bedroom and yanked them open. Two small squealing bodies fell into the room and onto Angela's feet. Ellie looked up sheepishly, "Hi Mom…."

Angel's expression matched Ellie's, "Yeah…um…Hi Mom." She thought she might buy some points by using the "Mom" card.

Angela stood towering over the two girls with her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face. "Just what were you two doing outside our door?"

Two small faces blushed, but Ellie spoke for the pair, "Um…we woke up from our nap and wanted to go out to the park, so…" She broke off to look for support from Angel then continued, "We came to get you."

At that point, Elise piped in, "And when you came to the door….?"

Angel answered her Mother in full blush, "Uh, um, we heard you guys…um…well Mom you were moaning and stuff."

Elise tried her best to keep from blushing, knowing that she had nothing to be ashamed about, "C'mere girls," she patted the bed to indicate for them to join her. "It's fine that you came to get us. But, if you hear sounds like you heard, that means your Mommy and I need some private time. If this happens again, we want you to go back to your own room or somewhere in the house and we'll be out when we're done with our private time."

Angela jumped in with, "If you're sick, or there's an emergency, you can always knock. Adults that love each other need to have private time together and having two sets of ears outside our door was not very private, was it?"

"No ma'am." Both little girls admitted.

Elise took two little chins in her hands and looked into her daughters' eyes, "I want you to tell me the truth. I think you both knew better than to sit outside this door once you heard what you heard, isn't that right?"

Two sets of little shoulders shrugged and two sets of eyes tried to avoid the intense scrutiny of a Mother's look. "You are both old enough to know it is impolite to listen in on others. I think you wanted to go out to the parks so badly that you ignored what you knew was right. Isn't that right?"

Twin sighs filled the room. "Yes, Mama. I knew I should go back to our room. My Jiminy Cricket was saying so." Admitted Angel.

Elise gave her daughter a hug, "Thank you for admitting to that. Next time you hear your conscience speaking to you, I want you to listen to it."

Angela spoke up, "How about you, Ellie?"

Ellie admitted that she, too, had known that the right thing to do would have been to return to their room and wait; but that her desire to go out to the parks had overridden her conscience.

The Moms looked each other in the eye and communicated with parent telepathy, Angela indicated with her eyes that Elise should be the one to mete out a punishment since she was the one that had been listened in on.

Elise took a deep breath and launched into what she knew would be as much a punishment for the adults as it was for the children: "Well, girls, since the parks are what kept you from doing what you both knew was right; You're going to have to wait another day to see them."

"WHAT?" Screached both girls. Angel launched into, "But we admitted that we did wrong, isn't that enough?"

Angela's firm voice joined into the fray, "Oh no, daughters of mine, admitting to something wrong doesn't cut it. There are always consequences to be paid when we make the wrong choices."

Elise heard Ellie mutter, "We shouldn't have admitted we knew it was wrong…"

Elise brought Ellie to stand in front of her and said, "Ellie, that would have simply compounded the problem. You would still have been punished for your actions so that you learn the lesson, but you would have also lost a lot of my respect for you by lying…and that would have broken my heart."

"I'm sorry Mama." Ellie's voice was husky with unshed tears. "I don't want to make you sad."

"I love you both so much." Elise admitted as she took both girls into a hug. Elise looked up at Angela, "Um…speaking of privacy, Do you think I could have a little time alone with our girls, honey?"

Angela's eyes opened wide in surprise but she agreed to give the threesome the private time Elise asked for. "Um, sure, I'll just go take a walk on the grounds for a bit. Will twenty minutes be enough time?"

"I think so, Baby." Elise smiled.

"Ok, I'll see you in a bit. Anything you want while I'm wandering?" Angela asked.

Elise's eyes twinkled, "Bring us a surprise."

"Mmm Hmmm…" Angela smiled before she exited the suite.

After Angela was gone, Elise turned to the two girls. "I have something very important to talk to you about. Let's go in the other room and pour ourselves some sodas then we'll talk."

"Are we in more trouble?" Angel asked.

Elise gave her daughter a one armed hug, "No, little Angel mine, not at all."

Once sodas were poured and the threesome was seated on the comfortable couch in the central room, Elise started in. "You both know how much I love all of you. Ellie, I've loved your Mother since I was your age. I've never loved another person and can never love another person as much as I love her." Elise paused and looked at Angel, "I was the luckiest woman in the world when the fates gave you to me. No Mother could love her daughter more than I love you."

Angel piped in, "I love you too, Mama."

Ellie seconded the motion with, "I love you just as much."

Elise swallowed the ball of emotion in her throat before she continued, "I want to ask Angela to marry me. I want us to be a real family. I'd want to adopt you, Ellie and I'd like Angela to legally adopt you, Angel. Is that ok with you two?"

Elise became very concerned when the girls became very quiet and their faces became clouded. "Do you not want me to marry your Mother, Angel?"

"No!" Ellie was quick to answer, "I mean, yes. I want you to marry Mommy." She stopped as her little brow wrinkled in concern, "It's just that…if you marry Mommy and you guys adopt us…" Her eyes tracked to meet Angel's, pleading for help.

"We don't want to be sisters, Mama." Angel finally admitted.

"You don't?" an obtuse Elise asked.

"No," Ellie stated firmly. "You can't marry your sister…and we're gonna get married when we're old enough." After taking a deep breath she continued, "We're gonna go to college and I'm going to be a doctor and Angel's gonna be a commercial artist and then we're going to get married and have babies and buy a house."

Angel jumped in, "And we can't do any of that if we're sisters!"

Elise's jaw unhinged. She simply didn't know how to react to the girls' urgent plea. After taking a deep breath, Elise sighed, "I need to think girls. If I take you both down to The Day Care Center, will you promise me to stay there until your Pop or I pick you up?" Two little heads nodded.

Elise dropped the two girls off at the Disney day care center, a glorified video arcade with staff to watch the children, and then she walked out onto the campus of the Resort to ponder this new dilemma. Elise leaned heavily against a log railing beside one of the large man-made ponds on the resort. She sighed as she looked at the refection of the beautiful sunset on the water's surface. Her mind roiled with how to handle this unexpected stumbling block. Just as Elise was inhaling into yet another sigh, she felt two arms slip around her waist and her nose picked up the distinctive and calming scent of her lover.

Angela pulled Elise close and placed a kiss against the crown of her head. "Why so deep in thought, El?"

Elise turned within the circle of Angela's arms and snuggled against the taller body. She soaked in the feeling of safety and serenity she unfailingly found while in Angela's embrace. "My talk with the girls didn't go anything like I expected it to. They really threw me for a loop and I'm trying to figure out how come to grips with it."

"Why don't you share it with me and we'll handle it together, Baby?" Angela slid her hand in comforting circles against Elise's back.

Elise closed the tiny space that separated her body from Angela's and laid her head against the strong shoulder. Tears escaped from her eyes as emotions overwhelmed her. "I wanted to do this perfectly. I wanted romance and candle light and a sunset on the beach."

Angela's brow wrinkled and one brow raised, "Do what, Love?"

Elise raised her head from its resting place and surveyed the surrounding area. Just down the path a bit she saw a small grouping of trees that was a bit more private than their present position. She pulled herself away form Angela and reached for her hand to lead her to the stand of trees. Once they were in the small grove, Elise turned to Angela and pointed to a wooden bench, "Have a seat, Angel mine."

As Angela sat on the bench, she expected Elise to sit beside her. Her heart began to beat like a timpani when she saw Elise drop down to one knee in front of her. "Elise?" Angela's voice shook.

Elise reached into her pocket and pulled out the antique ring her Mother had given her. As she held it up she said, "Angela, I've loved you for as long as I can remember. I've known since we were little girls with scraped knees that you were the other half of my heart and soul. The years we spent apart didn't diminish my love for you…they only made me appreciate having you in my life all the more." Elise reached up and kissed the tears falling from Angela's brilliant blue eyes, "I want to spend my life with you. I want to blend our families into a single unit. My day isn't right when I don't wake in your arms. I can't sleep without your heart beneath my ear. You are everything I want, everything I need; you are the breath and the soul of me. Will you please be my partner, my wife, my love forever?"

Angela slid off of the bench and her knees joined Elise's in the dirt, "Yes. God, Yes." She croaked through her emotion filled throat. She cleared her throat and made her own declaration, "Elise, being apart from you was the worst thing that I've ever endured. My first thought when Elise was born was that I wished she was yours. Every major accomplishment in my life, I've shared with you inside my head and heart. Miklos was a good friend, but you have always been my heart's completion. Being with you forever is heaven for me. I love you, El." Their kiss of commitment went on much longer than propriety would have dictated in a public place but neither woman gave a damn about that. After oxygen deprivation force the couple apart, Elise finally slipped the ring onto Angela's finger. Angela's mouth slipped into a brilliant smile when she looked down at the ring that felt like home on her finger and then slipped her fingers into her own pocket and pulled out a similar, but smaller, ring and slipped it onto Elise's finger.

Elise's surprised eyes lifted to meet Angela's, "Where…when…how…"she stammered.

Angela laughed out loud and leaned forward to place a kiss against the blabbering blonde's lips. "Your Mom gave it to me when I asked her for your hand."

"You did?" Elise's smile was brighter than the brightest star.

"Yup, I sure did." Angela smiled back. "Now, my love," Angela assisted Elise up off of her knees so that they could sit on the bench, "Your proposal was about as perfect as it gets so why were you so upset before?"

Elise's smile dropped off of her face, "Oh, god, Angel, the girls don't want to be sisters."

"What?" Angela was as shocked to hear this news as Elise had been earlier. "Why? They're inseparable, the adore one another!"

A pretty blush covered Elise's face, "That's the problem, my love." Elise finally smiled at the situation, "They do adore each other. So much so that they already have their life planned out including College, marriage and babies….together…as a couple."

Angela's blue eyes widened, "They're only little girls!"

Elise stroked Angela's thigh, "How old were we when we knew, Honey?"

This brought Angela up short and a smile covered her face, "A year younger than these two are right now."

A giggle escaped Elise, "Exactly. And we didn't have the complication of having our parents marry one another…making us sisters."

Angela smiled brilliantly, "Well, I suppose Greg and Marsha Brady could have married one another and they wouldn't have had to worry about two-headed babies, right?"

"Ew!" Elise laughed, "I guess you're right." She reached out and grasped Angel's hand. "Shall we go tell the girls that they have two Mom but that they don't have to be sisters?"

"Yup, let's go get Munchkin & Pumpkin, the fearless duo. I'm sure they're terrorizing the staff at the Day Care!"

A month later, in front of family and friends, Angela and Elise exchanged vows promising their futures to one another. At their side stood two beaming little girls in outfits that matched their Moms'. After the ceremony, Little Ellie and Angel conspired together figuring out what they would do differently in twenty years when they had their wedding. Soon wedding talk was forgotten and the two girls became simply two girls as they played and enjoyed the attentions of the gathered crowd. Angela and Elise circulated through the guests and accepted the well wishes of their circle of loved ones. When the band struck up the first song, Angela led Elise out onto the dance floor and pulled her close as they danced their first dance as a married couple. They only had eyes for one another and the crowd that encircled them stood in awe at the glow the two women exuded. Even when other couples joined the newlyweds on the dace floor, the couple remained lost in one another. It took Bonnie three tries to cut in to dance with her new daughter-in-law.

"Y'all ready for the Honeymoon, Angel?" Bonnie asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Angela's white teeth flashed in a brilliant smile, "I'm ready for so much more than that, Mom. I'm ready for the rest of my life…and beyond. I couldn't handle life without her any more than I could survive without air."

Bonnie put her palm against Angela's cheek, "I know, Darlin'. I've always know." Bonnie sobered a bit, "You know Elise is nervous about the trip, don't you?"

With a crooked smile, Angela answered, "I know. But my parents are so excited to see her again. Papa's worried that Elise will hate him for his part in our separation and Elise still thinks that Papa doesn't like her." Angela's eyes tracked the crowd and spied her wife dancing in a circle with their daughters. She felt her heart fill impossibly fuller at the sight and had to shake herself away from the feeling to continue on, "I'm sure once they spend a little time together, they'll work it out."

Bonnie nodded, "And I'm trustin' you to shield her from any serious hurt." Angela nodded her agreement. After another moment, "I still say you're going to pay for takin' my grandbabies away for a month!"

Angela laughed, "You'll survive, Momma. Besides, you get to see them all the time and my folks haven't seen Ellie for almost a year. And they're just now getting to meet their newest Grand child."

"I'm glad you're takin' tonight for yourselves before you fly to Greece." Bonnie smiled.

Angela bent down and placed a kiss on the alabaster skin of Bonnie's cheek, "We appreciate you watching the girls so that we can have the night alone."

Bonnie playfully slapped her daughter in law's arm, "Charmer. Now go claim your wife from that bore that's claimed her." Angela looked over to see Elise dancing with one of her computer nerd friends.

The reception lasted late into the night, but the newlywed couple made their escape amongst showers of rose pedals early in the evening. The Limousine ride from the reception hall to the hotel became a setting for foreplay. When the driver pulled up in front of the hotel, she grinned at the moans that emanated from behind the dark glass separating the driving compartment from the passenger compartment. The driver cleared her throat loudly and tapped on the window. Finally, she lowered the glass a smidge and warned the couple that they were at their destination, "Just knock on the window when you're decent." Their friend teased. Finally, the message got through to the amorous couple and they put their clothing to rights before tapping on the window. After hearing the tap, the driver opened the back door of the long car and winked at the passengers, "Congratulations, you two." Angela unfolded herself from the back seat and turned to help Elise from the vehicle only to hear her wife snicker.

"What?" Angela asked. Elise grinned and pointed to the front of Angela's shirt. Angela looked down and groaned when she saw the diamond studs off kilter and the tails of her shirt clearly three inches different in length. She grinned as she wagged her finger at her wife, "It's your fault…you just couldn't wait…" her grin grew as she continued, "Lucky lucky me."

"Mmmmm," Elise moan low, "I haven't even warmed up yet Angel, wife, mine."

Angela caught the driver's eyes to determine if she had heard the conversation. She had. So Angela raised a brow and said, "Again I say, 'Lucky lucky me."

The couple had checked into the hotel earlier in the day, so that avoided that rigmarole and quickly made their way to their honeymoon suite. Angela scooped Elise up into her arms and carried her over the threshold. Somehow, Angela found her way to the huge bed without breaking the kiss Elise initiated. The couple found out that it is possible to completely strip one another without interrupting a passionate kiss. Clothes flew across the room to fall into sad heaps as the couple's passion flamed bright. Angela worshiped Elise's skin with her mouth and fingers. As she kissed and licked trails down the lithe body, she moaned in passionate delight while she savored every flavor and texture. When she reached the apex of Elise's thighs she inhaled deeply through her nose and savored the essence that was uniquely hers. Angela's blue eyes darkened to violet as she looked at her lover's downy covered mound. She reverently placed her thumbs and opened the treasure before her. Elise's breathe caught in her throat as she watched her wife's reverence, but when Angela whispered possessively, "Mine" before lowering her mouth to feast, Elise lost the last thread of control and sighed into the night, "Yours." Their loving alternated between tender loving and wild, raw sex and lasted until the light of the new day when they fell into an exhausted but sated sleep.

Very late the next morning, after a refresher course in marital relations, the newly weds "helped" one another shower and dress for the day. It was time to go pick up their daughters and continue their honeymoon in Greece.

The End?

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The Athenaeum's Scroll Archive