Androshorts: Passion and Compassion

"Nick," I hissed leaning in and stroking her hair back from her face to kiss it, "Take a deep breath."

"Please," she said, desperately holding back tears, "I could see it... I could see what I was doing, I knew what I was saying was wrong but..."

"But now you've realised that it's what you were brought up with, you realised that you were turning into your Mum?"

"Bastard," she grinned wiping her eyes and giggling, "but yes, I could see why Dad hides from her and why she feels that everyone hates her."

"And why is that?"

She smiled,

"Probably because everyone does hate her, because she's such a nasty, opinionated cow." She pulled me to her, "But I don't want that to be me! Ricky, help me, please?"

"Of course!" I said stroking her cheek, "just look at how you've changed in the last three months!"

"I've changed?"

"Hell yeah!" I said with a beaming smile, "you play with Mikey! You hug him all of the time, You've played with Mikey in the bath IN YOUR UNDERWEAR! Your very sexy underwear I might add," I pulled her face down to mine and kissed her, "the old Nicola would have screamed the place down if someone she wasn't in a relationship with had seen her perfect arse beautifully dissected by black lace as she bent over the bath to splash her little boy." I started to kiss her quite passionately.

"Rick..." she said with some hesitancy but still moving her face around so I could kiss her cheeks, chin, and the bit she loved most, her neck, "I... I did that on purpose -- all three times," she closed her eyes as I kissed her lips, "don't get me wrong, I love bathing Mikey but it was just an excuse - I was horny! I felt hornier than I have in years."

"What? Horny in general or because of Little Ol' me?"

"You," she said, "Kind you," she kissed me, "Sweet you," another kiss, "Caring you," she kissed me again, "Warm and wonderful, hot bath with scented candles, wine and relaxing music you..." she put down her glass and knelt across on me again, settling in the same as she had the night before.

"On Friday night it was all I could do not to walk out of the bathroom naked and drag you to bed, but I felt so ashamed of how I'd treated you and here you were being your wonderful self again, I was so embarrassed."

"I wasn't sure Nick. I really wanted to, you were so fucking sexy but I was terrified I'd wreck it!" I reached around her and her tiny mini skirt had scrunched up tight around the tops of her thighs and raised it to stop it digging in and my hands on her great arse soon told me that she had removed her panties and that bare pussy was grinding against me, her arms around my neck.

She grinned rudely giving my shoulders a tiny shake,

"Do you realise just how long I stood in your bedroom on Saturday morning, waiting for you to come in so you could discover me bent over and tucking in Mikey, then later that morning waiting for you to come out of the bathroom and catch me just as I was taking off my nightie? The amount of time it takes me to pull my nightie down over my bottom when I get out of bed, considering I pull it up in the first place, the number of times I've flashed you?"

"You did all that?"

"Yeah!" she breathed with a giggle, "I'm so sorry Ricky."

"OK," I said, "don't worry."

"But..."

"But nothing, it doesn't alter the fact Nicky, you play with Mikey, you hug him as much if not more than I do, you're playing games with him, singing songs with him, reading books and not like you're trying to educate him - it's so lovely, that's the change Nicky."

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them,

"You remember when Mum was rude to you and you called her 'Maggie'?" I nodded, suppressing my grin, "Well, we had a bit of an argument after that."

"Thought you might have done," I took a deep breath, "I never meant to make life harder for you an..."

"It wasn't that," she said, her face pale for a moment, "She..." I could see that Nicky was holding in some real pain.

"Like Shrek says Nick, 'better out than in'."

"The real argument that had me storming out wasn't because you'd called her 'Maggie', it was because... because..." I could see the emotion swelling up along with her eyes, "Because she told me that I should take our break-up as an opportunity to be rid of both you and Mikey..." her voice petered out at the end of her statement.

"What?"

"She said that Mikey was such a drain on my life and my career, and I was far better off without him, and with your kind of income I could probably even get away with not paying any maintenance for him. She half closed her fluttering eyelids and adopted that fucking voice of hers, 'you'll be well shot of the pair of them DEAR - damned children, such a mistake I always think'." Nicky tried to smile through that.

"Fucking hell mate," I said, anything to break the tension in the room.

"Yeah, well I asked if by children, she meant me as well." Big fat tears were running down her face now, "well she admitted that while I wasn't planned, she had mostly enjoyed 'the challenge of raising me'. I said I was sorry to have been such a disappointment to her."

"Christ," I said pulling her even closer to me, "What a fucking charming woman."

"Yeah, she followed up that little pearl with how much she regretted not convincing me, cajoling me even, to have Mikey aborted when I first told her I was pregnant..."

"Wha..." She told me later just how my eyes opened wide and my nostrils flared.

"That's why I never told you about it Rick," she said hugging me this time, as she broke down in floods of tears.

"Fucking hell Nicky?" I said, "I can see why you moved out."

"I was so lucky Rick," she took the sleeve of my T-shirt and wiped her eyes with it, "I did regret not coming straight back here, but to be honest it was better that I didn't." I was treading very dangerous territory here so just smiled and nodded, "You know my friend Sophia, the girl I rent a room from?"

"We met a few times, you were chatting to her this morning."

"We've been mates ever since I've been teaching. She's the child psychologist that covers our school..." she looked down, "Well... when I started to live at her place she could see that all was not well. She noticed me as I watched how she was with her children," I could see Nicky's eyes close again, "She was so easy with her kids Rick, so playful with them; from her six year old up to the cool wannabe teenager, she doesn't just love them she enjoys them, so does her husband Pete."

"That's parenthood Nick," I said giving her a squeeze.

"Not how I was raised!" she hugged me back, "my first weekend there without Mikey and the revelation that not only did Mum not actually like him, that she wished..." she choked that one back, "well, it was so strange to watch all of them.

Once they were all in bed, Soph knocked the top off of a couple of beers and said that she saw my surprise in how they all played together." The next big tear ran down her face, "I explained that I had never really seen that kind of thing before and how different my growing up had been and..." she caught her breath, "then she said how firm and straight I always appeared with Mikey... and how I was still the only person that called him Michael!" her voice petered out some so I kissed her again and stroked her dark hair back from her pretty elfin face.

"Don't worry Bab... Nick," I added quickly.

"Please..." she gasped with a slight tremble of her bottom lip, "please call me 'Baby' again, like you used to?"

"OK... Baby," I said, and with a sighed 'Oh Rick' she was kissing me and reaching down, and unbuttoning and dragging down my shorts, then pulling out and then sliding on to the erection I hadn't really noticed I had, slipping easily into her flushed pussy and we made love sat on the sofa, tearing off our remaining clothes and clinging to each other like we'd never let go.

Ten minutes later and slowly catching our breath, still sat on my lap with me inside her she caught up with the story again.

"So Soph opened some more beers and asked me all about Mum, my childhood and all that, and I told her that I now knew that not only was I was an accident, Mum felt that Mikey should have been aborted.

She hugged me, and just made me talk, to say all of things on my mind and before you know it she's telling me lots of lovely stories about her kids and then backing it all up with the relevant psychobabble which of course all made perfect sense to my teacher brain.

The next morning little Charlotte is in my bedroom and dragging me down for family Sunday breakfast and didn't let go of my hand the whole morning, 'ask Auntie Nicky to read your book to you Charlie' I get next and before you now it I'm on her sofa with Charlie on my lap and reading 'The wonkey donkey' to three of her kids; they were the ones that taught me to make fairy cakes! Of course after a week of all of that interaction I just couldn't get to Mikey fast enough"

"I remember that Friday!" I said, "You were all over him!" even though the moment was perfect there was something I had to get off my chest, "I was really hurt," I said, "I couldn't see why you had never been that wonderful with him before you left and I figured... well I figured it must have been me."

"No!" she burst out holding my face and kissing me, "you must never think that," she was hugging me so tight, "I was in a bad place before and that was the beginning of my trip out of it Ricky, I promise!"

"Yeah," I grinned and let out a huge relaxing breath, "you were wearing those tight blue jeans and that blue top, you looked amazing. I was so jealous."

"Jealous of who?!"

"Whoever you were looking that fucking amazing for!"

She wiped her face and leaned back rolling her eyes, "that was..." she closed them, "it was for you!" she squeaked, I laughed to let her know it was OK. She leaned forward and kissed me yet again, "I'm glad you noticed; I'd had my hair and make-up done and everything - you were... SUPPOSED to ask me in for a drink or offer me dinner."

I thought back to that evening, indeed she hadn't appeared in any rush to leave but in my confused and quite angry state I'd just taken it as a 'just look how well I'm doing without you' statement.

She continued,

"After my great realisation, Soph had pointed out that apparently while you hadn't been perfect this was rather on me, and not only should I go straight to your place and if not actually apologise then at the very least explain -- she actually said I should in fact go down on my knees and ask for forgiveness, she did suggest I do something else while I was down there!"

"I always liked Sophia," I said with a smile pulling her now cooled body, virtually naked but for her scrunched up skirt still around her waist, back to mine.

"Yeah, well I didn't did I, my stupid pride wouldn't let me and I'd hoped some curves and some cleavage would do it and you'd just charm me back into your life, but you didn't."

"Sorry Nick..."

"No Rick, please!" she kissed me again, "Soph did warn me before I left; afterwards when I was sat in her kitchen crying, she said you blokes didn't go with the subtle stuff and if I wasn't going to actually say anything then I should just have brought a bottle of wine, sat on the sofa with you and took my skinny jeans off halfway through the second glass and taken it from there, but... I didn't.

Soph told me that much as I thought I was above all of that sort of thing, I was still suffering from post-natal depression and that was probably why I'd reacted so badly to you and your suggestion about me turning into Mum. She did say that there was a strong chance I was still a bit of a cow mind you, and I really should get back with you because you were such a nice guy, and before someone else got you.

Then of course Mikey told me that you'd gone out with an old friend, and... well, I put two and two together and somehow ended up with five, and it all got a bit sad after that and I was rather mean to you, so;" she raised herself up and took both of my hands in hers, "Eric Michael McDonald, please accept my apologies for what a mean and insensitive cow I was to you and how nasty I was, I have no excuse; if you can find it in your heart to forgive me I'd very much like to be in love with you again?"

"ARE you in love with me?"

"I never stopped being in love with you Rick," she said quietly, "when I say I'd like to be in love with you, what I mean is for us to be in love again, for you to be..." her face creased up and fresh tears appeared in her eyes, "for you to be in love with me?"

I was so touched that I pulled her back to me and we kissed, deep, hard and long,

"Nicola Margaret Fraser, I never stopped being in love with you either." Her face broke into the biggest smile, "but there is one change I will be insisting on;" she narrowed her eyes as I paused for effect, "will you marry me?"

"Yes please!" she said looking radiant.

We kissed, grinning like idiots and eventually laughing and hugging each other with so much released tension. I asked her if we couldn't take this discussion, the last of the wine and each other to bed and carry on where we had left off.

We did.

Laying in bed after making love again, we looked on the internet and using a couple of her other rings for sizing she chose her engagement ring, a bright emerald to match her bright green eyes and which also happened to be her birthstone. It arrived two days later and after we had finished our Friday night pizza, I called Mikey to me and whispered into his ear.

"Nicola?" I said and she peaked around the kitchen.

"Yes Babe?" She turned and looked across to me.

"You've got to come here Mummy!" said Mikey importantly.

"Wassup Baby Boy?" she said kneeling down to face our son and kissing his bright red cheek of course.

"Daddy wants to ask you something," he said with a big grin.

"Really?" she said turning to face me just the other side of Mikey.

"Nicola Margaret Fraser, will you marry me?" I tapped Mikey's shoulder and he held out the ring in its box.

"Oh my Boys!" she laughed in real delight, looking down at the collection of gems set in gold, "yes!" she gave me her hand, extending her ring finger so Mikey could take it out of the box and slip it on.

Mikey gave her a big kiss and a hug,

"Oh thank you Baby Boy!" She turned to face me, "and thank you Daddy," she put a very gentle hand to my cheek, "thank you for everything..." we kissed again.

We haven't actually set a date yet, but as soon as the lockdown allows, we'll be doing it. We had a skype chat with my parents who were delighted to see Nicky back in my life, and as we all three sat on the sofa Mikey was on her lap the whole time.

"Mummy's got something to show you Nanny!" said Mikey excitedly.

"Really Mikey, and what's that?" said Dad.

Nicky held up her hand to the camera and it was obvious the type of ring it was and on which finger

"Oh!" said my Mum, "Oh how perfect!"

Nicky and Mum chatted about weddings, and what kind of thing the bride-to-be wanted. While Nicky wasn't a terribly 'Churchie' kind of person that was the service she wanted, saying that she wanted to use the tiny church across the road from the school she taught at.

I could see that my Mum had picked up on the fact that Nicky's Mum wouldn't really want anything to do with the wedding in the same way she hadn't wanted anything to do with those first 'New Mum' moments.

While I was pretty sure the evil Mrs Fraser would come, I knew that any arrangements above the legal minimum would seem wholly pointless to her, the woman that had married her husband at a lunchtime Registry office ceremony and both had gone back to work afterwards.

Mum was kind enough to do this without pointing out the fact, nor asking how and why Nicky and I were back together again after months apart.

"Nix Darling?" said Mum, using the name for her that she always had.

Oooohkay, I thought, what was she going to do?

"Yes?"

"I'm guessing you don't have your mother's or a family wedding dress?"

"No," she said sadly, "My aunt had my Grandmother's one and after she'd worn it she gave it to one of her daughters who wore it, who then sold it to a friend."

"Oh what a cow!" said my Mum, "Well then," she stopped for a moment, "Eric? bugger off and make some tea and take Mikey with you. Nix, move closer to the screen honey..."

What was going down was my Mum emailing Nicky pictures of her wedding dress that even I knew still nestled safely in tissue paper in her spare bedroom, freshly laundered six years before when my sister had worn it to marry her husband.

By the time Mikey and I were allowed back, a beaming and tearful Nicky was chatting with Mum about other things they could arrange between them and how much my sister would love to be involved.

We were still only a fortnight into the lockdown and nothing was going to happen too soon that was for sure, but it cemented my parents further into Nicky's heart even more so than before.

That night, after putting Nicky to bed, I was in the kitchen and making more coffee,

"Ricky?" I could hear Nicky's 'I want...' voice.

"Yes Baby?"

"Come here, for a moment?"

I walked through to the our bedroom to find her sat at her dressing table, beautifully made-up, hair looking amazing and wearing a three line pearl choker, black stockings and suspenders, black heels and nothing else.

My mouth dropped open and I expected her to pull me to the bed. Instead she smiled, stood up and walked towards me, with a huge smile on her face.

"I've actually always wanted to dress up like this!" she giggled. She reached behind me, closed the bedroom door, then knelt in front of me, undoing and then pulling down my shorts and boxers. "I told Sophia that we were engaged today! She cried, but then insisted that I still have to do this..."

She took my stiffening cock into her mouth, and spent the most delightful five minutes sucking me before I came in her mouth. I said that Sophia should be invited to our wedding, seeing as she looked after us both so well.

At the end of our first lockdown month, I was putting clean laundry back into chests of drawers and I could see Nicky was routing through the small dressing table drawer that she'd emptied her toiletries bag into,

"Fuck," she hissed, "I'm out of contraceptive pills!"

"When do you need to start taking them?" I knew her period had stared a few days before.

"Tomorrow night, I was sure I had another strip!"

The strangest thing, I could remember one of the last things she did before our break-up was to receive a year's supply.

"Did you take them while we were apart?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said with some cringing embarrassment, "you see I always meant to come back to you! Our separation was only temporary, and I would soon be back in your arms and in your bed, and I'd need them. Sadly it took a global plague to get me here!"

"You can order some more online," I said, "or..."

She turned to face me,

"Or... what?"

"Or not," I confirmed, "I bet Mikey would love being a big brother."

"Eric McKenzie, you fucking beauty!" she hissed to me. She looked at her watch then back over her shoulder, "Mikey Baby? Time to get ready for bed!"

The following morning she was checking her other bags to make sure she really had no more pills, and picked up the kitchen pad we used for a shopping list.

"I'll need some more pads," she said, "my monthlies tend to be a bit more serious when I'm not on the pill."

"You should use the super-extra," I said using the same voice as the SNL comedian did on the TV adverts.

"Watched a few adverts and now you're a menstruation expert?" she said with a giggle.

"Yes, and I'll think you'll find I'm more that 'a bit' of an expert."

"Really?" she said folding her arms.