So I here I am almost through my first week of University and my Music Techniques Lecture just got me down. I never realised that when they said they'd be going back to basics that they meant the very basics. Sigh So, I sat for an hour listening to all the stuff I learned years ago and when I came home allowed my brain to drift to the plot line of this story. One thing led to another and before I knew it I had a chapter typed up. So here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I gazed out the window, not really seeing anything. It was all quite relaxing, but at the same time stressful. While I was sitting there, stationary for the first time in probably seventy-two hours, I knew that there was something I should have been doing. Mentally, I ran through the mile long to do list I had drawn up at the beginning of the week, just like every other weeks, but nothing seemed to jump out at me, so I just kept staring. I wasn't even sure what I was staring at, although, having said that, I knew what I wanted to be staring at. Unfortunately, that something was in a meeting and would not be able to get away from the office until approximately seven o'clock; as it was three now, I was feeling very deprived indeed.

The house was absolutely silent as far as I could tell. I hadn't seen hide nor hair of Julie or Laura since lunch time. In a way it was really quite frightening and I kept thinking something was wrong, but that was probably just because I wasn't used to such peace and quiet; right? I knew that Julie knew how to handle herself in an emergency, not that any such event should occur in the house, and I also knew she was capable of taking care of Laura. Julie had been running her own Babysitting service for four years now, so no worries there. It just seemed unnatural for the house to be so quiet, knowing full and well that they were within, somewhere.

My eyes caught on a butterfly fluttering by the window where I sat and I found myself transfixed by the majestic strokes of its wings. Everything else seemed to drift away into oblivion, leaving behind only me and the splendour that was the blue winged beauty.

Time itself seemed to vanish as the butterfly flew out of sight, leading my gaze to the spider weaving a web in the eves. Fascination coursed through my body and the back of my neck began to tingle. It was only the hand clicking in front of my face that drew me out of my stupor. I had been watching with interest as bats flew across the night sky, not even realising that it was night time. Now, as I started away from the source of the clicking sound my eyes locked on Ranger's dark chocolate brown ones, he was smiling.

"Where are the kids?" he asked after kissing me hello.

I thought for a moment about my afternoon, and felt compelled to reply, "I think they're dead." To my horror, Ranger's eyes widened in shock and that's when I realised what I had said. Shaking my head vigorously I placed a reassuring hand on his forearm as he went to dash from the room in search of the minors. "I just meant that they've been really quiet all day. I haven't heard a peep out of them since I called them down for lunch."

Ranger sagged in relief, breathing deeply and slowly. "Don't scare me like that, Babe," he said in even measured tones, and I could tell he was still trying to get himself under control.

"I'm sorry, you just caught me half way to pixie land. I just answered without thinking."

He pulled me into his arms, off the window seat I had been curled on and I immediately felt a pressure in my lower abdomen... and it's not what you're thinking; I needed to pee, badly. As I stood there, enveloped in his strong grips with no chance of getting out, the pressure only got worse. After a couple of minutes I started to jiggle, not wanting to pull away from his reassuring warmth, but unable to control my bladder much longer. "Babe?" he enquired, lifting his head from where it had been resting atop my own to look at my face. I shifted from foot to foot with in his embrace, and, unconsciously rubbed myself against him. Before I could even explain myself his lips were crashing down on mine and there was another pressure joining the fray in my lower abdomen.

Reluctantly pulling away, I gave him an apologetic look and raced down the hall to the bathroom. When I returned to the lounge room a few minutes later it was to find he had taken up the now vacant space on the window seat and was gazing out at the night sky. "What was that about?" he asked, turning to pull me into his lap. His eyes roved my face, which, I'm sure held a very relieved and satisfied expression and he added regretfully, "Did I miss something?"

I chuckled at his innuendo, shaking my head slightly as I snaked my arms around his neck. "Ranger," I began, "If a bean's a bean, what's a pea?"

He looked utterly confused at my question and I laughed a little more. "I don't understand, Babe," he said after a moment of thought.

"Whenever my Grandmother came out of the bathroom after tending to business, as Mum calls it, she would ask me and Val, 'If a bean's a bean, what's a pea'. To which the standard reply was 'A bloody great relief.'"

His eyes seemed to brighten for a nanosecond before the confusion returned and he uttered, "I still don't get it."

"Have you ever had to hold a full bladder?" I asked him, trying to make him understand. He nodded. "You know that feeling just after emptying it? That kind of satisfied relief?"

Understanding dawned on his face like a light bulb being switched on. This caused me to fall over from simple laughter to full on hysterics. His face was priceless. I couldn't help but guffaw at the sight of him realising I what I was talking about. When I finally sobered he was smiling at me and shaking his head. "You done with that?" he asked, lifting me off his lap and setting my feet on the ground. I nodded silently, afraid a chuckle might slip out if I opened my mouth.

"What's so funny?" came a voice from the doorway. Glancing over I found Julie and Laura, both covered in flour, practically from head to foot, and with sauce smudges on their faces.

"Nothing much. Just you father leading a sheltered life."

"What are you wearing?" Ranger asked Laura, crouching down in front of her.

Her grin was the widest I have ever seen on her face as she replied, "Dinner!"

"You're wearing dinner?" he asked incredulously, glancing over his shoulder at me. I shrugged in response, I had no idea what was going on. "Does that mean I can eat you?"

Laura shook her head avidly, and tried to back away, but Ranger caught her forearms, lifting her up into his arms and opening his mouth wide as if to bite her. She squealed and struggled to get away. Somewhere I made out the words, "I'm not dinner!" and "Don't bite me!" but it was all quite loud, and quite high pitched and would have given me a headache if I hadn't thought to cover my ears as soon as Ranger uttered the phrase 'eat you'.

Eventually they calmed down and I felt brae enough to bare my ears. "What's with the sauce and flour, Julie?" I enquired, noting, as Ranger set the curly headed kid back on the ground that he too was now covered in flour.

"Well, we came downstairs a couple of hours ago and you were staring off into I-don't-know-where. I noticed that there hadn't been any preparations made for dinner, so I decided that Chef Julie and her assistant Loza would take care of the evening meal. We found all the ingredients in the cupboards and stuff, and we made pizzas."

This kid was too good to be true, I tell you. Not only had she given me the entire afternoon and early evening to myself by entertaining Laura, she had made dinner. She was like the dream daughter, my only hope was that Laura was half as good as her, even that would be far beyond normal standards for a teenager.

Sniffing the air, it was then that I noticed the aroma of pizza. I can't believe I had missed it. And how had I not known they were in the kitchen making pizza? It was literally just across the hall!

Ranger was chuckling beside me as he watched the expressions glide over my face. "You were way out of it, weren't you, Babe?" he asked, moving to hug me as a twang of shock registered with the thought of what could have happened without my knowledge.

Quickly, I jumped away holding my arms out to fend him off. "Stay back!" I exclaimed "You're all flour-y."

"I'm just trying to share the love, Babe," he soothed.

I continued to back away slowly as he made his advances. Much to my dismay, though, once I made it half way across the room I was ambushed but Laura and Julie; one flour child from each side. I fell backwards with a groan and they came tumbling down ontop of me. We were a tangle of arms, legs and giggles as we each made efforts to disentangle ourselves from the knot, but all were unsuccessful. After a few moments I simply gave up, and flopped down on the carpet.

When I got a glance at Ranger's expression from where he stood just off to the side, it was one of envy. Not because I was entangled with both his daughters, though, that much I could tell from the way his eyes had gone completely black with lust. I was in for it once he got me alone, although, I had a feeling it might be a while off yet. There wasn't much room for an intimate liaison with a three year old who chose all the wrong moments, and a teenager who knew everything.

I sighed, half through sadness and half through relief when Ranger lifted the bodies off me before pulling me to my feet and hard up against his very affected body. "I'm a goner, aren't I?" I asked in barely a whisper.

His only response was to growl in my ear as he bit it gently.

"Dinner should be ready in about three minutes," Julie interrupted with a smirk on her face. She may be a complete and utter blessing, but she was still a teenager. And all teenagers are the same once you strip away the packaging and embellishments. They all find entertainment and humour in depriving adults (especially their parents) of any form of fun (especially the kind Ranger had in mind).

The girls left to attend to their meal and Ranger leaned his forehead against my own. "What are we going to do when Laura gets to that age?" he asked.

"Buy her enough gadgets and gizmos so that she'll be sufficiently distracted?" I suggested.

Don't forget those loverly reviews you know I love. Hugs