The Dregs of Murder

He lowered his lips to mine. "Never too tired for that."

After an explosive round of love making last night, and another one this morning, Hunter had called work. He told me he had anal myopia--he couldn't see his ass at work today--but on the phone, he said he had something come up he had to deal with, and took a day of vacation. As he was on the phone, I stood behind him and caressed his manhood so he wouldn't be lying. After he hung up, he took me back to bed, and I helped him reduce the uncomfortable swelling he was experiencing.

Our desire for each other finally satiated, at least for the moment, we slept until nearly eleven. After a round of slap and tickle in the shower, we had lunch, and then we set about finishing moving me in. I'd claimed the kitchen, so all my pots, pans, and dishes were still in their boxes, waiting for me to put them where I wanted them.

Other than a few pieces, all the furniture was Hunters, but he didn't have many knickknacks, so while the dishes washed, I placed my collection of memories about the rooms. It felt so cozy arranging my space, asking him for advice, and seeking his approval.

We were hanging pictures when I began to cry. "Cam... what's wrong?" he asked.

Nothing was wrong. It had suddenly hit me that this was my life from now on, that we'd never be apart again. In the future, I'd seen the love in his eyes, and the love in mine in return, and knowing that filled me with so much joy I was leaking... but obviously I couldn't tell him that.

"Nothing," I said as I wiped my eyes.

"It certainly looks like something."

I sighed heavily as I reeled in my emotion. "I just realized this was home now."

"Okay..." he said slowly. "And that made you cry?"

I smiled wetly. "Yes. I'm here with you... and... I don't know, moving out of the place I'd shared with Mom."

"Oh..." he said slowly. "Do you want to go back?"

I sniffed and laughed at the same time. "No, silly. I started crying because I'm happy."

"Oh..." he said again, but the relief in that single word was palpable. "I'm glad you're here too."

"Promise me something."

"Okay."

"No matter what happens, promise me you'll fight for us."

He held my gaze for a moment. "Okay, I promise."

I smiled. "I promise too."

"What brought all this on?" he asked.

I sniffed as tears threatened again, but I willed them away. "I don't know. I guess while I was gone I learned what was important. Who's important. I learned that we need to live, to enjoy each day as it comes."

He nodded slowly. "Sounds like good advice. Maybe I need to go visit this group sometime."

I felt my lips twist into a lopsided grin. "You know, in a few years, maybe we can do that."

He looked at me so intently it was almost uncomfortable. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"I'm not sure," he said after a brief pause. "I just have a feeling you know something you're not telling me. You didn't meet some guy up there, did you?"

I snickered. "Of course not. There were only three men on the island. One of--"

"You were on an island? Where?"

"In the middle of Lake Champlain. It's a private island owned..." I waved my hands. "Never mind, it's not important. As I was going to say, there were only three men on the island. One was old enough to be my grandfather, the other was married, and the third... you know, he reminded me of you. He was older, old enough to be my dad, but he was a serious stud muffin." I waited to see if Hunter would say anything, but he didn't. "Anyway, he and Aunt Vicki are, shall we say, close, and she threatened to toss me into the middle of the lake if I so much as glanced his way."

"That's good to know... I guess."

I sauntered up to him, took the painting from his hand, and propped it against the wall. "You have nothing to worry about. I have everything I want right here," I purred before pulling him into a kiss.

"Nice," he whispered.

"Very," I agreed. "I'm supposed to have dinner with my aunts this evening. Why don't you come too."

He hesitated. My aunts knew he and I were sleeping together, and knew I was moving in with him, but I'd been keeping those two parts of my life separate. I had Hunter, my friends, and my aunts. They mixed some, but I was going all in with my future husband, so I might as well start combining Hunter fully into my life.

"I guess, if that's what you want."

"It is."

"Okay."

"Do you not want to?"

He pulled a face. "It's not that."

"What is it then?"

"I don't know. It feels like the whole meeting the aunts thing."

I snickered. "It's not like you don't know them."

He sighed. "I know, but this is different."

"How?"

"It just is. How'd you feel about going to Texas to meet my parents?"

"When do you want to leave?"

"Really?" he asked, his surprise obvious.

"Really," I confirmed. "If we're going to make a life together, then we have to be together, right? You do want to make a life together, don't you?"

"Uh..."

I grinned. "I'm not asking you to marry me, but I want you in my life. All of it. It's you and me, taking on the world, one day at a time... together."

He smiled down at me. "Yeah. That's what I want too."

"So dinner with Aunts Vicki and Liz tonight?"

"Love to."

I grinned. That's more like it. "I'll let them know to expect you."

"Were you serious about meeting my parents?"

"I'd like to check in on Cathy's, and Coffee with Cream, but we can leave right after that."

"That's a big step, you know."

"I know."

He glanced away with a smile before his gaze returned to mine. "I think you need to go to this island more often."

"No..." I said softly. "I have everything I want right here in Pokagon."

He lowered his lips to mine, pausing just before they touched. "So do I," he rumbled before taking my lips into a caress.

I opened my door as Hunter switched his Supra off. He'd retrieved it from the storage unit where it lived so that we could arrive in style. We'd arrived about five, dinner had been at seven, and it was now past ten. It was by far the longest single stint he'd spent with my aunts.

The visit was a bit strained because I knew Aunt Liz, and probably Aunt Vicki too, wanted to talk about what happened on the island, but we couldn't because of Hunter. We'd talked about what we could, focusing on the lack of technology. Rather than putting him off, I think living on the island without any modern amenities intrigued him.

As we were making our goodbyes, I'd quietly suggested to my aunts lunch tomorrow, and both had readily agreed. Now we were back home. We had worked our asses off all day, putting the apartment to right, but it was done, and all the boxes had been dumped into the recycle bin. I'd let Coffee w/ Cream know I'd be there in morning, and I should be thinking about sleep, but while I was thinking about going to bed, sleep wasn't what I had in mind.

I treaded lightly up the steps to our apartment. We lived on the top floor, but someone in the building climbed the steps like an elephant. I'd heard him a couple of times, and I didn't want to be like that guy and disturb the neighbors.

I didn't pause upon entering our apartment and went straight to the bedroom, Hunter following closely on my heels. Taking turns at the sink, we brushed our teeth, I removed my makeup and brushed my hair, and he shaved.

We tumbled into bed. I knew we were going to make love, but the longing of our absence had been soothed last night and this morning, so I snuggled in close to enjoy his warmth and closeness.

"Did you have a good time?" I whispered after our kiss.

"Yes."

"So you wouldn't mind going back?"

"Not at all. Your aunts are funny as hell."

I smiled in the darkness. "Just wait until they loosen up around you. They were on their best behavior tonight."

He chuckled. "If your mom was like them, I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to meet her."

"Yeah... me too," I said softly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring you down."

I rocked my head. "You didn't. Everything happens for a reason. If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have met."

"You don't know that."

I did know that, but I couldn't say so. "Call it a feeling."

"Maybe," he murmured.

"I'll never say I'm glad she died... but I am glad I met you."

"I feel the same."

"Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if we'd never met?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. I can't imagine not having you in my life."

I smiled in the darkness. "Oh... that was smooth," I purred, drawing out the last word.

He huffed out a single laugh. "Maybe, but I meant it. Having you gone for almost two weeks reminded me of what my life was like before, except worse, and I don't want to go back to that."

"Worse? Worse how?"

"Worse because you weren't here, and I missed you."

"I missed you too." We were quiet a moment. "If I go again, you should come too."

"Will I be allowed?"

"You will be or I won't be going back." He grunted. "I don't need to see you every moment of every day, but--"

"Gee... thanks..."

I snickered. "Let me finish. I don't need to see you every moment of every day, but I want you with me. During the day you can be out there catching bad guys and helping old ladies across the street, but at night, when you're finished protecting Pokagon from evil doers, I want to be with you, and I want you to be with me."

He shuffled in the bed as he pulled me closer. "Count on it," he whispered, his lips so close to mine I could feel the tickle of his breath. "That's what I want from you too." He paused and I sensed his smile. "Except the part about catching the bad guys. You do that many more times and you might put me out of a job."

I was giggling as he kissed me.

Cathy was getting fussy, and I smiled. Today was the day. I'd been waiting forty-six years for this moment, and it would soon arrive. I picked Cathy up, removed the bottle from the cooler, and broke the seal to start the bottle warming.

Earlier, I'd brought Mom's mirror down from our bedroom and placed it under the temporary light that Hunter had stuck to the ceiling this past weekend.

"Jeffery," I said as the bottle chimed, announcing it had reached body temperature.

"Yes, Cam?"

"Who's a good girl?" I cooed as I smiled at Cathy while popping the nipple into her mouth. "Please verify you can access the new light."

As I watched, the light slowly brightened, dimmed, and then began to strobe rapidly. I smiled as Cathy stopped nursing and her eyes opened wide as she gazed at the blinking light. The light stopped flashing, and after a moment, Cathy began sucking on the bottle again.

"Access confirmed."

"Thank you."

I walked to the front window, watching the sidewalk that crossed in front of our house. We were living in Old Town, where houses still had sidewalks and real grass, not the fake grass so many new houses had.

My attention bounced from Cathy, to the walk, and then back to Cathy. The bottle was about half empty. "Jeffery... what's the time?"

"Three minutes." I smiled at Cathy as her eyes began to get heavy. She was such a good little thing, unlike her mother, who would never sleep. "It's time," Jeffery said.

Smiling, I opened the door and stepped outside to welcome myself to the future.