Beginner's Luck

"Let's go fishing," Rory said to Sybil the next morning at breakfast.

"Rory, it's March. It's too cold to go fishing," Sybil replied.

"No it's not. We'll take a pack with some blankets and a flask of coffee. You can wrap up and stay warm. Have you ever caught a fish before?"

"No, I never wanted to put the worm on the hook."

"We'll use some left over bits of ham for bait. Then you won't have to worry about the poor worm. Come on. It will be fun. I'm sure your father's old rods are out in the shed. I thought I saw them yesterday."

"Alright, you asked for it," Sybil said with a smile. "I'll have you know I'll be a terrible fisherman. I have no patience."

"You just haven't used the right bait before."

"I've never used any bait. I didn't have to. Someone else always caught the fish for me."

"This time you can catch it and clean it yourself."

"Eew."

"I'll make you a wager. Whoever catches the most fish, doesn't have to clean them."

"You're on," said Sybil with a laugh before she went to change into heavier clothes.

It was the happiest Sybil had felt in months. They walked across the countryside to a stream that was shaded by a stand of oaks. Rory showed her how to tie a hook on her line and gave her a choice of ham or worms to put on the hook.

"Fish are too intelligent to eat worms," Sybil informed him with her nose in the air and huge smile on her face. She took a tiny piece of ham, placed it on the hook and dipped her hook in the stream.

"Not like that. You have to cast it."

"If I was a fish, I would stay here in the shade near the side," Sybil said laughing happily. "You can waste your time fiddling with the rod and line all you like. I'm going to sit here in a blanket and keep warm."

"We'll see who winds up cleaning the fish," Rory shot back with a smile.

It wasn't too long and Sybil's line started to bob.

"Oh, what do I do?" she called in excitement, her eyes going round. She hadn't actually thought she would catch anything.

"Reel it in," Rory said coming over to guide her actions, then scooping the fish into a net when it got close enough.

"Now who's going to be cleaning fish for supper?" Sybil said with a huge smile. She couldn't resist teasing him.

"Beginner's luck. We'll see who has the most at the end of the day."

Sybil got a cup of coffee from the flask before she baited her hook again. She went over and offered Rory a drink from her cup before she went back and put her line in the water again. It wasn't long and Sybil got another bite.

"I got another one," she called excitedly. She fumbled with the reel until she managed to get the fish up onto the bank. Rory grabbed it and put it in the creel.

He retrieved the cup Sybil had been using for her coffee and poured himself a drink. He set the cup down by the rucksack before he looked at her with a devilish gleam in his eye.

"I need a kiss for luck," he said before he dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"No, you don't," Sybil said laughing while pushing him back with one hand on his shoulder. "I need all the luck for myself. You're going to be cleaning fish tonight."

He stood up laughing and cast his line again.

"Are you going to keep all the luck for yourself?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes," Sybil replied. "I need to win the bet."

"Never," he replied laughing.

They had been fishing for twenty minutes or so in silence with neither of them catching anything.

"Do you remember the picnic, just after Riordan was born when your father taught me how to fish?" Rory asked her.

"I remember that you fell in," Sybil said with a smile.

"I never."

"Yes, you did. You got so excited when you caught your first fish. You were holding it in the air and standing in the middle of the stream. You lost your footing and fell over backwards."

"It was a big fish. It gave a jerk and knocked me in."

"It was a little minnow."

"I think you're loosing your memory in your old age."

"I'm only three and a half years older than you. I think it's you who is loosing their memory, Dr. Lester."

Sybil had set aside her rod and come over to stand beside him.

"You couldn't stop yourself from falling in then and you can't now," she said as she gave him a push.

"Hey," Rory called as he stumbled sideways. He caught himself just before he fell in the stream. Sybil had run behind a large oak laughing.

"I'll get you for that," he called.

"You have to catch me first," Sybil called back.

Rory started chasing her through the trees. The two of them were laughing like children in their game of one up man ship. Every time Rory almost caught her Sybil would dash off between another pair of trees.

"You're getting old and slow," Sybil taunted him.

"When I catch you I'll show you how slow I am," he taunted back.

Sybil was peeking around the trunk of a large oak when Rory sneaked up behind her and caught her. He started tickling her like mad, making her squirm before he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. He started walking towards the stream.

"Rory, put me down," Sybil shrieked kicking her feet.

"Nope."

He stopped by the side of the stream and made as if he was going to drop her in.

"Don't you dare!" Sybil squealed grabbing his belt and holding on for dear life.

"I'll reconsider on one condition," he said bouncing her up and down on his shoulder.

"What?" Sybil said kicking her feet and trying to get loose.

He spun around and took a step away from the water.

"You clean the fish."

"Never," Sybil said with a laugh.

"Then I'll get my revenge another way," he said sliding her to the ground and trapping her against a tree and tickling her.

"Eeee," Sybil squealed laughing and ducking under his arm to take off through the trees again.

"Come back here," Rory called running after her laughing. By the time he caught her they were both out of breath. Sybil was panting from the exertion and still smiling from their silly game. Rory took a small step closer to her where she was leaning back against a tree. The smile suddenly faded from his face as his gaze went to her mouth. His hand moved to cup the side of her face as his lips met hers.

Sybil didn't know whether to kiss him back or push him away. She had only kissed one man in her life before. She had no idea what to expect. As his lips touched hers she forgot to question the right or wrong of the situation as she lost herself in the sensation of their first kiss.

His lips were hesitant against hers as though he was waiting for her to push him away. When she didn't rebuff him he slid his arms around her and kissed her with a little more force but still softly enough she could break free at any point. Sybil had never experienced anything like it. Tom had always taken the lead and let her know in no uncertain terms he desired her.

When the kiss ended Rory pulled back slightly and blushed. Sybil was blushing furiously and looking anywhere but him. He was so tongue-tied he didn't know what to say. He hadn't intended to actually kiss her. He had only been teasing.

"Let's go catch some more fish," she finally said.

"I'm going to win the bet," he said with a smile. "You're just having beginner's luck."

"If I didn't know better I would say you're the beginner," Sybil said.

Sybil tried casting her line a few times to no avail. Rory changed his bait, cast his line a few times and had another fish in a few minutes.

"You see, I told you I needed a kiss for luck," he said with an embarrassed flush.

"You're so full of yourself," Sybil teased him. "If you're such a great fisherman how come I won the bet?"

"You won because I don't want you getting your hands smelling like fish," Rory said while he rinsed the gutted fish in the stream.

They walked back to the house reminiscing about the times Sybil and Tom had visited Rory in Ireland and the fishing trips they had taken the boys on.

"Do you still have so many animals?" Sybil asked him.

"Not so many as I used to," Rory replied. "I haven't had a milk cow in years. It was really for Colleen. She was never comfortable around the other doctors or any of my well to do friends when they stopped by when they were in the area for vacations. She was happy when she was working with the animals or growing things."

"No marriage is ever totally perfect, is it?" Sybil said thoughtfully.

"No, I don't think that exists."

"I was very happy with Tom but he always worked too much," Sybil said sadly. "It stopped us from doing things we wanted. He was always trying to prove to my family that he was good enough for me. Sometimes I think he was trying to prove it to himself."

Rory moved closer to her and put his arm around her pulling her closer for a hug. He didn't take his arm away.

"He wouldn't have been happy any other way. He loved what he did."

Sybil nodded and slipped her arm around his waist.

"I'm glad you fell into my mother-in-law's garden all those years ago."

"I'm grateful you picked me up and put me back together, in more ways than one. I don't know if I've ever told you that."

"You have. It's in everything you do. Every time I see you I still know it was the right thing to do."

They walked on in silence until they were almost back to the house.

"It's been a good day hasn't it, Sybil?"

"It has," she replied.