Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 09

Rik nodded, she was alright for now and so was he but at some point she would fall apart it was just a matter of time. He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't talk before she was ready and he would be ready when she was.

"You're waiting for me to fall apart aren't you?" she asked reading his mind. "Stop worrying because it's not going to happen. I'm sorry that I had to kill him, I didn't want to but he gave me no choice."

"I know that..."

"Hear me out." she interrupted, "while we were waiting for the others to come back, I took the time to think about what happened. When I was with him in that room, the doctor part of me was in control; I tried to find out about him and even offered him a way out. When he came after me, the doctor part of me disappeared and Veronica the kidnap victim and the one who loves her family took over and she doesn't feel guilty about what she did. So no more worries and I want you to stop feeling guilty." she said as she began to unbutton his shirt.

"You need to rest." Rik said but made no move to stop her from undressing him.

"I need you more than I need rest, I've missed you." she replied.

"And I you but you really should..."

"Be made love to." Veronica interrupted as she kissed his chest stopping to kiss each nipple as she wrapped her arms around his waist and stepped in close.

Rik tipped her face up to his and kissed her inhaling the scent of her, it came to him again just how close he had come to losing her. He deepened his kiss, pulled her even tighter against him, walked backwards to the bed, and sat when the back of his knees touched the side of the bed.

Vanessa straddled his lap and began to rub against Rik's hardness slowly at first and then building up speed. Suddenly they were both naked and touching each other wherever they could reach. Rik in a sudden move had Veronica beneath him. He looked deep into her eyes as he slid into her warm wetness and stilled, "never again will I let anyone near you." he swore and then be began to slide in and out of her almost frantically. Veronica's movements were just as frantic and they reached climax quickly. The second time Rik refused to be pleasured in any way; he wanted to devote all of his attention to Veronica. He ran the bathtub for her, helped her in and slid in behind her.

Veronica leaned back against his chest, closed her eyes and let the hot bubbling water soothe away the tension of the past hours. She only roused when Rik kissed her shoulder to wake her up, "Come, it is time to put you to sleep." Putting her to sleep consisted of a massage with warmed lavender scented oil with special attention paid to all of her erogenous zones beginning with her nipples. He took his time teasing and pulling on them until Veronica whimpered for him to stop teasing her. He massaged her soft belly bypassing her mound even though she raised her hips as a hint as to where she wanted his hands to go next. Rik ignored her and rubbed her legs all the way down to her feet before making his way back up to her waiting mound. He inhaled deeply and then planted a soft kiss at the top of her slit smiling to himself when she jumped. He opened her lips with his fingers, took a swipe and then latched onto her clit sucking and licking until she came with a scream that started low in her throat. When it was over, Veronica turned on her side and was fast asleep in seconds not waking until early evening. Rik lay awake watching her sleep and wondered if she was dreaming of the past hours when she occasionally jerked her hands as if she was trying to free them.

"I am here." he soothed as he stroked her hands until they relaxed.

*******

Ethan and Katrina sat up long after everyone else had gone to their rooms. Neither of them missed the way that Jamie had taken Victoria under his wing nor did the miss the way in which Victoria responded to him even though she didn't realize or understand it.

"He's going to have his hands full." Ethan remarked as he pulled Katrina into his arms.

"Somehow, I think he'll be able to handle her." Katrina replied, "Do you suppose someone else will come for us?" she asked changing the subject.

"It's possible." Ethan conceded, "We hurt a lot of people but for the moment all is well, come on, time for bed."

The house was quiet as they made their way to their rooms at the far end of the house. For the first time since the fiasco with Bradford began, the house felt at peace.

*******

Patrick and Kevyn were the first ones in the kitchen and were in the process of preparing food for everyone when Louise walked in followed by Nathan. She gave Kevyn a shy smile as she said good morning and offered to help make the meal.

"You sit." Nathan said as he held out a chair for her, "I'll help them, are you thirsty?"

Kevyn looked at Louise and then at Nathan but said nothing. It would only embarrass Louise and besides, she was an adult and it was obvious that Nathan cared for her. The next to appear was Luc and Vanessa followed by Victoria who was looking a little lost.

"What's wrong pumpkin?" Patrick asked.

"Nothing." she replied not understanding the reason for her mood.

Vanessa went to one of the kitchen counters and grabbed an envelope. "Jamie left this for you."

Victoria took the envelope already feeling better and quickly read the note before tucking it in her pocket. Patrick gave Vanessa a curious look and then understood when she winked at him. The last ones to show up were Rik and Veronica, which surprised no one. They went up to everyone, greeted and then hugged them whispering a heart-felt thanks in their ears.

Both Rik and Veronica gave Kevyn and Louise extra long hugs and welcomed them both to the family. Louise looked around the kitchen and began to wonder about them. Now that the dust had cleared, she had time she really looked at the people who were calling her family and then there was Nathan Sinclaire. No one, especially a man had ever paid so much attention to her and made her feel so safe. She and Kevyn needed to talk and soon.

Veronica caught Vanessa's eye and met her in a corner.

"What do you think about pushing the wedding back a few weeks?" Veronica asked, "So much has happened and I think it would be nice to get to know Kevyn and Louise better."

"I agree and after the past few weeks, I want and need a breather." Vanessa said, "how about a month?"

*********

One month later

Things had settled down back to some semblance of normalcy. Rik, Veronica, Luc and Vanessa stayed with Ethan and Katrina, which made planning the wedding easier. Rik and Luc's parents and family arrived two weeks before and opted to stay at Rik and Luc's home.

"There are so many of us and we would be underfoot when it came time to decorating the house for the wedding." Raquel Rik and Luc's mother said. "Are you sure? We have plenty of space." Katrina replied.

"I am certain." Raquel replied patting Katrina's arm.

*******

Rik kept a watchful eye on Veronica never letting her out of his sight for long. It wasn't until she got tired of it that he backed off.

"I'm fine now will you stop worrying?" she asked.

"Your sleep... it is disturbed." Rik replied and that was all he got out.

"I'm a restless sleeper but I'll make you a promise, if I feel like I'm having problems I'll tell you but you have got to stop hovering. Deal?"

Seeing that he really had no other choice, he agreed.

*******

The evening of the wedding had arrived. The entire house was abuzz with activity and the aromas of food cooking filled the air. The rooms will filled with fresh flowers and soft music came from the sound system, the atmosphere was a happy one, even Caesar Ethan's head chef had a smile on his usually somber face.

Victoria pranced around in her lilac colored dress with matching shoes. She felt like a grown up and she was looking forward to seeing Jamie who still insisted on calling her "squirt" she always fussed about it but in reality she liked the nickname. In less than two hours time she would have an entirely new family to get to know, already under their tutelage she was speaking French almost fluently and was learning Latin and whatever other languages any of them knew.

She ran over to the room where Vanessa and Veronica were getting ready for the wedding. Just as they did when they were children, they fixed each other's hair and applied each other's make up. Their white dresses were hanging side by side in the closet with the matching shoes on the floor. Victoria sat on a chair and watched with growing excitement, one day she would be getting ready for her own wedding and she hoped that she would be half as beautiful as her sisters were.

The entrance of Katrina and Raquel the mother of the groom interrupted her musings. Each woman gave Victoria a warm smile before turning her attention to the brides.

"So beautiful!" Raquel exclaimed as she hugged and kissed each twin.

Katrina couldn't help but agree with the assessment although she knew that she was biased. She dabbed at her eyes determined not to cry and mess up the makeup that she so rarely wore. As she helped Vanessa with her dress, she realized that she had kept her promise; her girls were safe, loved and happy.

*********

Ethan and Henri the father of the grooms had their hands busy keeping the anxious grooms calm, especially Rik. Ever since the kidnapping, he grew anxious if Veronica was out of sight for more than five minutes. Ethan knew that Rik still felt guilty about that night and went through great pains to reassure him. He finally gave up deciding that it was something that Rik was going to have to work through with Veronica.

While Henri kept the grooms company, Ethan walked around the grounds making sure that everything was ready. He also wanted a few minutes alone before he gave his girls away. As he walked, he thought about the past and how far they had come as a family and where they were headed. He would always regret the manner in which they were conceived but other than that, there was nothing that he would change. He caught sight of Mason sitting between Jamie and a very uncomfortable looking Toni who was due about any time. Next to them sat Martin, Rachel, their youngest son and then Nathan with his arm around Louise who looked uncertain as to how she should be reacting to the attention. He knew that Nathan had already talked with her but as far as he knew that's as far as it had gone. The fact that she was still here and hadn't gone running told him that it was only a matter of time before they mated.

He looked around to see who else had arrived. He smiled and waved at Eustace and Gretchen noticing the small bump of Gretchen's stomach. Patrick and Kevyn had just arrived and were making a beeline for the empty seats next to Louise. This, he realized was really happening, he was giving their babies away and in a few years they would be doing it again with Victoria. Lumps formed in his throat... their babies were no longer babies. He took a deep breath as a tear made its way down his cheek, in a few minutes he would be giving his and Katrina's babies away. "But they're not babies." he murmured as he wiped away another tear.

The servers had just finished setting up the table when the music began. Ethan went back to check on Rik and Luc and was pleased to see that Rik had calmed down considerably.

"He talked with Veronica." Luc said slapping Rik on the back.

Ten minutes later, Ethan and Katrina were tearfully walking their daughters down the aisle, an hour later it was over and Ethan was dancing the first of the father/daughter dances with Vanessa while everyone watched. As he swung Vanessa in a circle, he saw Jamie dancing with Victoria. She was standing on his feet as he held her hands to keep her steady. Ethan smiled, Jamie would be good for Victoria and she would keep him on his toes. He was glad that it was Jamie as opposed a stranger. He wouldn't worry so much.

Ethan spun Vanessa around, kissed her cheek just as the song ended, and then took Veronica's hand as he handed Vanessa off to Luc. Something told him to enjoy the time of peace and happiness while it lasted, that somewhere another wronged mate or female would make an appearance. He pushed the knowledge out of his mind; it had no place in the present. Today was a day of celebration, a day of new beginnings; they would deal with it when and if it came.