Tempting Fate

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic!

Chapter Twenty-One

"Do you know what you are asking?" She hid a curse as the bottle slipped back into the sudsy water. She hated to complain but she did it anyway. What Mart was asking was nearly impossible, "I don't think I'll be able to get a babysitter at this short notice, especially for two children! And get everyone over at Crabapple farm???" She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and took a sip of her glass of water to try to calm her sudden raging nerves. Another sleepless night caused by Jake's teething was grating to her. Her son was an angel by day but turned into something completely different after midnight. He was not handling his first tooth well at all. "And the worst part is you're not even tellling me why I need to do this!"

He winced a bit, knew she was right, and tried to mollify her with a calm voice. "All I can say is it is for a really good reason, Di. I appreciate your help, more than you know. I think you'll love the reason when you know why."

She didn't buy it but she decided to give in as gracefully as she could. "Just you wait, Martin Belden," she grumbled into the phone, warning him of possible repercussions. "I'll do this but you're going to pay. Big time. People are going to think I'm crazy when I tell them to get to Crabapple Farm ASAP without any reason." She pictured their responses and muttered under her breath.

He heard her, felt for her, and thought she was probably right. But they would come. He knew it, even if they didn't know the reason why. And the reason why...he didn't want to give that particular secret away yet. He wanted to hold it, to see Di's eyes light up with joy when she saw Trixie for the first time. "I can offer a golden guarantee that it is worth it, Di. You are not going to be disappointed. In fact, no one is going to be disappointed."

"All right, all right," she replied back. She stepped back from the sink and went to find her cell phone. "I'll start the calls. Do you think babysitter first or our friends?"

"Get the Bob-Whites first." The bond they had formed in adolescence was still strong and about to get stronger.

"Maybe I'll text them. Then they won't be able to ask any questions." She liked the sound of that. "It may take a while, though, Mart."

"Not if you whistle," he suggested helpfully into the phone.

She repeated on a small screech. "Whistle? That worked in the old days, Mart. I doubt Dan will hear me at the station or Brian and Honey at the hospital. Jim has a remote chance of hearing me, if he's not working away in his workshop." She rolled her lavender eyes heavenward. Sometimes it was hard to be a good sport.

He didn't get annoyed. He was too damn happy to care for the sarcasm from his over-tired wife and he let it roll off of him. "You can text it, Di. That will bring the Bob-Whites running, just like in the good ol' days. Tell them Crabapple Farm as soon as they can get there."

She bit her lip, considered, and really liked the idea. Short, concise, and easy, with the added plus of no questions or explanations. "That's good, Mart. I like how your mind thinks." Di pulled out her cell phone and typed in the text. Bob, bob-white...bob, bob-white! Crabapple Farm, ASAP. A simple push of the button sent it through cyber space and to their friends. "That should do it, Mart. Do you need anyone else to join our little party?"

He thought for a moment. Trixie only wanted to tell the story once. "My parents and Bobby, of course, The Wheelers, your parents, Regan, Miss Trask. That should do it. I think T..." He caught himself, stumbled, and recovered quickly. "I think they should hear the news, too." He would have suggested Mr. Maypenny but he had passed on over a year ago, leaving his cabin, his property, and a surprisingly large bank account to Dan. He hadn't wanted a big deal made out of passing, not even an obituary in the paper. Trixie wouldn't know, he realized with a start. He decided he would share that news with her later.

"Will do, Captain Belden. Consider them invited. I'll get started on a babysitter now and then place the next few calls." She brushed aside a wayward piece of her black hair and listened for Jake. All she heard was his even breathing through the whir of the baby monitor. It was good that he was still sleeping. She may have enough to complete her errands before he woke up. "Who is this little girl, anyway? Why do we need to find a sitter for her?"

Mart watched her walk in the room, her hand in her mother's, and a large smile on her face. Trixie's face lit up when she heard his side of the conversation.. "You're going to love her, Di. And don't worry. All questions will be answered shortly. I love you." He disconnected the call before she could ask him anymore questions.

"I take it contact has been made?" Trixie inquired softly. The anticipation was almost unbearable.

"Affirmative," Mart answered back. "The lovely Diana has already informed the remaining Bob-Whites of our plans to meet at Crabapple Farm. She is now getting a sitter. I also asked her to invite a few more people."

It was her turn to an idea by Mart. "That's great, Mart! The more, the merrier." She reached for the portable dvd player that her daughter had never gotten around to watching and picked up Sadie's leash. Her hands started to sweat. "I guess it's time to head out."

"We'll go to my place first." Mart left his laptop on his desk. He couldn't imagine getting any work done at home tonight. He headed to the door and turned off the lights. With a small wave, he ushered the trio through the door and closed the door with a soft click. "Maybe it's selfish of me but I want to see Di's reaction first," he admitted to Trixie as they headed towards the front door. Lavonne smiled at the group from her position at the front desk. He waved back and led them out into the bright light of May.

"It'll be a little bit before everyone arrives at the house, too." Trixie looked down at her daughter, who was happily jumping from one foot to the other, slowing their progress down but neither adult cared. "And I think it'll be less confusing for Lexie. I should be able to get her settled with the you-know-who before we head out," she added in a stage whisper. Lexie handled new faces well as long as she had a chance to acclimate herself to them and meet them on her own terms.

They made it to the cars. Mart hid a smile when he saw Trixie head to the Saturn with the Connecticut plates. Now he knew who owned it. It made sense to him. He pushed back a small arrow of pain when he realized how close she had been to Sleepyside. Only a state away. "You weren't that far away, were you?" He questioned, pointing to her license plate.

"We lived in a lovely town called Lincoln," she answered with a sad look to her eyes. She reached in and buckled in Lexie, making sure she was safe and sound. After double-checking her work, she closed the door and met Mart's gaze squarely. She hitched a breath before admitting, her voice a little lost and forlorn, "It was only a little over a hundred miles away but it felt like a million."

They forged another connection of understanding. He saw the pain, the sorrow and the anguish that had besieged her over the past years. She saw the same reflected on his face and knew the deep depths her 'death' had brought her loved ones to. She shook off the feeling, ready to concentrate on the more positive here and now. "Well, let's get moving. I'll follow you to your house. There's a little baby there I can't wait to meet."

After Trixie made sure Sadie was seated on the passenger seat, she got into the car and pulled out behind Mart. She followed him down the familiar roads, not looking at the familiar landmarks this time. Instead, she thought about the reunion about to take place. After seeing a glimpse of Mart's pain, she hoped with all her heart that she could make them understand the tenuous position she had found herself in on that night so long ago, with no other options opened to her. One thing was certain, though. As she looked at her little girl in the mirror, she knew without a doubt that they would accept her as easily and happily as Mart had, without questions or reserves. Now Jim...she quickly derailed that train of thought, still not sure what he was up to or if he was even in the area. She hadn't been able to bring herself to question Mart. "The first Bob-White baby," she repeated to herself. She knew the other co-president would love the little girl as much as she did. It was merely a question on how he would react to her resurrection from the dead.

It wasn't long before they were on Glen Road, passing the Lynch's mailbox. Mart slowed down his car and put on his blinker. Trixie followed suit. She followed behind him down a curving driveway and to a charming stone house set within a beautiful glade. The house was a perfect mix of Mart's and Di's styles. An efficient and clean yard, fenced in with a pristine white picket fence, and happy flowers in artfully arranged flower beds. The porch was large and inviting. Curtains floated against the screens with the warm late spring breeze. And Di was at the open front door the second Mart stopped his car, a baby on her hip, and curiosity driving her hard. She missed the second car pull to a stop on the other side of her dark purple minivan.

Di didn't wait until Mart had stopped. She ran down the steps, much to Jake's glee, and went straight to his car. Her report came out. "I called everyone and even got a great babysitter. She'll be here in an hour. Now can you tell me what this is all about?"

Mart opened the car door and stepped out, feeling like the proverbial cat who had swallowed the canary. Knowing that Di would want to have her hands free, he took their son out of her arms and guided Di around the minivan. "Diana Lynch Belden, you should feel privileged. Because of your willingness to help in matters foreign to you, you have been awarded a big prize."

"I love your vocabulary, Mart, but now's not the time for it." She eyed him and gifted him with a twinkling smile, her earlier annoyance at him forgotten. To her, Mart was the most wonderful man in the world. She'd go to the mat if anyone ever told her different. Playing along, she let him lead her. "What did I win, Mart? Surely not a new car!" She caught the front of the other car in their driveway.

"Not a new car this time. Something much better." He shook his head and gave her a small push forward, positioning himself so he could watch her face. "Look inside, Di," he ordered her quietly.

She did and nearly fainted. She had time to be grateful that Mart had taken Jake before her mind went blank. She may have dropped him in her shock. Her lavender eyes filled with watery tears and she brought a hand to her mouth as she watched the woman exit her car. "No, it can't be. Trixie?"

Trixie wasted no time at all. She ran into Di's wide open arms, twin smiles shining brightly and beautifully, as tears threatened to spill. It was quite a sight to see and made Mart wish he had his camera. "Di!" she exclaimed when she could find her voice. The damn tears were back and started to roll down her face. She had a feeling they would be a constant companion over the next few hours and days. She took a minute to study her friend and sister-in-law. "You look wonderful."

"And you look alive!" A blush tinted her cheeks and she covered her mouth again. She had always hated it when words had popped out of her mouth without thinking. "Oh, that was insensitive of me!"

"No, no," Trixie said with a negative shake of her head, sending her curls tumbling in a way Di had always admired, and wanting to put Di at ease. "It's true. You can't argue with that. I am here and I am very much alive."

"But, why, how?" Di sputtered out, bringing her confused gaze to Mart, yet unable to let go of Trixie's hand. She held it firmly and squeezed it, as if that would reassure her that she was really alive and standing in her front yard.

The sight of the two of the girlhood friends warmed his heart, made all of the past pain disappear, and brought a huge, wide smile to his handsome face. Everything was clicking into place. He could only imagine what would happen at Crabapple Farm. A movement from the car caught his gaze. He couldn't wait for Di to meet their other guest. "There's more, Di," he informed her patiently. "Trixie is full of surprises today."

"Right!" In a flash, Trixie dropped Di's hand, turned on her heels and scooted to the back door of her car. Without preamble, she had little Lexie Frayne out of the car and in her arms, her Cinderella doll clutched in her hands. She didn't seem ready to join the fray. She looked confused, like a little one who had had too much fun at Christmastime. Trixie saw the confusion in her normally outgoing girl and held onto her a little tighter, hoping to reassure her that all was well. Any doubts to the contrary she had fell away. It would be better for her to stay with a babysitter. She wasn't ready to face a whole army of new faces at once, especially when it promised to be a typical, rowdy Bob-White scene. She introduced her niece to her aunt. "This is Lexie.."

"The little girl!" Di breathed out, studying the tiny blonde with a beaming smile on her face. She finally understood Mart's mysterious directions on the phone and gifted him with an apologetic smile. Then she turned back to Trixie and declared blithely, "Your little girl!"And Jim's, she didn't need to add. She had seen the sparkle of emerald green before the little one had hid her face in the crook of Trixie's neck. She looked at Mart again, a million questions swimming across her expressive face, who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Trixie's going to tell all once everyone is at the Farm," he explained needlessly. Di had already figured that out but knowing it couldn't keep the curiosity away. "She says it's a pretty long story so we're going to have to be patient a while longer, Di. But it'll be a good one. Her stories always are. We all know our Trixie well." He sent a big grin to his sister, two almost-twins holding their babies together in perfect harmony, and laughed like a loon.

Di could have stood in the yard like that forever but Jake startled at his father's deep laugh and started to fuss. "Let's go in the house, shall we?" she invited everyone, carefully taking her son from his father. The baby immediately stopped crying and played with the amethyst heart dangling from her necklace. "We can get something to eat and talk. It'll be a lot of fun," she added to the pretty little girl.

With Lexie on her hip, Trixie brought Sadie out of the car and followed the newest Belden family into the yard. After latching the gate behind her, she took off Sadie's leash and let her romp around the closed-in yard. "I think an early dinner sounds wonderful," she said to Di as they trooped up the porch and into the house.

"Di makes a mean hamburger," Mart added hopefully with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Hamburgers sound great!" Not what she had been planning to make but she would make do. Quick, easy, and her husband's favorite. All good reasons for her. And she would have more time to spend with Trixie and her niece. "How about you let the cousins get acquainted while I start dinner?"

Mart took Jake and set him on the living room floor. Immediately, an interested little girl clamored out of her mother's arm and joined them, her earlier shyness forgotten, and her eyes shining with a curiosity he remembered seeing in Trixie's when she was younger. "This is my baby, Jake," he told Lexie who smiled slowly at him.

She reached out, touched his tiny hand, and giggled when he caught her finger in his fist. "He's so tiny, like the babies at my school." She always referred to her daycare center as her school. She pulled a small stuffed teddy bear out of a basket of toys and offered it to the baby, her favorite doll forgotten in a heap next to her. "Does he like bears?"

Trixie felt the familiar prick of tears and wiped away at them, damning them again. She hated crying but she didn't know how to get through the next little bit without them. "That's so sweet," she murmured as Di came back in, pointing to their children playing together on the floor. Her heart swelled until it was overflowing. "I never thought I'd see this. I simple can't believe that our babies are playing together."

"It is sweet, very sweet." Di wrapped an arm around her friend and hugged her quickly. Then she whispered, "It's going to be even sweeter when we get to Crabapple Farm. I can't wait for everyone to see you or to hear what you have to tell us." She pressed her a quick kiss to Trixie's forehead. "It is going to be amazing!"