A/N: Thank you all so much for all comments, follows and favourites! Keep them coming ;).
And if you celebrate Halloween, then happy Halloween - have fun and stay safe. :)
Chapter 11
"Excellent shot, cara mia!"
"Thank you, darling," Morticia smiled and handed the bow to Ivy."Your turn."
Ivy took the bow from Morticia and Lurch dutifully handed her an arrow.
"Thank you, Lurch," she said politely and proceeded to load the bow, just as her father taught her, even though, due to the fact that the bow was much bigger than her, she struggled to draw the string properly and her hands shook slightly as she focused on her target.
"Sometime today would be good," Gomez teased, his voice muffled by his cigar.
"I'm concentrating, mastery takes time," she retorted smartly, narrowing her eyes.
"She's spending too much time around Aurora," he muttered, rolling his eyes and heard Morticia's soft laugh beside him.
"So impatient, my dear husband," Morticia commented, wrapping her cloak a little more snugly around herself. After despicably hot and dry Summer they didn't have much of a Fall this year at all. Apparently, mother nature decided to skip straight to the winter season. Even though the snow was yet to fall, it was already damn freezing.
"Granny Frump says husbands should be held on a short leash," Ivy piped out before releasing the arrow.
"I happen to agree wholeheartedly with my dear mother-in-law," Gomez murmured into Morticia's neck, as he came to stand behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her before placing a soft kiss to her skin.
"Dang it, I missed!"
"I'm pretty sure your dear mother-in-law meant it as a figure of speech," she replied but there was a clear amusement laced into her voice.
"I think it's an idea worth exploring," he said suggestively and grinned when he elicited a gentle laugh out of her.
"Is your mind ever out of the gutter, mon amour?" she asked in a mock exasperation, turning her head towards him.
"Not when you speak to me like that," he replied before capturing her lips in an ardent kiss.
"Oh, no, not this again," the little girl groaned."You could at least try not smooch each other when there are other people around."
"We are," came her father's muffled reply.
"Not hard enough," she retorted before handing the bow and arrow to Lurch."I don't want to play this anymore, I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry," Gomez interjected goodnaturedly."It's a mystery where do you even put all that food."
"Ivy, what do we say to our guests?"Morticia reminded softly.
"Oh, right!" Ivy exclaimed and went to the two, extremely frightened- looking men, both dressed in black clothes and tied to their respective chairs with a rope, gagged and red apples placed on their heads. "Thank you so very much for breaking-in into our house in the middle of the night. It was very kind of you to agree to play with us together, I hope you'll visit us again soon."
The two men nodded at the girl politely with utterly stunned expressions on their faces.
"That's a good girl,"Morticia praised before turning to Lurch."Lurch, please untie our guests and show them to the gate."
"Yes, Mrs Addams," the butler grunted politely and went over to untie the two men. Well, he wasn't exactly expert on human emotions but those two certainly didn't look like they were even remotely considering stepping a foot on the Addams land ever again. Pity, it really was fun.
Morticia Addams counted silently to ten, then counted to ten in French, then proceeded to do so in Russian and Latin. When that did not seem to work she contemplated going through conjugation of French verbs for she currently found her serene personality severely challenged as she tried, quite fruitlessly, to put a certain five-year-old into the bath for the last thirty-three minutes.
Usually, Ivy was quite complainant with her bedtime routine yet tonight of all nights, when Morticia had yet to finish her paper for her history class and revise her notes for tomorrow's exam, she decided it would be amusing to run around the mansion half-naked and was now, half an hour later, still jumping on her bed, blatantly refusing to get down.
Additionally, Gomez was still to be back from business drinks with his father - to which, ironically, Morticia insisted he went to even though Gomez offered several times to stay at home, so she could focus on her studies but she assured him she could perfectly well handle Ivy's bedtime on her own. Obviously, that was not to be the case. She was slowly but surely starting to regret not taking him up on his offer.
"Ivy," Morticia stressed, trying very hard not to grit her teeth."That's quite enough, darling. Come on, you have your first day of school tomorrow and it's already late," she reasoned but the little girl continued to jump wildly on her bed that creaked suspiciously like it's not going to last.
"But Tish I can't get down," she answered in a serious tone."The floor is lava."
Morticia was about seven seconds into losing her temper when suddenly the door opened and Eudora Addams stepped in.
"Gomez just called to say they're on their way home," she informed but faltered upon noticing the exasperated look on her daughter-in-law's usually serene features and raised her eyebrow knowingly."Is the floor lava again?"
"Apparently. I'm trying to get her bathed for the last half an hour."
Her mother-in-law smiled sympathetically.
"She's an Addams, treat her accordingly," Eudora stated, with a careless wave of her hand, as of that explained everything, before putting her hands on her hips and addressing the little girl sternly:"Ivy Dorothy Addams get your butt off this bed and into your bath this instance."
Morticia almost gasped in an outrage as the little girl stopped jumping immediately and her eyes widened at the sight of her Grandmama's stern look.
"Yes, ma'am," she said and obediently got off the bed and came to stand in front of Morticia."I'm ready for my bath,please," she added sweetly.
"Go brush your teeth first, young lady. I shall bathe you tonight, you wasted enough of Morticia's time."
"But Tish didn't finish reading 'Crime and Punishment' to me yet,"Ivy pouted unhappily.
"I will read it to you."
"But you don't do voices properly, Tish does them with a Russian accent," she complained and Morticia couldn't help when her lips curled into an amused smile at Eudora's outraged huff.
"Well, you should have thought of that before you wasted her time," Eudora interjected sternly."You know how busy she is, it's very inconsiderate of you to misbehave like that."
Ivy bowed her head sheepishly and her eyes immediately shone with tears.
"I'm sorry for wasting your time, Tish," she apologised in such a pitiful voice Morticia could barely stand it.
"Oh, darling, don't cry," she placated softly as she squatted in front of the little girl and put her hands on her arms. She could practically hear her mother-in-law rolling her eyes in exasperation."We shall continue with the book tomorrow, I promise. Alright?"
Ivy nodded happily.
"You and Gomez need to learn to discipline this child without turning into a puddle of mush every time she makes those big puppy eyes. She's doing it on purpose, you know," Eudora scorned gently as they watched Ivy disappear into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
"You're right, mama, I know but…,"she hesitated before continuing."I just...don't feel comfortable reprimanding her, I'm not her…"
"My dear," Eudora interjected softly."You are her step-mother, you have every right to discipline her," Eudora pointed out.
She said it without a shadow of malice and Morticia knew she meant well but she couldn't help the feeling that she was being unfairly criticized and bit her lips in annoyance.
Admittedly, Morticia always possessed more poise and maturity than most of the people her age and that often projected an impression that she was more confident and experienced than she really was. Yet, the fact remained that she was only twenty-one, barely an adult herself and it was hard, to say the least, to put herself in a role of a stepmother to a five-year-old at the snap of her fingers. Parenting was hard as it was and she was getting an impression that everyone just expected her to fall into the swing of things, as if parenting skills should come to her naturally just because she was a woman. They didn't. She was out of her depth as much as her husband and half of the time she didn't know what the hell she was doing.
That being said, Ivy was generally well-behaved and Morticia often thought Eudora was unnecessary strict with her and was tempted to tell her to relax but she didn't want to sound disrespectful so she didn't. It was obvious that her mother-in-law's style of parenting was rather an old-school and vastly different to her own mother's who was generally more...well... relaxed - for the lack of better description - about upbringing of her offsprings. Morticia was trying her best to aim somewhere in the middle but that too sometimes didn't work all that well.
On top of that, her school schedule was more intense that she could've ever anticipated. Merely staying on top of her study material required a tremendous amount of work and that combined with her responsibilities of a wife and a stepmother resulted in Morticia feeling like she was constantly underperforming in all three areas. She certainly didn't need to be reminded of that by her mother-in-law, well-meaning as it may be.
"I didn't mean it to sound as a criticism," Eudora said softly which made Morticia realize that her ire was perhaps just a bit too obvious."It came out harsher than I intended."
"I'm really trying, mama, this isn't easy for me either," she found herself saying, her tone mildly defensive.
"I know, my dear," she said with a tender yet guilty look on her face."And you're doing a wonderful job, I never wanted to imply otherwise. I'm sorry if it came out this way -"
"- I'm done with my teeth, Grandmama!"
"I'm coming," Eudora replied before turning to Morticia again."You're doing great," she assured."Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise...even your mother-in-law."
Gomez winced slightly when the sharp edge of the razor cut into the skin of his cheek...again. Getting progressively exasperated with himself, he took one of his wife's cotton balls from the glass bowl and soaked it with his aftershave before dabbing the soft material into his nicked skin.
"Husband," the velvet half-laugh reverberated through the bathroom as his glorious enchantress sank deeper into her bath."I don't mean to criticize you superior shaving skills but you might get better results if you focus on the actual shaving rather than your not so furtive attempts at watching me bathe."
"How can I when there's a naked goddess behind me?" He reasoned with a cheeky smile.
"I fear you'll end up butchering that handsome face of yours," she retorted, finding his insistence on shaving twice a day quite hilarious.
"Ah, then I guess you'll have to kiss it all better," he retorted suggestively with a grin of his own.
"I guess I will since it appears I'm partly responsible," she commented with amusement as she watched her husband pick up a towel and wipe the remnants of the shaving cream before his face lost its amused sparkle.
He was still smiling when he squatted next to her bath but she thought the smile didn't reach his dark eyes.
"Darling?" she asked in a concerned tone and touched his cheek in a familiar, comforting manner.
He laced his fingers through hers and placed a soft kiss to his knuckles.
"Dr. Afzal called this morning," he said uneasily and watched her body stiffen visibly."He asked if I could bring Ivy over for a visit."
"Gomez, I can't take a time off now even if I sold my soul to the devil himself," she replied, her tone apologetic.
"I know," he whispered regrettably, placing a soft kiss to her hair."It's far from convenient, with Ivy starting school and all but I couldn't possibly deny Ivy seeing her mother."
"No, of course not," she agreed understandingly but, nevertheless, she felt a familiar stab of annoyance. On surface level she understood that he had to do it but it vexed her, undeniably so, this very fact that she had to, essentially, share her husband with Ivy's mother. As ridiculous as it seemed, she couldn't help feeling slightly resentful towards the woman."How long will you be gone?"
"Five days," he said."We'd fly Monday morning and come back Friday evening."
He could tell she wasn't pleased at the prospect. She pulled herself up and rested her pale forehead against his.
"I might go insane without you for so long," she admitted, only half-joking.
"It feels like my soul is being ripped out of my body to be away from you, even for a day, but I promise I shall make it up to you," he said and she watched his eyes illuminate with a mischievous spark."In fact," he added already climbing into the bathtub with her, not even bothering with removing his pyjama bottoms and attacking her lips in a loving kiss before she had a chance to react; unconcerned that half on the soapy water already sloshed out on the floor. He was immensely pleased when his action derived a delighted laugh from his sweet querida."I'm going to start making it up to you right now."
"You mad Castilian," she whispered affectionately against his lips, marvelling how his kisses never failed to make her stomach flutter, just as that first time when they kissed at the graveyard."I love you so much it's insane."
He smiled at her irresistibly and nipped at her lips teasingly before whispering:
"Ah, but that's the only way to love, cara mia."
Morticia bit her cheeks in an attempt not to laugh as she watched her husband sitting on a chair next to her, Ivy on his laps - both with identical, moody expressions on their faces.
"I'm so glad you've decided to bring Ivy to our school, Mr Addams," the vice-principal, a kind-faced, plump, middle-aged woman, cooed in an overly friendly manner."I'm sure she'll be very happy here."
"If I wanted her to be happy, I would let her stay at home," Gomez replied testily.
"Oh, it's only natural to feel apprehensive when your child starts school," the woman nodded understandingly before turning to Ivy."We have a lovely girl assigned to show you around, I'm sure you two will become friends."
"I changed my mind," Ivy said quickly."I don't wanna go to school, it's too noisy here, let's go home."
Morticia smiled sympathetically and stroked her hair back in a gentle manner.
"Let's at least give the school a fair chance before you decide you don't like it, shall we?"
"No, I don't think I like that,"she replied curtly and turned to her father instead, looking at him pleadingly."Gomez, let's go home."
Gomez was about to agree when he caught his wife's sharp look and immediately changed his mind.
"Hey, are you an Addams or not?"he asked instead.
"I am!"
"And what do Addamses do when faced with obstacles?"
"Give up!" his daughter replied promptly in a cheerfully confident tone.
He made a face.
"Not always," he muttered."I'm sure it will be fine, you'll meet new friends, you never know they may…"
"- Gomez!"
The trio turned in the direction of the door as a young girl, who Morticia thought couldn't be older than ten-years-old, entered the office.
"Hi," the girl said breathlessly with a happy smile.
Gomez looked at her with a cautious uncertainty.
"Hi," he said slowly, feeling his wife's and daughter's curious glances.
"I'm Kelly," she said, realizing he didn't recognize her."Kelly Newton."
Gomez laughed, suddenly recognizing the girl before him.
"Dear me, you've got old," he teased.
"It's been a long time," the girl grinned."Fancy seeing you here."
"Fancy seeing you here,"he replied."I thought you were at Gresham's."
"Oh, them," Kelly waved her hand dismissively."They kicked me out two years ago. Mother put me in St. Thomas', but I managed to get kicked out as well. And so hello public school!"she added cheerfully.
"Well done, that's inspiring,"he praised.
"Thanks!"
"Are you acquainted with Mr Addams, Kelly Ann?" the vice-principal enquired politely.
"Yes, ma'am," the girl confirmed cheerfully."He used to date my sister."
Morticia thought her husband looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here and she couldn't help but smirk at his discomfort.
"What a coincidence," she smiled warmly at the girl and could hear her husband's silent groan."I'm Mrs Addams, I've met your sister quite recently, you must send her my regards."
"I will," the girl replied politely and beamed happily."That your little girl?" she asked, pointing at Ivy who was currently hiding her face into her father's chest.
"Yes, it's her first day."
"Oh, cool, kindergarten is the best," she smiled at the little girl who half-turned to her, mildly curious."I'm Kelly, what's your name?"
Ivy glared at the girl warily for few seconds before finally lifting her head off her father's chest.
"Ivy Addams," she replied, turning fully towards the older girl.
"That's a lovely name," Kelly said, smiling friendly at Ivy before extending her hand towards her."Come on, I'll show you around. I'll tell you all my secrets of how to cause mischief without getting caught," she whispered conspiratiously and Ivy immediately beamed at her; to Gomez's unbridled surprise, she jumped off his laps and slipped her hand into Kelly's.
"Kelly Ann," the vice-principal's voice reverberated sternly through the office.
"Just kiddin, Mrs D."
"I've told you a million times not to call me that, young lady."
"Yes, ma'am, I forgot."
"You may take Miss Addams on a tour around the school now and then escort her to her class please," she said before regarding Ivy softly."Say goodbye to your parents Ivy."
"Bye Gomez, bye Tish," she waved at them before disappearing outside the door.
The vice-principal smiled at them.
"We'll take a very good care of her," she assured them before her expression turned serious and there was an unmistakable tinge of unease to her demeanor. "Mr Addams, I hope you don't mind me asking a personal question. I don't mean to pry, I want to make sure we meet your daughter's needs and to do that it's crucial for us not to make her uncomfortable by being accidentally insensitive."
"By all means."
"Thank you for your understanding," she smiled warmly before taking a quick glance at the paperwork in front of her."I've spoken to Ivy's social worker and we're of course aware of her situation. However, I noticed Ivy refers to you by your given name, is there any particular reason for it?"
Gomez shifted uneasily in his seat and gave out a tense shrug.
"We're just getting to know each other, things have been a little…"he faltered momentarily, looking for a right word."Tense."
"I see."
"It's an adjustment, for all of us."
"It certainly is," the woman confirmed understandingly. "Well, in any case she seems shy but a happy child, I'm sure she'll thrive here."
He could feel his wife's amused glance as they made their way back to the car where Lurch was already dutifully waiting to open the door.
"Your daughter just befriended you ex-lover's little sister," Morticia stated with a barely concealed amusement as she entered the green Packard."Thank you, Lurch."
Gomez half-glared at her over the roof of the car before he took his seat next to her.
"I know where you're going with it, Tish," he interjected, taking out one of his cigars from his breast pocket."The answer is still no."
"It's a clear sign, Gomez," she grinned at him menacingly.
"It's a sign that someone down there is having a lot of fun on my account," he groused making her laugh."Drop you at Aurora's?"
"No, the Council please, I think I will just make it for my second class."
"Council it is," he smiled at her before a thought occurred to him."You think she'll be fine there?"
"I'm sure she will," she took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze before placing a soft kiss on his cheek."Don't worry."
He only grunted in reply.
Despite the fact that Ivy lived with them merely for slightly over two months, Morticia was surprised how quickly she got used to having a child in the house; to the point where now, with Ivy at school until mid-afternoon, the house seemed to her eerily quiet.
Her father-in-law, especially, found the new routine upsetting, having got used to spending time with his granddaughter and their post-lunch strolls in the graveyard. He started to complain - to practically everyone and at every opportunity - about the dire realities American schooling system, constantly questioning the need for Ivy to go to school at all when all the Addamses were homeschooled throughout generations and what wonderfully rotten apples they've all turned out to be.
Ivy, however, to her grandfather's dismay, loved school. She's also developed a close friendship with Kelly and was all so eager to share the exciting fact that Gomez used to date Kelly's older sister which never failed to annoy the hell out of her father. Just as the fact that everyone found it hilarious, including his wife.
Nevertheless, Gomez - although initially shared his father's dismay about his daughter's schooling - quickly changed his mind when it turned out that, with the house now child-free until the late afternoons, Aurora decided they could conduct their lessons and training in the comfort of Addams mansion, instead of the Council or her apartment; which meant that Gomez Addams could steal his wife every now and then under the pretence that she needed a study break.
His aunt never failed to glare at him but, surprisingly and to his unbridled delight, seemed to willingly acquiesce to his interruptions. Hence, instead of being away for most of the day, Morticia now spent her mornings at the Council for her classes and was usually back home before lunchtime for her studies and practice with Aurora. Her husband couldn't be more pleased and she wasn't complaining either.
"The world of spirits is separated from ours, but we are both creations with the same purpose. Demons, however, possess powers not granted to humans," Morticia recounted dutifully - as it has been their ritual for the past few weeks, ever since her successful subduing of the demon. Aurora wanted to make sure Morticia knew by heart all there was to know about demons and she drilled her daily with the theoretical knowledge of the Dark Arts. She was of the unshakeable opinion that the key to learning was constant repetition, even or rather especially the material one was already familiar with. So much so that Gomez started to tease his wife that she was reciting her textbooks in her sleep.
"Demons belong to the spirit world,"she continued."But not all spirits are demons. Spirits, just like humans, are good and bad. They possess free will and the ability to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. Humankind is visible to spirits, but only selected humans can see spirits."
"Very good,"Aurora smiled, obviously pleased with her answer.
"Only demons interact with humans, usually by the means of possession."
"That is correct as far as the extension of our experience with the spirits goes, yes," Aurora agreed."There's no known or recorded case of an interaction between spirit and human with a spirit that's not a demon."
"Do you think it's possible, though?"Morticia inquired.
"I think anything's possible, but I have never encountered one myself or know of any such encounters," Aurora answered."I have, however, encountered many, many demons and if there's one thing I learned about them is that they are liars."
"That's what you say in the book," Morticia mentioned, tapping the deep green, hardback with her pen."You also write that humankind is of no significance to the spirits."
"That's true."
"Why do they bother then? With the lies and possessions, I mean? What do they gain from it?"
"It's impossible to know for sure, but my guess would be that it's... nothing."
Morticia frowned, utterly taken aback by her answer.
"Nothing?" she repeated in disbelief."What about that theory that there are certain hidden powers in humans that demons crave?"
Aurora made a face and gave an uncommitted shrug of her bony shoulders.
"There's no valid proof for that 'theory", it's more of an opinion or even wishful thinking,"she replied."After so many years of mingling among demons, I'm partial to the theory that they do it for the hell of it - fun. Psychotic, sadistic, deranged kind of fun but nevertheless; it's a form of amusement for them. They like creating havoc in the human world. Care for some more tea?"
Morticia nodded and took a teapot from its place on a silver tray before pouring the hot beverage into their respective cups.
"We are the only danger for them, really," Aurora continued." The witches. What you need to be wary of is that they will stop at absolutely nothing to possess you, especially the witch such as yourself."
"Because, I can destroy them," Morticia concluded.
"Precisely, you are as lethal to them as they are to you," Aurora agreed." And so you have to be constantly on your guard, they'll pursue your demise tirelessly and relentlessly."
"Is that how it is with you?"
Aurora's thin lips curved into a small, wilful smile as if she was sharing a private joke with herself.
"Well, yes and no,"she answered furtively, taking a small sip of her tea."I don't just go around killing every single demon I encounter. They don't cross me, then I don't cross them."
"What does it mean exactly?"
"Do you know who are the people most susceptible to be possessed?"
Morticia shook her head and looked at the older lady curiously.
"I always thought they are chosen at random."
"Yes, that's true but there are patterns," Aurora explained."You see, not all demons are equal. Some are more powerful than others, just like not all witches are equally powerful."
"So the weaker ones choose people that are more likely to be receptive to possession," she concluded and watched the older lady smile, pleased with her insight.
"Correct,"she said."Number one are very religious people, but not fanatics, I mean genuinely God-loving, goody-two-shoes individuals that long to be very close to their Creator and very often that's their downfall - they are very receptive to possessions. Two, people interested in magic as a means of gaining power - self-explanatory really, and number three are the witches."
"Isn't it difficult to possess a witch, though?"
"Not as difficult as you might think, you especially must be careful of possession."
Morticia frowned, somewhat taken aback by her statement.
"The ability to destroy a demon will protect you only in the case of a direct attack," Aurora explained."But do not underestimate the intelligence of a demon, they are extremely cunning, extremely intelligent creatures and excellent liars. They will lie their way through your mind."
"That's why you argue that the demon's possession of one's mind is far more dangerous than the possession of one's body?"
"Absolutely," Aurora agreed."When a demon possesses the body, it's obvious and then it can be quickly remedied. Possession of the mind is far more subtle. Demons are liars, remember that, they will promise you great knowledge with great powers, above and beyond anything you can imagine. And you'd be surprised how many witches fall for that because they forget what is the real source of their magic. It's vital that you're always aware of that."
Morticia looked at her hands, the burn wounds almost non-existent now. She knew. She knew exactly what Aurora's talking about. She remembered the enticing, almost irresistible pull of the dark force when the demon attempted to possess her. How easy would it be to just allow herself to succumb to that, even knowing full-well she would be inviting her own destruction. Nothing mattered to her then, not her husband, not her family, nothing except the overpowering pull of the darkness.
Could that ever happen to her? Would she ever put her magic above her husband, her family? She thought about it and felt a prickle of panic when she couldn't provide a confident answer.
"How do I keep the balance?" she found herself asking out loud.
Aurora smiled with, what Morticia thought was a relief, as if she was somehow comforted by her question. She wasn't sure what to think of that. She wasn't sure she was wanted to know.
"By constantly reminding yourself who you are and why are you who you are,"Aurora answered cryptically."You must understand that you will never arrive at the point when it will be enough, when you'll be able to say 'I finally know everything there's to know about the Dark Arts, my powers are absolute' - that will never happen and that's not your purpose. Your purpose is to keep the balance. And trust your heart - it's a fine guide in life, people always underestimate their hearts."
Morticia smiled and couldn't help but tease her gently.
"That's unexpectedly sentimental of you," she grinned when, predictably, the older lady let out an outraged huff.
"A moment of weakness," Aurora replied contemptuously but there was an undeniable facetious tone to it. "Don't mention it to anyone."
"Ha,"Morticia laughed at the very idea."Who'd believe me, anyway?"
The bedroom was so dark she barely knew where she was going until she bumped into the foot of the bed. She waited until her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could finally distinguish between two bodies nestled together in bed.
"Tish," she whispered but the woman in question barely stirred so Ivy shook her arm firmly."Tish, wake up," she said pitifully.
Morticia's eyes opened in a sudden alarm and she blinked slowly in a surprise of seeing the little girl in their bedroom with an utterly miserable look on her face, clutching her belly.
"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked gently and felt her husband already stir next to her.
"I don't feel well, my tummy hurts and my mouth feels funny," she complained.
"Ok, hold on," Morticia placated softly but resisted an urge to wince, because they were both utterly naked under the satin covers, neither of them bothered dressing in the aftermath of their lovemaking. She was thankful when her husband swiftly located and slipped into his pyjama bottoms and was out of the bed in a flash, throwing her her nightgown before coming to Ivy and touching her forehead gently.
"She's very warm," he said to his wife, pulling Ivy into a gentle hug so his wife could dress.
"I'll get her some water," she said, already putting her robe on and switched the bedside lamp on before moving in a direction of her dresser.
Gomez sat down at the foot of the bed and picked his daughter to sit on his lap and she leaned into him pitifully.
"Anything else hurts?" he asked, smoothing her blond hair off her face.
"No, just my tummy."
"Gomez, darling, be careful she looks like she's going to…"she faltered, a glass of water in her hand as she watched the little girl lean forward and empty the content of her stomach straight on her father's pyjama. She winced before adding :"Vomit."
"There are other ways to show affection, you know," he tried to joke but Ivy clutched her stomach and started crying in earnest.
"My mouth feels disgusting,"she sobbed.
"It's ok," Morticia placated."Come on, let's go to the bathroom and rinse your mouth."
"I don't wanna move, my tummy hurts."
"You're going to be sick again?" Gomez asked but to his relief she shook her head and leaned further into him.
Morticia put the glass of water away and picked the sobbing girl up in her arms.
"You might want to change, darling,"she said, looking at his soiled, silk pyjama bottoms before adding as she carried Ivy to the adjacent bathroom."I think we're in for a long night."
Hester Frump rolled her eyes as she watched Morticia help Ivy to a mixture of a lemon, garlic, honey and cyanide drink, that Eudora prepared, and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"These children nowadays, one little stomach flu and they're out cold," she said and turned to Morticia."Why, when you had pneumonia you ran around in the garden barefoot and a hundred-and-ten degrees fever."
"Mother, she almost died," Ophelia reminded her in a mild disbelief.
"Oh, nonsense,"her mother waved her hand nonchalantly."Two weeks in a hospital and she was back, bright and chipper like a little bat."
Ophelia turned to her sister and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
"Don't you wonder sometimes that it's nothing short of a miracle that we've survived until adulthood?"
"Every day," Morticia deadpanned.
"Oh, stop it you two, in my days - "
"Tishy, I think I'm gonna be sick again," Ivy announced in a faint voice and promptly vomited two seconds later. Morticia praised inwardly her sister's quick reflexes as Ophelia bolted from the chair and grabbed a metal bowl just in time as Ivy bowed down and emptied the content of her stomach into the bowl instead of Morticia's laps.
"I love you, Ophelia," she said with an undeniable tone of relief, patting Ivy gently on her back.
"I bet you do,"her sister replied with a mock-triumphant grin and turned to Ivy who stopped vomiting and had her mouth wiped with wet cloth by Morticia. "Don't you worry, little pet, Aunt Ophelia is here to save you."
The little girl snorted.
"You better, since it's all your fault anyway," she said menacingly with her eyes closed.
Ophelia gave out an outraged gasp and handed the bowl to Lurch who went out to the adjoining bathroom to clean it.
"I didn't tell you to eat so much of those chocolate-caramel-fudge ice cream," she pointed out and next to her Morticia wrinkled her nose in disgust at the very description of the dessert.
"You should have stopped me," Ivy insisted crossing her arms defiantly and opening her eyes to glare at her aunt.
"You said you can handle it!"
"Who listens to a five-year-old?"
Ophelia narrowed her eyes at the girl and opened her mouth to reply but no sound came. She heard her mother amused snort and next to her Morticia was clearly biting the inside of her cheeks in an attempt to stop the smile appear on her face. Ophelia glared at both of them.
"Now, now Ivy, you know it's not really Ophelia's fault,"Morticia said gently."The school said there are quite a few children absent with stomach flu."
"Hm," was the youngest Addams contemptuous response.
They've all turned as the door to the room opened and Gomez entered jovially carrying a black box in his hands.
"How is our little patient today?"
"Dying," Ivy mumbled.
"No Addams in history died of such pathetic ailments as stomach flu."
"I'll be the first then," she replied moodily.
"That sullen disposition really suits you," he complimented.
"I think so too," Morticia agreed."And look at her lovely pallor."
"Very becoming," he concurred happily."In any case, I have something that will make you feel better," he added, pointing at the black box he was holding.
"Nothing can make me feel better," his daughter retorted but took the box from him regardless, never the one to refuse a gift.
They all watched her open the box carefully and peer inside curiously before letting out a scream of delight.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed in disbelief."Is it really mine?"
"It is, indeed," Gomez grinned, clearly pleased with himself.
"Tish, look!" she pointed to the box and Morticia obediently looked inside.
"Awww, isn't it precious?" she cooed before turning towards her sister."Just look, he looks just like Lucifer."
Her sister wrinkled her nose and groaned.
"Lucifer? As in Lucifer - that damn pet tarantula of yours?" she asked in confirmation and Morticia nodded enthusiastically.
"Theraphosa blondi, straight from Venezuela," Gomez introduced. "His name is Beelzebub."
Ivy beamed at him happily before caressing the sleeping tarantula gently.
"I will love you forever, Beezle," she cooed and then, as if struck by a sudden thought, put the box aside and darted from the bed, wrapping her skinny arms around Gomez's legs squeezing them with all her might."Thank you, thank you so much!"
Gomez grinned, smoothing her blond hair in a tender gesture but next to them Ophelia narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Gomez, you might want to move away, she looks like she's going to…," she tried to warn but it was too late for Ivy's face turned pale again and vomited straight on her father's shoes. Ophelia winced before muttering:"Vomit."
Gomez just rolled his eyes and shook his head in a good-natured exasperation.
"We really need to find a new way for your expressions of affection."
The air was sharp and felt of the upcoming first snow.
Ivy was more than excited to experience the frozen fluff which briefly dampened her enthusiasm of going to California to visit her mother. She has never seen the snow before and didn't want to miss it until Salvador assured her that it was just the beginning and there were still weeks of snow and cold weather ahead.
"I don't know how am I going to last without you five days," Gomez whispered against his wife's lips, pulling her to him even closer.
"You know I'd come along if I could,"she said apologetically.
"I know,"he kissed her softly."Remember to eat and sleep, ok? Academic success is not everything, you overachiever," he teased affectionately, drawing a gentle laugh out of her.
"You're starting to sound like my father," she replied and captured his lips in another ardent kiss."God, I'm going to miss you."
"I miss you already."
"- Gooomeeeez, come on," Ivy whined, leaning dramatically from the car window."I'm growing weeds here."
"Drama queen," he father replied goodnaturedly, still holding Morticia firmly in his arms.
"I wonder where did she get that from,"Eudora muttered under her nose eliciting an outraged huff from her husband.
"My dear, how many times do we have to go through this?"he asked in an exasperated tone."We are not drama queens, we are hot-blooded Castilians! There's a difference."
"Semantics," his wife answered with a careless wave of her hand before leaning closer to Ivy and placing a tender kiss to her forehead."Have a lovely trip, my darling. I hope you'll have lots of delightful turbulences. Give our regards to your mother."
"Ok, I will," she replied cheerfully before turning to her grandfather."Grandpa, remember to take care of Beezle while I'm away."
"I will, not to worry, Paloma," he smiled.
"And remember to tell him every night that I love him and I'm coming back very soon."
"I know."
"And promise you will kiss him gently on his head, just as I showed you, so he feels loved and appreciated."
"Ehm…"
"Promise."
"Can't Morticia do the kissing part?" he asked uneasily, not really looking forward to being seen kissing that measly, little creature.
"No, because Cleopatra gets jealous when she does."
"Don't worry, sweetheart," Eudora interjected with a vicious smile."I'll personally make sure Grandpa follows your directions, kissing and all."
Ivy smiled at her gratefully.
"Thank you, Grandmama, you're the best!"
"All ready to go, Mr Addams," Lurch reported dutifully as he finished loading their bags.
"Thank you, Lurch," Gomez replied before turning again towards his wife."I'll call you when we get to the hotel," he promised.
Morticia nodded and enclosed her palms over both sides of his handsome face before leaning forward and capturing his lips in a loving kiss.
"I love you," she whispered. "Try not to get your temper in the way."
"I love you too, querida mia," he replied. "I will be sweet and harmless as a baby vulture, I promise," he declared and she let out an amused snort of laughter.
"I would pay a good money to see that," she teased and smiled when he placed one last kiss to her lips and then to her knuckles before joining his daughter in the car.
They have barely made it through the gate when Ivy turned to him with a somewhat anxious expression on her face.
"Gomez."
"Hmmm?"
"Do you think she's better?"she asked him uneasily."If we can visit her, that means she's getting better, right?"
Gomez looked at his daughter thoughtfully, silently debating how to answer without blatantly lying to her. He remembered the words Rebecca's doctor used during their last conversation, terms like 'hopeful', 'encouraging' and other vague descriptions that people often used when they didn't have anything substantial to share which implied there was indeed very little progress.
"I hope so" he smiled at her softly and leaned closer to place a tender kiss to her hair and was happy when she returned the smile, seemingly accepting his answer and turned towards the window.
"Gomez look, snowflakes!"
Ophelia Frump sighed with an exasperation when she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door. Her mother was really overdoing it. She briefly toyed with an idea of pretending to be asleep but she's already done that twice today and a third time would surely send her mother into hysterics.
"Come in," she said with an unmistakable air of defeat.
It was simultaneously a relief and surprise when her sister's graceful form entered the bedroom and surveyed the room, that was in a total disarray. Clothes, empty food packets and at least eight bottles of nail polish scattered around the spacious bedroom.
"Oh dear, and I thought mother was exaggerating," she supplied in a manner of greeting.
"Lovely to see you too," Ophelia replied, digging into a paper bag for another piece of fudge before turning her eyes back to the television. Her daisies hung dejectedly.
Morticia smiled sympathetically before moving towards her sister and flopped, foregoing her usual grace, on the bed next to her.
"What's the matter?" she asked, nodding to the half-empty bag of fudge.
"Nothing," her sister muttered."Just not feeling like getting up from the bed for the ast three days."
"Okay," Morticia said but didn't press her sister any further, knowing very well she will share with her whatever the matter was only when she wanted to and no amount of coercing would change that. She settled herself against the pillows more comfortably and turned her eyes towards the TV where the couple just ended their kiss in a black and white motion picture.
You know how to whistle don't you, Steve? The woman on the screen said in her husky signature voice. You just put your lips together and… blow.
"Just watch how he looks at her," Ophelia said quietly, without taking her eyes from the tv."Like she's the most sublime being in the world, it's so beautiful," she added wistfully before turning to her sister. "This is how Gomez looks at you."
Morticia smiled at the comparison.
"Am I Lauren Bacall in this relationship then?" she asked in amusement and was glad when the question made Ophelia laugh.
"Well, you too have that dreamy look in your eyes when your husband is around," she supplied with a small smirk."He's a Bogart to your Bacall."
Morticia laughed, looking at her sister softly and reached towards her to move one of her daisies, that was currently resting depressingly on Ophelia's forehead, aside.
"Is it about Itt?" she asked gently and watched her sister's shoulders move in a careless shrug.
"No," she said finally, taking another piece of fudge."Or maybe."
Morticia said nothing but waited patiently for her sister to elaborate further.
"You see, it's not that I've expected a great love affair, I knew he's a dandy and he never promised me anything," she said and bit her lips thoughtfully."I think...I hoped, stupidly, that I can change him. He's so funny, smart and charming, you know? I fell for it like an idiot, even though I should have known better."
"Don't be so harsh on yourself, Ophelia," Morticia placated gently."Charm is a devious thing, a dangerous quality. Just ask Aurora," she added, eliciting a small smile from her sister.
"I know," she replied quietly before turning towards her younger sister."You know, that night when you announced your engagement to Gomez, I was so happy for you...I'm still so happy for you but honestly, I didn't think it's going to last at all," she added and watched Morticia laugh.
"I don't think you were the only one, don't feel bad," she quipped.
"I don't," Ophelia smirked."Because when I saw the way he was looking at you, I knew right and then that he'll worship you forever. That meeting you transformed him in a way that no one thought was possible and you'll always be the only woman in his heart. I thought that maybe it takes the right woman...you know, to change a man...and I was stupid, but I hoped that maybe, I could be that woman to Itt. Even though I knew he was dating other women, I still thought that... maybe if I was patient, if I gave him time…" she shook her head and rolled her eyes."Do you see how stupid that is? I was chasing a guy that never wanted me."
"That's not true," Morticia countered."Itt likes you a great deal. He's just a...well...a philanderer, there's no a nice way to put it."
"But so was Gomez, hell Tish, there's a plethora of broken-hearted females pining after your husband in this city."
"And a child out-of-wedlock, don't forget about that," Morticia deadpanned."I have also recently met his ex-lover and I must tell you she's an absolute joy to be around with."
Ophelia stared at her sister for a few seconds and then nodded, biting her pink lips thoughtfully before busting up laughing.
"Are you serious?" she asked between fits of laughter.
"I swear," Morticia grinned and then, solely for the sake of her sister's well-being and silently praying for her husband's forgiveness, she added:"In addition to that, on her first day at school Ivy befriended a girl who turned out to be my husband's aforementioned ex-lover's little sister."
"Jesus wept," Ophelia commented with her mouth hanging open in disbelief before the fits of mad laughter reverberated throughout the room.
On the other side of the door, Hester Frump pressed her ear to the door in a blatant attempt to overhear the conversation and smiled contentedly at the sound of laughter inside.
Admittedly, she was always the first to admit that she wasn't the best mother even though she loved her two daughters dearly. She couldn't help the fact that her own maternal instincts fluctuated perilously somewhere between an utter devotion and the animals that eat their young. Thankfully, her husband possessed enough love and devotion for their children to cover for both of them and her daughters never held a grudge either. They were content to take from her what she was able to offer them and never asked for more.
Nevertheless, this precarious arrangement resulted in a very strong bond between the two sisters, who, despite being different - quite literally - like a night and day, have never failed to love and look out for each other and that, more than anything, made Hester feel that she didn't do such a bad job as a mother at all.
"And then Tish caught him with Gomez's razor trying to shave off Cleopatra's leaves, can you believe it?" Ivy giggled, sitting on her mother's laps for the last half-an-hour, where she was telling Rebecca all the little details about her life at the Addams mansion.
"It sounds like he's quite a handful," Rebecca commented with a happy smile.
"He definitely is, isn't he, Gomez?"
"He is indeed," her father confirmed affectionately.
"But you will love Thing, he's fun and he likes to cuddle," Ivy continued before exclaiming."Oh, guess what! I have my own pet tarantula."
Rebecca frowned, not quite sure she heard correctly before she turned towards Gomez for confirmation.
"A pet what?" she mumbled in disbelief.
"Tarantula," he confirmed.
"His name is Beelzebub - Beezle - and he's precious!" Ivy explained excitedly. "He likes to wander around my room at night. Once I woke up with Beezle on the top of my head, he's a sweetheart."
"Oh, good Lord," Rebecca whispered in a tone of defeated exasperation. She was now getting the idea where her daughter's weird behavior was coming from. She loved Ivy to the bones, but the next time she'll get an urge to sleep with a charming, handsome stranger she'll be sure to whack herself in the head with a brick first. She was starting to suspect that when Ivy told her about Gomez's wife's pet lion, she didn't mean just a large cat as Rebecca initially thought, there was a huge chance she really meant a freakin' lion. Just what kind of a madhouse was her daughter living in?"Do you like your new school?" she asked instead, it seemed like a safe, normal topic to talk about.
"Yeah, it's ok, my teacher is very nice and she says I'm very smart," she boasted."But guess what! There's this girl that I'm best friends with - Kelly - and Gomez used to date her sister and Kelly said she once caught them kissing in her sister's room - naked!"
Okay. Apparently, there were no safe topics of conversation.
Rebecca turned to Gomez who looked like he just ate a bag of lemons and was close to crying, she could not help but laugh.
"Jeez, aren't the two of us the sure recipients of the parents of the year award?" she teased and he was obviously surprised by her good-natured jest. He probably expected her to snap at him, which wasn't entirely unexpected, given how 'well' their last meeting went.
She was expecting him to come up with some half-assed excuse and refuse to bring Ivy to California but doctor Afzal assured her that Mr Addams agreed instantly and she appreciated the gesture. She could afford to be nice to him.
"No doubt about that,"he said with a small snort of laughter."Ivy, I need to go to speak to your mum's doctor, ok?"
"Ok, I still have to tell mummy how I turned Lumpy's hair pink," she snickered but then her eyes widened when she realized her mistake."Ehmmm…"
"Yeah, we'll speak about that later," her father said with an exasperated shake of his head.
Ivy turned to her mother with a sheepish grin on her face before exclaiming in a defensive tone:
"He deserved it, I swear, mummy!"
Gomez thought the good doctor looked like he wasn't looking forward to the upcoming conversation at all. His posture was so tense, Gomez thought he might snap any minute.
"Thank you for coming all the way here, Mr Addams," he started with a smile that looked forced and as artificial as the bunch of flowers on the window behind him.
"No problem."
"I wish I could give you better news, however," he continued as he sat forward, placing his hands on the wooden desk and linking his fingers together before regarding Gomez thoughtfully." Miss Howard is, what we call, a highly functional drug addict," Dr. Afzal said in an uncomfortable, tense manner."Which is a huge obstacle is her recovery because she doesn't see her addiction as a problem."
"A highly functional drug addict?" Gomez repeated, frowning at the hell was that supposed to mean?
"Yes, you see people often have a certain image of people addicted to substance abuse - drugs, alcohol - they think of a person who is at their bottom, their life ruined by their addiction and, admittedly, that's the truth for the majority,"he proceeded in a manner of explanation."But there is quite a substantial percentage of drug addicts who lead very successful lives: they are bankers, managers, entrepreneurs, artists, movie stars - you name it. Rebecca is a successful artist in her own right and she thinks it's partly due to drugs, she said it allows her to experience life in a way she wouldn't be able to otherwise and that it translates into her work. The fact is that she's young so her body handles the abuse quite magnificently but ... it's just a matter of time before it crashes down."
"So in other words, she's not planning on giving up drugs anytime soon, if at all," Gomez summed up somberly.
"That would be my assessment, yes," Dr. Afzal confirmed." Admittedly, she was successful in her second attempt at detox and she performed satisfactorily since then but my team and I are of an opinion that she will start taking drugs the moment she steps out of the clinic, so in that regard, we are forced to admit we've made no progress. She simply likes what drugs offer her, she doesn't see a problem with her addiction even though she admits she relies heavily on opiates, for her it's fun, it's a -"
"- lifestyle?" Gomez interjected.
"Precisely," the older man agreed, nodding."I would like to keep her here for the next twelve weeks, anyway. Dr Vale wants to try a certain different approach, see how it works."
"And if it doesn't?"
"We'll have to admit a defeat, I'm afraid."
"And Ivy?"
Doctor Afzal bit his lips thoughtfully before admitting in a sympathetic tone:
"We have assessed Rebecca's psychological and emotional profile quite thoroughly and at present, we are of an opinion that, despite the addiction, she's capable of looking after the child. She poses no danger to her daughter."
"I see," Gomez said morosely. So what now? He didn't know what to think of all that, what it implied."Thank you, doctor."
Dr. Afzal stood up and extended his hand towards Gomez.
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you better news."
"Not your fault, you can take a horse to the water…"
"...but you can't make it drink it, I know," the doctor smiled somewhat sadly."I hope you and Miss Howard can agree on a suitable arrangement for your daughter, Mr Addams. We will assist however we can but, if I might offer some advice," he faltered waiting until Gomez nodded at him to continue."Do your best to do it without involving the custody battle. It rarely ends well for anyone involved."
"That's not the easiest of tasks, doctor," Gomez replied testily.
"I realize that," he confirmed in a placating manner before adding pointedly."But you need to make a decision that's best for your child."
Gomez almost winced in annoyance. What's best for the child, he thought in exasperation, what the hell did that doctor think was he doing here, in this blasted place, away from his wife if not attempting to do just that.
Her eyes snapped open and she was immediately aware of how wet her cheeks felt. Tears. She couldn't remember what was the dream about yet her heart was still hammering in her chest, her fingertips prickled with fear.
Morticia swung her legs off the bed and went to the dresser to pour herself a glass of water. She gulped at the clear liquid greedily, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was. The room seemed unbearably hot. She decided to open the window but even such a simple task took her few minutes to accomplish because her hands were shaking so badly. She breathed out in relief when the cold, night air hit her bare skin. The sky was covered with heavy clouds, the air was comfortingly dank with a rich deep smell of rotting wood.
She took a deep breath. Then another. And another. Slowly she felt the tightening in her chest subside until - with an unexpected abruptness - it was gone entirely. She frowned, half wondering if she perhaps imagined the whole thing.
She was going to pour herself another glass of water when something caught her eye and she inhaled sharply, dropping the glass and watched it shatter helplessly on the wooden floor.
Her whole hands were covered with blood. She could feel the crimson stickiness between her fingers. Its sweet metallic smell filled her nostrils and the smell, unexpectedly, made her stomach churn. Never before has she reacted this way at the sight of blood.
She swallowed heavily, suddenly confused and unsure what to do. She looked around for something, a cloth of some sort to wipe the blood but there was nothing at hand except her silk robe. She looked at her hands again, to make sure the blood wasn't dripping on the floorboards and faltered.
The blood was gone.
Is this a dream? One of those vivid creations of Morpheus that felt like … she pinched the delicate skin of her wrist and winced.
Definitely not a dream then.
What was it then? It's impossible she's imagined the whole thing.
She looked at the bedside clock. Nearly four in the morning. Too early for her to get a decent rest but she was too wide awake to go back to sleep now.
She made her way to the walk-in wardrobe and switched the light on, quickly locating the burgundy velvet robe her husband left here. She pressed the soft material to herself. It smelled of cigars and his earthy cologne and she let the scent to comfort her briefly before slipping into the garment and wrapping it tightly around her body.
"Come home," she whispered into the fabric."I need you, mon amour."
"Do you mope around the house, missing me like crazy?" he teased and laughed when she let out a dismissive huff.
"Yes, sans the moping," she smiled into the receiver, settling herself comfortably in the chair in the library. It was so good to hear his voice.
"You sound tired, Tish."
"Good Lord, have you been taking tips on how to flirt with your spouse from Aurora?"
"Apparently," he quipped, making her laugh."You ok, though?"
"I'm fine, I really miss you, the bed is too empty without you," she admitted.
"Mine isn't," he replied suggestively."There's a certain five-year-old jumping on it and the floor is lava."
Morticia laughed affectionately at the description.
"How did it go with her mother?" she asked and heard him inhale tiredly.
"Better than last time," he replied succinctly."She was more amicable but we didn't get to talk much with Ivy around. She told Rebecca about Kelly and Melanie," he added with an exasperated sigh and heard his wife's pearly laugh reverberate through the receiver."It's not funny, Tish."
"I really beg to differ, mon amour," she replied.
"Tish, don't tease, you know what your French does to me," he groaned.
"Oh, then you probably don't want to hear about the new lingerie I bought," she said innocently.
"What lingerie?" he asked in a raspy voice. She could imagine him gripping the receiver in an effort to subdue the images she was feeding him with.
"Well, it shouldn't really be called lingerie," she continued her innocent musings."There's barely any fabric there at all."
"God, Tish," he moaned."Do you know what I'm going to do to you when I see you? You're going to beg me to stop."
"Hmmm, promises, promises," she teased lightly but could already feel her body responding to his words in anticipation.
"- who are you talking to, Gomez?" the little voice piped up in the background.
"Morticia," he replied and the little girl promptly snatched the receiver, effectively ceasing any further adult conversation and Gomez almost sighed in annoyance.
"Tish!" Ivy greeted.
"Hello, darling," Morticia responded warmly."How is California?"
"Warm, no snow at all," the girl replied in a disappointed tone."I saw my mummy! We draw a picture for you together."
"Oh, thank you, that's so sweet, you must thank your mummy from me," she responded.
"You're welcome! Is it still snowing there?"
"Well, not much anymore, but they say it's going to be snowing heavily over the weekend, so you come back just in time."
"Yes! Gomez said we'll make a snow-monster!"
"Of course we will, if we don't freeze our bums first, it's getting really cold."
"- what is it, Gomez? Oh ok, I'll tell her. Gomez says you have nothing to worry about, he knows how to keep you warm."
"Darling," Eudora said as she entered the library, carrying the tray with a henbane tea, where her husband was pouring over his latest business deal proposal."Do you remember that lovely resort we used to holiday in when the boys were little?"
"The one run by that charming family of werewolves from Sweden?" he asked as his wife set the tray on his desk and sat on her husband's laps, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Yes, that one," she smiled fondly."I was thinking we could take Ivy there for the weekend. She will love all the wild animals in the forest."
"You mean, tomorrow?"he husband frowned in confusion.
"Yes, tomorrow."
"But, my dear, she'll just be back from California, surely she's going to be too tired for a trip."
"Yes, I know it's not ideal, but you see Gomez is back tomorrow as well," she explained but her husband only stared at her blankly.
"And?" he prompted when his wife didn't elaborate any further.
"They were away for five days, dear," she explained but, to her annoyance, she was regarded with another blank stare.
"I don't follow."
Eudora rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Gomez hasn't seen his wife for five whole days, Salvador, do you know what that means?"
"Oh."
"Exactly."
"Tell Lurch to pack our bags."
Gomez Addams absolutely despised travelling by plane. Despite its being an indisputable and impressive technological advancement, he thought it lacked the sense of style and adventure that his favourite form of travelling provided - trains. There was something old-fashionably enticing about travelling by trains.
Nevertheless, planes were certainly more time efficient and he didn't want to be away from his sweet querida a second longer than it was necessary.
He was surprised when his parents met them at the airport and announced that they were going away for the weekend and taking Ivy with them, Lurch as well. Suspicious as it was, he wasn't about to argue with them when Ivy was beyond excited at the prospect and, needless to say, so was he since it meant a whole weekend alone with his beautiful wife.
He couldn't help but grin at the prospect. He missed her immensely, he could not wait to hold his darling witch in his arms. He closed off the water and grabbed the towel, drying himself quickly and wrapped the dark purple towel around his hips. He took a pot with his favourite pomade, picked a hearty dollop of the sticky substance before rubbing it between his hands and, with a practised ease, smoothed it through his wet hair, promptly following with the comb.
He faltered at the sound of the bedroom door opening and then closing with a soft click and felt his heart hammer in his chest in anticipation. He opened the tap to wash the remainder of the pomade off his hands, wiping them into the towel he was currently wrapped into.
Morticia exhaled audibly and her face illuminated with a pure joy at the sight of him as he stepped out of the steamy bathroom.
It took them a split second to fall in each other's arms and immediately their lips joined in a ravenous kiss.
"Gods, you taste delicious," he rasped. "I missed you so much, querida."
"Those were the longest five days in the history of humanity," she whispered against his lips, already pulling the towel from around his hips in a purposeful manner."Oh, darling, I want you so much, I feel like my body is on fire," she added and captured his lips in another hot kiss, pressing herself against him and they both moaned in unison.
His hand went to the back of her neck and he proceeded to pop the buttons of her dress in a familiar move. He tugged at her dress impatiently until the annoying material pulled at her feet and he let out a low growl at the sight of his wife, clad only in a black, lace lingerie and her enticing stockings. He almost forgot how breathing worked.
He pushed her roughly on the bed and immediately covered her body with his and she moaned deliciously. He disrobed her in few swift moves, his hands immediately roamed her body hungrily as his lips kissed every inch of her glorious flesh.
"Gomez, mon amour, mon savage please - " she moaned when he claimed her lips in a wet, ardent kiss. She wrapped her legs around him and gasped when he drove into her roughly.
Her urgent, delicious moans surrounded him and he felt himself drowning into the exquisite sounds. He was aware of nothing else but her soft cries of pleasure against his skin, her whispering his name, the sultry French endearments, her nails digging gloriously into his back and the velvet softness that was tightening around him, pulling him violently over the edge with her.
He felt her pulling him tighter against her body, their breathing still sharp, laboured. He lifted his head from the crook of her neck to look at her and he was lost, defeated by the emotions in her eyes. Their lips crashed together in such a painfully tender kiss he felt it gnaw at the very core of his soul.
"Welcome home, Mon amour."
A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think.
