THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Epilogue - 11/6/16

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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 71 - 8/14/16

Post by Roswelllostcause »

It's nice to see them trying to lighten the mood. Even if it has been at Michael's expense.
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 71 - 8/14/16

Post by Eva »

Michael and Maria stay a fun combination! Together and with others around. Great chapter, as always!
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 71 - 8/14/16

Post by keepsmiling7 »

Maria does it again.
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 71 - 8/14/16

Post by sarammlover »

A little hot, a little sexy and some funny!!! A great update!
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THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 72 - 8/21/16

Post by Double Trouble »

Roswelllostcause: Yeah, he’s not enjoying their efforts, but we have a feeling he’ll get over it.

Eva: They’re so much fun to write. Thanks!

keepsmiling7: She’s probably the only one who can, lol.

sarammlover: The two of them do keep things lively. Thanks!


Part 72

“How are the two of you?” Alex wanted to know.

“Better,” Liz said with a smile. “I haven’t gotten the chance to thank you for basically carrying me outta there.”

“You’re as light as a feather.”

“I don’t know about that, but if you guys hadn’t showed up when you did...” she looked at the people seated around the table. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Kyle nodded.

“Was Janus killed when you stormed the compound?” Max asked, his fingers tightening around his glass so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Michael clenched his hands. “No.”

“Then he’s still out there.” He nodded, barely aware of it when Liz reached over to pry the glass from his fingers before it could break. “He can’t be allowed to live. He’ll just move on and set up shop somewhere else. He’s a freak without the ability to feel pain so he gets some kinda sick thrill out of watching others suffer.”

“He won’t,” the other man promised. “Not as long as I live.”

“Then you can track him somehow?” Max asked hopefully.

“We’ll find a way. That motherfucker can’t hide forever.”

“We’ve had a couple of cryptic emails from reliable sources suggesting that he’s gone into hiding until Baxter’s command center can pull everything together. Apparently they had a contingency plan to escape the country if things ever went to hell.”

“They can’t hide, no matter where they go!” The determination in his voice was evident.

“No, they can’t,” Val agreed. “We want Baxter alive so we have to keep them separated. He and the members higher in the organization need to be held over for trial. We need to get Janus on the run. Our best bet is to take him out on foreign soil.”

Alex held his tongue and refrained from getting involved in the conversation. They had already fought about this once and obviously they weren’t going to agree on this point.

“Then we need to get moving on forcing them out into the open,” Kyle suggested.

“We’re also gonna need a comprehensive file put together to present to the AG,” Tess added. “He’s gonna have to review the evidence and determine if charges can be brought against the organization.” She held a hand up when she saw several protests about to be launched. “We know it’s not a question of ‘if’, but he won’t know that when we first approach him. So we have to make sure our evidence is solid. Having the three of you to testify should tie things up nicely for him. At that point we’re gonna have to let him know when and where we expect to flush them out so he can have people on hand to intercept them and place them under arrest.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Bane agreed to everyone’s surprise.

“Yeah, and we’d better make sure the lot of us are locked in on a deal so we don’t end up with any charges filed against us. While we haven’t done anything wrong, we have basically engaged the enemy and none of us are authorized to do that. There are quite a few charges they could bring against us if they chose to. I doubt they’ll bother, but just to be safe, when we put that file together, we wanna make sure we make it clear that our little group here is given full immunity from prosecution.”

“You think that will happen?” Val asked, her tone clearly expressing her doubt.

“What, that they’ll grant us immunity?”

“Yeah.”

“Hell, the things people receive immunity from prosecution for in exchange for testimony or evidence against the bigger fish might blow your mind,” Kyle spoke up. “It’s better for us to cover our asses.”

“We’ll see about that,” she replied skeptically.

“No, he’s right,” Max said as he sat back to look around the table.

“Yeah, it should work out,” Tess reached for her coffee. It had to.

“What about you guys?” Liz asked as she looked at Tess and Kyle. “No one even knows you’re involved.”

“We’re in it just like the rest of you.”

“They’d have to be included in the deal for immunity,” Max explained. “Whether their involvement is known or not, it could always come back to bite them on the ass.”

Kyle snapped his fingers. “That’s right.”

“You were studying law, right?” Michael asked with a glance at Max.

“Yeah.”

“Then it looks like you and Whitman have your work cut out for you.”

“Can’t hurt to have different kinds of people in a group,” he agreed with a smirk.

“I suppose you and Val will be handling the emails while we’re putting the file together for the attorney general?” Alex asked.

“Sounds like a good plan.”

Liz quietly cleared her throat. “Is there anything the rest of us can do?”

“Yeah,” Maria said, “that would’ve been my question as well.”

Val lifted an eyebrow as she exchanged a look with Bane. What the hell was there for them to do? She didn’t want or need their help with the emails and if memory served Parker’s studies were something related to politics.

“Didn’t you guys want to have a Christmas tree or something?” he asked helplessly after a minute.

Maria’s eyes lit up at his question. It would be so nice to have Christmas. Okay, maybe it wasn’t exactly like any Christmas she’d ever known before but still... it was Christmas! “We need a tree.”

He watched her and couldn’t help but feel glad that he had managed to lighten her mood. “Then that’s what you should do first.”

“Um, who exactly do you expect to send out to chop down a tree?” Kyle asked.

He looked around and his eyes landed on Tess.

She looked up when she felt like she was being watched and she sighed in resignation. She knew how important it was that everyone stayed busy to some extent, especially the civilians in their group. Let the mind wander too freely in situations like this and it could lead to more problems than it solved. “Fine, but it’s not gonna be a huge tree.”

Bane snorted. “No kidding.”

Kyle groaned quietly when he saw the way his wife’s spine straightened at the perceived insult. “Babe, let it go.”

“Alright,” she breathed, “I will.”

Yeah, he couldn’t wait to see the pathetic little twig she dragged in the house, Bane thought with a smirk.

“What about food,” Maria asked. “Do we still have enough?”

“We’re fully stocked,” Tess assured her. “We even have everything we need to make a traditional Christmas dinner.”

“Good.” Although she would’ve liked to go out for once, just to get out for a while.

“Well, I guess we can go out and pick out a tree since they’re gonna be busy. Oh, and Kyle?” She smiled sweetly at him. “The lights will need to be checked and since you haven’t been assigned a job yet, that one’s yours.”

He groaned. “Seriously?”

“You know I don’t have the patience for it.”

“Well, but you have nothing better to do.”

“And neither do you,” she pointed out.

“Fine,” he grumbled.

“Wow,” Bane muttered under his breath. “You hand your nuts over without a fight?”

Maria glared at him. “You always have to put your foot into your mouth.”

He just shrugged. “It’s a valid question.” He glanced over at Evans. “What about you?”

“Shut up,” she hissed.

Max smirked. Maria had her hands full with this guy. He could easily get pulled into some inane argument, but what was the point? So rather than bother he decided to go the other route. “My nuts are in good hands.”

Bane chuckled. “Good response, Evans.”

Maria sent a grateful look in her friend’s direction. Leave it to Max to disarm the situation with humor.

“Well, let’s get started then,” Alex said, getting up first.

“Sounds good to me.” Max reached for his orange juice and finished it in one swallow before looking at his girlfriend. “Stay close, okay?”

She nodded. “Sure, no problem.”

Rationally he knew she wouldn’t go far, knew that she would be under Tess’ watchful eye, but he couldn’t help being cautious. The important thing was to rein in his fears and make sure they didn’t control him. He smiled tightly when her hand settled over his. “I guess we’re about to find out just how much I actually learned in class.”

“You’ve always been a smart boy. I’m sure you’ll be a great help in this situation.” Their eyes met for a very long moment before she took her hand away slowly. “I’m very proud of you.” And they both knew she didn’t only mean his smart brain.

Max nodded. “Likewise, Miss Parker.”

“I think I’m gonna go and see if I have some clothes that’ll fit you girls. It’s cold and the snow’s deep so we wanna dress for it.”

“Make sure you’re armed,” Bane looked over his shoulder, the comment intended for Tess but his eyes were on Maria. “I taught her to shoot. Just in case.”

“Will do,” the curly blonde agreed. There was no way she would have gone out there unarmed anyway. And if Michael trusted Maria enough with handling a gun, then she would trust his judgment.

“I’ll clear the table,” Maria offered.

“I’ll give you a hand,” Liz said. She shook her head when her friend started to protest. ”I can do it.”

Maria glanced at Michael when he nudged her with his knee, and in one of the most subtle gestures she’d ever seen from him, let her know to leave it alone. ”Okay.”

He leaned back and snatched up another piece of sausage, biting into it and chewing thoughtfully while he watched them. He could understand the need to be active after what they had been through. Most of the time the hardest thing to remember was not pushing too far too fast.

Tess came back into the dining room and lifted an eyebrow when Michael stared at her. ”What?” She could hear the other girls loading the dishwasher and she held her hands up when he continued to stare.

“You won’t go far.”

It wasn’t a question and she rolled her eyes at him. ”Less than a mile and before you ask, no, we’re not hiking out that far.”

“We keep a couple of snowmobiles,” Kyle said when his buddy looked to him for an explanation.

“Good,” Michael nodded, “take Val’s burner with you. Just in case and watch out-”

“No offense,” Tess interrupted him, “but I don’t need a lecture about how to watch out for any kind of danger. Nor do I need to hear the rundown on what to do if we run into anything.” She held a hand up. “Yes, we’ll take the cell, but stop with the advice.”

“She can handle it.” Kyle saw the mixture of his pissed off attitude and worry in the other man’s eyes.

“Sure,” he pressed out. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust Tess or her skills, but keeping yourself as well as two civilians safe was a tough job.

“We’ll be back in no time. The Circle’s too busy trying to find out who can be trusted and who can’t at the moment anyway. They’re running out of assassins to send after us.”

“They’re sure to have a number of them that’re ‘unregistered’.”

“True. But rumors spread. Just because they don’t have a chip doesn’t mean they’re not aware of the situation.”

“Yeah, well... just don’t take all day.”

She snorted at that. ”Please. We’ll have a tree picked out, cut down and back here in less time than it took you to figure out why you never drink water in the jungle.”

It was his turn to roll his eyes. ”Yeah, whatever.” There was no point getting into that discussion.” He shot an annoyed look at his buddy. ”Is there anything you don’t tell her?” he growled when the women left, Tess laughing as she promised to share the story in response to Maria’s question.

Kyle just grinned and hauled himself to his feet so he could hunt down another cup of coffee.

“That’s not a funny story, Valenti.”

“You have to admit, in hindsight, it’s pretty funny.”

“No, two days in the sweltering heat of the jungle with a severe case of the shits and cramps that wouldn’t quit while trying to evade a death squad isn’t my idea of funny.”

“Hey, you were told not to drink straight from those streams.” He’d made his fair share of stupid decisions, especially as a raw recruit, but drinking from a bacteria-laden stream was one nasty experience he’d managed to avoid.

“I’m sure my dead parents told me to not kill anyone either,” he growled.

Kyle rolled his eyes. “Also good advice, but I suppose given the current situation it wouldn’t have served you very well.”

“I was just making a point.”

“Duly noted.” He pushed back away from the counter and held his cup up. “I guess I’m off to dig out the Christmas lights. Wanna give me a hand?”

“Hell no.”

He laughed and shrugged. “It’s not that bad.”

“Whatever you say, man,” Michael snorted.

Well, so much for passing the nightmare of Christmas lights off on someone else. “Your loss. Have fun with Val,” he called over his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah,” he waved him off.

“Better watch it,” Val muttered as she came back into the room. “He’s tryin’ to domesticate you.”

“Never.”

“Once they catch that disease they try to spread it.” She settled down and opened up the laptop.

“And you know that how?”

She snorted. “Please. They’re completely hormone and emotion-ridden once they get involved to that degree and they think they need to spread that euphoric feeling.”

Michael frowned. Valenti wasn’t that bad, was he? “Maybe.”

“Um-hmm, no maybe about it.” She pulled up the files and glanced at him.

“What?”

“Just trying to picture you sitting on the floor surrounded by miles of tangled up Christmas lights that don’t wanna work.”

“Don’t even go there.”

She laughed. “It’s an entertaining image.”

“Just as entertaining as picturing you in Whitman’s kitchen cookin’ him dinner.”

“Yeah, well, if I had any intention of doing anything like that it’d be in my kitchen.”

“You can’t even cook.”

“Why? Because I’ve never cooked for you?”

“You did and it was awful.”

“Haven’t heard any complaints from him.”

Michael lifted an eyebrow. “You cooked for him.”

“I couldn’t very well have him starving to death while he was injured could I?”

“You could’ve bought food.”

“Wanted to keep a low profile.” And she hadn’t been comfortable leaving him alone but she didn’t bother admitting that aloud.

“Um-hmm,” was all he said.

“You got somethin’ to say?”

“Nope.”

“Didn’t think so.” Her eyes dropped to the email folder and then to the list Alex had compiled identifying each sender.

“That looks like a long day.”

“Well, at least we don’t have to spend more time trying to figure out who the email addresses belong to. Alex has already done that.”

“He’s the man.”

If you only knew, she thought with a smirk. “How about you go over the list and let’s put it in order of importance.”

“Sure, I can do that,” he agreed.

She turned her head slightly when she heard the front door open and close again a few seconds later. “I don’t get what the big deal is about a stupid tree.”

“Civilian thing,” he shrugged.

“Apparently.” She didn’t understand the whole point of sticking a tree up and covering it with tacky decorations. She smirked when she heard a muted curse from somewhere in the cabin and easily identified it as Valenti. And what was with that whole fight with the stupid lights?

“At least it keeps them busy.”

“There’s that.” She turned the laptop so he could have a better look at the screen. “Let’s get started.
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 72 - 8/21/16

Post by Roswelllostcause »

OK trying to hunt down the rest of the bad guys and getting ready for Christmas. Well at least they are staying busy.
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 72 - 8/21/16

Post by Natalie36 »

bad guys and Christmas hope the Christmas miracle is catching the bad guys
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 72 - 8/21/16

Post by sarammlover »

I have a feeling something is about to go down....can they really have a quiet christmas? I think not. AHH!
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Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 72 - 8/21/16

Post by Eva »

The sweetness of christmas and the hardness of the situation is a very strange combination but it's true. It will keep everybody busy. The work and the lovely time of the year will heal already some wounds.
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THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 73 - 8/28/16

Post by Double Trouble »

Roswelllostcause: Hey, whatever it takes, lol.

Natalie36: You just never know.

sarammlover: Lol, well, stranger things have happend. Well... probably.

Eva: It is an odd combination, but what else could we expect with this group? Sometimes you just need to keep busy to begin working through a traumatic experience.


Part 73

Maria checked the living room when she passed the hallway, satisfied to see Michael distracted with something. She grinned at Tess. “Let’s go.”

She chuckled and glanced into the room, checking on them before following the other woman. “I’m with you.”

Liz was already waiting by the front door, smiling at the others briefly when they joined her. “Ready?”

Tess nodded and jingled a set of keys. “Either of you ever drove a snowmobile?”

Maria and Liz exchanged a look and then both shook their heads no.

“Well, it’s a simple process and we’re not going far. So let’s have a quick lesson and we’ll be on our way.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Tess led the way around to the outbuilding where they housed their equipment and she unlocked the large doors, pushing one side open and stepping inside. She reached around for the light switch, slapping it and flooding the cold interior with light. She looked at the collection of vehicles and smiled as she walked over to the snowmobiles. “You guys will love this. They’re a lot of fun.”

Maria felt a little excited. “I think so...”

She gave the vehicles a walk-around, checking them over before motioning to the seat. “Since you’re the least banged up at the moment, you’ll take the driver’s seat.”

“Okay, sure.” Finally there was something to do other than sitting around.

Tess walked her through the process a couple of times then had her run through it on her own before turning her loose to drive around the yard a few times to really get a feel for it. “Think you’ve got it?” she asked when Maria drove by before slowly braking the way she’d shown her.

“Sure thing,” she grinned.

“Alright, Parker, saddle up while I get the other one and we’ll head out to get our tree.”

“You’ll lead?” Maria asked.

“I’ll lead. You guys just get settled and by the time you’re ready I’ll be on my way outta the gate.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Maria waited until Liz had gotten on the snowmobile behind her. “Hold onto me tight, alright?”

“No problem, just don’t take off and leave me in the snow.”

“I would never.”

Tess shot out through the open doors and rode around the yard for a couple of minutes, getting used to the feel of the machine again. “Hell yeah!” She eased back on the throttle as she came by them again and motioned for them to follow her. “Let’s go!”

“Let’s go,” Maria muttered to herself and followed. The wind in her face was cold, but it was also a freeing feeling.

“This’s kinda fun,” Liz shouted to be heard over the wind rushing past them.

“Yeah,” the blonde girl laughed.

As they climbed higher the trees became more dense but then they burst into a clearing and Tess came to a stop and cut the engine. She leaned back and looked around as she drew in a cleansing breath while waiting for the others to join her.

“All good?” Maria asked as they stopped next to her.

She gestured to the trees around them. “Whatcha think?”

“They look Christmas tree worthy.”

Tess laughed and nodded. “Indeed they do. So let’s pick one... and not one too small either.”

“Yeah, we’ll make them eat their words.”

“Exactly!” Besides, it had to be large enough to require the miles of lights her husband was busy trying to untangle while making sure they all lit up.

“See any special ones yet?” Liz looked around.

“I see a couple of potential possibilities,” Maria said as she stared at the trees.

“Yeah, let’s go a little further,” Tess said and slowly drove through the trees.

“They’re gorgeous,” Liz said as her eyes roamed over the trees they were passing. “And they smell good too.”

“They smell awesome,” Maria agreed. “It’s sooo good to be outside for a little while.”

“They’re evergreen trees,” Tess called back. “Wait till you smell it in the cabin once we get it up and the heat warms it up some.”

“My uncle used to have an artificial tree.”

“No, no, no. It’s not even worth doing if it’s not real.” She found the spot she wanted and cut the engine.

“I always told him that, but he wasn’t around for Christmas most of the time anyway so no one was sitting by the tree.”

“That’s a shame. But this year you get the full experience.” She swung her leg over the seat and stood up as she grinned at the other girl. “A freshly cut Christmas tree and assassins to celebrate the season with.”

“Yay,” Maria chuckled.

“Who says we don’t know how to have a good time for the holidays?” Liz muttered with a smile.

“It’s gonna be cool. Val and Michael will just have to play along,” Tess smirked.

“I’m not sure which one of them will be more resistant,” Maria said as she walked up to one of the trees and reached out to run her fingers over a branch.

“That is a tough one,” Tess admitted. They were both extremely stubborn.

“Personally I’m having a hard time picturing either of them behaving in a... festive manner.” Liz wrinkled her nose.

“They’re gonna be grumpy,” Maria agreed.

Tess waved their conversation off. “Don’t even worry about it. They’ll probably be grumpy, maybe even pissy, but they’ll also get over it.”

She wasn’t so sure about that – not with Michael – but she hoped Tess was right.

“Enough of those thoughts. Let’s pick a tree.”

Liz walked around for a moment, trying to force her thoughts into the here and now and away from what had been. “What about this one? Not too small, not too big and pretty even and straight.”

“Hmm,” Tess had a closer look as she circled the tree. “It’s okay, but I think we can do better. The top isn’t so nice.”

“This one?” Maria asked, pointing to her right.

“It’s leaning a little to the right,” Tess tipped her head in the same direction, which made the other girls exchange a look. Okay... this could take a while.

Tess wandered around for a bit, putting a seemingly serious effort into searching for the perfect Christmas tree. She was a little picky about the tree, but most of this was for show. The girls needed to focus on something besides the situation, and what better way to do that than to deal with someone who had to have the perfect tree?

They went back and forth over tree choices for a while before they finally found one they all agreed on. It wasn’t too tall or too thin, it didn’t lean to one side, the top met all necessary requirements, and it wasn’t too large or too small. No, it was as perfect and respectable as a tree could be.

“Did you bring an axe?” Maria asked.

“No way,” Tess said with a laugh. ”Guys might have something to prove by hauling an axe out and chopping a tree down, but me?” She shook her head and unlocked the small storage space under the rear half of the seat. She reached inside and lifted out the small chainsaw. ”I like to keep it simple.”

“Well, that’s nice.” Maria chuckled, but it froze when she suddenly saw Liz’s face paling. She rushed to her side. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just – “ Her eyes strayed to the chainsaw for a moment before she turned away.

Tess frowned and put it down. Could it be that somehow they had been threatened with something similar back in the compound? They hadn’t been hurt that bad though. “Liz, it’s okay. Take a few deep breaths, okay?”

The brunette nodded. “Sorry, it’s just that... we heard stuff, you know? We didn’t know what it was – what they were hurting people with, but one of the things, it sounded like...”

“You have nothing to apologize for. You didn’t do anything wrong. Listen to me, okay? Just hear me out without interrupting, both of you.” She took a couple steps back and sat on the snowmobile, not wanting them to feel like they were being pressured by what she had to say. ”What you’ve been through isn’t the kinda thing you just walk away from and forget about, no matter how much you want to.” She rolled her shoulders and cleared her throat. ”If you try hard enough you can bury it for a while, but it’s only a question of when it’s gonna come back to bite you on the ass.”

“Are you saying we need to see a shrink?” Liz was resistant to the very suggestion.

“Not necessarily,” Tess answered with a reassuring smile. ”The right therapist can help if you’re open to getting help that way. Not everyone is comfortable with that option.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not that open.”

Maria reached over and rubbed her friend’s arm, sensing that anything more would be too much. She knew Liz had been forced into counseling after her parents were killed and it was an experience she’d sworn she would never repeat.

“It can be anyone you trust. The most important thing is that you keep that line of communication open and you don’t just try to bury it because if you do you’re just gonna hurt yourself in the long run.”

“I appreciate the advice, but...” Liz shook her head. ”You didn’t go through that.”

“No, you’re right. I didn’t. But I did survive a situation where I saw almost everyone in my unit die when we were shot down over enemy territory. Only three of us made it home after nine days of being hunted like animals. I tried to bury it. I thought if I could just push the memory back, suppress it, I’d be okay.” She shrugged. ”And for a while I was. But it finally boiled over and it wasn’t pretty. It always comes back if you don’t deal with it, that’s all I’m saying.”

“It could come back even if you do,” Maria said quietly.

“Yeah, but at least if it does you know how to handle it. It’s also not as bad if you’ve dealt with the heart of the matter.”

Liz bit her lower lip before she nodded. “I know that really...”

“It’s just a way of accepting,” Tess said in understanding. “It won’t be resolved in a day. This’s gonna be a long process and some days will be better than others. You just have to believe in the good things and as stupid as it sounds: think positive.”

“I’ll always be there for you,” Maria said, but at the same time she wondered if she could keep that promise when this was all over.

Liz smiled weakly. “I know. And I love you, M’ria.”

“I love you too, girl,” she said and checked her friend’s response before hugging her.

She closed her eyes, soaking up the comfort and warmth given so freely. “I’ll be so glad when this’s all over. Max figures we’re gonna include access to our trust funds in the list of demands along with immunity from prosecution so when this’s all over we can disappear.”

Tess got up and opened up the small storage compartment again, putting the chainsaw away and reaching for the saw stowed inside. It wouldn’t be as quick or efficient as the other option, but there was no reason to traumatize their civilian contingent anymore than they’d already been. She moved away from the others, giving them time and space to find a moment of peace. She glared at the trunk for a few moments before sighing and nodding to herself. Oh, well, at least it wasn’t the biggest tree they could’ve found – although it was still more than respectable enough to make Bane choke on his derisive commentary about her ability to procure a decent tree.

“Oh, no, Tess, you don’t have to do that,” Liz said when she realized what the other woman was doing.

“No worries.” She wiggled around to find a comfortable spot and glanced at them before notching the trunk so she could get started. “It’s easy enough to do this way and it’ll save you the nightmare of remembering because of the racket the chainsaw would create.”

Liz nodded, thankful for all the understanding she was getting from her old and new friends. “Okay, but if it gets to be too much...”

The curly blonde snorted. “I’ve dealt with worth situations, believe me.”

Maria chuckled. “Kyle be might one of those,” she muttered under her breath. “As well as Michael. The poor woman had to suffer them all alone at times.”

“He seems to be getting better with you,” Liz nudged her with her elbow. “Michael, I mean. He’s not as rough as he was at first.”

“You think? I still look at him and see this super unhealthy stubborn man.”

“Well, I guess he won’t change overnight.”

No, he definitely wasn’t gonna change overnight. Change with Michael was a gradual process, so slow at times that it felt like they were standing still.

“He has changed though,” Liz commented.

“Yes, he has.” Tess shifted around to adjust the angle. ”He’s stubborn and he likes to be in control so it’s gonna take some time before he can admit you’ve got him twisted in knots.”

“We’ll see.” She didn’t want to get her hopes up too soon. The whole time Michael had been involved in her life he’d talked about him leaving, not if, but when. And it wasn’t like they were going to live happily ever after with two kids, a white picket fence and a mortgage. He didn’t have to tell her he wasn’t that guy. It was blatantly obvious.

“Just go with the flow,” the other blonde winked.

Liz chuckled and nudged Maria with her elbow. “There you go. Just go with the flow.”

“Whatever.”

“Not sayin’ it’ll be easy,” Tess said, “because nothing with him ever is.”

“I think I’ve heard that too many times by now.”

“You’re gonna have to live with that mantra if you wanna hold onto him.”

Holding onto him sounded kind of desperate, Maria thought. She didn’t want to ‘hold onto him’. She wanted him to want to stay with her.

Tess paused to look up at her, wiggling her way out a little bit so she could see her clearly. “Don’t get me wrong, Maria. I’m not suggesting you could hold onto him unless that’s what he wanted too. But sometimes no matter how well they adjust to being with someone there’re times they’ll fight like hell to run the other way.”

“How do you manage that?”

“Love, perseverance and the willingness to put up with them when they get like that. And, remembering that there are gonna be times that the shoe’s gonna be on the other foot.”

It sounded like work, but then again... wasn’t it worth it? “I’ll keep it in mind.”

Tess nodded and shuffled back into position, going back to work on the trunk. It didn’t take long before it cracked and a few seconds later it tipped over and crashed to the ground. “And that is how you take down a Christmas tree!” she crowed as she got to her feet and dusted the snow from her clothes.

“Uh-huh.” Maria crossed her arms. “And how do we get it back to the cabin?”

“Easy.” She put the saw away and pulled out a rope coiled into a figure eight. “We tow it behind us.” She moved to the tree and threaded it through the strong lower branches before knotting it and then tying the other end to the snowmobile. “See?”

“You’re so smart.”

“I know.” She sighed dramatically. “It’s a burden I have to live with.”

“Poor her,” Liz chuckled. “I can imagine her pain.”

Maria laughed. “Yeah, me too.”

“Shut up you two,” Tess chuckled. “Now let’s get back and have a hot chocolate.”

“Do you have any rum?” Liz settled behind Maria on the snowmobile when Tess finished tying off the tree. A splash of rum in hot chocolate was sooo good!

“You can count on it,” Tess winked.

“Good, that’s something to look forward to.”

“I haven’t had a real drink in a while,” Maria said. To be honest, she had never really drunk much at all.

“We should have a couple tonight. We’ve definitely earned it.”

“So much is true!”

Tess laughed and settled into her seat as she reached for the key. “Let’s head for home. We’ve got a tree to decorate and alcoholic hot chocolate to make!”

Maria and Liz both laughed. “Now that’s the first good plan in a while.”

She started the engine and took the lead, taking it a little slower this time to avoid damaging the tree. Before long they were pulling up to the cabin and after leaving the tree close to the front porch they went to the shed to put the snowmobiles away.

“You need any help out here?” Kyle moved through the snow carefully after stepping out as soon as he had heard the girls arriving.

Tess huffed in exasperation. “What part of stay off of that leg as much as possible do you not understand?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Um-hmm.”

“So?”

She shook her head at him as she faced him from the other side of the tree. She nodded at it and leaned over to grab one of the thick bottom branches. “Grab the other side.”

“Ay ay, ma’am,” he saluted.

“You’re a real barrel of laughs, Valenti.”

“That’s why you love me?”

“Just one of many reasons, smartass.” She leaned over the tree to kiss him.

“Good, that’s my girl.”

Maria chuckled as she watched them drag the tree up onto the porch. “They’re somethin’ else, aren’t they?”

“Totally,” Liz snorted.

“Hey, you wanna gimp your sorry ass in here and choke on the size of this tree?” Tess hollered as soon as they were inside.

Michael slowly made it into the room. “What?”

Tess stepped back and motioned to the tree. “Well?”

He inspected it closely for a while. Okay, it was admittedly larger than he had expected it to be, but of course he wouldn’t admit it. “It’s okay.”

“It’s okay,” she muttered at his condescending admission. “It’s a hell of a lot better than okay.”

“If you say so.”

Kyle cleared his throat when he saw the look on his wife’s face. “I know you’re busy, so why don’t you get back to it,” he suggested and gave his buddy a shove towards the doorway. Much more taunting and that tree was gonna end up shoved up a certain assassin’s ass.

“Sure,” Michael snorted, not missing Maria’s glare.

“Ooooh!” Tess growled and stomped her foot in irritation. “That man!”

Kyle snickered. “You should be used to it by now.”

Yeah, she should be. But he was just so infuriating! “This tree is not just okay!”

“And you know he won’t say different anyway.”

“It doesn’t make it any less infuriating.” She shook her head. “Let’s get this thing in the stand. How’re the lights coming along?”

“All sorted out.”

“Good. Maria, why don’t you and Liz get that hot chocolate started while we get the tree situated in the stand?”

“Yeah sure. Extra rum, huh?”

“In hot chocolate?” Kyle asked and made a face.

“Why the hell not?”

“Chocolate and rum?”

“So?”

“It just sounds weird.”

“You don’t have a clue.”

“Apparently not. I’ll just take whiskey, straight up.”

Tess shook her head. “Not while you’re on medication you won’t.”

He looked at her, baffled. “Sorry?”

She gave him a look and turned back to the tree. “I didn’t stutter.”

“C’mon, babe!”

“Do you want to be stupid after a couple of drinks?”

“I wasn’t talking about having a whole bottle,” he growled.

She smiled sweetly. “And I wasn’t talking about a couple of glasses.”

“Give it up already, Valenti,” Michael yelled from the other room.

“Sound advice from an unexpected source,” Liz mumbled when the man’s too loud voice carried easily through the house.

Max snorted, amused when he overheard it.

“Only funny when you’re not the one in his shoes,” Alex said with a chuckle.

“True enough,” the other man agreed.

“Of course having a house full of people hearing your girl tell you no,” he shook his head. “Pass on that.”

Kyle made a face. “Thanks for castrating me, babe.”

Tess just rolled her eyes at him. “You sooo have nothing to worry about in that department.”

He snorted. “But they don’t know that.”

“Would you feel better if I made an announcement?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Hell no.”

“Are you sure? Maybe something that would leave no doubt in their minds that you’re an animal in bed?”

“Tess,” he hissed in horror.

She just laughed at him and nodded. “So let’s get this tree in the stand.”

Yeah, before something else stands, he thought in frustration.

“Something other than trees on your mind, Valenti?” she teased as she reached through the branches to get a good grip on the trunk.

“Stop it,” he growled at her.

“Just an innocent question.” Tess rolled her eyes when he finally got with the program and gave her a hand hauling the tree into the room.

“Nothin’ about you is innocent.”

“Sadly, that’s true.” She shrugged, not really concerned. “That’s probably your fault.”

“Mine?”

“Yes. I’m certain I wasn’t so completely corrupted before I met you.”

“You were a mess.”

She snorted, silently wishing that she’d just ignored Bane’s taunt and picked out a smaller tree. The damn thing weighed a ton! “Me?”

“Yes, so lost without a man.”

“Oh, yeah, I was completely lost.”

He smirked and slowly crouched down to fix the tree. “It’s all good now, woman.”

She stepped back, carefully maintaining the tree’s balance, and fanning herself with her free hand. “It’s so lucky for me that you came along to save me from myself.”

“Thank me tonight.”

He was so full of himself sometimes and on any other man she’d find it insufferable. “I’m sure I can come up with something.”

He looked up and grinned. “Hell yeah.”

And there was no resisting that look either. Any attempt to even try was a lost cause and she knew it so she didn’t even try.
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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