[all-xf] New: Compromised: Domestications NC-17 2/2
Amazon X
*-*-*-*
Decorating the house is an experience. Sarah's philosophy is:
start at the top and work your way down. So, of course, we start
with Shannon's rooms. Walter gave Sarah detailed drawings of the
furniture and the dimensions, which almost stopped the process.
Walter stands his ground and the decorating goes on. She does have
great ideas for Shannon's rooms, doing the bedroom in peach which
matches the bathroom, but opposes the blue of her playroom.
Shannon likes blue, but both rooms would be too much. Walter even
agrees to paint the furniture, which is something I rarely see him
do. He loves natural wood.
Our room and the sitting room are done in manly colors, but we stop
her at the paneling. I refuse to put wood on a wall. It will feel
like a bad seventies basement. I couldn't live with that. She
doesn't carpet our rooms like she did with Shannon's rooms. We
have these lovely Turkish rugs she found very cheap on the
internet. I did verify they were real Turkish rugs, since I
recognize the workmanship. She asked me how I came to spend time
in Turkey, but I fobbed it off that it was during my last career.
The guest rooms I tell her to just do something neutral and
pleasing. It's for guests, so it shouldn't be outrageous, but it
should be comfortable. She does the living room the same way,
since we'll hardly use that room. There won't be a television in
there. That will be the den. That room she does up right with a
work area and a play area. The television is one of those massive
ones that is almost like a movie screen in the house.
Well, now I know where that extra million dollars went. Yes, it
takes that much money to decorate this place top to bottom. To
show good faith, I pay for it. Walter paid for the house, after
all. Everything is in both our names though. When finally Kelly
tells us we can move in, we've packed our clothes, personal things
we want like photos and the like, dry goods that will eventually go
bad back at the house, and anything we can think of. I won't leave
the books, videos or music at the cabin. Shannon insists on the
video game we got her and William.
I think about Mulder, Scully and William visiting. They'll love
this house and we won't be on top of each other. They can stay
longer than a weekend. Well, that's if Scully can stand me for
that long. Sometimes I wonder if she doesn't still hold a kernel
of hate for me over her sister. I just don't mention it.
Moving day is exciting. Walter loads the Range Rover and I load
the Hummer. He takes Shannon and the dogs in his truck because he
has better shocks. We've turned off the cable to the house, but
not the power or the phone lines for the security system.
Officially, we have moved.
I can't help but let a few tears fall as I drive down the mountain
for the last time, probably, as an inhabitant. This was the first
real home I'd ever known, that I could recall. The cabin was where
Walter and I fell in love, after I crawled back to him. I hurt him
so badly that day, when I made him have sex with me. He's forgiven
me, we've discussed it, sober and not so sober, and I have allowed
him to forgive me. I just won't ever forgive myself.
At the house, Shannon is trying to corral the dogs to get them into
the house. Walter is waiting for me, but I don't know why. I walk
over and say, "What's up?"
"I'm waiting for you. I want to do something." He has a strange
look on his face.
I walk over and say, "What do you..."
And I don't get a chance to ask the whole question as he sweeps me
up into his arms and carries me into the house through the door
that Shannon has conveniently left open. He puts me down in the
foyer and kisses me. "I love you, Sasha. Welcome home."
He must be able to read my mind, thinking about a home. He's the
most amazing man I've ever known. We find the three dogs crawling
all over the new furniture, getting fur and slobber on things. I
had warned Sarah about the dogs, so all of the furniture was
treated for stains. There's only one problem that I can see about
this house. Keeping it clean. We'll never be able to do that. I
don't particularly care about that right now.
Shannon runs over and jumps into my arms, asking, "When can we
eat?"
"Oh, we've got a lot to do. Why don't we start by getting the food
into the cabinets and make sure we agree where everything goes?"
"Good idea. We'll start in the kitchen, then we'll unpack the
trucks. We can start with the beds today, but clothes can be
unpacked in time, yes?"
"How do you know?" Shannon asks him. She gives him a dubious look.
"I've moved quite a few times in my life, Shannon. From the
Marines, to college, to my first apartment, then when I was
married, and about three more times after that. I pretty much know
what I'm doing. We'll do a little every day and it won't take so
long."
She nods and walks into the kitchen. That day is wrought with
struggles, where do the cans go, where do the cereal boxes go, and
we come to the conclusion, we will need a stepstool for Shannon.
Walter volunteers to build it, but asks me to paint it. I've found
I have a talent at painting intricate designs on things. I have a
vague memory that my mother did that, painted nesting dolls,
matryoshka. I did it on one headboard for an order, and I did it
for all of Shannon's furniture, painting unicorns and dolphins on
things, which she loves in equal amounts.
By the end of the day, we're exhausted. The phone company is
coming tomorrow to put in jacks where we want them. It seems the
Wainwrights had two phones in the house, one in the master bedroom,
one in the kitchen. We'll need extensions all over the house, both
our lines, the designated one for the security system the Gunmen
will be by to install, even though I'm still technically employed
with a security company on a consulting basis. Walter needs a jack
in the work shed, we should have one by the pool and I want Shannon
to have one.
Walter and I lay together in our bed, clean sheets on it, prettily
decorated around the bed frame we made together. His hand is on my
belly, rubbing circles. "We have a great house, Vlad," I say to
him.
"Yes, Sasha, we do. You made a solid choice. Did you see all the
copper piping in the basement?" He rolls towards me and begins
kissing my neck.
"Yes, I saw that on my first visit. I should have looked in the
attic, sorry," I say, noticing he's nibbling on my earlobe.
"Does all this house-talk turn you on?" I ask, as he moves down my
throat.
"Yes. It's finally something real for both of us. We're married,
we own the house together, we've got the kid, it's real." His kiss
is swift and strong. I'm almost over-taken by his all encompassing
kiss. He's on top of me, laying between my legs, on my chest, with
his arms around me to bring me closer to him. His tongue is
relearning me, stroking my collar bones, teasing my nipples and
making me moan. He slides down the bed to my belly, spending his
time nuzzling my navel and not commenting on the few extra pounds
I'm carrying around. I love that about him. I also don't mention
that most of his body hair has gone gray, but that's because I
don't care. I love him as he is, not as he was.
His mouth reaches my cock, which had been slowly rising as his hand
caressed it. I thought he was going to jerk me off, but he slowly
runs his tongue along the underside, tickling me the way I like.
He continues all the way to the head where he begins running his
hot tongue all the way around the edge, just teasing me. I let
him, though, since it's been so long since we've just played in
bed. I'm tired of quick, quiet fucks so we don't wake up Shannon.
He deep throats me and God! am I happy I taught him to do that. He
works his way down slowly, then back up equally as slowly, until he
almost pulls up off the top. I try to rise up with him, but he
holds my hips down. He takes his time drawing up and sliding down,
completely engulfing me. Oh, God, if he puts his finger in my ass
I'll come. He doesn't and pulls up off me completely. I reach
over to the bedside table to get the lube I put there. He smiles
down at me.
"Sneaky boy," he says. In the pale moonlight streaming through the
windows, he's the young, ambitious assistant director who witnessed
my cruel and inhuman treatment at Mannerly's place. I don't really
care at this point, but seeing his face this way, all the years
erased, I wish I hadn't been so stupid and wasted all that time.
He slips inside me, gently and slowly. I'm not so loose anymore,
having not been with him in weeks. He takes his time with me,
kissing my cheeks and telling me how beautiful I am. I take his
face in both hands and kiss him powerfully. He moans into my mouth
what should be words, telling me how sexy I am, how incredibly
tight and hot my ass is.
"Oh God, I miss that big cock in me," I say in his ear. We don't
make love enough, and that sometimes bothers me. It also reminds
me that he loves me for more than just my hot hole and mouth on his
cock. I wrap my legs around his waist, shortening his strokes,
which makes him sit up.
"Sasha, chto yavl'ayets'a nepravil'nym?" he asks.
"Nothing, just keeping you closer. I missed making love to you so
much."
"Then let me continue," he says as he sits up, pulling my legs
further apart. Upright, he grabs me under my knees and begins
slow, deep strokes, hitting my sweet spot with each stroke. My
cock hardens more and sways with each stroke. He loves to watch my
cock and balls move when he fucks me. I'm happy to oblige him.
The build up is too great, I can't take it and let my come flow. I
must have built up a bit a pressure because I haven't splattered
Walter's chin in a long time.
I try to squeeze him and he jerks, coming inside me. He collapses
on me, smearing me with my come. I slide my arms around his back
and pull him tightly to me. He kisses his way back up to my lips,
cooling my overheated flesh with his sweet breath. We share a
kiss, but I pull away to lick a path through the smear on his chin.
"Kinky boy," he says. He kisses some of the taste from my mouth
and nuzzles my neck. "I'm not sleepy, are you, Sasha?"
"No, not really. Wanna bath?" I ask. I've been dying to get into
that tub with him for the longest time.
"Yeah, let's hit it!" We jump from the bed and scramble into the
bathroom. I'm so thankful Walter had the tankless water heaters
installed in the house. We can run hot water for as long as we
want and never run out, so long as we have electricity. When we've
settled in, foam floating around us making the myrrh and sandalwood
fragrant steam rise, we settle in each other's arms to relax.
"I can't sleep," comes a quiet voice from the doorway. With a
splash, we both turn to where Shannon is standing in her pajamas,
holding the stuffed bear I'd given her ages ago.
"Didn't we tell you to knock before you came in?" Walter bellows.
"Hey, calm down, Vlad," I say. The tub is set in a raised
platform, so from where she stands, she can only see the parts that
are above the top edge of the tub. And she's seen us both
shirtless.
"I did!" she yells back. "You didn't hear me!"
She turns and runs from the room, leaving the bear on the floor. I
sit back against the side of the tub and sigh. "Did you have to
yell at her?" I ask, as I get up and out of the bathtub. I wrap a
towel around me and walk to the bedroom to pull out pajamas.
"What if she had walked in fifteen minutes earlier?" he asks,
letting out the water and getting out himself.
"Then we'd have heard her knock," I say back, pulling up my pajama
pants. I pull on my t-shirt as I walk out the door of our suite
into the hall. First checking her rooms and finding them empty, I
make my way back down to the main level where I begin calling for
her. No answer through the kitchen and the den. I look outside
and see her sitting at the pool, feet dangling over the edge. The
pool was emptied, so if she falls, that's a thirteen foot drop.
"Shannon! Don't move!" I shout, running toward her. She doesn't
even look up at me as I run by and snatch her up. "Don't you ever
do that again. When we're not here, this pool is off limits.
Water or no water. You got me?" I ask her as I sit with her on the
low wall around the pool area.
"I wasn't going to jump," she says. "I just..."
She starts to cry and puts her head on my shoulder. I can only pat
her back and let her cry. She cries so much, I don't even know
what to say to her anymore. I just keep quiet and let her cry
herself out. When she's done, she looks at me and asks, "I can't
sleep with you, can I?"
I take a deep breath. "I don't think Walter would like that,
sweetie. We don't wear pajamas, so, that's not right for you to
sleep with us."
"You can't just sleep with 'em one night? Like when you would
sleep with me? You wore those really soft ones, with all the
checks on 'em," she asks, face so sad and hopeful.
"Yeah, we can do it one night," a voice from behind me says. We
turn to Walter, who has put on a t-shirt and sleep pants as well.
They match mine, a gift from Patty and Shaine from the wedding. He
sits beside us and holds his hand out to Shannon. She takes it and
shakes it. She doesn't hug him as much anymore and I think he
likes that.
"Really?" she asks.
"As long as you promise this isn't going to be a habit. I like
sleeping with my husband, you know. One day, you'll find your
own." She nods, rubbing her eyes, and we retire to the master
bedroom.
*-*-*-*
In the morning, I'm not sure, but I think I hear the front door
open and close. I chalk it up to old age a settle into the pillow
further. Shannon sighs, and I know she's asleep with her arms
around Alex's neck. They look cute together, but we're going to
have to seriously discuss limits. Just as I'm dropping back to
sleep, I hear a gasp. Where the hell are the dogs?
"What in the name of the good Lord are you doing to that girl?" I
hear someone say. There's a woman in the house. One who doesn't
belong. Oh, shit. I jump from the bed, ready to reach for my Sig
Sauer that I don't keep by the bed anymore. Old habits die hard.
"Who the hell are you? What are you doing in our home?" I yell.
"Grandma?" Shannon says, sitting up. Alex has gotten out of bed
and is looking for a weapon as well.
Blinking a few times, I recognize the woman from Anabelle's
funeral. Anabelle had told me her mother's name before she died so
that I would know her on sight, to bar her entrance to the house.
For all the good it did, Vivilynn Purcell is standing in our
bedroom. She is the picture of the modern belle: cream and black
Chanel suit, cream and black pumps just the right height, pearls in
her ears, at her throat and on her wrist. Her fingers are
sporadically dotted with large diamonds. The scent of Coco
Mademoiselle drifts over to us. Dear God, she is the very
embodiment of what Anabelle always wanted to be. Only Vivilynn,
she has the money to back herself up.
"I cannot believe the perversions going on here! And no one has
arrested you?" she accuses, hands on her hips. "Shannon Anne, you
get your things together and you will be coming with me. What was
my daughter thinking? Leaving you with these...these..."
"Perverted queers? Lady, you broke into my house. What does that
make you?" Alex turns to me and says, "Keep her here. I'm calling
the police." He reaches for the phone and dials 911.
"Well, think about how I found you in bed with a child! What will
the police think?"
He hangs up and says, "There's a couple cars on the way to sort it
out."
"Good! They'll love to hear what I tell them!" Vivilynn Purcell
is starting to get on my nerves. "Now, Shannon, you listen to your
Grandma Perky and get your things! Get out of that...bed of sin!
That's what ya'll are doing, sinning." I'm having flashbacks of
Anabelle and my head is spinning.
"Alex, who are they sending, Stuart and Artie or Mike Richards and
LeVonne O'Leary?"
"Both. Theresa laughed when I told her it was me. Asked which one
of us shot the intruder."
I'm hoping that our little banter lets this woman know that we are
well known in this town and liked by most. She stands her ground
in our bedroom and no one moves until we hear the sirens coming up
the long driveway. I can hear someone knocking on the front door
and then the door opening. We need a doorbell. The footsteps on
the stairs make me smile. "We're on the second floor, guys," I
call out.
Four officers walk in, all the ones I named. Immediately, they
look at Vivilynn. "This is your intruder?" Artie asks. He looks
the woman over and smirks.
O'Leary and Richards move toward Alex and start asking him for his
information while Stuart walks over to me and shakes my hand.
"What's the story, Walter? I know this can't be good."
"You remember that woman from Anabelle's funeral? That's her mom.
She wants Shannon."
"So she broke in?" I nod and laugh. How is it that both those
women barged into our home and caught us in bed? Thankfully, we
weren't fucking this time! I look over at Shannon who looks
completely lost and scared. I may not know how to raise a little
girl, but I do know that she should never feel scared in her own
home.
"OK, folks! Everyone out of our bedroom. Guys, take Mrs. Purcell
to the kitchen, please? Let us wake up a little and get moving.
You're all scaring our daughter."
"*Your* daughter, indeed!" Vivilynn says. The officers see that
I'm right and herd her out of the room and down the stairs.
Loudly. Alex sits on the bed with Shannon and hugs her.
"You OK, Petal?" he asks.
She nods, then breaks down in his arms. He hugs her and I leave
them a moment to take a leak and wash my face. When I come out,
he's coaxing her to her room to "freshen up" while he does "the
same" in our room. I leave them to go to our guests in the
kitchen. Standing in the doorway, I see Vivilynn looking around
the kitchen. She has her critical eye out.
"I'm surprised that this room is so tasteful. I guess there are
some advantages to being men like you are," she says down her nose
to me. Which is a feat in and of itself as I top her by a foot in
height, even with her high heels while my feet are bare.
"We're not those kinds of fags, lady. We had a decorator. A
straight woman," I say. It burns me a little to use Alex's
favorite phrase, the one I begged him to stop saying, but it needed
saying to shock this woman.
"You obviously paid her well," is all she has to say. It sounds
suspiciously like a compliment. I start coffee while Richards and
O'Leary question her. I love the big officers dwarfing her while
Stuart and Artie ask me about business, and Artie mentions he might
be needing a backyard table and benches.
"Art, gotta email me the order so it can be put in the schedule.
I'm an old man, I forget these things."
"I thought that's what you had Alex for," he says back. "Let the
youngun handle the business, you just make the stock." He's
kidding. It's taken a long time to get from where he was accusing
Alex of being a freak and a kid-toucher to standing in my kitchen
waiting for the coffee to brew and joking with me. It's a moment
I've never conceived of, and am almost in tears to experience.
Alex walks in with Shannon by his side. He squats beside her and
says, "Sweetie, go greet your grandmother properly. Don't worry
about us, we know you can love more than one person."
Alex has gotten her into her Cinderella robe and "glass slippers".
They're made of clear plastic, which probably make her feet sweat,
but she never seems to mind. She walks over to her grandmother and
stands there, waiting to be hugged. Vivilynn bends down and gives
her the perfunctory hug, but nothing like we've bestowed upon her.
Yeah, back when Shannon wanted to hug me. She sits at the table
where Alex has placed a glass of juice and a bowl of Cheerios with
strawberries in it.
I serve Vivilynn a cup of coffee and watch as she puts her dainty
spoons of sugar and drop of milk in it from the creamer set I put
out. I pour my cup of black and Alex makes his light and sweet the
way he always does. Stuart and Artie grab mugs from the counter
where I left them, enjoying the hot bew. Even Richards and O'Leary
are partaking of some and complimenting me on it. I toast them
with my mug.
"So, what are we doing here, Walt? We taking the lady in as a
B&E?" Artie asks. I think he's serious.
"No!" Shannon says. The look on her face is pure fear and anguish.
Poor kid, doesn't know what to think.
"Nah, guys," Alex says. "Mrs. Purcell didn't mean any harm more
than scaring the hell out of us. We're OK from here."
Alex walks the officers out while I get Shannon her vitamin.
Vivilynn hasn't spoken since she got her coffee, but once Alex
comes back into room, she's off to the races. "Well, I've come
here to collect Shannon and write you a check for all the expenses
for her since you took her on. And I should pay you back for the
funeral, Anabelle *was* my daughter."
I'm speechless.
*-*-*-*
Walter looks like he's about to lose a testicle. I'm about to blow
up on her, but she's not the kind of woman that would respond to
anger well. "OK, you owe us four million dollars."
"Pardon me?" she asks, her hand going to the delicate pearls at her
throat. I can see the barest shake in her fingers. She thinks I'm
serious.
"How did you track us down here?" I ask. I sip my coffee, letting
the Old Alex Krycek ice up my blood.
"House titles are public record, young man. I looked you up at the
county court house. I tried this address first as it's the newer
one. Tell me, why did you leave your secluded little cabin for
this big, public house? I'm sure you can hide your perversions
better up there."
"You're right, but Shannon's going to be going to school soon.
Can't live an hour away from school, you know. So, we moved."
Another sip of my coffee.
"And why such a *big* home?"
"That's enough," Walter says. "Shannon, sweetie, go on upstairs
and wash up. Get dressed and put a bag together."
"With what?" she asks. I can see the look on her face, the
feelings of rejection are bubbling up.
"Oh, some books or something. Alex, call Katya to come get her
today, OK?"
"It's Sunday, Walter, she's in church now," he says.
"That's right. Damn it. Shannon, can we talk to Mrs. Purcell
alone for a while?" She nods and walks to the door. "Hey,
Princess, come here." I'm surprised when Walter uses the nickname
he gave her years ago. He doesn't much use it anymore, and she
doesn't answer to it. She walks over to him and allows him to pick
her up and hug her tight. I almost expect her to stay limp. Her
little arms come around his neck and she squeezes him back. "I
love you, Princess. We're going to make sure you have the best
home, OK?"
"This is my home," she says quietly.
"That's right," I say, tickling her foot. I love her little
squeal. "Go on, get dressed while we fight over you."
She smiles and he puts her down to go to her room. We turn back to
Vivilynn who is sitting there, hands folded in her lap and ankles
primly crossed beneath her. I take my coffee over and sit across
from her at the dining table. Sarah chose a really nice table for
the kitchen, I think to myself while I consider what to say. "OK,
Viv..."
"Perky. They call me Perky." She says this with a little bit of
venom.
"Perky Purcell? Explains a lot. Anyway, look, the will explicitly
states we have full custody of Shannon. Our lawyers have written
an ironclad custody order. You don't want to go against me, lady.
Unless you want to give me the four million you owe me."
"I still don't know where you came up with this figure." She sips
her coffee.
"We bought the house just for Shannon, since it's got three floors
and four bathrooms. She's on a totally different floor than we
are, so no one can walk in on anyone accidentally." I will not
mention the interrupted bath last night. I'm going to get that
stick-on doorbell thing that will chime when she opens the door.
"Redecorating the house was almost a million dollars, all new
furniture. We wanted a lot of room for the dogs, too. Where the
hell are the dogs?" I ask.
No sooner do I say that than I hear three sets of barks coming from
the stairs. Shannon must have locked them in her room all night,
poor things. Shannon is following behind them, wearing a blue
t-shirt and jeans. Bosco and Honey are on point, barking at
Vivilynn who has now stood from the chair and holds it in front of
her in defense. I notice that Taffy has stood back, not barking,
but not letting Shannon any closer to the new person. Walter comes
over and starts quieting everyone, shoving dogs out the sliding
glass doors onto the patio. He closes the door on them, sending
Shannon with them, which quiets them a little.
"I'm sorry, Perky," he says. "They're Labradors, very intelligent
but fiercely protective. The quiet one is Shannon's dog. If you
want her, the dog goes with her."
"I've had dogs in my home before, Mr. Skinner. I didn't always
live in a large home, comparable to this, I must tell you. We
started on a farm. This is just a formality, a courtesy call. You
will be hearing from my legal team about contesting the will and
the custody arrangement. Be prepared."
She stands and begins to walk to the door. I stand up, scraping
the chair on our tile floor to make her turn around. "If you ever
come into our home unannounced again, you'll be carried out feet
first."
She sniffs at the air and turns to leave, letting herself out.
"Vlad, call the Gunmen, I want them here today. I can't believe we
didn't even lock the door last night." That's the unbelievable
part, that even I forgot to lock the door. Walter comes to sit
with me at the table and we just look at each other for while. I
put my hand flat on the table and he covers it with his.
"This is the test, Vlad. Whether we can hack it or not." He
strokes my cheek.
"I know, Sasha. I'll call the lawyers, you call the Gunmen. Tell
Byers and Langly they can sleep in their own room together. We are
going to prove to Shannon and the world that we are better parents
than they think fags are." I'm a little shocked he used that word.
He never says things like that. This isn't a normal situation,
though.
"We'll live. We've been through worse."
"Yeah, all revolving around this damn family."
"Why does that keep haunting us?" I ask him. He just shakes his
head. "We'll be OK."
Calls are made and the Gunmen are more than happy to come and wire
the house. They always seem to be available when we need them.
The three of us spend the day working on the pool, with Katya
coming by to offer support. She balks when I insist we don't need
her physical help. "Alex, I worked very hard at the convent. I
scrubbed floors and washed walls before."
She's come dressed in knee-length jeans and a pretty pink t-shirt
with little white sneakers. She could be any woman. I'm so amazed
by my sister's integration into the world outside the convent. I
know Anabelle had a lot to do with it. I keep meaning to call her
and just...spend time with her, but I never do. I wonder if she
regrets leaving the convent.
We get on our hands and knees, all four of us, scrubbing the inside
of the pool. It's only dirty, so we can start filling it soon.
Katya elects to stay with me scrubbing while Walter, in a rare
moment of family togetherness, takes Shannon to the pool center in
town to get the supplies we'll need for the upkeep. While I'm
rinsing the rest of the soap and dirt down the drain, Katya asks,
"So are you guys settling in well?"
"Yeah, moving day was yesterday. Last night was our first night,
and of course, this lady petitions us for the kid's custody."
Walter and I had filled Katya in on the morning's activities.
"I want you to know, I will be more than happy to speak on your
behalf if it comes down to it." I just sit back and look at her.
She's the most generous woman in the world, and I love her. I
can't help but climb out of the pool and hug her tight. She
accepts me and lets me squeeze her. Oh, she feels so good to me,
now.
"I want you to know, I've already started Shannon's admission
papers for school and I will be teaching math to her and I'll be
her homeroom teacher. I will take the best care of her. I
promise."
"I know you will. Why would we worry?" I set the hose to start
filling the pool and we go into the house to start lunch. I want
to grill and surprise Walter. We have hamburgers and hotdogs going
when they get back, which becomes a hit. After roasting corn and
baking frozen fries, we retire to the den where Katya enjoys a
night of watching Cinderella with us, as she's not seen it since
she was a girl. At the end of the night, she doesn't leave too
late, but stays long enough to help Shannon say her prayers, which
is something Walter and I should consider now, going to church with
Shannon. We'll have to talk to her to see if she wants to start
going to Katya's church. Anabelle was southern Baptist.
We fall into bed that night and don't even consider making love. I
do curl up into him, which makes him pull me against him. He
kisses me again before dropping off to sleep.
*-*-*-*
I go to meet with Bruce and Jane the next morning. Jane has been
my attorney since I was divorcing Sharon. She married another
lawyer in her firm and left to have their kids, but still consults
in her spare time. With the kids in high school now, she's decided
to make our legal case her crusade.
"I spoke with her lawyer..."
"How did you know who's representing her?" I ask. It feels weird
to be sitting in a suit and tie again in a business office, but at
the same time, I feel at home again.
"Walter, this is Vivilynn Purcell. Her husband was the land
developer, Harlan Purcell. Harl and Perky?" I'm oblivious. Land
developers never impressed me. "I can't believe you don't know
them."
"Unless one of my teams tracked them down and arrested them, I have
no idea who they are." I'm not joking either.
"Well, she has a lot of cash behind her. Harlan left her
everything. She then redesigned the Purcell foundation to write
out Anabelle. Fortunately for you, we knew this when we put the
custody agreement together. There's nothing they can do to get
her. We're going to meet with them next week, and I don't want you
to worry about it."
Worry? Why would I worry? These are two people who I've trusted
for two decades. I shake their hands and go home to Alex with the
good news, which gets me a big kiss. Shannon, is somehow,
oblivious to all this, spending the afternoon in the yard with the
dogs. Alex and I spend the day putting the books into the shelves
in the den. After that, I pretty much forget about Perky Purcell
and her bid to be Grandma.
I should never ignore what isn't there. I've gotten old, soft and
senile. Of course, I get a call one morning from Jane who has just
gotten out of a hearing that I didn't know I needed to attend, and
neither did Jane. "She's got a review of the custody order I wrote
up. They aren't going to make a decision for ninety days. They
denied her temporary custody petition."
I sigh in relief. "OK, good. I want a meeting with them. I want
us, with Shannon, and them. Mediated, but I want to find some kind
of middle ground. This kid just lost her mother, she doesn't need
a custody war."
"What?" comes her little voice from behind us. She walks in and
has one of her adult moments. "If Grandma wants me so bad, you
better just give me to her. She always gets her way. Momma says
that's how Granddad died; he was trying to make her happy." I hang
up with Jane and turn my full attention to Shannon.
Alex picks her up and sits her on the counter. "We're not giving
you to anyone, Petal."
"You aren't something to just give away. You're not a toy or a TV.
You're our little girl. We don't want to give you away. I want
to keep you. Don't you know that?"
She looks down at her lap. "But...I'm a girl."
"Yeah, my girl. I remember when you were born. Princess, I wished
you were mine."
"Why didn't you ever have a baby?" she asks. I'm fighting not to
cry, but just let it flow. She's going to see it eventually.
With tears rolling down my cheeks, I tell her the story of being in
the Marines, at war in Vietnam and being shot and killed. She
starts crying herself, but lets me finish that I was brought back
but couldn't father children from my injuries. "Because you were
supposed to wait for me." I don’t expect what she's saying, and
just start bawling outright. She hugs me tight and we're not aware
of Alex, crying as well, going to answer the doorbell. It's
Vivilynn.
"Walter, I'd like to have Shannon come and stay with me a few days.
Would that be alright?" She has that sweet, innocent twang in her
voice that can only mean trouble. I send Shannon outside to find
the dogs.
"No, I'm sorry, you can't." I take a moment to wipe my face with a
napkin. "If we let you take her with you, we'll never get her
back. And that's the point, isn't it? You're still punishing your
daughter even though she's dead. She didn't become exactly like
you wanted, so you'll spite her by taking her daughter and making
Shannon into the little girl that you wanted Anabelle to be. And
that's not going to happen."
"No, I want Shannon to be raised in a Christian home. I don't
think two...men like yourselves can provide that."
"My sister teaches at Shannon's school. It's an Episcopalian
school, connected to the church we attend. My sister used to be a
Catholic nun. Lady, we got Shannon's life covered."
Shannon has returned and crawled into Alex's arms. He's holding
her tightly. "It seems that I'm not going to have a willing child
on my hands am I?" she admits.
"Perky, you have two choices. You can have a willing granddaughter
visit you, knowing she'll want to come back and visit, or you can
have a terror who hates you on your hands. And look how well that
worked for you last time." Alex is correct. Shannon will hate her
grandmother if she insists Shannon goes with her. Alex is rocking
her back and forth as she cries again.
"Will I actually be able to visit with her?" Vivilynn asks.
"Why not? She lost her mother. I won't take her grandmother away,
too. Walt, I'm gonna take her upstairs. Come on, Petal, let's
wash your face."
Alex leaves the room and I turn to Vivilynn. "We all watched
Anabelle waste away. By the end she was blind, mostly deaf,
incontinent and partially paralyzed. You didn't visit her once.
What makes you think you have the right to waltz in here and take
Shannon away?"
"She's my granddaughter..." Her voice is breaking a little.
"And Anabelle was your daughter! What did she do that was so bad
that you turned your back on her? What? She used drugs, had an
abortion, married someone you didn't like?"
Vivilynn raises her chin to me. "You didn't like Shannon's father,
did you? Well, he's in jail, and as yourf lawyers must have told
you, he can't get custody. Alex and I have had a really rocky
history, but I love him. He took care of Shannon when Anabelle
couldn't. He loves her so much, I can't even consider what would
happen to them both if you separated them."
"How do you feel about that? Sharing your lover with a little
girl?"
"My husband and I take care of our daughter. Period." I raise my
own chin and look down at her, wishing I still had my glasses.
"Well, then. I'm still having that will and custody agreement
reviewed. I would, however, like to visit with my grandchild a
little. When would be convenient for you?"
I take a deep breath. "We work from home. School is starting for
Shannon soon, so she'll be busy with that. Next weekend we're
having a housewarming party. You're more than welcome to come,
stay that weekend. We have two guest rooms, both no where near our
bedroom. You may come any time you like. After the review of the
agreement, maybe we can work out a vacation schedule, where Shannon
can stay with you and take a vacation from us."
Vivilynn smiles at me. "I think I'd like that. I underestimated
you, Mr. Skinner."
"My name is Walter. I'm surprised your lawyers didn't tell you I
used to be an assistant director for the F.B.I."
We shake hands politely. "They did, but my opinion was never high
of government employees."
I laugh at that comment. It's so genuine. "I should go now,
Walter."
"At least say goodbye to Shannon. Tell her when you'll see her
again. Losing relatives has become commonplace for her. Her
father to jail, her mother to heaven. Don't take one more away
from her."
I see a tear in her eye. "Shannon, darling! Come down and kiss
Grandma Perky goodbye, please!"
Alex and I exchange curious looks as Shannon hugs her grandmother
and is allowed to kiss the perfectly made up cheek. I let Vivilynn
out, getting a good look at her Rolls Royce limousine, silver
cloud. I wave as they drive away and go back in to find Alex and
Shannon making sundaes in the kitchen. "Hey! Dinner will be ready
soon, kids. I'm gonna start cooking."
"Dinner is ice ream, Grandpa!" Shannon informs me firmly.
It feels like things are almost back to normal. What can I do but
get a spoon and join the feast? But I have a better idea. I begin
to put the ice cream away and say, "I think we should do something
for dinner we've never done before."
"What's that, Grandpa?" Alex is also giving me a very puzzled
look.
I pick up the phone and while I'm dialing, I say, "Let's order a
pizza."
The two beaming faces before me give me all the answer I need. So,
for the first time, as a real family, without the one-our drive up
the mountain, we share a pizza dinner together. It's new, and it's
wonderful.
The End
Happy Birthday, Bertina and Aunt Ursula!
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