Homecoming

He looked so upset, I went and wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned against his back. “So you need to head home? I got those pictures you wanted. So I guess my job here is done as well.” He turned his head to look at me, a spark of interest lighting his eyes, I quashed his though with, “But after that fiasco yesterday, I think it’s best if we make our own ways back to the states. You’ve got enough on your hands to deal with without having to explain me.” I winked. “I’m good at being unobtrusive and in the background.”

He sighed and nodded, but diddnt look too happy about it. “My agent said Now. So I’d better pack it in.” he turned in my arms and wrapped me up in his own, hugging me close. “I don't want to leave you here, but I have to.” he looked me in the eyes. “Stay as long as you want with Markus, then come home.” His mouth descended onto mine one last time before he left to get dressed and go back to his work, leaving me standing there in the middle of the bedroom, alone.

After Kiefer had left to appease the Gods of Entertainment. I tried to get a few more disks full of pictures for the photo shoot. I even rode La Sombra back down to that hidden paradise and relaxed under the wide palm fronds where our first tryst took place. I even swam naked in the cool waters of the mediteranian.

My heart just wasn't in it. I wandered around for a bit, taking the odd picture now and again but it was no use. The only thing that broke the spell was the night Markus knocked on the door to the guest house and asked for my help. One of his mares was having difficulties giving birth and he needed a spare hand in getting the foal turned in the right direction.

Nodding, I tossed on a pair of pants and a tank top. Racing with him side by side, we hit the stable door at the same time, heading for the stall that had all the lights on around it. I looked at Markus. “You’re going to have to talk me through this, I’ve never done this before” I said as we both edged into the stall.

“Just talk to her, pet her. You handled La Sombra when most of my people would have panicked and gotten someone killed. I have faith in you, Diane. You can do this.” he stared into my eyes with his gold flecked green ones, then he grinned. “Tomorrow I’ll even let you get photos of these two for Kiefer’s collection.” he winked.

And so it went. Using my softest voice and the most gentle of touches, I managed to keep the mare distracted while they turned the foal and got it started in the right direction. Two hours later a healthy blood bay colt was born. Markus handed me a towel to clean him off and rub him down. Then he started speaking softly, telling me how to clean the nostrils and air ways. When it took the first wobbly steps to his first meal, we both backed out of the stable to let mom and son have their bonding time.

Markus looked at me and said, “You have a way with horses that I’ve never seen before.” he walked me back down the path back to the guest house. “Thank you for your help with El Sol. And when the sun comes up. You can take all the pictures you want of the two.”

I smiled quietly after wiping my hands off. Then I looked at him. “I’ve always had a thing for horses. But I never considered myself to have a way with them.” I shrugged. “I think I have some disks left in my bag.” I sighed and looked at the door to the guest house. “Don't take this the wrong way, Markus. But...” and he put his fingers to my lips, silencing my next words.

“Your heart is with Kiefer. Without your heart, all that should bring you joy is faded and things are dull without him. Yes?” He smiled and traced a finger over the scar on my face. “I saw it in his eyes the moment he caught you looking at him at the pool hall.” he chuckled. “He looked like a stunned ox when he saw you across the room. I think he still bears some guilt for not acting quickly enough to keep from having this happen.” the finger still touched the scar.

I raised my hand to his cheek and smiled. “You’re a good friend, Markus. You’re like a little old man in a young body. You’re like a big brother in some ways and a huge mischief maker in others.” I grinned a bit, then sighed. “You’re right tho. It’s like nothing is fun anymore. When Kiefer told me he had to go right then and there, I was ready to chew on someone for interrupting his vacation.”

I turned and looked out towards the cliff and the ocean below it. “I think he wanted to take me back to LA with him and I told him no because he had too much to do without the hassle of having me along for tongues to wag about.” I winked up at him, “Besides, I take a certain sadistic delight in becoming invisible to the paparazzi.” that earned me a chuckle. “Seriously, tho. I would like to head home tomorrow evening if possible after I get those pictures you promised.”

He nodded. “Your hotel bill is paid in full and everything is ready for you to be on a plane at 6 pm tomorrow evening.” The shock must have shown on my face because he laughed and said, “Kiefer suspected that the busybodies may have your old flight number and time of arrival three weeks from now. So they wont be expecting you back until then. If we get you on that plane tomorrow, you’ll be home two weeks earlier than planned. Now, get in there, go hit the jaccuzi, and get some sleep. You’ve got a busy day tomorrow.” With that he gently pushed me in the door and closed it.

Five days later, I was walking through the crowds at LAX after a long and emotionally exhausting flight home. I was like a zombie going through the motions of getting back to my apartment. I even overtipped the cabbie after he stopped in front of my place. I had a sense of de javu as I walked in the door to an empty room.

This time, however, I was lugging all my gear that I had brought home. Included in the stuff were a few things that Markus gifted me with. Tapestries for the rooms, the polar bear rug. A bottle of very dusty, and very old wine. And, suspiciously enough, a wooden box made of olivewood. It was elegantly carved in some ancient spanish scrollwork design and about as big as a breadbox. I was not to open that until I managed to be alone.

It took me two trips from the front door to get everything up into the apartment. I had to smile at the rug, tho. Customs had a fit when that came through. But Markus made sure I had the appropriate permits to have it and a bill of sale from him to smooth the way. So now it was in my empty bedroom.

I was too tired to do much else other than to double lock the front door, shed the clothes, and collapse to sleep. Let tomorrow’s hassles come tomorrow. I was sleeping and damn the first person that called or pounded on the door. Sleep sucked me under before I could think too much longer on the has beens of life and wh at tomorrow was going to be like.

I woke up around noon the next day. I was tired, gritty, sore and my mouth tasted like someone had superglued gunk into it. Blech! It was time to get cleaned up and refreshed. I ignored the bleakness of my surroundings and went to the shower for a long soak. I was determined not to let depression rule my life and by god I was going to work myself to exhaustion today to prove it.

After the shower, I rummaged around and found the oldest pair of pants and a brown T-shirt to put on over my wet body and a pair of well-worn sneakers on my feet. Generally speaking, I go barefoot around the apartment, but not today. I was going to be busy redecorating. I couldn't very well leave all those boxes of stuff laying out in the middle of my apartment, now could I?

I went into the kitchen and started some easy finger food, then got busy with the tapestries. Those were easy to put up and they added a wonderful splash of color to the otherwise bare walls. There were even a couple of them that went into the empty bedroom. I say empty because before I met Kiefer Sutherland that fateful night. I had just broken up with the current boyfriend. It wasn't pretty and the resulting legal action had him taking everything that wasn't nailed down.

The only reason I got to keep some of the stuff is that I could prove, aka had the dated receipts for, that I had them before I met him. That left me the cameras, computer equipment, a futon and all my clothes. And very little else. Before I left for Spain, this place was nothing but pastel blue walls, hardwood floors, and windows with towels for curtains.

Now, however, there were earth-tone colored tapestries hanging from the walls. In the bedroom were deep blue colored ones. Matching curtains hung from windows and throw rugs were covering the floor. The precious polar bear rug was the centerpiece of my bedroom. Heh. It wouldn’t fit anywhere else. And it was too precious a memory to have it laying out where everyone could stomp on it.

I stopped for a lunch break and hit the answering machine I had hooked up to the phone. It was full of tabloids, news crews and the sleeze guys wanting interviews. There were one or two messages that I took the numbers down, one was from Fred. My manager, friend, and contact. Oh, did I forget to mention he was my brother as well? Anyways, most of the numbers I took down, other than my brothers’, were basically the utilities and at least one from a lawyer saying that he got his fees paid and thanked me for my patronage.

The next task that took up most of my afternoon was all the photos I took. For the first time since Kiefer left me standing in guest room in Spain, I had found something that occupied all of my concentration. It was the only thing that would make the world beyond the computer system go away until I was finished. I wanted the layout and the presentation to be just perfect. Or as perfect as my computer could make them.

There were one or two photos that I would be keeping to myself instead of presenting them with the rest of the set. Those would be hung in the bedroom for my eyes only. The rest, as I said, would go into Kiefer Sutherland’s private photo collection. I even added a couple of the best pictures of the new colt. I managed to get the entire setup printed out in glossy photographic color before I realised what time it was. Midnight.

Stretching I felt my back pop and snap, relieving the pressure that always happens when I spent too much time at my computer. I finally got up the guts to go look at my E-mail basket and answer messages from that area. Same garbage, different tune. People wanting exclusive, wanting me to confirm or deny rumors about things. I hit the delete button so many times I got a cramp in my finger.

I almost deleted the one from Markus until my bleary eyes noted the name and where it originated. Smiling, I opened the message. Basically it was a message saying the usual. That I got home okay, was everything fine, did I need anything?. That usual stuff. Until I got to the very end of the letter. It read:

Diane, the colt is doing wonderful thanks to your help in giving it life. To honor this occasion. I would like you to give LaSombra’s son his own name. You took the pictures and know what he looks like. See what you can come up with. Just don't wait too long because I need it for the lineage papers. *P.S. No, you can’t name him Kief either. So get that silly thought out of your head!*

I had to laugh and shake my head. He already knew me too well for words. I hit the reply button and picked up the photo of the newborn colt that had just finished printing. I looked at it from all angles, at least the angles I could see and it hit me. I typed a reply really fast, telling him that I’m fine, weather’s great, thanks for the gifts, etc. At the end I wrote: The colts’ name is Red Dawn.

I signed it and sent it back to him with a grin. After finishing with my computer, I shut it down and glanced at the clock. 3 am in the morning. Sheesh. I had been working my tail off for almost 24 hours. No wonder I was yawning so much. I showered the dust and dirt off of me from the day’s work and slipped on an old T-shirt that hung to my thighs.

I wandered around the apartment one final time before checking the windows. Smiling, I spotted three of the reporters right off the bat. It took me a few more moments to spot the rest of them. I must be really important if I can get six reporters all in one place at one time. But, just to be on the safe side, I grabbed the digital with the long telephoto lense. I got pictures of the photographers, the vehicles they were driving and even the license plates. Yes, I am that good and my equipment is even better.

That done, I went into the bedroom and laid down on the bearskin rug, letting myself finally relax. But, then again, I couldn't. There was the faintest hint of vanilla oil that reminded me of that night. I ran my hands over the the white fur and moaned. My fingertips started to tingle with memories. I sat up, pulled off my t-shirt, and laid back into the soft caress of polar bear fur.

I let my mind and my hands wander over my naked flesh. In my mind’s eye, it was Kiefer who was touching me. Watching me silently as his fingers caressed my nipples to rock hardness. I began to squirm as his/my other hand moved down between my legs and began slowly moving fingers in and out of the inviting wetness. It was his eyes that stared intently as one hand continued it’s ministrations on my nipples while the other inserted a third finger and began using a thumb to caress the clit. Thrusting hard against those fingers, the orgasm burst over my skin like a starburst over the water.

I don't know if I screamed or yelled or not. All I know is that when I opened my eyes. I was alone in my room with three fingers between my legs and a hand roughly pinching one of my nipples. Disappointments was like a knife in my body and I rolled over to curl up in a ball as tears rolled out of my eyes and soaked into the fur. I went to sleep like that. Alone, and with only the smell of vanilla oil and my sex to keep me company.

This routine was the pattern for the next several days. It took my brother, Fred, coming over and pounding on my door to break me out of the doldrums that had plagued me ever since I got back. My brother is about 6 ft 2 and is a pretty handsome guy. At least, according to the women who have seen him. To me, he’s just an overly obnoxious brother who is also my manager. Go figure.

“Gimme that layout and take Little Brother for a ride!” he growled the first thing as he stepped in the door. “You’ve been hiding out here long enough and those reporters are not going to go away.” He paused and looked around the room. “Wow, sis. What in hell did you do during your trip to Spain?”

I had to smile at him. “Just about everything you can imagine, Fred. But I’m allowed my little secrets as much as you. So don't bother trying to pry.” I winked at him, knowing that my teasing irritated him most of the time. But I couldn’t help myself. I turned around and handed him a package. “This is for the client that wanted the photos of the Andalusian horses. Included in the whole package is the black Andalusian he wanted. You can collect on the bonus.” I managed not to grin idiotically or have trouble speaking. See? I can act normal when I need to.

Fred took the package gently and eyed me intently. “I mean it, sis. Get the hell out of dodge for a while. I’ll cover for you. Officially, you’re now unavailable for anything. If I have to make up a deathly ill story to go along with it.” He then set the package aside and drew me into a brotherly embrace. He grinned. “By the way, you look good on a horse, you know that, don’t you?”

At my confused look he pulled out a tabloid that showed me on LaSombra as he was bashing someone’s jaw with a hoof. I groaned. “Crap!” I diddnt even bother looking at the captions or anything, it was clear that Kiefer Sutherland was off to one side. I facepalmed and shook my head. “If I ever get my hands on the asshole that thought up the idea of prying into people’s lives, I’ll strangle him.” I looked at my brother who was grinning like an idiot. “And I can just tell you’re enjoying the hell out of it.”

He started laughing outright, “Actually, sis. It isn't funny, but your reaction is.” he grinned, then made shooing motions with his hands. “I reserved a cabin for you up in the rockies at a tiny resort. No paparazzi, no depression, nothing to remind you of anything. Consider it my bonus to you for putting up with me for forever.” he grinned. “Oh, and just to keep you on your toes? I’ve arranged for you to get snowboarding lessons while you’re up there.” He laughingly handed me the reservation stuff , then danced out of the apartment just as a flying pillow hit the door.

I looked out the window just in time to see him get mobbed by the reporters. I sighed, then tossed the tabloid in the trash. I was pondering things when I glanced at the box that Markus had given me. I was alone, or as alone as I was going to be. so I took it down and sat ont he futon and made myself comfortable. I hated surprises, but I trusted both Markus and Kiefer to keep from giving in to any really nasty surprises.

I opened the box and peered inside. In the light of the lamp behind me, nestled in a crushed black velvet lining were several things. First thing that came out was a pair of pewter goblets. You know, the types that when you put them side by side, the dragons around the stems form a heart? Yep, those types.

In a small pouch off to one side was a keychain made out of braided horsehair and seashells. I could just see Markus grinning like an idiot when he made this. I diddnt have to be psychic to know which two horses gave a bit of their tail for this item. I immediately attatched my harley keys to the new keychain and patpatted it down.

Curiously, there were a pair of well worn gloves in the bottom of the box. They seemed to be purposefully holding something in their cupped palms. With gentle hands, I withdrew the gloves and the item out of the box. I slowly opened the gloves and gasped as I saw what was held in the palms. It was a rose carved out of a large chunk of red tigereye. No stem, just the head of a fully bloomed rose.

I smiled with joy for the first time since i had gotten back. Right then and there, I decided to take my brother’s advice and get going. The place was up in the Rockies somewhere. The packet he left gave directions. Not wasting anymore time, I packed the saddlebags, and dressed up in full leathers for the trip. I packed the goblets and the gloves, only then taking a good look at them.

They were well worn rodeo gloves. But the difference was the name that was newly embroidered on the backs of each glove. The right was my name and the left was Kiefer’s. I just shook my head. Those two were impossible. Almost as if I had two men as lovers instead of one.

I locked up the apartment and waved at the landlord, telling him I was gonna go hit the road for a few days. I handed him the rent for the next six months and winked. “Think you can keep these camera happy idiots happy while I escape, Joe?” Joe was a retired cop and took great delight in giving interlopers a really hard time. He laughed and said, “Anything for you, sweetie.” The gleam in his eyes told me that there was going to be mayhem happening in a few minutes.

“Just get them to concentrate on you and I’ll take little brother out the secret entrance.” I said, “Then you can get them arrested or whatever you want.”

He nodded. “They all need ot have their asses kicked.” he reached around the door for the paint ball rifle he kept around for the gangers. I laughed and watched him open the front door and start firing. Hideous pink paintball splatters hitting humans and vehicles alike. I took advantage to slip out the back and get myself and Little Brother out of there the back way.

The harley started on the first kick, which made me a happy lady. I pulled on the gloves and my helmet, then decided to go one up on the photographers. I rode up to the next street, turned right, then turned right again and paused. I was watching the fun from where I was sitting. Chaos would be too kind of a word for the things that were happening.