* I'll Take Care Of You *

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

The bustle of London was a bit stifling after the freedom and quiet of Willisau. They arrived back at the penthouse suite in mid afternoon, too late to meet with the financial team or to check in with the studio so after unpacking they changed into casual wear and walked over to the school.

Classes for the day were finished and the kids were all either doing chores or playing in the yard, some, who didn’t have special intensive studies with tutors, still away visiting family. Urs and Maggie found themselves surrounded by happy faces, wanting to know all about their trip, eager to discuss their ongoing studies and the concert they were planning for late September.

Joan and Brian were away, Joan’s duties assumed on a temporary basis by Heidi who had been at loose ends without Maggie to attend to. She and Cookie were pleased to see them and quickly brought a tea tray out to the back patio to sit and catch up for a while. The news of their impending baby made both women cry, something that Urs couldn’t quite understand since they claimed to be happy for them. He left them to their discussion and joined some of the older boys in a crazy game of football that seemed to have no rules other than to see how many of the opposing team you could knock down.

Of course they stayed for dinner, not surprised when Seb and Geena wandered in close to dinner time. One thing led to another and the evening ended with the group dropping in on Petra and David to offer congratulations when Seb told Urs that the lanky American and Pet were engaged.

“We wanted to have something really quiet and private but my Mom says she’ll make my life misery if we don’t wait for them to come over so we decided on September 20th, a small affair out at Simon’s estate, just the guys and gals and a quick honeymoon weekend after. Our schedule is kind of tight so we’ll use part of the tour as an extended honeymoon since Pet and Paul will be with us, at least part of the time.”

David had never looked happier, had a perpetual smile on his face, made even larger when he learned of the expected baby for Urs and Maggie.

“We’ve talked about getting a house too, but can’t decide where yet. We thought maybe around Manchester somewhere…it’s so easy to get around the UK that it wouldn’t be a problem getting to the studio, even on short notice.”

“We’re going to keep the suite for that purpose…it’s nice and central and big enough for a couple of kids as well as us so it will do for a few years.” Urs smiled at Maggie, thinking of the large family they wanted.

“So do we have to call you Lord Urs now?” David teased and Urs set his face in a regal stare when he answered.

“It’s really not necessary. Merely bowing and groveling will suffice.”


“Like that’s any different from what you’ve always expected,” David growled and they all burst into laughter.

**

Maggie placed a call to her firm of financial advisors early the next morning, politely asking if it was possible to arrange a meeting that morning, knowing full well that her request would receive priority. There were, after all, some advantages to being one of the largest accounts they handled and such an undemanding, client. A time was arranged for 10:30 and she joined Urs in the kitchen where he was fixing them each a bowl of Mueslix and some fresh orange juice, carefully placing her vitamins on the place mat beside her juice, then cutting some freshly washed fruit into segments for both of them.

She pulled a container of yogurt out of the frig and set it on the table.

“Heidi didn’t miss a thing. She’s such a treasure. What would you think of asking her if she would be willing to move back to Switzerland now that her husband is retired? We could offer them both work at Irgendwo, nothing too taxing, but I know that Kosta’s pension isn’t too generous and I would feel better knowing they were taken care of.”

“And I would feel relieved that you had someone to keep an eye on you when I’m not around to make sure you’re good.”

She smirked at him.

“Silly man!! My husband tells me I’m always good, in fact ‘amazing’ was the word he used last night.”

He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.

“He’s a very lucky man.”

After a few minutes he retied her robe, reluctantly pulling away from her and sitting her at the table.

“We have a busy day and you need to eat. The book says the baby will take what it needs and leave you the rest. I don’t want you getting too thin.”

She laughed.

“Not much fear of that…will you still love me when I get fat and waddle like a duck?”

“More than ever. Now, take your vitamins.”

She laughed when he tried to appear stern with her…his eyes still held a look of pure love that put the lie to his attempt at a scowl.

“I have to go by the office this afternoon to check our itinerary. Do you want to go too, or is there something else you need to do?”

“We’ll be about 2 hours at the firm, then maybe a quick lunch in the canteen and I should drop in at Base…maybe I can do that while you check with the office. I don’t think Simon is in town so we’ll either have to send him an e.mail with our news or wait until he returns.”

“We better send him a message, Liebe. You know how news travels and I’d rather he got it first hand.”

They ate their breakfast, trading sections of the daily paper and commenting on the world news, sharing the comics and the chore of tidying up. Heidi was busy at the school so they were on their own but both normally tidy people it wouldn’t be a problem.

Maggie dressed for the appointment more professionally than Urs had ever seen her before, a dark grey linen suit with a brilliant red silk shirt, flame red high heeled shoes and matching bag and her hair sleeked back into a polished chignon, sophisticated, though light, makeup and diamond stud ear-rings….power dressing, she called it.

Urs matched her, pulling his new Armani summer weight grey suit out of the suit bag, pairing it with a black silk shirt that he left open at the top, shiny black half boots and slicking his hair back in concert mode, the picture of elegance in a well fitted tailor made suit that fit him perfectly.

She had left her black leather briefcase in the foyer and he scooped it up, admiring the finely tooled, noticed that his initials were cut into the tag and glanced at her.

“A late birthday present. I noticed that you didn’t have one and had it made for you. You can browse the contents in the car….I put some of the folders inside that we will have to go through today and a pad for taking notes. Urs, they will try to make you feel like you have married me for the money…it’s their job to protect me so please don’t take offense. By the time we leave the office they will know just where we stand with them. It’s our money, not theirs…they work for us and we have to make that clear right from the start.”

“Maggie, you know how I feel….”

She stepped closer to him and lay her hand on his cheek.

“I know Luv…. Please don’t let this come between us. I would give it all away before I would let mere money harm what we have. There’s so much good that we can do with what we have if we’re strong enough to ignore what others think. Bear with me for today and we’ll talk privately later.”

Peter was waiting with the car when they arrived downstairs and they were whisked off in comfort to the office.

Urs glanced through the financial statements during the ride to the firm’s offices, his mind whirling with the size of the operation and the amounts of money they generated. He looked at the 3 page list of subsidized companies, the 2 pages of out right charitable donations, the addresses of various properties owned by Ryan Industries. This calm, unpretentious woman who was his wife, who he had known for some time now was wealthy, was the center of a multi layered organization that swept the world in charitable endeavors and businesses that generated multi millions to keep those charities solvent. It was mind boggling to say the least.

He watched, amused, as Maggie took on a mantle of professional strength when they were entering the reception area of the office and steeled himself, drawing on his own reserves of cool, Swiss reserve, girding himself for the fray as they entered the lions’ den.

**

They were back in the car by one in the afternoon, Maggie kicking off her high heeled shoes and laughing as she released her hair from the confines of the chignon.

“What a bunch of stuffed shirts they are…. But they are good at making money and I suppose they were only looking out for poor little me.”

“Actually they were like lambs to the slaughter… are you always so…haughty with them? They didn’t stand a chance.”

She laughed.

“I learned that from Simon. They hate to give money away and I hate to hoard more than I need so the only way is to look down on them as if they are insects. My Da always said ‘with great wealth comes great responsibility’ and I took it very seriously. I go along with them as far as trying to make sure that most of the works we sponsor become self sustaining over time. Most people or organizations just need a leg up to get started but they do better if they feel they are paying something back. That’s why we insist that a small percentage of their profits after a time go into helping others and why we offer no interest loans and a very low yearly percentage to pay back some of the start up costs. Even most of that is plowed back in to helping others get started.”

“Come here,” he said and held his arm out to her.

She snuggled against him and watched his face, trying to determine what he was thinking.

“I have never been more proud of you than I am right at this moment,” he said and kissed her gently, then with more demand, giving and taking until they were both breathless.

“Does this mean you don’t mind sharing the responsibility with me, especially when I’m too busy with our beginning family?”

“It’s a little confusing to me at the moment but if you can help me through the minefield I’d be proud to help out.”

“And you aren’t disappointed that we don’t actually get to keep all the money for ourselves?”

“Of course not…I should be able to support us quite nicely since our tastes don’t run to caviar and castles.”

She laughed.

“More like chocolate and solar panels, I think. Thank you, Urs.”

**

Before leaving Willisau, Maggie had spoken to the instructor who would be giving her lessons, putting them off until later in the month when they hoped to return, so they took advantage of the car and driver to ferry them around while in London. She was just as happy to let Peter drive them, not at all sure she wanted to tackle London traffic right at the start.

He took them to the studio for the promised recording with Ozzie and Urs didn’t come down off that high for two days. It had been an experience for Maggie too, a side of her husband that she had seldom seen as he played a wailing guitar with the heavy metal group, reverting to his teen years with Conspiracy with such verve and skill that Ozzie wasn’t teasing when he offered Urs a spot with his band on a permanent basis.

Urs treated it as a joke, claimed to be content with a bit of a gig now and then and privately confessed to Maggie that he couldn’t abide going back to that lifestyle again, though he still loved the music.

Maggie had checked in with Base and while she was there asked about Yvette. The report she received was heartening, especially when she learned that security was very tight for Urs’ sister, so much so that all of her classmates at George Brown Collegiate had been vetted, including a young man that Yvette had several times gone for coffee with. In fact the agent who had been responsible for the vetting declared that Frank was an ideal friend for the young woman, no possibility of unsavory designs on her and well trained in security and self defense. He added a comment that Frank would be a perfect candidate in the future for inclusion in CASPAR.

Carlos and Gerry returned from their holiday, full of talk about a lovely villa they had seen in Marbella and put an offer on. It seemed that all of the Divos were settling down, getting their lives organized for the upcoming tour, making plans for their futures, ready now to immerse themselves in the grind that lay ahead.

Maggie spent her days at the office, training several operators in her special skills at bomb disposal while Urs worked in the studio or went on an interminable round of signings and brief photo ops. In their spare time they went to the indoor range under the Office and practiced with weapons, both a little disappointed that Maggie never did improve much…her accuracy was atrocious though she could strip and reassemble a weapon, any weapon, in seconds, much faster than any of the others who had been doing it for years. Strangely her skill with a knife was awesome, reaching dead center of her target every time with a speed that was nearly too quick to see. And yet she hated the weapon, disliked even touching it, much less using the razor sharp blade…her time under Laurenz goons’ ministrations had instilled a loathing for knives in general that made her nauseous when she handled them.

She arrived home from the Office late one afternoon, surprised that Urs was not already there, quickly showered and change to a lounge outfit and began preparing dinner, expecting to hear the lift announcing his arrival at any moment. It wasn’t until dinner was nearly ready that she took the time to check her e.mails and was surprised to find one from him, one that had been sitting on her computer since early afternoon.

“Liebeling: something unexpected has come up and I have to go out of town with the guys, possibly until late tomorrow. I forgot to bring the charger with me so my mobile is dead and I won’t be able to reach you, I’m sorry Luv. Stay out of trouble and don’t forget to take your vitamins!!....ICH LIEBE SIE!!!!!!!

Urs XXXXX”

A chill raced over her as she read the message. It told her little, as if he had a secret that he was trying to keep from her. What could have come up for IL Divo that would mean such a spur of the moment trip involving them all…and why had he been so careful not to tell her what they were doing and where and why?

She read it again, gleaning nothing further from the few lines and turned back to the kitchen, turning off the warming oven and the burners she had been using to prepare dinner. Automatically she placed the food in containers to be saved when it had cooled, not even aware of her actions, her mind whirling through various scenarios: another woman…NO!! out of the question….there was no way that Urs could fake the love he showed her daily…she had never denied him, nor ever wanted to, so there was no lack in the physical aspect of their love…that left Laurenz …or CASPAR!!

If it had been Laurenz he would have handled it himself, not involved the others, so it had to be CASPAR.

She crossed the room to the landline and dialed the office on the special number, identified herself by code name and asked to speak to the duty officer.

“Base, this is Ceol. I understand that Team Ceol has been sent out without informing me. As Team Leader I would like an explanation of why protocol has been ignored.” Her voice was firm and clipped, indicating her displeasure but calm at the same time and the Duty Officer grimaced as he tried to think how to phrase his answer.

“Ceol, we received a memo to the effect that you should be excluded from any field work until further notice…It came from the top. I’m sorry but I can’t divulge any more information than that. If you want clarific…”

She cut him off and pressed the connection for Simon’s office, thought better of it and slammed the phone down, racing to their bedroom to don jeans and a shirt, thrust her feet into boots and grabbed her handbag on the way to the lift. Minutes later she was on her way to Simon’s office, the fire of her anger just barely banked in her tense body.

The lift was engaged so she raced up the stairs, bursting into the reception area of his office and startling the young woman behind the desk.

“Lady Ryan…uh Buhler…he can’t be disturbed,” the young woman stammered as Maggie swept by her, rising and reaching out to try and catch her arm.

“Touch me and I will hurt you!!” Maggie growled, not slowing her pace at all and crashing the large double doors to Simon’s office open.

He was sitting behind his huge desk, deep in conversation with two uniformed men who turned in their seats and rose swiftly at the sight of the beautiful, enraged woman, striding rapidly across the expanse of carpet.

“How dare you!!! How dare you send out that &&*^%$# memo? Where is my Team and more importantly WHERE IS MY HUSBAND? You sneaking son of a bitch, what have you done behind my back? Don’t you dare smile at me…I’ll rip that smile from your face and those lying lips with it.”

She came across the desk, sliding on the polished surface before the two military types could stop her, toppling Simon over backwards with a well placed boot on his chest and straddled him as he tried to extract himself from the chair, delivering two rapid blows that left his mouth bleeding before hands grabbed her and pulled her off.

“Be careful…she’s pregnant!!” Simon shouted and struggled to his feet, wiping his bleeding mouth as the two officers released the struggling woman and she glared at her godfather.

“If you calm down and promise not to hit me again, I’ll explain,” he said, not moving even to right his chair, inanely thinking that he had never seen Maggie this furious and wasn’t sure if he would survive the next few minutes.

“Urs is on a mission…it’s kind of dangerous and he didn’t want you involved…neither did I.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

It had rained recently and the ground was soggy, muddy in places though they had no choice but to slither on their stomachs to keep from being spotted. There was no real cover here, just the overgrown grasses and the occasional relic of an abandoned vehicle where they could rest a bit and catch their breath.

Urs checked the time carefully, aware that they must reach their assigned post before the rest of the team moved in at the front to create a diversion. Good, they were making headway, had only a few hundred yards to go before a brief rest and then the main push. He glanced right and left.

Seb, equally filthy from the wet ground and mud was watching him for a sign and Carlos was barely discernible in the dark, moonless night, only his teeth showing as he grinned an encouraging smile. This time David was with them, his long, strong arms needed rather than his organizational skills, his lengthy body directly behind Urs, stretched out and waiting for the signal that they would move again.

It had really been a no brainer, the decision to help out, when Base requested their assistance. The instant they heard that children were involved they all volunteered, Urs only stipulation being that Maggie mustn’t be involved. Word came from Simon that he had already sent out a memo to that effect, immediately after receiving the e.mail with the news of their pregnancy. Urs toyed with the idea of telling her what was happening, but they were pressed for time and his knee jerk reaction was to protect her and the baby so he decided not to worry her and now tried not to second guess how she would react when she found out…and of course she would find out. He didn’t for a moment think that he would get off Scot free. Ah well, now was not the time to think of it, though thoughts of her kept creeping into his subconscious. He missed having her nearby, seeing that lovely face and knowing without a doubt that she would be there when needed, would watch his back, would know without discussion exactly what he planned.

He motioned for the others to continue and crept over the ground, ever closer to the back of the building that was their target. Their job was to attempt to enter the building during the distraction that the others would provide and spirit the 8 children out the back, hopefully without being detected. Intell had indicated 6 people inside the ramshackle residence, one considerably smaller than the others, one who could be a woman. They were armed, semi automatic weapons according to the infrared scans, the woman in the back room with the eight children, the others spread throughout the house, watching through cracks in the boarded windows.

They reached the back of the house just as the rain started again, a light drizzle this time, more annoying than anything since they were already soaked through to the skin, their dark clothing plastered to soggy bodies, Urs limp ponytail dripping a steady stream down his back inside his black shirt. They huddled next to the building as he checked the time and indicated 3 minutes to the team, receiving a silent nod as each man prepared himself, drawing weapons, removing the safeties, filling lungs with energizing air.

Soft noises from the frightened children came to them through the walls and the sharp command from the woman for them to ‘Shut the &*^% up’. Urs saw Carlos scowl…it was his job to subdue the woman, something the Spanish man shouldn’t have a problem with now that he had heard the verbal abuse she was aiming at the poor innocents.

He inspected the ancient lock on the door, wishing that he had some of Maggie’s expertise in that area…well they would have to use brawn instead of brain, both he and David would batter the door down to gain entry.

Again he checked his watch and signaled that time was up. They braced themselves for the uproar they would hear any second as the team out front created a distraction.

“It was a school outing, most of the kids had already been dropped off but the final 8, all 10 year old girls, were still on the bus when it was forced off the road and the children taken hostage. One of the fathers had installed a tracker in his daughter’s shoes so we were able to locate them quickly but the kidnappers have their hostages in an old farm building on the moors, demanding a ransom of 2 million pounds and the usual helicopter for escape. We don’t think they have any intention of ever releasing them…ten year olds are old enough to identify their captors.”

“Arms?”

“Micro Uzis, no explosives. It seems the site is a chance hole in the ground, not something planned, so no explosives. They had to improvise since the roadblocks went up too fast for them to reach any planned destination. A farmer saw the take down and called it in so they had very little running time. It’s also why we were asked to help. Six had teams but only one was available without a delay. One of the girls is diabetic so there is a need for haste.”

She stood back with her arms wrapped protectively around her body, giving the impression of someone trying desperately to keep in control but apt to explode any second.

“Whatever restrictions you have on me, remove them, NOW!! I want in to Base to follow the action. And Simon…don’t expect me to apologize…it isn’t going to happen.”

She whirled about and brushed past the two officers, leaving the doors to the office open and storming past the receptionist who wisely said nothing.

When she had gone, Simon took a tissue out of his desk drawer and dabbed at his mouth, grimacing at his two visitors.

“Well, that went better than I expected,” he said and winced at the pain in his lip.

Suddenly they heard the expected fire from the front of the house, semi-automatics burping round after round that thudded as they hit the ancient wood of the structure, yelling of men inside, the screams of terrified children, the acrid scent of smoke bombs that were hurled to try and disguise the advance of the team members and the return fire of the abductors.

Urs and David ran at the flimsy door, both expecting more resistance than they met and collapsing inside the building when it gave with very little resistance, the rotted wood no match for two strong young men.

Seb and Carlos leapt over them, weapons drawn, turning left as planned and entering a dark room, lit only by one feeble candle, the huddle of shrieking children against the far wall and a small disheveled woman panicking as she faced the guns of two much bigger, angry men. She began to raise her weapon to point at them and found herself gasping for breath as the rifle was ripped from her hands and rammed firmly into her stomach, sending her sprawling on her backside against the wall. The man said something to her in Spanish as he disabled the weapon and flung it on top of her, turning his back in disdain just as two more men came in the room and the four rescuers approached the children.

Something was said by the tall man that quickly calmed the girls and they rushed from the room, 2 by 2, holding hands, shepherded by the 4 men, the last two to arrive bringing up the rear and watching for anyone coming from the front.

A shot rang out, followed by a burst from an automatic, one of the rescuers cried out and returned fire, the second lurched as he was hit and together they returned fire again, crouching for a second, then assisting each other to follow the children to safety.

For another few minutes the noise was deafening as shots were fired and returned, the response from the house dying off until a ‘Cease Fire’ was heard from out front and heavy booted feet stormed into the house to take the survivors into custody.

In the long grasses out back the girls huddled together with Seb and Carlos watching over them, all of them crying softly now with relief while Urs and David lay in the grass, both laughing quietly like fools, wounded but pleased with themselves.

“Maggie is going to skin me alive,” Urs chuckled, thinking of her fiery temper and David struggled to keep from cracking up.

“At least I told Pet but she specifically told me not to get hurt. She’s going to be very ticked off.”

“How bad did they get you?” Urs asked, thinking how nice the rain felt on his hot face.

“Just the arm…I have another one…”

This struck them both as remarkably funny and they both laughed, Urs cursing softly in Swiss German so the girls wouldn’t understand as the laughing pulled at the shallow groove cut into his side.

Eventually the other team came to collect them, lead to their location by the laughter.

**

Maggie listened in the busy radio room of Base, not interacting at all with the work going on around her, not even with Petra who spotted her instantly from her position as Mother and turned away, shamed by the icy look on Maggie’s face. She had disagreed about telling her but had been voted down and now felt that she should have anyway.

She stole a glance at Maggie when the report came in that both David and Urs had been injured though their wounds were minor, noticed how pale she had gone and how her hands clenched, turned once more to see her when she left, accepting the tiny smile she was offered and thinking that she wouldn’t want to be Urs when he returned home.

Maggie walked home through the quiet city, trudging automatically over the miles to the suite, trying to quell the unreasonable anger she felt. It seemed the whole world was conspiring against her, Simon, Petra, the Team, the others at Base but most importantly Urs. How could he not understand her need to be involved, to do what she could, to share his missions in the only way she could at the moment? How could he lie to her, even by omission? What happened to their pact of no secrets? Was it always going to be like this, a part of his life that he kept from her, refused to share, keeping her in the dark like some wimpy little weakling, not worthy of his trust? Yes, it hurt to hear what he was going through, to hear that he had been wounded, to not be there to comfort him, but the not knowing was worse, the lack of trust, heart rending. She felt as if her whole world had come crashing down around her and she had only a flimsy plastic spoon to try and dig her way out.

She entered the building and nodded at the guard’s greeting, not even trusting herself to ask if Urs was home yet. The suite was dark, quiet when she entered and went straight out to the balcony to sit and watch the sky, lost in a sea of jumbled thoughts and emotions. After a while she rose and went in to the bathroom to wash her face and the knuckles she had skinned punching Simon in the mouth. She smiled grimly when she thought of the satisfying feeling it had given her, glanced in the vanity mirror and caught sight of her haunted eyes. Her temper flared and she punched the image of herself until the mirror shattered, spraying blood from her hands over the sink and counter and she dissolved into a heap on the floor, weeping amid the shards of glass, hugging her stomach and the baby within, the only island of sanity in her confusion and pain.

It was after 2 in the morning when she heard the lift arriving at their floor and glanced from the balcony to see Urs step into the foyer, muddy, still wet, looking as weary as she had ever seen him. Her heart ached at the sight of him but she steeled herself, not ready to forgive him yet.

He stopped in the foyer to remove his boots and must have sensed that she was on the dark balcony for he came straight through the lounge and paused at the sliding glass doors.

“Maggie?”

She rose and stood in front of him, not smiling, just assessing the damage.

“You need a shower,” she said and slid past him, walking toward the bedroom and Lav.

He followed, trying to grasp her arm but she shrugged him off, started the water for his shower and approached him to help remove his soiled clothing. The tears that had been so close for hours, spilled again when she saw the waterproof tape over the stitched groove in his side, running from just above his hip to the front of his ribs.

“Maggie, I…”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Urs, not now.”

She gathered up the clothing and dropped the bundle in the trash basket, moving to the linen cupboard for clean towels, kicking the shards of broken mirror out of the way and refusing to answer when he asked what had happened.

He took one of her cut hands in his.

“What happened?” he asked again and she pulled her hand away angrily.

“Have your shower…do you want something to eat after?”

“NO!...Maggie we need to talk about this.”

She stared at him coldly and he groaned. She was past anger, past talking, so full of hurt that he felt a stab of pain in his heart, knowing that he was the cause.

“We needed to talk BEFORE this happened, Urs.”

Before he could reply she had quietly left the room. He used a towel to brush the broken mirror out of the way and stepped into the shower, trying to organize his thoughts, to think of some way to get through her anger. He was bone tired but knew he wouldn’t sleep, not now, not when things were so strained between them.

He finished his shower, dried off a bit and padded naked into the bedroom to grab a pair of jeans from the closet, pulling them on and leaving the room to enter the Lounge. He could see the pale outline of her face as she sat curled up in one of the large Loungers on the balcony again and went in the Kitchen to pull a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer, snagged a tea towel in his free hand and walked quietly out onto the balcony to sit beside her and take her hand in his.

She tried to pull away but he persisted, murmuring quietly….
“I’m bigger and stronger than you are so stop trying to fight with me.”

He put both of her hands on the tea towel and gently lay the bag of peas over the top, flipping the ends up to keep the cold in.

She was crying quietly, her face wet with tears and he stroked his hand over her cheeks, brushing the streaks away.

“I’m sorry. It’s not the first mistake I’ve made and won’t likely be the last. I should have told you, I know that now but at the time I just wanted to protect you, to keep you from worrying. Maggie, look at me, please, don’t make what I did worse by letting it come between us.”

She gulped for air and shook her head.

“You really hurt me Urs. I’ve tried to understand. I knew when I got your message that something was wrong. Urs, how could you shut me out like that? I felt betrayed, abandoned, useless…. Then my temper took over…Urs, I punched Simon in the mouth.”

“I know…I saw him at Base when we got back. He looks like he was in a street fight.” He grinned at her and in spite of the tears that continued down her cheeks she smiled, unable to resist.

“I was almost afraid to come home in case you planned the same for me.”

She sighed.

“No, I took my anger out on myself. I hate it when I lose control like that….. Promise me that you won’t hare off and do something like this again without telling me? It isn’t going to be easy to listen to what’s happening but it’s better than not knowing, not being trusted and kept in the dark. I can handle anything so long as I know you trust me. For a moment I even wondered if you had another woman.”

He laughed.

“When would I ever have the energy to be with another woman, Liebe? You are almost more than I can handle…. Come here, mein Kleine Liebe. I need to apologize properly, now that I’m pretty sure you won’t injure me.”

She nestled against him, a bit stiff at first but relaxing into his arms when he stroked his big hands over her back and rested his weary head against hers.

“I missed you out there. And the guilt at not telling you made me edgy, a bit unsure of myself. I won’t do it again, Love. It was wrong this time and won’t happen again, you have my word. I didn’t mean to hurt you…God knows I never wanted that.”

They sat snuggled close for a few more moments then Maggie rose and held her hands out to him.

“Come to bed, my tired warrior. I think we both need some snuggle time and then perhaps in the morning we’ll see just how much energy you have.”

He fell asleep with his head on her breasts, listening to her heartbeat while she held him, her hand twined in his damp hair, the scent of him, the essence that was Urs, filling her senses and soothing the last traces of sorrow and anger into fading memory.

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

Geena had attended to the two injured team members in the first aid room of Base when they returned, tired and muddy but pleased with the outcome. She stole a moment for a quick embrace of Seb, then stitched Urs side and removed the dressing on David’s flesh wound to his arm, stitching it back and front as well, chiding them both that they had to learn to duck faster.

Urs had been distracted, more so when he learned that Maggie had indeed learned of the mission and listened in the radio room until it was over, angry and silent, not interacting with any of the others who had wisely given her a wide berth.

Petra took David home and they dropped Urs off at the apartment building, her only comment to Urs …”You were wrong, I told you that but you didn’t listen.”

Now it was morning and he woke to an empty bed, a bit disoriented at first, then panicked when he had a fleeting thought that maybe she hadn’t totally forgiven him and had left. He sat up and winced when his stitches pulled sharply, listening for sounds in the suite, greatly relieved when he heard her humming somewhere in the region of the Lounge or Kitchen.

He used the facilities, showered, brushed his teeth and only then noticed that the floor was clean, the mud and broken mirror gone, the trash emptied and the mud splatters gone from the shower walls. She had been busy.

Damp, but wrapped in a towel about his hips he padded silently into the Lounge and spied Maggie with her back to him, wearing the light blue robe she favored in the mornings, doing something in the Kitchen, humming softly and swaying her body to the music, not the posture of a woman who was still angry.

He stole up behind her and wrapped his arms around her body, bending to kiss her silky neck and let his wet hair caress her cheek.

“Good morning,” he breathed against her neck as his hands snaked under the front closure of the robe and cupped her gently.

She turned her face up to him, offering a good morning kiss that tasted of orange juice.

“I had to shower alone,” he pouted when they came up for air and she giggled, ducking her head down to trail butterfly kisses over the length of his wound.

“I thought you would sleep longer, you were so tired last night.”

She gave him a nudge, backing him against the refrigerator, loosening the towel to reach the bottom of his wound, letting it fall to the floor and looking up at him with a grin as her hands began to work their magic on his unresisting skin.

He groaned and lost himself in the pleasure of the moment, his hands in her hair, guiding her eager mouth, the hot tongue that tasted him, teasing, touching, retreating until he thought that he would die with need.

There was nothing left in his universe, only Maggie, only this woman who could take him places he had never dreamt existed, this living part of his soul that could sense what he needed and carry him off as no one ever had before, beyond pleasure, beyond mere rapture.

Somehow they came back from their journey to bliss, calming slowly, towel and robe discarded on the cool surface of the kitchen floor beside them, twined and sated.

“Does this mean you forgive me?” he murmured against her tousled head of hair, tucked under his chin as she lay stretched out partly on top of him.

“Of course…I’m much too selfish to let you go. You are my favorite Boy Toy!”

He laughed and she felt the vibration through the mound of his chest, as always loving the feeling of his muscles rippling when he moved or breathed.

“I’m the only Boy Toy you’ve ever had, woman.”

“And you’re too much fun to lose by being angry. How are your ribs? I didn’t hurt you did I?”

“Ribs?...I have ribs? Didn’t notice.”

She scrunched her legs and sat up, straddling him and leaning back on his legs when he raised his knees.

“We should have breakfast,” she said with a grin but knew only too well that he wasn’t ready for food yet and locked her legs around his butt when he sat up and brushed her curls off her face, clearing an area for his mouth to explore.

“Soon,” he whispered, inspecting the soft lobe of her ear with his teeth, the stubble on his unshaven face tickling as he rubbed against her neck and cheek.

“My turn.” His voice was husky but gentle, his breath in her ear making her shiver and she slowed her breathing as he had taught her, matching his as they began their journey once more.

**

Paul had stayed over at her sister’s again so David and Petra were able to sleep in …sort of. She came out of a lovely dream to find him standing on the bed with his legs on each side of her, dressed in his Superman tee shirt and the matching boxers that seldom made it out of the drawer.

He stood with hands on hips, smiling down at her and demanding to know what she had done with his cape and tights, making her laugh until she developed hiccups and was forced to roll into a ball on the mattress and hide her streaming eyes in the pillow.

He swooped down on her, mindful of the dressing on his shoulder and tugged at the sheet she had pulled up to her twinkling eyes.

“You know you really should be wearing that Wonder Woman stuff I bought you. We make such a great team.”

“David Miller, you are totally insane…did you bang your head last night as well as being shot?”

“Shot? No one can shoot Superman…bullets pass through me without leaving a mark.” He pulled her into his arms, wincing a bit. “Ow!!...Must have been a kryptonite bullet they used.”

Pet soothed him, tenderly kissing it better and he lay back, quite content to let her minister to him.

“What did you say to those girls last night to calm them down so quickly?” she asked as his super hero hands gently kneaded the long expanse of her back.

“UM? Oh that…it was easy…one of them recognized me and I told her that yes, we were Il Divo in our private lives and she mustn’t tell anyone our secret identities. They thought it was funny and by the time they finished laughing we had them on the way out the door. They were just reaching the outside when we got hit and didn’t see Urs and I take out the guy shooting at us. I think he was going to try to escape and we were in the way.”

Petra snuggled against his chest and sighed.

“I heard you groan. I don’t think I breathed again until you two dimwits were laying outside laughing. I’m very proud of you, Davey…but I’ll be less tense when you go back to the planning you’re so good at.”

His eyes darkened as he tasted the tender skin on her collarbone and let his hands wander to knead further afield.

“I have a secret weapon…You and Paul. Nothing will stop me from coming back to you.”

It was much later that they showered and made a late breakfast, planning their day.

“First on the list is to collect our son, then we need to go ring shopping… I want a DO NOT TRESPASS sign on your hand before someone else gets ideas about luring you away.”

She laughed and mussed his hair as she cleared away their few dishes.

“Not a chance Stretch. You want to see Super Powers? Just watch what will happen if anyone tries to separate us.”

She giggled and ran for the bedroom, intending to dress for their trip to collect Paul but found herself flying through the air as he tackled her and rolled her onto the bed. The stomach tickling escalated quickly and it was a busy, interesting while later before they dressed and left to pick up their son.

**

“No, Frank. That would be a real date and I told you…I’m still married. I’ll never go back to him but the thought of cheating, even something as simple as a movie…I just can’t do it…it’s not for him, it’s for me…I have to live with myself and breaking a vow…well I just can’t.”

He was puzzled and a bit hurt, she could see that and it pained her to hurt him. He was such a nice man, patient and kind, so totally different from Laurenz that there was really no comparison. She had seen this coming, had tried to keep things on an impersonal, classmate basis but didn’t have the strength of will to cut him out of her life, the way she felt she should have if she wanted to be fair. In spite of her hesitation she liked him. He was fun to be around, intelligent, always the gentleman, always subtly taking care of her, shielding her from traffic on the streets and sidewalks, creating a corridor for her in the crowded halls between classes. He had taken to meeting her at the Starbucks near the house, even though it wasn’t on the way from his apartment, in fact it added an extra 20 minutes to his commute to school every day.

Mondays were special days for them, the first contact since Friday after class and this past Monday he had been so excited to see her he had swept her up into a huge hug that surprised them both. And now he had asked her casually to go to a movie with him on Friday after classes.

“How about if you buy your own ticket? Then it isn’t really a date, just two friends out for a few laughs. Please, Yvie. I’m getting to hate the weekend when I don’t have you to talk to.”

She laughed at the puppy dog eyes he was making and nodded, wondering, when she saw his face light up if she was making a mistake but unable to resist even when he took her backpack, slung it over his shoulder and grinned, softly saying that he demanded the right to pay for the popcorn.

Urs would like this man, she thought as she tucked her hand in his and they headed for yet another Starbucks.

**

Urs was already pre-disposed to like Frank, having just read the report from the agent who had vetted Frank, for the second time, noting his school years and the successes he had achieved, his military training and service record, the clean report garnered from the RCMP files…he studied the pictures, some taken of the man with his sister as they walked down the street in Toronto, the attentive way he had of bending his head to listen to Urs’ tiny sister as she spoke, more animated than he had seen her for years and the candid shots of Frank in Afghanistan were he had received several commendations from his superiors for bravery and diligence to duty.

Perhaps there was something to the concept of Karma and Fate after all, he thought. Certainly after all she had endured Yvette was due some pleasure in life…perhaps meeting this man would be the start of something wonderful in her life, some Karmic form of payback.

He put the report back in the file and dropped it in the drawer in the correct slot, like Maggie, being neat and organized without even being aware that he was doing so.

He was dressed for photos today, the hair in concert mode, suit with knife edged creases in the trousers, today with a white silk tie on an equally blinding white shirt. He glanced at his watch and noted that as usual he was early and went in search of his wife.

She was in the Lounge, doing an almost Balletic routine of dancercises to keep her body toned and he watched from the doorway for a few moments, enjoying the sight of her still slender body in a form fitting unitard, the only visible sign of her pregnancy, a slight roundness to her tummy.

She spotted him and grinned, doing a series of twirls to reach him and carefully reach up to kiss him, taking pains to not mess his perfection before the cameras could capture his elegance.

“You look amazing….you clean up really well, Uber Lord!!” she teased, motioning for him to turn in place so she could see all angles.

She couldn’t resist a little pat on his backside as he turned.

“Those double vents in the jacket just scream for your beautiful butt to be fondled….best if you keep from any of the fans seeing that,” she commented and he laughed, flushing slightly.

“No problem…Carlos and Sebastien are the lovers of the group…David and I are just along for our voices.”

Maggie stood back and cocked her head on one side with a wistful smile on her face.

“You really have no idea just how sensuous you are do you? That quiet, almost shy reserve, the way your face becomes so animated when you smile, the way you walk or should I say prowl, the muscles rippling and that way you have of blinking with both eyes? My God, Urs…you’re sex on wheels. Even I feel it when you’re in the spotlight and I’ve seen you naked….. oops, can’t go there, not now. Get out of here while you still can.”

He laughed and beat a hasty retreat, treating her to a blinky wink just before the lift doors closed and laughing when he heard her groan.

He was still smiling when the people mover stopped out front to pick him up, the other three inside.

**

The schedule had been cleared for a few days and they all traveled out to the estate for a few days of R & R before David and Petra’s wedding on the 20th. The Millers would arrive from the US on the 19th, Simon the same day.

Mrs. Mac was in a frenzy of preparations, outdoing herself in spite of the admonishments of Petra who reminded her that they didn’t want any fuss.

“Nonsense,” the busy woman said as she directed the 2 village girls inducted into helping out. “You lot are like my own children and I won’t be cheated out of doing this up right. Now get along, Luv and take care of that young man of yours. He’s so nervous, though I don’t know why…you two are so perfect for each other….”

She went on, not even realizing that Pet had left for a few moment and taken her advice. Pet found David outside, wandering aimlessly around the back lawn. His face lit up with a giant smile when he saw her coming toward him.

He folded her into his arms and leaned his head against hers.

“How do people ever survive the planning and stress of big weddings? I’m ready to run off with you and Paul and this is just a small affair. And where is he?”

“With Urs and Maggie…I think they’re practicing. I hope he behaves…it’s a little late for them to get turned off being parents.”

He laughed and hugged her.

“He’s always fun to be around, Pet. If anything, they’ll probably start wishing for twins.”

“Bite your tongue, David Miller. One newborn is quite enough the first time out…the night time feedings, the never ending changing of diapers…the soft warm feeling of your child in your arms after all the months of waiting, the first real smile, that tiny fist gripping your fingers….oh David, I want another baby.”

He grinned down at her upturned face.

“We’ll work on it, Pet. I promise, we’ll work on it…overtime if necessary.”

Mrs. Mac took a breather in the Kitchen doorway and glanced out over the rolling expanse of lawn, saw the young couple together, involved in an embrace that left no question of their devotion, one to the other. She sighed, remembering her own youth and the passion that had slowly mellowed as the years passed, the fire banked but still alive, expressed now more often in shared looks and soft caresses, in slow dances of remembered melodies that still made their bodies sing but to a different tempo. She turned away, not wanting to intrude and redoubled her efforts at making this upcoming day a time to remember.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

“But I thought you loved me?” Seb said, taking Geena’s hands in his and wishing that the damned birds singing in the trees near them would stop making so much noise. Why did they dare to sound so cheerful when his world was crashing down around his feet?

“I do love you Sebbie, I just don’t need to mess things up by marrying you. Except for Urs and Maggie, all my friends who have gotten married regretted if almost the day after. Marriage changes a relationship…it becomes habit, the excitement seems to dissipate, even the sex becomes routine and I don’t want that for us. Can’t we just go on the way we are without some priest telling us that we have to stay together?”

“It wouldn’t be like that for us, Cherie. We would never let it pale to an imitation of what we have now. And what about children? Our children should be entitled to my name.”

“There are already too many unwanted children in the world, Sebastien, with no-one to love them. I have no desire to produce a child from my body…if and when the maternal instinct wakens in me, I would be receptive to adopting.”

He was amazed, never having considered that their views about children would be so different. An only child himself, he had always envied Urs and David for their siblings. He wanted children, to carry on his name and lineage, to love and rear, a part of himself and of Geena now that would live on.

“You can not be serious. ‘Ow can you think this way?” he queried, his French accent becoming stronger as his mind tried to get around what she had said.

“How can I ‘ave been so wrong about you? You are the woman I have always longed for, the one I want to spend my life with and yet I don’t know you at all.”

He rose and walked away, further into the wooded land at the edge of the stream, shoulders slumped, eyes blurred with tears that threatened, leaving Geena to watch after him forlornly, wishing now that she had been honest with him, had told him the real reason behind her declaration.

She buried her face in her hands and wept, her heart breaking into millions of little pieces as the one man who could have healed her past walked away, possibly forever.

**

Maggie watched as Urs gave Paul his bath, laughing quietly as the little boy splashed the foamy bath water and soaked the front of Urs’ shirt. It had been fun taking care of him for the day, offering Petra and David some quiet time to be together.

Urs was good with the boy, his scant practice with his nieces and nephews standing him in good stead, but his natural patience and genuine liking of young people more important. He would be a good father, she could see that already, one who gave of himself, who would be close to his child or children as they hoped. There was no fear of him dumping the responsibilities on her alone until the children were of an age to interact easily. Today he had changed diapers, cleaned up the mess from not very tidy lunch time feeding, sang gently to the boy while he was dropping off to sleep in the afternoon and now was being thoroughly wetted down during an interactive bath time….and he was eager for more by the look of the grin that he flashed at her where she stood safely out of the splash zone.

“You look much too dry, Liebe…get over here.”

She laughed and held her hands out to ward him off when he pretended to lunge for her.

“Not on your life…there has to be one adult still in charge and it looks like I’m elected. Urs, you need to calm him down a bit now, or he’ll never go to sleep and will be cranky tomorrow.”

He grinned as he dumped a toy bucket of rinse water over the satiny back of the child in the tub.

“I know…we’ll do some cuddling as soon as I get him out and dried off. Three more minutes, I promise.”

Punctual as always Urs walked into the nursery attached to Pet and David’s room right on time, Paul wrapped head to toes in a large soft towel and lay him on the changing table to be dressed for bed. Maggie had put the night time bottle in the warmer, the only one that Paul still took since Pet had weaned him, first off the breast and onto an occasional bottle then off the others until this nightly treat was the only one left.

Dusted and diapered, clad in a one piece sleep suit Paul came easily into her arms and she sat in the rocking chair to feed him, cradling him against her while he played with the bottle more than nursed, gradually calming and relaxing into the first stages of sleep. She sang softly to him, relishing the full feeling of a child in her arms, longing for the time when it would be their son or daughter.

Urs watched them silently, smiling at the tableau they made, the gentle look on his pretty wife’s face, the look of love she exchanged with him when she looked up and whispered that Paul was almost asleep.

He took the boy and lay him in the crib, drawing the blanket up though he knew it wouldn’t be long before it was kicked off. A small hand reached out for the beaten up teddy bear that lay on the sheet, the one that he slept with every night, cradled against his tiny body. Paul smiled and sighed, closed his eyes and made sucking motions with his rosy lips as he eased into sleep, leaving the watching adults standing with arms about each other, watching and imagining their own child in 7 months time.

Urs picked up the baby monitor as they left the room, checked that it was on and gently shut the door, leaving only the night light on.

“Seven months seems a long time to wait,” he said as he took Maggie’s hand and they went down the hall to their suite so he could change into a dry shirt.

“You’ll be busy, so the time will fly. I wish I could be with you longer on the tour….it’s going to be hard to be ‘grounded’ those last few months.”

He snuggled her closer in sympathy.

“I think we should get one of those cameras for the computer so I can keep an eye on you while we’re away. We’re going to be living on e/mails for a while…but I will try to get home for the delivery, somehow.”

She giggled.

“I’ll get one of those phones with the camera and if you can’t get back at least you can listen to every moan and groan and I can curse you like some of the women apparently do for putting them in such distress.”

He swung her into his arms and looked into her eyes, serious now.

“Maggie, tell me truthfully…are you scared? From what I’ve heard it can be rather unpleasant.”

“Yes…and no…I’ve heard the stories too but most mothers say it’s forgotten almost immediately when they hold their child. And I’m ready to do what ever it takes to bear our child, Urs. The bottom line is that I want this baby, your baby, our baby, this living symbol of our love. The rest is just semantics.”

He hugged her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head and they went on for the dry shirt before joining their friends downstairs.

**

Geena was late joining them for dinner and it was obvious to all that she had been crying, her eyes were red and her face pale. There was a coolness between her and Seb, though they were polite to each other, overly so and the very politeness that they had hoped would mask their differences made a few brows rise.

Maggie had barely sat beside Urs when her stomach clenched in rebellion at the scent of the cauliflower and broccoli in a lovely curry sauce, a dish she normally loved but tonight made her queasy. She fought the increasing feeling until Urs scooped some onto his plate. Having it that near was her undoing and she clutched a tight hand to her mouth, leaping up and escaping the room in a headlong dash to the nearest lavatory, knocking her chair over in her haste.

There was stunned silence at the table for a moment then Urs rose to follow her and Geena calmly announced that pregnancy did that sometimes…foods that were usually quite acceptable suddenly became revolting and caused varying degrees of nausea.

Urs found Maggie in the lav, pale and shaking from expelling her lunch, her face coated with sweat as she sat on the floor and leaned against the wall.

He wet a cloth with cool water and wiped her face while she stammered an apology.

“I don’t understand what happened, Urs. It came on so sudden. I’m so sorry.”

He smiled gently at her.

“Chapter Three….First Trimester….food aversions. We’ve been very lucky so far, Liebeling. Apparently aversions or cravings are quite common.”

She gasped out a laugh and clutched at his hand to kiss his fingers.

“I might have known you would have memorized the book already. Are there any other little tidbits you can warn me about?”

“Well it does say that you should experience an increased libido in the second trimester….I’m waiting rather impatiently for that one.”

She burst into laughter as he grinned at her and helped her to her feet.

“INCREASED???? My god we’ll never make it out of bed at all. We’re like a couple of rabbits now.”

“But very content rabbits, I think,” he chuckled as he kissed her damp cheeks and led her back out into the hall.

She was still laughing when they made their way back into the dining room, the offending dish gone and her appetite back.

Part way through the meal Geena excused herself from the table and spoke quietly to Petra before leaving the room.

Pet looked stricken but nodded and patted her friend’s hand, sighing when she left the room.

“She has to go back to London, tonight, now,” she said to David who frowned and began to question her, thought better of it and went back to his meal.

Seb lasted until dessert was served, claimed a headache and excused himself, leaving the others to silently speculate on what was happening. Not long after, they heard one of Simon’s sports cars, the Jag, Urs thought by the throaty sound of the engine. It sped out of the driveway, the sound fading and silence reigned again.

“So who volunteers to talk to Seb?” David asked in the void of conversation.

“It’s not our business,” Urs remarked though he was just as curious as the others.

“He will talk to us when he is ready,” Carlos said with a very Latin shrug. “Love does not always run smoothly…even Gerald and I have had our moments of discord.” He smiled at his pretty mate and she rolled her eyes thinking that the knockdown, screaming brawls they had endured over their 16 year relationship could hardly be called ‘moments of discord’.

Maggie had her own ideas about what the problem was but kept silent, preferring to talk about it privately with Urs later.

He knew she had something to say on the subject and wanted to keep it private, nodded to her in mute agreement and reached for the warm pie in front of him.

“Yes, Please,” Maggie said and he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“You hardly ever eat dessert and you already had one of those little chocolate cakes……ahhhhh!! Chapter Three again…..Aversions and Cravings!!”

He grinned and placed a piece on her plate, offering a generous blob of freshly whipped cream and chuckling when she accepted.

“You are going to get so fat,” he teased and she just smiled, the rim of whipped cream on her lips making her look like a child.

“My husband has promised to still love me if I do,” she answered.

“So he has,” he laughed then leaned over to lick the tasty treat from her lips.

“Don’t you two ever take a break?” David asked and grunted when Pet jabbed him in the ribs.

“You think we’re bad now, wait until the next trimester,” Urs said and ducked as Maggie threatened to lob a fork full of topping at him.

“Urs has been reading in his spare time. He’s now an expert on what to expect during gestation, mood swings, cravings….”

“And other things,” he finished for her and took her free hand to gently caress her fingers, not ready to be more forthcoming about their personal, private lives.

They finished up and adjourned to the Lounge to watch a video, hoping to find Seb in there but he still hadn’t put in an appearance by the time the movie was over, Maggie was asleep, nestled against Urs’ chest in one of the big chairs and the others were ready for bed too.

She was wide awake and worrying about her friend by the time they had readied for bed. Urs piled the pillows against the headboard so he could sit up and cuddled her against him, safely wrapped in his strong arms with her head on his chest as she unloaded her concerns about Geena.

“She seems very strong and self assured, more so since she’s met Seb, happier than I’ve seen her for a long time. We talked, oh it was months ago and I told her then to just be honest with him but I have a feeling she didn’t say anything.”

Urs waited patiently, knowing that she needed to tell him but in her own words, without any questions yet.

“When I first met Geena it was at the school we both were sent to. She’s 2 years older than me but was so damaged, so frightened all the time and so sad that it took a lot of coaxing to earn her friendship. She had been abused, for years apparently and made pregnant, forced to carry the baby to term without any medical help, even for the delivery and then her parents had the baby disappear, she never knew where. Then her family sent her away, out of sight, out of mind, away from any possible scandal. It scarred her, Urs. For a long time she was terrified of men, would look at babies in the village and burst into tears, then gradually she developed this attitude, this mask I call it, of being strong and tough, no soft edges at all, except maybe with me and lately with Pet. She has very set ideas about marriage and children, something she should have confessed to Seb before they got so close. I have a feeling that he proposed and she cut him off at the knees without so much as an explanation.”

“Why is she so opposed to marriage….I can understand the bit about children, sort of, but marriage…”

Maggie sighed but answered.

“Her parents had a terrible marriage, lots of infidelity on both sides….and it was her father or her brother who made her pregnant, she never knew which one. She’s never seen them since she was sent away to school, not even when they died….she never returned to Ireland for the funerals when her brother let her know.”

His arms tightened around her shoulders as he struggled with his outrage and anger.

“I don’t understand men who can do something like that. There are no words to describe what a vile offense it is….Geena must have still been a child….”

“Thirteen…..I had so hoped that knowing decent men like the four of you would help her to heal. And when there was this instant attraction between her and Seb I nearly cheered. She should have told him, let him help her…now it may be too late.”

He could feel tears falling on his chest and hugged her, rolling them over a bit so he could see her face and wipe the tears away.

“We’ll see what can be done, Liebe. Maybe if Seb knows the whole story…it all depends on how much he cares for her.”

“We will have to tread very carefully, Urs.”

“Careful is my middle name, little Luv. Leave me to work it out.”

He pulled the pillows down into place and nestled her against him, her head under his chin and her breath stirring the curly hair on his chest, just the way they both liked.

He was still working on the problem when he heard her murmur.

“Is not…your middle name is M’Lord.”

He chuckled and closed his eyes, thankful that all was right in his small portion of the world.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

She woke in the night to find his side of the bed empty and instinctively knew that he had gone searching for Seb, likely deciding that if he had a similar problem he wouldn’t be able to sleep. She tried to keep awake, to wait for his return but sleep over took her and much later she felt the bed move as he slid back in beside her.

“Alright?” she asked groggily.

“He cares, Luv…he’s gone after her.”

They snuggled down together and she sighed, kissing his chest as a thank you, just barely conscious enough to hear the whispered ‘Bitte Geliebt’ before sleep claimed her again.

There was no sign of either friend all that day, no calls, nothing but the arrival of David’s parents and late in the day, Petra’s. Simon arrived just after dinner, not pleased when he learned that two of his cars were missing but willing to over look the ‘borrowing’ in light of the happy occasion.

Mrs. Mac had taken to checking the weather every ten minutes, going outside and scowling at the sky as if defying Nature to foil her plans. The back terrace was declared out of bounds, in the process of being adorned with masses of potted plants and urns that tomorrow would hold every rose for miles around, a truck disgorging round tables and chairs for the few guests and a squad of young women arranging cloths and long food tables with the precision of a military exercise.

Now that the Millers were here, child care duties had been passed on from Urs and Maggie and they took advantage of the free time to take the horses out for a stretch, shieing away from the forest that hid the training grounds from view of the house and going toward the village on the country road, then off into a neighboring field.

Maggie had been humming as they rode along quietly and started singing softly. Urs recognized the track and began singing with her, their voices blending beautifully, singing in harmony, Urs relinquishing the melody to her and singing counterpoint most of the time.

“I’ve never heard Nights in White Satin done in Italian before,” he said when the last notes died away.

“It’s a track the kids did for a concert last year…I’ve always loved it but never more so than now. You guys should consider doing it sometime in the future.”

“It won’t be the same…I love singing with you, Liebe. Even our voices match perfectly. Do you know this one?”

He started an Offenbach song and she laughed and jumped in, singing a rich alto to his tenor. They rode on slowly, reveling in the music and the crisp autumn air. He reached across and took her hand, joined in song and love, singing to the trees, to the bright blue sky above, to whomever was lucky enough to hear.

They stopped at a stream and rested the horses, sitting on the bank discussing their errands for the next week before going back to Switzerland to check on the work on the farm.

“One of us has to go in to the office to sign some documents for the charities and to see if everything went well with the sale of the place in LA…. and I think we should speak to Heidi and Kostas about the job offer. Also I think we both are over due for dental appointments, for cleaning.”

“I have to go for a fitting at Armani and Andrew Lloyd for shirts. What do you think of a pale lavender to go with the grey suit? And a black silk with a silver thread?”

She giggled.

“You look great in whatever you wear, Urs. You have an excellent clothes sense and can carry off a look that others would never get away with. I can hardly wait to see those sequined boots on stage. Speaking of clothes, I’m beginning to find it difficult to get my jeans done up. I’ve gained 5 pounds and I think all of it is right here.”

She lay her hand on the gentle mound of her tummy and he leaned over to place his on top, his eyes softening as he rolled to his stomach and lay his head gently where their hands had been.

“I can hardly wait for the next month to pass and to be able to feel our baby moving inside of you. It’s almost like magic, though I know all the clinical words….did you realize that our baby is only about this big right now?” He spread his fingers apart and she smiled at the child-like wonder on his face.

“It’s like a miracle, isn’t it? That of all the people in this world we should meet and fall in love, that we want the same things, that you taught me how to show you my love….that your little guys are such good swimmers….sometimes I get scared that it’s all a dream and I’ll wake up to be blind and alone again, only the memory of a beautiful dream to fill my lonely existence.”

He gathered her unresisting body into his arms and cradled her against the solid strength of him.

“If this is a dream, it’s my dream too, Geliebt, one I never want to wake from. We are one, now and forever.”

She was crying softly and nestled against him, laughed shakily and whispered ‘What Chapter is raging hormones in? My moods are all over the place.’

He hugged her closer and whispered against her head.

“Chapter Five, right before the advice to offer lots of TLC.”

She sniffed and squeezed him, making his stitches pull but he bit his lip and said nothing.

“You would anyway, you don’t need a book to tell you to be my adorable husband.”

“Adorable!!...that’s a teddy bear…I prefer manly, strong, virile.”

She laughed and leaned back to look up at him.

“All of the above…and adorable. Now feed me, I’m starving.”

He laughed at her and rose to collect the bag of goodies Mrs. Mac had provided.

They ate their small feast, rinsed their mouths with some of the bottled water, then Maggie napped while Urs relaxed and thought about their home, mentally planning the music room, the nursery, the workshop, watching her breathe as she lay with her head in his lap. He moved a strand of the silky black hair from her cheek, thinking how lucky he was, how full his life was with the important things….love, new life, a woman he was proud of who loved him beyond anything else in her life, their new home, a career that seemed to be offering him everything material he had ever wanted and the ability to do some good for the world. The spector of Laurenz intruded on his thoughts and he pushed it aside, determined not to let thoughts of evil mar this precious moment.

He had napped for a few moments as well and when he woke the sky was darkening, threatening the rain Mrs. Mac had been so worried about. They cleared up from their lunch and mounted once more, returning home to the estate faster than the outbound trip, relieved when they arrived back to find that one of the ‘borrowed’ cars was back. After the horses had been rubbed down, grained and stabled they went in the house to find Seb in the kitchen with Mrs. Mac.

He was smiling when they walked in and Maggie had only one word for him.

“Geena?”

“She drives slower…. She should be here before dinner.”

Maggie threw herself on him to hug him until Urs pulled her off with a growl.

“You have your own girl, Frenchie. Hands off of mine.”

“Merde…she attacked me, mon ami,” Seb defended with a laugh.

The two men poured coffee for themselves and at Urs suggestion Maggie settled for juice though she laughed at his attempt to appear stern with her.

They were still at the counter talking when Geena arrived. She entered the room a bit self consciously but relaxed when Seb pulled out a stool for her and took her hand, holding it against his thigh long after she had perched next to him and exchanged smiles with Maggie.

Whatever had been said between the two wasn’t important…all that mattered was that they appeared willing to work out their problems, together. As if the Heavens agreed, the threatening clouds drifted away and the sun shone briefly again, going down in a blaze of glory that foretold a good day tomorrow.

“Red in the morning, sailor take warning, red sky at night, sailors delight,” Mrs. Mac said triumphantly as she came through the kitchen and dropped off a fresh pot of coffee and a large plate of assorted biscuits.

**

Dinner lingered on into the evening hours because of the talk around the table as the Millers and the Jensens regaled the diners with tales of David and Petra during their early years. Both had been adventurous children, driving their respective parents to distraction until the teen years when for some reason they became less rebellious rather than more, as most teens were. Petra had discovered the world of electronics and immersed herself in anything she could find in the field, considered a Nerd by her classmates and not caring one bit so long as she had her cyber world to explore. David of course had become totally immersed in music, living and breathing it, centering his life around it except for the moments when he was lost in the world of Atari and PlayStation when the games world evolved that far.

His only other love was pool and when the talk about his mishaps as a child got too much to bear he challenged Daniel, his father, to a game in Simon’s billiards/games room.

Everyone went along and Simon opened the bar, smiling indulgently when Urs brought along a jug of juice for Maggie. Sides were chosen and the two players played to the crowd, encouraging cheering and jeering of the opponents so the party became rather noisy in a short time.

Daniel won the first game and challenged any takers, found himself playing against Simon who had never before showed his prowess to the guys. They were astounded when he ran the table, defeating Daniel soundly.

The men decided on a friendly game of poker, playing for chips rather than real money, trying to keep it friendly.

The ladies spent the time watching or talking quietly until Gerry brought out another deck of cards and loudly announced that poker wasn’t just a man’s game and they set up another table, playing a riotous game with a lot of laughing as they tried to teach Jane, Petra’s mother, how to play.

Urs folded, stuck with a lousy hand of mismatched cards, and glanced over at the women, watching as they laughed and a bit concerned when he noticed that Maggie was looking very uncomfortable, had her arms crossed over her chest, not playing, just observing the game.

She reached for her glass of juice and he smiled. She was embarrassed and trying to cover her overly sensitive bosom as her tight shirt left nothing to the imagination, the bumps on the chest clear indication that she was aroused. He remembered that she had left her cardigan in the hall when they returned from the stables and retrieved it, coming up behind her and draping it over her shoulders.

“You looked cold, Liebeling,” he said before bending down to whisper in her ear… “and rather rabbit like.”

She flushed but thanked him, pulling the baggy cardigan on so that it masked her chest.

The card games lasted another half hour and didn’t seem about to end but at last Maggie claimed to be tired and excused herself, bidding everyone good night. Urs rose and took her hand, leaving the games room with her, as soon as they were out of sight of the others, grinning at his agitated wife as she nearly dragged him up the stairs to their suite.

“Baby, what…”

“Shhhh…..” she hissed at him, shrugging out of the cardigan and removing her shirt by ripping the front closing open, sending buttons flying everywhere. “I went in the Lav and took off my bra, it just felt so tight but then the shirt kept rubbing my nipples and…. Urs, I don’t know what chapter it’s in but DO SOMETHING!!!”

He was already shirtless, his belt and jeans undone and he gathered her close, pressing her tight to his chest, more than happy to help out.

The relief was incredible when his lips closed around her nipple and his hands kneaded her breasts firmly. He sucked gently and she moaned, arcing her back and gripping his head to hold him close, whimpering when he changed from right to left then sighing when his mouth again suckled, harder this time.

He felt her body quiver as she climaxed but held her close still, taking her mouth with his, aware from her frenzy that she wanted more, his own body eager to participate.

Clothing seemed to evaporate with four hands working as a team to unzip, push out of the way, four feet stepping out of the jumble of discarded garments and he lay her back on the high, soft bed to lose himself in the wet heat of her, their hands clasped together and bodies straining…..achieving a release that once more robbed them of breath.

The ripples and shudders of after shocks lulled them and they cuddled, crosswise on the bed, wrapped together sppon fashion, Urs hand laying possessively on her breast as they drifted off. He half roused and pulled a pillow down for them to share, flipped the corner of the duvet over their cooling bodies and nestled against her again.

**

First thing in the morning Urs borrowed one of Simon’s cars and took Maggie into Luton. It wasn’t an ideal town for lingerie shopping but they finally found a small exclusive shop and bought a selection of new bras, soft ones without lace that would tickle but still pretty and definitely a relief. He was very patient and waited quietly while she disappeared with the saleslady to be fitted, tried not to look embarrassed when other customers spotted him waiting in one of the client chairs and breathed a sigh of relief when they were finally back in the car on their return trip.

“Urs, I think maybe I should borrow the book and learn what other side effects are in store for us.”

He laughed and reached over to pat her thigh.

“Now what fun would that be? I kind of like it when you’re wild and aggressive.”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet, Schnuki…just wait until the second trimester.”

He laughed then groaned as she ran her hand up his inner thigh.

“We have a wedding to get ready for, Kleine Liebe. You need to be a good girl.”

“Spoil sport!!” she said but removed her hand and sighed as she leaned back in the seat. At least her new lingerie was comfortable.

**

Whatever sailors were in the area must have been delighted beyond compare at the weather that morning. The sky was clear and bright, not a cloud in sight, the wind light and warm and everything was going according to plan.

David had been banned from Pet’s room the previous night, much to his dismay and she was being pampered by the other women when he tried to see her in the morning. He moped around on the terrace until Mrs. Mac shooed him away, finally found someone to comfort him when he ran into Carlos, Urs and Seb in the breakfast area of the kitchen.

He flounced onto the bench seat behind the table, his hands in his pockets and a frown on his normally cheerful face.

“We should have pulled an Urs and snuck off….this whole affair is getting completely out of hand.”

“Patience, my friend,” Urs said, glancing at his watch. “In 6 hours and 12 minutes your bride will join you and everything will be wonderful again. I think when I saw Maggie coming towards me, my heart stopped…the rest was a blur…I know I must have repeated the vows but all I could see was her face, the scent of her filled my head, her hand in mine became the center of the universe and when she spoke there was music…..it was magical.”

He came out of the fog of memory to find them all staring at him.

“Wow!!!” David finally said. “I don’t know which amazes me more, your memory of the wedding or the fact that you let us in on something so special, so private. Are you sick?”

They all laughed and Urs flushed, surprised at himself.

“Don’t count on it happening again, Yank.”

He poured himself a coffee and got very busy sipping at it, still thinking about that special moment when they became husband and wife, but now more in control and able to savor the memory privately.

“So David, where are you taking your lovely bride for your brief honeymoon? I understand the parents are staying for the weekend and sharing little Paul until you get back.”

He shook his head, refusing to let them in on the secret.

“A special retreat for Super Heros. We’ll be treated like royalty, catered to constantly by invisible staff…heck we may not even get out of bed for the first day.”

“You don’t trust us do you? You’re afraid we’ll try one of those old fashioned things they used to do in the States, what did you call them?”

“Don’t even think about a chivaree, Urs or I’ll make your life a misery. And anyway they were always after the honeymoon, when the couple got home.” He blanched as he realized what he had said and saw the grins around the table.

“Guys…promise you won’t plan anything…Guys???”

Urs rose and grinned.

“Have to go shave…see you later,” he said and laughed as he left the room.

“Me too,” Seb said running his hand over his completely smooth face when David looked to him for help and he scuttled from the room leaving only Carlos at the table, and that very briefly as the Spanish man stood and patted David on the shoulder.

“I promise not to do anything…that the others aren’t doing,” he said with his deep belly laugh and vanished like smoke, leaving David to gently bang his head on the table.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

David stood under an arbor of roses that Mrs. Mac and her magic wand had made magically appear, trying not to fidget though nothing he had ever done before had ever filled him with such nervous energy. He stole a glance to his right at Urs, Carlos and Seb and received encouraging smiles, to his left at Gerry, Geena and Maggie, again with the smiles and at the minister who had seen it all before but still sympathized with the anxious groom.

The music that Simon had produced from somewhere segued into the track they had agreed upon, Jarre’s Oxygen and he took a deep breath before turning to look back toward the terrace doors.

He gulped for air, stunned as if he had never before seen her, as the sight of her beaming smile filled every corner of his mind and soul. She was beyond lovely, seemed encased in an aura of light as she walked beside her father, her pale blue silk gown rippling when she moved, her golden hair kissed by the sun, her eyes only on him, intent, focused, full of undying love.

His nerves calmed, instantly. This was right, it was what he wanted, no, what he needed to be complete. He felt a surge of joy that crept through him and his feelings were reflected in his eyes, in the huge grin, in the half step he took towards her, in the eager way he accepted her hands when she reached out to him.

They had opted for casual chic, Petra in a pale blue silk cocktail dress that just reached her knees, her shoulders bare, creamy pearls at her ears and around her neck, cream roses for a bouquet and scattered through her hair. David had donned a darker blue silk shirt from the Armani fall collection and matching trousers, the color a perfect match for his eyes, no jacket or tie but a look of elegance that his tall frame carried off well.

They joined hands and the minister began the traditional ceremony of exchanging vows while their friends witnessed a joining surely made in Heaven.

With the exchanging of the rings the couple spoke a few words that they had written themselves.

“Petra, You have already given me so much, your love, our wonderful son, laughter, joy, comfort when I need it, compassion without question…and now you give me your vow to always be by my side. I pledge my love to you, now and forever more, my understanding and protection. You are the other half of my soul. You complete me as a man.”

“David…you came into my life when I had resigned myself to never knowing real, mature love and you turned my world upside down. You make me laugh when I want to cry, sooth my heart when it is tired from the stresses of this world. I know now what it is to love and be loved without reservation, because of you.”

All too soon it was over and he swept her into his arms, lifting her off her feet in a bear hug and kiss that had the small gathering clapping and cheering. They signed the necessary papers and joined friends and family as champagne corks flew and toast followed toast.

Maggie nursed one glass of champagne, taking small sips now and then, much too happy to care that she couldn’t indulge fully.

Urs came up behind her and tucked her neatly into his arms, against his chest so he could speak privately in her ear.

“I can’t stop thinking of how awed I felt when we were married. For a while I thought my heart would burst right out of my chest, my love for you was so strong. I felt weak and yet as if I could do anything, just knowing that you chose to give yourself to me and that you would accept me for your husband, no reservations, just complete trust. I’m glad we did it the way we did.”

“Me too,” she said, turning her head to kiss his cheek. “I think of it often and it makes me giddy again. I don’t think my feet even touched the ground when I walked toward you.”

David and Petra were approaching them and they broke apart to congratulate their friends, were interrupted by Jane who had Paul in her arms, holding his little hands out to David.

“Sorry, he caught sight of you and nothing would do but to come over. He’s getting so heavy.”

“Watch this,” David said standing the little boy on the terrace floor with his hand firmly wrapped in Pet’s skirt. He backed off a few steps and crouched, holding his hands out to Paul and without hesitation the toddler took the three steps necessary to reach his Papa, a bit wobbly but definitely unassisted steps.

He laughed and patted David’s face with his fat little hands as he was swooped into the air and all the adults cheered.

**

Paul was in bed, the honeymooners were gone, the buffet table demolished by the ravenous guests and the few remaining people still awake were slow dancing on the terrace under the new moon.

Geena and Seb danced in and out of the shadows, her head on his shoulder and arms around his neck, his hands holding her waist firmly, bodies swaying as one.

She roused a bit and whispered in his ear.

“What if my brother won’t tell us where the baby was sent?”

His hands tightened then one began stroking her back.

“He will tell me,” he asserted in a voice that held no question.

She smiled.

“I just want to know that he…or she is alright…has love in his life.”

“If it is not so we will show him what it is to be loved. Do not fret yourself, mon petite. We will work together on this and make it right.”

“I don’t deserve you,”

He smiled and kissed her cheek.

“Yes, you do. I am your own little froggie and you must turn me into a Prince with your sweet kisses.”

She laughed and across the terrace Maggie heard her and glanced over, her eyes misting when she saw that her friend was once again happy.

**

Maggie closed her eyes and relaxed on the large bath sheet he had spread on the bed, enjoying the feeling of his large hands gently smoothing lotion into her stretching skin. He was humming softly, an aria from Puccini, she wasn’t sure in her semi-coherent state which one but it was soothing, that and the warmth of his long fingers coaxing the lotion into her skin with soft, slow circles.

Nothing was omitted, not even her toes with their pink painted nails though she had never known a masseuse who massaged your toes with their mouth before. He sucked gently, letting his tongue stroke and sucking again when she moaned, squirming a bit on the towel.

“Roll over, Liebeling, so I can do your back.”

She tried, not very enthusiastically since her mind was now elsewhere and they ended tangled in a knot that inspired much more than a mere massage.

Much later they cuddled, breathing raggedly and Urs was at last able to form sentences.

“I don’t think that one was ever in the Kama Sutra,” he said and chuckled.

“Maybe we should write a book.”

“A definite best seller,” he said with a laugh and drew the sheet over their sweaty bodies.

“We need to shower again.”

“In the morning…just in case.”

“Just in case, what?”

He didn’t answer, just rolled against her and flipped his leg over hers.

“Oh!!!” His rigid member pulsed against her thigh…obviously it wasn’t time to shower yet.

She giggled and tilted her head up, shivering with anticipation when she saw him wet his lips as his mouth descended to claim hers.

**

Peter arrived with the car mid morning and they departed for London, giving Seb and Geena a ride as well. Carlos and Gerry had decided to stay on until Petra and David came back and to ride in with them, a second car to follow with the parents who had decided to stay the week in a London hotel and catch some shows. Simon had already gone to Luton to catch a flight, this quick visit only for the wedding as his schedule was as crazy as theirs would be during the next year.

Once back in the city Maggie went shopping for some slightly larger clothing while Urs dropped by the accountants’ office to sign documents. They met up again for lunch at an Italian place in Soho and spent the next couple of hours talking, drawing up lists of things they should look for in Londonor Luzern rather than taking a chance on getting them in Willisau.

They went home and phoned around for appointments, dental for both of them, times for Urs’ fittings, checked in with Base to let them know they were back and talked to Joan at the school. Heidi wasn’t home when Maggie called her so she left a message then sank into the chair in the Lounge, content with a day well spent.

“I need a short nap, Luv. Interested?”

Urs looked up from the papers he had brought back from the accountants and shook his head.

“Did you know that the house in L.A. went for $6.2 million? That’s dollars, a lot of dollars.” Clearly the thought of a property being worth so much astounded him.

She smiled.

“Yes, I knew there was a bidding war for it but remember, but we don’t get all of it. The agent takes 5%, the government takes another 33% off the top, and capital gains takes another 20%...then there are charities that get varying amounts…it will work out to around $2 million or a little more and all of that will go into the farm. And I’m glad it’s sold…it was a cold, drafty mausoleum with nothing homey about it, just Hollywood glitz….and it cost a small fortune for security every year, money that could have gone into something like Ten Thousand Villages and done some good.”

He smiled and crossed the room to her.

“I’m always surprised when I learn how much it costs to be rich…. No wonder you don’t like that lifestyle. C’mon, little Mami. Hop on and I’ll give you a ride to your bed.”

He crouched down beside her chair and she hopped on his broad back, giggling as he loped down the hall and deposited her on the King sized bed.

“You want me to wake you in a couple of hours or just let you sleep? We don’t have anything planned for tonight…I could fix us something out of the freezer and we could eat in front of the TV, watch some old movies if you like.”

“Wake me up…some quiet, snuggle time sounds good. Maybe some of the old musicals? I think there are some Mario Lanza ones in the cabinet…and Kathyrn Grayson…she had such an amazing voice.”

He kissed her gently and pulled the duvet up to her chin, resting his hand for just a moment on her stomach and gazing at her with such tenderness that her eyes filled with tears.

“Hey…happy thoughts, Geliebt, only happy thoughts so you’ll have sweet dreams.”

She snuggled into the pillow and listened as he drew the drapes across the large window, darkening the room and left, leaving the door ajar a bit in case she needed anything.

**

She really wasn’t concentrating on the movie, just enjoying the warmth of being cuddled against him, this man she loved so much that at times she felt pangs of fear…not wanting the tenderness to ever end, not feeling deserving of so much happiness.

She drew his hand up to her mouth and kissed the birthmark, tracing the outline of it with her fingers and tilting her head to speak to him.

“Is it genetic? Does anyone else in the family have one?”

“A cousin but his is much smaller. Do you love me in spite of my flaw?”

She frowned but then saw that he was teasing and smiled.

“I was just wondering if the baby will have one…and it isn’t a flaw, Urs Buhler…this little red mark makes you unique, marks you as someone very special.”

He laughed and admitted that he had never looked at the strawberry mark on his right hand quite that way.

“You have a birthmark too, so I discovered when it was too late to decide not to fall in love with you.” He slipped his hand onto her butt and patted the spot on her left cheek where a small brown dot lived.

“Just be thankful that I never got around to getting a tattoo…Geena and I thought about it once, when we were about 17 but it seemed silly since I couldn’t have seen it …and anyway I’ve heard that it’s quite painful.”

“Chicken!! I felt the urge once but got my ears pierced instead. Haven’t worn my hoops for so long now, I’m sure the holes have grown back in.”

She raised up and inspected his ear lobes, found the faint scars and decided that they had indeed grown in.

“Too bad… that would really freak management out if you turned up for a photo op with hoops in and your hair all long and curly.”

They laughed at the thought and Urs turned the DVD player off, ejected the movie and rose to return it to the case.

Maggie busied herself tidying up the excellent chicken casserole he had made them for dinner, not something from the freezer as he had suggested but one he made from scratch in a fit of culinary experimentation. He was a good cook though lazy, so didn’t often do more than reheat or toss a salad.

She nibbled on a bit of the melted cheese as she placed everything on a tray and headed for the kitchen. He was also a neat cook, she found when she entered and placed the tray on the counter, quickly wrapping the leftovers with plastic film and handing them off to Urs as he appeared at her side to help out.

When everything was tidy once more they went out on the balcony to look out over the city, standing much as they had that first night just over a year ago.

Maggie leaned back against his chest and sighed softly.

“I still have it, you know.”

“Me too,” he answered, knowing that she spoke of the memory of their first kiss.

“I couldn’t sleep that night, the feeling of your mouth under mine kept me awake for hours…and I wanted more, so much more.”

She nestled back even closer and lay her hands on his arms where they wrapped around her body.

“You wakened something in me that night, something I yearned for so desperately and thought never to have. It terrified me at first but the feeling was so strong, heating my body from toes to head…I think even my hair felt electrified and when you left…it was as if a part of my soul had gone with you.”

She turned in his arms and tangled his hair in her hands, the moonlight making his eyes shimmer as he looked down at her.

“We’ll never be apart again, my Beloved, not even when miles or oceans separate us. The sweet perfume of flowers will remind me of the scent of you, the wind caressing my face will become your breath when you lean over me while we are loving, the sun, warm against my skin, will be your touch, that tender way you have of laying your hand on my arm while you concentrate on something…and when I sing the love songs they will be for you, always for you.”

They kissed tenderly, remembering that long ago night, looking forward to the future and all the new memories they would create.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

“I can’t do it, Sebastien. It’s too much to ask.” She shook her head in defiance, tears close to spilling as he grasped her shoulders and gave her a tiny shake.

“Oui, mon cher…you can. You ‘ave done nothing to be ashamed of. After all you ‘ave given of yourself to CASPAR, this is a small thing to ask and Simon will be discreet…he will understand.”

Seb had suggested going to Simon and asking that the vast resources of CASPAR be used to try and find the child that she had so cruelly had taken from her 15 years before. Not that either of them had any notion that a 13 year old child could have properly cared for a baby but the manner in which it was done and the not knowing had scarred every intimate facet of her life and the time was long over due to begin the healing process.

“I will be by your side. We will face this together, with our heads high. None of this sad affair was your fault, mon amour…in your heart you must know that this is true. Trust me, lean on me, let the love I have for you be your strength. We will find the child and see if he or she needs us in his life. If he is happy, then at least you will know that. If he needs us then we will find a way to make his life better, whatever it takes.”

Seb held her tense body against his, speaking softly in her ear until he felt her resistance fade and she melted against him.

“You really are my Prince, my Knight in shining Armani,” she teased as he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs following with tender kisses that made her smile.

“Prince Sebastien, has a sauce on the stove that needs stirring. Wash your lovely face and return for a feast that will give you the energy you will need tonight, for I have plans to take you to the stars, many times.”

He smiled that soft, sensual look that made her bones fluid and brushed his hand gently across her cheek, his eyes so full of love that she felt a moment of giddiness.

‘What have I ever done to deserve this amazing man?’ she thought as she went in the Lav and glanced in the mirror at her reddened eyes and flushed cheeks.

She had never considered herself an outstanding beauty…except for a toned body and good hair she had always felt ordinary…until Sebastien. He saw something in her that she hadn’t been aware of…or perhaps the love she had for him, brought out something that had long been hidden.

She put drops in her eyes to take the redness out, rinsed her face with cool water and patted it dry, thinking now about his promise for the evening. He was an amazing lover, gentle and kind, patient, intuitive, eager to please her and thus reaping the benefits as well. And now, taking on this problem that had never been far from her mind for so long. She thought about him arriving at her apartment only a few hours after she had left the estate, insistently pounding on the door until she let him in rather face the wrath of her neighbours.

He had entered, locking the door behind him and gathered her into his arms, ignoring the blows to his body as she resisted, merely holding her calmly until she wept, carrying her to the sofa and rocking her in his arms as a parent would a child, until she had cried herself out. And then he talked to her, telling her that he knew what had happened in her past, that Urs had told him, had said that it was just a question of how much he cared, that he should do what his heart told him to do. And so he was there, in her apartment, holding her, telling her that he would wait, forever if need be but that he would never leave her, would always love her, that he would help with whatever she needed to do to heal her tortured soul.

She returned to the kitchen to watch him as he indulged in one of his passions…cooking. Her heart swelled with love for this man, this talented Prince who had come to rescue her.

“What can I do?” she asked and he made shooing motions with his free hand.

“Go, open the wine to let it breathe and put on some music. Three more minutes and we will dine.”

He grinned as she curtsied with a smirk and went to do his bidding.

**

“I was worried about being so tired all the time but it says here that the baby does a lot of growing and changing during the first three months so it’s normal for me to be really tired.”

Maggie was reading the book which Urs had seemingly already memorized and kept calling out little tidbits of information to him as he worked at the piano, searching for just the right key for a track he was going to suggest the group work on.

He grinned at her over the raised lid of the ebony grand piano and mouthed ‘page 27’, ducking when she threw a pillow at him and laughed.

“That eidetic memory of yours…do you ever forget anything?”

“Not the important stuff… how does this sound?”

He started playing the track again, singing along with the accompaniment and she rested the book on her chest, swinging her legs over the arm of the chair so she could watch him singing. It was a pleasant pastime, one of her favorites, his face so expressive as his lyric voice caressed the notes, rising and falling in intensity as the words and melody required, his eyes closing sometimes with the tenderness of the words, the muscles in his face and neck rippling as he used his voice in true operatic style.

“Lovely,” she said when he finished and looked at her for her opinion. “And that key is perfect…lots of opportunity for David to come in with some descant and an operatic finish would be appropriate. Did you guys ever think about doing Caruso? That would give you all some serious chances to add counterpoints like in Ti Amero. I know Seb is very fond of that piece.”

He rose and came over to loom over top of her, his strong arms pinning her in to the side of the chair and he nuzzled his stubbled chin against her neck, just gently, making her laugh.

“That’s what I like about marrying a musician…lots of suggestions. We have enough music backed up now for about 6 CD’s, just not enough time to work on them.”

“Too bad…I don’t think the fans would complain. Urs, can we have Indian for dinner? I’ve had a terrible craving all day.”

“Not curry, I don’t think,” he said with a chuckle and laughed outright when she made a face.

“NO!! What I really want is Nan, maybe some Tandoori, but lots of Nan.”

“So long as we order in…I don’t want to shave…I’m trying for a biker look since I know how much management loves it.”

He went out to pick up take away, ordered far too much for the two of them, which was just as well since when he returned Heidi and Kosta were in the Lounge talking to Maggie.

It was the first time he had met Heidi’s husband, a tall good looking Greek man with a heavy accent that was confusing at first until he admitted that he had lived for nearly 30 years in Zurich with his first family. They had died in the house fire that left him mildly disabled, retired from his job as a Medical technician and met Heidi while he was recuperating. She had been his nurse for a while and through a friend had been offered the job of assistant to Maggie just before Maggie moved into the suite in the apartment building.

Now both in their late or early 60’s they were more or less retired and when the opportunity to move back to Switzerland was made to them they accepted before even learning the details.

Urs insisted that they stay for dinner, motioning to the 2 large bags of food he had brought back and soon the table was laid and all gathered around it talking as if they had been friends for years…which of course Maggie and Heidi had been.

“After dinner we’ll show you the plans for the property. The house is going to be very large with several outbuildings and completely self contained…solar power, heat producing ram walls, exterior insulation. Our consumption of auxiliary power should be zero, except for wood in the fireplaces during the winter, though that will be more for the cozy atmosphere than warmth. There will be three towers for wind generated energy, higher up the mountain and hidden pretty well by the forest.”

Kostas was very interested and fairly well informed for someone who had spent the last few years living in London. He and Urs got into a technical discussion about the power supply, the care and maintenance of the generators and the storage of energy and the ladies left them to it, discussing the practical details.

“We thought that if you wanted to come with us you might appreciate your own space. There will be a cottage near the main house that we could offer you as a residence and we would work out a reasonable schedule of work times at the main house…no heavy work, that will be taken care of by a housekeeper a couple of times a week. And Urs has planned a lovely workshop so Kosta can putter, keep everything operating properly and keep Urs company when he’s home and working on a project.”

Urs brought out the plans when the table had been cleared and they poured over it, the excitement level rising as they discussed the lovely site and what was being done to it.

When it was time for the older couple to leave they had only one thing left to decide…. Wages and a starting date, though Urs urged them to at least sleep on the proposal.

Urs and Kosta shook hands as the lift doors opened and Maggie and Heidi hugged.

“Discuss it together and get back to us after you’ve had a chance to think of all the pros and cons,” Urs suggested. “I really think this would be a good thing for all of us and I would feel so much better when I have to be away from my family on tours or recording sessions, knowing that someone I trust and like is with Maggie.”

He draped his arm around her shoulders as they went back in the Lounge, tidying and getting ready to turn in for the night.

“He likes to tinker with motors too. And he’s an avid gardener. I like him and of course there’s always been this attraction between Heidi and I,” he said teasing and referring to the thick carpet incident.

“I wonder if Heidi told Kostas about that… I could hardly look her in the eyes for weeks after being so foolish.”

He laughed and hugged her.

“I think he knows…He asked if the house was to be carpeted and there was a distinct twinkle in his eyes when he spoke of it.”

“Did I remember to tell you that I got an e.mail from Dr. Mandel’s office today? He wants me to come in for an ultra sound sometime in the next 2 weeks. He says we have to decide if we want to know the baby’s sex then since he should be able to tell us. Do you want to know?”

“Not really…unless you do. Healthy is all I care about. What do you think?”

She flicked the lights off as they moved into the hall and entered the bedroom, turning on the beside light and folding the cover on the bed down halfway.

“I would like a son to name after your Papa and one to call Daniel after my Da, and a couple of sweet little girls that you can treat like Princesses when they aren’t chasing after you in the forest or helping you tear apart motorcycles, but I don’t care which comes first. I might not always be this comfortable but at the moment I love the feeling of having your baby inside of me.”

“Four…that’s a nice start,” he said with a grin as he watched her begin to disrobe, leaning in the doorway to the bathroom to watch the show.

She slipped her shirt off her shoulders and turned her back to him for help with the fastening of her bra, shivering when his large, warm hands replaced the molded material.

“MMMMMMMM…you’re getting to be quite a handful, little Mami,” he murmured against her head and she smiled when she heard how his voice had become sultry, just a little breathless.

“There are some things that I’ve always been attracted to and you certainly have an abundance.”

She turned in his arms and leaned onto his chest, pulling his shirt out of his jeans and up over his head in one smooth movement, sighing when she pressed her body against the downy curls on his firm chest.

“I need to brush my teeth…my mouth still tastes of Tandoori.”

He tilted her chin up gently with one crooked finger and kissed the corners of her mouth, flicking his tongue across her lips and inside when she opened to let him in.

“And orange juice. Very tasty. C’mon, lets clean up and then try our nice thick carpet one more time.”

She giggled and followed him in to the lav, watching the sway of his taut bottom as he walked ahead of her, unable to resist laying her hand on the back pocket of his jeans and humming softly as she felt the muscles underneath clench.

Two pair of jeans went into the laundry hamper, caps were put back on toothpaste and brushes rinsed, faces washed and minty fresh tongues tasted smooth skin, long before the carpet was ever reached. Once more they loved as if it was their first time, gently, slowly, the wonder of each touch fresh and new, building towards a desire that could not be denied.

Maggie lay back in his arms on the soft pile of the carpet and laughed.

“We have a perfectly good bed only a few feet away. Why do we always end up other places?…the dining table, the kitchen counter, the shower…”

“You forgot the piano, the recliner chair and the lounger on the balcony… you definitely make my life interesting, Liebeling.”

“Me? I only know what you taught me, Rock god. Though I guess that time on the chair in your old bedroom was my idea… and ….”

She stopped due to her mouth being very busy, thoroughly kissed as he leaned over her and made conversation impossible.

“I never get enough of kissing you,” he said as he drew away from her mouth and watched her eyes trying to focus again, his fingers threading through her hair as he leaned on his elbows penning her against him with his strong arms.

“Urs, I figured it out…I’ll only be able to go with you for the first month of the tour. After that I’ll have to stay home to be near the doctor.”

“I know, Luv. Don’t start to fret about it now. We still have over 3 months before the New Year and the tour starts. We’ll get that camera you talked about and use it every day and I’ll come home every chance I get. It will work out.”

“Of course it will… I’m just being silly, worrying when it isn’t productive.”

She shivered and he picked her up to place her on the bed, snuggling in beside her and pulling the duvet up over their bodies. They molded together, two pieces that made a whole and she drifted off to sleep, leaving him to turn off the small lamp and remind himself several times that it WOULD work out. Somehow they had to make it work. He hugged her tighter to his chest and closed his eyes, willing himself not to worry.

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

The first order of business back in Switzerland was to set up a satellite computer, linked to Millie and Base back in London. Urs had no idea what she was doing or how to do it so he left her to work it out, going into Willisau to arrange for a dry, secure storage locker in which to store the purchases they had made in London and that would be arriving within the week.

They had moved into the little house and had one free part day to settle in and work on the computer hookup before going out to the farm, a decision they had made back in London. They knew that going out immediately would mean a day long affair, that if they were to get any other work done they must do it first.

Urs came back to find that Maggie had turned the extra bedroom into an office and was on her knees on the floor threading cables through a hollow piece of foam, the last step in making the hookup tidy and business like.

“What a lovely view,” he commented from the doorway, grinning at her when she looked back over her shoulder and found him ogling her bottom.

“Careful…my husband will be home soon and he may get very jealous.”

She giggled and asked him to turn the computer on, walking him through the steps that checked the different functions and adjusting the cables at the back until she was satisfied that everything worked properly.

Urs laughed when he signed in with his new online name and Millie greeted him warmly.

“Good afternoon, Papa Bear.”

“Maggie!!! I can’t send business e.mails with that signature!”

“Please be calm, M’Lord. Your usual signature will appear on any non private correspondence…a number of code names has been programmed for personal use between Mama Bear, myself and your person. I do not make errors so they will not appear on any other messages, SRG.”

“SRG? What is that?”

He could have sworn that the pause before Millie answered was to mask a chuckle.

“Swiss Rock God.”

He looked over at Maggie, still sitting on the floor and quietly laughing at his discomfort.

“You will pay for this, Woman!” he threatened but his eyes were twinkling and she just laughed harder.

He helped her up and they toured the little house, neither having done more than a cursory glance before since they knew that it would be a temporary residence.

It was small, likely smaller than the flat in London, but cozy, completely furnished with serviceable furnishings in warm rusts and browns, yellow pillows softening the look of the sturdy sofas and chairs in the Lounge. A large stone fireplace dominated the far wall with built in racks to either side for the logs that were drying out nicely. A small dining area was just off the kitchen that boasted a back door through a mud room to the miniscule back yard and garage. There was one large bedroom in the loft above the Lounge, under the eaves, heated from the fireplace below, the Lav and bathroom on the ground floor along with the tiny second bedroom that was now an office.

“It will be cool in the winter unless you keep the fireplace going or are baking something. Hopefully we won’t have to be here long.”

“I can’t wait to go out tomorrow and see how the work is coming. When I talked to your Papa before we left London he seemed to think we would be amazed at how the work is going.”

“We’ll go first thing in the morning, pick up something for lunch and stay as long as we like. If we’re in the way we’ll just go up to the falls and see if the otters have taken up residence.”

Maggie phoned the doctor’s office to book an ultrasound, got an appointment in two days time and then called Inga to let her know they had arrived and were settling in.

“Come for dinner…you haven’t had a chance to buy groceries yet and we miss you.”

Urs nodded when she raised her brows at him, knowing full well that his Mami had offered a meal. They finished unpacking, slipped the mini computer into Maggie’s bag and took the newly delivered Peugeot out to the homestead.

**

It was late when they got back to the little house. Dinner had lasted for a long time what with all the interruptions to talk, about the house, about the up coming tour for Urs, about the baby and how they were coping so far.

Nikolai was well, had fully recovered from his accident and only let Inga baby him now and then, just to keep in practice he claimed, though they all thought that secretly he rather liked it.

Urs locked up while Maggie got them each a water bottle for the bedside tables and brushed her teeth, puttering in the small bathroom until he joined her.

“The shower is so tiny…I think we’re going to have to shower separately while we’re here,” she said with a grin and he leaned over her shoulder to check it out.

“It does look cozy. But there is a bath…that would be a first for us.”

“Urs!!”

He had swept her off her feet and stood her in the large, clawfooted tub, still fully clothed.

“What? I’m just trying it out for size.”

“It doesn’t count…I’m still dressed and all alone…you have to get in too.”

He stepped in the tub and sat down. Maggie sat facing him and began to laugh.

“This is no good…one of us would have the taps in our back and your legs are too long.” She stood and held her hand out to him to help him to his feet. “Remind me to check the master bath plans…taps on the side and a long tub.”

He turned the shower on and adjusted the spray, stripping off his clothing with an economy of motion and dropping everything except his belt in to the handy laundry hamper. He stepped under the spray and let it run over his head, leaned his dripping face back out and grinned.

“Coming?”

“When you’re done,” she said with a smile, starting to unbutton her shirt.

“I don’t think so,” he murmured and a wet hand came out to grasp her around the waist, pulling her against his wet body and under the spray.

It was difficult to get her clothing off now that it was wet but he managed, with a lot of elbow banging against the tiled walls and some wiggling from Maggie who couldn’t stop giggling. It was indeed very close quarters but they managed, even did a passable job of washing each other with a few little side trips of exploration and togetherness that left ample room in the confined space. Neither had thought to close the curtain so as a result the entire bathroom was wet when they finally turned off the water and exited. They were still damp when they had dried the floor with their used towels and scrambled up the stairs to their loft bedroom.

“When you are away I’m going to wear long flannel nightgowns to keep me warm,” she said burrowing under the duvet and into his arms. This high in the mountains in late September the air was cool at night and the warmth of his long body was welcome against her still damp skin.

“Tomorrow I’ll light a fire so the stones of the chimney warm the bedroom. I forgot that you’re a Lowlander. You’ll get used to the climate here, Luv. It’s why the Swiss have large families…all this cuddling.”

“Then I’m definitely going to like being Swiss,” she said, her voice muffled against his chest as she pulled him just a little further on top of her.

“You always feel so tiny when I hold you like this,” he said against the top of her head. “You sure I’m not too heavy, leaning on you?”

“NO!...you make me feel safe, protected, like nothing or no one can get at me. I’m going to miss being able to reach out to touch you, to have you roll over in the night and pull me into your arms. I sleep best when I can feel your heart beating or your breath on my neck.”

He was silent for a moment, thinking, wondering if there was something she worried about, not sure about bringing the subject up.

‘No secrets’ he thought and gently broached the subject.

“Are you worried about Laurenz, Luv?...that he might try to hurt me by getting to you again?”

She squirmed against his chest and he knew his guess was right.

“A bit…not all the time, just now and then…and a few nasty dreams until I wake and feel you next to me. Sometimes when I think about you being away and me being big and awkward. It’s silly, I know and I didn’t want you to worry, so I didn’t say anything…”

“Maggie, listen to me. When I’m on tour, you won’t be alone. I’ve spoken to Simon about it and he agrees. We will have alarms installed on the house, connected to the local agents and a team will watch out for you, just as they do now for Mami and Papa….and Heidi and Kostas will be here or if you are already in our house, they will be out there with you. Did you really think I could go off on the tour and leave you unprotected? I love you and our baby…you are more important to me than any tour or success I might ever have. I promised to take care of you and I will do it or die trying.”

She was crying quietly against his chest and he soothed her, kissing her wet cheeks and wrapping her tight in his strong arms.

“I’m sorry, Urs. I promised myself that I wouldn’t do this, wouldn’t worry you with my stupid fears, but when I think of him and what he might do….I feel that knife in my thigh again, feel him hitting me, hitting our baby…. I should have trusted you to think of us….I’m sorry.”

He sat up with the pillows against the head board and cradled her in his arms, rocking her like a father would his child.

“Yes, you should have known I wouldn’t leave you unprotected. But the book says….”

She giggled against his wet chest, just as he had hoped and he hugged her, smiling down at her upturned face.

“Don’t interrupt, I’m on a roll…the book says that your hormones will be all over the place, that they will have more impact on your thinking than your own natural common sense.”

“I see…so while I’m pregnant I can be illogical and unthinking and blame it on ‘my condition’. Handy trick that.”

He grinned.

“It only lasts a little while so don’t even think about blaming everything on it. Now do you feel better?”

She leaned up to kiss his smiling mouth.

“Yes, Thank you. Except for one thing…. Have you arranged for someone to keep me warm in bed at night?”

He laughed and rolled her back onto her pillow, nibbling on her ear lobe and making her giggle.

“I’ll buy you a cat.”

She tried to laugh but found her mouth far too busy. There was something about working through a crisis that made the loving after, all that much sweeter and she surrendered to the tenderness, letting him wrap her in the warmth of his love, the passion that was always just under the surface, waiting to dispel any dark shadows that dared intrude on their world.

**

Carlos parked the rental car and came around to help Gerry out of the passenger side. The house was just as beautiful as the first time they had seen it, white washed and spread out with the red and purple bougainvillea creeping up the walls to drip from the overhang of the red teja tile roof. The palms that framed the entrance gate rustled in the breeze from the beach as they unhooked the gate and walked up the wide stone path to the few tiled steps up to the lanai and on to the ornate double doors that led into the house.

The agent had promised to be here for this final inspection so Carlos rapped on the door, hoping that he was inside and smiled at Gerry as they fidgeted impatiently waiting for a response.

From behind them they heard the sounds of a car coming to a stop and heard the voice of their estate agent calling out to them as he hustled up the walk, dressed casually in white linen trousers and a short sleeved tan shirt, sandals on his feet, smiling and waving as he rushed to greet them.

“I am so sorry…a last minute phone call that I had to take. Please, follow me.”

He opened the doors wide and gestured for them to enter, leaving the doors open to let in more light in the dim recesses of the elegant foyer.

The place was unfurnished at the moment but the floors gleamed with obvious care, the windows had been recently cleaned and the overhead fans stirred the air as they moved through the building from room to room.

It was as magnificent as they remembered…walls done in white, floors a gleaming wood, perhaps mahogany to match all the woodwork of stair railings and wide baseboards. The fireplaces were of stone, imported from Isbizia, multicolored, rough, perfect for the grand size in the Lounge, a finer stone used in the two other smaller hearths.

The Kitchen was a dream, counters and storage that would make a devoted cook squeal with pleasure, a large butlers pantry for ease of entertaining and a multi use room with shelving and spaces for frig, freezer and seldom used appliances.

Once again they fell in love with the master suite that opened onto the terrace and pool, the connecting bath that looked out on the mountains in the distance, the adjacent rooms that could be used as a nursery and guest rooms…should the need ever arise.

There were two outbuildings, one attached to the main house that Carlos coveted for a studio, the other a large garage/workshop with a small apartment above and gardens that were still in full bloom, the season here never really ending, merely flowing from one group of aromatic flowers to another. A thick hedge of oleander framed the property, separating it from the next estate, offering privacy as well as blooms to please the eye.

They wandered back to the entrance and reluctantly shut the double doors again.

There was no real discussion between the couple now…they each knew the desires of the other and Carlos turned to the agent and nodded.

“We will accept the counter offer. Are there papers to sign?”

An hour later they were back at the Hotel, just a little giddy from the experience, popping open the champagne that had greeted them upon their return and the note with the large bouquet of flowers.

“Congratulations and Welcome Home!!!”

It was signed from the realtor, a thoughtful gesture that released their happiness and they danced around the suite, unable to contain their joy any longer.

**

Simon listened without interrupting for the first few minutes of Geena’s stumbling recital of her past then came around the desk and sat on the sofa beside her.

“This is painful for you and unnecessary. Geena, you were vetted, just like everyone else who joins CASPAR. I know about your past, no one else does, except Seymour who as we all know is as silent as the grave when it comes to keeping secrets. That’s why I have him do the enquiries most of the time. I don’t know where your son is…yes the baby was a boy…but I can find out. Please understand that he isn’t a baby any longer…he is 15, a young man, a teenager with all the inherent attributes that being a teen entails. We will find him and tell you where he is and how he is, what has happened in his life. Then it will be your decision what you will do with this knowledge. Think on it very carefully before you act.”

Sebastien had taken Geena’s hand when they entered the office and still held it, now raised it to his lips for a soft kiss on her clenched fingers.

“We have discussed it already, Simon. We will go slowly, carefully. We do not want to cause any pain or problems. It is just something that we must know so that we can move on. In which direction is something that must be decided when we have all the facts.”

Simon leaned in to touch Geena’s face gently with one hairy hand.

“I have always had a great deal of respect for you as a person, little Geena and never more so than now. What courage you have shown in being willing to bare your soul to me…and to allow Sebastien to support you in your quest. I will do everything I can to help.”

He kissed her cheek and she forced her constricted throat to offer up a weak ‘Thank you’.

Simon stood and went back behind his desk, assuming his Mr. Grumpy persona again and waved at them to leave, pulling a stack of papers towards him.

“Now, let me get back to work, you two. Do you have any idea how much work is piled up waiting for my attention?”

They smiled at his bluster and bid him good bye…Seb looked back as they reached the door and saw him leaning back in his chair, smiling at their retreating figures and chuckled. He put his arm around Geena’s shoulder and hugged her as they left the office.

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

It was just after 9a.m. when they had picked up food for the day and at last headed out to the farm, a lovely crisp, clear day but with the snap of autumn in the air. The trees along the route gave evidence that winter was coming, the leaves ablaze with fall colors, the fields now covered more with seed pods than the color of blossoms and the long grasses bent under the wind were turning from green to brown.

Urs pointed up to the sky and when Maggie looked she saw the cloud of birds, winging their way south to spend the winter in the south of France or the Algarve.

“We seem to be going against Nature,” she said with a laugh, “going north instead of south for the winter. I can hardly wait for the first real snow fall. Somehow everything always looks so clean and new, waiting for the spring and covered with a soft blanket of snow. Can we have horses, Urs? Not just for riding but a couple of those lovely big ones for pulling a sleigh?”

“Belgians…or Percherons,” he said with a smile, ready to indulge her in anything that would make her happy. “We can talk to Herr Kunsler, Papa’s neighbour and see what they need. Right now we need to concentrate on getting the house done so we can move in. One thing we need is a tougher vehicle, a four wheel drive maybe, that we can put a plow on to clear the lane. Kostas will need a vehicle for getting supplies and I don’t know how good the Peugeot will be in the winter. By the way, you need to reschedule your driving lessons.”

She glanced at him and grinned.

“Sure you don’t want to give it another try?”

He grimaced.

“Positive!! One try is enough…I just don’t have the patience…and I hate to make you cry.”

They came around a bend in the road and he slowed for the driveway. The gate was open and there were clear signs of lots of traffic on the crushed gravel and dirt of the drive. They went up the drive slowly, not seeing anything different until they rounded the curve past the last copse of trees and the pasture and hills opened up in front of them.

The house rose from the hill, bathed in the early east light, a few service vehicles parked on the gravel in front, others just barely visible near the out buildings. From this vantage point they could see what appeared to be a small army of men working on the structure, on the roof, on scaffolding in front of the lofty windows, working on the terrace by the front entrance.

The amount of work done was astounding.

The south facing solar panels had been installed in the steeply sloped roof, ram boulders that collected heat occupied the slope up to the terrace, looking like natural elements. None of the existing trees had been touched, except to contain them in battens to protect them against accidental damage from the work crews. The roof had been extended to partly overhang the wrap around deck on the upper floor and a hexagon terrace jutted out from the master suite, the freshly stained wood reflecting sunlight from the warm glow of the wood. The lower floor was in the process of having thermal paned windows installed, large expanses of glass that would help to contain the heat in the winter and keep the structure cool in summer, with the special glass that could be darkened at the push of a button but because of the isolated location would be left uncurtained.

It would be a house that lived with the landscape, as a part of Nature, not intruding, with the expanses of glass, stone, wood and openness to the outside merely being an extension of the land on which it sat.

Almost unnoticed, the building butted up against the rock wall of the escarpment, giving no evidence that it actually extended into the cliff, a natural cave that had been there for thousands of years, reinforced and extended, the cavern formed by erosion over the centuries and by the careful excavation of man, to be used now as a studio with acoustics that would be above reproach, as well as other rooms.

“Urs, Maggie!!! You are here!! What do you think of the progress?”

Yanni had spotted them and came off the terrace, smiling broadly and taking off his white hard hat to scrub his head with a meaty hand, holding out the other to shake first Urs’ then Maggie’s.

“We are trying to get the outside done before the snow comes, then we can work on the interior no matter what the weather.”

“I can’t believe how much you’ve done in only a month,” Maggie said giving him a big smile and waving her hand to indicate all the progress.

“We expected to find piles of materials and the ground all churned up, maybe parts of the house demolished….this is unbelievable,” Urs said.

“Ah, my friend…once I start a project I become obsessed…and I run a tight ship. I have a large team of specialized contractors who have worked with me many times and we get extra help from the school…the students learn how to work in construction and we get economical labour. It is a fair trade.”

They went around the building and found that other crews were finishing the outside of the cottage. The workshop was finished, having needed only the installation of the collectors and a bit of cosmetic work. The piles of material they had expected were neatly covered in bundles near the workshop.

“I don’t see a generator anywhere,” Maggie said, glancing around in surprise for she was sure that some of the equipment being used was either battery operated or needed electricity.

“The first thing we did was take 2 days to erect the 3 towers and dig the trenches for the cables to storage units that eventually went into the basement, after it was cleaned of course. It was necessary so we could work efficiently, sometimes as late as 10 at night or before dawn.”

The major portion of the day they wandered about, keeping out of the way of the crews, inspecting what had been done, what was partly finished and the few minor adjustments that Yanni had made to the plans. When the teams stopped for lunch they went in the house, saw the newly installed bamboo floors with the heat coils embedded under the surface, the extra bathrooms that were being installed, the sparkling clean basement with the storage units that the towers were cheerily storing power in, the idiot proof computerized controls for the heating and distribution of power, the back-up systems.

It was mind boggling and they decided to rest their weary minds by a trip to the waterfalls, thinking to check on the towers on the way. Even with directions they had problems finding them, finally had to follow the covered trenches and came on them suddenly, tall white structures with the blades turning in the ever present wind from the mountains.

“I think we need to have markers put in to locate the trench easily, just in case we ever need to do repairs.”

“Good idea…but something unobtrusive….Urs, Yanni thinks we should be able to move in in the New Year. While you were looking at the studio he said that if the weather holds good for another 2 weeks they’ll be finished outside except for the landscaping…we may have to finish that in the spring but they can get the inside finished by January.”

“Then we better get busy choosing furnishings. I have to go back to London by the 23rd of October then I have a couple of weeks in early November off, then it’s work again until Christmas. We don’t have to be back at it again until January 14. A lot of this is going to be dumped on you, Baby…I’m sor…”

She put her hand over his mouth and stopped him from finishing.

“Don’t you dare apologize, Urs Buhler! This is a partnership…your part is to do your job and mine is to fill in when you can’t be here. My only stipulation is that I want a nice pink hard hat so I stand out in the crowd. It will be fun, having all these hard bodies to boss around.”

“Hey…you’re an old married woman…you aren’t supposed to notice other guys bodies.”

She smirked at him.

“Looking is Okay…it’s touching that’s taboo…but then why would I want to? I have my own personal Swiss Rock God and I adore his perfect body.”

“And don’t you ever forget it,” he said and pulled her into his arms for a kiss that made her head swim and her toes curl.

They put their passion on hold, letting it build for a more private moment and went on to the water fall, approaching quietly in case any wild life was there.

They crouched behind some shrubs at the side of the beach area and watched in awe as a family of otters played in the water, sliding down the bank and swimming, diving to the depths and coming back up to chitter at each other. Some innate sense warned the animals that they were being watched and they scampered behind a pile of fallen logs so Urs and Maggie departed as quietly as they could, thrilled beyond words at what they had seen.

On the walk back he pointed out some tracks that he said were deer and Maggie kept watching for them to his amusement. Her eyes glowed with anticipation and hope and he wished that they would actually see deer though he knew that it was the wrong time of day and the chances were pretty slim.

Just before they arrived at the last line of trees before the clearing he wrapped her in his arms again and nestled against her head.

“You make my heart so full, mein kleine Liebe. I love you so very much. I love to spend time with you, to watch you enjoying our life, to share with you the things that give me pleasure. I want to give you the world, to protect you, to love you forever. It would kill me if I lost you.”

She bent her head back a bit and looked up at him.

“You can’t lose me, Geliebt. We belong to each other, now and always. Don’t ever doubt how much I love you.”

Urs tightened his arms around her almost to the point were she couldn’t breathe but she said nothing, just held him close, wanting to reassure him, to make him understand that what she felt consumed her, would never lessen, never end.

His kiss, when it came, was tender, a promise, and it caressed her mouth as she gasped and put her hand on her tiny bulge, her eyes filling with tears of wonder.

“Urs…the baby…I felt it….”

He knelt and put his hands on her tummy, willing their child to let him feel movement. Softer than the whisper of wind across his face he felt the flutter, the soft, butterfly-wing touch that was their child, swimming in the safety of her body.

They both were crying with the happiness of the moment as they kissed again. They dried smiling faces and went on to their rapidly evolving home, arms about each other.

**

“…and I think in about 2 years the profits should start to come in. It will be a lot of work but so rewarding and worth it in the long run.”

Yvette watched as Frank spoke of the farm that he wanted to take over from his father after they finished their courses at George Brown. His parents were elderly and tired, wanting to sell off their cattle business and move into a smaller place with less maintenance, perhaps working part time for Frank if he could get the necessary bank loans to purchase the place and start up an organic vegetable farm. It was something he felt strongly about and she loved to listen to him talk about it while they sipped their Iced Cappuccino’s at Starbucks.

So far he was being very patient with her, going for coffee, the occasional movie or trip to High Park for long walks. She could tell that he wanted their relationship to progress but gave no indication that she would welcome anything more intimate…though it was becoming increasingly difficult to remain cool and calm. He had developed a habit of taking her hand as they walked, of giving her brief hugs when they parted or when she made him laugh, once almost kissing her lips when they parted after an especially fun night but just in time she turned her head and his mouth kissed her soft cheek.

“I have to go, it’s getting late,” she said and began gathering up her bag and books, smiling at him when he took the heavy instruction manuals and her computer bag.

They left the coffee shop and out of the blue she heard herself ask for something that so far she had avoided.

“Will you walk me home?”

Frank stopped for just a second, stunned that she had asked then pleased and he smiled.

“So you really do live in a house somewhere? You’ve been so secretive…I thought maybe you were one of the homeless that sleep in their car,” he teased and followed her lead to cross the street and head further in to Rosedale.

“Frank there’s a great deal I haven’t told you about myself. Walk me home and I’ll tell you everything I can. I really like you. You deserve to know just what you’re getting into.”

He listened quietly while she told him about being married, about what kind of a feeble excuse for a man her husband had been. He gathered her into his arms for one of his special, tender hugs when she began to cry quietly, remembering how Laurenz had treated her. They sat on a bench while she continued, skimming over some of the details about Urs but telling him that she had escaped thanks to her brother and the organization he worked with, that she was hiding….and she told him about Hans, producing a photo when he asked.

They were both silent for a few moments when she stopped talking, Yvette wondering what he was thinking, Frank speechless at the courage she was showing now and the terrible life she had endured. He reached over and took her hand in his, holding it gently and he raised it to his lips to kiss her palm and fold her fingers over the kiss.

“Yvie, I knew there was something, I just didn’t know how much pain you have been in. I care about you, more now than before I knew how much you have suffered. I think I love you, more than just a little. You’re funny and smart, strong when you have to be, so bloody feminine that it’s almost criminal. I enjoy being around you. Don’t shut me out of your life. We don’t have to make love, though God knows we would be wonderful together. There are so many other ways that I can show you how much I care. Let me be as much a part of your world as you can. You betray no one but yourself by stopping us from becoming close, by not getting on with your life. You’ve taken the first steps by choosing to upgrade your education, now open your heart, let me love you…let me treat you with the respect and love that you deserve.”

He leaned over, his mouth almost touching hers, leaving the final decision up to her and sighing when she leaned forward timidly and kissed him, a gentle, cautious kiss that he accepted and deepened, but gently, afraid of frightening her with the intensity of the emotions he felt.

They walked on to the wrought iron gate to the estate and kissed again before she left him, both grinning as they waved good-bye, both relieved that at last the air had been cleared.

CHAPTER SIXTY

Urs spent a great deal of his time out at Irgendwo, at first getting in the way as his curiosity drew him to the areas were the crews were working, then in self defense, the foreman, his old schoolmate Dieter, put him to work. He was pleasantly surprised at first that this property owner was eager to pitch in and help, took instruction without qualms and worked as hard, if not harder than the regular crew members. But after all it was Urs and except for his successes in life he was still the same. And Urs loved it.

He had always liked working with his hands, building things…it appealed to his creative nature and he liked the feeling of using his toned body for something constructive. Each night he came home, sweaty and grubby but happy, full of tales of what they had accomplished that day and Maggie listened cheerfully, happy because he was, proud of the joy he felt at working on their home. There was something so real, so endearing about him as he chatted with her, his expressive face wreathed in smiles, the tang of honest sweat not at all unpleasant as he stripped off in the bathroom and stepped into the narrow shower. More than once she couldn’t resist assisting him in his efforts to wash off the days grime, much to his delight.

Maggie made an appearance the first few days, coming out with Nikolai who had some projects with furnishings going in the workshop but the arrival of her files from London soon curtailed that. It was something she had neglected to do over the busy last few months and now needed to attend to. The other unsighted agents with CASPAR had duplicate files but had never developed the aptitude that she seemed to come by naturally at understanding how the devices were constructed and how to deal with them.

For several days she worked with Millie, drawing up regular files from her old Braille ones and having Millie print them out for the updated files, as well as having them accessible on the computer. It was easy work but time consuming since her cabinets had been very full and very detailed.

The little office space was cramped now with the addition of the cabinets and they were forced to compromise by putting the old ones in the far end of the Lounge until they could decide exactly where they would go now.

They both went to keep the doctors appointment and were awed when they were allowed to view the picture that the ultra-sound showed of the baby. In keeping with their wishes the technician didn’t reveal the sex of the child, just that it was lively and healthy, with normal growth and progress for 20 weeks.

Dr. Mandel was happy with Maggie’s health. She had gained 6 pounds so far, her tests had shown no abnormalities and he was pleased with her progress. They explained as best they could the tour schedule that was planned for Urs in the new year and he suggested that they attend classes soon if they wanted to be ready for the chance that Urs could be present for the birth.

Each afternoon Maggie left Millie printing and collating files and went for driving lessons. The instructor was a cheery middle aged woman who reminded her a lot of Inga, warm and friendly but blunt spoken and she explained everything slowly, taking Maggie out onto a seldom used country road to practice.

Without the nerves that Urs had displayed and that made her nervous as well, she caught on quickly and soon had progressed to parallel parking, defensive driving, and handling emergencies, like flat tires or loss of braking systems. Magda even gave her a quick tutorial in checking the fluid levels, pointing out what all the components of the engine were and how to spot problems.

At the end of the first week Maggie took Urs for a ride and after the first few miles he relaxed enough to admit that she was catching on fast.

“Once you master this and the Baby is here, maybe you should take some lessons on the bike. If I ever get some time off to do it I can work on the Truimph and you can ride it. It’s smaller than the Harley so it would be easier for you to handle.”

Her face lit up though she didn’t take her eyes off the road.

“You keep coming up with all these lovely things to make me happy. Do you think we could go for a ride before the snow comes and before I get too big to fit behind you?”

He chuckled.

“I could borrow a bike off of a friend. I think Dieter still has one or two. Once we get moved into Irgendwo I’ll have the Harley shipped over from London.”

It was a happy time for them, busy and full of successes, at the farm, with the driving, everything seemed to be coming together nicely.

Nikolai was working on the heavy wooden frames of the Lounge furnishings in preparation for the webbing and cushions that a local craftsman would put together for them as soon as they had time to choose a fabric.

Finally they took a day to attend to choices of fabric, to browse the local stores and artisans shops and make choices of other furnishings. Urs fell in love with some hand beaten copper lamps made by a local craftsman and they agreed on a selection of them to go with the Chihuily pieces that were coming from London, a major extravagance that they both had been unable to resist at first sight.

After a prolonged shower and a dinner that Urs claimed rivaled anything his Mami had ever put on the table, they snuggled in front of the fire, a nightly ritual now that the evenings had developed a coolness that couldn’t be ignored.

“Yanni says he needs to know the final choices of color schemes for the bedrooms, baths etc. before next week. And he has agreed to let you come out and help with the painting, if the fumes don’t make you nauseous.”

She laughed.

“How generous of him. He has no idea how hard it would be to stop me. I’m determined to contribute what I can to our home. And, Urs, are we agreed that we will do all the decorating ourselves? I know most people with such a big place would hire Decorators but it’s our home…I really want it to reflect our tastes, not some professional that will never live there.”

He hugged her and kissed her neck.

“Ja, my little Spitfire. No professionals for us. Every last piece that goes in our home will be chosen with love, not by design. I think we should also let Kosta and Heidi choose what they want in the cottage. I’ve arranged storage for their things as well as the apartment for them to stay in until the move to the farm. Kostas wasn’t sure if they would arrive next Monday or Tuesday, but we should grocery shop for them, the basics, so they don’t starve the first few days.”

She rose and went for her laptop, sat back down in the hollow he made between his long legs and nestled back against his chest, opening the computer and booting it up.

They worked on color schemes for the next hour, got sidetracked into choosing some that were completely outrageous and made them laugh, settled in to be serious and finally had all their real choices made. The only room that was left to do was the nursery, the one room that Urs had asked that he be allowed to do himself, a labor of love that he felt strongly about, wanting to do something very special for their first child…..so the nursery was the only room on the detailed floor plans in the computer program that had no scheme imprinted on it.

“You are such a romantic, Urs Buhler,” she said with a hug and smile as they got ready for bed. “It’s so at odds with your logical, structured nature and I think one of the many things I love about you. On the outside you’re so cool and strong, but inside, you really are a marshmallow.”

He frowned at her but couldn’t hold it, his face wrinkling as he smiled, flashing those lovely white teeth and laughing.

“Just don’t let anyone else know. I have a reputation to maintain.”

She stole a side ways look at him and murmured… “It’ll cost you…I’m not cheap, but I can be bought……with just a little information.”

“Nein, I will NOT tell you what I have planned…in fact you are forbidden to go in the nursery until I tell you it’s okay.”

“Forbidden? That’s the first time you have ever used that word with me…does this mean the honeymoon is over?”

He swirled her into his arms and lifted her off her feet, pressed tight to his body with his mouth buried against her neck, his lips pressed lightly against the pulse that sped up as she felt his body’s reaction.

“I think…with us…it should last…another..50 or 60 years….maybe more,” he whispered, punctuating each cluster of words with nibbles and kisses that trailed up her neck, over her cheek and around her plump lips, the fire of his touch as new and fresh as it had been that first night on the balcony.

“I’ve been eager for this moment all day,” he murmured as he slowly pushed her shirt off one shoulder and tasted the hollow above her collarbone. “There’s something about building that is so like a long, exquisite foreplay, patiently taking each step, feeling the textures under your hands, almost reaching your goal…come, Beloved…build memories with me.”

Time lost any semblance of meaning as they explored, gentle, tender, expectant, awed by what they created, a passion that had no restrictions, no boundaries, reaching the peak of pleasure countless times, only to begin again, never quite losing the yearning that consumed them until one ultimate moment when the little house reverberated with shattered voices crying out, unable to be contained in bodies that knew only unmeasurable joy.

The chill of their loft bedroom stirred Urs eventually and somehow he found the strength to half rise and pull the soft duvet over them, snuggled back down with a sigh and moan and was rewarded by a tiny smile from Maggie that he felt against his damp chest.

“Gopfertami....Du masch mi schpitz, Kleine Liebe.”

She squirmed against him and giggled a bit, still not able to do more than breathe in and out and try to calm her heart rate. After a few minutes of working out what he had said she kissed his wildly curling chest hair and rested her own tousled head under his chin.

“I doubt if God will actually damn you, or me for making you hot. It’s a gift and I for one intend to enjoy it as long and as often as possible.”

“You’ll kill me at this pace.”

“Complaining?”

“Lord, No!!”

He rolled her over easily, pulling her back against his chest with her bottom resting on his belly and kissed her neck before sagging back onto the pillow and sighing with contentment.

“I think I better start lifting weights again…build up my stamina,” he murmured sleepily and she smiled as she too, drifted off to sleep.

**

The insistent buzz of Millie activating the alarm woke them just a few short hours later.

Urs was first down the stairs, carrying his jeans in one hand as Maggie struggled with the duvet and grabbed for his discarded tee shirt, the closest thing at hand.

He was seated in front of the computer when she raced into the office, relinquished the seat to her and stood behind the chair while she signed in, both apprehensive since there was only one reason for a middle of the night call…..Trouble.

“Ceol…Base re-routed this call to you since you are the only available tech on this type of explosive….and one of your team is involved.”

“Who is it Millie and where?…I need the details,” she answered.

“Madrid…Beast and possibly Maeve are on site. We have no one available who meet the time constraints, no one that has experience with defusing a timed device.”

Maggie’s heart sank at the thought. Carlos had no experience at all with bombs and though Gerry had agile fingers and understood communications she knew nothing about what was necessary in such a situation.

“The type is rather complicated, a combination of Semtex with infrared motion sensors, a remote detonation capability, I believe that would be SR-45-E in your files. It is located in the main train terminus and is timed to explode at 7h30 which in Madrid is only 72 minutes from now. The Garda isn’t sure who is responsible, absolutely no one is claiming responsibility and there is little time for a useful evacuation.”

“How far away is Beast?”

“He will arrive on site in 33 minutes.”

“Let me check the files, call it up for me please.”

Urs watched as she tried to be calm and professional, becoming more concerned by the minute. There was a thin sheen of sweat on her brow as she leaned forward and studied the schematics and her rosy cheeks were fast losing their color. She reached a hand out to trace a line of wiring and he drew a sharp breath when he saw how it trembled.

Had she been away from the trauma of what they asked her to do for too long? The finely tuned edge that she had shown before in like situations seemed gone, as if she was unsure, timid instead of the assured agent that he had seen her be under pressure before.

“No…not that one,” she muttered under her breath, removing her hand as if she had been stung by something unseen. “That one will get him killed for sure…. Maybe….no, there are no maybes in this game, no second chances….Lord, what’s the matter with me? I’ve handled worse than this…nothing is making sense…”

He put his hands on her shoulders and she turned to look at him.

“I can’t do this, Urs…it’s confusing, so many wires and that damn timer, and it’s Carlos…he’s going to die and I’ll be responsible.”

He crouched down and held her, letting her cry against his shoulder for only a moment, then took her shoulders in his hands and pushed her away.

“I have an idea…wipe your eyes and try to take some deep breaths.”

He went out in the hall and she could hear him rummaging in the old files, opening several drawers, then he returned carrying a folder.

“You spent years doing this with out sight. Close your eyes and see if your fingers still work so efficiently.”

He lay the file in front of her on the desk and she closed her eyes, touching the cover lightly. It felt good, right, like an old forgotten friend. In seconds she had the folder open and was shuffling through the papers inside, putting them in order, touching the raised lines and tiny Braille wording, organizing in her mind the necessary steps to dismantling this instrument of death. A calm descended over her, an assurance that she hadn’t felt looking at the diagrams on the computer screen and she felt her tension leaving.

“It will be difficult but it can be done, has been done…and will be done today. Millie, have the local squad double check the approach to the device. It’s possible that anyone skilled enough to have placed it are also wise enough to booby-trap the area around it. Also make sure that there is no one within 500 yards with a cell phone, IPod, Blackberry, any device that uses electronics….they could accidentally trigger the failsafe. The remote detonator will be carried on someone within that circle, a small apparatus no larger than a pack of cigarettes. Once it is triggered there will only be 30 seconds of time left, not enough time for escape so I think we are looking for a terrorist, someone who is willing to become a martyr. Now here is what the local squad must have ready for Beast when he arrives….”

Urs breathed a silent sigh of relief….this was more like it. Her color was good, she was relaxed and in control once more, her eyes closed, fingers busy as she listed what was needed and sat back in the chair waiting for Carlos to arrive.

Maggie keyed off her mike and turned away from the computer, reaching her hand out to him as she opened her eyes and smiled in gratitude.

“How come you’re so smart?”

“It just made sense…you’re going to have to re-train your brain to do what your touch had learned to do so efficiently. You were always unsighted before when you answered a call….we should have realized that you can’t just switch senses that simply.”

She smiled at him again when he came over to kiss her lightly on the brow.

“Your lips are like ice…we have time now for some clothes…it will be another 15 minutes before Carlos arrives, even if he’s early….and maybe a hot chocolate to help keep awake?”

“Coming up,” he said.

She heard him putting a log in the fireplace and filling the kettle, then racing up the stairs two at a time. Minutes later he was back with a pair of his thick work socks for her feet, her dark green jumper and jeans, left again pulling his own pair of heavy socks on as he hopped out to the kitchen, nearly tripping himself on the thick black jumper he dragged by one sleeve.

A few minutes later she stopped her perusal of the diagrams and opened her eyes when he came back with a thermos and two mugs. He poured one and delivered it to her then took another for himself and dragged a chair from the dining area into the cramped office to sit beside her.

“You alright now?”

The concern was clear on his face, his brow furrowed and eyes hooded and she smiled as she sipped her hot brew.

“Perfect, Danke.”

“Carlos can do this, Liebe. Appeal to his innate musicality. He plays piano, not anything major but reasonably well, so we know he has nimble fingers. He is calmest when he’s ‘on’, either on stage or charming the fans, or meeting new people. If he thinks of it as being the star then he’ll be rock steady, until afterward when his true personality will give him the shakes but it will be done then.”

She didn’t answer him due to Millie reporting that all the supplies she had requested were ready and she was opening a line to the site since it had been reported that Beast had just passed the first checkpoint. She also reported that Maeve refused to remain behind and, though she knew that it put Gerry in jeopardy, there was no way on this earth that she could be stopped from going with him…and he would work better with her watching.

Moments later they could hear the deep baritone voice talking, in Spanish, to the guards at the last checkpoint and Carlos voice came over the speaker as he donned a headset and mike.

“Beast here…the area is cleared of electronic devices….”

“Read you five by five…this is Ceol with Tristan assisting. You have the equipment?”

“Si…but I am not sure what everything is for….”

“Not a problem…I will walk you through the procedure one time, explaining your equipment, then we will approach the device. This is merely another performance, Beast, something that you do well. We will be following a score that allows no deviation, each note to be caressed precisely so the harmony will be perfect. Maeve is with you?”

He answered with a surge of pride in his voice.

“She would not let me go alone.”

“Good…she will be the official time keeper, though we need not rush. Like most music there is a tempo and this one must be kept perfectly, something that you are a master at. Now, in the tool kit….”

Urs noticed that she had closed her eyes again as she explained what everything was for. Her voice was firm but calm, soft and unhurried as if there was all the time in the world. He glanced at his watch…. 31 minutes to go.

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

At 23 minutes, they finished their practice with the equipment and began in earnest. She was careful with Carlos, explaining everything in minute detail, giving him just enough information for each step and no more. It was as if she were there watching him closely, reminding him of where to put the discarded pieces, telling him where to place the necessary tools for ease of use, making the whole process as natural as possible. And Carlos followed with not a single, fatal, misstep.

It was frustrating working with someone who had never done this work before, never even seen it done, but Maggie refused to let any hint of impatience show in her voice as she talked him through each step. He wasn’t fast but didn’t hesitate, at this point being efficient was the key to success.

Gerry softly called out the time, 16 minutes when they had only one more hurdle to cross other than the containment of the remote detonator.

Millie communicated with Maggie that the terrorist had been apprehended so the only problem now lay with the timed device that Carlos must de-activate. She decided not to tell him, since he seemed to work well under pressure and thinking that there was someone who could trigger the device at any moment was just the edge he needed to work as quickly and efficiently as he was able, like performing well in front of a audience that contained a heckler…sometimes it spurred the performer to greater brilliance.

The casing was off, safely put to one side, exposing the inner workings. So far it had been relatively simple, turning screws carefully, removing them in a sequence that under normal circumstances would not have mattered. This time it did…one false move and the flimsy successes they had so far had would all be for naught, dramatically so.

There was no note of panic in Carlos voice as he relayed what had been done and waited for the next steps, nor in Gerry’s when she softly encouraged him and counted down the time, but far off in Willisau both Maggie and Urs felt it. She reached out for his hand, not opening her eyes as she concentrated on her part of the job and he took it instantly, gripping it firmly, relieved to find that hers was no longer trembling. He left his hand lightly on her shoulder when she released his and went back to tracing the bumps and dots on the diagram.

The final step looked simple enough, a metal bar that protruded from the center of a device clamped firmly to a packet of Semtex, enough to bring down the shopping area above the underground station and the apartments that towered into the sky above that. It seemed inconceivable that such a small thing could possibly wreck so much death and destruction but the packet, the size of a soft covered novel was capable of that, and more. Wires and a metal bar protruded from it, another bar hung by even more wires directly above, the two points almost, but not quite touching.

A plastic strip had to be inserted between the two points to make it impossible for them to connect, the red wires leading to the Semtex could then be removed and it would be over.

“It is simple now…I just place the strip between….”

“NO!!! do not move toward the two bars!!!...in the kit is the small spray bottle, remember I told you about it earlier? Take it in your hand and gently spray the powder inside over the device at a height of 3 feet….then watch, but do not touch.”

She knew that when he sprayed the finely ground talc into the air, the infrared beams that criss-crossed the area would show up and when she heard his muttered curse, knew that he had seen them.

“If you had crossed one of those beams there would have been a drum roll crescendo such as never heard before….it would have been the last thing you heard before joining God’s choir of angels in Heaven. Look carefully at where the beams fall…in the center on the left side if you crouch down and place the device at eye level, there is a small space where a steady hand might insert the plastic strip, without coming in contact with a beam. It is a narrow opening but adequate. You will notice that the strip is long and rigid, adhesive near the tip on one side, so you must peel the backing off the adhesive area, hold the other end of it, adhesive side down and insert it into the space all the way to the bottom pointed bar and KEEP IT THERE for the remainder of the exercise. The top bar will fall but with the strip in place, contact will not be possible. As long as the plastic is between the two bars it is safe to cross the beams and gently pull the 3 red wires out of the Semtex. Do not let the uncoated end of the wires touch anything metal, cap each one as it is pulled out with the small plastic clamp. You will have to do this left handed but each must be done before you move on to the next.”

There was a murmur and then she heard him speak in a calm voice.

“I will do this thing and then pull the wires, one at a time and Maeve will clamp them so they do not touch anything……I am not so skillful with my left hand and we are a team.”

Maggie hoped that the catch in her voice wasn’t evident over the radio.

“Indeed you are, my dear friends…Please continue.”

There was silence for a moment, then a muttered curse, the murmur of someone voicing encouragement, then a sigh.

“It is in place…The first red wire is out…and capped….the second…..the last one….and all are capped by my beautiful team mate.”

“Vamonos Amigos y Bravo,…Well done!!! Call us when you get home.”

Millie announced that she would see to the wrap up and that from the sounds of the cheering, Carlos and Gerry were indeed being applauded by the security officers on the scene.

“’Call us’…does that mean we aren’t going back to bed?” Urs asked with a grin as he wrapped himself around her from behind and felt her relax against him.

“Could you sleep?”

“Probably not…. He did really well, Ja?”

“Definitely, Ja!! I wonder how he’ll play it when they call. My bet is he’ll be the way he always is with me, himself, not the ‘on stage’ Carlos.”

“You’re on…my Spanish brother never misses an opportunity to swagger.”

She just smiled and went to the kitchen to make an early breakfast.

**

Sebastien had stayed in London to be near Geena who had been scheduled to work. They planned to go for the last free week in October to visit his Maman in Paris and perhaps get in a little shopping before Christmas but the afternoon before leaving, got a call to please come in to the office. Simon had some information for them.

She was nervous when they went up in the lift, alternating between dreading the news and hopeful that it would be good. Seb held her hand, her wall of strength, not mouthing platitudes, just being there and quietly encouraging her to think good thoughts, to be strong.

Simon smiled when they entered the room, anxious to put them at ease and came around his desk to lead them to the long sofa behind the glass coffee table.

“We have found your son, Geena.”

Her hand flew to her mouth as she reacted, whispering a gently sighed “OH!” and was unable to stop the tears that welled in her eyes.

“His first year was spent in foster care, with kind, caring people by all accounts. He was fortunate since those situations do not always consider the best interests of the child. When he was 13 months old he was adopted by a couple with 3 daughters. The wife had complications and could no longer conceive so they chose to find a son through adoption.

“He was named Richard, though mostly he’s called Ricky or Rick by his friends. Anna and Ron have always been honest with him, explained from an early age that he was adopted, chosen from all the little boys in the agency to be their son, because they loved him from the first moment they saw him. They also have told him that his birth mother was forced to give him up, that she was unable to provide him with the things he needed to grow up big and strong, healthy and educated…they said she loved him so much that she did the only thing she could to give him a chance at a good life.

“Rick’s father was a teacher, a good one by all accounts, well loved by his family, friends and students. He died of Cancer two years past and Anna has shouldered the burden of raising the boy alone since then, on the pension that Ron had the foresight to provide for her. They do fairly well. The daughters are married or living away from home but help out when they can and they all are a close, loving family.

“He is a good student, works part time as a Photography Intern, a hobby that he developed several years ago and would like to turn into a profession.

“I have taken the liberty of meeting with Anna and explaining that you just wanted to know that he’s alright. It’s her suggestion that she should tell Ricky about you and see if he wants to meet you, but I thought you should be informed first. Anna sent this small album of photos for you.”

He handed Geena a photo album, not expensive but new, obviously something she had put together after arranging to meet with Simon.

The first pages were of an infant, the hesitant steps of a toddler, the big toothless grins, a smiling dark haired man kneeling to help him take his first steps. Each page saw the steady growth of a happy child, birthday parties with silly hats and cake smeared on grinning faces, doting sisters helping to unwrap Christmas presents, a chubby, smiling woman leaning down to beam a smile over the shoulder of a young football player in a mudstained uniform, a slightly more serious teen dressed in a suit, looking hurt and confused as he held the woman’s hand leaving a church, followed by his equally sad sisters.

The last photo was a school picture, Ricky wearing casual clothing, his neck circled by the straps of cameras that dangled in front of him, one held to his face as he gazed at something that had caught his interest and happily snapped away.

He was a good looking boy, tall and slender with a thick mop of auburn hair, like hers and eyes that shone with the same twinkling lights. There was a similarity to their faces, though his was more defined, more masculine. Strangely he also looked a bit like Ron.

“Cherie, would you like to meet him? He knows only good things about you. It would be human nature for him to wonder who you are, what you are like… and it may be a comfort for him to know that you still care about him.”

“I don’t want to interfere…”

“Mon Petite…I do not think it would be interfering to meet with him…his adoptive Maman thinks he would like it and she must know how he thinks, this young man who has been in her care for so long. She would not, I think, do anything which would cause him pain.”

She was trembling and so intent on Sebastien that she hadn’t noticed that Simon had quietly withdrawn to leave them to speak privately.

“He will ask me who his birth father is…I can’t tell him.”

“And you can tell him just that, honestly, for you do not know. You may also tell him that you have carried the love you felt for him before he was born, for the past 15 years, that he has never been far from your heart in all that time and that it is some measure of comfort to know that God placed him in the loving care of Ron and Anna. You cannot replace the only mother he has ever known…but you can offer this young man peace of mind and your friendship and that, I think, is a very precious thing to have.”

She was lost in thought for several minutes, leaning her head against Seb’s shoulder as he gently stroked her back and waited while she worked through the emotions that must have been raging in her mind.

At last she straightened and kissed his cheek softly with a whispered, ‘thank you’, then looked for Simon, mildly surprised to find him behind his desk with his gaze firmly fixed on some papers on the blotter.

“Simon, I would like to meet Anna and …Ricky.”

“Good,” he said abruptly and lifted a file card from the desk to hold it out to her.

They both rose and he explained as they came over and Seb took the card.

“That is the name and address, telephone number and e/mail address. They live in Sheffield, not a far drive from the estate should you decide to make a trip of it. I know Seymour and Mrs. Mac would be happy to have you for a few days.”

He dismissed them with a wave of his hand but when the door had closed, put down the paper he had been pretending to read and leaned back in his chair thinking about what had transpired. After a few minutes he rolled his shoulders and eased the tension from his neck, pleased that one of his favorite agents was well on the way to healing her personal demons.

**

It was cold out today, even when the sun finally came up, heavy clouds filled the sky, especially over the mountains, snow clouds, Urs claimed and she had no reason to doubt him.

They finished a leisurely breakfast and he dressed warm, going out to the farm to help in the race against the bad weather. Another couple of days and the outside work would be done, then they could work on the interior in the comfort of the heated building, another plus for working on a solar home and installing the power source first.

Maggie puttered for a while after Urs left, tidying up from breakfast, doing a load of dark clothing in the washer. She was restless after their early morning trauma, more than just a little jumpy, but she smiled when she thought of the call they had received from Carlos and Gerry, about 2 hours after the end of the incident.

“You should have seen him, Maggie…he was so cool and calm,” Gerry giggled as she related her birds-eye view of what had taken place.

“I was trembling like a tree in the wind, but on the inside,” Carlos interrupted with a laugh and Maggie smirked at Urs.

“And my Gerald was there through it all, her face smiling, keeping me calm…I could not fail with my dove so close.”

They talked for a while, and the couple in Switzerland congratulated their Spanish friends for a job well done.

“I do not think that I am eager to do this again,” Carlos admitted just before they disconnected. “There is no room for individual expression in this type of performance…and the results of a sour note or forgotten line are just too terrible to think of.”

Maggie collected her coat and walked in to the village, stopping at the local grocers for fresh vegetables, giving in to the urge for a dark chocolate candy bar, window shopping. It was when she had stopped at a shoe store that she saw him, a man she had noticed briefly in the grocers, again when she looked at the display of bedding in another window and now, lounging against a store front, studiously NOT looking at her. She turned and headed home, taking advantage of shop windows to watch him…YES! He was following.

There was a moment of panic….she could not lead him to their small temporary home where she would be alone, trapped and even if he did nothing he would then know exactly where they lived. She looked around, trying to appear casual while her heart raced…there, across the street was a familiar place, not really friends but acquaintances, someone who knew her, had known Urs for years…it beckoned to her like a light house in a storm.

She entered the coffee shop and took a table facing the door, smiling distractedly at the cheerful young waitress as she was greeted by name.
Willisau wasn’t a huge town and they had been in for coffee a few times, the owner another old school chum of Urs….today he was a safe haven from something that terrified her so much that the sites of her old stab wounds had begun to ache. He joined her at the table after a few minutes, asked after Urs and watched with a frown as she nervously sipped her coffee, her body tense, eyes darting to the large front windows and then back again. Clearly she was on the verge of complete melt down.

“I’m sorry, Marc…I’m not very good company today. Urs is out at the farm and something has come up. He has the car, not that it would do me any good, since I don’t have my license yet, but this man is following me, blue jacket, jeans, hiking boots, grey hair and a neatly trimmed beard, a black cap pulled down over his eyes, at least I think he’s following me and here I am babbling like a fool to you and you probably think I’m being silly but I’m pregnant and it must be my hormones but I just got so frightened and felt so vulnerable and I can’t stop babbling and I need Urs but….”

The kind man smiled and reached across the table to take her hands in his.

“My wife was like this with each of our children…laughing one minute and crying the next. Where is this man now?”

She looked out the wide windows again…he was gone…or hidden.

The color flushed to her cheeks …she thought how silly she must seem to this big, jolly man, how embarrassed Urs would be if he knew that she was making such a fool of herself.

“I should go home…It was probably nothing…I’m sorry for bothering you, Marc.” She dropped some coins on the table and gathered her bags up, preparing to leave, but Marc rose and took her arm.

“You do not seem to me the type of woman who would, how is the saying, ‘Cry Wolf’. My truck is out the back and I have wanted to see this farm since Urs told me about it. Let me take you out to see what he makes of this man. I must tell you that just as you entered I looked up and just such a man paused at the door, as if trying to decide whether to come in as well. He crossed the street and stood for a few minutes then left just as I came to join you. Come, I will feel better if I know you have told Urs.”

“But your shop…”

He laughed and shrugged into his jacket, waving at his young staff and calling out that he would be back shortly.

“One of the pleasures of being the boss is being able to vanish whenever the whim strikes me. So, Maggie, I understand that Magda is teaching you to drive? How is that going? She has the world of patience, my cousin…she taught my wife to drive after we almost had to divorce because of my impatience when I tried.”

“Have you lived here all your life, Marc?” she asked as they got in his economy sized Volvo truck and he started the engine, nodding when she put on her seat belt, not really interested in idle conversation but appreciative that he was trying to gently ‘talk her down’.

“Yes and so has my wife, Sonja. We have done some traveling, went out to see some of the cities but it wasn’t for us. Willisau is perfect…just over 7,00 residents and many, many tourists who come for the summer and winter sports, the sightseeing. The air is clean, the water good and the schools are excellent for the children. We are happy here.”

He glanced at her, huddled in a dejected heap, looking forlorn and just a bit frightened but trying to be friendly.

“Will you stay here while Urs travels? He said that the next year or so he will be touring with his new group. I wouldn’t think that the doctor will want you to be flying from place to place every day or so, at least not in the last few months.” Talk about the baby…that should be a safe subject…

She shook her head.

“That’s why we are really pushing to get the house ready. I can only go with Urs the first month, and even that is getting a little late. But we have the computers and he will have a few days here and there to come home…and I will be close to family so that will help.”

“You must meet my wife. Sonja is about your age and she can introduce you to some of the other young wives. And if you sing, they are always looking for good voices at the church.”

They arrived at the driveway and slowly approached the house. The day had darkened and lights blazed from the lofty, uncovered windows, giving the structure a golden glow as it appeared from the sheltering trees. A few trucks were parked in front and they drove around to the back to see more, as well as a few men carrying supplies on shoulders up a ramp and across the back terrace into the house.

“Stay here, little one…I will go find your husband.”

He slipped out of the truck, quickly, before she could protest, wanting a few moments alone with Urs to tell him what was happening. She thought of Urs reaction…would he be angry, amused, disbelieving, embarrassed? Just the thought made her cringe, ashamed that she had involved one of his friends, not sure anymore if what she had felt about the strange man had been danger or just a fervid imagination, stirred by the trauma of last night.

She saw Urs come out on the terrace with Marc, taking off his yellow hard hatand running his fingers through his hair, no jacket since he had been working inside the warm building, his tee shirt stined and sweat ringed, saw them standing close, Urs listening, Marc speaking earnestly. He glanced at the truck, looked back as Marc said something else and she saw his body tense, even at 100 yards she saw his shoulders brace, his hands clench, his brow furrow. He pulled his mobile from his jeans pocket and the two men started down the steps, coming toward the truck, Urs on the phone and striding rapidly, Marc following a step behind.

He was furious, she could see by the barely controlled way he was speaking to someone that he was cursing them, not allowing them to get many words in. His face was flushed and his jaw rigid as he closed the phone and wrenched the truck door open, his eyes dark and blazing with fury. For the first time ever, she felt a shiver of fear at the sight of this man she loved.

His Swiss German was too fast for her to catch and in his anger he forgot to go slowly.

“Urs…I…” she began in English, so close to tears that her throat felt squeezed shut.

“DON’T!!!...don’t say you’re sorry, Luv. You never should have been frightened like that. They watch you when I’m away and the agent was sloppy….you shouldn’t have been able to spot him. It won’t happen again.”

He gently cupped her face with his dry and grimy hands, kissing away the tears she hadn’t realized had escaped.

“Thank God you had the sense to go to a friend.”

He lifted her out of the truck, cuddling her close to his chest and spoke to Marc over her head.

“Marc, I owe you one. There have been some threats against Maggie, because of me. My boss arranged to have her guarded when I’m not with her, at least until we catch this guy and I should have told her. We have a couple coming to live with us, a handyman for the farm and a lady to help with the baby, company when I have to be away…they arrive next week so I put off telling her about the guards. He apologized but it’s a little late when he’s already scared her.”

Marc smiled.

“I’ve been married a lot longer than you so I can tell you…don’t keep secrets…they always find out, Always! Urs, glad I could help. Drop by the pub one of these nights…I’m sure the guys would love to see you…and you can buy me a beer.”

He gripped Maggie’s shoulder and leaned down to kiss her cheek in the European fashion.

“I’m eager to see this place when you two have it all done….we’ve been thinking about reducing our foot print on the environment…once Sonja sees what you’ve done there will be no peace in my house.”

He smiled and waved as he drove away and Urs walked Maggie to the Peugeot, sitting her inside and crouching beside her with a hand in her hair, the other laying softly against her bump.

“Let me go tell Dieter I’m leaving, then I’m going to take you home. We can be really decadent and sleep all afternoon.”

He jogged back to the terrace, leaping up the steps and entered the house. In just a few minutes he was back, pulling his jacket on and slipped into the car, tossing his hard hat in the back seat and leaning over to check her seat belt.

Her adrenal rush had ebbed and she craved nothing more than to sleep and restore her energy. She slipped her arm through the seat belt strap so she could lean against Urs and spent the entire trip home half asleep, safe against his comforting body, his strong arm around her shoulder, keeping her safe.

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

Long before they arrived home, Urs anger had abated to a more manageable level, thanks to the soft, tender feelings of love that he felt when he glanced at his exhausted wife, snuggled against him.

He had misjudged the situation, he knew that now, should have confided in her so she would be forewarned. Marc was right…she would always find out if he tried to keep things from her.

His heart swelled with pride as he thought that her instinct when in trouble was to be with him, though from what Marc had said she also didn’t want to worry him in case it was something trivial…. Like he would consider anything involving her trivial.

He parked the car, easing her back onto her own seat and walked up the short path to the entrance, thinking to unlock the door before carrying his sleepy wife inside. The woven basket by the doorway caught his eye. Usually a receptacle for the daily newspaper or the delivery of milk from the local dairy, now it seemed very full and when he moved the paper, there nestled in with the 2 glass bottles of milk he saw Maggie’s handbag and a plastic carrier of fresh veggies…she must have left them in the truck and Marc dropped them off.

He smiled and put them inside on the table in the tiny foyer, then went back for Maggie.

She stirred when he opened the car door and protested feebly when he picked her up, calming when he hushed her and rested her head on his shoulder, her lips against the pulse in his neck.

He pushed the door shut with his foot and carried her directly up the stairs to the loft, stripping her quickly and making a cozy cocoon around her with the thick duvet. She opened her eyes a bit and smiled at him.

“Sleep, Liebe. It’s my turn,” he said with his voice soft and tender, almost hypnotic.

“Your turn…for what?”

He kissed her brow, sitting beside her on the big bed with his arms on each side of her.

“To be the strong one…. Rest while I have a quick shower, then I’ll join you.”

He went back down the stairs as soon as her breathing indicated that she slept. The house was cool, the fire out, so he cleaned out the ash and lit another, replaced the screen and took his mobile out of his jeans pocket.

Dr. Mandel’s number was programmed into the memory and he clicked on it, waiting impatiently until he heard the doctor’s voice answering.

“Urs Buhler here, Dr. Maggie has suffered a very bad scare today, related to the attack we told you she suffered around Easter time last year. Is there any danger to the baby from what happened, anything I should do or watch for?”

“It’s good that you called me, Herr Buhler. Was this a physical problem or was she merely frightened by something?”

“No one touched her but she was so frightened it wouldn’t surprise me if the old wounds ached again…sometimes she dreams of the attack and the scars ache….she was terrified…. and now she’s sleeping.”

“Ah…it isn’t likely that any harm has come to the child. The best thing now is to rest, to know that she is loved and protected. Be reassuring, keep her mentally busy and make sure she isn’t in any physical distress. I would like to see her….tomorrow at…let me see…at 16h30, just to be safe. Call me again if you are concerned.”

He sighed with relief and went for a quick shower, pleased at the warmth in the air when he came back out, wrapped in a towel and took the stairs two at a time to reach the loft.

She was sleeping and he lifted the duvet to slide in beside her. When she felt the bed moving she smiled and snuggled closer, breathing in the scent of him.

“You smell tasty,” she murmured. “Who were you talking to?”

No secrets, he reminded himself.

“I just checked in with the doctor. He says that the baby will be fine but he would like to reassure us by seeing you tomorrow.”

He rested his chin on the top of her head and hugged her.

“I should have told you…he shouldn’t have been so sloppy but I was wrong not to tell you. ‘Tami…I have to stop making mistakes that end up hurting you.”

“Urs, you really have to clean up your language before the baby arrives or the first thing he will say will translate to ‘God curse me’,” she giggled as she glanced up at him, then kissed his chin.

“And he will not…. You make very few, only well meaning ones.”

She stifled a yawn against his chest and he could feel her long lashes as she closed her eyes and relaxed against him.

“Sleep a while with me, mein Geliebte. Let me restore my strength with your touch.”

Urs lay awake for a while, his mind not ready to turn off. He grinned as he thought about the baby and the fact that he would have to be careful what he taught their child….and the fact that Maggie always called the baby ‘he’. Did she have some innate sense that mothers had instinctively, knowing that the baby was a boy or was it just an expedient way of referring to their child? He thought about the months ahead, months when she would only have contact with him in cyber space or by telephone and a sense of sadness came over him. How he would love to be here, with her, to share the growth of their first born, all the things in the book that he knew so well. Still, he knew that other expectant parents had endure the same separations and made it work. He vowed that they would also, that nothing, not time nor distance, would spoil this adventure they had embarked on.

**

Maggie was back to her old self after an afternoon of rest and being pampered by her doting husband. Urs lost the guilty, worried look shortly after they rose from their rather lengthy nap when she bounced out of bed and decided that what they really needed was cake, chocolate cake with lots of calories and thick, gooey icing.

He helped, or rather tried to, succeeding in getting in the way often enough that she splattered him with a scoop of the rich, sticky icing…accidentally of course, though he took it as an attack and retaliated with a double fingered smear across her face…then proceeded to lick it off. There was just enough left for the cake when they finished playing and changed to clothing a little less ‘chocolaty’.

After dinner, and more dessert, they cuddled in front of the fire, in spite of the long afternoon nap, both not really tired but eager for an early night.

“You really should go visit your friends one of these nights before you have to go back to London,” she said and he knew by her tone that she was sincere.

He chuckled.

“We are so seldom apart, I’m not sure I could function without you around.”

“Urs, I know why you never leave me alone. I think I’ve known all along but it was so wonderful being with you that I didn’t want to think about it. You’ve done everything you can to make sure I’m safe, even more so now with the baby, but you are entitled to a life. We need some time just to ourselves so that we appreciate it even more when we’re together.”

“Are you tired of me already?” he asked, teasing.

“I love being with you, sharing whatever you’re doing or just being near, not doing anything, but we should get used to it and it isn’t fair to neglect your old friends, not to them, or to us either. And I need to meet some people here that I can be friends with. This is going to be our home for a long time, so I should become part of it, just as you are, or rather were and can be again. And along that vein, I would like to go to church this Sunday, maybe talk to the choir master about joining the choir.”

He smiled and nodded, playing with her fingers as he thought about what she had said.

“You might want to check with the school, too. They’re always looking for volunteers to help with the productions they produce each semester. I could call Phillipe…he’s an old friend and has been the Dean of Music and Drama for a few years. Gott, I haven’t seen him since I went to Amsterdam. I think they would be thrilled to get you.”
She rested against him, thoughtful for a few minutes, then he heard her giggle lightly.

“Are we getting predictable? A baby, a new home, settling in and becoming part of the community…. If this is what growing up and becoming a family is all about, then I have to admit, I like it. It’s comfortable and thrilling, routine and surprising, safe and yet full of adventure. It’s like reading a great book and being eager to see what is on the next page, but if you skip to the end you miss all the good stuff in between.”

He laughed and raised her hand to his mouth to tickle the palm with his breath and nibble on the fleshy part of her thumb.

“I just peeked at the next page and it clearly said something about being naked in front of a dancing fire and making love with a beautiful woman.”

She sighed and tried to hold back her grin.

“Well if you’re expecting company I could go take a bath I suppose…how much time do you and your friend need?”

“I don’t think so…two hours should be about right for what I have in mind and I’ve sworn off of any women who don’t carry my child in their bodies…so, you see… YOU are the only…game in town…” he had worked his way up her arm and dropped it over his shoulder as she leaned back onto him, sucking on her neck until she squirmed and moaned.

“Let me love you, Baby…let me show you something new and exciting. I been saving this for a special moment.”

For once the time-obsessed Swiss was not punctual, going well over his allotted 2 hours before he collapsed on the rug in front of the fire with his chosen mate purring by his side as the after shocks held her prisoner. He managed to roll partly on to her slick body and rest his hand on her bump, his face touching her neck, both of them only able to smile and breathe, not capable of much else, not yet.

“Urs?”

“Um?”

“Are we dead?”

He wiggled.

“Can you feel your toes when you’re dead?”

She smiled.

“I don’t think so.”

“I can feel my toes.”

There was silence for a moment then she snuggled closer, just a bit.

“I’m sleeping right here.”

“Me too,” he answered and reached one long arm slowly for the throw on the sofa, flipping it over them and closing his eyes.

The only sound after that was the merry crackling of the fire that cast flickering shadows over the mound of contented lovers.

**

The meeting with Dr. Mandel went well. He knew when they arrived in his office that the problems were over, at least for now, but he checked Maggie out thoroughly, fetal heart beat, mother’s blood pressure, weight…he chatted with them for a while, learned that they had registered for classes nearer to Christmas, assured them that he would always be available on the private number and sent them happily on their way.

Sunday they went to the little church on the edge of town, Urs favorite of all the lovely churches in the area. Inga and Nikolai had saved them seats in the family pew and they received smiles from many of the other parishioners, a lot of whom were either relatives or friends that had know the Buhler family for many years.

It was lovely to be there and Maggie wondered why she hadn’t thought before of attending. There was a peace about this quaint little church, a sense of belonging and when the choir sang the processional she wanted to sing with them, overcome with a feeling of joy that made her discreetly seek Urs’ hand to hold.

They sang the chosen hymns together, both keeping their voices in check so as to not over power the rest of the people but still those close to them glanced and smiled.

After the recessional, Urs introduced her to the preacher, then the choirmaster.

“Ah yes… of course I heard your voice during the hymns, Urs, but also a lovely soprano…I assume that was you, my dear?”

She blushed and had a bit of difficulty with her Swiss German from her embarrassment, but finally answered.

“Guilty, I’m afraid. Herr Knoebler, I was wondering if you might need another soprano in the choir? I will be traveling with Urs for a few dates in late January but after that I will be at home, at least until our baby arrives.”

He was delighted, as Urs had known he would be and they arranged for her to come to practice the next week.

They shopped for Kosta and Heidi, stocking the cupboards in the apartment with the necessities and the day before their expected arrival purchased a large bouquet of welcoming flowers for the dining area table.

That day they also made the rounds of the craftsmen that were working on various projects for their home, checking on the progress of the unique table for the dining area, made from a weathered slab of imported redwood that had been embedded with turquoise, fire opals and assorted other stones that they just considered beautiful, the top resting on a sturdy gnarled tree stump and twisted roots…it was being finished in a draft free room, the 2nd of 11 coats of protective sealer just drying and they had to don masks to enter the room briefly. Already it was lovely, something that would never be completely duplicated, that would be theirs alone.

The same craftsman was making two more pieces, a smaller table for the games room, this one with the base formed of a thick stump and roots but with a marble top, a thick, irregular cut that appeared to have been formed by merely excising a portion of one seam. The other was a long L shaped counter for the bar, made out of a lengthwise cut of wood and laminated as the dining table was, this one with the bark still on the edge and complete with rustic bar stools as an accessory. It would sit on a rough stone base and would undoubtedly be the centerpiece of that area.

The teak head and foot board for the master bedroom was finished, along with the side stands and Urs noted that they would compliment the teak wardrobes he had purchased in Thailand and were coming from London, soon.

With only a few days left before he had to go back to London Urs took Maggie with him daily out to the farm, wanting now to spend every second he could with her nearby. They inspected the frames for the furniture that Nikolai was producing, talked to a crew that was working in the neglected orchard and learned that most of the trees would come back and be productive, that it would just take some care and time….and one lovely clear day they walked up to the falls, watched the otters for a while and talked about posting the land to deter hunters. To their delight they learned later that the area was legally restricted so they shouldn’t have to worry.

Maggie received the e.mail with flight times for Kosta and Heidi and on Tuesday they were at the airport in Luzern to welcome them. It was crisp and cold, and to Maggie’s delight, on the return trip, there was a thin drift of snow-flakes swirling on the road ahead of them.

“Luck is on our side,” Urs said with a grin. “We have everything done outside, at least until spring when they can work on the landscaping. The work inside is going well with so many on the crews, so it looks like January first or maybe even before Christmas.”

“And the cottage?” Kosta asked.

“Done, except for the painting. We were hoping that you wouldn’t mind choosing the color scheme yourselves since it will be yours…and anything you didn’t bring with you we’ll ask you to pick out, if not in Willisau then in Lucerne.”

Kosta stared at Urs for a moment, then smiled.

“I can see that this is not going to be the normal employer and staff relationship.”

“We were hoping for something more along the lines of family… I’m about to trust you with my most precious possessions… a wise man wouldn’t do that with mere employees…. And sometimes I have moments of being wise.”

He laughed when Maggie reached from the back seat and tugged on his hair.

“Only sometimes, Herr Buhler,” she teased.

Their timing was excellent for they had just finished lugging the cases up to the apartment when the delivery van with their belongings arrived. Urs and Kosta left Maggie and Heidi to unpack while they lead the van to the storage unit and helped unload, came back and they went out for dinner, both couples eager to catch up on the news before going out the next day to see the house and cottage.

They had decided that since Urs schedule was so tight this time she would not go with him, the schedule in November almost as bad because of the launch of the new CD but at least then she could Christmas shop and catch the rehearsals for the production at the school.

“We can practice sending naughty IM’s,” Urs said with a laugh when they had left their friends at the apartment and were getting ready for bed in the small house.

Maggie was busy rubbing lotion into her bump, hoping to contain the stretch marks to only a few, but she looked up and grinned.

“I have some suggestions tucked away in my memory… you are going to be so sorry if you start anything.”

“Yum…now that’s a threat I hope you’re willing to back up. How do you feel about a quick trip during our December holidays? Carlos , Seb and I would like to do a bit of payback for all the jokes that David has played on us and we’ve been working on something.”

She laughed.

“I’m in… does Pet know?”

“Hell no!… this has to be top secret, no one will know until the last minute…well, except for his Mom and Dad…and Simon…and all David’s friends in the Denver area…and the Jansen’s maybe…and David’s sisters… and the nieces to take care of Paul…”

She was rolling on the bed laughing now and gasped out…”Why don’t you just take out a front page advert in one of the tabloids. Urs, that’s a lot of people to try to keep a secret.”

He threw himself on the bed beside her, grinning until his eyes nearly disappeared in his scrunched up face.

“It will work…listen, this is what we have come up with….”

He outlined what the three men had cooked up and Maggie laughed until the tears flowed and she begged him to stop.

“Don’t tell me any more… let me enjoy the surprise too. Urs, if you three pull this off you, realize that David is going to get you for it…it make take years but he will seek revenge.”

“But Liebe, it will be so worth it.”

Even after they were cozy and relaxing into dreamland he heard the occasional giggle as she went over their plan again.

He smiled and breathed in the soft scent of her one last time before resting his hand on their child’s little bump and drifting off to sweet dreams.

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE



Kostas and Heidi were nearly in tears when they saw the ‘cottage’. It was a stone and wood structure, 2,273 sq. ft with one bedroom and bath downstairs off of the cozy Lounge, Kitchen, dining Area, a Great room they would call it in the States, another bedroom and bath in the loft for guests. It was situated on a slight rise in the land, the yard in the front scattered with Ram boulders that gave the appearance of natural stones laying about when in reality they were heat collectors for the structure. That, supplemented with a power supply from the main house and a fieldstone fireplace should keep the place cozy even on the most blustery winter days. There was a walkway over the little rill that had been diverted from the mountain stream, something that Maggie wasn’t sure had a purpose other than esthetics but loved anyway. Both that and the pathways that lead to the garages and the workshop were heat coiled to prevent ice during winter months, since the older couple would spend a fair bit of time going back and forth between buildings and sliding on the ice could lead to painful falls. Kosta was happy because it meant less clearing of snow.

In the garage the new Volvo truck, very similar to the one owned by Franz, was waiting, delivered the previous day, the plow blade attached but raised and Urs was pleased that Kostas knew exactly how to operate it. On a whim he had chosen red as the color, explaining that it would stand out nicely against the snow…and anyway he didn’t need a reason, he just liked the color.

It was lunch hour and they went in to check out the progress in the house. It definitely looked like a work in progress with jobs half done and equipment laying about, intermingled with lumber, stone for the fireplaces, piles of bamboo flooring and a few paint or laminate cans with the lids replaced until the crews came back.

Urs saw Maggie’s grin when they headed into the bedroom wing and smirked when she found that a shiny new lock had been installed on the nursery door. He dangled the key in front of her and laughed when she tried to grab it.

“No one is allowed in, Liebe, especially you, not until I get back. Patience is a virtue, Geliebt, and lately you seem to be decidedly lacking.”

He replaced the key in his pocket, poking it down deep and pulling her on to the next room to join their friends.

He had packed before they came out to the farm, called his parents to say good bye and to remind them to keep an eye on Maggie, received a good natured scolding from both Nikolai and Inga that he could even suggest they would abandon her and was ready to depart as soon as they returned to the little house.

Heidi had all the contact information, in case there was a problem, as well as both Urs and Maggie’s schedule and they left Urs and Maggie alone at the house to say their goodbyes in private. Kosta would return with the new truck to drive him into Lucerne in half an hour.

It was snowing again, a little heavier this time, enough to need the wipers and they stamped their feet to remove the snow as they waved at the departing couple and entered the house. His bags were neatly by the door. Maggie had the childish urge to kick them as she passed but she knew that any sign of stress would make leaving harder for him.

“I put a tin of those squares and cookies we made in your carry-on so you won’t fade away to a mere shadow of yourself.”

Urs took her hand and swung her around to cradle her against his chest.

“I’m going to miss your meals. You have become a good cook, Luv, and in such a short time. I really hate leaving you…but we both know it has to be done. Do you promise to be a good girl while I’m away?”

“Maybe…I can promise to take my vitamins and to keep getting fatter and to miss you like crazy. I plan on keeping very busy so the time goes faster.”

“You’ve finished your lessons with Magda…when do you take your test?”

She laughed.

“Soon I think…I don’t want to wait till the roads are all snowy.”

“You will be fine… I have faith in you. Baby are you sure you feel comfortable with the alarm system?”

“Excuse me? Are you forgetting that I spent nearly 10 years tearing these things apart and can work them with my eyes closed?…in fact I do better blind than sighted. It’s a good system, Urs, even if we did leave it rather late to be installed.”

“Sorry about that, but yesterday was the first open slot they had to do it.”

He peered down at her lovely face, memorizing her features for the weeks ahead. She smiled up at him and his heart tightened as he saw how brave she was trying to be.

“I love you, my little wife, I just love you, so much that I don’t have the words to tell you.”

“I don’t always need the words Urs…you tell me in so many other ways…the way your face lights up when our eyes meet, the way you tease, how tender you are with me when I need it, the way you understand what I feel or think, as if we were one person, one mind, connected. I’m so proud of you, of how you are as a person, of this immense talent that you share so beautifully. I will always love you, more every day.”

He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her, trying for soft and tender but, with his departure upon them, they had little control and the give and take escalated until she was pinned against the door, her body shuddering with the intensity of the emotions they had stirred.

“No time,” he muttered as he parted her jacket and inched her shirt to one side to taste her skin. “I need you, one last time, but Kostas will be here any minute.”

She flattened her palms against his chest and pushed, lightly, since her emotions were screaming at her to co-operate.

“I’ve been told that Patience is a Virtue…..” she said and he laughed.

“Well that sure came back fast to bite me…” He smiled and sighed, holding her around the shoulders and breathing in her delicate scent. “Just remember where we were for when I come home.”

“Urs…have you always been so…so…” she couldn’t think of a word that wouldn’t sound like criticism.

He grinned at her discomfort and helped out.

“Randy? No…I’ve always had a pretty healthy libido but after I learned how to control myself with Tantric…. Let’s just say I’m always ready, but until I met you once or twice a week was enough.”

He brushed his hand over her cheek and smiled at the memories from their time together.

“And then I met this beautiful, innocent temptress and you, my darling wife, really push my buttons. The wonder that such a special woman could love me, only me, fills me with such emotion that I crave you, like an addiction. Since I met you I’ve had a problem with …shall we say, timing. There are times when I try not to think about you because it shows, pretty quickly. Music used to do that to me sometimes but now…between thoughts of you and music….I’m glad we wear suits with jackets and not jeans.”

They heard the powerful engine pulling up outside. Urs picked up his shoulder bag and grabbed the handle of the small bag that he would slip under the seat. Traveling first class had some advantages.

Kosta came to the steps and took the bags, returning to the truck with them while Urs held Maggie and smiled into her glistening eyes.

“If you cry, I won’t be able to leave,” he murmured with such a tender look that she had to struggle to keep her tears from spilling.

“IM me whenever you get a chance,” she said, proud of the fact that her voice sounded normal.

“You know I will or I’ll e.mail if it’s late and you should be sleeping. Remember how much I love you, my sweet Maggie.”

He kissed her one last time, his hand resting on her bump, leaned over to whisper something to the Baby and kissed the mound that contained their child. Their hands were reluctant to part and stretched across the steps as he went down, then with one last double-eyed wink he lost her fingers and got in the truck.

She watched from the steps and waved as he looked back. The truck disappeared around the corner and she went inside to have a good, long, self-indulgent but cathartic cry.

**

“Mrs. Jeffers? Good morning. My name is Geena Kerrigan…I’m… Ricky’s birth mother.”

“It is so good of you to call, Miss Kerrigan. I know how difficult this phone call is for you to make. Please, call me Anna.”

“Thanks you, Anna…and I wish you would call me Geena. Simon said that you have no objections to telling Ricky about me and asking if we could meet. I would very much like to meet him, not for any ulterior motives, just to see him. I wasn’t allowed when he was born and there has always been this emptiness inside me, wanting to put a real face, a real person in my thoughts…I’ve thought of him often over the years. It’s such a relief to know that he has loving family.”