This is an adult story that primarily features stories involving women. If it is illegal in the state, province, or country in which you live; or if you are under the age of 18, please leave the site and find something else to read.
There are implied consensual sexual relations between adult women. There are elements of strong language, violence, physical and/or mental, as well as some emotional hurt and discomfort in the story.
The events portrayed in this story are fictional and any resemblance to actual events and/or people is purely coincidental. This is the sixth part of the Define Destiny series. Although reading Define Destiny, Haunting Shadows, In Pursuit of Dreams, Actions and Consequences, and All Our Tomorrows, is not absolutely necessary, it would assist in understanding the circumstances surrounding this story. Dedication: ~ To all readers who will be continuing the journey with Catherine, Jace and their extended family and friends. I found the journey to revive these characters like welcoming old friends home. Thank you to everyone, who did take the time to e-mail me, especially those requesting more. I was and will be always very grateful. This story is for you!
Acknowledgement: ~ Thanks to Alice and Packer, I appreciate the generosity of their time in beta reading for me.
Author's Notes: ~ I have touched on some sensitive subjects for some people, nothing particularly in-depth, and the links detailed relate to website about the different subject matter, which if anyone is interested in understanding more about the subject matter please check out, or other similar sites.
All my stories are FICTION, and although I have tried to be reasonably accurate in the information, it is only intended to be used in the context of the fictitious world the characters inhabit.
Post natal depression - http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info/help/pndep/
High blood pressure - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/hbp_preg.htm
Bullying - http://www.bullying.co.uk/
Lisa twiddled with the pencil as she half listened to her history teacher; today's subject was about Captain Cook and his first steps on New Zealand soil. Normally she was an avid participant in the class, especially about her homeland, not today however, today her mind was pre-occupied with trying to find a way to get out of class slightly early and make for the bus before bully boy Jenkins caught up with her. It wasn't that she was scared...perhaps a little...it was the thought of actually climbing the tall object. She hated heights, anything but heights. The thought of the daunting task set her stomach fluttering with pent-up nerves and she felt sick. What option did she have at this stage?
Yes, she could tell her form teacher that the boy was picking on her, but then she would not only be a brunt for the bullies' taunts but everyone else, no one spragged to teachers about a pupil even if they were bullies.
She could run like the devil was after her to the school bus and make it before Jenkins got out of class. Some hope of that with his friend whom she already knew was always first out of school when the bell went, and the chances were he'd be waiting for her to leave and force her to the playground area and the monster frame challenge.
Maybe Jake wouldn't have a sport practice tonight and he'd be on the bus watching out for her. He'd make sure the bullies didn't hurt his little sister. Not likely, her brother always had practice. If it wasn't soccer it was rugby or cricket depending on the season, Jake was the all rounder everyone said so. Anyway, if he was on the bus he tolerated her company if he really had to but little sisters were not welcome into his friends' inner circle. It was a guy thing he'd told her once when she'd been hissed to go away one day when she tried to sit next to him on the bus home one evening.
As she considered all her options, there seemed no way out of her predicament. She was going to have to climb the frame and she didn't want to she really didn't, why did she have to go to school it wasn't fair!
A single tear drove itself down her cheek, and she wiped it away as Susie Anderton, who sat next to her in this class, gave her a strange glance. It was all over the form that she was going to climb the frame, how could she possible get out of it without looking even worse in her classmates eyes than she already was.
"Lisa Simeon, are you paying attention?" the sharp frosty voice of Mrs. Clampet drew her attention out of sorrowful musings.
"Yes, Mrs. Clampet, yes I was..." her yes like a frightened deer stared at the teacher, who gave her a long glance and scrunched up her eyes in consideration of the reply.
"Well, in that case you will be able to tell the rest of the class which year Captain Cook landed here." The teacher was surprised at the child's lack of attention she was invariably the best pupil in the class. She'd taught the child before a year or so ago; Lisa was the brightest fun loving happy child in the school. Now she appeared to be withdrawn and solitary, although she was a very good student. Maybe it was time to talk to the parents again. Her previous trauma, when she was kidnapped, must still be a governing factor in her personality change, yes, it was time to call the parents for an informal discussion. She would talk to the principal at the end of school.
"I...I...Eighteen hundred and..." her voice trailed off miserably, she couldn't remember and she hadn't been paying attention.
A mass of giggling children made her feel even more wretched than she had been as they laughed at her inability to answer the question.
"I thought as much, Lisa, I'm surprised at you!"
As Lisa hung her head, Susie Anderton whispered to her when the teacher returned her attention back to others in the class who decided now was a good time to poke others in the back with their pencils. "Bobby says you're scared of the climbing frame and you won't climb it. Are you?"
What a day she was having, could it get any worse? If she said she was, the whole school would know. That was one guarantee when you told anything to the girl next to her; it was around the school like wild fire. Everyone said she was just like her mother...a compulsive gossip.
Squaring her shoulders and taking in a deep breath, "I'm cool; you see if I'm not!" Lisa announced bravely though feeling the tremor of her hands and hid them under the desk.
Flicking back her brown curls, Susie gave her a smile indicating she didn't believe a word of it and would say so. "Ok, we'll see later, won't we?"
Trying desperately to stop the churning of her stomach, now she had no choice in the matter it was the climbing frame or spending the rest of the time here in this school being branded a coward and she certainly wasn't a coward, no way! Or was she? Maybe she was like her Mom and Dad. Maybe they had been cowards, she didn't know because she didn't really know her parents, and how could she find out? As her heart sank even further into the abyss of despair, for the first time in a long time she would dearly love to have her real Mom to go home too, life sucked!
Lounging in the easy chairs in the living area, Lucy grinned at her mother over her mug of hot chocolate. If there was one thing she could always rely on, it was this easy camaraderie with her Mom. When she'd been in college that year, lots of other students had an adversarial approach to their parents and many simply wanted out of the family home as fast as they could and this was as good a place as any to keep the parents off their backs. She had never felt that pressure, she loved her parents and her big sister, and they'd had cool times as a family. Even when things hadn't been working out, for one reason or another, the ties they had together strengthened to solve whatever that problem had been however trivial. They were lucky really. When divorce was an easy way out, her parents had stuck together through thick and thin and solved any issues showing them what love between committed couples could be like.
As she contemplated her drink she wondered now why she was being so secretive about her association with Luke. She loved him and if Jace could have all those problems with her choice of lover and still be supported no matter what, then her relationship surely must be a piece of cake in comparison. But Luke had said they had to keep things under wraps until they were married - he didn't want Catherine to interfere as she had done when they met up on Destiny. At the mention of her sister's lover the old distrust of the woman had been dredged up from the depths and she'd readily agreed. Especially now that her dad was fronting Catherine's pride and joy Company, there was no way he wouldn't spill the beans and if not directly to her, to Jace anyway and the rest would be history.
What she hated the most was not telling her mom it made her feel guilty, but Luke had been adamant on the subject and she didn't want to start off their relationship by going behind his back and doing something he'd specifically asked her not to do, she had to trust him and she would, she loved him.
"You look pensive, darling; do you want to talk about anything?" Allison had been curious, as any mother would be at her daughter's sudden arrival. If it had been Jace she'd have worried immediately, but with Lucy, she knew her child was a little headstrong at times however eminently sensible about most situations.
"No, no not really," smiling at her Mom to hide away the tell tale signs she must obviously be giving off.
"Ok, may I ask why you arrived out of the blue...not that I'm not happy to see you, darling, because I am, it's a marvelous surprise." Allison asked quietly. Something wasn't right here but her children had never lied to her, particularly Lucy and she didn't expect them to start now.
"I needed a break, wanted to come home that was all." Unable to meet her mother's eyes she looked into the depths of her mug.
"Now that I understand," Allison was unable to stop the heavy sigh that accompanied her reply.
Lucy quickly forgot her own thoughts and caught on to the tone of her mother's. "I thought you'd have plans to be with dad this weekend?"
"Yes well, as you know your father's busy at the moment and we had nothing concrete planned. I decided to stay home instead, your father understands." There she'd finally said it, but would her youngest understand.
"It's your anniversary; Mom, you and Dad have always celebrated together. You always said..."
Holding up her hand, Allison prevented her daughter from saying more. "I'm aware of what I said but things change."
Shuffling in her chair, Lucy didn't know what to make of the comment. This wasn't what she had expected to hear, ever! Was there a problem in her parent's marriage? Had all she and Jace thought about their parents having the prefect marriage been a figment of their imagination...no way, that would be too weird.
"It's that position in Xianthos, isn't it, Mom? Dad's so taken up with the new business life he's forgotten what's important." Lucy vehemently spoke out. Although Allison wanted to disabuse her child of such a thought, wasn't it what she was actually thinking herself?
"Your father is a busy man. We both knew that would happen when he accepted Catherine's offer of the position. It's what he's always wanted, Lucy, you know that. Now he's living his dream, there's nothing wrong with that. We all need our dreams and if we are lucky they get answered, your father's has."
Standing up Lucy crossed the room, "Mom, what about your dreams too?"
Allison heard the hurt she knew her child was feeling on her behalf and that had to stop. Lucy was incredibly impulsive in her own way, much like Jace but where her eldest child went for the down and out cases, her youngest felt family ties deeper and didn't like change. In many ways she was definitely her mother's daughter, that was the reason she was here, she didn't like change and she didn't know what else to do. She walked across to her ramrod straight child who was looking out onto the enclosed yard with the numerous flower patches and the small well tended vegetable garden at the end of the lawn.
"I'm fortunate, darling, I live my dreams everyday. I have such a rich life because you and Jace are in it, and watching you grow, develop, have families and interests of your own, they become part of me too. Your father and I will work something out please don't worry about it. Now I know you must be tired, how about we have an early night and tomorrow morning I'll make you your favorite feast for breakfast, what do you say?"
Lucy turned and hugged her mother in a gentle loving hold, "I love you, Mom, and always remember that."
A tear threatened to fall as Allison heard the sincerity of her daughter's admission, "I know you do, darling, I know you do. Have we got a deal?"
"Mom, of course, how can I resist your blueberry filled pancakes with syrup? I can feel my mouth watering at the thought already, roll on breakfast," grinning as they exchanged another warm hug.
Everything was going to be okay...her mom had said so!
She was smirking at the petite blonde as she ungainly climbed into the front seat of the jeep. Soon, Catherine surmised, her love wouldn't be able to get behind the wheel no matter how much she adjusted the steering. Oh well, she looked wonderful and there was no mistaking the glow that surrounded Jace at this moment. It would be hard to say it was being caused from their lovemaking a couple of hours ago or the pregnancy...she'd go for both being winners today.
"What are you smirking at?" Jace turned to her partner having seen the curl of her lips. She'd experienced the expression on numerous occasions, and in many ways, it proved to her more than anything of Catherine's relaxed state of mind. Far too often she was uptight about something, especially after a business session in the morning, not today, oh no! Sex was always a wonderful way of chilling out her partner...anyone for that matter; she certainly felt that extra buoyant spring in her step this morning.
"Me? Jace, how can you say that, I never smirk, I'm shocked!" Catherine replied with a serious tone but the sparkling in her eyes gave the game away.
"Yeah, yeah you. And shocked is hardly a term I'd say never set foot on your territory. Have you ever been truly shocked in your life, Catherine?" Jace sprang the vehicle into life and set them off on the journey to town. She was going to her meeting at the church while Catherine had decided to use the time to talk with her lawyer in town and the local veterinarian about a new system she and Colin had been discussing.
Grinning at her love Catherine considered the question; sure she had too many times in fact. When you go through certain experiences as a child you try to draw from it and develop a hard skin, she suspected that was what had happened to her. "My mother dying was a shock at least...no, I was expecting that."
Jace gave her lover a quick glance of sympathy and wondered if she'd opened up another can of worms with her love. There were way too many depths to her intense woman that sometimes she wondered how many dimensions Catherine had still hidden away. Oh well, they had a lifetime and the rest to explore them all; it was simply meant to be.
"Look, love, if it's too difficult a question how about we talk..."
"No, Jace, I'm good with this. You can ask me anything, anything at all and I promised you, remember, I'd confess all!" Winking at the woman as she saw, from the side profile, that wonderful smile that lit up Jace's face, she could spend forever sitting watching the sunshine flood through her partner, some people were meant to smile all the time and she knew Jace was one of them.
"Actually, it's an interesting question, don't you think?" Catherine mused over it some more as the long road to town stretched out before them. It would take the best part of thirty minutes to get to the outskirts and what better way of passing the time. Because of all the family commitments their time discussing deep personal stuff was limited, even more so now that Jace tired easily with the twins pregnancy.
"I guess, I was thinking about the question too, and you know, I can remember only one true time I felt shock." Her words barely audible though Catherine's sensitive hearing picked it up easily. Jace's tone held a sorrow and she had a good idea what had shocked her, she knew it had to do with her. How strange life was that one person can create so much havoc in another's and not even know it at the time.
"My father leaving us with aunt Constantia was the first shock I ever had, never got over it really. I guess that's how I ended up being such a rebel as a teenager. If my parents were still alive, they'd be in shock because I turned out that way, I was such...a good girl back then." Jace caught Catherine's half smile as she gave her lover another short glance; maybe this wasn't a good time for this conversation she really needed to see Catherine's features to gauge her mood.
"Darling, believe me I know you're a good girl even now." Jace allowed her own smirk as she inflected the words with a teasing tone.
A burst of laughter was her reply. She felt rather than actually saw properly Catherine throw back her head, giving a shriek of delight as her knee was squeezed gently in response to the teasing.
"I'm not going there...not now anyway." Smiling broadly as she replied, knowing exactly what gutter her lover's mind was in at the moment and she was glad, really pleased that a serious conversation could end this way, instead of in tears of recriminations.
"Oh pity." Jace turned once more and winked at Catherine whose smile was now a permanent feature.
"Okay, Ms. Perfect, what shocked you?" Catherine knew this admission might hurt her more than anything she had actually experienced in her younger life.
A flush appeared on Jace's face as a memory, and an embarrassing one it would seem, flashed in her mind. "Would you believe I'm embarrassed to tell you?"
"Really, I'd never have guessed," Catherine grinned at her lover. This was turning out to be a lovely day, and in her mind, it could only get better. They were going to have dinner out this evening...just the two of them.
"I walked in on my Mom and Dad in a rather, shall we say, intimate moment when I was ten. My dad said he would dearly have loved to have had a camera about to capture the look on my face."
Another peal of laughter erupted from Catherine. Oh yes, that would do it without a doubt. "I take it you went a gorgeous pink at the time, I would have paid to see that, Jace."
A smaller hand left the steering wheel as she delicately punched at the leather trouser clad legs of her partner. "The really odd thing is I kind of knew it happened between parents, but to actually walk in and see it with your own eyes...gross!"
"You are such a naïve baby, my love, what did you say to your parents?"
"I was lost for words at the time!" Jace giggled as she recalled the episode, she had too. The impression of that day stayed with her for a long time, no matter how many times her parents tried to talk to her about it. Eventually one day she'd replied that she hoped she wasn't going to have another sister or brother in the near future. Lucy was bad enough and had walked out, her head held high and muttering at the time ‘adults, who could understand them cause she certainly didn't and no way was she going to be like that when she was in a relationship, with her parents' laughter following her. Her eyes strayed to her partner who was shaking her head in disbelief, but smiling happily. I guess it just requires the right relationship to make you change your mind.
Changing the subject Catherine turned her mind to the afternoon ahead, "What time do you think you will finish at the church?"
"Hmm around three thirty, others have to pick up their kids from school. What about you?"
"Right, it's almost one now. I'll make sure I'm done by three, arrive at the church, and wait for you. We can decide where we want to go for dinner from there; does that sound good with you?"
"Sure, anything which means spending one on one time with you, my love, is okay by me. Judy and Faith were happy to take care of Elena until we get back. Jake isn't home until around six and Lisa will be home on the bus at the usual time and as long as she can play instead of do homework, she'll be as right as rain."
As Jace steered the car towards the outskirts of town she felt happy inside. For once the twins were asleep, or at least biding their time until they decided to give mommy another lesson in acrobatics in the womb. Catherine saw the dreamy expression on her love's face and felt a warm glow inside...wasn't love absolutely marvelous.
Walking over to the outer door, which led to the hall she silently, left the confines of the bedroom and sneaked a look in on the children. Anne was sound asleep, just like her daddy, a teddy bear clutched tightly to her chest, she looked so peaceful as if there wasn't a care in the world...and there wasn't, not in hers. One of the many promises she and Neil had made to themselves, that no matter what, their children, and that meant both of them, would never be tarnished by any of the mess that potentially threatened them. How they would go about that if circumstances presented themselves in the negative they hadn't quite worked out but they would, she knew it.
Opening the door to Stephen's room she marveled at how handsome he was even now at eleven, blonde, tall and much older in outlook than he should be. At times she wondered about his biological father. He must have been a very handsome man because although his biological mother was attractive, she had a cold edge to her personality, which made you reconsider. Some people were like that, superficially beautiful but underneath as ugly as sin when it came to the rest of their genetic makeup. Thankfully Stephen didn't appear to have those traits...at least they hadn't manifested yet. Her heart prayed that he never would and she felt certain that, with the way he was being brought up, they might have a great chance of instilling values and morality his own mother hardly had a passing understanding of.
They'd had made the right decision about leaving the house, and if they were lucky, their own particular sinister shadow behind as well. It was strange though that she hadn't been around, no matter what they thought of the woman a part of her loved Stephen, even going against her own selfish whims.
A doubt remained though that she would turn up, and if she felt so inclined, she might take Stephen away from them. How could they stop her, the so called adoption had hardly been legal and there was no way she or Neil dare make their case, it would cost him his job and he would be barred from practicing law forever! God, why had she been such a fool to agree to the debacle?
Why? Why was the easy part, really, one session with Stephen when he'd been born had been enough to convince her as nothing else could? He had become hers the first moment he opened those unseeing newborn eyes of his appearing to look in her direction. A bond instantly forged between them and the rest, as they say, had been a foregone conclusion...she was hooked for good. He was her son from that day forward, and no matter what, he always would be. One day they would explain and he'd understand he just had to!
Carefully closing the door to HER son's bedroom, she slowly went back to her own and the comfort of her husband in bed.
Remarkably for Catherine her business in town had gone very well and speedily. It was only two-thirty and she was at a loose end, Jace had promised to call if the meeting ended quickly, but she hadn't so far and probably wouldn't. It was amazing how much the town do-gooders had to say when they got together. Her smile doused any possibility that her thoughts were malicious, she often commented to Jace she thought the meetings were only a way for them to get together to gossip. A suitable retort in the negative was usually the response. Jace's flirtation, as she had once called her partner's involvement in the local community, wasn't that at all she knew that now. From day one her lover had used her compassion and deep religious faith to help others and although many of the church congregation didn't exactly agree with her choices on how she lived her private life, they did applaud her commitment to the community. Her lover practiced what she preached and Catherine had teasingly suggested that maybe she'd been a nun in another life. For which she was given a wicked wink of the eye and had made both of them burst out laughing at the thought, thankful she wasn't in this lifetime.
She walked towards a café on the main street thinking she might as well have a coffee while she waited. As she closed in on one of the tables outside the building she saw the travel agents office and looked in the window. There was an interesting brochure out on family adventure holidays on the island, maybe when the twins were born they could do that together. Taking the time out to step inside and selecting the brochure, she'd check it over as she drank her coffee.
Ten minutes later she grimaced when she took the first mouthful of her cappuccino, no one made a decent cappuccino like Grace! She wondered if her friend had made the call to the doctor's. She'd give her a call to check later when they arrived home. The sooner the better in her mind, nothing worse than being out of control of your life, and children certainly did that in a big way.
Her eyes traveled to the brochure before her and she flicked through the pages. Canoeing, water rafting, jet boating, gold panning, and...bungee jumping, no way in hell! All had their particular pages and she shook her head amazed that people actually went up on a high structure and threw themselves off. To bounce on a flimsy rubber band and hoped to God it didn't break plummeting you to the ground, or breaking your neck, at the force of drop through the air and the sudden tightening of the equipment to stop the descent. Definitely not her cup of tea! She wasn't that keen on heights at all, nothing to get unduly worried about but she preferred her feet to be firmly on the ground where possible. Her only concession being horseback riding, and it had taken a few weeks when she was a teenager to get over that fear. She had been such a coward back then. To her constant embarrassment, at the time, she had even sobbed saying she never wanted to set foot near a horse again when her Aunt had called to collect her after one such disastrous session.
She sighed at the recollection. Although she considered, or had, that her time with her aunt had been the worse in her young life, Constantia had cajoled and been instrumental in her love of horse riding. Something she had never thanked the older woman for...she would when she phoned her at the weekend.
Scanning the various adventure possibilities, she knew that all the children would love any of them and suspected that Lisa's love of danger would make her an ideal candidate for the bungee jumping session, not that she would allow that of course. Because if she did Jake would probably want to do something equally as unappealing to her on the danger front, maybe water rafting might be more suitable, she had to admit, that appealed to her. She'd never done it before but...who said you were never too old to try something new. Jace might be dubious but Elena, even at three, would love it! Their youngest had a wild side to her that was endearing although scary at times. Lisa would be game she loved the water...yeah... perhaps she could persuade Jace that a nice long weekend, when the babies were born, would be a great break. The twins would have to stay behind, of course, but knowing the women in the household they would be glad to get their hands on the newborns without the parents in tow.
Yes, she would do that later...broach the subject with
Jace over dinner. And if Jace wasn't sure, a good pout always had the desired
effect and she could pout with the best of them, Jace always succumbed.
Smiling inwardly she paid for her beverage and set
off towards the church humming a current chart tune. Domestic bliss was
something she readily took to heart, especially if it made you feel this
good about the world.
Faith glanced at her friend after having ensured Elena was safely in her chair and happily eating her early dinner. Kissing the dark head she walked over to the kitchen bench where Judy was preparing the evening dinner for the children and themselves.
"She told me to take Georgina anytime, said she was sorry to have been so stupid about me having any time with her."
"That's good, right?" Judy replied puzzled at the hesitation in her friend's tone, this was all Faith had wanted from the day her grandchild was born.
"Yes, yes it's good. Can't think of anything better but..." Faith trailed of her mind pre-occupied and unable to put into words exactly what she really thought.
"But, Faith, don't you want to have special times with Georgina?"
"Of course I do, Judy, she's my own flesh and blood and she's a beautiful child."
"Why do you sound so pensive about the situation?"
"Because I'm worried, that's why. Something is wrong over there and I don't know what it is. Grace and I have never been close, although I thought we had been getting on better in recent times. But this, this birth has changed her, Judy, changed her so much. I want to help her, but I don't think she will let me in to do that. How can a mother and daughter become so far apart that it's impossible to offer help in fear that the offer will be construed negatively?"
Judy wondered too. She had found Faith to be a wonderful listener, compassionate to any and all problems she'd had and they had developed a marvelous bond regardless of the age difference between them. She didn't know how Faith felt but she considered her to be the best friend any woman could have and was immensely grateful for knowing her. Grace was a chip of the old block, no matter what she thought. Perhaps that was the problem, both women were so good at solving and being there for other's that they forgot how to be there for each other. "Jace told me that Catherine talked with her yesterday, did you know that?"
"Yes, she mentioned it briefly this morning." Staring at her friend sharply she spoke again, "Do you think that's significant in some way?"
"Perhaps. Jace, I know, was getting worried about your daughter and she bullied Catherine to go over there, not that it took much bullying I imagine."
"No, I guess not. Catherine does have deep warmth for my daughter, Colin as well." Faith wondered what had happened in that tête-à-tête, maybe if she asked Catherine...
"Granny? Granny more." Elena spoke up making Faith jump as she turned to the child, her smile replacing the consternation that had been there previously.
"Of course you can, Elena, but haven't you forgotten something?" She walked over to the child, who had an innocent expression appear on her chubby face, waiting for her to answer.
"That's being mean, Faith, she's only three." Judy grinned as she opened up another sausage roll for the child then waiting for Faith to pass it over.
"It's never too early to teach children manners and Catherine would never forgive me if I lapsed as she does from time to time, she relies on me for that strictness." Faith smiled at the woman who was a very dear friend. In some ways she treated Judy like a daughter, in others she was an excellent confidant and a very good friend.
"Yes, you wouldn't think those green eyes could make the mighty Catherine relinquish control but they do every time they flutter in her direction. I need to collect the laundry from the line; her sausage roll is on the counter top when you need it."
"Granny, roll, I want." Elena's green eyes captured hers. Faith loved this child, in fact all of the children of Destiny, as she would have her own, something she doubted she would have agreed with several years ago.
"Elena, you know what Mamma says when you want more." Staring directly at the child, it was a tactic she found usually worked.
"Mamma I want Mamma!" The petulant reply rang in Faith's ears. Yeah sure she did, Mamma would give in. Crocodile tears wouldn't be far behind, another ploy Catherine had yet to figure out. Jace had a much firmer hold on their youngest child than her partner. Still it was to be expected, suspecting the owner of the homestead felt she had to spoil rather than chastise the child. She was, after all, Jace's daughter and perhaps subconsciously she saw her partner every time she was caught in the child's stare.
"Mamma isn't here, Elena, now we know the word, don't we, please." Bright as a shiny new button eyes caught hers as she heard the offending word and the innocent smile beamed as she was given a reply.
"Please, granny, please." Faith laughed. What a handful she was going to be in years to come if her intelligence level continued to progress at the speed it was doing now.
"Good girl, Elena, here you go." She said, placing the roll in the dish on the small table beside the child. "For that I'll make you your favorite milk shake."
"Elena love granny." The child was unaware of the tears that pricked Faith's eyes at the simple declaration as she watched the youngster tuck into her favorite food. Hopefully she was going to grow out of that fad, or she was going to be one fat child, the calories in one of those were obscene.
"I love Elena too, now let me get that milkshake for you." Smiling warmly at the child as she selected the preferred flavor...lime. The child didn't have a sweet tooth in her body, strange that as Jace loved anything with sugar.
Arriving at the church Catherine was surprised to see Jace standing outside talking to a strange woman and this stranger was pretty damn close to her partner, too close in her mind. Walking quickly towards the open doorway of the church she saw Jace turn in her direction and give a warm smile.
Catherine approached them but the two women didn't at first stop talking and she waited until she was introduced which was less than a minute but to Catherine it felt like hours.
"Hi, Catherine, how was your afternoon?" Jace now gave her lover her full attention.
With a bland expression on her face Catherine swung her dark tresses around her shoulder nodding her head, the cascade making Jace suck in her breath, how gorgeous this woman was and she was all hers. "Good and yours?" Ice blue eyes settled on the woman sizing her up. She was about as tall as she was with twinkling grey eyes and ash blonde hair cut very short, shorter than normal in her personal opinion anyway.
"Great! Catherine, I'd like you to meet the new Reverend, Reverend Amanda Spencer. Reverend, this is my partner Catherine Warriorson." Jace grinned but wasn't diverted from Catherine's previously edgy entrance, although her ‘pleased to meet you' was genuine enough it was a little stilted. That was her love, jealous of any stranger, man or woman. One day she might lose that particular insecurity. And if she didn't, it really wouldn't matter, there was never a chance of any person ever meaning anything like the emotion she had for Catherine... they were soul mates as simple as that.
"I've been hearing a lot about you, Catherine." The gentle response had Catherine's eyes scrunching up suspiciously, what had Jace been saying about her.
"I'm sure Jace is bias on my behalf." She smiled at her love, and then quickly shot a sharp glance back with the next words the reverend spoke.
"No, actually it came from others in the community."
"I see." The minimal words had Catherine on her metal; she knew there were varying opinions of her, depending on whom you talked to and in what connection.
"Do you, good, it means I don't have to explain. Well, Jace, now that your...partner...has arrived, I'll get back inside. I'll see you Sunday at church and we can talk again about the new project. Catherine pleased to meet you."
"Yes, same here." Knowing it wasn't, Catherine didn't like this woman and she didn't know why exactly. She was a woman of the cloth, that should have been enough, shouldn't it.
"Great, Amanda, talk to you Sunday." Jace placed her arm in Catherine's as they headed for the jeep in the car space at the front of the church.
The silence between them had Jace smirking and Catherine seething inside as they climbed inside the vehicle to head for an early dinner. "You had a successful meeting I take it?"
Before they set off, Jace turned to her lover, "Oh yes, it went really well. Clarence, as you know, will give his last sermon on Sunday and introduce Amanda officially as his replacement. I think he was glad to finally give over all the parish work to her today, although I know he's sad about relinquishing the reins."
"He's not leaving the area, is he?"
Laughing at the question, "Catherine, I swear sometimes you don't listen to me. Clarence is going to live on the North Island where his wife's family is from; they leave in a couple of weeks. I told you months ago, Grace even suggested that he might still stay on as trustee of Lukas's charity fund and work from there. Save a lot of the travelling for her and the new Reverend."
"What do you mean the new reverend, what's she got to do with it?" Catherine glared at Jace; she hadn't approved of the new Reverend to do any such thing.
"She has everything to do with it, darling, she's taking over all of Clarence's roles even the trusteeship. You agreed to let Grace and I handle it and we have, at least I have. Grace said she'd respect my judgement."
"And your judgement is a big tick, even though you've only just met her today...assuming it is only today you met her, she seemed friendly to me, too friendly."
Smarting at the comment Jace frowned at Catherine, "Hey, lover, be careful what you imply, it could come back to bite you."
"What do you mean by that exactly?" Catherine retaliated immediately; suddenly her glorious day was disintegrating before her eyes.
"Green-eyed jealousy gets you in trouble, darling."
Scoffing at the remark Catherine dismissed it out of hand, "Jealousy? Me? What gave you that idea? I'm not anyway, so there." Sitting, face to the windscreen, ramrod straight unable to meet Jace's eyes wanting an end to the subject now; it was going no place.
"Okay, have it your way, but we both know what it can do, don't let it happen here, love."
"Is that a threat?" Catherine muttered under her breath.
"Only if you want it to be," Jace turned the ignition on. She was tired not just of this pointless conversation but the day in general. The twins had been kicking for a while now and she'd felt lightheaded at times during the meeting. As much as she wanted to spend dinner alone with Catherine today, she felt like bed was the most beneficial option but how did she break that to her lover without her taking the huff especially after their last conversation.
"Maybe we should go home, you look tired." Catherine replied in a strained voice, annoyed for getting all stupid over nothing as usual. Not only that, Jace had looked pale and instead of checking on that immediately she'd preferred to spar with her instead, what kind of lover was she?
"Catherine, there are times when you read my mind, I'm shattered if you must know. Can we have a rain check, please?" Jace turned to the woman at her side with a tender expression on her face. Catherine was smarting she knew it but that was okay, they would work it out they always did now.
Spinning around Catherine saw the heavy eyes of her lover looking at her with such devoted love. She hated herself even more than she had before for spoiling the day. She reached across to gently touch Jace's pale cheeks, a slow smile warming up her previously sour expression.
"Do you want me to call Colin and have someone come over to collect us, driving will exhaust you more?"
The look of pained devotion on Catherine's features always amazed her that she could invoke such emotions in someone else, especially this woman. "No, I'm fine, really. Why don't we go collect Lisa from school? We can always go to the takeaway now and take something home, my treat?"
More than a hand reached over this time as Catherine sealed the deal with a tender kiss, which quickly turned into something more intense then finally coming up for air, the only practical reason for the kiss to stop?
"Let's go find that food, shall we, you do know Lisa will want to share, don't you?" Catherine said as she smiled. Her world was upright again and the sun had come out just for them.
"Love you, Catherine." Jace softly whispered as she set the car in motion.
"Right back at you, Jace," Catherine settled in her seat, her smile as wide as a bus as they set off to find a Chinese takeaway, her favorite fast food.