Change

Part troubleshooter, part diplomat, and part enforcer; JR had been elevated to a position that provided oversight to joint research projects between DARPA and those of America's allies around the world.

This current assignment, working with the Australian military on research focused on the development of anti-freeze proteins, which in theory, would enable soldiers to function much more effectively in artic conditions, would terminate in approximately nine months. JR would then be rotated back to DARPA headquarters, where everyone fully expected him to be offered the position of Director.

Shortly before their move from the condo in California to College Station, Rockie had received the information about applying for a patent for her Secret Chaperone application, as well as initial details on what role she could potentially play in support of Interpol. JR had listened as Rockie spent hours in discussions with the lawyer to ensure that the application for a patent was prepared in such a way that future enhancements or additional features to the application would be covered by it, without delaying its licensing.

Rockie had never gone to work directly for Interpol. JR's dad and his lawyers had helped her set up her own company that would have all the internationally recognized security certifications to establish and maintain the legal credibility that Interpol and other law enforcement agencies would require to act upon the data that her company would supply them.

Once her company was established, the first enhancement that Rockie made to the Secret Chaperon application was to add a new feature. If the Secret Chaperon encountered a suspicious contact attempt on their child's device, they could simply copy the user name into the "Report This" field. The data would immediately be directed to one of Rockie's own servers, where the routing of the user name within the particular e-mail or social media account would be analyzed.

In the last twelve years, through the Secret Chaperon application alone, Rockie's company had facilitated the arrest and conviction of more than fifteen thousand pedophiles, child predators, child pornographers and sex traffickers. Her Dark Web analytics had been instrumental in the tracking and arrests of another twenty-one thousand people for crimes ranging from illegal drug sales to contract murder. In most cases, the criminals never suspected that their internet activities had been tracked and used to identify them.

JR paused in the kitchen to observe his children as they worked together. He had agreed with Rockie that they were probably too young to have them wash the dishes by hand, but not too young to learn how to load the dishwasher.

"Who's turn is it to put the soap in?" he asked.

"Mine," said Jimmy at the same time that Jamie said, "His."

JR poured another glass of wine for Rockie and made himself another cocktail as he watched Jimmy add soap to the dispenser on the dishwasher's door, and then stand back to let his sister close the door. Jimmy replaced the soap container under the kitchen sink while Jamie pushed the correct buttons to select the wash cycle and start the dishwasher.

"Homework tonight?" JR asked as he prepared to carry the drinks back to the table.

"Yes," the twins said in unison.

Jamie added, "Mom says that we will have a math quiz tomorrow so we need to study for it"

"We're going to do flashcards for each other," Jimmy informed his dad.

"That sounds like an excellent plan," JR told them. "I'll let you know when it's time to get ready for bed."

"Thanks, Dad," came the synchronized reply.

Being twins, his children naturally had similar appearance; curly red hair, their father's hazel eyes and their mother's slender, athletic physique. While they might look alike, both had also embraced the differences between them, and each established an individual personality that complimented the other. For example, Jimmy had become the protector of Jamie, while Jamie had become the nurturer of Jimmy. These traits weren't exclusive for either child, but they had recognizably become dominant for each.

Handing Rockie her glass of wine, JR remembered their conversations on the subject of children that occurred the first night that they had spent together in the rental house that Rockie had found for them in College Station. It was in January of 2015, almost exactly a year before their wedding.

"Are you sure that you want to wait that long?" JR had asked. "I thought having kids while a woman was in her twenties was better."

"Better how?" Rockie asked.

"I understand that women who give birth during their twenties have a lower chance of miscarrying and of conditions like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and high blood pressure."

"Maybe so, Dr. Brandt," Rockie countered, "but a recent study shows that women who have children in their thirties tend to live longer. In fact, it said that women who had their last child after age thirty-three were twice as likely to live past ninety-five compared to women who had their last child before their thirtieth birthday."

"I want you around as long as possible, so babies in your thirties wins as far as I'm concerned," JR told her.

Rockie had held out until she was thirty-one. They had agreed that they wanted to have two children, and thought that a four-year age difference would be a good range to shoot for. They got a fourteen-minute age difference instead.

JR didn't sit back down at the table after handing Rockie her glass of wine.

"Do you want to get more comfortable with me on the couch?" he asked.

When Rockie looked up and smiled at him, he pulled out her chair so she could stand and join him. She picked up her glass of wine with one hand and took JR's free hand in her other. Leading him to the couch, she set her glass onto a coaster.

"If I'm going to get comfortable with you, I'm going to get really comfortable," she said. "I'll be right back."

Realizing what Rockie was implying, JR said, "Hold on, I'm coming with you."

Rockie turned and started running towards their bedroom, with JR in pursuit. Her progress was slowed by her attempts to remove her shirt along the way.

Once in the bedroom together, much of their urgency abated. JR and Rockie stared in each other's eyes as they undressed, sharing smiles and looks that communicated things that only a couple as in love as they had been for the past thirteen years would recognize.

Rockie finished first and went to their closet. Opening the door to access the hooks on the inside surface, she removed two black silk robes. She handed the larger of the two robes to JR before putting hers on and tying the knot around her waist.

JR put his own robe on, feeling the fabric as it caressed his skin. This was only the second time he had worn this robe. Both robes had been Rockie's gift to him yesterday for their twelfth anniversary. His robe was for him to enjoy the feel of silk against his skin. Her robe was for him to enjoy the feel of her silk-clad body against his skin. Win-Win.

JR had opted for the modern twelfth-anniversary gift and given Rockie a pearl necklace and matching earrings.

Neither had very much opportunity to appreciate the fabric last night because each had craved the more sensual feeling of their skin against each other instead. That was something that they had always appreciated.

"All set?" JR asked.

"Ready, willing and able," Rockie replied, walking over to where her husband stood.

Placing her arms around his neck, she raised her right foot off the floor, sending a silent signal to the man who knew her so well. In response, JR's hands went to her sides and lifted her until her face was even with his.

Wrapping her legs around JR's waist, Rockie did everything that she had learned over the years to convey her love, passion, trust, need, and desire through her lips as she brought them to JR's.

"How many times over the years had the two of them been in this exact position?" wondered Rockie as her tongue performed its ritualistic dance with JR's. "Not enough", was the only answer that came to her mind.

In the twelve years that they had been married, she and JR had never spent a single night apart, and every one of those nights, they had made love. Not always sex, but always some intimate moments spent just between the two of them before slumber arrived. Always a lingering kiss goodnight; sometimes only a few caresses instead of cuddling if one or the other wasn't feeling well, or if the twins were sleeping with them.

The kiss broke, but JR didn't set Rockie down. Instead, as was also a custom, he shifted her body until he was cradling her in his arms so he could carry her. Walking back out to the living room, he gently settled her body onto the couch before sitting beside her.

Rockie let JR get settled before taking his arm, placing it around her shoulder and positioning his hand over her silk covered breast. He would know what to do from there. After all, the children were still up.

"Are we going to have to reciprocate this weekend for the Dunn's?" JR asked. "If so, maybe we can take Geoff and Heather to the zoo with us."

Paul and Maggie Dunn were neighbors whose own children were a year on either side of the twins, at five and seven. The two families had been swapping babysitting duties for each other for more than a year. The Dunn's had watched the twins last night while JR and Rockie had celebrated their anniversary, so it would be expected that they would be watching the Dunn's children next.

"I think it would nice to offer," said Rocky. "Maybe Paul and Maggie would want to come as well, or they could enjoy the time to themselves."

"I'm glad that we met the Dunn's," JR said. "I hope that we can stay in contact with them when we return to the States."

"Me too," Rockie agreed. "Not making friends at each location that we have lived didn't seem so important before the twins were born, or even when they were younger. Now I think we need to set an example for them to help develop lasting relationships with people outside their immediate family."

"I know that one of the things that I treasured most about my childhood, was the stability that we had," JR said.

"That's why I'm questioning whether accepting a promotion that requires us to live near headquarters is the best thing where the twins are concerned."

"Why? I thought that you were okay with the promotion if it was offered to you."

"My home will always be wherever you and the twins are, Sweetie. So, tell me, do you see us living in Virginia, at least until Jimmy and Jamie are through with high school?"

"It wouldn't be my first choice, but I could deal with it. Remember, I didn't have the stable childhood that you had, and I survived."

"We both want our kids to do more than just 'survive' their childhoods," JR said. "Put yourself in their shoes, and then tell me what your first choice would be."

"You already know what my choice would be. I have seen the benefits of having a loving and supportive extended family through yours. I would want the twins to experience that as well. Cousins, grandparents, great aunt and uncle, and depending on where Katie eventually settles down, an aunt as well. Plus, the community around them is almost like an extension of the whole family."

"I..." JR began. The ringing of a cell phone caught his attention.

"Is that your phone or mine?" Rockie asked.

JR moved to rise from the couch, "Mine. You left yours on vibrate. Hang on."

JR reached the cell phone and unplugged it from the charger on the third ring. He checked the display to see who was calling as he walked back to the couch.

"Hi Katie-kins," he answered, and then activated the speaker so that Rockie could hear.

"Are you calling to wish us a happy anniversary?"

"Oh, JR, I forgot that you were a day ahead. "I'm sorry. Happy belated anniversary."

JR and Rockie could hear faint traffic noises in the background, so they assumed that Katie was driving and using the hands-free Bluetooth connection in her car.

Katie tried harder than anyone else in the family to keep in contact with JR, Rockie and the twins. She never failed to call at least once a week, and always made a point of speaking to each of them individually to get a personal update from each. The curious thing was that Katie had just spoken with all of them three days ago.

"No worries," Rockie said. "I'm usually a day early for birthdays and stuff. How is everything?"

"Not too good right now," Katie told them.

"I just shot a man."