Once Upon a Future Time

Copyright 2005 by Linda Crist

Notes: This is a Kennedy and Carson short story, two characters first introduced in "The Bluest Eyes in Texas." It is set about ten years after they met. Their daughters in this story are not called by name, because someday they will be in a longer story, and they haven't named themselves yet. Kennedy is half Comanche, and the girls call her "Nehemah," the Comanche word for "mother."

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August 2010 …

Carson slowly made her way down the hall, and up the staircase, stopping along the way to retrieve an assortment of toys and articles of clothing, and…"Ew." She stared closely at one object, finally identifying it as a soggy, mostly chewed-up Nilla Wafer. "Wonder if that's kid spit or dog spit?" She shook her head and finished up her task, depositing the clothing in a hamper in the bathroom, and the cookie in the trash. As she turned to leave, a frisky Border Collie trotted into the room, sniffed at the trash, and immediately scarfed up the cookie.

"Hey! Cody." She knelt down, scratching the dog's neck, and behind his ears. "That is people food. I just put fresh Dog Chow in your bowl in the kitchen. Large brown eyes peered up hopefully at her, and a long pink tongue swiped her across the face. "Bleckk! Never mind. You're incorrigible, just like your mother." She laughed lightly and gathered up the toys again. "Guess that was kid spit. If it was dog it wouldn't have been lying on the stairs."

She entered the playroom and placed a couple of books on a shelf, and dropped the toys into a large, hand-painted wooden chest. Kennedy's father, Joseph, had made and decorated the beautiful piece, covering it in paintings of animals, rainbows, and stars. He had presented it to them the day they brought their oldest daughter home. "Where have four years gone?" she mused.

As she left the playroom, she heard an animated voice coming from her oldest daughter's bedroom, and couldn't help but stop, leaning in the doorway to listen. "And now when the island people wish upon a star, they see the dolphin and the Jolly Mon and his magic guitar.*" Kennedy closed a book and set it aside on top of two others.

"More!" A high voice piped up. "How 'bout "Little House in the Big Woods?" The little girl bounced up and down, clapping her hands.

"Big woods!" Awakened from a light doze, her younger sister joined in, imitating her.

"More?" Kennedy grabbed both girls, holding them each in a headlock. "I read you 'Where the Wild Things Are,' 'Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day,' and 'The Jolly Mon.' That's three stories already. Besides, 'Little House' would take us all night."

"So?" The older girl challenged her, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"So?" The younger one hugged Kennedy fiercely. "Pweeze Ne-mah? Pweeze?"

Carson couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth as her partner turned and spied her in the doorway. Penitent gray eyes sparkled above Carson's hand, and she lowered it. "Sorry. Y'all are so cute. Couldn't help but watch."

"Mommy!" Two happy voices cried out in unison.

"I like to watch too." Kennedy raised a coy eyebrow at her, a sexy grin playing at her lips.

"I want to watch!" Their oldest daughter looked from one mother to the other. "What are we watching?"

Carson exchanged a knowing glance with her partner. "Nothing, sweetpea." She sat down on the edge of the bed, and her youngest immediately scrambled into her lap. "You're in the wrong room. How about I go tuck you in?"

"No!" Small tired eyes blinked valiantly, sleep creeping up to claim the toddler again.

"I think so." Carson stood, cradling her daughter against her. She could feel the longer breaths and limp muscles, a sure sign the girl was already falling asleep. "How about you read this one another story," Carson whispered, and nodded at their oldest," while I go take care of her?"

"Alright." Kennedy retrieved another book from the nightstand. "And then what?"

"Then…" Carson leaned over and pecked her on the lips. "…I hear a bottle of wine calling our name. Maybe, if you're very good, I'll tell you a bedtime story later on."

"Good?" Kennedy snagged her around the neck, stealing one more kiss, and then kissed the baby's head as well.

"Very good." Carson stood and winked at her, before leaving the room.

"I can be very good," Kennedy called after her.

"I know," Carson answered so softly, that Kennedy didn't hear her. She chuckled, then rounded the corner into the nursery, where she placed her slumbering baby in her new 'big girl' bed, a twin sized bed with one side against the wall, while a removable safety rail ran along the outer side. For the time being, the railing remained in place. They'd discovered without it, both the toddler and her covers often ended up on the floor by morning.

Carson tucked her daughter in, checked the baby monitor to make sure it was on, and tiptoed out of the room, smiling as she heard her daughter's heavy breathing. "You're so easy to put down," she spoke softly to herself. "Too bad your sister isn't the same way." She stood in the doorway for a moment, just watching her sleep, then closed the door and headed for the kitchen, where she grabbed a bottle of red champagne, and two chilled stems from the freezer. She popped the cork and tucked the frosted bottle into an ice bucket, and carried everything back to the master bedroom on the far side of the house.

Thirty minutes later, she looked up from a book, spying a long lean body paused against the wall next to the door. "Hey, gorgeous," Kennedy rasped, stalking toward the bed, shedding her gym shorts as she walked. "What you wearing under there?" She tugged at the pale blue top sheet.

"Nothing but a navel ring." Carson laid the book aside and tucked one finger into the neckline of her lover's tank top, tugging her toward her as the taller woman crept across the mattress. "Champagne?"

"Mmmph." Kennedy surfaced from a much-desired kiss, and accepted a thin crystal flute. She took a sip, swirling the bubbly liquid around in her mouth and enjoying the popping sensation against her tongue, before she swallowed. "Special occasion?" She smiled warmly at her partner, reaching out and pushing back pale blonde waves.

"It's Saturday, the kids are asleep, it's still early, I’m not tired, and I want you?" She clinked her glass against Kennedy's. "Very much."

"Any of those reasons work for me, especially the last one." Kennedy finished her drink in a few gulps, watching her partner do the same, as their eyes danced together over the rims of their glasses. As they drained the last few drops, she took Carson's flute from her, and placed both of them on the nightstand. "I believe you were going to tell me a story. Have I been good enough?" She took Carson in her arms, slowly dragging the sheet down her body and caressing a muscular thigh, as she kissed her senseless.

"Oh, yeah," Carson licked her lips and grasped the hem of the tank top, raising it slowly, enjoying the visual feast of rich dark skin that was gradually exposed for her enjoyment. She tugged it over Kennedy's head and tossed it across the room, then pushed her partner down on her back, watching as long dark hair fanned out across a fluffy feather pillow.

"I like this story already." Kennedy wiggled a little bit, as Carson hovered over her, then settled in place straddled across Kennedy's hips. She bounced Carson up and down, eliciting a giggle from her lover. She reached up, wrapping her hands around Carson's waist, and urged her forward for another lengthy kiss.

"Once upon a time," Carson came up for air, and reached down, running her fingers through the mixture of dark and gray hairs at Kennedy's temples. She found the distinguished look very appealing, and couldn't help but explore further, tracing two dark eyebrows, a pair of sculpted cheek bones, and soft full lips that kissed at her fingertips as they passed over them.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kind-hearted princess lawyer." She ducked her head, leaning forward and kissing along Kennedy's jaw line, then nibbling at the hollow of her throat. Two blue eyes closed, and Kennedy's face softened, her pleasure already evident.

"The princess had dedicated her life and her profession to helping people who could not help themselves." She ran her hands up Kennedy's arms and across her shoulders, before cupping two firm breasts. "But while she was helping so many people, the princess herself was very lonely."

"Not lonely now," Kennedy mumbled. Two thumbs brushed across her hardened nipples, and the mumble became an almost silent hiss, as a jolt of sensation shot down her body and settled between her legs. "More story, please, especially the hands-on demonstration."

Carson laughed lightly, and bent over, taking a nipple into her mouth and flicking it with her tongue. She felt an appreciative groan rumble through the body beneath her, and kissed the body part in question after she released it. "Then one day the princess met a damsel in distress." She switched sides, and groaned herself, as firm hands planted themselves against her backside, squeezing and teasing her in return. "I was wet the minute you walked in the room," she whispered, as she moved up, kissing the sensitive skin behind Kennedy's ear.

"I know. Me, too." Kennedy's fingers trailed up her partner's inner thigh, nudging Carson's legs apart and raising her own knee between them. "Story. Carson?" Carson's breath caught as she felt Kennedy's thigh against her, and Kennedy smiled. "Story, sweetheart?" She pulled Carson back against her, finding her lips and exploring them thoroughly for a long bit. "What about that damsel in distress?"

"Damsel?" Carson's eyes opened slowly, and Kennedy reached up, cupping her face with one hand.

"I love your eyes when you're turned on. They get all soft and dreamy-looking," Kennedy spoke, almost reverently. Her hands slid down Carson's sides and braced her hips, as she insinuated her leg a bit more firmly against her. "The damsel?"

"Oh, yeah, the damsel." Carson took a deep breath, collecting what was left of her quickly-scattering thoughts. She grinned wickedly and slipped down, tugging at the waistband of a pair of bright purple Jockey panties. "The damsel …" she urged Kennedy to lift her hips, then quickly removed the last piece of clothing. "The damsel thought the princess was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, and she fell in love with her immediately, but the damsel was afraid."

"What was she afraid of?" Kennedy's voice was soft, as she watched Carson take her time, kissing her way up a long, very desirable leg.

Carson looked up, their eyes meeting in memory. "She had never loved a woman before, and she loved the princess so much, she was afraid to hurt her, and didn't want to dive in fully until she was certain she could commit herself to the princess forever."

"Then what happened? Oh, god, that feels good." Her hands flew down, as Carson placed several intimate kisses on both inner thighs.

"The damsel realized that all the princess wanted, was someone to love, and someone to share her life with. She was just patiently waiting for the damsel to make up her mind." She nuzzled Kennedy, inhaling her sweet musky scent, and carefully explored further, enjoying the tiny mewling sounds she received in exchange for her efforts. "All the damsel had to do was make a leap of faith, and then she and the princess could both have everything they had ever wanted."

"No more story," Kennedy's hands flew into her hair, urging her to continue.

Carson chuckled and complied, wrapping her arms around two strong legs and settling fully between them. It was something she loved almost more than anything, sharing this most intimate of acts with her lover, feeling her moving against her, and occasionally looking up to watch her beloved face soften as she allowed Carson to take her up to a place that brought both of them infinite pleasure. "Mmmm." She could feel her lover was close, and reached down, slipping inside of her. "You feel so good," she murmured.

Kennedy teetered on the edge and then cried out, her body rolling with her release. She reached down and pulled Carson up, quickly turning the tables and rolling her onto her back. "God, I want you." She held Carson close, kissing two enticing breasts, as she reached down between them, stroking her lover and repaying her in kind. "Let me feel you, sweetheart." She kissed Carson's lips tenderly, smiling against them as she felt Carson shudder in her arms, her hands clutching firmly at Kennedy's shoulders.

A while later, the sated lovers lay entwined, an empty bottle of champagne resting upside down in the bucket of melted ice water. "Love you," Carson whispered, as she rubbed circles on Kennedy's stomach with the flat of her hand. She could almost hear her lover purring at her actions.

"Mmmmm. Love you too, more than ever." Kennedy stretched languidly, basking in the sensation of soft skin against her, and Carson's sweet scent. "Hey." She kissed the pale head. "What happened after the damsel jumped over that line?"

"She made the princess queen of her heart," Carson answered quietly. She felt Kennedy shaking, and looked up to see a few tears trickling down her cheeks. "Aw, honey." She rose up, and kissed them away, one by one.

"Sorry." Kennedy sniffled. "You'd think after almost ten years, I wouldn't still feel so much, but I do."

"Me, too." They shared an affirming kiss, then Carson lay back down, her head pillowed against Kennedy's shoulder.

"The damsel and the princess, did they live happily ever after?" She stroked Carson's head, sifting the fine hairs through her fingers.

"So far, I think they are happier than they ever dreamed possible." Carson closed her eyes, and placed a light kiss against her lover's shoulder.

"Sweet dreams, Carson." Kennedy reached over, and turned out the bedside lamp.

"With you, always." She hugged Kennedy close, and they fell into peaceful sleep.

And they did, indeed, live happily ever after.

THE END

*from "The Jolly Mon," by Jimmy Buffett and Savannah Jane Buffett (his daughter)

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