Again, I apologize for the delay in updating. Some RL issues have been taking up my spare time. Also, my muse has been wavering a bit. This is mostly a filler chapter before the ladies move onto another milestone, then I will probably be wrapping up the story.

You guys have heard me mention my grandma being ill, well we did celebrate her 90th birthday last month and finally she is now getting up, dressed and moving around some (with assistance) whereas before all she was to do was sleep and stay in bed. We are thinking some of her meds have finally built up in her system and are kicking in.

Anyway, onto to the next chapter...not beta'd all mistake are mine, you know the rest!

Previous Disclaimers Apply

Chapter 25

It was near 5am when both ladies woke up the next morning; it would probably be another 24 hours before their bodies had adjusted to Hawaiian time. They each took long hot showers, then they ordered room service and ate out on the screen porch. They had the resort's info on all the touristy things to do and they made a list. But for this first day they decided to lounge around on the beach. Just before heading down to the beach the ladies called home to check in with their family.

Over the next two weeks the ladies had toured several islands by land and by air; they had been to Pearl Harbor. They had spent a lot of time on the beach and sometime in the various resort pools. They had also rented a small yacht for a day tour around the islands which included some snorkeling. And of course they had spent many a night and day making love. Too soon had their two weeks gone by and it was time to return home. Though they would miss the warm sunny atmosphere, both ladies missed their kids terribly and were more than ready to go home.

Basically, it was another day of flying to get home. It was just after midnight when the Spaulding jet landed at the Springfield airport. The ladies were unsure of what time they would actually land as they ran into weather just over the Rockies. Phillip had arranged for a limo to be on standby waiting for them to arrive. So by 1am the ladies were coming into their farmhouse. Though they tried to be quiet, they woke a sleeping Rafe who was on the sofa waiting for them to come home.

Olivia was coming through the door slightly backwards as she was tugging her largest suitcase behind her and didn't see Rafe on the sofa.

"Hey." Said Rafe quietly.

"Jesus!" Exclaimed Olivia nearly jumping out of her skin.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Welcome home." Added Rafe hold his arms open for his approaching mother.

"Hey, Rafe. You didn't have to wait up." Said Natalia as she hugged her son.

"I know, I figured you might need some help with your luggage and all." Offered Rafe.

"Thank you, honey." Replied Natalia giving her son a kiss to the cheek.

Rafe and Olivia exchanged a hug and then Rafe took the heaviest suitcases upstairs first. The ladies brought the rest of the luggage in from the front porch then headed into the kitchen. They both were a little hungry, but didn't want a lot to eat, so they split a peanut butter and banana sandwich and each had a glass of milk. Rafe had come back into the kitchen long enough to say good night. They finished up their snack and put their dishes in the sink. When they walked back into the living room all of their bags save for their purses were nowhere in sight. The ladies made sure to double check the locks before heading up to bed.

Olivia went to take a quick shower while Natalia went through their suitcases putting all of their dirty clothes into the hamper. She had just put her toiletries away when Olivia finished with her shower. Natalia took her turn showering while Olivia slipped on a tank top for sleeping in and put her toiletries away. She was settling into their bed when a freshly showered Natalia came out of the bathroom in just her underwear and a matching tank. Neither lady bothered with setting the alarm and they got comfortable for hopefully six or so hours of uninterrupted sleep.

No one woke the ladies the next morning; however Natalia being the early riser still got up. When she entered the kitchen Rafe was plating pancakes for himself and Emma.

"Good morning, you two." Said Natalia.

Emma was out of her chair in a flash running over to her Ma wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Ma! You're home! I missed you and Mommy so much." Exclaimed Emma.

Natalia leaned over and placed a kiss to her daughter's forehead.

"We missed you too, all of you. Did you have a good time with your Daddy and Beth?"

"I did. Daddy helped me with my homework, we went riding and to the park and played miniature golf and…"

"Wow, that's a lot Bean."

"Where's Mommy?"

"She's still asleep. Let me fix her a cup of coffee and see if I can go wake her up, OK?"

"OK." Said Emma going back to her chair and dug into her pancakes.

Natalia drank a few sips of her coffee, then went about fixing her wife a cup. She snagged a piece of bacon for herself and then grabbed another for Olivia. When she got back upstairs to their bedroom, Olivia had managed to bury herself in the pillows and covers. Granted they had spent the last 2 weeks in a warm sunny climate, but Natalia knew her wife was trying to keep out the sun that was threatening to invade their bedroom.

Natalia set Olivia's coffee on the nightstand and sat down next to her wife. Natalia moved the pillow uncovering her wife's head. She gently stroked Olivia's hair away from her face. Olivia was on her stomach and her head turned to the side. Natalia brought the piece of bacon to just under her wife's nose. She moved it back and forth a few times before calling to her wife.

"Olivia? Honey? It's time to wake up."

She got no verbal response, but she did notice a few twitches that her wife's nose made. She moved the bacon once more under her wife's nose.

"Olivia? Breakfast is ready. The kids are waiting. It's time to get up."

This time Olivia grunted. Natalia stifled a laugh and tried once more.

"Olivia? There's bacon, but if you don't want any, then I'll just eat your share."

This time Olivia pushed her body up from the mattress and turned over on her back. She had to blink a few times to clear the sleep from her eyes. She first focused on her beautiful wife looking down on her with such love. Then she noticed the strip of bacon in her wife's hand. Before Natalia realized what had happened, Olivia had swiped the bacon from her hand and stuffed it in her mouth.

"Olivia!"

"What? You said there was bacon." Asked Olivia with a mouth full of bacon.

"You're lucky I love you."

"You do love me, so much."

"Yes, I do." Said Natalia leaning down to give her wife a chaste morning kiss.

Olivia reached with one hand to the back of her wife's neck to hold her there and extended their kiss. Olivia teased her tongue along her wife's lips until Natalia opened her lips and accepted the deeper kiss. It was laced with the taste of bacon, but neither woman cared.

"Hmmm. Any chance you'll wake me up like this every morning." Asked Olivia.

"With a kiss like that, yes; with bacon, no." Replied Natalia.

"Trust me, the kiss is worth so much more than the bacon."

"Oh, I know. Coffee?" Asked Natalia reaching for her wife's cup of coffee.

"God, yes!"

Natalia gave Olivia a disapproving look, as she handed the hot beverage to Olivia who immediately took a swallow.

"Sorry, you know my brain misfires in the morning until my third cup of coffee.

"I know and I love you anyway." Said Natalia, this time giving Olivia a chaste kiss only.

"Come on. Breakfast is ready, pancakes and you can see the kids before they are off for the day." Added Natalia.

"I'd much rather stay here in bed with my wife." Replied Olivia.

"Tell you what…you get up, have breakfast with us, spend a little quality time with your children then you and I will come back up here and work off those extra two pancakes that I know you'll eat?"

"Yeah?" Replied Olivia raising an eyebrow to her wife's suggestion.

"Yes, my love. Let's go."

Olivia crawled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Natalia got one more kiss before she left their bedroom rejoining her children in the kitchen. Olivia soon joined them with a now empty coffee cup. The next thirty minutes were spent mostly with the ladies hearing of their youngest daughter's antics over the last two weeks. Once Emma was off to school and Rafe off to the Beacon for work the ladies quickly straighten up the kitchen before heading back upstairs to their bedroom.

They made love twice before falling asleep again. They got up just before lunch and continued their love making in hot soothing bath. Finally up and dressed they headed downstairs to find something for lunch. They settled on the leftover chicken and rice that Rafe had made the night before. Afterwards, Olivia went to her home office to check in with the Beacon and start getting caught up on the last two weeks while Natalia headed for her darkroom. Sam had continued with the renovations in the basement. The darkroom was ready, but there was still some work left to be done in the bonus/family room. Sam had setup Natalia's darkroom as best he could like she had it before, except it was bigger now. Natalia spent a few minutes rearranging a few things before she got started on developing the pictures she took in Hawaii.

By the time Emma got home Natalia had developed all the negatives, but she had not yet started on making the prints. Olivia had done as much work as she wanted to before calling it a day. The ladies were settled on the sofa, just taking comfort in the peace and quiet as they snuggled together. That quiet was soon a distant memory as hurricane Emma came through the door and now life was back to normal.

The next day Olivia was back to work at the Beacon and Natalia was meeting with the contractor to finish the renovations in the family room. Being away from home for two weeks, Natalia had missed cooking. She decided to fix Olivia lunch and take it to her at work. She found her wife hard at work in her office. She knocked on her wife's open door.

"Hey you?" Said Natalia as she finished knocking.

"Hey yourself." Said Olivia as she got up from her desk to greet her wife.

The ladies hugged and exchanged a chaste kiss.

"What's this?" Asked Olivia of the picnic basket that her wife was carrying.

"When we were gone, I really missed my kitchen and cooking. After you left this morning, I started cooking and I realized I had cooked way too much, so I brought lunch for you and the kids."

"You did?" Said Olivia opening one of the basket to peek inside.

"That's your empanadas?"

"Yes, I know how much you love them."

"I do almost as much as I love you. Let me call the kids."

Olivia picked up her desk phone and called Rafe's cell and then Ava's. Rafe had been working for Olivia for a few weeks now in security. He wasn't too far away as he was making his rounds on the property. He stopped by Olivia's office and got his lunch from his Ma and left the ladies alone to enjoy their meal. Ava was just a few minutes behind him; she to, took her lunch to go. While Olivia called room service to order them iced tea, Natalia began setting up their make shift picnic on the small table in Olivia's office. They ladies enjoyed just being together and their meal prepared with love.

Another few weeks had passed and that renovations in the Spencer-Rivera family room were complete. There was a huge 60 inch flat screen TV with a blue-ray and xbox. There was a nice stereo system off to the side to which the TV was hooked to for surround sound. The furniture included a sofa, love seat and chair with an ottoman; it was the overstuffed style, leather of course. There was a nice sizeable coffee table as well. There was a mixture of lighting options depending on the activity that would be taking place. Along the walls were shelves filed with DVDs, blue-rays, video games, books and games. In the corner now attached to the fireplace on the main level was an added fireplace. The last feature to the room was over in one corner, a small bar with a mini-fridge stocked with water, juice and sodas. The way the house sits on the land, they were able to add and exterior door for ease of bringing wood inside for the fireplace.

Things in the Spencer-Rivera house were moving along quite well as summer approached. Emma was getting excited about summer vacation. Rafe was doing well working security at the Beacon; Ava made sure that the everyday operations at the Beacon ran smoothly. Olivia was now back in full franchise mode and Natalia was preparing for her second showing.

TBC…