Chapter Eight

The third week of their holidays brought the friends even closer together as well as some changes in their living arrangements as Michaela's sister Rebecca had already joined them with her three-year old son Sam and with Marjorie and Everett staying for one more night. But week three made them realize too, that their wonderful time together would eventually come to an end and that plans had to be made about how to move forward in their respective relationships in the future.

One of the changes regarding their quarters was that Rob had mustered a large tent that he set up on the far corner of the huge property. He had invited Grace to join him there for the following nights and Michaela had heard her blushingly agree to the proposal. Despite being the slightest bit uncomfortable at the insinuation of what would happen, Michaela had promised her friend to prepare the tent's interior for its intended use, making it comfortable and adding a girl's touch with candles and fresh flowers.

After she straightened up the fresh linen over the large matress on the carpeted floor, Michaela took a step back to judge the outcome of her efforts. She was satisfied. It was beautiful. Her friends would hopefully have a wonderful time in there. Unbidden, a flash of an image of her in Sully's arms on that bed popped into her mind. She tried to shake it off. 'Stop it!' she berated herself. 'You do not want that yet.' The voice in her head sunded a lot like her mother.

Throwing a last wistful look into the tent, she sighed.

"Watcha sighing at?"

Unbeknownst, Sully had walked up behind her, giving her one of his charming smiles. He was only in his black swimming trunks. His short, dark hair was wet, curling at his neck.

"Did you swim here?" Michaela quipped.

Sully shook his wet head, spraying her t-shirt in the process. "No! But good idea! I'll do that next time.. ... I was just so hot, so I took a quick detour dip in your swimming pool. It was great."

"Anytime you like."

Again, he probed "Why were you sad just a minute ago?"

"Sad?" she was confused. "I wasn't sad."

"But ya were sighing," he insisted.

Instantaneously, she blushed. "Oh! ... .. That!"

"Yes!" he grinned. "That!"

"That was nothing really!"

He knew she was forestalling, especially seeing the look on her face and he was not really willing to let her off the hook. The girl sometimes really was a mystery to him. But for her sake, he deliberately changed the subject. Knowing whom the tent was truly for, he asked. "Are you plannin' on camping out here?"

Not knowing if he was joking or not, she warily answered. "No. It's for Rob ... .. and Grace. They ... .. They both decided to spend the night ... .. here ... ... together... you know..."

She begged him with her eyes to catch her meaning without her having to say it out loud.

Stepping closer, he took her hands in his. "I know," he ascertained. "What I don't know is why ya're so flustered about it."

"Sully," she hummed and hawed, reluctant to tell him.

Getting the drift, Sully cut to the core. "Is it because of what we both know is going to happen here between them?"

Michaela's face flushed at his open bluntness. She looked down.

Sully was baffled. "Hey, did I say something wrong? What's bothering you, Michaela? Please, tell me."

He gazed imploringly at her, so she forced herself to answer. "It's... It's just that I think..."

"Think what?" he urged her on.

"That maybe... maybe you have certain expectations... For us... .. From me... ..."

Not getting her, he was puzzled. "Like what?"

Michaela hated that she had to spell it out for him. "It's just that we both know each other for as long as Rob and Grace have. I thought that maybe... ... you would want to.. ... expect more."

Finally, it dawned on him. "Like them, you mean?"

Relieved, that it was out in the open, she nodded.

Sully caressed the back of her hands.

"Michaela, look at me. We should have talked about this sooner. I should have told you, I mean... First of all, Grace and Rob, they're older than us. They're legally adults. Second, they don't know each other that long but if they're both ready to commit to each other like that and carry the consequences, that's good for them. And third, but most important. What applies to them doesn't need to fit for us... .. Michaela, I gathered that you have never... ... me neither, ya know that! ... .. I know, you're not even close to ready to take such a big step... ... Honestly, I don't even know if I am. All I know is, if we're ever going that far, it will only be after we have made some sort of a commitment to each other. I know where you come from, the way you have been raised. Believe me! It wasn't that much different in our house... .. I was taught to act responsibly. To let the girl make the decision how far she wants to go with me... ... So, if ya worry about my expectations, I truly have none. I'm so happy that we've found each other and as much as I love being near ya, holdin' you, kissin' you. I am good with that. More than good!... ... As far as I'm concerned, that is as close to heaven as I can imagine. I am and will be happy with whatever you like to do with me."

It felt like a weight had been lifted off Michaela's shoulders. Even if she did not admit it to herself, she had worried that she would not be able to meet Sully's expectations sooner or later. Finding out that he was actually good with the way they were going, gave her the freedom to set the pace.

"Thank you Sully. For being such a great guy."

The words did not seem to be close to enough. So she stood on the tip of her toes and offered him her lips.

Happily, he claimed them, lifting her a bit off the ground when he took her in his arms.

"Do you want some more iced tea, Sully?" Rebecca asked him when they were sitting on the porch, enjoying the nice balmy evening.

"No, thank you, Mrs. Dickinson. I should be on my way soon. I promised my little brother that we'd check out another surf spot he discovered early in the morning and it's getting late."

"Of course," Rebecca understood. "It's important to keep one's promises. I tell that my Sammy all the time. And Sully, please call me Rebecca. Mrs. Dickinson is my mother-in-law." She caressed her son's dark locks. The little one was slumbering peacefully in his mother's arms after an exhausting day on the beach with Michaela and Sully.

"Sure... Rebecca," he relented standing up from his chair, smiling at her. "I'll see to it that Jake can bring Rory home with my car," he told Michaela. "Say goodbye to Will and David for me. And my best wishes to your sister and Everett. I already saw them off."

He leaned down to Michaela's face and feeling the watchful eyes of Rebecca, he gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Good night! See ya tomorrow. Good night, Rebecca."

"Good night, Sully," the sisters echoed watching his retreating form, the one sister with a slightly dreamier gaze than the other.

"Whew!" Rebecca exhaled.

"What?" Michaela roused from her stupor. Dubiously, she watched her sister, fearing that Rebecca had anything negative to say, or worse, caution her about Sully as their mother surely would have. But she should have known her closest sister better.

"He's a catch, Mike!" Rebecca was using her sister's nickname. "He's wonderful. He's polite and gentle and charming. He respects you. And my! He's handsome!... .. And you, little sis' ... are head over heels for him! No wonder, he's just like a knight in shining armour..."

A memory crossed Rebecca's mind. "I wonder..."

"What?" Michaela was curious.

"There was a boy we met on the beach years ago. You were really little then... But I can't remember his name... I believe it was something with a B.. ..."

Rebecca got no further in her reveries as fighting noises once again erupted in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Marjorie's agitated voice reverberated in the hallway followed by a loud banging of a door.

Rebecca and Michaela looked at each other. Sorrowfully, Rebecca asked her sister. "How long has this been going on again?"

"Ever since they arrived, I'm afraid." Michaela was hesitant to provide more.

Sadly, Michaela had noticed soon after the arrival of her sister and brother-in-law that the state of their marriage had seemed to deteriorate even more than Marjorie had let on back in Boston. The pair was constantly fighting. Mostly about Everett's inattentiveness and long working hours. Both Rebecca and Michaela felt for their sister. Michaela was in the act of pouring herself another glass of iced tea, when the screen door to the porch opened. Marjorie emerged, seemingly in a distressed state. Her eyes were a little red and her cheeks puffy. But the redhead tried to cover up her woes with assumed anger. Huffing, she took a seat next to Rebecca and reached for Michaela's glass.

"Thanks, just what I need now…. … If it wasn't for my pregnancy, I would like it to be spiked, though."

Sympathetically, Rebecca and Michaela gazed at Marjorie but she would not have any of it.

"Oh, come on, you two! Don't look at me like that!"

"Like what?.." Rebecca tried to defend themselves.

"Pitiful!" Marjorie spat.

"Now, Marj! We weren't…."

In a much smaller voice, Marjorie returned, her posture deflated. "I know, I know, Becca… I also know your view on this. We talked about it so many times… .. We tried counselling. But it just won't get better. He just wouldn't talk to me. Instead, he spends more time at the office…. I never said that to anyone before…. But I think that he's developing inappropriate feelings for his secretary…."

"Oh Marj, I'm sorry!" Rebecca began. Michaela sat by more timidly.

"Don't be, Becca… .. In a way, I know I had it coming… … I married him much too soon. I was blinded by the things he represents rather than really deep feelings. We didn't really know each other. We didn't take the time…. I'm sorry to say that and I don't really blame Mom… but a lot of it has to do with the way of our upbringing…. The 'no-sex-before-marriage-rule', you know…. I was so eager to marry him… to be Mrs. Hanson… wife of the well-to-do lawyer Hanson…. We didn't even know if we were compatible… in the bedroom… .. But that's important, too, in a marriage… .. That's where our troubles started… .. I don't really know if that can be mended with any amount of talking."

Ashamed, she looked at the ground. Michaela was at a loss to console her sister. After a few minutes and with renewed fire, Marjorie looked her little sister deep in the eyes. "Don't make the same mistake I did, little sis… I'm not saying that you should jump in bed with Sully right this moment… .. as hot as he is. But I suggest that you don't listen too much to what Mom has to say for that matter. I say, that you should gather some experience before you make that sort of commitment…. I should have…"

Michaela was quite astonished. Never before did she have that kind of talk with Marjorie. With Becca, yes, of course. But Marjorie had never shared that much of herself until now. Rebecca was now concerned for both of her sisters. "Now, Marj. We don't want to give Mike the wrong ideas... .."

"What, Becca? I did say that she shouldn't sleep with just anyone, didn't I? I just said that she shouldn't rush into a commitment without getting to know the guy…. I know that you and John didn't as well as Claudette and Patrick. And I think you were right to do so. You weren't indoctrinated as Mike and I were."

"You're right," Rebecca conceded. Turning to Michaela she explained. "But you must know that we were both very sure in our relationships. We were committed. Just not yet in front of the law."

Michaela nodded her understanding. But she was a bit unsettled talking about these things. And of course, it brought her to ponder the ramifications to her relationship with Sully. Would her sister's advice change her stance on how far their relations would and should go?

She did not get the time to think much about these new questions popping up in her head. Will and David had arrived from a late tour on their motorbikes, joining the Quinn sisters on the porch for a snack and some animated conversation.

The last evening of their wonderful holidays had arrived much too soon and nobody really knew where the time had gone. The Bostonians would fly home on the next day's afternoon and Sully's and Will's parents were scheduled to arrive in the evening, setting off again to Colorado Springs the day after.

The three weeks of their holidays had formed meaningful and deep friendships as well as they cemented the bonds between Sully and Michaela, Grace and Rob and Rory's with Jake. They all had made their concrete plans as to when they would see each other again. Everyone was hoping for the time to pass quickly for that to happen. Michaela and Sully had a particular hard time separating. But as she was to start College that fall, the earliest she could join together with Sully – under the pretext of visiting with Charlotte in Colorado – was the day after Christmas. They both made solemn vows to phone and write and text every change they got. Yet, both were gravely sad at the prospect of such a long time apart from each other and they both had to work really hard to keep their feelings under control, sneaking off every now and then to have a private moment, steal a passionate kiss, a sweet caress or a comforting hug.

By mutual consent and with great exhilaration, all had agreed to spend their last night together, making it extra special with a festive dinner right at the beach. Abby, Michaela and Rory had made their best, decorating a huge dinner table that was actually four individual tables the guys had brought out, with sets of flowers, a huge white tablecloth, crystal glasses, plates, candles and silverware they had found in the big house. The boys had set up the barbecue grill again and stacked wood for a bonfire. Drinks were purchased by Hank, Jake and HB. CD had prepared for a real Cheyenne ceremony he would present his friends later on, Daniel had brought along his guitar and a radio, planning to entertain after dessert. Grace, Charlotte and Rebecca had excelled themselves preparing a wonderful meal.

When they all were done eating, Jake self-consciously stood up and tried to gain the attention of all of those gathered around the table. Clearing his throat loudly, he raised his glass. "Ahem… Guys, Rory and I just had a fantastic idea, we think. Seein' that not all of us will be able to meet again for the holidays, we thought it would be nice if we performed a Thanksgiving tradition right here, right now… All of you know the old tradition of giving thanks… How about everyone of us says a little something about what she or he is grateful for and we share that with the whole group…? Would ya like that?"

Appreciative murmurs were said all around. Jake smiled, happy for his proposal. "Okay, I'd like to start if ya don't mind. Then we can do the round." Looking down to the tablecloth, he hesitantly began. "…. As ya all know, I joined our group of friends a little later through Hank. Before that, there weren't that many people I could call friends… .. If I'm brutally honest, there was not even one person who deserved to be called that… When I met Hank and he introduced me to you all, you welcomed me with open arms and without prejudice against everythin' that was bein' said about me by others... ... Truth is, I haven't always been one of the nicest people. But you guys didn't care about what I did before ya knew me…. And I wanna thank you for that. I guess, what I wanna say is that I'm thankful for being part of such a great group. A group that grew over these holidays we had together. I'm grateful that we all got to know each other and that we expanded our circle of friends…" Turning to Rory, he addressed her. "And I'm most thankful to have got to known you. Ya make me happy and all those crazy ideas in your head about what we could be doin' and where we could be goin'… I'm real excited to start all that with you…."

The redhead threw her arms around her new boyfriend's neck. Wiping a small tear away, she began. "Okay, my turn….. Well. I think it goes without saying that I am, too, grateful for having found such great friends in you all. To have friends who pick me up and give me strength to end things that are not good for me. And friends who forgive me when I let my mouth be faster than my brain." She apologetically looked at Charlotte and Michaela who had suffered from Rory's indiscretion on one or more occasions. "And I'm also thankful to have met Jake. As I already told you, I love how gentle and good you are to me. And that I can tell you anything… I'm also looking forward to all the things in our future."

Next were Charlotte, Daniel, CD, David and Will who all expressed their thanks about having had such great holidays and about having found such great people here. Everyone promised to keep in touch and meet again as soon as the opportunity arose.

Rebecca was happy to be included in the younger group. Bouncing her toddler Sam on her knee, she thanked them all for making her days in Mexico special and enjoyable. Wills brought smiles into everyone's faces when he thanked God to grant him all those good waves and new surfing spots. Grace and Rob were grateful that they had found each other and promised to find a way to stay close with Robert E even considering attending Colorado College of Colorado Springs for the semester after this new one.

HB was particularly grateful for two things: that Michaela had obviously saved his foot and for online dating. He divulged that he was in touch with a Communication Technologies major named Myra and that he could not wait to meet the girl in person back in Colorado after their going home.

Sully and Michaela were both too self-conscious and private to share their innermost feelings openly with the whole group, so they just disclosed how glad they were that they had found each other after all those years and that they could not wait to meet again in the winter. All those present however saw the looks they both exchanged and knew that there was so much more going on than what had been said.

Next and almost last was Hank. With his dry sense of humor, when asked about his thoughts, he delivered his trademark one-liners. "Just one thing," he grinned. "Mexican beer!" But his devilish smile was belied by a wistful look he threw on the person next to him. Sobering up, he was moved when he told them his feelings. "Ya know me… .. I'm not one to talk too much about mushy stuff… I just want ta let ya know what you all mean to me. Ya all were my family when my real folks weren't around that much and I wanna tell ya how much I appreciate that."

Abby smiled finely as she put down her glass. "Like everyone else here I'm grateful for friendship. Old ones…" She looked long at Sully and Charlotte. "And new ones…" she winked at Michaela. "But I also found something else here. I, too, found a person I can trust my life and secrets with. One I can laugh and have fun with but also share the same values and ideas for the future. I'm truly falling in love with him and I hope that he feels the same way about me….."

Shyly, she looked at the person sitting beside herself. "In case, ya haven't realized. I'm talking about you, Hank."

Hank looked stunned for a few seconds. Then his face broke out in a huge grin and he roared with laughter. Under the hollering of the crowd around, he leaned forward and swept the petite brunette up in his arms and planted a huge wet kiss on her lips, exclaiming. "Come here, ya little minx."

"I don't want to part just yet," Michaela lamented when Sully brought her back to her house after they all cleaned up on the beach.

"Then don't!" Sully begged of her.

"What?... What do you mean, Sully?"

"Just let's spend our last night here together… .. I mean," he cleared up at her shocked expression. "Just let us take some blankets and pillows from your room and get down to our cove. Just you and me. We can look at the stars all night long and just hold each other… .. Please, I need to hold you in my arms."

"I want that, too… .. But…"

"No buts, Michaela… .. There's no one here who disapproves of this… of us… .. Even Rebecca won't tell your mother on us. And she knows that we wouldn't cross any lines…."

'I hope so!' Michaela thought to herself. 'After that talk with Marjorie...'

Giving herself a push to give in to her innermost wishes, Michaela nodded her consent. "Let's get those blankets."

It was pitch black when they made their way down to the little cove where they met just over two and a half weeks ago. Sully took the blankets and spread them out on the sandy beach. Fluffing up the pillows, he bent down on one knee, immersed in his task of making it comfortable for both of them. Michaela marveled at his thoughtfulness. Not being able to hold herself back, she stepped closer. Startled, Sully looked up. Sensing what she needed, he wrapped his arms around her hips and leant his head against her stomach. Amazed at the comfort she felt by his intimate embrace, she brought her hand up and entwined it in his hair, gently caressing his scalp.

After a while, they reclined on the cozy nest Sully had built. Looking up at the stars shining above them, they were at a loss for words. Sully reached over and took her in his warm embrace again. Michaela cuddled up to him, trying to diminish any space that was left between them.

"Sul…."

"Micha…." They both began at the same time.

Grinning, Michaela pushed onwards. "Sully, there's something that I've been meaning to tell you… Meeting you, spending those last few weeks with you has made me the happiest I've ever been in my life. I sometimes stop myself in what I'm doing and find myself wondering how I could get so lucky. I ask myself if it's all really true or if I'm in a dream. I'm amazed at how well we fit together in so many things… It feels like I've known you forever not just these last three weeks…. Not seeing you until after Christmas will be the hardest thing I've ever done…. I know, it may seem very early to be saying those words but I've never been surer… I can't seem to let you go home without having told you... Sully, I…."

"I love you!" Sully interrupted her testimony, gazing deep into her eyes.

Michaela was shocked. "I just wanted to tell you… Sully, I love you, too!"

They laughed, both exuberant and excited about their respective admissions. Sully caressed her hip where he touched her. "I guess, I couldn't hold it in either."

"Oh Sully," she sighed pulling him in even closer.

The first touch of his lips on hers sent electric sparks through both of them. Sully molded his lips to the contours of hers. Before any of them knew what was happening, instincts took over and they deepened the contact. Sensuously, Sully drew the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip. Gasping, Michaela immediately gave in to his silent request and opened up for him. Excitedly, Sully's tongue slipped into her hot mouth where he was welcomed and caressed by hers. Sully growled deep in his throat at the amazing feeling.

Instincts took control within both of them. Soon, their kisses became even more heated, the space between them less, the air that surrounded them hotter and heavier and the caresses over their clothing more frantic. Forgetting all sense of restriction, Sully hovered over her, peppering her face with hot kisses. Encouraged by her excited sighs, he went further down and kissed his way down her throat, eventually reaching her collarbone. He was in heaven, breathing in her unique flowery, clean smell. At the same time and seemingly without his own conscious intent, Sully's hand crept under her blue knited sweater. The feel of the firm yet soft skin on her stomach was incredible. Reverently, he caressed her there. A little moan that escaped her throat, spurred him on even more. With a will of their own, his fingers crawled upwards over her ribcage to the underside of her breast. He had never dared to touch her there before. But now it all felt so right. He did not think but was commanded by desire when he laid his gentle hand over her lacy bra on one of her breasts. Both of their breaths hitched.

They did not really jerk back to reality but at the same time, they both stopped for a moment, slowing their respective motions. Sully tried to catch his breath and get his running emotions under control. Michaela did not try to shy away from him or put distance between them. Instead she made a point of staying in his embrace and trying to ignore his obvious arousal. Taking a breath, Sully closed his eyes for a while and shifted a bit so that he was resting a little more on his side. He gave her nose a little peck and brought his hand back down to her stomach where he gently caressed her.

She was the first to find some kind of equilibrium. "As amazing as this is... .. I think, this is as far as we should be going right now..."

"Yeah... Yeah, sure... ... You're right... .. I'm sorry if... ..."

"Don't be!" She interrupted him putting a finger on his mouth which he instantaneously kissed. "I wanted it as much as you did... .. I mean, we need something to keep us going in the next few months, don't we?"

"That's for sure," he agreed. With a relieved sigh, he plopped down beside her on the blanket, facing the sky above them. He took her in his arm once again and wrapped the blankets more tighly around them both.

Looking at the dark sky, he noticed that the weather was changing. Decreasingly less stars were blinking above them compared to when they first got down here.

"It looks like it's raining tomorrow. Just like that day three years ago when you left for the airport the first time and I missed ya."

"You remember that?" She was amazed.

"Sure, I do. The weather was as gloomy as I was on the inside."

"I felt the same." she admitted.

"Hey," he tried to lighten the mood. "It won't be the same tomorrow. We now know exactly where to find each other and we have so much to look forward to."

She nodded and after a while, when even more clouds formed on the horizon, he suggested. "What do you say we go into your house? We can sleep in your room... Don't worry, we can sleep in our clothes... .. But we can still cuddle and wake up together tomorrow morning. What do you think?"

Michaela did not think too long. She trusted him... .. and herself not to get carried away again. She nodded her consent.

With a little yelp, Sully jumped up and started gathering their belongings. He helped her get up and took her warm hand in his, leading her the way back to her house.

It was grey and dreary when the rental car steered by David pulled out of the driveway, out of sight from those beloved faces. The gloomy weather was so unlike the warm fuzzy feeling, Michaela had had when she woke up in Sully's warm embrace this very morning. She was reminded of the very day when she was thirteen years old and had made the exact same journey home, in the exact weather and with the exact same feeling of loss. Cold and dreary. That was her without him. Warm and fuzzy. Protected and adored. That was her by his side.

With a sigh, she sank back in the seat of the minivan and looked to her right to Charlotte, who threw her a compassionate look, on to Rory's face, who wore the same sad expression than she did. The redhead surreptitiously wiped at her eyes. No words had to be spoken among the friends. Saying goodbye had not been easy on any of them. But it had been hardest on Sully and Michaela as they were facing the longest separation of them all.

When they had woken up on her bed this morning, still fully clothed, they both had felt rested, safe and loved. That was until the feeling of dread at the prospect of five months without one another had set in. Realizing, Sully had soulfully hovered over her face, looked deep into her eyes and kissed her until both felt dizzy.

Michaela smiled wistfully at the memory. Their goodbye-kiss of five minutes ago had been a little tamer as they both did not like being eyed by their friends. Vowing to text as soon as they got back and write tons of e-mails, they had teared themselves apart from each other and now she was on her way. On to home, on to her last week with Charlotte in Boston, on to days without Sully but also on to Harvard College. Among the plethora of feelings within her heart, Michaela also felt nervous about College and how she would cope. But Sully had assured her that she would be doing just fine there. As she had not wanted to brag about her being admitted to the famous Ivy League School and thought it a bit of a cliché, Michaela had only confided in Sully which College she would attend and he had been immensely proud of her. Hopefully, with both of their schoolings, there would be a tiny little less time for missing each other.

Just before they turned into the main road, Michaela threw one last, wistful look back on their beach, the place she now connected so many more sweet memories with. And she hoped to be back one day, back here with Sully.

AN: I'm sorry that it took me longer this time. But with a new baby, we're still settling in, as wonderful as it is. Thank you again, for bothering to leave a review. I promise to go on with this story, the plot is already finished. Please r&r. Thank you.