~*~Singer & The Soldier~*~ By: Ree

CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX…

The next few days while still in New York were busy, tiring and fun. Even Izzy and Sally’s appointments with the dental clinic were relatively painless as they had both worked had to keep their teeth as clean as possible with the frayed twigs which was all they had to use. Neither had a cavity or needed anything other than a good cleaning and a lecture from the hygienist who at first had no idea why the formerly dutiful patients had been absent for so long.

They decided to leave the boys to their adventure at F.A.O. Schwartz and headed back to the hotel to do some catching up with friends or business on the computers.

Cody arrived just after lunch, almost at the same time as a call from Urs who wondered why Izzy wasn’t dogging his footsteps and curbing his urge to buy everything that made Adam’s eyes light up.

“Have fun, Papa…just don’t forget that Adam is a growing boy and picks up things fast…he needs things at different skill levels to keep him challenged….are you planning on sending most of what you decide on to Reve? I saw you in action at Macy’s and if you do the same at the toy store we’ll need an extra plane just for luggage,” she teased and smiled when she heard him laugh and say he had already thought of that. He promised that if ever Adam began to show signs of tiring he would return to the hotel…but not to hold her breath since the boy was having a wonderful time.

“I’m sure you all are, Love…there’s no hurry…Cody just arrived with a bunch of stuff from the apartment…we’ll be here…I love you, Urs.”

“And you know I love you…Ja, Adam…that’s a piano…..Every Good Boy Deserves Fun…that’s right…who taught you that, Sohn?...Adam…Scheisse, he’s off again…I have to go, make sure Gerd can catch him….did you teach him about the music notes?”

“Urs, I’m not a complete fool when it comes to music…of course I taught him…now go rescue Gerd.”

They returned about 3 hours later with Adam completely crashed, sleeping soundly in Urs’ arms and both men looking a bit shell shocked, as if they needed the sleep more than the boy.

**

Cody stayed for dinner and once again they opted for room service but this time a real dinner, not just the junk food of the previous night.

Adam was up and mobile in plenty of time for dinner, played for a while with the interactive books that they had found in the Educational toys section but soon was drooping so Urs gave him his bath, a short one since the boy wanted more than anything to have some quiet time with his Papa, a nice snuggle and lullaby and to settle down in his special bed for a good restorative sleep. Izzy came in the room looking for her ‘good night’ kiss, silently diagnosed a little too much excitement for one day and waited with Urs the few minutes it took for their son to fall asleep.

“I think I let him do too much today, get too excited…it’s hard to curb his enthusiasm when he sees all this neat new stuff…I guess I’ll have to try to be stricter with him,” he said with a wistful edge of disappointment in his voice.

Izzy put her arm around his waist and gave him a gentle squeeze.

“Just be yourself Urs…he’s fine, just a bit over tired…you’ll see…by morning he’ll be raring to go again…you’re a good father…don’t change what seems to come so naturally to you.”

They left the room together, stopping for the Monitor on the way to the dining room to join the others. Just by the door Urs stopped her, holding her gently against his chest and brushing her newly trimmed curls back off her cheeks.

“I like this…being able to talk without worrying if we’re saying too much or too little…just wait until we get to Reve and you see some of the things we found. I’m afraid that when I learned you had been teaching him about reading music I got a little carried away.”

They were both laughing quietly when they joined the others and placed the Monitor on the still messy table.

For a while they discussed plans for the next few days, finally relaxed enough to do some serious thinking about what to do in the immediate future.

“I need to go to the apartment and sort out my clothes and stuff, ship some to Reve and pack some up to take on our travels…I had a quick peek at my computer just after Cody got here and there’s a ton of stuff I need to take care of on the computer and off line…not the least of which will be the stack of medical journals I have to read…it would be so much easier if it was on the computer and I could just scan the articles that are important to me.”

Urs took her hand and patted it gently.

“I can try to organize that for you, Love…remember I’ve learned how to get around in cyber space now.”

“And I should do the same thing at my parents place…we were thinking that maybe tomorrow or the next day we would take the train into the Catskills…it’s a nice trip and we could stay with Mom and Dad for a week or so and then head over to Switzerland….you guys will be in Croatia then, I think.”

Urs leaned back in his chair and watched as Sally and Izzy cleared the table onto the room service cart, taking a moment to admire the way she moved, almost back to her smooth, fluid walk, laughing at something that Sally said quietly, happy…it made his heart swell with contentment to see her so happy.

He jerked back to the present, suddenly realizing that Cody had spoken to him and he had no idea what the question had been until he saw the grin on the big man’s face.

“Day-dreaming, Bird?”

Urs grinned.

“Admiring the view….so what are your plans, Bear?”

“A quick trip to Montreal to visit a lady friend then back here. I’m going to stay here for a few weeks of doing absolutely nothing…except some counseling at the Community Centre…then who knows…I’ve asked for leave until mid January…it’s due, so they won’t hassle me over it…thought I might try Christmas with all that white crap for a change…if you guys will be back from travelling by then.”

“Good!” Izzy said as she came back and plopped down on Urs’ lap, leaning back against his chest with his chin on her shoulder and his arms wrapped around her waist. “I need you to give the bride away…we decided on Christmas Eve for a small ceremony in the chapel at Reve…just after sundown so that Adam can be part of the service.”

Cody grinned at the smiling couple and gave them a thumbs up.

“For that I’ll even brave the snow…he isn’t going to let you get away again…good…time at least one of you had some sense.”

Izzy and Urs both smiled at his brusque manner even though they knew him well enough to understand it was a cover for the emotion he felt at being asked to do this for them.

“You’ll have to dust off your formal kit and polish your medals…it’s been a while since you got trapped into one of those really posh affairs.”

“I thought you said ‘family’…why do I have to go full out?”

“Because I’m the bride and I like the look of you in a uniform…you remind me of Dad…humor me!!”

“See what a bargain you’re getting, Bird?...Bossy, too romantic, obstinate…and she can’t even cook…she’s..”

“PERFECT!!!” Urs interrupted with a grin…. “Give in gracefully, Bear…you know you don’t have a prayer of winning.”

Cody grinned at them and laughed.

“I had to make a token resistance…actually I’m honored that you would ask, Freckles…Dad would have expected it of me and it’s an honor for me to take his place…both he and Mom would have approved your choice of lifemate… and so do I.”

“If you guys are going to get all sappy then we need the box of tissues from the john,” Sally said, wiping at her own leaky eyes.

Her little tease cleared the air and they all laughed, then went on with discussing plans for the next few days.

The team split up, Gerd and Sally catching the train for a scenic ride into the Catskills to her parents’ home, Cody off to Montreal for a ‘love in’ with a very eager Quebecois friend, leaving the little family to cope with the trip to Tribeca and the sorting of Izzy’s belongings…it was to take considerably longer than they expected since they had just stepped out of the Underground station when the first delighted old friend greeted them.

“Hey Doc…Welcome back!!” The young man looked familiar but it took a moment for Izzy to connect the smiling, well dressed young man in the stylish suit to the often smirking, gang jacket clad young Chick she was used to seeing.

“Chick…in disguise today?”

He grinned and held his hand out to Urs.

“Sir…nice to meet you again…and no one calls me Chick anymore…I go by Charles now.” He gave Adam a smile as the little boy watched the newcomer from the safety of his carrier on Urs back.

“The Captain said you would be by today so we’ve been taking turns waiting for you to arrive. Sorry, but Dante couldn’t get leave today or he would be here too.”

They headed out along the familiar streets, chatting and catching up on news…so much had changed while she was away, it was mind boggling. Lives had gone on, changes occurred, triumphs were treasured, tragedies mourned, maturity gained, mistakes made and then corrected…all the minutiae that make up the tangled lives of friends and acquaintances who touch your lives briefly then move on, sometimes meeting again, often just a cherished memory of the past.

Charles was now enrolled in city college in a Theatrical Management course, doing well and enthused about a career in the field…Dante had moved on to OTC, looking at a career in the military, hence the rigid schedule, though he sent his best wishes and claimed he had never given up hope that she would return.

The new leader was Flik, firm, fair, quiet, just as dedicated as Dante had been to non violence, education and respect whenever possible…Izzy remembered him as a pimply teen who said little but listened intently.

Before they had gone far it began…word had been passed…shopkeepers came to the sidewalk to stop them briefly for handshakes and smiles of welcome, the wives exclaiming over Adam who got over his initial nervousness quickly, mention was made frequently of ‘this evening at the Community Center’ so if the planned get together was supposed to be a secret it was soon common knowledge,. The little party of Izzy, Urs, Adam and Charles quickly became a larger group, then even larger as members of the gang tagged along, spilling onto the street and snarling traffic until Charles noticed and organized a reception line that dispersed to decorating duties at the Community Center after a quick greeting.

By the time they reached Tonio’s Market to be greeted by the jovial shopkeeper and his happily weeping wife they were down to a mere half dozen stragglers again.

“Piccolo Doctore…it is good you are home and safe…this one was so unhappy without you…his pain brought tears to this old heart….and you have given him the gift of a son…he is a man blessed!!”

Tonio wrapped her in his beefy arms and crushed her to his generous belly in a hug that took her breath away…

“Now we must put the flesh back on these lovely bones…”

Rosa had lifted the surprised little boy out of the carrier and was cuddling him against her ample bosom, all done so naturally that Adam didn’t have time to do more than glance at Urs and surrender….he laughed and reached out to pat her face, giving the happy woman a wet kiss on the mouth, giggling as he said ‘Pretty Lady!’and favored her with a blinky wink.

Izzy laughed, looking at Urs, both aware that Adam was copying what Urs did to her so often.

“Come…I want you to see how your little trees have grown…my Mama has taken good care of them while you were away….”

“But the market…”Izzy began, concerned since there were still a number of people on the street who had no idea what all the commotion was about, just wanted to get their shopping done.

“The boys will watch for me…we no longer have the little war…they are good boys, honest…no one steals from Tonio’s now.”

They ambled across the street, traffic slowing and patiently letting them go as was the habit in this area.

“Look what they’ve done,” Urs commented softly as they stepped off the curb and he looked ahead.

The fencing around the steps down to the apartment was festooned with flowers, long garlands interwoven through the railing, pots wired to the posts and staggered down the steps, on the windowsill and beside the heavy tubs that the two shrubs stood proudly in, new pots to accommodate the growth that had taken place over the past two years, doubling the original dwarf shrubs in size. They were lush and full, vibrantly healthy and pruned into perfect conical shapes…Izzy could just picture them at Christmas, trimmed with lights and small shiny balls, perhaps nice full bows around the bases. On the door itself was a large frame that ran the full length, an insert of plastic nestled inside the edges and covered with names and short quotations, all headed by large printed letters that spelled out WELCOME BACK, the whole thing done in a variety of waterproof colored markers that made it very festive.

“We know you aren’t going to stay here forever, but the Captain says this will always be another home for you both…we didn’t damage the door…it comes off easy and you can roll it up and take it with you to the place he mentioned in Switzerland….it was just that everyone wanted to let you know …well, we all love you, Piccolo Dottore,” Charles said with a suspicious catch in his voice, one that almost became squeaky when he saw how hard Izzy was weeping against Urs’ chest.

“Thank you, Charles….she’s okay, don’t look so worried….this is kind of an emotional time for her…Bella is just surprised to learn how many people love her.”

There were a few moments of foot shuffling then Tonio clapped his hands and began shooing everyone away.

“Enough with the sad…is happy time now, time for laughing…tonight we party…” He took Urs’ hand again, crushing it in both of his and shaking it so hard Urs thought maybe his arm would come loose. “Much party tonight …much food and vino, dancing…7:30 of the clock at the Community Centre…. No speeching, just sharing laughter…. You will come?”

Urs grinned at the eager man and nodded.

“We will come!”

**

CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN…THE PARTY

“Well so much for the cool, unflappable Major,” Izzy said as the door shut on the last of the welcoming faces and they turned Adam loose in the little apartment to explore.

“I think she’s truly dead and buried,” she said as Urs gathered her into his arms for a snuggle.

“Not dead….just evolved into a new and perfected model. Your protective walls are gone, Love…sometimes it hurts to let so much emotion into our hearts…..but I’m here if you need someone to lean on, a chest to get all soggy with tears and a hug to give you courage….or strong arms to hold you when you feel so full of love you’re afraid of bursting …. just as you will be for me.”

Adam came zooming back, stopped for a second to watch Mama and Papa indulging in a tender kiss, then laughed and tried to climb up Urs’ legs to get one too.

Urs pulled back a little and scooped him up with one arm.

“Hey little man…were you feeling left out?…no worries…Mama has lots of kisses for both of us.”

Cody had left the place tidy as always, a little crowded since he hadn’t decided what to do with all of Izzy’s gear from Columbia and had left it neatly piled at the end of the sofa in the Lounge. He had managed to keep the accumulation of floral tributes in the apartment to a minimum…one large bowl of red sweet heart roses on the dining table, another mixed bouquet on the kitchen counter and by the patio doors, a tall pot of strelitzia that speared towards the ceiling. There was also evidence that Tonio had been in with an offering, a basket of fresh fruit overflowed on the other end of the kitchen counter…and two jars of home made chocolate sauce waited on the tall chrome shelving unit beside the frig.

Urs opened the frig door wide and laughed, catching Izzy’s eyes and motioning with his head at the heaped bowl of strawberries sitting in solitary splendor on the shelf.

**

By mid-afternoon they had accomplished quite a bit, sorting through some of the boxes from Columbia, discarding useless items {though Izzy refused to throw out the used pregnancy test kit that had given her the confirmation of Adam’s conception}, reboxing some things and labeling the boxes with a big plus sign for when she had gained some weight, other boxes of military gear with a big S for storage…

They cobbled together a lunch for themselves and Adam then put him down for a nap on the big bed. Urs insisted that Izzy catch a short nap as well while he tackled a couple of problems that staying over night at the apartment had caused.

They had expected the sorting to take more than a day but hadn’t counted on the party so neither had party clothing with them….for Urs that was quickly solved by a call to Armani…his name sliced through the red tape as if it hadn’t existed and within hours a courier arrived with a complete outfit, from the black silk tailored shirt to the perfectly fitting black pin striped suit, made for his physique and not yet taken out of stock to be added to the tour wardrobe. A quick buff to his black snake skin boots and he was ready, elegant, not over-board, in Il Divo mode.

Almost as an after thought the secretary asked if he also needed an outfit for a lady since she would be pleased to slip down the street to one of the boutiques if he trusted her judgement.

A few descriptions later and his heart felt thanks expressed several times, the matter was settled.

He spent an hour on the computer while his loved ones napped, processing an idea he had about Izzy’s medical journals, leaning back with a satisfied smirk when his explanations of the problem were met with solutions …within a few days, they promised at the offices of the publishers…he would keep this as a surprise for Izzy and he grinned, pleased with the image he had of her reaction when the files he had opened began to fill.

The courier arrived just as he heard movement in the bedroom. He hung the suit bags over the back of one of the dining room chairs and went in to see if they were truly awake or just restless.

Adam spotted him first, laughing and stretching his arms up from the little cocoon of pillows and Mama’s arms and she turned to smile at him.

“We were just talking about you…you were so quiet I though maybe you had crashed on the sofa.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and Adam scrambled onto his lap, rested and bouncey with energy.

“Nein…I’ve been busy…and thinking about strawberries …you do realize that we don’t have a dressing room here?...Adam will have to share our bed tonight.”

She laughed and skooched up in the bed to snuggle against his side.

“But the thought was nice…we can have the berries for a snack tomorrow and save the sauce for another night. I have a feeling the opportunity will present itself…soon!!”

Adam wiggled down and raced to the bathroom, using the phone book they had put by the commode when they first arrived, stepped up, dropped his shorts and aimed perfectly, this new skill well practiced already.

“Abby, at Armani, sent one of my suits so I don’t have to embarrass you by going to the party in jeans…and there’s a little surprise for you and Adam…come see,” he said, rising from the bed and tugging on her hand to pull her up after him.

First they had to admire the new suit, tailored to fit his changed body over the past year, then he replaced it in the suit bag and took a tissue wrapped small outfit from the exclusive children’s shop cloth bag to show Adam. It was adorable…black dress pants with a knife edged crease down the short legs, a black shirt to match Papa’s but there the similarity ended and considerably more ‘Flash’ was evident….bright red satin suspenders were attached back and front to the pants to match the red satin small bow tie that clipped to the collar. Even the socks that accompanied the outfit matched, a bright flame red and very important for the over all effect since it was still very difficult to keep shoes on the little feet, footwear not something that Adam had ever worn for the first years of his life….that would change of course with the onset of cooler weather.

In keeping with the theme he had asked for a red outfit for Izzy, a ****tail length dress or skirt and top, simple lines, size zero, petite {thanks to the well meaning clerk at Macy’s}.

What came out of the suit bag was an ankle length beaded skirt, black as night and slit to above the knees for ease of dancing, a matching waist length jacket and a fitted red silk sleeveless top with just the right amount of bare chest to support the snowflake diamond necklace they had found in top drawer of the dresser, something that brought back moist eyed memories of that last Valentine’s Evening….shoes were no problem since she had quite a selection in the closet and, like Adam, would discard them early on in the evening.

“Do you have a magic wand, Herr Buhler?...You always seem to be able to make things like this happen…I mean I can understand it when you are face to face with clerks and blinky wink the hell out of them…Oops…no Adam, Mama is sorry for using a bad word…you can’t say it too.”

They took turns having showers, first Urs and Adam, then Izzy, alone and lonely until Urs slipped back in to scrub her back…and some other needy places, while Adam looked through one of the books they had brought to keep him occupied.

Izzy dressed while Urs, in his new Armani, took care of outfitting Adam, listening to the chatter as they talked about the clothing and the evening ahead of them. They came in the bathroom to show her how well put together they looked and graciously accepted her praise, then Adam parked on the stool while Izzy tried to tame his curls…it was a lost cause and she gave up, turning her attention to Urs.

“Will you let me try something with your hair? I was thinking it might look good with more of a side part and waving back off your face…I can fluff it up a bit too.”

She stood on Adam’s phone book so she could reach him better and with a few adjustments, some quick work with the styling wand and a finger fluff it met her criteria…and his.

Urs opened the velvet box that the snowflake necklace was in and lifted it out, smiling as he met her eyes in the mirror and clasped the delicate necklace around her throat, adjusting it perfectly on her chest and letting his fingers play over the glittering stones.

“I’ll never forget the way your eyes shone that night…I was so nervous, hoping you would like it, afraid it wouldn’t be good enough…it was my first attempt at designing something to show how I felt about you…too bad I didn’t have the sense to follow through and tell you.”

She reached up and patted his hand, her eyes suspiciously glistening.

“It was a perfect night, Urs…you are such a romantic…it’s one of the things I love about you.”

He turned her into his arms and caught the single tear that had managed to escape.

“Hey…I didn’t mean to make you cry…I enjoy creating memories with you…that’s one thing that isn’t going to change.”

By 7 they were ready, including the perfect red rose bud Izzy had insisted that Urs wear on his lapel from the bowl on the dining table. Ever punctual {being on time meant arriving 10 minutes early to Urs} they started out on the 3 block walk to the Community Center.

They made a very attractive picture, this little family, proudly walking side by side down the sidewalk, smiling, happy in their unity, the elegant man who seemed taller than his nearly 6 foot frame just by his posture and sheer elegance, the petite woman with her hand on his arm, perhaps a little too slender but vibrant with love for her two ‘men’ as she followed her mate’s lead, both laughing at the obvious excitement of the little boy who darted ahead then came back asking to be picked up, his view of legs and trash cans not satisfying what seemed endless curiosity.

It wasn’t crowded on the sidewalk, just busy, most of the people heading the same way, the air of PARTY growing as they neared the venue and the path became a bit more congested, people stopping to greet the guests of honor, to admire the finery of outfits not usually seen since there was little opportunity most times to get ‘duded up’.

This area of Tribeca was a melting pot of cultures, races, ethnicity, the homes, sometimes temporary, of starving artists, budding actors, struggling entertainers, blue collar workers, students, new and old immigrants, the elders who clung to the comfort of what they were familiar with, raising their broods of multilingual children, encouraging them to attain goals that had always been just out of reach for the most of the older generation, staying on to provide a home base when the current youths attained goals that allowed them to move on.

Added to the mixture were the professionals, the career oriented who realized that a home in this mixed enclave of the vibrant city helped them to remain grounded, some not in residence often, merely venturing into the hectic world and retreating to the anonymity of Tribeca when worldly pressures became too much.

It seemed that everyone spoke a different language but understood enough of the basics to carry on conversations at full throttle in a mixture that was mind boggling to purists. The dominant sound was laughter, lusty, full throated, no holds barred laughter that echoed from the closed shop windows as friend greeted friend, exchanging more than the usual hurried good morning or good evening that had sufficed for weeks, sometimes months as busy lives were pursued…tonight there was no hurry…tonight was PARTY TIME!!!

The Community Center still looked like the warehouse it had been in past days, long, three lofty stories with multipaned windows, a flat, serviceable tarred roof, wide fold back doors to allow trucks inside for pick up or delivery, steps leading up to a simple steel door that tonight stood wide open, allowing a glimpse of gleaming painted floors and milling people chatting as they wandered into the main function rooms.

With the ingenious use of folding walls the main floor had been converted into a banquet/dance/theatre facility. The upper contained small meeting rooms for counseling, seminars, therapy sessions, Center offices, a volunteer run thrift shop, several ESL classrooms and the entrance to the stairway leading to the roof top garden area with retractable roofing that made it usable even in the direst winter months.

“This place is amazing,” Urs murmured to her as they slowly made their way through the well wishers. He noticed the signs that pointed towards the stairs leading down, steering those interested to the Clinic, basketball court, gym and pool which apparently resided below.

“And completely self sufficient,” Izzy said proudly. “They get nothing except a tax break from the city…it’s made a big difference in the lives of those in the neighbourhood…most of the work that was done was donated, the actual up keep is done by committees who donate their time and funds come in from alumni or through events that are planned. I think you would be surprised to hear some of the famous names that contribute to the Centre….but I can’t tell you…you know, the old saying… “I would tell you but…”…”

He laughed and gave her a hug.

“That’s alright…I’m not ready to die yet…it isn’t convenient.”

Tonio suddenly appeared with a beaming Rosa at his side, both looking very different without their work aprons and escorted them to a table near the front of the room, just to the left of a small stage where a young DJ was controlling the music wafting around the huge room.

Long tables had been placed along both sides of the room with starched linen cloths draped to the floor, a bevy of women laughing as they adjusted serving platters on the heavily laden tables, more arriving by the minute as people brought their contributions and added them to the already generous selection…it was a regular cornucopia of food, something from many ethnic kitchens, the scents mingling and making mouths water…and no one held back.

This wasn’t one of those formal affairs where everyone was expected to hold back until invited…the food was there, the crowd was hungry…LET’S EAT!!!

For the controlled, logical Swiss this happy chaos was a revelation, overwhelming his senses at first as he was thumped on the back, his hand shaken by smiling people who introduced themselves in sometimes incomprehensible accents. He rescued Adam from the tangle of legs and held him against his chest, concerned that all the noise might be frightening the quiet boy…it was a wasted effort as Adam seemed infected with the same joyous spirit as the other partiers, laughing, clapping his hands, dealing out hugs and kisses to all the ladies who just had to have a little snuggle with him….he was after all, his father’s son when it came to charming the ladies.

Izzy calmed both her men down by plunking herself on one of the chairs at the table they had been escorted to and as if that was a signal, the swell of well wishers thinned, allowing them to catch their breath. Urs looked at Izzy and grinned…she laughed and took Adam from him, parking him in the toddlers chair that had already been placed at the table.

“They work hard and play just as hard…but they won’t bother us while we have dinner…much!! It’s not often the neighbourhood has something to celebrate…unless someone gets married….those are really amazing partys.”

Tonio came up behind Urs and grasped him by the shoulder.

“Come, we will get some food from the banquet…my Rosa is filling a plate for the boy and Mama is making her way over to visit with your lady.”

Urs went off with Tonio, surprised when they made a detour to the bar set up in one corner, not the usual fare lined up behind the table but a good selection of home made vino and plastic glasses. They sampled several, decided on the ones that seemed the most palatable and went on to the buffet table to carry plates that the ladies behind the tables loaded almost to overflowing. Tonio corralled one of the young boys flitting around with woven baskets and sent him to the ‘Piccolo Dottores’ table with two bottles of vino and a stack of glasses…Urs just followed along, happily confused but enjoying the bedlam.

**

Izzy leaned back in her chair, snuggling her exhausted, sleeping son to her breast and watching as Urs stood talking to a famous actor, the priest from the cathedral down the street and the janitor from the Clinic, all of them sipping at glasses of vino as they discussed something, laughing, all gesturing with their hands to make their point, as if they couldn’t talk any other way.

The tables had been cleared of the debris from an excellent dinner that encompassed most of the ethnic groups present tonight, lights had been dimmed, younger children were sleeping on coats under tables or on chairs pulled together against the walls, young and not so young couples danced on the polished center of the floor to music that was perhaps not to be heard on the current radio stations but was good for dancing and bringing back pleasant memories.

She watched Urs, his jacket long gone to rest on the back of his chair, completely at ease with all these people who had been strangers to him only hours before. Her heart swelled with pride as she looked at him…he was arguably the best looking man in the room…well, in her opinion anyway…friendly, not in the least awed by the fame of some of the partiers or judgemental of those who held plastic glasses with hands stained by years of working in factories…he leaned in to listen politely to the elders and with some inbred skill that she admired, REMEMBERED the names of the dozens of new friends who had been introduced…and was definitely her choice when it came to a life partner.

‘What have I ever done to deserve a man like him? Dear God, give me the strength to be worthy of him…’

As if he knew what she was thinking Urs turned his head and their eyes met…he smiled and blinked at her, excused himself to his companions and ambled over to the table to bend down and gently kiss her upturned face.

“Put Adam next to Rosa, Liebe, and come dance with me while I can still stand up…that brew of Oskars is wery potent stuff but I need to hold my best girl in my arms.”

She laughed lightly and passed Adam off to Rosa who was sitting talking to Annelisa from the deli, both with their feet up on chairs to rest aching toes.

Urs opened his arms and she stepped into them, resting her hands on his shoulders and her head just under his chin. He wound his arms around her waist, giving her a tight hug at first then placing one hand on her back with his fingers splayed, gently kneading as they stepped in unison to the slow beat of the soft jazz that was currently playing.

“That feels better…I’ve wanted to do this for hours…there’s something about holding you against my body that makes me feel big and strong, like I can do anything, be anything…you complete me, my little Love…don’t ever leave me!”

She raised her head from his chest and looked up at him.

“I Promise! I love you too much to ever let you go.”

Perhaps it was the vino, or the emotion of the moment but he didn’t hesitate, just leaned his face to her, moving one hand to cup her head and gently traced the outline of her lips with the tip of his tongue, then kissed her with such passion that they stopped dancing, standing wrapped up in each other in the center of the floor, oblivious to the smiling faces watching, the misty eyes of the elders who remembered the passion of their youth, the young who still had this to look forward to in their lives…slowly they came back to the present and continued the dance, the onlookers quietly resuming their lives as well but for that brief moment sharing the thrill of pure unabashed love.

**

CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT…

Urs woke slowly in the morning, easing into the warmth of arms that lay against his skin, slender arms, small arms, silky hands, short fingered chubby hands, a smooth leg draped over his, a chunky knee against his stomach….he opened his eyes and peered down at Adam who was curled in a ball with his knees pressed against Papa’s tummy, his curly head on Mama’s breasts, Izzy’s arm encircling him and her hand laying on Urs upper arm.

He couldn’t remember coming home, or going to bed, nothing but a fuzzy memory of laughing and flopping about on something soft while Izzy wiggled his pants down over his slender hips.

‘I guess Osckar’s vino finally got to me…how did she ever manage both Adam and I?’

He raised his head slightly and saw his new suit neatly folded and placed over the back of a chair, his boots lined up perfectly beside it, Adam’s clothing on the seat, again neatly folded and hanging off the closet door, Izzy’s new outfit on a plastic coat hanger.

First things first…he eased out of the tangle of arms and legs and tip-toed into the lav to relieve a very full bladder, glanced in the mirror and instantly wished he hadn’t…the ashen faced man with the red rimmed eyes, bristley stubble and bed head was not a pleasant sight to wake up to….and he wasn’t sure how his head could possible pound so hard and the throbbing not be visible to the naked eye.

He took two aspirin, using the toothbrush glass for water, hesitated then took two more for good measure and hustled back into the bedroom, positive now that he was away from the comfort of warm bodies that winter had set in over night…the apartment was freezing cold according to his body thermostat.

Smoothly he inserted himself back into the cocoon of warmth, wriggling silently under arms and legs, pulling the duvet up over his head, shivering as he escaped into a comatose state once more.

When he woke again the aspirin had taken effect. His head felt normal when he stretched his long body and moved onto his side…but he was alone. He lay for a moment listening to soft sounds coming from the other room, letting his mind identify the voices, smiling when he heard Adam laugh.

They hadn’t abandoned him long ago…the sheet next to him was still warm from their bodies, the faint scent of Izzy’s shampoo lingered on the pillowcase next to his face.

He heard the bedroom door open and raised his head.

“Good morning…feel better now?” she said with her usual cheerful morning smile, coming towards the bed and restraining Adam from making a flying leap on his Papa.

“I don’t remember much except thinking I was going to die…I was freezing when I got up earlier.”

She grinned and sat on the edge of the bed, lifting Adam up to lay gently against Urs chest.

“You kept asking if it was snowing…and you were shaking…someone should have warned you about Greek wine…that stuff Oskar makes could be used for antifreeze.”

“Did I make a fool of myself at the Center?”

“Not at all…your smile just got bigger and bigger and then Flik and his date walked us home about 2…you even carried Adam… but once we got inside you kind of ran out of steam…. Adam, keep Papa company while I go get him some coffee, please…but no bouncing…Papa needs to be snuggled for a while this morning.”

“Izzy, I’m fine…”

“Hush…let me baby you for a change…I won’t likely get the chance very often.”

She smiled and left, looking particularly delicious in one of his tee shirts, bare feet and finger combed hair.

“Papa sick?”

Urs skooched up a bit in the bed so his back was against the head board and Adam was tucked under his arm.

“No, Son…Papa was silly…had too much vino to drink…I haven’t done that for a long time…so did you like the party last night?”

“Fun games…everyone happy…like it…like my penders.”

“Penders?...ahhh…Sus-penders…yes they looked good…we’ll have to send Abby something for getting us all outfitted…did you have breakfast already?”

“Mama say pic-nic when Papa wakes up….”

Izzy pushed the door open with her butt and backed into the room with a tray, grinning and bringing it to the bed to set it down beside Urs’ legs and sit Indian style on the other side of it.

“Ta-Da!!! Breakfast is served, gentlemen. Adam no jiggling, Papa has hot coffee…sit over here and you can start on some of these nice croissants…Annelise dropped them off so they’re still warm.”

They feasted on fresh croissants, fruit, yogurt and a lovely conserve that Izzy had found in the pantry. By the time Urs had finished his coffee and his second croissant he felt considerably more human.

Adam finished his meal and scooted off to brush his teeth, this morning without being reminded about this new skill.

“We’ve kind of made a mess of the bed, Love.”

“No problem…I want to change the sheets before we leave anyway.”

“Thank you for not being angry with me…I don’t usually over do it like that.”

She smiled at him and leaned over to caress his cheek.

“You are a silly man….you did nothing wrong, Urs, so don’t apologize…it was rather sweet to see you let your hair down and enjoy yourself like that. And every woman in the place envied me…”

He smiled and then looked away for a moment, suddenly over come with a thought that troubled him.

“Bella, when we’re doing the Promos and the tour…there’s going to be a lot of times when women will be coming on to us… well, to me…is that going to make you uncomfortable?”

She stared at him.

“I realize that Urs…and only have one question…when work is done for the day, when you finish flirting and charming all the fans….who will you go home with?”

A grin spread across his face, creating dimples in his cheeks and the crinkled eyes that she knew meant a real smile.

“Only you, Liebe….Gott, I love you!”

If the bed was messy before, it quickly became a disaster as he leaned over the tray and kissed her, upending the conserve and the remains of the yogurt. Adam came back from the bathroom with a blob of toothpaste on his chin and laughed at the mess his Papa had made, earning himself a tickle and a bit of a wrestle as his little face got cleaned up. Then they stripped the bed and started on the sorting and packing of boxes again.

**

It was almost dinner time when they made it back to The Muse, the packing all done and picked up by Fed-ex or in luggage to go to the hotel with them.

They had gone for a neighbourhood walk, dropping in on friends to pass the word that they had to leave but would be back again during the tour, possibly even sooner with all the promos that were scheduled…and to express their delight at the party last night.

Once again Urs amazed Izzy by remembering the multitude of names and details about the new friends he had made…even after all this time she still had problems remembering some of them and his skill blew her away.

“I’ve always had a good memory for faces and names…it comes in handy with all the fans who attend multiple concerts. They go to a lot of trouble to be loyal to us and really appreciate being remembered.”

Izzy put the jars of chocolate sauce in her roomy shoulder bag along with the few remaining strawberries and her snowflake necklace, took Adam by the hand, since Urs was loaded down with luggage and they were waiting on the curb when the limo from The Muse came to pick them up.

“Was I supposed to pretend not to see you pass Tonio a cheque when we were leaving the Market? It was very skillfully done and I could pretend I didn’t see it…?” she said as they settled in the seat, waiting for the chauffeur to finish loading the bags.

He laughed.

“Nosey woman!…not much gets by you does it? I was just keeping a promise to the Man Upstairs…I’m impressed with the Center and thought maybe I could help out a bit now and then.”

It was obvious he didn’t want to say more about it so she let the matter drop, watching as he teased Adam while he was buckling him into the little car seat the driver had provided.

“Thank you,” she said with a touch and go kiss on the cheek when he sat back and he just smiled and took her hand, answering the chauffeur’s question regarding their destination.

“Back to the Hotel, thank you, Dominic.”

**

They spent two more quiet days in New York, making a visit to the shop for yet another reunion, a lovely lunch time at the Juilliard concert where Adam was enthralled with the music and a walk through the Park where they didn’t explain why they had to stop and kiss in the underpass where Urs was convinced that Adam had been conceived.

The third day they took their last limo ride, to the airport to catch the Sony jet once more and head for Croatia, sneaking the one remaining bottle of chocolate sauce through customs…just in case they found a market on their travels that sold strawberries.

**

CHAPTER Eighty Nine

Usually lengthy flights left Urs feeling drained but this time he was almost sorry to hear the announcement that they would soon be landing.

With Adam and Izzy to occupy his time he found that he had played, slept, ate and laughed his way across the expanse of ocean and continents with such ease that the trip seemed short.

Adam of course had been a font of entertainment, asking question after question about the clouds they could see out the windows, devouring the books that Urs had packed in a special ‘Adam backpack’ and reading to his Papa, putting his own unique twist on the pronunciation of words that were new to him, happily singing some of the new songs that Urs had taught him at the casa and forcing both Mama and Papa to relax when he climbed on them and slept to recharge his batteries.

It was a very special time for all of them, a time of closeness uninterrupted by the demands of family and friends, not always a time to talk, rather a sharing of the quiet, the feeling of hands caressing warm skin, the cuddling of bodies that needed no words to explain how each felt.

All three eagerly watched the flickering pictures on Urs’ computer as he pulled up a file from the Internet with pictures of the Pula area and read them the description of the Roman ampitheater where they would be taping the DVD to be released to accompany the new CD. Of course this led to more explainations for Adam of who the Romans were that built the Coliseum, evolving into a lengthy history lesson when he began to ask questions that they had no answers for and had to scramble to do some research.

To avoid more in depth questioning Urs pulled up the file on the villas that had been rented for the crew and Divos, management having decided that it was cheaper and better to rent a group of villas than to book several floors of a local hotel.

They had settled on a block of four, rented as a package, each separate though they were situated around a central drive and courtyard, each with a chef if required and housekeeping staff and only a short 10 minute drive to the city center. Urs, Izzy and Adam would be sharing their space with Seb, Garry the Music Director, Sam and his new assistant, Ruby, which would fill their 7 bedrooms nicely.

Sam met them at the airport in Pula, for once looking rested and happy, as if the climate in this coastal resort agreed with him. Indeed it was a lovely day, not quite what they had expected with balmy breezes bringing the tang of the Adriatic Sea from the beaches and the sky bright and clear, the temperature in the low 70’s.

“Now this is more like it,” Urs said as he went down the stairs from the plane. “I really hate that ‘hit you in the face’ kind of heat of the really tropical places… it’s so draining that I just want to find the nearest AC and hibernate.”

“Like bears,” Adam responded making his Papa laugh.

“Did you read that in one of your books? Yes, bears and lots of other animals hibernate when the weather gets really cold…and fathers do it when they don’t like really hot weather.”

Sam had brought one of the VW vans that came with the villas and after hugs for Izzy, hand shakes for Urs and a timid introduction to Adam {he was uncomfortable around children, especially smart ones} they headed out on the short drive to join up with the others.

“David isn’t here yet but everyone else is…probably all around the pool since the day turned out so nice. You’ll have to watch the kid carefully…the pool is fenced from outside the property but nothing that separates it from the villas…we all share one large infinity pool.”

“No sweat, Sam…Adam swims like a little fish and is careful…he’s a good boy so don’t worry. Adam, what is the rule about the swimming pool?” He half turned to smile at the boy who had been following their conversation from the car seat in the back with Izzy.

“ ‘Only go near with a dult…an a-dult’…like Papa or Onkle Gerd…will Onkle Gerd be coming here too?”

Urs shot Sam a smug look before answering Adam’s question.

“Nein…he and Sally have gone to visit her Mama and Papa…they’ll go to Switzerland after that and meet us there.”

“Your Mama lives in Switzerland…my…my…I forget the name.”

“Oma…it means Grandmami…if you like you can talk to her on the computer later today.”

“When Mama talks….good…talking to Oma always makes Mama happy.”

Urs looked over the seat back at Izzy who was enjoying the scenery of Pula, the quaint architecture, the tourist shops that had few customers now that the season was over, the glimpse of the Coliseum down some of the side streets.

“I didn’t know that you’ve been chatting with Mami…”

She smiled and nodded her head.

“We talk for a few minutes almost every day…nothing earth shaking, just woman stuff…she’s really eager to meet Adam and once we get settled at Reve we’re hoping she can come for a week or so to visit.” She didn’t mention the fact that they talked about cooking…a lot… and Marta planned to help Izzy learn some of the basics.

‘Good!!! She starting to take some initiative with her life… I love having you depend on me Baby, but I know you have to step out on your own too…this is a wonderful first step for you…and it makes me happy that you feel so strongly for Mami…I wonder if you know how happy you make me?’

Izzy watched his face light up with pleasure and smiled.

‘It doesn’t take much to really please him…I love your Mami, Urs…she makes me feel so welcome into the family, not at all like I was stealing her son away, more like she had only been taking care of him for me all these years and now is happy to pass the gift of him on to me…and I think we are going to be good friends as well as family.’

They pulled into a gated driveway, circled around the group of dusty stone colored buildings into the parking area and stepped out to look at the places they would be staying for the next few weeks.

The villas were not duplicates, all more or less the same size but designed in a sprawling manner so that each had an unobstructed view of the city below them and the beach not far away. The dominant feature of each was the large decks that jutted out from the bedrooms on different levels and stairs that wound down to a central patio area where the pool could just be seen, the water twinkling as it flowed, plunging in a gentle cascade over the infinity edge to be recirculated again at the opposite end.

A cheerful young man dressed casually in shorts and a tee shirt hustled up to the van and began unloading luggage onto a cart, smiling as he spoke in halting engliish to Urs when he tried to help.

“I am Kief…will happy take bags to room.”

“Each of the villas has a few staff to take care of it…Hirute is our cook/housekeeper, her husband, Eno, does the grounds keeping and Kief is their son…he helps out after school. You want to see your room or join the others?”

The question was settled for them in the form of Sebastien who hurdled the low fence around the pool and came racing across the brick pavement, scooping Izzy up in a hug that lifted her off her feet.

“Ma Petite Bella…le c’est tellement sage a voyons a nouveau…nous reflexion Urs etan plein de nostalgie…et maintenant il a les le cadeau de une fils…il est une a service a doublement beni! « *
*‘My Little Bella…it is so good to see you again…we thought Urs would die of longing…and now he has the gift of a son…he is a man doubly blessed !’

Izzy laughed and tried to catch her breath as her feet once more hit the ground.

“I hear you’ve been quite busy yourself, Sebbie…twins!! How wonderful…are they going to be joining you here?”

“Alas, non…Luca is suffering from the first tooth and Rose cries in sympathy…but we will not be away long and when we go to the UK you will meet them…and this is your son…Hello, Adam…I am your Uncle Seb.”

Adam delighted the smiling man by holding his hand out to be shaken and grinning a big toothy smile, just as Urs had taught him.

“Please…Pleased to meet you…you sing with my Papa?”

“Yes I do.”

“Me too….I like to sing…Mama sings too but only for me.”

They had reached the gate to the pool area now, just in time to see Carlos come up the ladder from the pool and rush, slipping and sliding on the wet tiles, over to them for a hug that left Izzy soaked down the front of her jeans and cotton shirt.

“Querida! Lo siento! Que barbaridad!” he said with a decidedly unrepentant grin as he looked at the sopping wet marks his hug had left on her clothing, especially the shirt which now clung to her breasts like a second skin.

“No problema, Carlito,” she said with a laugh and a wicked gleam in her eyes that Urs knew meant trouble for the cheeky Spaniard.

She gave him a shove which sent him backwards into the pool…but over estimated the strength needed and followed him in, surfacing a moment later, laughing as she tread water.

Urs slipped Adam’s shoes off and threw him in, unclipping his cell phone from his belt and toeing off his shoes, then leaping in to join his family.

Soon only Sam was on the tiles around the pool, shaking his head at the crazy antics of his charges as they laughed and splashed, including the little boy he had been worried about not being able to swim. For the gazilliionth time he wondered if he would survive being the only sane person among this group of lunatics.

“Gott that felt good to do something totally insane…and fun!” Urs said later in their spacious quarters as he stripped Adam and tried to contain him long enough to dry his hair with a towel.

Izzy came in the bathroom from the bedrooms, wrapped in one of her new robes, rubbing her curls with a bright yellow towel, her cheeks rosy and eyes sparkling.

“Adam!” she said with just the right tone of voice to make him obey instantly and taking the towel from Urs with a smirk.

“He knows you would rather play than make him mind…better get out of those wet things SRG before you catch a chill.”

She rubbed the small curly head briskly then patted him on the bare bottom and shooed him towards his room, all the while watching as Urs peeled off his wet clothing down to the goosebumped skin.

“I set your clothes out on the end of your bed, Adam…you can try dressing yourself and Papa or I will be along in a minute to help with buttons.”

Urs looked over to where she was watching him and grinned.

“Cheeky woman…you just like to watch me get naked…well it isn’t going to do you any good right now…I think our Little Soldier has decided to hibernate…I can’t believe how cool it got as soon as the sun went down behind that mountain range.”

He wrapped a large towel around his loins and took another to rub at his hair, watching as Izzy applied a bit of gel to her fingertips and worked it through her curls in an effort to control them somewhat, her robe slipping open just enough to expose the curve of her breasts.

Their eyes met in the mirror and they smiled at each other, words not needed as they spoke of love. He moved up behind her and kissed her gently on the neck, breathing on the curved shell of her ear and running his hands gently down her arms to clasp her hands in his, folding their joined arms across her body to pull her back to the tent forming in the front of his towel.

“You are so beautiful…you take my breath away,” he whispered against her cheek.

“It’s not me…it’s the love I have for you that makes me seem beautiful to your eyes….I know because I feel the same way about you…I love the way you look, that chiseled face, your slanted eyes that change color with your moods, that thick hair that feels so silky and tries to be wild no matter what you do to it…and that body…OMG Urs, your body is so amazing…I love to watch the way your muscles ripple when you move, the pulse that throbs in your arms and your neck…that taut little ass with just a smidgeon of wiggle…and the way you walk, like a cat prowling, just a hint of danger, of seduction….then I look in your eyes and I can see that you know exactly what you’re doing to me….”

“Because I love you….because what I feel for you grows stronger every day…not just the physical part of loving you…if that ended today I would still want to be with you for the rest of my life….”

“Papa…Papa, need help, please…”

The little voice from the bedroom made them both smile…that was what their love was all about…the sharing, creating of life, helping their son to grow, when the time was right, joining their bodies to create yet another being to love…they kissed gently, then Urs went in the bedroom to help with naughty buttons that just wouldn’t go in the right holes.

**

CHAPTER NINETY…

Izzy set up her laptop on the spread and sat in front of the screen, Indian style, with Adam on his stomach next to her, his chubby face resting on his cupped hands. She keyed into IM and waited, noting that Marta was signed in.

“Oma is online, Luv…just like she said she would be…see that’s what this little message means,” she said pointing at the line that noted who was on.

“Will she be able to see us?”

“Yes, I just have to turn Skype on…there, now it’s ready…ahhh…she noticed that we signed in…see this message…can you read it?”

“ ‘Swiss Mami is writing a message’…and there, the little light for Skype is on.”

“Very good… now if you tell me what you would like to say, I’ll type it in for you…”

He thought for a moment then grinned.

“Papa was surprised that we have been talking…it made him very happy, Oma.”

Izzy smiled and began typing, prefacing the message with ‘Uber son says:’

The screen flickered briefly, a live image of a grey haired lady smiled at them, then a message appeared, followed quickly by a second one.

“Swiss Mami says: You are getting more Swiss daily…always on time…and I think you’ve grown already…you’re getting to be such a big boy…I’ve been going through my recipes for the best ones for you to start on, Bella…you are going to be a very busy baker once you come home.”

“Swiss Mami says: It makes me very happy too, Adam…I am so looking forward to hugging you in person.”

This was followed by a line of big purple X’s and O’s that Adam had learned meant hugs and kisses but always made him laugh when he saw them.

“Say… ‘It’s very nice here…there is a pool and we all went for a swim with clothes on, even Papa…but he took his phone off first and my shoes….and I have 2 more Onkles, Seb is French and Carlos…we speak Spanish…he does it really good…Mama says he comes from Spanish…I think it’s near Switzerland.’”

Izzy faithfully typed in exactly what he said, not doing any editing even though she was sure Marta knew where Spain was and what it was called. On the screen they could see the shaggy old dog that was never far from her side lately as he peered at the screen with curiosity.

Swiss Mami says: ‘When you come to visit me I will show you my map on the wall…it is very big and I put little pins on it to show where in this wide world you are all traveling. Your pin is red since that is your Papa’s favorite color. It makes me smile to see that your pin is getting closer and closer to me all the time. I talk about you to Homer all the time…when you come here you can take him outside to play…he is very old now but I think he will like having a boy to play with.’

Uber Son says: ‘Mama never let me play with dogs in camp…she said they were always hungry and it wasn’t safe…but she said you never let Homer get hungry or bitey…so I think I can play with him…if Papa is near…my Papa is big and strong!!’

Even with the sometimes blurry picture on the screen, Izzy could see Marta reading that message and getting teary-eyed at the pride Adam had in his father.

Swiss Mami says: ‘Ja, he is very strong and would never let anything bad happen to you…he likes to play fetch with Homer when he’s home and sometimes takes him for walks in the hills behind the house. Adam, I have to go soon…Tante Nadia will be home soon for dinner and I must get it ready…Remember that I love you and I will talk to you tomorrow to hear about Pula…’

Adam threw a big kiss at the little camera he knew was behind the tiny light on the computer and scrambled off the bed.

“Can I…May I see if Papa is finished his machine while you say goodbye to Oma?”

“Yes Luv…I’ll be along in a few minutes.”

Adam scurried from the room, eager to question Urs about the dog and what ‘fetch’ was.

Izzy laughed and typed in her own message.

Major Medic says: ‘He does love to talk to you…once he can read and spell a bit better I guess we’ll need to get him his own computer…was Urs quick like this when he was little?’

Swiss Mami says: ‘Yes but he wasn’t disciplined enough unless it was about music…always in a hurry to go play, football, skiing, hiking…anything out of doors…but give him an instrument or a batch of music sheets and he would keep busy for hours…I think he has some kind of special memory, I believe they call it eidetic or something…but only for things that interest him….keeping ahead of this one is going to be a real challenge for you…how are you feeling Liebling? Are you gaining any weight?’

Major Medic says: ‘I feel good but it annoys me that I don’t have much strength yet…and yes I’ve gained weight…At the spa in New York I weighed in at 101 pounds so that’s an improvement…I really need some good Swiss desserts to help put the pounds on…LOL’

Swiss Mami says: ‘Start in the gym…slowly…it will help to give you an appetite…Doter I must go…Will you have time to talk to me tomorrow?’

Major Medic says: ‘I will make time, Mami…and soon we’ll be home …I love you!!!’

The picture from Switzerland faded as Marta blew her a kiss.

Izzy sighed and closed the laptop. Somehow just talking to Marta about ordinary things gave her strength, filled her with a feeling of calm and peace, like she once more had a mother to chat with, to urge her to better herself or to continue on the course she had chosen, that it was a good path to be taking through life.

Izzy laughed as she had a random thought that the relationship she had with Marta was nothing like the adversarial one that people joked about with mothers-in-law.

She wandered through the villa to the gym room, pausing in the doorway to listen to Adam prattling on about his ‘talk’ with Oma. He was sitting cross legged on the floor beside the tread mill as Urs finished his routine, gradually slowing the speed and lowering the incline as a cool down and chatting with his son, promising to show him how to play ‘fetch’ with the gentle old dog and describing some of the cookies he was sure Oma would be making for them.

“Maybe she’ll even teach Mama how to make them,” he said, catching sight of Izzy in the doorway listening and grinning at her.

“Miracles have been known to happen, Swiss Rock God…you just have time to shower before dinner…if you hurry…and shower alone.”

He stepped off the tread mill, grabbing a handy towel and mopping his sweaty face.

“Oh alright…but it’s more fun with company…”

He stole a quick kiss, grinned at Adam and beat a hasty retreat.

**

There was no hiding the fact when David arrived …everyone within miles likely heard the booming laughter and the shouts when he learned that Urs was there and had Izzy and Adam with him. He barreled into the villa leaving Eno and his luggage in the van and Trish laughing helplessly as she slowly followed him into the dining room.

For a while it was bedlam as he picked Izzy up and danced around, leaving Trish and Urs to quietly watch. Urs got Trish settled at the table to join them for a coffee since they had eaten dinner on the flight, until David calmed down and released Izzy into Urs’ care…then he spotted Adam and went quiet, thankfully since the boy wasn’t sure he liked this noisy person. That soon changed.

The tall American seemed to have a sense of what he could or couldn’t do around children and toned down his boisterous ways, soon having Adam talking, about the villa, the treat of riding in an airplane, his books and toys, singing and the pool that they had played in on arrival. By the time the other adults got David seated he and Adam were friends.

Hirute cleared the table of everything except the coffee carafe and the tray with brandy, Urs took Adam into the small bathroom off the kitchen to brush his teeth and for a while it was peaceful with only David, Tricia and Izzy chatting, Sam, Garry and Ruby off to some meeting and Seb already out sampling the clubs with Carlos.

“These places are great…much better than a hotel…are we in this one?” David asked and Izzy shook her head.

“No…I think you’re next door…Hirute will know and her son Kief will help with your luggage when you’re ready. There’s a lovely infinity pool that we all share so we gals can sun bathe while you guys get your pictures done tomorrow.”

“You look good, Bella…a bit thin but I’m sure that you’ll get in shape again. How’s the food here?” Tricia asked, as always very straight forward and friendly.

“I still can’t eat much but what I did have was wonderful… some kind of Swiss chard done with boiled potatoes, Garlic and Olive Oil, really fresh seafood in a wine and tomato sauce and fresh pasta with Olive Oil and black truffles…apparently truffles are easily found around the area…then she brought out something she called Palacinke, a kind of crepe stuffed with walnuts, chocolate and home made ice cream…Urs had three of them of course.”

“Mmmm…sounds yummy…Adam talks really well for a two year old…and Urs looks like he’s taken to being a father.”

“He’s wonderful with him…spoils him a bit but I kind of expected that…and Adam won’t be 2 until November…I’m afraid he’s kind of advanced…I guess because he’s never been around children so he imitates the adults.”

“Does he sing yet?” David said with a grin and Izzy laughed.

“Urs is his father…of course he sings…and sort of plays the recorder…though you may want to invest in ear plugs before you listen to him play.”

Adam and Urs came back and they all sat around the table chatting for a while, sipping on the excellent brandy and catching up on the events that Izzy had missed out on over the past couple of years.

Tricia was having escalating success with the group she was singing with, at present getting ready for an engagement in Rome and a recording contract for a CD and DVD that would be shot there. This was to be her only real time off until Christmas when she would meet up with David again in the U.S. for a family celebration.

“Then I guess you’ll be too busy for a little trip to Switzerland for a wedding,” Urs said with a smile. “We’ve decided to get married Christmas Eve at Reve.”

“Great news…congratulations, both of you. The timing really sucks though….Trish has to leave Jan. 2 back to Rome so we really want to spend some time with family…so you finally got the place…and your plans for a Rehab Center…how’s that going?”

They talked about the Center for a while but Urs noticed that Adam was falling asleep in his arms and called a halt.

“Guys, we have to get this little guy washed up and into bed. He’s had another very busy day…”

“Urs I can try carrying him if you want to visit for a while…”

“Nein, Liebe…you know he’s too heavy for you…how about you guys get settled and come back…we have a really nice, sheltered deck where we can all sit out and talk for a while over some more of this nice brandy, then have an early night…our photo session with Walter starts tomorrow at 10 so we need to be presentable early.”

As if she knew what they had planned Hirute came in the dining room with her son who volunteered to show the newcomers where they were staying, remarking that he had already taken their luggage up and they went off with the young man.

**

David and Trish admired the villa they would be staying in as they passed through on the way to their quarters, thanked Kief and began to unpack their luggage, hanging his suits to let the wrinkles fall out.

Trish was quiet as she put stacks of clothing in the dresser drawers and David grew concerned when he saw the sadness on her lovely face.

“I’m alright, Stretch…it just makes me so sad to see Izzy looking almost anorexic…I mean I know she isn’t but she must have really been through Hell to get so skinny. I don’t want to question her about it though…she’s likely already tired of talking about it.”

“I know what you mean…and for a woman who has always been so strong and active it must be difficult now…but she’ll get her strength back…and if what we saw tonight is any indication, Urs will take good care of her. He’s such a changed man now, so happy, so…at peace finally…I’ll bet it has a great effect on his voice….and the boy…WOW!! …he looks just like Urs and is so smart…”

“Urs said once that Izzy was a child prodigy…and he’s really intelligent, so Adam comes by his IQ naturally …what a challenge for them to raise him though …he’s going to need lots of stimulation for his mind, plus he needs to be treated like a normal kid as well.”

David finished what he was doing and snuggled Trish to his long body.

“Do you regret our decision to concentrate on careers for a while before we start a family? I saw the glow in your eyes when you were watching Urs and Adam talking.”

“We have time, Davey…like we talked about, when the time is right we’ll do it in batches…have one the old fashioned way and adopt one or two of the many that get left behind…I’m looking forward to it but until then you’ll have to be the little boy in my life.”

“It’s a sacrifice, but I can do it,” he teased as he shrugged into a hoodie against the cool night air.

**

In spite of good intentions it was nearly midnight when David and Trish ambled off along the subtly lit path to their own villa and Urs and Izzy climbed the stairs back up to their quarters, checked on Adam and got ready for bed.

They had talked on the candle lit deck, losing track of time as David told them of Sam’s melt down when he learned that Urs was a continent away and not about to return for the promos for an indefinite period. Of course the way he told it was hilarious though Urs surmised that at the time it had been anything but.

Simon had been strangely much more accommodating and because of something he had said to Sam in private the pressure had been eased, a press release about Urs’ supposed bad bout of flux calmed the questions and the flurry of sympathy comments on the Forum had been heartening.

In response to gentle questioning Urs told them of his training with Cody and a very edited version of the actual rescue, downplaying his role though his friends could read between the lines easily and had the courtesy not to insist on details…talking about meeting Adam for the first time and the relief of having Izzy back was a little too emotional and the subject was changed to safer topics when the tremor in his voice caused Izzy to snuggle closer on the wrought iron lounger, resting her head on his shoulder.

“And then we went on to New York and the neighbourhood threw this amazing Welcome Home party…and I got wasted on Greek wine…Gott, I don’t remember ever having such a hangover before.”

David chortled with delight.

“You? The King of ‘I can drink anyone under the table?’…I’ve never seen you hung over.”

“Lets just say it’s a good thing I’m so madly in love with a doctor….I thought for a while I was going to die.”

Izzy laughed and patted him on the chest.

“Poor baby…you were a very interesting shade of greenish blue…at first you wouldn’t stop laughing or talking and then suddenly you were gone, out like a light…getting you into bed was like trying to wrestle with a bowl of spaghetti, the way you kept sliding out of my hands…I think you landed on the floor three times before I got you stripped down.”

“I plead unconciousness…but now I know where those bruises on my butt came from.”

He gave her an ‘I forgive you’ kiss on the brow and laughed as Trish described her own efforts to get a very inebriated David into bed in Rome, because of his long body, having little success and finally making a nest on the floor for both of them.

“You should have seen the look on the Hotel maid’s face when she came in the next morning to do the room.”

Now, as she slid into bed on the cool, crisp sheets, Izzy laughed as she thought about them sleeping on the floor of the 5 star hotel.

Urs slid in beside her, naked as always and goosebumped from the window that was letting in fresh night air.

“I’m glad we put those jammies on Adam…the way he kicks his covers off we would have our own little Blue Boy by morning.”

“Come here, SRG…let me warm you,” she said wrapping her arms around him and pressing his head to her soft breasts, her hands stroking his back in long smooth trails that left a tingle of warmth.

He sighed with contentment, edging one long leg over hers to mold their bodies into one long lump in the bed.

For a moment he thought about exploring, about tasting the tender skin of her breasts that his mouth rested against, about making the gentle thumping of her heart accelerate with want, of joining their bodies in what he knew would be mind boggling loving…but the peace and love he felt just being entwined with her, of feeling her breath stirring his hair was too precious to give up.

‘I love you…I love being with you, like this, knowing that we belong to each other…’ he thought, not sure if he had spoken aloud but understanding that it wasn’t necessary as he let sleep overtake him.

**

CHAPTER NINETY-ONE…THE TROPHY HUNTER

‘And so it begins,’ she thought as she and Adam quietly entered the large cluttered area and headed for one of the stone benches to watch the photo shoot that had been in progress for most of the morning.

Earlier, at breakfast, they had arranged to meet up at lunch time at the Coliseum where the photo session was to take place and where a nice lunch was planned in the attached restaurant.

Izzy and Adam had spent a leisurely morning at the villa then had Eno drop them off downtown to wander through some of the shops and visit some of the tourist sites. It had been a pleasant morning, full of unexpected little moments of treasures…a guide book that explained the history of the area in one shop, another that sold hand tooled boots that they would have to tell Urs about so he could add to his collection of unusual leather boots, an antique shop that had some very old parchments of music, 3 of which Izzy bought as gifts for Urs since the provenance claimed that they were original manuscripts of a reputed Venetian composer from the era of the Doge, Valentine Aranote, not well known but still originals that might interest him.

They wandered closer and closer to the Coliseum, arrived and followed the sound of laughter and people talking, the snakes of electrical wiring that bespoke floodlights, until they found themselves at the entrance to a large area that had been curtained off with Mylar screens to reflect light.

There they hesitated for a moment, the tiny woman with the inquisitive little boy now standing next to her, holding her hand and trying to absorb everything that was happening around him, not wanting to be in the way and looking for a vantage point to watch unobtrusively.

Izzy spotted the Divos immediately, all ready for the next shots, David and Urs without their jackets, all standing up so their stylish suits wouldn’t get wrinkled. A cluster of men were adjusting lighting, an Asian man was checking something with several others on the computer on a table that seemed to serve as a desk, Felicity was standing by with extra suits, shirts and accessories on racks…and the makeup girl was using a sable brush to touch up some shine she had seen on Urs forehead, reaching up to brush his hair back with one hand and gently dabbing the brush across his brow with the other…and stepping close to him, so close that one foot was between his…she leaned closer, her torso against his, the breasts that were straining to pop out of her very low cut tank top bouncing slightly before they squished against the pleated front of his shirt.

Izzy saw her mouth move, saying something that surprised Urs and he answered, stepping back slightly and looking down at her with a frown.

Izzy smiled and looked away quickly. He would handle the blatant come-on…she didn’t want to make it worse by having him think she was upset or didn’t trust him. There was a stone bench along one wall that would be a perfect vantage point and she parked her bottom on it, pulling Adam up into her lap to keep him contained.

When she looked up again he was shrugging into his jacket, his features a bit tight as if he was angry and trying not to show it….and the makeup girl was circumspectly checking Seb’s hair…from a respectable distance.

He spotted them just after they were called to take their places in front of a back drop of a medieval painting. It was heart warming to see his face light up with pleasure at the sight of his loved ones watching, to see the real smile that crinkled his eyes and made his dimples appear.

He pointed to his watch and shrugged.

Izzy laughed silently and pantomimed that she and Adam would wait. He went back to work….they waited, whispering very, very quietly back and forth to each other as Adam asked questions and Izzy explained. Part way through this session Trish, who had been there all morning, silently joined them.

“You saw her,” she whispered with her mouth against Izzy’s ear.

Izzy smiled and nodded her head.

“Upset?”

She shook her head and put a finger to her lips.

The guys finished and were told to take a lunch break.

Felicity stepped forward to rescue the wardrobe and they began shedding the finery and slipping into casual clothing again, after all this time, all of them quite comfortable being briefly in their skivvies in front of the mixed crew.

“I’d want to rip her head off,” Trish said now that it was safe to talk.

“I might if she doesn’t back off… I don’t want him to think I don’t trust him, but he doesn’t need the stress of some little chippy trying to get in his pants…don’t worry…I’ll keep my eye on her.”

“Men are so blind…she’s been all over him all morning and he didn’t even notice…”

“He will now…she went a bit too far…look, she’s actually putting a shirt on over her tank top now… Trish, please don’t say anything to Urs.”

Trish looked at her friend, sitting calmly beside her and chuckled.

“I don’t think she’s aware of how much danger she could be in…”

“She will be…if she doesn’t stop,” Izzy said very quietly, then raised her voice a bit as she let Adam off her lap. “Papa is ready for lunch, Luv…you can go to him now.”

Urs and David were coming towards them and Urs scooped his laughing son up to toss him in the air, then perched him on his shoulders for a ride, not breaking his long legged stride towards the two waiting women.

“I’m starving…did you two work up an appetite, exploring?”

“We gots …got a surprise for you, Papa…it’s a secret.”

Izzy laughed.

“Well it was …I really like that sandy colored suit…I never would have picked that color for you but it works.”

“It would work better with a different colored shirt, I think,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her, making Adam laugh as he tipped over and put his little hands on top of Izzy’s head for balance.

“What does Felicity think?”

“Felicity thinks he’s right…and you’re too skinny, but it’s so wonderful to see you again,” said the woman in question as she came up to them and held her arms open to greet Izzy.

For a few minutes they hugged and laughed while Felicity welcomed her back and teased her about not being available as a Wardrobe Assistant any longer now that she had Adam to keep her busy.

“Which villa are you in?” Izzy asked as they headed out into the corridor and walked between the massive stone columns towards the restaurant.

“The sort of yellowish one…I’m supposed to be sharing with Cora, the blonde in makeup…but she’s hardly ever there so it’s kind of like I have my own quarters.” The distaste was evident though merely implied and the little glance at Izzy was to see if her friend was aware of the events of the past morning.

“I’m going to have Urs try a black shirt this afternoon and if that doesn’t work we’ll go with ivory or even a nice cream…he really should have brown shoes for it though.”

Izzy told them about the shoes she had seen in town and laughed as Urs eyes lit up…he was the first man she had ever met with a shoe fetish…she reminded herself to see that he had wardrobe space just for shoes when they worked on the design for the master suite at Reve.

The restaurant was closed to the public but had catered a buffet lunch for the crew, a sumptuous feast to suit every appetite and once they all had helped themselves they were seated at huge round tables, laughing and talking about the morning shoot, about the plans for the DVD to be done in the evening starting in 2 days and the enthusiastic response of the public who had been asked to volunteer as audience.

“I thought there would be a problem because of the privacy agreement they’ve been asked to sign,” said Garry who was seated next to Izzy.

“Or the cold…it gets so cool as soon as the sun goes down,” Seb added with an expressive shiver.

“I overheard some of the people in line talking about that,” Harry from the camera crew put in, passing the jug of foamy Croatian beer to his partner. “It sounds like they’ve been to a few gigs in the ampitheater…they know about getting spruced up but will also be bringing blankets to sit on and wrap up between shots…you guys won’t be so lucky, though the lights will keep a bit of warmth on the stage.”

“How about the poor piper?” Felicity added with a laugh.

“I have it on good authority that the rumors are true… nothing under the kilt to protect the crown jewels.”

Every man at the table shivered and laughed nervously, then tried to come up with ideas of how to help the poor man out.

“A little heater and a fan to blow up his kilt…”

“Those thermal patches you can get to go inside gloves…”

“Flesh colored long johns…”

“Wire his kilt…like an electric blanket…”

All too soon lunch was over and when they saw Walter leave his table with his assistants everyone began to wander back to the shoot.

Urs walked out to the parking area with Trish, Izzy and Adam, waiting with her in the sunshine for Eno to arrive for transport back to the villa.

“So what’s my surprise that isn’t a secret any longer?” he said, playing with her hair as Trish held Adam’s hand and let him walk on the top of one of the downed columns.

“Not yet…I’m going to make you wait…but I think you’ll like it.”

He grinned then a thought occurred to him and his face became serious.

“Baby, I have to tell you something…now please don’t be angry…before you arrived, one of the girls…”

She reached up and put her fingers over his mouth.

“It wasn’t BEFORE I arrived, Urs…I saw what happened…and what your reaction was….there’s no problem between us…but if she tries to touch you again except in the line of work, I’m going to hurt her….I won’t have you stressed out by some horny little chippy….except for me.”

She stepped into his arms, pressing herself against him and grinning when he laughed.

“What you do to me isn’t stress, Woman…it’s incredible! Here comes Eno…I need a ‘See You Later’ kiss…”

His version of ‘See You Later’ left her legless and he grinned as he helped her into the van, kissing Adam on the brow and waving at Trish who had just barely managed to get a quick kiss from David, arriving late after a bathroom side trip.

“Did he tell you what happened?” Trish asked as they settled in for the short ride.

“Yes…” Izzy glanced at Adam and smiled when she saw that he was already beginning to drift off to sleep.

“Face it Trish…we both have very sexy men…this won’t be the last time someone tries with either of them…we can’t let it eat away at what we have with our guys…I trust Urs…”

“Do you have Skype? David and I find that it helps…a lot!!”

Izzy laughed.

“Thank god for cyber space!!”

They both laughed, loud enough to pull Adam back from the brink of sleep and he laughed too, not aware of why the two women laughed even harder when he joined them.

**

It was late when everyone returned to the villas, just barely enough time to have a quick beer or shower before dinner.

Once again Seb and Carlos had opted for dinner in town with a bit of a pub crawl after. Urs watched them leaving, shaking his head in dismay over the presence of Cora in the van. He sincerely hoped that she wasn’t setting her sights on one of them now since their ladies were not present…but he said nothing to Izzy…after all both men were old enough to make their own decisions….maybe. It was always a difficult call where seduction was involved.

The manuscripts were a big hit. Urs had actually heard of the composer, in fact had done the tenor part of one of his arias at the conservatory, so having work that had actually been done by his own hand was a rare treat for him.

“When we get home, I think I’ll have them professionally framed, to go on the wall in the music room. Thank you for this, both of you…it’s a very special treat…and yes, Adam, a lovely surprise. And we stopped at the boot place on the way home…I bought a nice pair of brown, patent… and a red and black snake skin …the brown will be ready day after tomorrow and Walter said he will do a re-shoot with the new shoes and shirt. He’s also asked if he might be allowed to do some candid shots of Adam the next time you both come to the Coliseum…he says they wouldn’t be for sale, just for personal use…he thinks Adam is very photogenic.”

“Of course he is…look at his Papa.” She smirked at him and laughed when he struck a pose then broke up laughing as well.

“That’s one thing we have to do…and soon….get a decent camera…I used to have a video camera but I think during the break up with Valerie it got left behind…Adam is growing so fast…I want to have some pictures to put in an album so when he’s taller than me I can drag them out and embarrass him.”

Izzy laughed.

“At the rate he’s going that should be when he’s about 10.”

Urs frowned at her in the mirror since they were holding this conversation in the bathroom.

“Are you saying I’m short?”

She knew he was teasing but went along with it.

“No, Darling…you’re perfect…but you have created a son who is likely to be rather tall…he’s lost his belly and gained almost an inch since we’ve been home.”

Urs began to rehang the towel he had been using to dry his face and noticed something on the counter.

“Uh, Bella…are these ‘just in case’ or are you…?” he said tapping the box of tampons with one long finger.

“Sorry…I know my timing sucks since dear Cora probably has you stirred up…but my cycle started this afternoon…so the playground is off limits for the next 4 days.”

“Don’t say that again! In fact don’t even think it!” he said turning and taking her shoulders to give her a little shake.

“YOU stir me up…just the sight or sound of you…Cora does nothing to me…so you are upset over what happened…Bella, you know I would never cheat on you or even want to.”

“I’m sorry, Urs…that was a *****y thing to say and I can only claim mood swings…I trust you…any anger I have is at her, not you…she knows you have someone in your life but chose to go after you anyway…she’s a predator, a trophy hunter…the other guys should be careful now that she knows you aren’t interested.”

He almost said something but hugged her instead and they went out to join Adam who was laying on their bed studying the keyboard on the computer, imprinting the location of the letters on his agile mind.

**

The next morning the schedule had to be adjusted due to the weather. A storm had blown in off the Adriatic, not particularly violent but with a steady rain that meant the shooting they had planned of outdoor scenes had to be put off.

Instead they worked on the video, doing some of the interview scenes, having fun with it since it would eventually be heavily edited and spliced in with old shots of the other tours as well as scenes that had yet to happen of the performance here in Pula.

Izzy and Adam stayed home, Trish as well, though they saw little of her since she spent a few hours practicing, then worked out a few problems with her bandmates via computer and practiced again, this time with revised music.

Izzy got Adam busy with some books and art supplies, and took advantage of the quiet to browse through some of the medical journals that had flooded into the files Urs had created for her. She was off in a world of new procedures when Urs called her at lunch time.

“Hi, Pretty Lady…Miss me?”

“Not really…I replaced you with a double amputee who refused to wear a prosthesis. This file you made for me is amazing, Urs…exactly what I need to catch up. Thank you, Luv.”

There was silence for a moment then a sigh.

“Ah…you’re going through the journals…interesting stuff?”

“Fascinating…did you know they finally have a pharmaceutical regimen for Necrotizing Fasciitis that actually works 71% of the time if the condition is diagnosed early enough and is done in conjunction with debridement and hyperbaric treatment?”

“Of course…everyone knows that…I should have mentioned it to you,” he said and she could hear the laughter in his voice.

“Silly man!!…of course I missed you…I’m trying not to think about it…we still have 3 full days…and nights…to go. How did the filming go?”

“Fine except that my coffee kept getting cold…David was in great form and had us cracking up so much we had to keep doing re-takes. Carlos was his usual self…he works well under pressure…Colin wants Seb to do his pieces over again…he’s a bit subdued today.”

There was a tinge of worry in Urs’ voice when he mentioned Seb but he didn’t elaborate so Izzy let it drop.

“The time kind of got away from me…I’ll have to bookmark this and come back to it later so Adam and I can grab some lunch…will you be home in time for dinner?”

“I don’t know Liebe. I’ll call you later and let you know…I will definitely be home in time for more foreplay to drive you crazy…I’m beginning to like this teasing game we’re playing….the anticipation is very…stimulating.”

“Remember that when we get around to having another baby…all we will be able to do is tease for 6 weeks after.”

“SIX WEEKS!!! Mein gott!!!”

She laughed at the obvious dismay in his voice. Adam came in to see what was happening and spoke to his Papa for a few minutes then Hirute appeared asking in her halting English if they would like lunch so they ended the chat and went to eat.

**
Intuitively she knew the minute he arrived home for dinner that all was not well. He was quiet, almost appearing guilty about something when he hugged her and gave her a gentle kiss, played with Adam but the joy he usually showed wasn’t there.

Garry, Ruby and Sam all stayed at the villa for dinner and decided that Poker sounded like a great way to spend the evening, so as soon as Adam was in bed they all sat around the table in the entertainment room and played…and Izzy cleaned them out, easily…it was one skill she didn’t need to refresh apparently.

It wasn’t until bedtime that she was able to cuddle him in their king sized bed and wait for some sign of what had happened…she knew he would tell her…it was just a question of time.

“I like this nightgown…it’s silky soft, just like that sweet place I like under your breasts…and the green is nearly the exact color of your beautiful eyes. There are some benefits to being celibate a couple of days a month…I have time to notice more…usually you’re so eager that I get distracted.”

“Me? I thought we shared.”

“Well yes, I always say that because I don’t want you to think I’m not willing,” he said and she could feel his mouth curve against her chest in a grin.

“Be careful, SS…I have an excellent memory too…what you say now might come back to bite you in the ass.”

“SS?”

“Super Stud…you have so much testosterone you could bottle it…I can picture a line up of Ubers wanting to buy it for their husbands and boyfriends.”

He laughed so hard he got hiccups for a few minutes. His own personal doctor came to the rescue with a mint from her beside table and they quickly went away.

“I need your advice on something that has me worried,” he said, laying on his side and tracing circles around the neckline of her gown while supporting his head on his other, bent, arm.

“You know Carlos and Seb went clubbing last night…well Cora went with them…she’s the makeup girl, remember her?”

Izzy nodded and he continued.

“I didn’t notice before…actually I’m so happy now that we’re together that it’s a shock to me when something ugly intrudes….anyway I didn’t notice but I think you’re right…and I just not good at handling stuff like this…Cora is one of those women who like to collect trophies…you know, famous people that she’s bedded…I’ve met her kind before….and I think she’s after Seb and/or Carlos, maybe even David if Trish isn’t around, now that she knows she won’t get anywhere with me…she’s new with us so it’s kind of the first chance she’s had to make an effort…anyway, today Seb was really distracted, almost upset and brooding…I think she tried something last night and he’s such a sweet, gentle guy, it’s upset him…do you think I should talk to her, or to Sam or actually to Seb? I’ve never been in a group before where this sort of thing was a problem…when we were in Conspiracy we were all young, available and didn’t care why girls wanted in our beds…they were there and that was all that mattered at the time…it’s different now. If Renee was here …but she can’t be…what do you think?”

‘I think you have no idea how sweet and gentle YOU are, Urs Buhler…and you’re right…this has to be handled before something happens that could have an effect on the whole group.’

She patted his curly head and nestled him closer, stroking him gently as a mother would a child.

“Why don’t you let me talk to her? This is really girl stuff, Urs…if she’s new she probably doesn’t realize what good relationships the guys have with their ladies…you have to admit that it’s not the way guys in a music group usually behave around available females. Let me talk to her and then give it a couple of days… if the tension is still there we’ll see what should be done.”

He seemed happy to put the problem off for a while and she sighed, quietly initiating a snuggle and kisses that couldn’t go anywhere and tapered off to just being close, holding him until he drifted off.

For a long time she lay still, listening to his breathing, feeling the warmth of his resting body and his steady heart beat. Then she quietly rose from the bed, gathered her jeans and the sweat shirt she had worn to fleece the suckers at poker and stole from the room, shutting the door quietly.

Her plan formulated, she stole down the stairs, her boots in hand.

**

CHAPTER NINETY-TWO…INTIMIDATION

It was nippy outside in the evening air but she easily stopped her body from shivering, dredging up her training as a negotiator and assuming a demeanour of outward calm. From a personal stand-point this would be the most important negotiation of her career.

It wasn’t far to the other villa. She circled it, noting that as she had expected the light was on in Felicity’s quarters ….Fee had always been something of a night owl.

She pulled the phone out of her pocket and keyed in the number her old friend had given her yesterday. It was answered almost instantly.

“It’s me Fee…is she home yet?”

“Iz!...yes, she’s in the john doing whatever it is she does forever, every bloody night…why? What’s going on?”

“Trust me, girl…let me in but don’t say anything to her. I’m just outside the pool door.”

Izzy was seated comfortably in the room when Cora came out of the bathroom, her shoulder length bottle-blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and the sheen of night cream on her round face.

Izzy smiled at her.

“Hi…I saw the light still on and thought I’d drop in…I hope you don’t mind. Fee went to the kitchen for a snack.”

Cora shrugged, evidently not caring one way or the other. She crossed to one of the other chairs and folded her legs under her bikini clad bottom, leaning forward so the short pink gown she wore gaped open at the neck displaying her breasts, a habit Izzy was sure had been done so often it was unconscious.

This was not the time for inane conversation or pleasantries. She stared at the blonde without smiling then sighed and voiced her opening salvo.

“It must be difficult for you working with a group that is so unusual…I mean you likely worked with rock groups before and thats a different scenario entirely than working with four men who are in happy relationships. Personally I like being part of the background for the guys…it means I have 4 sisters, like a big family…and I’m a strong believer in family. Do you have a large family, Cora?”

“Not really…there’s just me and a sister…and my Mum of course.”

“But I’m sure you would do anything for them, anything to make sure no one hurt them, to see that they are happy… like I would for my Divo sisters.”

Cora frowned, not quite sure she liked where this conversation was going, frowned even more when Izzy rose from her seat and paced slowly around the room, showing by her tightly controlled muscles that she was tense, just on the border of losing control.

“Sorry…I’m nervous tonight, edgy…you don’t know anything about me do you? Did you know that I’m a military doctor?...and a Special Forces officer?...that I spent the last two years in a rebel prison camp?...no?... I thought not…I’m still a bit unstable from that experience but most of the time I can control my mood swings…it’s hard though…all those years of training, first in medicine, then in ways to inflict pain, to silently kill…it’s all jumbled in with wanting to give Urs and the other guys the love and peace they need to do their job, to make a success of Il Divo…”

She stopped pacing and laughed, not a happy sound, more along the lines of ‘mad scientist’, as she looked at Cora, her eyes taking on a slightly deranged look, her breathing becoming just a little ragged and she touched her own throat gently.

“Did you know that there’s a little bone, just here, the hyoid bone, that protects the laryngeal nerves, external and recurrent…if you apply just the right amount of pressure both nerves can be damaged enough that a person NEVER, EVER can speak again? It’s incredibly easy and fast…painful too…” now her face held an unfocused look of someone remembering a scene that gave them immense pleasure… “…that terrorist in Gitmo looked so strange trying to scream but no sound coming out…” she visibly shook herself, coming back from that long ago memory. “And here in the wrist…I can easily inflict enough damage that a person will have permanent, excrucitating pain for the rest of his…OR HER…life every time they try to use that hand…all it takes is about 7 seconds…”

She stopped walking in front of the door to the room and reached out to turn the knob, locking the door with a ‘snick’ that echoed through the quiet room and made Cora jump in panic.

Izzy stood still facing the door, her clenched hands at her sides and her voice flat, dead, but carrying well in the confines of the room.

“They taught me so many ways to hurt…of course I may never need to use any of them now that I’m retiring from the military and concentrating on my family…including my Divo family.”

She crossed the room and sat on the arm of the chair that Cora was in, not touching the woman who shrank as far as possible from her in the chair, speaking softly to the now extremely nervous woman.

“Are you happy with this new job, Cora? I got the impression that it isn’t quite what you expected. You know, Sam would likely find you something more suited to your…talents…if you asked…or you could stay and I could help you adjust to the Divo way of doing things…don’t let my size fool you…there are some things that a small woman can do just as easily as a 200 pound man…and get away with…it’s all a question of training.”

Izzy reached out to brush a strand of hair back off of Cora’s face, causing the woman to flinch.

She rose and crossed to the chair she had been sitting in before, lounging back in it and watching Cora intently, like a cat toying with a trapped mouse, satisfied when she saw that Cora was feeling chilled and rubbing her bare arms sub-conciously.

“I don’t suppose you’ve met Renee yet have you…or the twins? She’s so good for Seb…he’s such a sweet, gentle person, not worldly wise at all…but that isn’t a problem since we sisters all kind of watch out for each other….like you would for your sister, I’m sure. I’m fortunate that Adam is older and I can be with the guys so much of the time…I’m looking forward to the promotional touring and then the world tour next year…you and I will get to be really close, I’m sure…in fact you’ll probably get sick of seeing me every time you turn around.”

“I need this job….”

“Not if you were offered another, more suited to you…I could have a word with Sam if you like… you really are quite lovely, Cora, such nice skin….one of the women in the prison camp had skin like that…until she slapped Adam one day….” Izzy sighed and shook her head sadly. “She shouldn’t have done that….I’m very territorial when it comes to family.”

They heard someone try the door. Quick as a snake Izzy flowed to her feet and stepped towards the door, causing Cora to sink back into place while the door was opened.

“Hi…sorry… we always locked them in Gitmo…I locked it out of habit,” Izzy said with a big friendly smile at Felicity.

Felicity had a glass of milk in one hand and a small plate with some cookies in the other.

“I got my snack…you two have a nice chat?”

“Excellent…I think we understand each other quite well…don’t we, Cora?”

The ashen faced blonde nodded.

“Good…another sister to help keep our guys stress free…” Felicity commented.

“I’m going to quit…” Cora blurted out and Felicity frowned.

“That’s too bad…but I’m sure Sam will help you get something else…and I was so looking forward to seeing what happened.”

Fee, who had been listening at the door throughout the conversation, looked at Izzy and they both smiled.

Izzy rose and crossed to Cora, kissing her on the cheek and whispering in her ear before she straightened up and left the room, followed by her friend, leaving Cora shaking violently as she held a hand to her ear lobe.

They waited until they had reached the pool door and then whispered back and forth before going out.

“You have a way with words, Iz…no threats, just implications…you definitely were not the assistant I used to boss around in Wardrobe…do you actually know how to do stuff like that?”

“I could find out if I had to…I was on a roll so I embellished, just a little…the woman is no terrorist, all body but no brain….the hardest part was not laughing.”

“What did you say when we were leaving?”

“I asked her if she’s ever seen a woman with her ear lobe bitten off…”

Fee stifled her laughter behind her hand and reached out to hug Izzy.

“Can’t wait for tomorrow to see what happens. Good night….I’m glad you aren’t MY enemy.”

Izzy left, Fee locked up and went back upstairs to find that Cora was in the bathroom, throwing up.

“How long was she in the Special Forces?” she asked when her room-mate returned, the blonde looking very pale.

“Izzy? Ten years, I think…I’ve heard she was very good at her job, got sent to lots of places where her ‘special skills’ were needed…Darfur, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, Columbia…I made the mistake once of asking her what she did on a mission…actually it’s too bad you’re leaving…I was quite looking forward to seeing her in action ….”

Fee finished her last cookie and her milk and turned out her light, snuggling into her pillow and hiding the grin she preferred that Cora didn’t see.

**

Izzy stopped to look in on Adam then stripped to her nightie again, slid into bed beside Urs and snuggled her cold body against his warm one. He stirred and held her closer, waking enough to remark on how cold she was.

“Checked on Adam…Sweet dreams, Love.”

**
Everyone was present at breakfast in the morning when Sam casually dropped the information that Cora had called him earlier, waking him up to inform him that a family emergency meant she would be leaving the crew as soon as a replacement could be found.

“Well, she didn’t last long,” Garry commented as he reached for another of the fresh pastries that Croatians seemed to adore as a breakfast, Burek, which were stuffed with chicken, meat or a spicy apple blend.

“Will you perhaps consider Rob, that friend of mine, now?” Ruby asked, her tone a clue that this was an old argument between her and Sam.

“We’ve been over this before…I don’t think the guys would be happy with a gay makeup person.” Sam said with a frown that was meant to end the discussion but Urs spoke up.

“Why? His sexual orientation has nothing to do with his skill as a makeup artist…none of us are so insecure that we would feel threatened….and we all have gay friends. Ruby, is that Robert Atkinson…he also worked with Sting when you did, if I remember right…he’s very good…and his partner works in wardrobe as an assistant…you should consider them both if they’re available, Sam…I know Felicity would really like to have an assistant…and she needs one…we kind of keep her swamped when we’re touring.”

And just as easily as that, two problems were solved.

**

CHAPTER NINETY-THREE….. HOME

The rest of the Pula adventure went smoothly. Cora finished out her time until Robert could join them, dressing circumspectly in loose turtle-necked sweaters and keeping to her quarters when not needed on the sets, Izzy casually mentioned to Urs that she had ‘talked’ to Cora { and though he wondered about the conversation he didn’t pursue it}, the filming went smoothly and the concert was an outstanding, though cold, success, the volunteer audience having no difficulty being enthusiastic as they cheered and applauded during the lengthy evening shoot, then wrapped themselves in blankets between takes. The piper bravely survived the cold breeze on his tush {and jewels}, his plaintive melody on the pipes adding just the right touch to the track and Trish and Izzy cried with the beauty of the mini concert as they huddled under blankets in the wings, ready to warm their men when they came off stage for a break, even providing extra thick covers for Seb and Carlos since their ladies weren’t present.

The guys had a few days break after Pula so Seb, Carlos and David went off to the UK, Trish went back to Rome and when Urs took his little family home to Reve, Izzy was armed with written recipes of the Croatian meals they had liked.

Claude had offered to pick them up at the airport in Geneva but late September was a busy time for the vineyard and Urs opted to pick up a rental car, asking for a car seat for Adam.

Even with the congestion of traffic around Geneva it wasn’t a long trip to Reve but for Izzy it seemed to take forever. Her excitement was infectious and Adam chortled happily in his safe seat, harnessed in and clutching his newest favorite toy, Percy, a furry little brown bear that sang in a gruff voice when you squeezed the paw.

“It’s an absolutely perfect day for a homecoming…look at that sky…and there are so many sailboats out…look Adam, out on Lac Leman…we’ll have to learn how to do that next summer.”

Urs chuckled at her excitement, remembering the other time they had come here and wondering what her reaction would be to seeing the estate and the house again. He knew that Claude had brought the caretaker and his wife back last month to ready their place and that they were residing in the cozy cottage attached to the house.

‘I wonder how much they got done? I hope the gardens look good…she likes that sort of thing…well to be honest so do I…it’s warm enough that maybe it still looks good…I hope at least they’ve remembered to put the hammock up like I asked…that would be a nice surprise for her…and all that stuff we bought in New York should be there…Gott, I’m going to be in so much trouble when she sees how much I bought…’

By the time they turned in at the gates of Reve he was very hopeful…they had passed farm after farm, house after house in the little villages with the window boxes still in full bloom, the geraniums flashing round red blooms in profusion as they sped past, even the wisteria that crept over some of the courtyard walls still heavy with long purple/blue clusters of fragrant flowers.

“Oh Urs, Look how lovely it is,” was her first comment when they spotted the ornate gateway, today open expecting the co-owner home.

Both sides of the entrance had been planted with flowering vines years before and the mature plants now covered the archway in drooping fronds of green, interspersed with the vibrant orange/red flowers of the hardy Cross vine, Bignonia Croseolata. At the base of the walls large urns overflowed with white and red annuals, still producing in the late fall mild weather.

The gate keepers cottage sparkled, the windows clean, some open, all edged with window boxes of the red geraniums so popular in Switzerland, clear evidence that someone was occupying the premises now.

They drove slowly down the avenue of alders, shaded by the branches that arced over the roadway, none of the leaves turning color yet but all quivering in the light breeze that stirred the slender growth.

Half way down the drive they passed a man on a bright green ride-on lawn mower, cutting the grass on the side of what appeared to be freshly spread gravel. He waved and smiled at them as they passed, breathing deep of the lovely scent of new mown grass.

Urs stopped the car as they came out from under the shelter of the alders and Reve spread out before them.

The Chateau looked even bigger, dominating the landscape in front of them, beyond the circular drive with manicured lawns and gardens fronting it. The ivy climbed up the stone walls, still lush and vibrant green, the trim freshly painted and windows sparkling in the sunlight, mature trees in full leaf arching over the rooftop. It was impossible to tell where the building ended and the wall of the village began with the ivy creeping over the surface, up the stone walls and around the arched driveway. Beyond the chimneys and rooftop of the village they could see the fields of vines, row after row of verdant green growth marching up the gentle rises towards the distant mountains, pockets of ant-like workers moving among them, carts heaped with produce on the wide pathways, the home farm to the north west with fields of stoked hay and a tractor pulling a farm implement behind. A copse of trees hid the small lake and the river that they could see here and there, meandering through the property…and all that could be seen of their house was the tall chimneys, peering out from the screen of the mature trees that would keep the buildings cool in summer and sheltered in the depths of winter.

Urs glanced at Izzy and saw that though she was smiling, her face was wet with tears. He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze, words not necessary, not now when he could feel the happiness radiating from her.

“Pretty house…big!!!” Adam said as he busily tried to look at everything at once.

“That’s the Chateau, Adam…where Sally, Gerd and Mama are going to work….and where the good soldiers will rest after they’ve been sick.”

They eased forward, waving at a gardener who was clipping one of the ornamental shrubs beside the entrance stairs and drove under the stone arch onto the brick cobbles of the village main drive.

Again there had been a seasonal transformation of the buildings, most of them showing occupancy now, all adorned with flower boxes, some with ivy that clung to the edges of the building stones. A few people were walking about, some carrying baskets full of produce from the home farm, a woman carrying a small child…they passed Dee and Claude’s home, not stopping this time in their eagerness to reach their own place. The doors to the workshop stood open, a tractor pulled up in front and two men worked on the motor, smiling and waving as they went by…it seemed that everyone knew who they were and were eager to welcome them.

Their gate stood open and Urs eased into the drive, circling in front of the house and stopping in the parking area to turn off the motor.

“Welcome home, Liebeling,” he said softly and leaned over to kiss her gently. He got out and came around to take Adam out of his seat and open the door for Izzy, holding his hand out to her. As a family they stood and drank in the sight of this place that would be their home, where they would conceive and raise their children and love one another into eternity.

“It’s even more beautiful than I remembered,” she said softly, trying to take in the shining windows, the freshly painted or stained trim, the white and yellow roses swaying in a light breeze, the banks of day lilies tossing their orange trumpets, the arbor off to one side dripping with purple/blue wisteria that shielded the flagstone path leading around the corner of the building.

They headed slowly over the pathway to the house, each step on the flagstone creating a welcoming scent from the creeping lemon thyme and sweet woodruff with it’s tiny white star-like flowers that had found a foothold between the stones.

“Is this our home, Papa?” Adam asked and Urs smiled down at his son.

“Ja, Sohn…this is our own special place.”

“I like it…smells nice…”

Inside it was much the same as it had been during that Holiday visit so long ago…the scent of furniture polish was a little stronger, fresh flowers in huge vases had been arranged on some of the tables and there was the unmistakeable scent of baking in the air as they moved closer to the kitchen. A tall gray haired woman was removing cookies from a baking sheet when they walked into the kitchen and jumped in surprise when she spotted them, then laughed and wiped her hands on her apron, smiling and welcoming them in a rapid stream of French.

At Urs’ request she switched to English and introduced herself.

“Sorry Sir…I am called Ambra,” she said with a little curtsy. “My English is not so good.”

“And my son’s French is a work in progress….this is Adam, our son and this is Isabella, soon to be my wife…we are happy to have you here to help us. Have you moved into the housekeeper’s cottage?”

“Oui…Yes, sir….my husband, Hugo and I and our two sons…it is wonderful to have a family in this house again…my Hugo worked, since the old Duc went to heaven, in a factory in Lausanne…he is a man of the land and was not happy in the city.”

“Was it your husband who worked on the gardens, Ambra? They are glorious!” Izzy asked.

The woman’s pride was evident as she thanked Izzy for the compliment and said that yes, her husband loved to work with the gardens.

Adam wasn’t prepared to be polite any longer and patted his Papa on the cheek.

“Ja, Adam, what is it?”

“Could…I mean, May I have a cookie?…they smell SOOOO good.”

Izzy laughed and smiled at Ambra.

“You have found the way to the hearts of these two, Ambra…they both love cookies.”

“Madame Dee warned me…and that is why I baked… please help yourself…but be careful…they are still warm.”

Armed with cookies that both declared were delicious, they headed upstairs to explore the bedrooms with the assurance from Ambra that her Hugo would bring the luggage in.

**

By the time they had inspected the goodies from F.A.O. Schwartz that had been installed in the spacious play room {Izzy just smiled indulgently since she had expected this display of excess}, had shown Adam his airy bedroom and adjoining bath, their luggage was indeed in their room, the suits all neatly hung up and everything else waiting to be put away.

“Urs…I’ve never had servants before,” Izzy said as she took their bathroom bags through to the ensuite. “I’m not really comfortable having people curtsy to me and treat me with respect that I haven’t earned.”

He smiled and took his small bag from her, putting his shaving gear on the vanity.

“Just be yourself, Liebe. Ambra has probably been in service most of her life…if you are friendly towards her when it’s just us around then she’ll respond the same way…and when we have company she’ll assume her more formal role…kind of like you and Sally…I’m sure you two switched back and forth between friends and superior officer all the time.”

She nodded and grinned at him.

“It’s so handy having at least one of us with a logical mind. I never thought of that but you’re right…Sally and I did it all the time without any second thoughts….By the way, I love the way your teak cupboards look in the bedroom …and is that your bed from the flat in Chelsea?...remember how we had to move it so Seb couldn’t hear us?”

“It won’t be a problem here, not with these thick stone walls…and before you ask…it’s a new mattress, just waiting for us to create some new memories.”

“Good…I wouldn’t want to have memories of Alicia creeping in…”

He snorted a laugh.

“Nothing with Alicia was worth remembering anyway….Come here, Woman…I need my battery re-charged…”

He opened his arms and she melted against him, molding herself to his long body, enjoying the firmness of his muscular torso against her breasts, the scent of his after shave, even the half day stubble on his chiseled face. Her hands slipped from his waist to cup his firm butt, squeezing and pulling him closer, wiggling her hips against him when he widened his stance and tilted his pelvis to rub his bulging jeans against her mound.

He flexed his biceps and tightened his arms around her shoulders, burying his face in her hair and breathing in her ear.

“Gott, you make me hot so fast…it’s such a weird feeling…I have to keep reminding myself I’m not a randy 17 year old…but you make me feel like one.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re not…no 17 year old would know about the things you do to me, for me, for us….Urs…”

“Ja, Liebe?”

“Do they grow strawberries on the Home Farm?”

He burst into laughter, kissed her and patted her bottom as he released her.

“If they don’t we’ll put in a big patch in our own little garden. C’mon…let’s collect Adam and go visit Dee…we’ll tell Ambra we’re going so she doesn’t make dinner for us…I’m sure Dee will want us to stay.”

**

CHAPTER NINETY-FOUR …TRANQUILLITE

They walked through the village, taking their time, stopping often to look at the way the homes that were now occupied had been decorated according to the tastes of the occupants.

Claude had forged ahead with the business, bringing back the staff who had been laid off when the vineyards had been in limbo before the deal was struck. Even then contracts had been honored and now he was using the profits that were now released for his use to make improvements, to have the business of making wine flourish once more.

There was an air of vibrancy about the village, of happiness with work that fulfilled needs, not only for the vineyard but for the workers who took pride in their skills and actually liked their lives here at the base of the Jura Mountains.

Most of the men were out in the fields or working in the caves but the few they met as they ambled along greeted them politely, with smiles, calling Urs, Monsieur Urs or Monsieur Buhler, addressing Izzy as Madame and greeting Adam with a smile and an amused handshake when the little boy held his out politely.

Dee met them at the door, carrying their youngest and beaming, not at all surprised to see them.

“Greta was coming back from the Home Farm and saw you arrive….she spread the word…nothing is ever secret for long around here…Welcome Home, Bella…so this is Adam…what a fine looking boy you are…the children are playing in the field if you want to join them.”

Adam looked up at Urs, his eyes a bit concerned.

“Perhaps for now it might be a good idea for Adam to stay with us…just until he gets to know his way around.”

Dee frowned, unsure why Urs was being so protective but willing to go along with it for now.

They went inside the roomy kitchen and Dee put the baby down in his play area, watched closely by Adam who went to the enclosure and watched the baby begin to play with his toys.

“How old is your boy, Bella?” Dee asked as she brought a bottle of red wine to the table and poured some into the glasses already on the clean cloth.

“Twenty-three months…he’s never been around children, Dee, so he has no idea how to play with others…it’s going to take time for him to adjust.”

“He’s tall for not yet 2…and you’re thin…but you look wonderful. So what do you think of the way Ambra and Hugo fixed the house for your arrival? They were so happy to be back at Reve…they were in a little house in Lausanne with the boys having to sleep in one very small room in the attic…have you met the boys yet? Of course you haven’t…it’s Saturday and they work on the weekends…real nice boys, 15 and 16, both good students in secondary school.”

Adam came over to the table and waited until Urs smiled at him before speaking.

“Papa may I go inside the little cage and help the baby play with his toys? I can show him what to do with them.”

“If it’s alright with your Tante Dee…just remember that Roger is smaller and younger than you so you must be patient and gentle.”

Dee nodded her permission and Adam easily stepped over the gate and sat across from the baby, beginning to roll a red ball back and forth to the happy 1 year old and quietly chatting with him even though it was unlikely the little fellow understood.

“Oh you are going to have your hands full…he’s quite advanced I think…none of mine have any patience when it comes to playing with poor Roger…except Stefan, our eldest…but he always has to go with the others to keep an eye on them…he’s 10 now and very reliable.”

“There were no children in the camps so Adam had never even seen a child until Urs got us out. But he’s a quick study, just like his Papa…he’ll adjust. One thing I need to do as soon as we come home to stay for a while is get a good pediatrician…it’s never a good idea for a doctor to treat her own family members…and Adam hasn’t had any of the usual immunizations.”

“Ours is great…I’ll give you the number…are you staying now?”

“No…we’re going to tour around with Urs for a while and then come home before Christmas.”

“I managed to bully her into marrying me…we thought a small service and family gathering here at Reve on Christmas Eve.”

This announcement was met with a squeal of delight, hugs and kisses. In the midst of all the excitement, Dee’s cell phone rang and she excused herself to answer it.

Urs had been keeping an eye on the two children in the play area and nudged Izzy to watch what was happening.

Adam was patiently teaching Roger, much as he had been taught himself, rolling the ball to him and telling Roger that it was ‘a red ball’, selecting a different one and naming that color…when the baby tired of that game they played stack the blocks and once more Adam taught him how to do it, naming the colors as they played, quite content to be patient with the younger boy, clapping his hands and laughing, praising his first pupil when the stacking was accidentally done properly.

“They’re both learning how to play,” Urs whispered, pleased to see his son start to socialize.

“That was Claude…he says welcome home and would you like a tour early tomorrow? They only work a part day on Sunday so he can show you around after about 10:30…I still can’t get him into the church so he has the rest of the day free.”

“Oh yes, please, Urs…we didn’t see much of the grounds last time we were here because of the snow.”

“Do you ride, Bella? It’s really the best way to see everything. You could use my mare…she’s very gentle, has a lovely, easy gait.”

They were talking about the work to be done on the Chateau when the other children came home, bursting into the kitchen door in a jumble of dusty clothing and laughter, all thirsty and all falling silent at the sight of another child on the premises.

The 3 boys and one little girl stood at the gate to the play area staring at Roger and Adam who stared back, all looking like wolves sizing up a stranger in their midst…Stefan, the eldest, broke the silence by opening the gate and stepping in, taking both boys by their hands with a big, brotherly smile.

“C’mon…we’re going to have cookies and milk.”

And just like that Adam was included in the pack, disappearing into the family room with the children for a snack and cartoons.

**

One topic of conversation evolved into another in the way of friends catching up after a long absence, the children all tromped back into the kitchen in their usual rush, cookies finished and their limited allotment of TV done, announcing that they were going back out to play and they were gone again, leaving an abrupt silence in the kitchen as Roger cuddled down in his play area for a nap and Urs rose to look out the window nervously after Adam who had spared his anxious parents only a quick grin before racing off with his new playmates.

“He’ll be fine, Urs…the field is fenced, no roads, just dirt, grass and some fort kind of thing the children have cobbled together…and Stefan takes his Big Brother role very seriously. Actually you can see it from the guest bathroom window upstairs if your nerves get the best of you.”

He lasted 10 minutes then excused himself and loped up the stairs, both women quietly smiling at his retreating figure.

“He seems to have accepted his role of Papa quite well,” Dee commented as soon as he was out of range.

“He’s wonderful, Dee…I was so anxious before, wanting him to know Adam, hoping that somehow we would get free and they could meet…and when he brought me out of the jungle and I saw them together I thought my heart would burst with joy. He’s very good with Adam, has assumed his role so naturally and with so much happiness…we’re so lucky to have him in our lives.”

Dee laughed and reached across the table to squeeze Izzy’s hand.

“I think he would argue the point, Bella…I’ve never seen him as dejected as he was when you were missing…it was like he had lost his soul…and now…any fool can see how happy he is…any plans for more family?”

“Soon…I need to get stronger and Urs starts another tour in February…but yes, we want more…it seems silly to have that big house without filling some of the rooms.”

“Speaking of which, we’re going to move…the residence on the Home Farm has been empty for a while and we thought we would move into it….I love to garden and the space is quite limited here…and with everyone moving back it would be nice to have a bit of privacy, kind of like you have…we thought of turning this house into offices on the upper floors and down here a little store front/ showroom for buyers.”

“How exciting!! So you’ll be planning your home too…Urs and I want to go through the house and see what furnishings we need, what changes need to be done…we only have a week before he has to be in the UK for promotional events, and I know he needs to talk with Claude so we’re going to be pretty busy this visit…and then when we come home Marta is going to visit for a while and help me learn to cook.”

“Excellent…. get her to teach you how to bake and you can teach me…Actually Ambra is an wonderful cook…a couple of girls from Lausanne come out twice a week to help her with cleaning since the house is so big…later they can be hired on to do the Chateau…it’s such a rush, the way everything is finally coming together…and I heard that Gerd and his girlfriend will be managing the Chateau…I think the last time I saw him was at our wedding, all long hair, pimples and impossibly long, skinny legs…and now he’s all grown up…makes me feel ancient.”

Izzy laughed at her indignant frown.

“Right…Gerd’s 32, which I believe is a year younger than you…Claude was a cradle robber, marrying such a young chick.”

Dee smirked.

“He didn’t have much choice…once he kissed me that first time I decided he wasn’t getting away, not ever.”

“Just like Urs and I…though it took us a while to clue in.”

Urs came back, relaxed and smiling and they both waited for him to say something. He pretended nonchalance but gave in with an embarrassed chuckle.

“They’re playing something sort of like football but I couldn’t figure out the rules…there’s a bunch of other children playing with them, I guess from some of the other houses…anyway they’re having a great time…and there’s a flock of chickens down in one corner, completely ignoring all the yelling and racing around.”

“They’ve learned to stay clear…it’s a safe place for the chickens, no dodging trucks or tractors…and at night they migrate back to the coop ….it’s kind of a pain to have to search for the eggs but I think free range tastes better.”

They were still chatting when Claude came home, dusty from the fields and tired from a long day but happy to see them…he went for a shower while Urs went out to collect the kids and Izzy and Dee set the table for the tasty dinner that had been bubbling on the stove scenting the kitchen all afternoon.

Urs and Claude slipped away for a while to go over plans and the accounts for Reve, leaving Dee and Izzy to tidy the kitchen and Stefan to get the smallest children ready for bed.

They all congregated again in the family room, the children watching the last half hour of cartoons of their daily allotment, Roger and Amelia freshly scrubbed and in their jammies while the older children, including Adam, laughed at the antics on the small screen.

“We monitor what they watch but it really isn’t a problem…they’re allowed an hour a day but sometimes they don’t bother if they’re involved in a fun game,” Dee said as she and Izzy settled on one of the sofas.

“Have you thought about getting a nanny or an au pair now that the business is going again? It would give you a bit of a break…and Stefan too…although he seems to like watching out for them.”

“Claude mentioned it and after we get moved I think we’ll do it…the older they get the more work there is…and Stefan should have time to be with his own age group more…I assume you and Urs have thought along those lines too?”

“Yes…especially since he’ll be touring and even though I will take Adam with me some of the time when I join him, still we’ll need time just for us. It will be a lot easier for me to join him once a month or so on his breaks than for him to get tired out coming home…their schedule is kind of brutal so the more relaxing he can do the better.”

Dee laughed.

“I’ve seen the way he touches you and looks at you…I doubt there’ll be a lot of ‘relaxing’ going on when you join him.”

“Well that can be relaxing in a way…and we won’t spend ALL our time in bed.”

“Who is going to spend all their time in bed?” Claude asked as he and Urs came in the room. “Sleeping,” he added as every little face in the room turned to look at him.

Urs gave Izzy a cheeky grin, pretty sure they hadn’t been talking about sleeping as he perched on the arm of the sofa and brushed his hand over her curls.

“We should go soon, Liebe…I think the only clean part of our son is his hands and face from washing up for dinner…he’s going to need a good scrub tonight.”

They arranged what time to meet at the stables in the morning, decided to take Adam with them on their ride and left amid lots of chatter among the children and invitations to come visit and play with the new stuff in the play room.

Adam only made it a few steps along the cobbled street in the fading daylight before he asked to be picked up, all the extra playing with his new mates suddenly catching up and tiring him out. Urs picked him up to ride on his shoulders where Adam promptly put his head on top of Urs’ and dozed off.

Izzy laughed as she watched them, Urs walking carefully with his hands resting on Adam’s arms so he wouldn’t slide off.

“We really must get a camera…it’s moments like this I want to be able to look at when we’re old and tottering around with canes or walkers.”

“I want one of those motorized scooters…a red one…I’ll juice up the motor so it goes faster …and it would need a carrier for boxes of soft cookies that I can gum without any teeth.”

“Do you ever think about getting old, Urs?”

“Not really…I think it kind of creeps up on you without you being aware…kind of like grey hair…I was amazed the first time the stylist told me I had some.”

“You do? Where?”

He grinned at her.

“You haven’t been paying attention, Liebe…or maybe it’s too dark when you explore there…the ones the stylist noticed were at my temples…I get them colored in all the time…not good for the image, you know.”

“I don’t know…I think it would make you look distinguished…”

“I’m not ready to be distinguished…not yet.”

They paused for a moment in the yard in front of the softly lit up house to watch the sun easing behind the Jura, flashing red, gold and orange across the sky and turning the underside of the few clouds rusty gold. The scent of the roses and gardens wafted over them, doves cooed in the tall trees beside the house and the windows sparkled with reflected color from the setting sun.

Suddenly the glowing orb was gone and millions of stars popped out, sweeping across the sky in a glorious display. Movement caught their eyes and they saw a couple of timid brown rabbits hopping on to the lawn, pausing to look at the immobile couple then speeding away on their nightly search for food.

“Does our house have a name, Urs?”

“Villa de Tranquillite …”

“How perfect!” she responded softly holding on to his arm and resting her face against his bicep with a contented sigh.

After a few more minutes of shared silence they went on inside to put their son to bed.

**

CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE… STRUEDEL BY FIRELIGHT

It didn’t take long to get Adam down for the night. His bath was short, merely a good wash up since he was almost falling asleep between the warmth of the water and his tiredness from playing so hard.

Urs pulled the plug on the tub and lifted him out, wrapping him in the warm towel Izzy had ready and crooning to him as he snuggled the damp body close, for some reason the vulnerable, drowsy boy making him feel protective and tender. He hummed softly as he slipped the tired boy into one of his new footed jammies, zipped it and passed him to his Mama for a cuddle and kiss.

“He had a good day today. I’m so pleased with how he got along with the other kids. I was worried that being so smart might make it hard for him to get along with other children.”

“He’s friendly, Urs, and inquisitive…especially about people…I think he takes after you that way…I’ve noticed how you always sort of study anyone new you meet…you kind of look for who they are as a person before you interact with them…and Adam does the same thing. He’ll be fine.”

Urs took him back and they put him in his new bed, pulling the covers with the cute little teddy bears up to his chin…temporarily they were sure since he would kick the covers off as always.

He was almost asleep as they left the room, leaving a night light on and clicking on the BB monitor.

“It’s early yet…did you want to check out some of the rooms to see what we need to do?...or can I interest you in a quiet night, just the two of us in front of a crackling fire in our room?...we’ve never made love in our new home yet…we really should start off as we mean to go on.”

“I wondered how long it would take…go find something to snack on later, SS…you’re going to need fuel to get through this night….I have plans….”

He grinned and raced from the room, leaving her laughing as she dimmed the lights and went in the ensuite to run a bath, using some of his Bulgari bodywash for suds. She had candles lit on the vanity and several large fluffy towels on the warming rods when she heard him come back and putter with the fireplace, lighting the kindling that had been laid, presumably by Hugo and adding a couple of larger logs, then replacing the bronze screen.

When he sought her out in the large room she was stripped to a towel that was securely tucked around her body and testing the water, a CD of Mozart arias playing softly in the little unit on the vanity.

She turned to face him, reaching up to caress his face with a soft, damp hand.

“I thought you might like to relax a bit after such a hectic time…you really haven’t had much of a break for weeks…and the next few days will be busy too with the tour tomorrow and Gerd and Sally arriving in the evening…I’ll be lucky to see you much once they get here.”

“I’m your willing slave, M’lady,” he murmured as she began on the dome at the waist of his jeans.

“Not tonight…tonight you are the Master and I, merely your hand maiden.”

She lowered the jeans to his ankles, taking his jockeys as well and he stepped out of them, raised his arms to have his tee shirt slip off and follow the jeans to the laundry hamper, balanced himself with a hand on her satiny back as she bent to pull off his socks …and she smiled as she looked at the work of art standing naked in front of her.

“My Gott you’re beautiful…in spite of your dislike of the sun you picked up a nice tan…of course my favorite areas are the ones the sun never touched….like this spot along your ribs where your arms sheltered your torso…and here, under your chin…and those sweet, long pink toes… In the tub, M’Lord before I forget myself!”

He stepped in the huge old tub, sighing as he immersed himself and slid down, stretching out full length with only his face above the water.

“Gott that feels good! But it would feel better if you joined me…” He held his hand out to her and she took it, tugging so that he sat up, the suds running in slow streams down his wet chest and floating towards the slowly running taps and tiny screened outlet that slowly were keeping the water level constant.

“Soon…very soon,” she said, loosening her towel and stepping in behind him to sit with her legs on each side and her hands on his shoulders, adding fuel to his already smouldering fire with the feeling of her bushy mound against his butt.

She began massaging his muscles, not surprised to find them a bit tense, working from his long neck outward, across his shoulders and over the muscular back that rippled just under the skin as she stroked and kneaded.

When she felt him relax into her hands she eased off and took the loofah from the side of the tub, washing his back in long soapy strokes with enough pressure to make the skin glow.

He was humming along with an aria from La Clemenza di Tito, his eyes closed, completely pliant in her hands when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him gently back against her wet breasts, beginning to switch her attentions to the muscles of his chest and stomach.

‘I could stay like this forever…and it isn’t even all that erotic…well maybe that is…oh yes, that woke up our Little Soldier…but I don’t want this to stop…you’ve cast a spell over me, my Little Love…a spell of peace and contentment… I didn’t realize how tight I was wound…”

“Tilt your head back, Urs…so I can shampoo your hair…”

She kneaded his scalp with soft fingers that actually moved the hair and skin, easing the slight headache he had forgotten he had, working the shampoo into the hollow at the back of his neck, smoothing behind his ears, back off his brow and temples…one hand vanished and he felt the gentle warmth moments later of the spray attachment, rinsing the foam away, Izzy guarding his eyes from errant bubbles with her free hand, then he felt the cool addition of conditioner being worked into each strand of hair.

She leaned her face forward to murmur against his ear while the conditioner vainly tried to tame his natural curls, her voice soft and tender as she spoke of love.

“These moment are so precious…I love being close to you, to feel you under my hands, to know that we belong to each other now and forever….I want to give you everything…a home, family, peace, joy…a life we could never have without being together…I love you…I know you love me…remember this moment when we have to be apart.”

She rinsed the conditioner out thoroughly, placing her fingers over his mouth when he was about to talk and smiling at him as she levered herself out of the tub and picked up a towel.

“Let me dry you…then we can lay in front of the fire and I’ll massage the spots I couldn’t reach in the tub.”

She spread a large, dry towel on the thick rug in front of the fireplace and guided him down onto his stomach, coated her hands with baby oil and began on his long legs and feet.

Cosi Fan Tutte soothed him as she worked her way up his long body, easing muscles, working the oil into his smooth or hairy skin, not missing anything including his fingers that for a moment itched to hold her, to reach around and guide the soft breasts he could feel against his back into his eager mouth. It was getting uncomfortable laying on his stomach and she must have sensed it for she took her weight off his bottom and sat back, quietly asking him to roll over.

‘Mein gott I was so wrong…this is the most erotic foreplay I’ve ever had done to me…and all my darling Bella…Touch me,Baby!!!...Gott, I need her to touch me….no more teasing, Bella or I’ll burst….ach!!! so close…she comes so close and then moves away….I need you!!!...’

She was kneeling on either side of his stretched out legs, straddling him and leaned forward to flick the tip of her tongue over his parted lips…and her hand curled around him, caressing, guiding, her hips lowered and they became one with sighs escaping from both mouths as they kissed and gently thrust, tongues and bodies in sync, savoring the moment, the heat, the moistness, the grasp of muscles that were both relaxed and straining, anticipating what was to come.

It was a slow and gentle loving, neither eager to finish, too full of joy to rush.

He raised his knees and groaned at the way she took him further into her body, a velvet glove that held him, moved his stretched skin…his fingers found and caressed the hidden sweet spot that was the key to her pleasure, hers rested on his chest, pulling on the flat nipples that were so sensitive to her touch….he bucked his hips, matching the rhythm as she rode him, closer and closer to the elusive peak that they both could feel only a breath away.

She leaned forward, sliding up to his mouth on his oiled body, driving her hips down and scissoring her legs in a vise at his hips, each swallowing the cries of the other as they spasmed in long, rolling orgasms that left them weak, gasping for breath.

“Mein Gott!! Mein Gott…I love what you do to me….and you are MINE!!! Only Mine!!”

He rolled them to their sides, kissing her gently as her breathing calmed, enjoying the sensations of her body shuddering as the aftershocks swept through her, welcoming his sperm into the darkness and comfort of her now limp body.

**

Urs built up the fire while Izzy slipped her nightie on and went to take Adam to the bathroom. She came back to find his ‘snack’ spread on a fresh blanket on the carpet and the stack of Cd’s now changed to a collection of Beethoven Piano etudes, done by Ashkenazy.

“We need to get some big soft pillows for in front of the fire,” he said, patting the blanket opposite him and folding his legs up to give her room. “I can just picture you lounging back in them, that tasty body vibrating with need….have I not been taking care of you well enough? You seem extra sensual tonight…I mean I love how you’re always ready and eager for me but tonight…it’s like you don’t ever want to stop…it’s amazing.”

He held out a chunk of the fresh apple/raisin and cinnamon streudel he had found, pulling it back with a frown when she tried to take it and feeding it to her gently when she leaned her face forward with a seductive smile. She licked the cinnamon and icing off his fingers, making him groan and lean in to lick her lips.

“I think I’m ovulating…it makes me randy.”

He sat back and poured them each a glass of red wine.

“More than usual obviously…Liebe are you sure you’re ready? You know I want to give you another baby…but I don’t want to put you at risk…I couldn’t bear it if our love made you ill.”

“Never happen…you take such good care of me…and I feel so…so alive when I have your baby in my body…Urs, if it happens, then I believe it’s the right time, just like with Adam….”

“The tour starts in February…and before then we have so much to do, the Promos, work here at Reve….”

“I would be able to travel right up until you have your break in the summer…and all I can do here is plan and supervise. I can do that in any condition…don’t over think this Urs…I thought we agreed to let Gott make those decisions and just enjoy whatever happens.”

He smiled and leaned over to take her wine glass, putting both of them on the little table nearby.

“Well, I plan to enjoy doing my part….you still hungry?”

“For streudel? No…”

She felt her pulse quicken as his eyes turned to liquid honey and he grasped the edge of her nightie to ease it up over her head and away, leaning his face against her breasts, his warm breath on her nipples making them rise, his tongue making an ache start again.

“My turn,” he murmured, crawling up her body and tipping her backwards on to the bed pillows he had arranged, following her down and enveloping her completely in a cocoon of love.

**

Twice that night, and again in the morning, his healthy multitude of swimmers searched for the goal they had raced so hard to be first to reach, only to be disappointed. The months of hardship on her body hadn’t quite finished healing yet and though she was establishing a regular cycle once more, what was released was not acceptable …weak, flawed, merely a housekeeping process by the ovaries of ejecting a non-viable egg, one not containing that spark of life that need only be combined with the eager sperm to begin dividing into the cells which would create life…the swimmers milled about, losing the drive that had spurred them on until the cleansing fluids of the dark passage swept them away with the useless egg.

**

CHAPTER NINETY-SIX…THE TOUR STARTS

It was a beautiful day for a ride, a light wind was blowing across the land, the few clouds high and wispy, the sun bright and not too hot.

They enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, eating in the kitchen to the dismay of Ambra until Urs explained.

“We aren’t fancy people, Ambra. When it’s just us at home we’ll likely eat breakfast in here, sometimes even with you and Hugo if he hasn’t already gone out, the boys too….we would like to get to know you better and for you to feel comfortable with us. When we have company perhaps Bella will ask you to prepare a meal and we’ll have it in the small dining room….but even then we may eat here in the morning…most of our friends are very casual as well.”

“After breakfast we need to pack a few sandwiches and some drinks to take with us…we’re going out on the horses this morning for a tour of the estate,” Izzy said as she poured them coffee from the large pot Ambra had placed on a trivet on the polished wooden table.

Someone had thoughtfully provided a high chair for Adam, a beautiful old piece of furniture that was sturdy, completely made of wood, by hand and with the unmistakeable patina of something that had been lovingly cared for and handled for years.

“This is lovely…I know the Duc had no children…where did it come from?” Izzy asked.

“My Hugo found it in the store room …he thinks it was from the caretaker before us…they had quite a large brood of children and he was very good at wood working…many of the pieces in the bed chambers were made by him.”

They chatted while Ambra made a hearty breakfast…the ever present Birchermuesli, fresh, hot croissants with homemade conserve and omelettes made with cheese that Ambra said came from the goats on the Home Farm.

Izzy found that she had a good appetite today and earned a hug and kiss from Urs when he saw her actually eating a good meal.

“M. Urs, I usually leave right after breakfast on Sunday and go to church with Mme. Dee and the children…if you require me I can easily come back to prepare dinner…”

“I was going to ask which days you would like to have off…Sunday would be fine with us, Ambra, Saturday too if you like…we will only be here for a week this time and when we come back we’ll work out a schedule that is good for everyone.”

Izzy had looked thoughtful while Urs was speaking to the cheerful woman and he noticed it, waiting as he usually did until she had whatever she was mulling over sorted out to hear what she had to say. This time it wasn’t really a question and he smiled a bit as he realized that what she was doing was declaring dominance in the kitchen…but with tact.

“It’s going to be a little disorganized for a while with us being away so much and people coming and going with new furnishings and house hold goods…and I don’t know if Dee mentioned it but we do have family coming tonight who are going to be here for a while, starting work on the Chateau. Perhaps tomorrow or Monday you and I can go over what needs to be done here, what we need for the kitchen, more importantly anything that you need for the cottage…we want you to be happy and comfortable so you stay with us a long time…and I’m going to count on you to help me learn to be a better cook…especially things like that wonderful streudel we sampled last night.”

The two women made sandwichs for the outing while Urs had another coffee and helped Adam finish his breakfast, then he took his son up to dress for their ride. When he came back Izzy was just finishing tidying up and poking through the cupboards in the roomy kitchen. And Ambra had gone to change for church.

It really was a lovely, inviting room, very reminiscent of Dee’s kitchen in décor though considerably bigger, the trim done in clean white or sparkling sky blue, with the big stone fireplace that still had the heavy metal hook for swinging pots over the flames, a convenient work area with large, deep sink and granite counters {TWO heavy duty dishwashers hidden underneath}, the huge old Agas with blue enamel doors and trim and swing arm faucets for filling large pots or kettles, the new addition of a copper hood looking perfect, seemed ancient and sturdy though it had been a recent addition. There were a couple of rocking chairs flanking the wood bins at the side of the fireplace on the wide, deep hearth and a wide mantle that ran the length of it displaying some larger copper pots, the rest hanging over the butcher block island from a heavy iron wheel with hooks for the pots and one mesh basket for lids.

On the far wall racks had been built into the wall for the cooling of trays of baked goods, fronted by a long enamel work area that held several copper buckets full of varied utensils and with drawers underneath… “Perfect for making pies or biscuits” Izzy informed him, something gleaned from talking with Ambra and she pulled out one of the drawers to show him that they did indeed have a refrigerator, several in fact…each of the wood fronted drawers was a frig with the foods separated into organized places in true Swiss style.

The sturdy but ancient wooden table where they had been for breakfast was nestled in a large nook with a bench seat and 6 chairs, the multipaned window looked out over the back yard and was lined on the roomy ledge with blue or yellow pots of herbs and geraniums that scented the area. Another nook with windows that looked to the side yard held a comfy old chocolate leather sofa and chairs with blue pillows waiting to comfort weary heads and hand crocheted throws conveniently draped over the backs…. a sturdy wooden coffee table and end tables with squat copper based lamps invited those waiting for a meal or snack to sit for a rest or to read, the whole spot separated from the rest of the kitchen by a colorful rag rug that had been washed into pastel blues and yellows.

A doorway was standing open onto a butlers pantry, stacked full of several sets of dishes and containers of cutlery, and another into a store room lined with shelving on one side that would be perfect for canned goods and jars, all sizes of spices, condiments and baking supplies, now holding extra saucepans, baking tins and trays…the other side was more modern with 2 large double door freezers and a selection of small appliances, each in it’s own cubby hole.

Urs pointed out his favorite area…the white shelving built over the enamel work surface that proudly displayed glass jars, some already full of assorted cookies and squares, domed containers {where he had found the streudel last night}, and a cut glass cake cozy with an untouched chocolate cake that he had missed on his quick foray.

“So it sounds like you’re serious about learning how to cook without burning everything…”

“You bet….if you live through my first attempts I plan on fattening you up…though if you keep insisting on so much exercise in bed you should keep your manly figure.”

He laughed at her then glanced at his watch and she shut the cupboards, that one glance was enough of a hint that she was nearly out of time.

“I just need to grab a jacket and brush my teeth… everything is in that canvas bag if you want to start out…Adam doesn’t walk as fast so I can catch up.”

They were wandering along the dusty path towards the stables when she jogged up behind them. Adam was trying to catch a butterfly that always landed just out of reach and Urs was laughing at his attempts.

“We still didn’t pick up a new video camera or even a digital…next time we go to town I should write it on my hand so I don’t forget.”

“Sally said something about bringing hers…to take pictures at the Chateau…but you’re right…we should have one of our own…he’s growing so fast…I really notice the difference even in the short time we’ve been ‘out’….and he looks so cute today in those bib overalls…a regular little farmer boy.”

“I told him he has to leave his shoes on today…that I’m keeping mine on because we’re going to ride horses…he even remembered what horses are from one of his books.”

“Yesterday Dee offered to watch Adam if he gets tired of riding and touring…she’ll be back from church around 12:30.”

Urs nodded then jogged on ahead when Adam disappeared around a curve in the path. They were at the side, both with their backs turned, both ‘watering’ the weeds and once again Izzy longed for the camera she kept forgetting to buy.

All safely tucked in and buttoned up Urs turned and grinned at her, letting Adam slowly accomplish his re-dressing by himself, at his insistence.

“I thought it was best now than after we’re mounted. What’s up? You have that devilish look on your face that usually means you’re up to something.”

She laughed and shook her head.

“Not this time…I need the camera first.”

“You wouldn’t!! Scheisse, of course you would…oops, hope he didn’t hear me.”

“Scheisse…is that Schweitzer, Papa?”

Izzy laughed at the mortified look on his face as the question came from the region of his knees.

“Mama was teasing me and it slipped out…it’s not a polite word, Adam and I’m sorry for saying it.”

“Okay…but you have to be careful…Mama likes to tease.”

With this solemn pronouncement Adam went on his way, exploring the flowers still blooming profusely along the verge, picking up pretty stones, some of which went in his pockets, so absorbed in his surroundings that he missed the first glimpse of the stables and the paddock with horses placidly chomping on grass.

“Look Adam…there’s some of the horses…aren’t they beautiful?” Izzy called out to him and the little boy looked where she was pointing, stopping dead in his tracks with his eyes big and round, his mouth open in amazement.

This was so much better than the pictures in his books. He headed for the fencing at a dead run, Izzy scrambling right behind him, laughing, with visions of him scooting under the fence to get closer.

Urs ambled along a little slower, watching them as Izzy caught their son and took his hand firmly, going with him to the fence and letting him climb up for a better look.

‘I don’t think it gets any better than this…he’s so excited…and she’s so adorable, sharing his joy of life, looking like a little farmer herself in those jeans and cotton shirt…we’ll be happy here…Hell we’ll be happy everywhere now, the way she finds something interesting everywhere she goes….and she’s so good at picking up on whether I’m stressed or not…those little hands are so strong when she kneads my muscles…and every day I see her getting healthier, back to the way she was…I wonder what else she said to Cora…that last few days before she left she looked terrified every time she did my makeup…I actually thought her hands were shaking once…whatever it was, it worked….ah my Little Love…you take such good care of me.’

“Urs…”

He swung his head towards the stables to see Claude coming out, leading a grey horse and with his arm back ready to throw something to him.

Automatically he caught the flying object…an apple and he looked at Claude in question, getting a wave towards the fence where his son was tentatively patting the velvety nose of a big black Friesien.

“Remember Inky?…he’s always begging for apples.” A second apple followed the first then Claude turned away to loop the reins of the grey over a fence railing.

Urs joined his family.

“I remember him from the last time I was here when the Duc was alive. His name in Incitatus, after Caligula’s favorite horse…we all call him Inky. The other Friesian out there in the paddock is Bucephalus, named for Alexander the Great’s horse. Here, Adam…he loves apples…hold it like this with your palm flat…no don’t curl your fingers, just let him use his lips to take it from you….there,doesn’t that feel funny?…you’ve made him very happy!”

He was a beautiful creature, jet black with only a small white blaze on his head, almost invisible behind the thick long mane, part of the trademark of a Friesian who were known for the thick manes that sometimes grew almost to the ground, just like their tails and the abundant feathers on all four feet…all of this growth was never cut during the life of the animal, just groomed so it didn’t tangle. The gentle natured horse looked amazing with his lustrous coat, feathers, mane and tail flying when he worked either under saddle or in traces, at 16 plus hands a large enough animal to be either or both.

“Will we ride Inky, Papa?”

“I don’t think so…I think Onkle Claude has other horses saddled for us…here give Inky his last apple and we’ll go see.”

Claude was coming back out of the stables leading a saddled roan and followed by a teenaged boy leading another, the boy looking so much like Ambra that there was no doubt this was one of her sons.

“This is Horst, Ambra and Hugo’s eldest…he works with the horses every chance he gets. He has a magic touch with all our animals. His brother Hans works in the little office over the garage, is a whiz on computers. He’s been doing the checking of the inventory that came from the lawyers…he’ll have copies for you when it’s done.”

Claude looped the reins over and grinned at the retreating back of the shy boy who was scurrying back into the stables

“I doubt that either of you have done much riding lately so we saddled the Paso Finos for us today…they’re so much more comfortable for long rides.”

The Paso Fino was a unique equine in that it was born with an inherited gait of 4 beats, each foot moving independantly which gave it a smooth motion, none of the bumping up and down of ordinary horses….instead the rider became one with the movement of the horse, more like the ease of a rocking chair and though the gallop or breeze was not nearly at the same break neck speed of other breeds, the ease and comfort of ride was worth the trade off.

“Izzy, the grey mare is what Dee likes to think of as her horse…her name is Sadie…she’s very sweet natured, like most Finos, not skittish at all….if you hop on up I’ll adjust the stirrups for you.”

They did just that and Izzy rode around on the drive for a few moments, getting the feel of the horse. A gentle tug on the reins stopped her and both horse and rider watched while Urs mounted and Claude handed Adam up to sit safely in front of his Papa with a huge grin. A few minutes of easy walking about and only one clutch at the pommel and she saw him look up at Urs, nearly bouncing with glee at this new adventure.

“We stop now?”

“Do you want to?”

“NO, Please…want to ride more and more…like it …we go fast Papa?”

Urs laughed and gently urged Mischa, his roan gelding, to a Corto, the Passo Fino version of a trot. They only went a short way and turned to come back to join Claude and Izzy.

‘Mein gott, he’s like his mother…nothing scares him much, at least not for long…I can almost feel his little body vibrating with anticipation of new and interesting things to see, feel, do…where is this insatiable little mind of yours going to take you, my son?...each new thing you learn, you do with such single minded intensity…speaking properly, reading, music, even interacting with other children…secretly I always thought I was smart as a kid but you…you’re so …so disciplined…no that isn’t right…that would hint at doing things you really didn’t want to only because you should…you do everything because you need to KNOW, to learn…and because it makes you happy…and I’m going to do my best to see that you continue to feel that way, no matter what it takes….’

“Well I guess that settles the question of if he would be scared,” he said with a laugh as Claude took the lead and headed out along the road leading past the Home Farm.

The roadway was wide enough for them to go three a breast, purposely built that way for the wide or loaded farm vehicles, today making it possible to chat as they rode.

Each side of them the fields were just beginning to turn the multi colors of fall, the grasses and flowers fading to brown and bending over to the north, south to north the dominant wind direction. To the left, or south, the first field was being used as a paddock for about 15 horses, older, bigger, work horses that still were used for parades in Lausanne as well as short trips for the wagons coming in from the fields, another effort at reducing the estate’s carbon footprint. There was a mix here…several more Friesians, a matched team of 6 dappled Percherons and some muscular breed at about 14.5 hands that neither Izzy nor Urs recognized…a Ukranian breed Claude explained, that the Duc had been experimenting with for stamina.

To the east the fields were undulating, far off showing the dense forest of deciduous trees interspersed with birch and alder, divided with white fencing into hay fields and large paddocks where a mixture of Andalusians and Paso Finos roamed, some with foals at foot.

“We’ve been slowly gaining a reputation as a reliable breeder of Paso Finos and Andy’s…Horst is very good with them…I’d like to encourage him to go to Ag. College for Animal Husbandry…he seems to have a natural ability….and it would kind of be pay-back for all the help the Duc gave me.”

Urs agreed with him and they discussed scholarships, foundations, all the things that could be done to encourage young people to get an advanced education.

They approached the turn to the Home Farm but Claude motioned them to continue on.

“I thought we should go up the Jura a bit so you can look down and see the whole place at once…it’s a rather impressive sight…then we can zig zag back and see most of it up close.”

And so they went on, across a large stone bridge over the bubbling river, enjoying the beautiful fall day and the sights of this place that was now their home.

**

CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN…THE TOUR CONT.

Each side of the roadway was lined with the lovely mature trees that arched over the road as they followed the gentle curve, the elevation subtly increasing as the path climbed up into the foothills of the Jura Mountains. There was a shimmer of a lake off to the right as they crossed another stone bridge over a meandering river, the glimpse of orchards in lush rows in one unfenced area, a side road to storage or work sheds in convenient locations, even a couple of hectares of obviously young vines, growing vigorously and reaching for the bright blue sky from their support wires.

The roadway curved in a large circular turn-around then arrowed off to the left along the base of the sharper inclines, a thick hedge at the base of the hills to protect the tender vines from snow slides during the winter months.

Claude indicated that they should follow the narrow path leading further up the mountains, through the freely growing forest that marched up the inclines to the tree line.

Another 20 minutes of riding through the sometimes dense growth and they emerged into an alpine meadow, studded with late blooming blossoms and pierced here and there with up thrusting rocks of the same hue as those used to build the numerous houses and walls of the village. The path narrowed to cross the meadow, overgrown and showing evidence that it was seldom used as it wound around rocks and disappeared towards the heights.

They slowed and went forward at a slow pace, making it easy for the horses to handle the change in elevation and uneven terrain until they stopped in a large glade that was treeless and fairly flat, a plateau that Claude had been aiming for …….the view from here was amazing.

They dismounted and picketed the horses, allowing them to graze on the summer’s growth of grasses or drink from a tiny rill that trickled out of a cleft in the rock face of a towering ledge.

“Almost everything as far as you can see is Reve,” Urs said softly as he came up beside Izzy who was gazing out over the vista in stunned silence.

“I feel like Eve must have when she first got a good look at Eden,” she said, so quietly it was hard to hear her.

“Just don’t go looking for an apple tree…I’ve already partaken of that particular fruit.”

He slipped his arms around her from behind…and grunted when Adam flung himself against his Papa’s legs, laughing.

“The rocks are leaking, Papa…see, look at the water…and the horses are washing their feet.”

Sure enough, the mounts were standing in the water, getting a drink after their long ride, seeming as content as their riders to pause in this idyllic spot for a brief respite.

Claude was spreading a blanket on a grassy area and placing the two canvas bags on the edge for them to have lunch. He finished and came over to them to gaze out proudly over the results of most of his working life laying in orderly rows and fields below them.

The estate seen from this vantage point was even more impressive than the vistas possible down below. The land undulated gently, in the distance bordered clearly on three sides by mature copses of trees in ribbons of green that edged the main road and the divisions beween this property and those on both sides, the other border formed by the mountain range that crept ever upward into the sky in majestic splendor.

They were situated in a gentle curve of mountains, to the north a spur of rock formed a sheltering arm with a ridge of rock tapering off into thickly forested slopes as it fell, the rocky faces broken by several tall shimmering waterfalls that fed the streams and, in turn, wandered to the river-fed lake, first creating a marshy area and lush growth before branching out again into a long kidney shaped lake that narrowed into the main river. Several streams peeked through the woods as they supplied the fields and buildings that could scarcely be seen nestled into the still green fall growth, bubbling under bridges over the roads that marked the various areas: vineyards, orchards, farm, fields, the village, the far off gatehouse and entry driveway, the Chateau, pastures, outbuildings, gardens, both large and pocket sized.

A glint of reflected light caught Izzy’s eyes as she tried to see everything at once and she peered intently at the area part way up the mountain-side to the south/west.

Claude saw her wrinkle her nose and shade her eyes as she tried to figure out what she was seeing and nudged her arm, holding out a pair of binoculars he had thoughtfully brought along.

“This might help, Bella,” he said with a grin.

The area sprang into focus and she recognized it immediately….solar collectors, several tiered rows of long curved panels that nestled against the rock face on some sort of metal scaffolding, the faces of the panels positioned to catch the rays of the sun and produce energy for the estate.

“There’s a network of caves below that escarpment and the batteries for storage are housed in a few of them…we actually generate enough power that when we sell it to the grid and settle our account for the estate monthly, we make a small profit… it’s a win/win situation. There’s also an extensive system of tunnels under the village, some of which are used for battery storage of the energy produced by the collectors on the buildings for heat and hot water…there’s even an old dungeon under the Chateau…as a joke we left the shackles embedded in the walls…in case of naughty husbands, Dee claims.”

From this angle they could just pick out the huge wooden doors of the caves where the wine was aged and the parking area with several trucks standing by. A few ant- people came and went around the entrance.

“I didn’t realize that some of the crew worked on Sunday,” she said.

“There’s always someone on duty around the caves,” Urs said as he scooped Adam up for a better look.

Adam was peering further up the mountain and patted Urs on the neck to get his attention.

“Papa, there’s a little house up there,” he said pointing up the mountain and the adults all looked where he gestured.

“That’s the Duc’s little observatory,” Urs said, pleased that his son was showing an interest in their new home and quick to notice something unusual in the landscape.

“Obs…obstory…”

“Ob-serv-a-tory…it’s a place where you have special equipment to look at the stars in the sky…like those glasses that Mama is looking through but stronger.”

Izzy adjusted the binoculars and passed them over so Adam could see what a difference they made.

“It was another hobby of the Duc’s…he had some very powerful equipment installed, telescopes, cameras… sometimes he would stay up there for days…I think it took the place of the family he never had. I doubt that anyone has been up there since he took sick, just before the end.”

They all sat on the blanket and idly nibbled on the lunch that come out of the canvas bags, including a thermos of milk for Adam and a bottle of red wine for the adults, Adam and Izzy taking turns with the binoculars, while Urs and Claude explained the various areas they kept discovering.

Claude briefly mentioned how the crops on the farm were rotated, pointed out the little boat dock on the lake and the shed where the craft were housed. Urs asked if the fishing was still as good, remembering some long ago afternoons spent on the lake and promising Adam and Izzy that they would go next summer.

“What is that spot where the trees are mostly young? It looks like there may have been a fire at some time…see it, over there near our house…” Izzy asked.

“I remember that,” Urs said as he borrowed the glasses for a look see. “Wasn’t it a lightening strike or something, about 15 years ago?”

“Yes…actually in 1991…we were putting a new roof on the cottage where Ilsa and Jer lived…remember them?…she was a maid in the Chateau and he worked as groundskeeper well into his 80’s…they had retired and lived in the cottage but we had a bad storm and a tree was struck…it fell on the cottage and the fire gutted the interior…they spent the remainder of their time with us in the little cottage by the chapel…and we’ve never got around to rebuilding. It’s too bad…they had lovely gardens …it’s one of those things that don’t NEED to be done right now and keeps getting put off.”

“I like the way you haven’t cleared all the land of the woods,” Izzy said with a satisfied sigh as she sipped her wine. “There’s so much property here, so much to explore…and so much to learn. I know next to nothing about growing vines or making wine from them…I know it’s a silly question but do you have books that a beginner could read and maybe at least hold an intelligent conversation at times?”

Claude laughed and nodded.

“A whole room full…when we move onto the Home Farm I plan on turning our old master bedroom into a library so we can organize it a little better…right now everything is in piles and it takes forever to find anything…Hans shudders everytime I send him on a search…he’s more like Urs, wants everything neat and organized…very Swiss…me, I’m more French!!”

Urs chuckled and nudged his friend and partner on the shoulder.

“That’s why we make a good team…you can be your sloppy but hands on self and I can tidy up after you in my more logical, precise way….so long as now and then we get to trade off…I do like to grub around in the dirt sometimes, to make things grow or get absorbed in the challenge of fixing something so it works efficiently.”

“And I always feel satisfied when things are orderly when I go to look for something, or when the vines are flourishing and all nice and glossy after a rain with the wet leaves shimmering in nice straight rows, or the bottles right after they get dusted and the necks are poking out of the bins just so.”

Claude actually had a dreamy look on his face as he gestured with his hands, lost in a vision of the endless racks of aging bottles waiting for shipment in the dim caves.

Izzy leaned back against Urs and smiled as his arms came up to cuddle her closer.

‘I’ll never get tired of this…this place, this life, this peace, this special man ….it’s like a whole other world, complete now that Urs is here with his music…we can come here to restore our need for space, for nature and only venture out into the chaos of “civilization” when our souls have been replenished….all those caves…I wonder how deep they go?…and if any have mineral deposits worth checking out?’

Urs could almost feel the excitement emanating from her as she sighed with contentment and reached out to brush some stray curls off Adam’s face where he lay beside her catching a nap after the adventures of the morning.

‘I felt that quiver, Liebe…the first chance you get you’ll be exploring those caves…I hope you won’t be disappointed…Switzerland doesn’t really have many worthwhile mineral deposits, at least not the gem stone variety, if I remember my geology classes in secondary school…all the more reason to make a trip to Bancroft during one of our breaks…and I think in the spring if there’s a chance we should go up to the observatory and see if everything is working properly…it may be something that will interest Adam….Is it this place or the way I feel here with my family? I feel I could write music that would make people weep with joy, sigh with contentment, understand this love I have for Nature, for space to breathe, like I’ve completed one part of my journey and started on another, even better, with more understanding of myself, my purpose on this planet, the happiness which has always been so elusive and now fills me until I wonder if it shows to anyone looking at me….just wait until you find out your surprise tonight, Liebe, when Gerd and Sally arrive….you and Adam are going to be very happy I think.’

He felt Izzy beginning to drift off and gently placed her beside Adam for a nap, kissing her lightly when she stirred.

“Nap time, Luv…” he murmured and saw her lips curve in a smile before she settled with her hand on Adam’s back.

The two men went for a walk to check out the condition of the path leading to the observatory, talking about plans for the estate, things that needed to be done as well as those that they would like to see accomplished in the next year or so.

Now that they were starting to operate fully again, Claude wanted to designate a few of the longer tenured crew as foremen to oversee crews who would work in specific areas. Urs agreed since it seemed a much more efficient way of operating and would make Claude’s job easier as well as making it much more logical to make decisions when they had to as partners.

“I still think that the bottom line will be whatever you decide since you know more about the day to day necessities of a multi-faceted operation like this…I will likely agree with you most of the time for that very reason…and expect you to listen and accept my decisions when we have to discuss financial problems…not that I think there will be any…from the look I had briefly at the books last night I’d say we are in great shape and if we follow the plans we’ve set out it can only get better. Our emergency funds are flush, operating expenses are a bit high because of starting up again but coming down nicely…and once the Chateau is operational…Gott, I didn’t realize when I first thought of it as a retreat what a bloody gold mine it will be. The need is great and the response has been incredible…and there really is very little that needs to be done to make it perfect.”

“It’s never been about money for you either, has it?” Claude commented with a grin at his friend and cousin. “I mean look at you…no one would ever think you are a millionaire several times over, with your stubble and that bit of pink thigh peeking out of the rip in your scruffy old jeans…I want to be just like you when I grow up!”

Urs roared with laughter and got his cousin in a headlock, messing his hair.

“I’m never growing up…I’m going to be the Swiss Peter Pan even when I have to be carted around by my big strong sons. I’m having too much fun to grow up and change…the money just makes it possible to do what I love…and Reve is a big part of it.”

Together they hoisted a dead tree that a storm had caused to fall across the path and sat on it at the side, looking out over their kingdom.

“Are you always going to be doing these lengthy tours and being away so much?”

Urs plucked a dried pod of something resembling milkweed and blew on the feathery spores, making them float away on the light breeze.

“No…this will likely be our last big one…we’ve talked about short tours after this, picking a couple of continents and concentrating on that area, then the next year somewhere different…and possibly a new album every year or two…we all want to do other things as well and with the fan base we have it should be possible…we could all retire and live quite comfortably on what we have now but that wouldn’t satisfy the need we have to share our skills, either performing, or composing or producing…or teaching…I miss teaching…there’s something about seeing that spark of understanding in a little mind where you’ve seen the talent hidden and suddenly because of something you have said it’s set free…I see it all the time with Adam and it makes my heart thud.”

Claude chuckled.

“Just wait until you have a bunch of the little rug rats…Mon Dieu but they make life worth while!”

The two fathers headed back down the path, typically male, steering away from any more emotional conversations but with their shared lives just that little bit closer because of their short talk.

**

CHAPTER NINETY EIGHT…COMPANY COMING

They had just finished a mini-tour of the distillery with all the modern equipment, the wine caves, marveling at the rows and rows of kegs and, in another area the bottled wines waiting for proper labeling, when Horst came riding up on Inky with a message from Dee.

“Mme. Dee says if the little boy is tired of looking at things she would be happy to have him come and play with the children.”

Urs protective instincts gave him a moment of panic but he found the courage to look at Izzy first to see how she felt about their son going off with this boy they didn’t know. She smiled gently at him, knowing that he was fighting his urge to keep Adam with him where he knew the boy was safe.

“Just ask him, Love,” she said softly. “We have to start letting him branch out…if he wants to.”

Somehow he managed to smile and crouch down to ask Adam what he would like without his emotions showing in his voice.

“Adam, Tante Dee would like to know if you want to go play with the children again…you would have to go with Horst on Inky and we would pick you up when we finish our ride.”

“We go fast?”

“NO!! YOU WILL NOT GO FAST! Sorry I didn’t mean to speak so loud…no, Horst will ride Inky wery gently, won’t you, Horst?”

He glared at the young man and received a nod and smile.

“I will be very careful, M. Urs. Mme. Dee trusts me with the children and you can too.”

Adam looked momentarily disappointed but then scurried over to the big Friesian with his hands up. Inky stood placidly, not in the least skittish at the small person who was almost under his strong legs.

Urs picked him up and transferred him into Horst’s hands, watching as his son was snuggled into the saddle and held firmly with one arm.

“Be good and mind your Tante.”

“And have fun with the children,” Izzy said, coming up beside Urs and laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

They watched as the big black horse gently plodded down the road towards the village and Urs jumped nervously when he heard Claude speaking beside him.

“It gets easier as they get older….C’mon, Papa…keep busy, that’s the secret.”

Urs laughed a little self-conciously and forced himself to stop watching the retreating horse with his precious burden.

“I have to speak to Per for a moment and then we’ll go by the lake and the Home Farm…be right back,” Claude said with a sympathetic smile, really just giving them a moment of privacy.

Izzy put her arms around Urs waist and hugged him. He nestled his face into the curve of her neck and held her close, more for comfort than desire.

“Why was that so hard? Of course Dee wouldn’t send some irresponsible kid to take him back…but I feel like I’ve abandoned him to some axe wielding murderer.”

“It’s alright, Love…I even felt the same way the first few times I had to leave him with Sally…you handled it very well…I don’t think Adam has any idea how upset you were.”

He sighed and kissed her on the neck, not quite ready to give up the comfort of her arms around him yet.

“Now I understand why fathers go grey…I love you both so much, want so much for you…safety, love, happiness…and I never thought about it before but part of achieving that will be to let him go now and then so he can grow…do I tend to smother you too, Baby?”

He stood straight and looked in her eyes, glad to see the smile that crept over her face.

“I’ll let you know if you do…for now, I can use a bit of smothering.”

Izzy gave him a kiss that was chaste yet loving and he understood. Being with him so much had helped her heal from the trauma of captivity…their relationship would evolve, change to one that was more trusting, more comfortable as her healing process progressed…but the love would remain.

Claude came back to find them ready to continue their tour.

**

The lake was lovely, the water so clear you could see the sandy bottom near the shore, the marshy area at the end nearer the escarpment left wild and natural as a haven for wild life, the side nearest the Home Farm with a nice sandy beach and several huge boulders that would be perfect for diving into the deeper water. Only one row boat had been left out for anyone who cared to fish, the others, not a polluting motor anywhere to be seen, already put up on racks in the shed. There was a stone and brick firepit for BBQ’s, chairs and tables made of twigs and branches and a big wooden chest with child sized life vests, swim fins, balls and enameled metal dishes for picnikers. One wall in the shed held an assortment of fishing gear, a couple of shovels for covering hot ashes and a first aid kit that Izzy inspected and declared more than just adequate.

The Home Farm was bigger than Izzy had expected, but she was learning that most things were on the estate. It was a large operation now that the estate was back in full swing with several buildings to house the Farm Manager and the field hands, a large shed for cattle and goats, chickens, ducks and geese wandering freely but with a shelter for the cold months, the fields where potatoes, carrots, corn were grown to supply the village and the orchards of several hundred trees all neatly in rows that Claude identified.

“Apples, Peaches, Plums, Pears…those way at the back are nuts…Dee knows which kinds better than I do. There’s a couple of acres back there that she wanted to talk to you, Bella, about those High-bush Blueberries they grow in Quebec… personally I vote for raspberries… those are hard to find here and I love them.”

“We’re very partial to strawberries, actually,” Urs said with a grin that made Izzy blush.

Claude missed the implication and went on with enthusiasm.

“Well there’s sure enough space for anything we want to grow….not commercially, you understand, just for our own use…”

They rode on, approaching the now empty main building from the back.

It was taller than Tranquillite, not as long but very similar, made of stone as most of the buildings were and nestled into a grove of mature trees.

“Right now the house is more or less empty except for a few pieces of furniture and the appliances in the kitchen. I’ll let Dee give you a tour inside another time. We thought that as soon as the vines are dormant we could move in and gradually fix it up the way we want it…then in the spring Dee wants to put in a nice kitchen garden, something she’s always wanted but we didn’t have the space for it at the old house. That’s something else we want to start up again…that field where the kids play now used to be divided into plots for the families who live in the village…we want to start that again…you know for things like lettuce and spinach, herbs…it’s one of those things that got let go when we were so short of people.”

They rode past the burned out cottage, the hectare upon orderly hectare of vines they had already ridden through to their left, pausing at the abandoned property for a moment to admire the tenacity of the shrubs that had managed to survive without the tender care of human hands. The foundation of the buildings could still be seen through the tangled growth, roses peeked out from the thick berry canes, tall spindly Echinacea waved purple heads at them and one lonely day lily still flowered near a stone bench. A few of the mature trees were still standing, some grey and scorched from the fire, some alive and festooned with creepers that wound up into the branches.

“It looks so sad…like it’s been abandoned and is desperately trying to survive. I wonder if there are any plants that could be transferred to other gardens…or do you plan on rebuilding sometime?”

“We probably should, just to keep the estate in more or less original condition…this was one of the first cottages built, even before the village. The way we’re going it will likely be useful again…especially if we buy some of the property next door…that’s something we need to discuss, Urs…there’s been a rumor floating around that the Chantons are thinking of downsizing, selling off the land that abutts ours to the south, including some that they’ve let go fallow for the past few years. They’re getting old and their grown kids don’t want to work the land…they don’t have much in vines, maybe 15 hectares but they’ve kept them in really good condition, even hand picking, just like we do…mostly ice wines…it would be a nice addition to our own product.”

“I wondered how long it would take you to start thinking of expanding…we’ll talk about it Claude,” Urs said with a laugh and a shake of the head at the scope of his partner’s plans.

Claude grinned at him, knowing by the sparkle in Urs eyes that he was open to the idea though the ‘talk’ would be spirited. No problem…he had all the facts and figures ready for his logical, very Swiss partner.

They were on the home stretch now of their ride and it was evident in the mounts who sped up a little, heads up and ears angled forward, eager for the treat of grain they knew always awaited after working. The time had gone so fast, except for Urs who found that the over four hours since Adam had been spirited away had been just a shade stressful and far too long.

They passed the paddock with the mares and foals, all now gradually wandering back to the stables, past the work horses including the Friesians who stood together with necks twined, resting upright and approached the stables where they could see Horst forking hay out of the upper door into an appetizing {for horses} mound below.

Inky abandoned his team mate, the thought, ‘Apple’ nearly visible as he came to the fence at a trot…Claude didn’t disappoint, digging one out of his jacket pocket that he had purposefully saved from lunch and leaning over the fence to offer it to the eager horse.

“You spoil him,” Izzy said with a laugh….”Or is it that he has you trained?”

“He’s a senior citizen…I believe in a little spoiling for seniors.”

They dismounted and stripped the tack off their mounts, offered to help groom them but Horst was adamant about it being his job…and a pleasure. He added grain to their troughs and had already started checking frogs for stones when they slowly made their way out of the building, stretching muscles that hadn’t been used much all day and getting used to doing their own walking again.

“Will you stay for dinner? Dee always makes enough on Sunday for half the Canton.”

“Not tonight, Claude, but thanks,” Izzy answered. “Ambra said this morning she would put something in the slow oven for us when she got back from church…and tonight Sally and Gerd should be here just after sundown. They’ve been in Willisau and Luzerne for the past couple of days, getting Gerd’s papers from his last job and closing up his apartment.”

They went in the side door, removing their boots in the kitchen and breathing deep of the enticing aromas from the meal that was nearly ready. Dee was just finishing setting the table with condiments and looked up with a smile when they walked in.

“You all look a bit sunburned…did you have a nice day?”

Urs was looking around for the children, judging it to be far too late for them to still be out playing since dinner was about ready, but he nodded and tried not to appear nervous when he looked back at Dee.

“Is Adam still outside with the kids?”

Dee paused with her tray full of glasses of milk and frowned as she met his eyes.

“Adam? Oh, your son…did you think he was here?”

She realized that her teasing was cruel when he paled and stared at her in horror.

“Oh, Ursy…I’m sorry…I was teasing and I shouldn’t have…they’re all scrubbed and in the Lounge watching cartoons…”

For just a split second his eyes flared with anger then his sense of humor kicked in and he laughed.

“Okay, you got me…I was being the over protective father….but be careful, cousin…I have it on good authority that the shackles are still on the walls in the dungeon.”

Dee grinned at him.

“And there’s only one person on this property who has any idea where the key is…any idea who that might be?”

Like her husband Dee extended an invitation to dinner and again it was explained why they couldn’t. They visited for a few minutes then Urs collected Adam, clean and in borrowed fresh clothing and the Buhlers headed home to Tranquillite to await the arrival of Sally and Gerd…and the surprise that Izzy and Adam were yet to learn about.

**

CHAPTER NINETY-NINE…MAMI’S SURPRISE

Izzy headed for the kitchen to organize dinner while Urs went upstairs for a shower, followed by Adam who toddled along with him, rambling on about the good time he had throughout the afternoon with his cousins. For an instant she paused and watched her family with pleasure, the sexy prowl of this man who showed her constantly how much he loved her and the little image of their son trying to keep up with his adored Papa.

‘Gott he was adorable today…Urs, not Adam…well Adam is always adorable, even when he’s bad…which fortunately is seldom…we’re pretty lucky that he’s such a pleasure to be around most of the time…it was so hard not to laugh when Urs got all protective over Horst taking Adam back to play with the kids…he’s such a loving man…and trying so hard to be a good father…I’ve never had any doubts about that…he has such an immense capacity for love that I knew he would be just the way he is…at least he’s learned not to over think everything…and he’s hiding something…I can see it sometimes when he looks at me…not something bad…a surprise, a secret, something that I’m sure I’m going to like…now let’s see if I can surprise him with an edible dinner…’

She found a detailed note from Ambra, fortunately in French rather than German since her reading of German left a great deal to be desired.

Once through was not quite enough so she read the note a second time, stopping to find the ingredients that the housekeeper had prepared and set out in an orderly fashion, the heavy enameled cast iron pot with aromatic meat and chunks of veg in the oven, and set about following the instructions diligently.

They had already decided to wait for Sally and Gerd to arrive so she set the table for 5, moved the casserole onto the top burner with the setting on very low, opened some wine to let it breathe, on a whim added some chunky, fresh, wild blackberries and thyme leaves to the tossed salad and returned it to the refrigerator drawer and had just tidied the kitchen when her two guys came back.

“Your turn, Liebe,” Urs said giving her a hug and a quick kiss. “What can I do?”

“Mmmm…you do smell good! Nothing…it’s all under control….I won’t be long.”

All that fresh air had energized her and she raced up the stairs, unbuttoning on the way, humming as she adjusted the spray of the multiple shower heads and stepped into the enclosure. Fifteen minutes later she was freshly dressed over slightly damp skin, her hair wildly curling but half dry from a vigorous toweling and, on impulse, slid down the banister to reach the main floor. Too late she realized that Urs and Adam were in the foyer, peering out the door and laughing when they saw the end of her slide…a thump backwards on her bottom against the hard floor.

“You’re supposed to land on your feet, Woman!”

“Games! Can I play too?” Adam said eagerly, clapping his hands while Izzy got to her feet rubbing her stinging butt.

“Give me a break!...It’s only my second time!” she muttered trying to frown at Urs but smiling instead.

“Adam you can play when you’re as tall as your Mama…which should be in about 3 months at the rate you’re growing.”

“Short jokes as well…I should burn your dinner, you ungrateful man!”

“I’m sorry…I’ll be good…”

He just barely heard the muttered “You’re always good, SS” when the sweep of headlights lit up the foyer and Gerd’s truck pulled into the drive.

The sun had neared the top of the Jura, outside lights were popping on and the sky was turning glorious colors when people began emerging from the truck…people and a dog which barked and did some happy circles around the feet of the passengers.

“MARTA!!!” Izzy shrieked and flew out the door, down the steps and raced across the gravel drive straight into the embrace of wide open arms.

“Ach, darling girl…it’s so good to hug you again!”

“He didn’t tell me! I knew he was up to something but he’s the Master at keeping secrets…Gott, I’m so happy!!”

Adam was watching the emotional scene from the safety of Urs’ arms, keeping an eye on the mixed breed old dog who was still barking now and then and wagging his tail in huge sweeps as he wound through the legs of his people.

Then Adam spotted Marta, recognized her from his views on Skype and stole her heart completely by holding his hands out to her and calling out “Oma!” with a toothy smile.

It was a little noisy and confusing as everyone got hugged, Marta took possession of her laughing grandson, Homer watered this new territory several times to establish dominance in case there were other dogs around { and to relieve a bladder that seemed to shrink yearly with his advanced age}…Urs and Gerd collected the luggage from the bed of the truck and eventually they all made their way to the stairs to enter the house.

“I had forgotten how big…and how beautiful the estate is,” Marta exclaimed as they went up the stairs. “I haven’t been here for maybe 20 years and then it was only a quick trip to pick up the boys at the end of summer….Yes, Adam I would love to see your room…and yes, this is Homer…look how happy he is to see you at last…Mein Gott, Bella, he looks so much like Urs did as a young boy…and you have a light sunburn…what have you lot been up to?”

“We went for a tour of the estate today…on horseback…it was a perfect day for it…Come in, come in…it’s a little empty in here…we haven’t had a chance to decide on furnishings yet.”

“How exciting! A blank canvas for you to put your stamp on…OH!! Look at the patina of that wood…it fairly screams of years of hands polishing or caressing with love…and have you slid down the bannister yet?” She laughed at the embarrassed smile on Izzy’s face. “My son can sometimes be a bad influence…”

“Mami, I’ve asked Ambra to ready the suite on this floor since it has French doors so you can let Homer out,” Urs said as he passed them with her luggage, heading to the back of the house.

“Bella I hope you don’t mind that I brought Homer…Nadia is away for the week on a school trip with her class and I didn’t want to leave him at the vet again. He pined so for home the last time he was there for a few days…like he was when you were here for Christmas…”

“Of course I don’t mind…I love animals…I thought when we get settled a bit we might get Adam a dog, maybe a cat too…it always seems more homey with a few animals around and with all the traveling I’ve done over the past years it wouldn’t have been fair to have any.”

Gerd and Sally had gone up to find their suite and came back down just as Adam took his Oma by the hand to show her where she would be sleeping. Urs had pointed them in the right direction and had time to give Izzy a hug before Gerd and Sally finished inspecting the spacious Lounge and Library and came in the kitchen.

“Surprised?”

“Beautifully! I’m so happy to see Mami…and so is Adam…I thought she was going to cry when he went to her so eagerly.”

He kissed her lightly and grinned.

“I think she was happier to see you and Adam than me…I should be jealous.”

“Silly man!! You know full well you will always be her favorite.”

He chuckled as he released her.

“I think they’re starving…Gerd mentioned that neither of the women would let him stop on the trip, they both were so eager to get here….what can I do to help?”

“Keep everyone entertained…Ambra left me detailed instructions but this is my first attempt and I’m nervous as a cat.”

“What are we having?”

“Maybe something edible…if I don’t screw it up!”

He laughed and bent over to kiss her cheek, whispering “I have total faith in you, Liebling” as everyone came back.

He shepherded everyone into the kitchen nook with the sofa and chairs with the promise of a glass of wine, settled Adam on the rug with his sippy cup of juice and sat so he could see the kitchen in case Izzy looked like she needed help.