“Alright, so it’s like this.” She smiled at Nicole and continued on. “I smiled and talked to Rita today.” She paused, hoping for Nicole to understand what she was saying, but she looked perplexed and clearly needed more. “For the first time in all the time I’ve known her, I spoke to her, asked her questions and behaved like a normal member of society, and do you know what she asked me?”
Nicole shook her head. She was intrigued as to where this was going. Who was she kidding, she was intrigued by everything about Lucy, so she listened, her stance softening a little.
“She asked me if the world had ended. She said I haven’t said much more than one-word answers to her in all the years I’ve known her and here I was, asking her if one orange juice was better than another and which yoghurts where the best to buy.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of the conversation. “And I spent all morning visiting stores and speaking to assistants and asking for help so that I could buy all of this.”
She sat down on a log that had been placed as a garden seat and patted the spot next to her for Nicole to sit down too. Which, after several seconds thought, she did. They sat side by side, thighs touching as Lucy continued.
“Having you here, with the girls has ended my world,” she said softly, turning to look at Nicole, who momentarily looked horrified. “Because it needed ending. I was walking around with my eyes closed, and now, it makes me smile when I hear Rain sing that bloody annoying song, or when Summer screams like a banshee because there’s a spider, and I live for the moments Storm asks me a question. When you said this morning that you would stay, I felt something lift within me. So yeah, I bought some stuff that will make you all happier. I spent my money on things that every kid should have.”
“Finished?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, thank you.” She leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to Lucy’s cheek, and with that, she got up and walked back to the girls and the car, leaving Lucy smiling and shaking her head. “Don’t do it again,” she called over her shoulder.
~E&F~
Rain and Summer ran around the cabin like mini tornadoes as Lucy carried the TV box into the main living area. Apparently tomorrow she was going to need to go and buy at least 20 movies on DVD that they had been calling out as essential viewing. Nicole raised a brow at that, but Lucy just grinned, and despite their conversation earlier, Nicole already knew she wouldn’t win this argument with Lucy.
Once the TV was set up and the twins were settled down in front of it watching SpongeBob SquarePants, Lucy found Storm and asked her to follow her back out to the car.
“I got something for you,” Lucy said, as they walked to the trunk of the car. When she opened it up, Storm could see several boxes and bags. Lucy reached in and pulled one out. Then she walked back around the car to the log she had sat on earlier with Nicole and patted it like before, only this time it was the mini version of Nicole that sat down beside her.
“I wanted to say thank you,” Lucy said as Storm turned to her. “You make me talk about stuff and that’s good for me.” She smiled at the use of the word ‘stuff’ that Storm had used with her during their first conversation. “I never had anyone to just talk to before, and so I got you this as a way of saying thanks.”
“I like talking to you Luce,” she said, taking the wrapped box.
“I know, open the box though.”
Storm took her time pulling the paper off the box, not used to being given things other than on her birthday and again at Christmas. Her father didn’t allow them to have gifts at any other time.
She gasped as she saw what was in it. “You got me a laptop? Just for me?” she asked, unsure if it was really happening, Lucy nodded. “Thank you!” She threw her arms around her neck and hugged her with all she had. And Lucy hugged back.
“It’s for schoolwork, you’re going to need one soon,” Lucy said, before reeling off all the information that the assistant had told her.
“Wow, but I can still play games and music on it too?”
“I guess, but no internet unless your mum says it’s ok. We got rules, remember?”
“Yes, I know the rules. No talking to strangers, no walking near the old cabin, and no swimming in the lake without an adult.”
“And no secrets or lies. No fighting with your sisters and no arguing over chores.”
“Yes, Mom!” Storm said, sarcastically laughing along. “Thank you for my present.”
“You’re welcome.”
~E&F~
While the girls were watching TV, Lucy began bringing all the other boxes and bags from the car into the house. She placed them all in the bedroom that the girls were sharing and piled them up in the middle of the room. Every item had been wrapped in-store and labelled for each child that it belonged to.
When Nicole was busy in the kitchen, she quickly sneaked the large boxed present she had bought for her into her room too and left it on the bed for her. Then she sat back on the couch and began her initiation into SpongeBob.
Rain was the first to get up and wander into her room to find her colouring book, only what she found meant she came running back out screaming with excitement as she babbled and rambled to her sisters that Santa had been there. Of course, Storm told her she was being silly, Santa only came at Christmas and that was months away. However, Rain was so insistent that both Summer and Storm followed her into their room to see what she was talking about. Lucy couldn’t help the smile that cracked her cheeks as the shrieks and delight burst forth from three over-excited kids. When she looked up she could see Nicole staring at her with a smile on her own face as she heard her girls being happy. She mouthed a silent thank you just as Summer came running out to show her mom the new teddy she had been given.
Dinner had been enjoyed by them all as they sat together for the first time to share a meal, and it was not much later, when all three girls were exhausted and asleep, that Nicole said her own goodnight and went to bed herself. Lucy stayed up watching a documentary for the first time in nearly 12 years. TV had changed a lot in that time, and she was intrigued by all the different things she could watch.
She was so engrossed that she didn’t hear Nicole’s door open, or the footsteps of her new housemate as she made her way back into the room and over to the couch where Lucy sat. Nicole flopped down next to her, just staring. Lucy could see her out of her peripheral vision and quickly looked at her and then back to the TV again. Nicole didn’t say a word; she just sat there and continued to stare at Lucy until eventually Lucy gave up trying to ignore her and put the TV on mute. She turned slowly in her seat and waited expectantly for Nicole to say whatever it was that was on her mind.
“Apparently Santa has visited me also,” she finally said, tilting her head as she studied Lucy some more.
“Uh huh.”
“Yes, there’s this huge box on my bed filled with every kind of pampering product a woman could ever need.”
“Is that so?” Lucy smirked and began to fidget.
“Yes, that is so.” Nicole smiled. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that, you didn’t have to do any of it Lucy, but I appreciate it, and one day I will find a way to pay you back for your kindness.”
“I didn’t do it so you would owe me anything, Nicole. I just wanted to do something nice for you all.”
“Well, you better not complain when we find a way to do something nice for you,” she promised as she rose up from the couch. And then, she bent down and kissed Lucy’s cheek for the second time that day. “Goodnight Lucy.”
When she was gone, Lucy reached up and touched the spot Nicole’s lips had met. “Goodnight,” she whispered back.
Chapter Twenty
The girls’ room was organised three days later when the bedroom furniture arrived. It wasn’t ideal that Storm shared with the twins, but she was willing to put up with just about anything if it meant they could stay.
Each of them had their own area of the room, with their bed pushed into a corner. A small
drawer set was placed next to each one, and a night light was placed on top. Little mini wardrobes then stood at the bottom of each of the beds that were all covered in various Disney characters. Lucy had decided that she would gradually fill them with new clothes, if Nicole would let her.
What Lucy noticed was just how little they all had. She wasn’t someone that viewed a life based on the things someone had collected, but they literally had left everything behind as they made their escape, and she wanted to change that and make life nicer. The problem was, Nicole was proud and had already been gracious in accepting the gifts she had bought so far, so she didn’t want to push it. She didn’t understand what the big deal was, but Nicole had been clear about it. She was going to have to be smart if she was going to find ways to get them things without denting Nicole’s pride.
There had been a lot of change for Lucy too. She got to discover all about Disney, and to be fair, she kind of enjoyed it. She had to pick things up, toys and clothes that scattered the living room where they were abandoned for more important things. There was noise and talking all the time. And there was music, for the first time in a long time. She had even found herself humming along at times when the girls jumped around the room dancing and singing.
Right now, though, it was reasonably quiet. Nicole was at the sink peeling vegetables for that night’s dinner. They generally took it in turns to cook and clean up, and tonight was Nicole’s turn. She planned on roasting a chicken with some mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. It was a simple, healthy meal that everyone enjoyed, which was pretty amazing considering how fussy they all seemed to be any other time.
“Coffee?” Lucy asked as she filled the machine with water and added the required amount of grounds to make the perfect cup.
“I would love one, thank you,” Nicole replied as she continued to peel the potatoes.
“Do you need a hand?”
She smiled and turned to where Lucy stood holding a cup in one hand, the other shoved into her pocket. “No, thank you, I’m all good, but maybe you can get the girls to fix the table?”
Lucy turned and noted two very quiet little girls completely transfixed by a singing fish and another little girl at her desk finishing her homework. It was peaceful and tidy; she wasn’t going to mess with the equilibrium.
“It’s okay, I’ll do it, let’s enjoy the quiet a little longer, huh?” she chuckled, nodding her chin to the room in front of her, drawing Nicole’s attention to them. She watched them all for a moment. For once in their young lives, they looked like normal kids with nothing to worry about in the world.
“Yeah, that might be the best plan.” She chuckled too. “So, listen, I wanted to talk to you.”
“About?” Lucy asked as she grabbed another mug and got them ready for the perfect cup of coffee that she was brewing.
“We need to work out my share of the bills while we're living here.”
“No, we don’t,” Lucy said, pouring two cups of steaming black coffee, the smell of which was wafting through the cabin.
“Can I have coffee?” shouted Storm.
“No,” shouted Lucy and Nicole at the same time. They both smiled and laughed at their reaction.
“Yes, we do Luce, I am not going to freeload off of you.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“Well, I would still feel better about it if you would let me contribute properly to the running of the house,” Nicole argued. She put the last potato she was peeling into the bowl and grabbed the tea towel to dry her hands.
“Okay,” Lucy said, more easily than Nicole expected.
“Okay? Great, so let’s talk.” She grabbed a mug and sat down at the kitchen table.
Lucy pulled out a chair and joined her at the table. “If you’re going to insist, then you can chop the firewood and keep the kids’ room tidy, and I’ll organise the garden area and—”
“That’s not what I meant, although I am happy enough to do that. I’m not sure how good I’ll be at chopping wood, but I’ll try. I meant financial, rent money.”
“I know what you meant Nicole, but there is no rent. I own this cabin outright, no mortgage, and no rent. It’s pretty much self-sufficient. I had a generator installed and solar panels to run it. We got water bills to pay, but they’re pretty minimal so, $50 a month? You get a discount in Rita’s store that saves us 30% off your food bills that I am now included in. So, tell me, what do you feel the need to pay for?”
Nicole sat for a moment just looking at her. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to throttle her or hug her.
“You know what?” she finally said. “You are the most frustrating person I have ever met.”
“I can imagine that I am,” Lucy agreed, smiling.
“But thank you. I feel like I’m forever saying that to you lately, but I mean it. Thank you, Lucy.”
“You’re very welcome,” she said, placing her empty mug down on the table. “So, I am going to drink my coffee outside and then go down to the store while you carry on with dinner, okay?”
“Sure,” Nicole said, smiling as well now. “Get going, I’ll call you when it’s ready. Oh, and by the way,” she shouted after her, “I’m not chopping the wood without help.” She took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. “Did you make this with something other than coffee?”
Lucy turned to face her. Standing in the doorway, she sniffed her own cup before taking an experimental sip. “Tastes fine to me.” She shrugged and continued on her path.
Nicole picked up her mug once more and took a sniff. Recoiling at the smell of it, she threw it down the sink and moved swiftly towards the bathroom.
~E&F~
Arriving back at the cabin an hour later, Lucy got out of the car and opened the trunk. She was aware of a vehicle pulling in behind her. She could see quite clearly out of her peripheral vision that it was Paul Nixon’s red Mercedes. She continued what she was doing, lifting her bags out of the trunk and closing it just as she heard his car door slam shut. He wouldn’t be terrifying her today, or any day, but she was wary.
Nicole watched through the window in horror as he neared Lucy. She was frozen to the spot. So far, he was keeping his distance from Lucy, but that didn’t mean anything. He was a sneaky bastard. She could hear Storm speaking to her, but she couldn’t turn away from the scene in front of her. Her mind was racing, making plans to leave. It wasn’t safe here. Storm moved closer to her mother and looked out of the window to see what she was looking at.
“No, no, no, we're not leaving Mom, you said we could stay.” Storm sensed where her mother’s mind would take her the second she spotted him.
Outside, Lucy looked towards the cabin, her head high as she turned back to face him. He said something to her that she didn’t quite hear, so she ignored him. His face started to get red as his rage built instantly. “Walk away Lucy,” Nicole whispered to herself. But Lucy didn’t, instead, she laughed at him and placed the bags down on the ground at her feet.
As he took a step forward, Lucy suddenly launched at him and punched him square in the face. His nose bloodied. He staggered as his hands flew automatically to his face.
Nicole grabbed a hold of Storm and held her tight. There was no way he would let a woman hit him like that. But Lucy didn’t give him a chance to think about what had hit him, because she threw out her bad leg and kicked him in the centre of the chest. He hurtled backward and landed on his ass. She wobbled a little, but she managed to stay upright and got herself steady before she moved towards him.
Now she was the one doing the talking and he was scuttling backward, away from her. He was the one running now.
He lay there on his ass as Lucy stopped talking and walked away, dusting herself off. She picked up her bags and brought them inside. The atmosphere in the room was surreal. The TV played Disney tunes in the background, happy and cheerful as the twins continued to watch, unaware of anything else going on around them. Nicole and Storm stood together rooted to the spot, both fearful and panicked, bu
t for wholly different reasons.
Storm ran across the room and wrapped her arms around Lucy’s waist, clinging to her and sobbing. “Is he going away?”
She put the bags down and then reached down to pick Storm up, carrying her across the room to the couch. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore. Keep an eye on your sisters for me?” Storm nodded and watched in awe as Lucy moved back across the room to Nicole. “He’s gone,” she said, her voice as calm as she could make it. Adrenaline was starting to wear off, and she could feel the tell-tale signs of her own fear working to the fore. Fear of what he could have done, but more so, for where Nicole could have run.
“What did you say to him?” Nicole asked. She still hadn’t moved. Her eyes were firmly on the spot where his car had been parked.
“I told him that if I ever saw him on my property again, I had the legal right to shoot him. And then I told him that this was the last time I wanted to see him near you or the kids and that if he chose to ignore me, then next time it would be worse than a punch to the face.” She sucked in the breath she had barely used while speaking.
“And he just went?” Nicole finally turned away and towards Lucy. Smoky eyes filled with tears and disbelief.
“He just went.” Lucy nodded. “Bullies are cowards, Nicole. I’m not frightened of him and he knows it.”
Nicole nodded, but she wasn’t wholly convinced that he wouldn’t be back. He would just be more furious now.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nicole knocked lightly on the bedroom door and entered without Lucy speaking. She wore a long white t-shirt and not much else. As she moved into the room, she was lit only by the light of the moon as she stood in front of the bed, almost glowing. Lucy sat upright needing to see what she wanted, thinking she may have had another nightmare. Without a word, Nicole moved closer, and in one swift fluid movement, she was able to straddle Lucy’s thighs, settling herself as she looked deeply into her eyes and lifted the hem of her shirt, pulling it up and off over her head. Her full and perfect breasts were within inches of Lucy’s mouth. She leaned forward, and Lucy gently tugged a nipple between her lips. Her fingers reached up to touch soft skin, anchoring the woman against her as Nicole threw her head back and moaned in ecstasy. Her hands moving to Lucy’s hair, she tugged her gently closer to bend down and whisper against her ear. “I want you to love me,” she whimpered, grinding down against Lucy.
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