by Lee Morgan
Sarah didn’t protest in the least.
Jenny told Connor and Sarah to sit at the dining table; that he built in the kitchen some time ago. They sat side by side and he sat next her left shoulder. Jenny opened a can of chicken broth with vegetables and small chunks of chicken and poured the can into the boiling water. When it was ready and steaming, she poured the contents of the pot into three soup bowls. She handed them each one and they ate in silence. When Sarah took the first bite though, it felt good to have something warm go down your throat.
As she picked up the bowl and drank the last of the chicken broth Jenny asked “How’s school going so far?”
Sarah sat the bowl back on the table and wiped her lips with a napkin. “Fairly boring since Connor isn’t there anymore. There hasn’t been a single accident near me since.” She smiled wickedly at her mate.
Before he could defend himself, Jenny cut in. “You know what that means? Connor is a big magnet for just about everything, especially trouble.” She felt her brow furrow together. “He attracts problems as well as the good.” Jenny smiled jokingly. “Guess which one you are?”
Under his breath he said “Trouble.” Apparently Jenny heard it as well because her smile became slightly wider.
Back when Rhoda first whispered the secret to a good marriage Sarah felt appalled, but this time she didn’t at the moment. Sarah grabbed the metal spoon from the empty bowl and cracked Connor over the back of his head.
Jenny doubled over in laughter. Connor was more shocked about what hit him rather than the pain. Apparently she used too much strength because the spoon bent backwards at the handle. Sarah quickly put the spoon under the table and straightened it back to its original form with her fingertips. The spoon did creak as it was bent back, but it was inaudible next to Jenny’s laughter.
Connor spoke while Jenny was laughing so hard that she was actually squeaking and her face was red. “So that was what Grandma taught you.”
Jenny burst into another fit of laughter.
Jenny finally was able to breathe a minute later. She wiped away a tear with the back of her left hand and said “Sarah, you are a natural at being a May.” She continued smiling. Connor didn’t rub his head the first time as they left the house. As they walked to Connor’s truck, Jenny was on her way to work. Sarah knew that whatever damage she inflicted on him had already healed.
They returned home later in the day. They had to go to two grocery stores because the first one only had five bags of apples left on the shelf. And that was nowhere near enough for Sarah’s craving amounts.
Dome and Ground
Mark and Kara showed up the next day at the cabin. Mark had a grin from ear to ear as he gave his sincere congratulations of their fateful conception and hoped they would have a perfect and healthy child that was as unique as their parents. Since Connor doesn’t like to smoke or drink, Mark invited them out to eat at the diner again. They accepted his offer and had a good time.
Yesterday on December twentieth Connor left as he said he would. He spent an hour on the bicycle to charge the batteries while he was away. As he left their home he had a rather large pack filled with an assortment of things. Sarah wanted to peek, but he said it will be a secret and wouldn’t allow her to even guess. She wanted to use sonar, but decided that the surprise would be well worth it. She was a little excited and a little annoyed as he left after giving a quick kiss.
Sarah awoke around nine in the morning on the winter solstice and also her birthday with a feeling of excitement. This is the day that she’s been looking forward to and dreading. She had gotten used to waking at the crack of dawn, but since the pregnancy began she has been sleeping in a little bit longer than usual.
She walked away from the warm and cozy bed, across the freezing wood floor, into the chilly bathroom and turned the bath water on hot. When the water became comfortably warm she shrugged the blanket off and sat it in the hamper along with her large nightshirt. She uses Connor’s shirts to sleep in because they are so roomy and they have his unmistakable scent that drives her wild. After shaking her head to clear it again, she jumped into the shower and let the water ease away the fears and pain for the next ten minutes.
As she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel she checked her bond to see where Connor was. She could tell he was to the northwest and currently on his way back. A smile spread across her face as the day’s excitement increased. Grabbing the hair drier she started the task of drying her hair while thinking exciting thoughts. It’s my birthday and I can finally tell my parents the glorious news…
After brushing her hair and putting on winter hiking clothes, she looked into the bathroom mirror one last time. She grabbed a black hair tie and pulled her hip length, long brown hair into a single tail. In the mirror she looked almost radiant; if that would be the right word in this case. Her complexion didn’t have a single blemish in the reflection and she was glad that she wasn’t too tired today. Her skin had a glow of motherhood and the smile that grew is genuine.
She walked into the kitchen and made a quick breakfast of eggs and toast along with six apples. She finished soon after and walked back into the bedroom to finish up the preparations. The camping bag had been the first removed from her closet that she brought with her to the last camping trip with Mark and Kara up in the mountains. The brown hiking backpack rested on the bed as she unclasped the opening. As she was putting clothes in the bag Connor’s mind began reaching for hers. Lately their mental range had doubled since the incident with the mayor and it is worth it. It means she can connect with her mate sooner than normal and have his comforting mind washing with hers.
“Good morning, Connor.” She said happily while putting on some undergarments.
“Happy Birthday, Princess.” Just the touch of his mind eased her inner struggles away. Connecting with his mind is both intimate and calming to her as it is for him. “Are you ready to get your party underway?”
“Almost! I’m still packing my bag.”
“Be sure to only bring a change of clothes. You don’t need to bring anything else. Everything is prepared for your birthday.” He paused for a moment. “Can you tell that also to your parents for me?”
“Will do…” He cut the transmission as she latched the pack closed. Sarah carried the pack from her bed to the living room. As she finished putting on socks and lacing up the boots, she swung the brown backpack over her shoulder and left the house after making sure the front door was locked.
Sarah dreaded staying out in the cold for too long so she ran atop the fresh snow fast enough to not sink down below its surface. She made it to her parent’s house in record time and walked through the garage door without knocking. The inside was warm and toasty which is why she ran over here so quickly for. The lights were on in the living room. She shut the door saying “Mother? Father? I’m here!”
“We’re in here still getting ready.” Jack’s deep voice came from their bedroom. From his tone he was just as excited about all this.
Sarah sat her bag by the front door and sat quietly on the sofa that faced the front door. Her parents had already eaten a small breakfast and she also saw a little bit of steam coming from the bathroom. They just finished freshening up. Through the bond she announced “Connor will be here in about five minutes.”
“Thank you for the heads up.” Her mother acknowledged.
She then remembered Connor’s request. Sarah spoke loudly down the hall. “Connor also said to only bring a change of clothes with you. He said he has everything else prepared.”
Jillian poked her head out her bedroom door wearing a silly grin. “Really? Did he say what he prepared?”
She shook her head. “I’m as clueless as you are, Mother.”
Her head disappeared again after her eyes narrowed. For the next few minutes Sarah crossed her ankles together and waited. Jillian was the first to exit her bedroom with her tall mate right on her heels. She wore thick brown pants, heavy brown leather hiking boot
s, a red long sleeved shirt along with a thick brown parka with a hood. Her dark brown hair was tucked under the parka while her golden eyes were alert as ever. Jack wore a similar style, only his shirt was light blue. In his hands were two full backpacks. Jillian sat on the other sofa while Jack sat the bags next to Sarah’s by the front door.
Jillian’s golden eyes glistened as she said “Happy Birthday!” She got back up as did Sarah and they gave each other a hug. Her father caught her eye as he came over and wrapped his arms around the two of them. He also said “Happy Birthday, dear one.” and he kissed the top of his youngest daughter’s head.
As they released their hug Connor’s tires could be heard crunching in the snow on the driveway. Sarah smiled and said “He’s here. Let’s get my birthday started.”
Jillian smiled and patted her shoulder. “Excited, are we? Let’s go.”
Sarah grabbed her brown pack while her father easily grabbed the other two. She stepped outside with her father while Jillian closed and locked the front door. Connor was getting out of the truck as they started to walk towards his truck. He walked up wearing just a simple black sleeved shirt and black pants. His hair was finger brushed back and his piercing hazel eyes were softened as he gazed upon his wife. He smelled nice as he took the bag from her hands with a playful smile. She asked as he took the bag to put in the bed of the truck “Aren’t you cold?”
He tossed the bag in the rear and Jack followed him to do the same. He held the bed cover up with one hand and said “Not really, Princess. I love the cold for some reason. It’s better than the unbearable heat of the summer.” He smiled her favorite smile and she forgot the next question. He shut and locked the bed cover. “Hop in the cabin. It’s warmer in there.”
Enough said. She walked around the front of the truck and opened up the front passenger door. She then leapt into the front seat and closed the door behind in one quick motion. Connor was right because the cabin was comfortably warm. She put her hands to the vent and let the streaming warm air caress her chilled, slender fingers.
Jack and Jillian hopped into the back seat quickly through the back, driver’s side door. Jillian felt frisky and was mean when she put her cold fingers on the back of Sarah’s neck. Sarah jumped and squeaked which made her mother giggle all the more. She tried doing it again to Connor, but was stopped by his penetrating glare as he hopped inside the cabin, behind the wheel. At that Jack chuckled until Jillian put her cold fingers down his neck. Jack jumped instantly at the sudden feel of his mate’s icy fingers, much to her satisfaction.
“Ah, it’s good to be back.” Connor said via telepathy into Sarah’s mind. He smiled as he put the truck in reverse and then drove down the road.
About ten minutes later, and Jillian’s fingers were finally warmed and she couldn’t attack anyone anymore, Jack asked “Connor, could you tell us about this place that you found out in the woods?”
Connor looked in the rearview mirror for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. He then decided to change his tone to sound more confident. “I actually misspoke about finding the place.” Sarah looked at her mate’s strong jaw and lips as he spoke. “I actually created it all by myself. And only I can access it right now.”
Jillian leaned forward in her seat. “What do you mean by that?” She asked calmly, but her excitement filled the small truck cabin.
“You’ll see soon enough when we get there.” He smiled again in a way that said he wouldn’t budge. “Sit tight. We’ll be at the park in an hour or so.” Connor glanced at Sarah with his passionate eyes and it sent an erotic chill throughout her entire body. She hoped to never get used to such feelings.
An hour later they arrived at the park. This had been Sarah’s first time going to this specific forest. Getting out of the front seat, the cold air hit and she wanted so badly to get back in the cabin, but Connor did something special for her and her parents. She looked up and saw a clear blue sky on this chilly winter’s morning. All of the oak trees and some of the others were all barren of all leaves for the winter. The only green around came from the evergreen trees because they stay the same color year round. The park lay immersed in fluffy white snow. It was a beautiful sight. She thought to herself; This place would look great during the spring time with all flowers in bloom.
As Connor grabbed her bag from the truck and Jack did the same for his bag and Jillian’s, they heard a deep male voice in the distance. “Good Morning, Connor!” The middle aged slender man came up to them wearing a brown park ranger’s uniform along with a circular hat to keep his scalp warm. He also has a mustache that covered his entire upper lip like a furry caterpillar. Black leather gloves clad his hands and boots. He looked like a pleasant man to talk to.
Connor locked the covering to the truck and walked over to stand next to Sarah. With her bag strapped over his left shoulder he offered his right hand in greeting. “Good Morning, Bill.” Bill shook Connor’s hand as soon as he came close enough.
Pulling his hand back, Bill took off his hat. She then noticed that he was balding. “Well Son, this group doesn’t look like your usual weekend customers.”
He was right about that on so many levels he couldn’t understand.
Connor smiled. Jillian walked over to stand at Sarah’s right and Jack stood to her right as well. “I guess introductions are in order.” Connor started by pointing to Jack. “This is my father-in-law; Jack.” He then pointed at Jillian as she slipped her arms through the backpack straps. “This is Jillian, my sister-in-law.” Connor then put a loving arm around his favorite set of shoulders. “And this Bill is my lovely wife, Sarah. Today is her birthday and she always goes camping for her birthday.”
Bill smiled and shook her parent’s hands quickly with his gloved hand. As they shook hands next he said “Connor never said how beautiful you actually are, young lady.” He pulled his hand back. “You’re a lucky woman. Connor is the best man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”
Sarah grinned at Bill and then to her mate. “Why do you think I claimed him before some other woman dug her claws in?”
Bill smiled and chuckled. “That’s a good way to look at it, young lady.” Connor suddenly reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a fifty dollar bill and tried handing it over to Bill. The ranger looked from Sarah and up to her towering mate. Bill held his hand up. “Connor, how about we make a new arrangement between us.” Her love’s brow furrowed. “Since you have been coming here for the past six months and haven’t left the first piece of garbage, how about I come to you and collect the fifty if I ever find anything?”
Connor studied the shorter man for a moment. “I think I can handle that.” He put the money back in his wallet and then into his back pocket. “Thanks for that, Bill. It will save time for both of us.”
“Just have a good time out there.” Bill started walking away. “Be safe!” He waved goodbye and disappeared.
Connor stepped around to look at the three of them. His eyes were talking to Sarah, but he spoke to them all. “We’ll walk until we hit the trees. It will be a fairly long distance, but if we run we’ll arrive there in forty five minutes. Otherwise it’ll take three hours to find it.”
Jack said “That’s fine by me. I need to stretch out my legs anyway.”
Jillian nodded her sentiment.
As they walked behind Connor towards the tree line Sarah felt him in her mind. He seemed worried all of a sudden. “Princess, are you up for this? Will running harm the baby?”
Smiling inwardly she thought “Yes, I’m up for a nice run. Don’t you remember me saying that a Balancer can’t miscarry an unborn baby unless the child is struck from the outside of my abdomen? Don’t worry so much. Neither you or I will let anything strike my belly for the next year and a half.”
Connor looked over his shoulder to study her for a moment. He finally smiled her personal, private smile. “I didn’t forget, but I had to ask. Remember, I’m your protector?”
She smi
led back to him. “That’s one of the reasons that I fell in love with you, remember?”
As they were firmly hidden within the trees, their pace quickened. Sarah ran directly behind Connor because she drafted behind him so as to keep most of the freezing wind from biting her face and they easily avoided every branch and twig. The thing is, she wasn’t running at even a quarter of her full speed. She glanced behind and saw her parents struggling to keep up with their set pace. Sarah now knew why Connor wasn’t hurrying like usual. They were slowing to allow her parents to keep up.
The four of them were running atop the fresh snow that could be well over four feet deep and they didn’t even leave a single solid footprint that could be tracked. Connor vigilantly continued looking directly ahead and didn’t seem to need to look around his surroundings. They easily jumped over wide, frozen creeks and frigid streams. Then when Connor saw a landmark he immediately turned to the left without slowing. What was odd was that they were running alongside a deep ravine.
Connor finally stopped at about the forty five minute mark and turned around. The ground below is all hard packed snow and cold gray stone. As Sarah turned around she saw her parent’s in a new way. The two of them were panting heavily and sweating profusely as they dropped to their hands and knees. They were exhausted. It was strange because neither Connor nor Sarah were even slightly short of breath nor broke a single bead of sweat. Jack leaned back on his heels with his eyes closed as he continued trying to catch his breath. Jillian meanwhile stayed in the same position.
Jillian finally slowed her breathing and stated “The two of you are nuts!”
“You’re just now figuring that out?” Jack said in mild humor as he slowly got to his feet.
As Jack helped Jillian to her feet Sarah explained as politely as she could. “We were actually going slow; just for you to keep up. If we were running normally, we would have already made two complete round trips.” They stared at her dumbfounded. It was the truth, but they still couldn’t believe it.