Justin Thyme - The House

"I insisted your mother keep the Winters name so that whenever she signs something it will be Mary Winters Meechum. He is a part of her. He gave his life to save mine, besides being a great friend to me in the squad. I would die before dishonoring him or his memory, but it's hard to talk about."

Tom felt a tear trickled down the side of his head, through the hair, and squeezed.

"Thanks, Dad."

* * *

Sam Johnson had been quite the diarist. None of his journals were diaries, as we normally would think of them, but were compendiums of his day to day activities, meetings, and other business matters. None of it was inconsequential at the time, though of course were mostly of little note now. I was about to close the third journal I flipped through and go find something more productive to do when my eye was caught by Carlos Rios' name. Where did I know that name from? Suddenly it came to me. That was the name in the last ledger in the desk. Indian chief. Tohono O'odham, if I remembered right.

I heard rustling behind me and slammed the ledger shut as I turned around, suddenly aware of my nakedness and inability to defend myself.

* * *

"Do we really have to go back?" Susie lifted her head from Michael's heaving chest. "If I had known it was going to be this good, I would have kidnapped you and eloped months ago."

"Maybe I want to get back? You're going to kill me if we keep this up. Remember we were going to go back out to the beach three hours ago? You're insatiable, girl."

"Umm. And you know you love it." Susie's short hairs brushed across Michael's chest. She lifted her head, then crossed her forearms under her chin and looked into his eyes. "You know, Mikey, I used to be jealous of Steph. The way she and Justin are so free with each other, but now I'm glad we waited."

"I remember how badly you didn't want to wait."

Susie dropped her eyes, blushing. "And I was so wrong, and it hurt you. That hurt me more than you know. That showed me, though, what kind of man I have. Someone who loves me for me and not just my body, and I know I never have to worry about you. It made this week so sweet and rich. A while ago, you said you were sorry that I wouldn't want to wear a bikini anymore, because of my scars. That's not true. I don't want to wear a bikini anymore because I already have the man I want. I used to wear them for the wrong reasons, but you've taught me a different value. I want to wear them for you."

Susie slid forward and nuzzled Michael's chin with her nose, then whispered. "I want to wear them for you so you can take them off."

Michael groaned and stroked his hands up Susie's sides until he reached her breasts that were squashed up against his chest. His fingers found her nipples and tugged them into the open. Susie giggled as she felt him growing between her thighs.

"I thought you wanted to go out on the beach?"

* * *

"Justin?"

The fear disolved and I slumped. I had no idea how frightened I had been. Being alone in Sam Johnson's vault, for I could think of nothing else to call the room, had me more on edge than I had realized.

"Justin?"

"Yeah. I'm here."

Rosemary came around the door and I saw her in that lovely peignor that I had seen her in twice before. For some reason, it left me cold this time.

"I couldn't find you. Don't do that to me."

"Don't do that to you? Don't do that to you? What's this 'do that' stuff?"

No, I wasn't as nice as I could have been. Frankly, I was still pretty pissed.

"I didn't know where you went." Her voice was teary, but it didn't move me.

"I didn't think you cared where I went since I wouldn't get in that pool with you. You wanted to stay out there, and I needed something to do, so I decided to make myself useful. Now you want to play dress up and pretend it didn't happen?"

Rosemary reached for my arm, but I shrugged her off. "Look. You aren't the one who got pushed into the pool when you were three and almost drowned. Yes, I have a phobia." I was shouting now. "Yes I know it doesn't make sense, but neither does a fear of thunderstoms, or the dark, or a whole host of other things, but you don't mock anybody for those. Just leave me alone. I'm going to see how Brian is coming along with the store. I'll be back later. Lock the door and turn the lights out when you go upstairs."

I stomped out of the vault with as much dignity as a nude man with untied sneakers can muster.

* * *

"Good night, Dad. Good night, Mom. I'm headed up to the house early tomorrow. You don't have to get up to see me off. I'll just say goodbye now."

"Stephanie Winters! Now you know better than that. What time did you plan to leave, anyway? Don't you have to load your car?"

"I thought about six. There are some things I need to do to help Rosemary get ready for the other girls to arrive, so I promised I'd go early. And, I already loaded the car. All I need are the clothes I'll be wearing, and I have them laid out. I hate for you to have to get up early."

"There's no way I'm not seeing my baby off to school."

"Well, Dad, you can't say I didn't try. She'll be a blubbering mess all day, I'm sure. That's the way it was when I went to kindergarten and then first grade. I'm not sure about the other years, but probably then, too."

"Stephanie!" Her mom took a swat at her, while laughing. "I'll have you know I don't blubber." She looked up at Tom. "I might, tomorrow, though. You'll have to console me."

Stephanie rolled her eyes up in her head. "With him around, you probably won't remember I was even here."

Steph, who had seemed to stay within arm's reach of Tom the whole time they were cleaning up the kitchen reached an arm about his waist and looked up into his eyes. "Thank you for loving my mom. She has needed you. I love you, too."

She reached up with both hands to pull his head down and kissed his cheek before wiping a tear from her own. Turning to her mother, she wrapped both arms about her and laid her head on her mother's shoulder. "Thank you, Mom. I love you. Please take good care of Dad. He's a keeper."

A quick kiss on the cheek and Stephanie fled down the hall to her room before she totally lost it.

* * *

I heard the door slam behind me and Rosemary wrestling the bar into place while calling out to me, "Justin. Wait!"

I just wasn't in the mood. I didn't run, but I didn't dawdle, either.

The lock clicked into place, and I heard the rustle of cloth as Rosemary tried to catch up. By then I was already ten steps up the ladder.

"Justin. Please."

It was more sob than speech. I wouldn't have stopped even then, but when I heard her gasp in pain as she tried to climb the metal rungs barefoot and catch up with me at the same time, I did hesitate and look down to see her tearstreaked face looking up. Her wince at each step broke through my anger. Instead of climbing all the way to my room, I went up two more rungs to where I could trip the door into her room and stepped off. Just inside, I waited for her, not happy.

"Justin, I'm sorry." Rosemary was blubbering when she reached the platform and launched herself at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mock you. I wanted to be with you. You don't know now much you mean to me!"

I felt myself softening, but perversely fought against it.

"I'm so sorry. I was being selfish―thinking how much fun I could have skinny-dipping with you. I wasn't thinking of you."

I couldn't stay mad at Rosemary. Slowly, I lifted my arms from my sides and reached around her. She buried her face more deeply in my neck and sobbed. Yes, I was still peeved, but I know Rosemary is impetuous and doesn't always think before she speaks. I think what bothered me more than anything was that this was supposed to be our night―the last night with just the two of us for the foreseeable future. Then for her to put on her sexy lingerie as if that would solve the problem smacked a bit of manipulation.

"I blew our night, didn't I? I'm so sorry." She pulled her tear-streaked and puffy face back to look at me. "I put this on, trying to make amends a little bit, but I know I got it all dirty and messed up running out to the carriage house looking for you. I wanted our night to be special."

Her face went back into my neck and she broke down and sobbed once again.

"Shh. It's OK. I know you didn't mean it the way it sounded." I stroked my hands up and down her back mindlessly and hugged her to myself. "You know I love you." I felt her head nodding as she tried to burrow even deeper. I glanced down into her red-gold hair that I love so much and nuzzled my noze into it.

I heard her mumbling something into my neck, but couldn't make it out.

"What's that, honey?"

She lifted her face again. "Can we just run away to an island or someplace where no one knows we are brother and sister so I can have you all to myself? I'm so tired of hiding my love for you. I need you, Justin."

* * *

Charlotte Thyme watched her parents back out of the drive before closing the door. She stepped into her husband's arms. "Well, I guess it's official. We're empty-nesters. Why does that make me feel old?"

"Old? You don't look a day over seventy to me."

Charlotte slapped his shoulder and laughed. "Right now I feel like it."

Pete gave her a little kiss. "It's the youngest looking seventy I ever saw. You know, there is one advantage to this you're overlooking."

She looked up, questioning, but grinned as he began unbuttoning her blouse.

"I like the way you think."

* * *

Susie snuggled her head on Michael's shoulder as she faded off to sleep. "Honey," she mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"We never did get back out to the beach."

* * *

"Justin?"

"Yes."

"Would you make love to me in my bed and sleep with me there? We won't get a chance to do that there again once the girls get here."