Disclaimer: Not mine.


One thing leads to another


Like a flea on a dog's back.

Marron glared. How could she ever have worried about being physically attracted to this man? All he had to do was open his mouth and he instantly dissolved any temptation she might have felt for him.

Yes, she had awoken to find herself resting against him. Okay, she admitted, she'd been cleaving to him. Like a wanton vixen, as she remembered silently describing herself. But it was utterly rude for him to liken her to a flea. On a dog's back, no less! Well, he was a dog. A low-down, dirty dog!

He should have been gentleman enough not to notice. Or, since he had, at least courteous enough not to mention the fact.

But what else should she have expected from him? Nothing, she told herself. Absolutely nothing!

She was fuming as the pilot announced the landing of the aircraft. Fuming as she and Trunks grabbed their carry-on bags and departed the plane, fuming as they made their way out of the terminal building and to the auto park where Trunks had left his car. Trunks tried to talk to her, but she refused to explain her anger. Just because she'd married the man didn't mean she owed him any justification for what she did or how she felt.

The ride from the airport was made in silence except for the soft music playing on the radio.

As he parked the car in the driveway of Paresu's house, he said, "Look, it's late. We're both tired. And we don't want to upset Ron by letting him see us arguing the first time we're all together."

"Who's arguing?" She opened the car door and stepped out onto the asphalt.

Trunks came around the car. "Let's talk about this, Marron. I know you're angry. But I haven't figured out why yet."

She stopped short and whirled on him. "And that only makes me angrier." She turned to stalk off, but he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Wait a second," he said. "Just give me a minute, okay?"

Plunking her fist on her hip, she cocked her head and stared at him.

"You're mad because I looked at you while you were sleeping?"

The look on her face must have told him he'd hit the bull's-eye.

His mouth tilted in a smile. "Well, you are my wife."

Her gaze turned into a glower. She brushed his hand from her shoulder and stormed toward the house.

Trunks jogged to catch her. "Come on, Marron. I was only kidding."

"And that's what comes naturally to you, isn't it? To joke and laugh and ridicule."

"Please, just wait."

But she wouldn't be stopped.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said, skipping along beside her. "I didn't know you'd be offended by my looking at you."

It wasn't the fact that he'd looked that angered her. No, in fat she was kind of... flattered by the idea.

The thought stopped her dead in her tracks and Trunks nearly plowed into her.

She was not flattered by Trunks ogling her in her sleep! Where did that notion come from?

Without taking the time to answer the silly question, or ponder the silly thought of flattery, Marron got back to the original argument. It wasn't the fact that he'd looked that angered her, it was the fact that he'd thrown it up in her face, joked about it and how she'd cuddled up to him. She'd been asleep, for heaven's sake. How could she have known she was using him as human pillow?

However, what had hurt her the most was the fact that he'd compared her to an insect – an icky, bloodsucking insect!

But she had no intention of telling him how she felt or what he'd done. No intention at all of discussing it further. To do so at this point would only make her more vulnerable to his black, vicious humor.

"Look," she told him, "let's just drop the whole issue. We need to collect Ron and get him home into his own bed."

"So you're not angry with me anymore?"

"I said I'd drop it, didn't I?"

One brow rose as he said pointedly,. "You didn't answer my question."

"Trunks!" She actually growled.

"Okay, okay. Let's go get the baby."

Even though it was quite late, Paresu was still awake and waiting for them. Bura's best friend hadn't been so sure that Trunks and Marron flying of to Cactus to get married was the best solution, but she wished them the best of luck and told them to call if they ran into any problems with Ron.

Once they arrived at Braun and Bura's home, Marron accepted Trunks' offer to get up with the baby should he awaken in the night. She knew he'd offered as a way to assuage the animosity she was feeling toward him, but she accepted nonetheless. After the past two days of seesawing emotions and flying back and forth across the country, she could use a good night's sleep. In exchange, he'd asked if she would mind watching Ron during the morning hours so he could get some work done. She'd agreed, knowing that the few phone calls she needed to make to her employers at Bon Appetit could be made in just a few moments while Ron napped.

Having slept soundly through the night, she awoke to the sounds of chirping birds in the tree by her window and the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

She slipped into her white knit robe and tied the sash as she went down the stairs toward the kitchen.

Braun and Bura had chosen a beautiful house. Marron had stayed here for a few days when the baby had been christened. The traditional colonial design had spacious rooms, yet it also had some interesting nooks and crannies. Trunks had told her yesterday that, upon Braun's death, the house had been paid for through an insured mortgage. So, she and Trunks had agreed that they should live in the house together – in separate bedrooms, of course – so that Ron would have as normal surroundings as possible.

Marron entered the big, eat-in kitchen with its terra-cotta tiled floor and tastefully papered walls, opened the cabinet and pulled out a sky blue mug.

After filling the mug with hot, steaming coffee, Marron leaned against the counter and sipped. She cradled the warm ceramic between her palms and looked around the kitchen. Bura had done a wonderful job of making this room inviting. This was Bura's kitchen and she'd never spend another moment in it. She'd never again use the gleaming mixer, the huge microwave, the state-of-the-art coffee grinder...

I don't want to feel sad today, Marron thought. And pushing herself away from the countertop, she went in search of Trunks and Ron.

She found Trunks in Braun's office. He was sitting at the desk, totally immersed in the article he was editing. Again she was taken aback by how handsome he was. The soothing color of his hair gleamed in the sunlight pouring through the window. His broad shoulders –

Don't do this, she scolded. But her eyes continued to feast on him. And, shockingly, her heart began to race.

"Good morning," she called softly, knowing that alerting him to her presence was the only way to tame these raging hormones she never knew she had. She needed to make him talk, needed to allow him to make himself look like a jerk, and she could do it just by engaging him in normal conversation.

"Well, hello there," he said. "You look well-rested this morning."

His smile seemed free of inference, almost charming. But Marron was on her guard.

"Is there some reason why I shouldn't?" she asked. "Are you angry that you had to get up with Ron?"

Bewilderment crossed his brow. "I'm not angry. In fact, Ron slept through the night."

"Oh," she said, hearing the disappointment in her voice. Not that the baby had slept soundly, but that Trunks' initial greeting hadn't held any hidden umbrage and she was left looking grumpy.

Trunks must have heard the frustration in her tone because his brows rose and he said, "I got a good night's sleep, too. Does that mean our deal is off?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you going to watch Ron this morning so I can get some work done?"

"Of course I am." A lock of her curly hair had fallen into her eyes and she brushed at it. "Just because you didn't get up with him doesn't mean you wouldn't have, right? So our deal stands as made."

"Good," he said, "because I do my best work in the morning."

She grinned. "And I take a while to warm up to it."

One of his brows rose. "You'll be working?"

"I do have career," she said lightly. "I have an article that needs finishing. And I thought I'd call the magazine to see if they could give me some position I can fill from here."

When he didn't respond immediately, she was impelled to ask, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Of course not." He laid down his drawing pencil. "So I'll work morning and you'll work afternoons. Is that feasible?"

She nodded. His last question was almost terse. As though he hadn't expected her to continue with the magazine. Realization struck, he'd thought she would quit her job outright to take care of Ron. Was he out of his mind?

But she didn't want to fight with him. He'd agreed to a work schedule, that's all that was important for the time being.

"Well, where is he?" She kept her tone pleasant, hoping to keep the conversation on the right track.

"Still sleeping," he said, his tone still edged with hardness. But his words softened as he continued. "I guess the little guy has been though a lot in the past few days."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Poor thing's going to have a rough time of it."

Trunks nodded solemnly.

"I thought I might take him out today," she said. "If you'll point the way to the park, we'll get out of your hair for a while. Maybe I'll check the pantry and stop off at the grocery store on our way home."

"Sounds good."

"Mama. Mama. Maaaaaama."

The monitor on the kitchen counter magnified Ron's voice as clear as day. Marron smiled.

"Sounds like he's awake," she said. ""I'll go bring him down for some breakfast. You go ahead with your work.

She hurried up the stairs and down the hall. The door of the baby's room was ajar and she pushed it open and went inside.

Marron smiled brightly. "Good morning!"

Ron froze in his crib, his wide brown eyes, filling with fear.

I she'd stopped to think, she'd have realized that she should never have approached the crib. But she was so intent on calming the baby's anxiety that she didn't think, she simply acted.

Ron didn't move a muscle until she reached the crib railing. When she held out her hands to him, he began to scream as though she were an evil, ugly troll.


Hello there! I went snorkeling last weekend. It was beauuuuutiful. Better than Aruba, said a friend. So I think you'd understand why I wasn't able to update. Right? ^^

I think short-pants should update as well since she pmed me, asking when I was going to update XD Good luck with the application, bluetinkerbell! I know how annoying those can be. Thanks for the review, wine and roses. Please keep more of them coming! =D