Hatter's Lawn Service
It was, to say the least, an unpleasant shock when Saturday morning, instead of being greeted by Alice—who had gotten home late from work and fallen into bed long after Hatter was already asleep—with a leisurely day of love-making, he was treated to the sight of her bare bottom as she walked toward the bathroom for a bubble bath.
"Oh, and Hatter," Alice threw over her shoulder.
"Yeah?" He asked, already throwing off the blankets and preparing to join her in the swimming pool-sized tub.
"You promised you'd get to the lawn today so you should probably start before it gets hot outside," Alice said before firmly closing the door.
He turned the knob and found it was locked.
Frowning, he hollered, "When did I agree to that?"
He heard the lock click and Alice poked her head out to say, "Last night…on the phone when I called to say I had to work late because a temp called in sick. I said the bushes need a trim and the back could use some attention."
"You were talking about the lawn?" Hatter asked, looking appalled.
Alice's eyebrows drew together as she replied, "What else could I possibly refer to?"
"I thought you were talking dirty to me," Hatter admitted sulkily.
"Only…you know…in code," he added after a moment of awkward silence.
"What did you think I was saying?" She asked, wrinkling her nose.
"That you'd make it up to me... That I could watch you shave your pussy and you'd let me shag you in the arse," Hatter said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Alice rolled her eyes and disappeared back into the bathroom, locking the door again and shouting, "Go mow the yard, Hatter."
"I'll mow your arse, you bloody tease," He grumbled, kicking the door with his bare foot and stubbing his toe in the process. He continued grumbling as he walked over to the dresser, but then a wicked smile broke out on his face.
If she thought he was going to go quietly, she was sorely mistaken.
*o.O*
By the time Alice emerged from the bathroom, Hatter had finished the front and back yard with the pricy riding mower Ace had selected on Moving Day—and then proceeded to try and drive from the hardware store back to Tulgey Hollow on the sidewalk—only to have it cut out before he'd reached the bit of the lawn on the side of the house.
He grumbled obscenities and kicked at it, which failed to do anything more than make his stubbed toe throb, and then lifted the hood to tinker around with the engine to see if something had jogged loose.
Alice, meanwhile, meandered around the house looking out windows to check on his progress. When she saw that the side lawn was the only part left, she smiled.
Hatter, contrary to popular belief, was meticulously predictable in some respects. She knew he would start with the back lawn—which although it was the biggest part, was the easiest because there were no trees or assorted plant life to maneuver around. Then, he'd move on to the front lawn, where he'd have to take care not to jostle the mower on the tree roots or run over the flower beds or kick up stray gravel from the drive, but which was still fairly easy to manage on the rider.
Finally, he would move to the side lawn, which was barely wide enough for a riding lawn mower on account of the giant shrubs Gwen had put in to hide the side of the house where the playroom was located. Alice wasn't sure why Gwen had done this until she'd realized that it was impossible to find a way to put up curtains in the luxurious window seat of the former playroom without compromising on coverage or having the curtain rods sitting on top of each other like Lincoln logs. She also suspected Hatter inherited his nudist gene from Gwen.
She was counting on this and had even spoken to Henry—who for all his faults was very talented at subterfuge—about how to ensure the riding mower would break down before Hatter got to this part of the work.
She could hear him now, cursing as he tried to get it functioning again, and knew he would soon come storming in, stomping through the hallway to holler about locating a mower repair shop—all of whom were closed on Saturday—before finally pushing the mower back into the shed and pulling out the ratty old push mower.
And then, Alice's game would begin.
*o.O*
Half an hour later, Hatter admitted defeat after learning that no one was open to repair the mower until Monday and he grudgingly trudged back outside to finish the lawn with the push mower.
At least, he reminded himself, the mower hadn't died until after he'd finished most of the lawn. He couldn't process the strain of having to mow two acres of land with a push mower.
Alice, naturally, had been clean and pretty reading a book one of her co-workers had loaned her as she lounged on the window-seat in the playroom—he hadn't figured out a better name for it since they'd yet to box up the various toys leftover from Hector & Meredith's childhood and store them away for future use.
He muttered under his breath as he thought about it and wondered how he'd been roped into doing the hard stuff on the weekend—only to grudgingly admit that she'd been working all week whereas he'd been hanging around the house, watching television and using the mirror to throw random things at people in Wonderland when they lease expected it. It helped, of course, that the mirror had a sort of magnetic draw when it was 'open' and would pull small items through with very little effort on his part. He still smiled occasionally thinking of the time when the ugly statue Alice's mom had given her was grabbed off a packing box on the other side of the attic and pulled through bare seconds after the mirror turned on. More so after he watched it smack into the head of a portly fellow Hatter was pretty certain still owed him for the black market goods he'd supplied to the blighter some months ago.
He was still grinning as he yanked the cord of the push mower and started whistling cheerfully as he started mowing the grass along the wooden privacy fence that separated the back and front lawn.
*o.O*
Alice looked out the window when she heard Hatter whistling a cheery song. She would never let Hatter know that she was perfectly capable of managing all the yard work herself and that the only reason she feigned helplessness about it was because she loved it when he got all sweaty and covered in dirt and cut grass. It was even better when he had to use the push mower because then the muscles in his arms and back would tighten as he worked and he'd eventually get so hot and sweaty that he'd yank off his shirt, mop his face with it and shove it into his back pocket. It might be disgusting to other women, but the sight of beads of sweat cutting down his torso and creating little rivers amid the grime and grass got her hot in a way she couldn't even explain to herself.
Figuring he was good and distracted now, she put the next step of her plan in motion, shrugging out of the toweling robe she'd been wearing after her bath.
Grinning, she picked up the book again—some racy romance novel a colleague had suggested, but which paled in comparison to sex with Hatter—and continued reading.
*o.O*
Hatter paused to mop up the sweat pouring down his face and wished for the hundredth time that he could control the weather and make a nice breeze to cool himself off. He cast a quick glance at the window to see if Alice was properly appreciating his effort and ogling him as he worked—oh yes, he knew about how much she enjoyed seeing him all roughed up and dirty, but he figured it wouldn't hurt if she continued to think he was oblivious and he could appreciate the results that came of it.
His mouth fell open when he caught sight of Alice—naked—lying curled up on the window seat—naked—with her wet hair tangled—nakedly—across a throw pillow with one hand keeping her book propped up and the other innocently tucked between her naked legs halfway between her naked knees and her pretty little naked—
"Fuck," Hatter groaned, unconsciously squeezing the bar of the mower tighter without hearing the engine rev. His hand slipped loose and dug in his hair as he reached down to rub the other across the tightening crotch of his jeans, oblivious to the mower which had lurched and buried itself in the shrubbery.
He swallowed hard as he watched Alice squirm in the seat, rubbing her thighs together unaware she had an audience.
"Fuck," Hatter said again when he heard a horrible noise and turned to see the lawn mower had upended and was somehow still running, its blades digging into the branches of the shrubs and hacking away at years of growth. He ducked as leaves and mangled branches flew through the air and then hastily decided to leave the scene of the crime.
Hopefully the mower would run out of gas soon because there was no way in hell Hatter was going to try to disentangle the persnickety beast.
He winced as he heard one of the shrubs groan and crash to the ground as the mower's blades severed the trunk.
His mum was going to kill him and somehow he didn't think 'Alice was naked and about to touch herself' would suffice as an excuse.
*o.O*
"Have you finished mowing then?" Alice asked crisply, looking over her book at him with an arch expression as she heard the door slam and his footsteps stomp down the hallway toward her.
"No," he said sourly, frowning.
"Well get the lawn finished. What would the neighbors think if they happen to take the side street and see part of our yard is running rampant?" She inquired.
"They'd think I caught sight of something I'd much rather be doing," Hatter said as he stepped over the entry-way and began to cross the playroom floor straight for Alice.
"Hatter! You're dirty and I've just had a bath," she protested, putting down the book, scrambling off the window seat and darting to the other side of the room…only to realize she had managed to corner herself between the wall of built-in bookshelves and Hatter, who was grinning as he unbuckled his belt, leaving it hanging open when he finished and starting to unzip his jeans.
"Even better," he purred.
Alice struggled to think of some way to talk Hatter out of whatever he had in mind…which was bound to be amazing, but would leave her in need of another bath. And probably also therapy, she added when she saw him pull the belt out of his jeans and grin.
"Hatter!" She shrieked, trying to dodge him as he advanced.
His hand darted out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her body against his.
"If you do what you're thinking, I'll shove my t-shirt in your mouth when I catch you," he threatened.
She had intended to throw him with a maneuver she'd taught her students two days ago, but now…She shuddered and wrinkled her nose at the thought of a mouthful of grass, sweat and dirty cotton.
"Be nice, Hatter," she pleaded, already mourning the loss of the squeaky clean skin on her back and bottom.
"Oh I will. I'll be verrrry nice," he said, kissing along her neck as he reached up with one hand and wound her hair around his fist. He gave it a little tug to guide her to the window seat. "But first…I think you should see the damage you did with that lovely little stunt of yours."
Hatter pressed on her shoulder until she was kneeling, facing the window out to the side lawn.
Her eyes widened with horror when she caught sight of the demolished hydrangeas through a haze of leaves and a couple of large, crushed flowers where a branch had pressed against the window after the row of shrubs fell.
"Your mom is going to kill you," she said.
"Tell me something I don't know," Hatter retorted bitingly.
"I wasn't trying to—" Alice faltered as she heard the metallic sputter of the lawn mower dying as it took down the last hydrangea.
"You planned this?" Hatter's tone was neither complementary nor pleased.
"Only the riding mower breaking!" Alice protested.
"You—" Hatter was so angry he couldn't finish the sentence.
"Henry helped," Alice supplied hopefully, as if Hatter was going to leave her alone to go punish Henry for joining in on the plot.
"And I'll bust his balls for it later, but right now…" Hatter leaned back, dragging his eyes across her bare body to remind himself why he wasn't going to tie her to one of the large oaks in the front yard for the rest of the day. Damn, it was tempting though considering the trouble she'd caused him.
"You know, back home, I would've stripped a woman naked and tied her to a post in the city with a sign declaring 'Free fucks for all' for giving me half so much trouble," He grumbled.
Alice whimpered, "I love you?" in a tone like she was trying to appease him.
Hatter frowned as he tried to think of a fitting punishment.
"If I remember correctly," he purred as he ran a finger down her back. "In your world, people get spankings when they misbehave."
Alice was about to ask what happened in Wonderland and realized the answer was probably death, public non-consensual sex or…worse?
"I know what you're thinking Alice, and I wasn't so much a monster that the women didn't enjoy themselves. They got a generous dose of 'Pink Passion'—a mix of Lust, Desire, Ecstasy and—" He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Continuous Orgasm."
He smacked her on the bottom at the moment he said it, making Alice jerk under him in surprise.
"Almost a pity I didn't have any left in my hidden stock…Could be useful right now, eh, Alice?" He asked, smacking her again.
She shook her head and winced as the gesture pulled her hair.
"Please, I swear I'll never do it again!" Alice said, wincing again at how pathetic she sounded.
The crack of the belt was almost startling in the ensuing silence and that, more than the feel of it hitting her, was what caused Alice to jerk forward again.
"Show some backbone, Alice," Hatter said, frowning down at her.
"Go to hell, this hurts!" She hollered as she tried to elbow him where she thought his stomach was.
"Much better," he applauded mockingly when her elbow connected with the side of his right leg. It twinged a little, but not enough to stop him.
Alice thought about turning around to bite him, but realized she'd only succeed in hurting herself given his tight hold on her hair. She wondered, briefly, how long Hatter would continue with his punishment if she made it seem like she liked it. A smile flickered on her face and she moaned when the belt connected again.
She felt him jerk backward at the sound and tried to ignore the sharp pang as her hair was tugged again from the motion.
Hatter bit his lip at the noise and tried to fight off the aroused surge in his blood in response. He was on a mission to teach Alice a lesson and he was not going to let her undo his control over the situation.
He frowned and tossed the belt over his shoulder, figuring something more tactile was needed. He cupped his hand and Alice moaned again, arching back a little so that she met the blow.
Damn she was playing dirty, he thought, knowing Alice didn't like getting rough unless there'd been a lot of leisurely, soft caresses and kisses beforehand to tease her into it.
He leaned down and bit into her shoulder hard and her surprised shriek made him smile. He knew it was wrong, but sometimes he just loved to do things he knew she didn't like for her response. It was refreshing to be with a woman who didn't act as if nothing was surprising or new or exciting. Then again, his past lovers had been Casino girls attending Tea Release parties seeking a rich protector or tea-heads vying for a fix, so maybe for them, nothing was new territory. It left a bad taste in his mouth to think it and his mood to be mean to Alice faded with it.
He didn't want her to become like them; he didn't want her spirit broken to the point that she would lay there through anything and he would look up to see her looking up at the ceiling like she was a million thoughts away from his embrace and his bed.
He frowned and let go of her hair and she sighed appreciatively and moved her head side to side as her neck cracked from being in that position for too long.
"Damn it, I can't stay mad at you," he complained.
"I know," she whispered. She tried to turn to kiss him, but he touched her cheek to keep her from moving.
"Like this," he said quietly and she knew he was brooding about his past.
"No," she answered, turning around and wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders as she kissed him and murmured against his mouth, "this."
She leaned back against the base of the window seat, her head pressing against the cushion as her arms slid up and down his back.
He conceded, lifting her legs up and across his hips as he maneuvered between her thighs.
"Mmm," she moaned as he slid inside her, arching up to guide him deeper.
When he was fully enveloped, he gripped her hips, holding her still as he gritted his teeth to regain a little of his composure. This was how he knew he loved Alice, that the simple act of being inside her was enough to bring him close to the edge. He could spend all night inside her without moving and it would almost be enough to make him lose himself.
"Damn," he groaned as she squirmed in his lap. "Alice, stop."
"Can't help it," she whispered as she tried to avoid any pressure on her red and stinging bottom.
"Shit…Got carried away," he muttered, realizing why she was moving. He tried to cover her entire butt with his hand and she squeaked a little when she felt it turn ice cold and then sighed as it started to soothe the discomfort.
"No more spankings," Alice said firmly as she pouted at him.
"Well then, I'll just have to punish you with public sex," Hatter said with a cheeky grin.
Her eyes narrowed and after a moment, in a sullen tone she said, "Only with you and only if it's in our back yard or somewhere else that no one will see us."
Hatter's grin was blinding as he hugged her close. He looked up to the ceiling and mouthed "Thank you" as if he thought the Gods of Risky Sex were listening and had answered his prayers.
"Hatter," Alice said in a disgruntled voice at his momentary distraction.
"Demanding tart," he said fondly, kissing her on the tip of her nose.
She wrinkled it in response, reproach in her eyes at the gesture, which he knew she hated.
He lifted her up until he nearly slipped out and then back down and she moaned, this time because she truly was enjoying herself.
"Mmm, yeah," he murmured.
"Faster?" Alice asked, hoping he wasn't in the mood to tease.
He smiled and leaned her so that the cushion of the window seat was against her shoulder blades and thrust hard and fast.
Alice gasped, her head falling back and her eyes flew open at a weird scratching noise—which she quickly realized was the sound of a hydrangea bush scraping along the siding of the house as a quick wind breezed through the floral devastation.
She squeezed her eyes shut, determined not to see the chaos that had resulted from her backfiring plan to tease Hatter and make him lose his mind with desire. She shook her head side to side as if she could make the image shake out of her mind completely and decided to focus completely on what Hatter was doing.
"Ooh, yes," she moaned as Hatter shifted, adjusting her hips to make it easier for him to work up a hard and fast rhythm.
"I've been thinking…" Hatter panted. "Of opening a shop of my own. I'm going mad being stuck here with the cats for company."
"What?" Alice's head jerked up and she stared at him.
"Yeah…I was just talking out my arse on the phone with Jenny…but I think it'd be brilliant. Wonderland used to be miles ahead of Earth when it came to sex before the Queen of Hearts introduced Teas…We had all sorts of toys and costumes and…well, anyway, we had stuff like that for centuries before anything like that showed up on Earth. And the parlors," he breathed the last appreciatively as he ground into Alice.
"If you're talking about…about places where people pay for sex…that's illegal here," Alice hissed.
"No," Hatter scoffed with disgust. "It's all perfectly legal. Just a bunch of people showing up, interested in having sex. Well, sure you have a cover charge to be admitted and there were very strict rules about consent and age and such, but it was basically a cozy place where you could go, have a nice dinner, nice cup o' tea and then there'd be public sex shows."
"What?" Alice shrieked.
Hatter groaned and began to move faster as he said, "God, you'd be glorious, up on the stage in white stockings with your hair up in a blue ribbon…My own Alice of Wonderland…"
Alice wasn't able to respond as Hatter abruptly lurched forward and covered her lips with his, plundering her mouth with quick, fierce thrusts of his tongue and groans of pleasure as his rhythm increased.
The thought of people watching her when they were like this horrified Alice, but apparently it was the exact opposite for Hatter.
Unbidden, the thought entered her mind of a roomful of women staring at Hatter's demanding erection as he stood on a platform, hands in fists on his hips as he looked down at her—spread out on a heart-shaped bed covered in pale blue silk and white lace, gazing up at him with a combination of lust and awe—with an expression dark and fierce. He'd be wearing a top hat and boots…maybe even a funky-patterned tie and then he'd—
Oh god, Alice may have to rethink that public exhibition stuff.
"But what would you call it?" Alice gasped out when their mouths parted for air.
"Alice's Pink Parlor," Hatter grinned teasingly and she slapped his shoulder.
At her frown, he said, "Alright…Fine…Although I think men would come from around the world to have a taste of—"
"Hatter!" She shrieked, blushing fiercely.
"Oh look…Someone's stopped outside our window," Hatter said, distracting her momentarily. He reached up and waved out the window and Alice threw her head back only to find the street empty.
"There's no one there, you jerk!" Alice declared, put out.
Hatter chuckled and asked, "Are you disappointed?"
"No!" Alice's response was a little too quick. Now that Hatter had put the idea in her head, she was starting to wonder what would it be like to have someone watch them together.
"Picture it though, Alice…All eyes on you…You'd be sitting on a throne…Queen Alice…You could put on a good show for them if you really wanted too," he groaned against her mouth, flicking his tongue across her lips.
"Oh, and I suppose you'd introduce them all to me like at the celebration for Alice in Through the Looking Glass?" Alice asked tartly.
"Hell no! Alice was introduced to them," he said, wagging his eyebrows.
"She was a child!" Alice shrieked.
"The hell she was. She was twenty-one when she went through Wonderland as a 'Queen'; ol' Carroll couldn't very well write about that," Hatter said, eyebrows raised.
"But it was written when she was child…" Alice denied quickly.
Hatter shook his head and said, "Carroll had far sight so…he saw all of Alice's adventures before she ever went there. Poor guy wanted to marry her after all the fun he foresaw the two of them having when she returned to Wonderland as a full-grown Queen, but her family refused. And then, of course, she went there a third time and she was so creeped out by his proposal of marriage that he didn't even have any fun with her—which is a definite negative to far-sight. Could you imagine if I knew we'd love each other and be on our way to marriage when I first met you in Wonderland?"
"As if you weren't already lecherous enough…" Alice said, eyes widening.
"Hey! I could have been much worse. At least I kept my pants on after we fell in the water!" Hatter argued defensively. "And I coulda grabbed you and kissed you stupid when Prince Cockblock showed up, but I didn't. I let you walk away without a proper goodbye to go save your dad."
Alice thought about that for a second and grumbled, "Well, you should have. I wanted you to…"
"I can't read minds, woman!" Hatter said, throwing one hand up in the air.
"Right now I'm thinking 'Fuck me, Hatter'…" Alice purred, staring intently at him.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Hatter said dryly. He kissed her again, continuing to picture all the wonderful things they could do together if they opened a proper Wonderland-style Parlor. He was pretty certain a staggering number of Wonderland immigrants lived in New York and probably also in places all over the world from the various locations that the Queen had often opened the mirror to steal oysters from their world. Word would spread quickly and he'd be busy enough.
He pictured Alice once more seated on an ornate throne on the stage, thighs spread as he knelt before her, teasing her, tasting her. And then, god, to have a tea table set up with her leaning on it while he took her from behind…
Hatter groaned, picking up his pace again, imagining they were in the Parlor with everyone watching as he drove Alice wild. The thought of them seeing their heroine—the glorious 'Just Alice'—sweating and panting and eagerly begging him to please her…
He came hard and Alice shuddered as he rubbed his thumb across her clit with increasing pressure.
Hatter gasped and flopped onto the floor, pulling Alice down on top of him, still twitching inside of her. He was starting to drift off to sleep from the combination of work and play when Alice murmured, "Hatter?"
"Hmm?"
"I didn't like the hydrangeas anyway," she said, pressing a reassuring kiss to his shoulder.
Hatter's tired chuckle sounded a little forced, but she knew he appreciated her effort. She kissed his cheek and snuggled closer, knowing he expected a nap/cuddle before she was allowed to bathe again.
*o.O*
A few hours later, Hatter was locked out of his own bathroom as Alice bathed again and he was in the attic to consult an expert on how bad the damage truly was.
"Yeah?" Ace grumbled as the diamond lit up with his sleepy face.
"I think I killed Mum's hydrangeas," Hatter whispered, not wanting Gwen to overhear him.
"You think or you did?" Ace asked, sitting up and looking much more awake.
"Uh…well…" Hatter coughed, shifting uncomfortably.
"On a scale of one to 'I set her hair on fire'…" Ace said, frowning.
"Let's just say it looks like I re-enacted the Hearts' Massacre on the Spade Gardens," Hatter said, wincing.
Ace swore and then, after a moment of silence said, "Probably best not to tell her until after she's had the baby."
Which confirmed Hatter's thoughts that it was bad.
"D'you know anyone who could…fix them?" He squeaked.
Ace thought about it.
"Well…I may know someone but I'm not sure how I'd manage without your Mum getting wind of it anyway. She probably already knows," he said, admitting the last ruefully.
"She's developed far sight?" Hatter asked, appalled.
"Thank fuck no!" Ace exclaimed. "No, just her usual trick of catching snatches of conversation on the wind. How d'you think she heard about that Casino bird?"
"Which one?" Hatter asked with a snicker.
"Watch it, pup, I'm trying to save your arse a serious lashing," Ace growled through a smile.
Hatter froze as he heard the door explode open and he caught sight of a flash of fiery hair.
"Hey, love, look, it's Hatter!" Ace said, his smile faltering as he caught sight of Gwen's expression.
"Hi…Mum…" Hatter felt himself starting to tremble a little.
She turned to face the glowing diamond and began smiling.
"Hatter baby!" She grabbed the diamond out of Ace's hands and Hatter noticed Ace beat a hasty path out of the room. "How's Alice?"
"As stubborn as usual," Hatter said, grinning. "So, what's Da done now?"
"It's not so much what he's done as what he hasn't," Gwen said, frowning.
Hatter thought it best not to ask for further details.
Gwen's expression brightened and she said, "Never you mind that. Have you decided on a wedding date?"
Hatter continued to chat pleasantly with his Mum for a few minutes and then, when he'd finally begun to relax, she asked, "So…what's this about my hydrangeas?"
"It's Alice's fault!" Hatter said quickly, panicking.
Gwen began laughing, her eyes twinkling as if she knew exactly how Alice was to blame.
"Well, I suppose there's hope for her yet," Gwen said after Hatter hastily explained about Alice's nudity and his brain shorting out around the time her hand started to slide up from her knees.
"So…I'm not in trouble?" Hatter asked hopefully.
"Ha, you wish, but you're in less trouble than your father was the time he stole my clothes and forced me to run through the woods and the entire of Hatter's Glen butt-naked," Gwen said, frowning.
"Didn't he do that a lot?" Hatter asked cheekily.
"Let's just say no one wondered why he was eager to chase after me following a public shouting match," Gwen said drily.
Hatter decided he didn't want to think about what probably happened after they got home.
"I'll say this for him though…He's good at groveling and makes a fabulous cup of tea when he's in the wrong," Gwen said, sighing.
"You mean every time he opens his mouth?" Hatter asked, grinning.
Gwen grinned as well and said, "I'll send Caterpillar to fix the hydrangeas."
"Couldn't we change them out for something that requires less pruning?" Hatter wheedled.
Gwen thought about that for a moment and a wicked glint entered her eyes before she innocently suggested, "I've often wondered if Forever Mine Vines would thrive on Earth…"
Hatter thought about it as well…the Forever Mine flowers whose scent caused a person to relax into a dreamy, aroused state…the vines that with a touch would surround a person's wrists and ankles and hold them spread-eagled until they were released with a trick only Wonderlanders knew…
"Perfect," he purred as a devilish grin spread on his face.
Gwen made a mental note to tell Alice how to release the vines. It might do Hatter some good to have someone else in control.
