Disclaimer: I don't own G.I. Joe, Marvel, Hasbro, Sunbow, and alot of other people do. I own what's original.
Summary: Beachhead tracks down Cover Girl, five years after the disbanding of the Joe team.
Author's Note: I have been reading several Beach/Cover Girl fics on the web. I have come to the conclusion that they are my favorite couple right now. I'm not super familiar with them yet, so please bear with me.
*~*~*~*~*Heartland*~*~*~*~*~*~
He didn't know why he was sitting in his truck parked in the shade,on the opposite side of the street. He found himself watching a little girl in camo pants, Cinderella t-shirt and a pink tutu dash around the front yard with a plastic sword, chasing a little dark-haired boy who brandished an identical plastic sword in one hand and in the other he held an orange plastic cap gun. The little boy wore a dinosaur bicycle helmet on his head, while the girls red-gold hair stuck out from underneath the colander she wore on her child, he guessed, wasn't that much older than five. They were so engrossed in whatever they were playing, that they had only stopped to stare at him with wide eyes once. The playful squeals that came from the two children, caused his lips to twitch into a smile. He had been sitting here for over an hour, contemplating whether or not to get out of his truck. His eyes left the children, and passed over the modest two story frame house, it's siding painted a light, weathered blue; it reminded him of her sky-blue eyes. There was a wide front porch complete with porch swing and a planter of some sort near the door. A row of small shrubs lined the latticed porch at the front, while a rather large Magnolia tree stood in the right front corner of the yard. Ringing the yard was a very neat, very straight white picket fence that ran around one side of the house, stretching across the front, and meeting up with the opposite side, bordered only by a blacktop driveway, that seemed alive with scribbled chalk drawings. Sitting in the driveway was her truck, a bright hunter green Ford Ranger. He had to smile at that one. He knew it was her truck, not because of the custom job he knew had been done, but because of the Illinois tags on the back. CK041278 her initials and her birthdate. She was just thirty-three, and probably looked the same as she did five years ago when they parted with the rest of the Joes at base during the fall of Cobra, and the subsequent disbandment of the G.I. Joe team. With a shake of his head, and a heavy sigh he cleared out the memories of the past, and decided he'd better quit staring and just go to the door, hoping she would let him in without too much of a fight. He was tired of wigging out the neighbors, and figured if he didn't make a move either way, the cops were going to show up and he'd be in big trouble; and he didn't want that. He was about to make his move when a slightly older boy, this one was about eight he guessed, came to the fence to collect the smaller one. The little ones looked up from their play, dropped swords and waved good-bye to each other. The little boy accompaning the older boy down the street. The little girl mumbled something to herself, shrugged and picked up her plastic sword again, running the length of the yard and stabbing at something. A smile once again flitted on his lips when he saw that the little girl picked up play all by herself, stabbing the imaginary "bad guys" with her plastic sword. He walked up to the gate, but didn't go in. She stopped a few feet from the gate when she saw him, the colander slipping on her small head, and covering her eyes.
"Hi." she said with a dimpled grin as she pushed the colander off her head, letting the kitchen utensil bang on the sidewalk. He had to admit, he was a little taken aback at the child's boldness, and even though this looked like a safe town, she should have been told not to talk to strangers.
"Hi." he answered. "My name is..." he was cut off by the slamming of the screen door.
"Lily, did Andy go home?" the child's mother asked as she dried her hands on the dishtowel she held. She was dressed in jeans and an old t-shirt that had the faded letters ARMY on the front, and she was barefoot, he noted. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, her bangs swept off to the side. She stuck the dishtowel in her back pocket and leaned down and pulled a few dead leaves off the fern in the planter.
"Yep." Lily answered and she continued to buzz around the front yard totally oblivious to the world around her. "Mommy, there's a man at the gate."
"What man?" the girl's mother asked, a bit alarmed. She looked up, shaded her eyes from the sun, and caught his familiar brown gaze. "Wayne." she murmered before her world went black.
He was over the fence in seconds, his long legs covering the ground easily, reaching her just before her daughter had. Instinct and the years of training told him to take her pulse first. Pressing two fingers to the side of her neck, he counted the beats of her heart with the seconds on his watch. She had passed out on him. Suddenly, he felt something in his thigh, and looking down, he saw that the little girl had pressed her cap gun in his thigh, sword in her hand, colander back on her head. She looked fighting mad at the stranger too.
"Don't hurt my mommy, or else." she stated firmly, a familiar dark look in her hazel eyes.
"I ain't gonna hurt her darlin'." he promised as he picked Courtney up off the porch and carried her into the house. He set her on the couch and directed the little one to get a cup of water. The little girl did as she was instructed and came back with a glass of water, sloshing puddles on the hardwood floor. The water dribbled down the girls tiny hands, and the glass slipped from her grip and shattered on the floor.
"Oops." Lily's big hazel eyes filled with alarm as she stood slightly wet and terrified in the living room.
"Didja hurt yourself princess?" Wayne asked, quickly assessing the situation. "Lemme see your hands." he took the child's tiny hands in his and looked them over just to make sure she didn't cut herself on the sharp glass. "Good, you didn't get cut."
"I'm all wet." Lily glared at him indignantly, hands on her hips, mouth set.
He raked his hands through his hair and turned back to Courtney. Ducking into the kitchen, he found a small towel, wet it under the faucet and wrung it until it was damp. Returning to the living room, he pressed the damp cloth to her forehead, smiling when he pushed her blond bangs aside to reveal the three inch scar in her hairline.
"You'd better get up Krieger, or else I'm doublin the amount of PT for you." he drawled in her ear. He reeled backwards when her fist caught the side of his head. "Ow what in tarnation was that for!" he grumbled as he fell backwards onto the was carefully picking his words because there was a child present. He had been caught way off gaurd and she had laid him out.
"You have four seconds to explain what you are doing here before I call the cops." she breathed as she stood over him, jaw set, her blue eyes spitting fire. She took another step, her head spinning for a moment. "Whoa." she caught herself on the end table and sat down in the chair next to the table.
"Relax before you hurt yourself." he grumbled, he shook his head to clear it.
"Mommy!" Lily launched herself at her mother, and gave a wary glare at the stranger. "Are you okay?" the girl asked, patting Courtney's face with her little hands.
"Yes baby girl, mommy's okay." Courtney hugged her daughter close, and pressed a kiss to the girl's red-gold hair. "Honey, why are you all wet?"
"Ask him." Lily jerked her thumb in Wayne's direction. Courtney glared once again, at the somewhat unwelcome, not-so-stranger, stranger.
"Go change." Courtney once again kissed her daughter and sent the little one upstairs. Once she was sure Lily was safe in her room, Courtney went to Wayne's side. "Wayne, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Good to see you too Cinderella." he chuckled when she flipped him the bird and kept on to the kitchen, stepping over broken glass as she went. "Sorry." he muttered as he followed her.
"Five years go by without so much as a word from you, and all of the sudden you show up in my front yard. How the hell did you find me?" she asked as she began picking up the shards of glass and mopping up the water on the floor.
"It wasn't that hard. Alls I had to do was look at the address on that letter you sent me." he pulled out the worn cream colored envelope, and handed it to her. The edges of the paper had yellowed over the years and the ink had faded some, but it was still readable.
"Wayne, I can explain this." she whispered as haunting memories filled her eyes.
"No need too." he stated as he accepted the letter back. He knew she had her reasons for sending him that letter, reasons he wasn't going to push her at. "Found it in a drawer a few weeks back, and thought about callin, but I was headed cross country to see Bill in Texas, thought I'd come up here and see you on my way back. You're lookin good Cinderella." his brown eyes travelled the length of her body and he watched her suck in a breath, and stare back at him.
"You don't look so bad yourself Smartass." she replied, her voice hitching a bit. "How's Bill?"
"Same ole Bill, he pilots a news helicopter in Dallas. His wife died last year." he said, "Cancer took her quick."
"I didn't realize she was sick." Courtney tossed a bottle of water at him, which he caught easily and took a long drink. "I'd gone out there a few years back, but I didn't realize that she was so sick. Marley was a good woman."
"Ya she was." he drawled, his Alabama twang getting thicker the more he relaxed. "How old is your little spitfire?" he queried when his gaze fell to a few photos of Lily that were stuck on the fridge.
"She'll be five in September." Courtney stated. She pulled her legs beneath her on the kitchen chair.
"She's a cute kid, lots of spunk." Wayne turned back from the photos and faced Courtney. "Reminds me of you back in Joe." he smiled as he drank another long sip from the bottle. Mentally he ticked off the girls age and the last time he had been "with" Courtney. It was the last night at the PIT, and it had been their first time after two years of skirting around the issue. They had dated seriously for two and a half years and the subject of sex had come up a few times. She had been completely understanding though every time his insecurities got in the way. The sexual tension between them had been high and so was the emotion. He was head-over-heels in love with her, and was planning on proposing. He had stowed the simple diamond in his thigh pocket. Instead of leaving together, they had gotten into a fight, letting the tension and the emotion guide them. Their goodbye wasn't all that great, and she left, driving off into the proverbial sunset, leaving him with a dangerously broken heart and the diamond ring. He had a feeling that maybe something happened that night, especially since he hadn't heard from her until three years ago when she sent him that damn letter that basically told him that in some strange way, she still really cared about him. He suspected, but he wasn't exactly ready to ask that question just yet.
Courtney thanked him, and asked him to sit. She was full of nervous energy, he noted. He had a bad feeling that they were going to end up in an argument, her nervous energy and the sassy remarks that accompanied it was what had gotten them into trouble back then.
"Do you remember that last day?" she asked him, as the past came spiraling back. "Just before everyone left." Nodding, he took another swig of the water. Remembered it, he hadn't forgotten the confusion, hurt and perplexing things that had happened between them.
"You were packed up, and not sure what to do with yourself. As I remember, you hated good-byes." he set his empty bottle on the table and gave her a level look. He was baiting her.
She was avoiding his eyes, trying to find the right way to talk to him. It had never been this hard before. Of course, back then, he was her Superior, and she was a twenty something with an attitude and a huge crush. It bothered her a bit that she was so tongue tied. Sighing, she took in a few breaths, blowing them out through her as she was about to open her mouth to speak,when her forty pound preschooler gave her a chocking hug around the neck.
"I changed." she informed her mother. Turning to Wayne, she asked, "Do you like my shirt?" It was a camo-print t-shirt with the word "Princess" scrawled across the front in bright pink glittery letters. "Mommy gived it to me."
"It's nice." Wayne said honestly. His chuckle turned to genuine laughter. Seeing the hurt in Lily's eyes, he assured her he wasn't laughing at her. "Used to call your mother that way back when." he said to the girl.
"Wayne." Courtney warned, cutting him off before he said more.
"Mommy, I'm kinda hungry." Lily announced.
"What would you like for dinner?" Courtney asked.
"Macaroni and Cheese." Lily bounced.
Wayne felt a little out of place at the moment, but stayed put watching the conversation between mother and daughter. It was different, seeing Courtney as a mother. He knew she wanted kids, but didn't think she'd be a single mother. He figured she'd be married by now, like he had fantasized about her. Although, in his fantasies, she was married to him.
"Okay, how about macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders and some peas on the side." he heard Courtney deal.
"Okaaaay." Lily said with a grin. "Can he stay for dinner?"
"It's okay I uh..." he began to protest. The last thing he wanted was to get caught up in a situation bigger than he was willing to handle.
"Sure, as long as he doesn't have any other, more important plans to take care of." she said sweetly, catching his unrest and turning the tables. Secretly, she hoped her words didn't come back to bite her in the ass.
"Well do you?" Lily asked.
"Nope, not a single plan that I can think of Princess." he caught Courtney's slightly agitated glare she sent him over her daughter's head. He was going to have fun with this one. "Wayne, 1 Courtney 0." he thought to himself.
"Yay!" Lily exclaimed, "Wanna see my room? I have a Barbie dreamhouse!" Lily scrambled off her mother's lap, finding this new potential playmate a little more exciting than boring old mom. She wrapped her little hands around his large one, and pulled at him. "Come on, let's go play while mommy is makin dinner."
"She won't take no for an answer Wayne." Courtney laughed. As Lily dragged the former Sergeant Major up to her room, he shot Courtney a look that said he'd rather face a pit of venomous vipers than be subjected to Barbie and her Dreamhouse. "Have fun you two." She turned to the cupboard, and drew out a box of mac and cheese. Setting water to boil on the stove as she pulled frozen chicken tenders and a bag of peas from the freezer. This was going to be interesting.
"Here's my room." Lily proudly flung her arms wide as the duo entered the bedroom. "Mommy painted it for me."
Wayne let his eyes wander around the room. It was painted a light ballerina pink, A twin sized bed was in one corner, fluffly pink and floral print pillows sat on the neat beadspread. In another corner stood the three-foot tall Barbie Dreamhouse, complete with a pink Barbie Ferrari and several plastic horses. Barbies littered the floor around the dream house, some clothed, others not. Wayne didn't look at those.
"...And this is where mommy puts my clothes." Lily was giving him a tour of her room, finishing up with the closet. With a flourish she opened the closet to reveal girly dresses and plastic heels. "These are my dress-ups." she told her new friend. "Wanna put on a crown?" the four year old offered. She handed him a pink one, with feathers and glitter. He was about to refuse, but put it on when he saw her pout. He wondered when Courtney's daughter had wrapped him around her little finger. Oh yeah, he mused, she was Courtney's daughter after all, and things with Court had never been obvious. He put the crown on his head, causing his thick auburn hair to stand up that much more.
"You're hair is all crazy." Lily giggled. He had to keep reminding himself that she was only four, and didn't really know what she was saying. "Mommy puts my hair in ponytails when it gets all crazy."
"You're not puttin my hair in ponytails." he said. Lily scowled, but moved on. "Like mother, like daughter." he mumbled to himself.
"Let's have a tea party. You can sit, um, on the floor. Mrs. Bear, and Mr. Pig will sit on these chairs, and I will sit here." Lily plunked down in a plastic chair, and proceeded to pour four imaginary cups of tea. "Mommy said I'm not allowed to use water anymore." Lily frowned once more, and continued with her "conversation" with the imaginary Mrs. Bear and . Wayne listened to her prattle on about costume balls and sword fights, wondering how those two ended up in the same sentance.
"Mr. Wayne?" Lily had suddenly appeared in his lap.
"Yeah Princess?"
"Do you have a wife?" she asked, her hazel eyes bored into his, and for once he was speechless. Extremely uncomfortable and unsure how to answer, he went with the truth.
"No darlin I don't have a wife."
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Nope, ain't got one of them neither."
"How about this, how about mommy bees your wife." Lily decided. "You can get married tomorrow."
Damn he thought how was he going to extacate himself from this one without shattering a four-year-old's heart into a million pieces. Treading carefully, he began.
"I'm afraid I can't do that darlin." he saw Lily's excitment fade fast.
"Why not?"
"Well, uh..."
"Because he hasn't decided whether or not he wants to ask me yet." Courtney answered from the doorway. Wayne turned and glared hard at her. There she was, giving it right back to him. "Dinner's ready." Lily jumped up off Wayne's lap and streaked out of the room. Wayne followed and met Courtney at the door.
"Payback's a bitch isn't it?" she smirked, "Nice crown by the way." she turned on her heel with a giggle. He tore off the pink crown and tossed it back into the room. Grumbling, he followed Courtney downstairs to the kitchen. This was most definatly going to be interesting.
Dinner was filled with Lily's chatter, and a few conversational moments between the adults. It was strangly comfortable and familar enough to have been done for as long as he could remember. He caught her staring at him, again. He just flashed her a grin and ate his peas.
"Mommy, do we have bissert?" Lily asked once she was done being coaxed to eat her chicken and peas. Remnents of food clung to the little girl's chin.
"It's dessert, and as a matter of fact we do." Courtney corrected, "Wipe your chin please." she handed Lily a napkin and got up.
"What do you have mommy?"
"Well, I have a still warm blueberry pie." Courtney presented the fresh baked pie with a flourish. "Made it this morning." she added, when she caught Wayne's hungry gaze. She wasn't sure if it was the pie he was drooling over, or her. She decided, that knowing him, he was drooling over both, and the thought seemed to set her nerves a bit.
Once the pie was cut, and slices doled out, they all fell into a comfortable silence.
"Mommy, this is yummy." Lily declared, blueberry pie filling stained her fingertips, and her cheeks.
"She's right, this is good." he stated, shovelling the rest of his pie into his mouth. He wasn't lying when he told her he had enjoyed the pie, he hadn't tasted blueberry pie that good since their days in the PIT.
"All done." Lily held her hands out to be washed, and crinkled her eyes shut when the clean dishrag was brought up to her face.
"Go pick out some pajamas, and a couple of books while I start your bath." Courtney instructed. Lily jumped off her chair and obeyed.
"Mr. Wayne, can you read to me?" Lily poked her head back into the kitchen.
"Lily, I'm sure Wayne has other plans for the evening, don't pester him please."
"I'd love to read to ya Princess." Wayne shot Courtney a look, and she glared back at him. Once Lily was out of earshot, he got up and came over to the sink getting dangerously close. "What'd you say 'bout payback?" he nipped her ear with his lips, sending fire through her. "I missed you." he slurred, "somethin fierce." he could feel her breath quicken, and knew that she didn't dare turn around to face him.
"I am letting you stay, because my daughter has taken a liking to you and I don't want to upset her. Back the fuck off Wayne, got it!" she hissed.
"C'ain't." his drawl seemed to go right through her, and she whirled around coming face to face with him. His breath played on her face, and if it were anywhere else, at someother time, she would have stood on tiptoe and drown herself in his kiss.
"You'd better learn fast, cause I don't want to confuse her."
"She mine Courtney?" he asked suddenly. That got her, she pushed her hands up on his chest and shoved him back.
"Bastard." she cursed him. "What do you think?" she was losing control, playing right into his hands. She doubted if she ever had control of this situation.
"That I've got the right to know." he came back up to her.
She turned back to the sink, not willing to let him see her cry. He forced her to face him, her tears stabbing him in the heart.
"I'm sorry darlin'." he whispered. "I didn't mean ta..."
"Yes." she cut him off, "Yes Wayne, she is yours. Happy."
He admission sent his mind whirling. He was stunned that she would keep this from him. It wasn't as if she as lying to him about ditching PT, something she tried to do all the time, no she had lied to him about his future, and that was something Wayne Sneeden hated the most. This was bigger than both of them, and it not only involved the two of them, but an innocent child as well. They both knew to tread softly where Lily was concerned.
"Yes." he stated once he found his voice. "Get yourself together, she's gonna be coming back in a minute lookin for ya." his voice was hard and all his thoughts seemed to tell him to flee. But he had promised Lily he would read to her, and he always kept his promises. He knew in his heart that Courtney had her reasons for not telling him, but it didn't make it any easier at the moment. He figured that eventually they would work this out. They seemed to always been able to work things out, no matter how hurt the other party seemed to be.
"Mommy, are you going to start my bath yet?" Lily queried upon her return to the kitchen. "I picked out a reeeaaallly good Princess book for you to read to me." she added to Wayne. "Mommy, are you okay?" for being four, Lily sure didn't miss much.
Courtney blew her nose and splashed cold water on her face, willing the whites of her blue eyes not to be a worrisome shade of red.
"I'll be up in a minute Lily." Courtney said with a sigh.
"Can Mr. Wayne start my bath?" Lily asked. "I've got bubbles." Lily said in a mischievous singsong voice. "Lots of bubbles."
"Lily Elisabeth Krieger, if you even think about spilling those bubbles into the tub, you're gonna get it." Courtney yelled. "Go upstairs, I said I would be up in a minute!"
"Jeez mommy, you don't haveta yell." Lily mumbled quietly, her hazel eyes shimmering with tears. Wayne knew something was going to happen if he didn't diffuse this situation. He took Lily by the hand and without a word, left the kitchen. Courtney turned when they left, a sob rising in her throat. She stuffed it back down, willing herself to stay in control. She nearly lost it before, she wasn't about to lose it completely. She never lost complete control as far as he was concerned, the only time that ever happend was the last night in Joe, and her daughter was living proof as to why is was a bad idea to lose control when Wayne Sneeden was around. She was grateful to him for staying, even when she knew he wanted to flee. Fleeing was always his response to most things, it was the soldier in him that told him to run when things got difficult. She knew though that he was true to his word, always, and that if he promised something, he was going to deliver whether she liked it or not. That was why the situation she had gotten into was so damn confusing. She had recovered enough to walk up to the second floor bathroom, Lily's peals of laughter could be heard from downstairs.
"Hey you two, what's going on in here?" Courtney asked when she reached the was sitting in the tub, wearing her Cinderlla bathing suit, a pair of goggles and flippers. Wayne was sitting next to the claw foot tub happily pouring buckets of water over Lily's head, and showing her how to blow bubbles through soapy hands. The two were oblivious to Courtney's arrival, so she sat down on the lid of the toilet and watched.
"Shampoo time!" Lily called out excitedly and she grabbed the bottle of kids shampoo. "Mommy's here!" Lily squealed with another laugh when a bucket of water was poured in her face. Wayne turned to face Courtney, the smile on his face bigger than she had ever seen it. She stood up, confident that he was in control, and gave his shoulder a squeeze before retreating to her room. She fumbled around for the scrapbooks that she had kept of Lily's first few years of life. She was going to ask him if he wanted to see them. As she flipped through the pages of the first book, guilt swept over her like a shadow, and she frowned. He should have been a part of all of that, he would have wanted to be a part of that. He would have wanted to hold the sweet newborn, and wake up at all hours for feeds and diaper changes. He would have wanted to see that first smile, hear the first laugh, and hold out his hands to the chubby baby who was learning how to walk. Instead, selfish pride, her selfish pride had taken that from him. She felt like a total heel as she listened to the laughter from the bathroom. Courtney was sure of one thing, she needed to make this right no matter what the cost.
Soon, the laughter faded, and the water, what was left in the tub, was drained and toys were dried and put away. Courtney looked up when she heard the pounding of her daughter's feet on the hardwood.
"Don't slip." she heard Wayne admonish.
"Mommy!" Lily jumped on the bed, wrapped in a towel, her hair hanging in wet curliques from the water. "That was so fun! Did you see us mommy, we were playin and stuff, and Mr. Wayne was so funny."
"I saw you. Did you wash your hair?" Courtney asked.
"Yep." Lily bounced off the bed and ran into her room to change into pajamas. Moments later she was back, wearing a Tinkerbell nightgown complete with matching slippers. "Mommy, will you brush my hair?"
Courtney nodded and picked up the brush from the side table and began to run it through Lily's hair, making sure all the snarls and tangles were gone.
Wayne was in the bathroom, cleaning up after Hurricane Lily's departure. He had never seen a child more amused by water than she was. He picked up two very wet towels that were on the floor, wrung them out and hung them over the shower rod. From where he was, he could see Courtney and Lily, engrossed in deep conversation. A flicker of a smile twitched on his lips. He walked over to Courtney's bedroom door, not entering unless allowed.
"All done. You look like a fairy princess." Courtney said with a tired smile.
"I don't want to be a fairy princess tonight mommy. I want to be uh...Army fighter or a Ninja!" Lily jumped off the bed and began punching the air. Courtney caught Wayne's bemused glance and just shook her head, wondering where her daughter was getting this stuff.
"Hey there Miss Krieger, I do believe you should know how to salute." Wayne knelt down next to Lily, "If you wanna be an Army fighter, you have to know how to salute." He took her tiny hand and showed her how her fingers went, and how she was supposed to stand.
"How do you know how to salute?" Lily asked.
"Well, a long time ago, I used to be an Army Ranger."
"Really?" Lily's hazel eyes went wide for a moment, then she was thoughtful. "Mommy's truck is a Ranger, but she calls it a beach."
"You're mommy is a silly girl." Wayne said. He looked oh so amused at Courtney's expression of wanting to crawl into a hole and die. "It's gettin late Princess, how about we save the book for another time and I'll tell you a story."
"Okay!" Lily agreed and she bounded off to her room.
Wayne regaled the little girl with stories of Pirates and Kings. She was asleep before he got to the good part. He watched the sleeping child for a moment, wondering if she asked about her father, or how much she really knew. He got up from his place on her bed, kissed her head and quietly turned out the light. He walked back to Courtney's room, taking his place in the doorway once again. She was bent over some paperwork, a stack of photo albums were to her right. Her Blackberry chirped, and she thoughtfully scanned the e-mail. Rolling her eyes, she set the device back on the nightstand, turning the sound off for the night. She looked up to see him standing there.
"Sorry about that." she said, "You can come in you know, I'm not going to bite."
"I don't know that for sure." he retorted as he shuffled into the room. "Though your bark was always worse than your bite darlin."
She gave him a coy grin, testing to see how deep the still waters ran with him.
"I wanted to show you something." she reached for the first book and handed it to him. "It's a documentation on her first year."
His hands hovered over the book, wanting so badly to see what was inside, but he couldn't open it. He needed her to tell him it was okay to be here, but he knew she couldn't. He forced himself to open the cover of the scrapbook, a picture of a newborn Lily stared back at him.
"She was born at 0500 in the morning, right on the dot." Courtney leaned in next to him, filling him in on all the photo had to offer. "I had a relativly easy pregnancy, and a superfast delivery. It was as if she couldn't wait to take on the outside world and all it's challenges. She weighed eight pounds seven ounces at birth, and was twenty-one inches long."
"She's got your nose, and them damn dimples."
"Her face is shaped like mine, but those eyes are all yours Wayne." Courtney pointed out. "I wanted you to be there, and you should have been. I am so sorry that I caused you to miss all this." tears once again clouded her blue eyes and she swiped at them, willing herself not to cry.
"Don't you go and get all mushy on my Krieger. You had your reasons for not tellin me, not that it was smart to keep secrets. Hell we all have em, and we all haveta find a way to get around em." his Southern drawl was thick now, indicating to her, that he was a little angry. He had every right to be angry, she had kept a part of him hidden, and now he could never get the years back.
"I'm sorry." she said again, her voice no bigger than a whisper. "I should have told you when I found out. I should have let you make the decision to be a part of this or not."
"I would've stayed, hell I would've married you whether you liked it or not. I was raised that way." he said. He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a minute. "I made mistakes too darlin. I wanted to ask you to stay with me, that last night in Joe, but I couldn't find the words ta ask ya. I wanted ta ask ya if you'd be with me forever."
"You were going to propose?" she queried. Now she really felt like an ass.
"Had the ring in my pocket."
"But we argued that night, about what we were planning on doing after that."
"You gave me a black eye."
"You put me up against a wall and kissed the life outta me." she flushed a bit remembering how she felt that night. "We were hurting, and careless, and we made mistakes."
"I think you got the best end of the deal." he said to her, "Courtney, that Lily, she's somethin else. She's got your attitude that's for damn sure. She's ready with a smile, and quick on her feet. She has a way of wrappin herself around your little finger."
"Didn't take me long to fall in love with her either." Courtney said.
"Damn if I didn't live so far away, I'd be able to see her more often."
Courtney was silent for a moment, wondering what it was she had to say next. She sighed, and adjusted herself on the bed. Sitting in bed with Wayne Sneeden wasn't something she thought she would be doing any time soon. He was close enough to her, that the heat that radiated off of him made her skin prickle. She was certain he noticed, he did, and ran his fingertips across her bare forearm. He was baiting her again, just like he had in the kitchen earlier in the evening. Not that she minded of course, because in all honesty, she didn't. She let him tickle her with his fingers for a moment longer, before reaching up and running her fingers through his wild auburn hair. She twirled the locks between her fingers and tousled it a bit more. If he could bait her, she could bait him right back. She let her slender fingers travel down the back of his head to his neck, then on down to his shoulders. She was trying to control the urge to kiss to him right then, but it was proving to be a near impossible task. He leaned into her, his lips hovering ever-so-close to hers.
"Please." she breathed in a desperate whisper. "Kiss me." She was almost daring him to do it, and he was willing. A low rumble came from him, and he caught her bottom lip and sucked on it for a second, before taking utter possession of her mouth. He could feel her suck in a breath as the kiss deepened. They kissed in heated passion for a few moments, enjoying every sweaty second. Suddenly her hands went between them and she pushed him back, "Wait, wait. We can't...We can't do this right now."
"It's okay, we shouldn't do this anyhow." He cupped her pixie face in his large hands. "God I love you. After all this time, you still do it for me Courtney."
"I love you too." she whispered. A sigh escaped her lips and she turned away for a moment. Picking at the imaginary fuzz on the blanket, she suddenly looked up into his brown eyes. "You going to stay?"
"I...uh...I wasn't really sure what I was gonna do when I drove up here." He admitted, "I can get a motel if you don't want me to stay, that's fine just point me in the right direction." She hit him with a pillow and rolled her eyes.
"I want you to stay." she told him. "You can sleep in the guest room."
"I don't want to put you out none." he turned from her gaze. "Don't wanna be a bother."
"You wouldn't be putting me out, and you are never ever a bother." she laid a hand on his arm. "Besides, Lily will be pissed if you're not here when she wakes up tomorrow." Courtney was silent for a moment before she sent a sideways glance at him, "God, she is so much like you. The way she looks at me with those eyes, like she's looking into my soul, the way she takes charge. She even SLEEPS like you do!" Courtney stood and pointed a finger at him, "Just try waking her up at all, and she's all snarly. Come 0500, I wouldn't be surprised if she's sitting on you or something."
"Well, she did press a gun to my thigh when you passed out on the porch." he said. Her expression made him smile. "You did good, raisin' her all by yourself."
She ducked her head, guilt suddenly rising up inside of her. "Thanks." was all she managed to say.
They were silent again, neither one knowing what to say. Down the hall, a loud 'thud' was heard, followed by a tearful cry.
"Mommy!"
Courtney and Wayne both ran for Lily's room. Courtney flipped on the bedside lamp and found her daughter to be sitting on the floor beside her bed.
"Lily, what happened?" Picking her up, Courtney sat down on the bed and brushed the tears and red-gold hair away from the little girl's face.
"I falled outta bed." Lily hiccuped, "I had a scary dream, and I waked up and falled outta bed."
"Are you okay?" Courtney checked Lily over, and once satisfied there was no real damage, she pressed a kiss to Lily's forehead and hugged her close, "What was the dream about, do you want to tell me?"
"There was a monster, and he was chasing me and...and he wanted to eat me...and...and he scared me." Lily began to cry once again and clung to her mother in fear. In a moment, she sent a teary gaze to the doorway. "Mr. Wayne, you're still here?" she asked, her tears gone.
"Yeah I'm still here. You alright there darlin'?"
"That monster scared me." Lily responded, her tears beginning to fall once more. She reached out her little hands to him. "Can you hug me?"
He took two giant steps and pulled Lily from her mother's arms. He felt her arms wrap tightly around his neck, and she wrapped her little legs around his chest.
"Lily, darlin' I c'ain't breathe."
"Oops, sorry."
Wayne sat down on the pink bed next to Courtney. He peeled Lily's arms off his neck and set her properly in his lap.
"Lily, honey are you okay now?"
"Uh huh." the girl nodded and yawned a rather large yawn. She snuggled into Wayne's chest and her hazel eyes began to blink rapidly, indicating that she was quickly losing the battle to stay awake. Wayne shot a nervous look Courtney's way.
"She gonna wake up again?" he whispered.
"Nope, she's out for the count. Do you want to put her back in bed?"
"Ahh, I got her for a minute. If that's okay." he barely breathed he was so nervous, hoping he was doing something right. "You're wrong about the way she sleeps, she sleeps like you, all cuddled up on me like that," he said to her. His words made her blush slightly, and she stuck out her tongue at him. Sometimes I'd have nightmares and fall outta bed too, though it wasn't so much fun fallin from the top bunk."
Courtney stifled a laugh at that image and she poked her finger in his ribs. "I'm glad you are here."
"Me too."
She patted his thigh, and got up to leave the room, leaving him alone with Lily for a while. Stopping in the doorway, she turned to him.
"If you want to shower, there are clean towels in the closet next to the bathroom. I'll be up for a little while if you want to talk."
"Thanks." he replied.
He stayed with Lily for a while longer, then moved the girl to her bed. Her little body quickly snuggled into the covers, she mumbled something incoherent in her sleep, but did not wake. Running his hands through his hair, he blew out a breath and decided that he was going to shower before bed.
"Dang it." he muttered to himself when he realized that he had left his duffle bag in his truck. He thought for a moment about going to retrieve it because he couldn't very well sleep commando, especially not since there was a sneaky preschooler in the house. He didn't have to worry, however, when he spotted his bag next to the bed in the guest room. He shook his head knowing that Courtney had gone and got it for him. He quickly showered, pulled on clean pajama pants and a tee-shirt and ran a towel over his wild, wet hair. On his way back to the guest room, he poked his head into Courtney's dark room.
"So much for staying awake." he mumbled as she rolled over.
He plunked down on the bed in the room, it was soft but not too soft, with a simple white down comforter on the bed. There were several pillows, but not too many, and the light blue sheets looked inviting. Making sure his things were neatly tucked into the corner, he laid down on his back, staring up at the celing a world of emotions rolling through him. His heart was seeming to belie his head as the two were saying two different things. His head was telling him that staying here was a bad idea, that somehow he was going to get hurt when all was said and done. His heart was screaming at him that this was where he belonged, that being here was where he was supposed to be. Not sure which to believe, he turned over in the bed and quickly fell asleep.
It was early the next morning when he felt the weight land on his chest. With a grunt, he opened one eye cautiously. Lily was stretched out on his chest, her face in her hands grinning like a cat.
"Hi." the small, sleepy face looked back at him. "Are you sleeping?"
"I was." he dragged his hands over his face. "What are you doing up so early?"
"I'm hungry, can you make bretfist." Lily asked, she sat up on his chest and bounced.
"Don't do that." he grumbled as he pulled her off of him. "You want me to make breakfast? What about your mom?"
"She's still sleepin."
Wayne sat up on the bed, rubbed the sleep from his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. He looked at Lily who was now sitting next to him.
"What are you thinkin for food?"
"Pancakes!" Lily clapped her hands and bounced some more on the bed.
"You are one crazy kid." Wayne stood up to leave the room and Lily jumped up onto his back. "Oooff."
"Pony ride!"
The two managed to get down to the kitchen without waking Courtney. Wayne had told Lily to be quiet, and later when breakfast was ready, he'd show her how he used to wake her mother up, back when they were soldiers. Lily put a finger to her lips and didn't utter a word, her hazel eyes glowing with mischief and mirth.
For a moment, he searched for the necessary items to make a batch of pancakes. The directions on the box of instant mix was a great help in preparation.
"Can I help?" Lily asked.
"Sure ya can. Get up here." Wayne picked Lily up off the ground and settled her on the counter. "Read the directions to me."
"I can't read yet."
"Aww shoot, it's easy. This here says 2 cups of mix," he measured out two cups of the instant mix and let Lily pour it into the bowl. "Then we need to put in 1 cup of water." filling the measuring cup full to the one cup line, he poured it in, to make sure it got into the bowl and not all over the four year old. They finished putting together all the ingredients and he began to stir the batter so it was nice and smooth. Satisfied that the griddle pan was hot enough, he dropped a few ladle fulls of batter onto the hot pan, and let them cook for a minute. He watched and waited, all the while showing Lily what the other words were on the back of the box. With a practiced hand, he flipped all four round pancakes to reveal their golden brown undersides. Lily was delighted and she clapped her hands and squealed. When the pancakes were ready, he slid them onto a plate and set them in the center of the table, covering them with another plate so they would stay warm. Lily set three glasses on the table, one at a time of course, and ran back to get forks.
"Can we wake up mommy now?" Lily's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"In a minute, I've got to run out to my truck and get something right quick. You wanna come?"
The little girl followed him outside, but stayed on the porch while he dashed to his truck, flipped open the cargo box and dug around for a second. Finding what he needed, he returned. The look on his face devilish.
"Here, put these on." he gave her a set of old ear plugs. "You ready?" Wayne picked Lily up on his arm, making sure to pop his own ear plugs into his ears before they reached the landing. "It's gonna be loud for a second." He set Lily by the door, and quietly snuck over to the side of Courtney's bed. She looked so peaceful sleeping there, that he almost hated to wake her up, almost. With a final peek at her sleeping form, Wayne set the airhorn low next to her pillow, but far enough away from her ear so he wouldn't pop the drum and make her go completely deaf, he pressed the button. "Krieger! Get that butt outta bed for cryin out loud!"
'HOLY CRAP!" she screamed as she flew up out of bed, nearly jumping out of her skin in the process. She landed on the floor with a thump on the opposite side of the bed. She heard laughter, and looked up over the bed at who it was that was laughing at her. "Damnit Wayne! You scared me to death." Courtney glared at him. "I suppose you think this is funny too huh?" her gaze flicked over to Lily, her words were rough, but her eyes rolled and she laughed.
"You should have seen your face mommy." Lily giggled. Courtney playfully lunged towards her daughter, making the little girl squeal even louder and run away to hide. Wayne peered around the side of the bed at Courtney, hoping his little trick didn't end up hurting her.
"You okay there Cinderella?" he asked, making sure he stayed far away from her well aimed kicks and punches.
"I hate you." she growled. He reached out a hand to help her up. "That wasn't funny."
"Yeah it was, if you hadn't been sleepin in, I wouldn't have had to wake your sorry butt up. Me and Lily have been up for nearly an hour already."
"Creating trouble?"
"Making breakfast. It's getting cold, lets go eat."
She stared at him a moment, her mouth dropped open.
"Shut your mouth Krieger, or them flies are gonna come in."
"You cooked?"
"Yes, and Lily was a good helper too. Let's go before she eats all of it, or burns down the kitchen or something."
They sat in silence, eating the pancakes and sipping on orange juice. Courtney's ears were still ringing a bit from the rude awakening with the air horn, but she had to admit his prank was clever. Lily was unusually quiet while she pushed her food around on her plate.
"You wanted to eat pancakes, and now you're not eating them." Wayne pointed out. "Out with it darlin', what's buggin you?"
Lily didn't look at him, but at her mother and fired off a statement.
"Um well, umm...Mr. Wayne, I love you." Lily jumped off her chair and hugged Wayne tight around the neck, "Can you stay here forever?"
"I love you too Lilybelle." Wayne replied, his heart swelling. "I c'ain't stay forever darlin' I have to go home in a while."
"But I'll miss you." Lily's hazel eyes looked sad.
"You and your mom can visit me if you like." Wayne convinced Lily to sit back in her chair and finish her breakfast. "I don't live all that far from here."
"Okay, but it's not the same!" Lily's sad eyes harbored tears that welled up and were threatening to spill down her cheeks.
"Hey, quit that cryin, I ain't leavin yet." Wayne brushed his thumbs across Lily's cheeks, catching the tears before they fell.
"Can we go to the park?" Lily looked at her mother, and then back to Wayne.
"Okay, if Mr. Wayne doesn't have to leave early, then we can go for a little while I suppose." Courtney appeased her daughter then looked in Wayne's direction. "What time are you due to leave?"
"I figure bout noon. I gotta get back to make sure the horses are fed."
"You have horses?" Lily asked, her sad frown turning into a delighted smile. "How many?"
"I had one, but the dang thing escaped last summer and got herself pregnant, now I have two. A momma horse and a lil colt."
"She got herself pregnant Wayne?" Courtney glowered, "How does one do that?"
Wayne flushed crimson, and put his hands over Lily's ears.
"Really Cinderella, I thought you knew all about that." he glowered right back at her.
"Don't even go there."
"Oh I would go there, but there's a lady present and I can't be disrespectin her, even if she's a little less than the size of my kneecaps." Wayne leaned closer in to Courtney as he spoke.
"Oh it's on like Donkey Kong there buddy." Courtney leaned in a little more towards him. Their lips nearly touching. "You're really cute when you get angry there Wayne." she snarked.
"You're nose gets all twitchy when you're all fired up." was his reply. She brushed her lips across his for the barest of seconds, nearly forgetting where she was and who was watching.
"Uh-uh Cinderella," he told her as she came in for another kiss. "Not with her watchin."
Courtney pulled back quickly and looked down at her plate of half eaten pancakes.
"Mmm, Lily, these are good, did you help Mr. Wayne make them?"
"He let me pour the mix into the bowl, and teached me how to read the 'structions." Lily smiled. She hadn't missed that kiss between her mother and the man who said he was her friend. Even though she was four, she knew kissing was something that mommies and daddies did, not mommies and strangers. The wheels were turning in her mind and she was quiet again for a while this time, looking between both adults who were conversing lightly.
"Lil, are you okay?" Courtney asked the girl.
"Where's my daddy?" Lily asked. Wayne nearly chocked on his food. Courtney shifted in her seat uncomfortably for a moment before taking a deep breath and attempting to answer the question. She wasn't ready to answer it yet, figuring she had at least two years before she was even approached with the question. "Mommy, does my daddy love me?"
"Yes Lily, your daddy loves you so much." Courtney said.
"Mr. Wayne, I wish you were my daddy. We almost have the same hair, and the same eyes." Lily pointed out Wayne's dark brown eyes and crazy wild auburn hair. "Mommy has yellow hair and blue eyes." Lily's brain seemed to be working on something and she gave Wayne a thoughtful look.
"Lily, I need to talk to your mommy a minute, how about you go get dressed so we can go to the park." Wayne said to the girl.
"Okay."
Courtney bristled when Wayne turned to look at her, his tempestous dark eyes holding storms.
"We gotta tell her Court." he said.
"I know, I know. I just don't know how to begin. She's four, how can she understand it all?" Courtney dropped her head in her hands. "I've made such a mess of this."
"Yeah ya have," he retorted, "We can work this out together."
"Okay." Courtney got up from her chair, and pulled Wayne with her. Ascending the stairs, they both walked to Lily's room. Lily was dressed in her favorite camo pants, a bright red t-shirt, purple tutu and some yellow socks on her little feet. She was bringing her Barbies up to the top floor of the Dreamhouse, and dropping them off; only to have the "Ken" doll reach in and save them at the last minute. Action noises emitted from the girl's mouth as she carried on quite the one-ended conversation.
"Lily, come here a minute sweetie." Courtney sat on the bed.
"What is it mommy?" Lily asked.
"Honey, mommy has something important to tell you, and I need you to listen really well okay?" Lily nodded and Courtney continued. "You know how some kids at school live with their mommy sometimes, and their daddy sometimes? Well honey, it's a little bit different for your daddy and me. Before you were born, mommy and daddy worked together. We were moving away from our work one day, and your daddy and I just didn't think it would be a good idea to live together, so daddy went to his house, and mommy went to her house. That was before I even knew you were in my tummy." Courtney's words made Wayne long for the oppritunity to see her heavy with child. He bet she looked gorgeous. "Well Lily, mommy made a mistake and I didn't tell your daddy that you were even born. I didn't think that daddy was going to want to be a part of my life anymore. Do you understand so far?"
"Yes." Lily replied.
"Well, mommy was wrong sweetheart, really wrong. Your daddy wanted to be part of my life always, and a part of yours." Courtney pointed over to the door, "And now he's here."
Lily's eyes grew wide and she stared at Wayne for a minute, not quite believing what she heard. She dropped her Barbies on the floor and she ran to him, arms open wide. Wayne caught his little girl and swung her up in a fierce hug. Lily buried her face in his neck and squeezed.
"Lilybelle, I c'ain't breathe."
"Oops." Lily pulled back a minute and looked Wayne in the eye, then hugged him again.
"I love you Lilybelle." Wayne said quietly.
"I love you too, daddy."
Courtney's eyes were filled with tears at the scene in front of her. She felt as if a weight had been removed from her shoulders and her heart. She caught Wayne's eye and gave him a rueful smile. Yes, she knew the damage had been done, and even though the secret was out, the healing process would take time, but Wayne and Courtney had all the time in the world to heal.
"I thought mommies and daddies were a'posda be married." Lily announced with a quirky look on her face.
Courtney and Wayne exchanged another glance.
"We'll talk 'bout that later Princess." Wayne stated. "Now let's go to the park."
"Yay!" Lily called out. "I love you daddy, and I love you too mommy."
"I love you too Lily." Wayne said.
THE END