VII

Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow?
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain?
There he goes moving across the water
There he goes turning my whole world around

Do you feel what I feel?
Can we make it so that's part of the deal
I gotta hold you in these arms of steel
Lay your heart on the line this time

I wanna breathe when you breathe
When you whisper like that hot summer breeze
Count the beads of sweat that cover me
Didn't you show me a sign this time

Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow?
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain?
There he goes moving across the water
There he goes turning my whole world around, around

Do you feel what I feel?
Do you feel what I feel?
Ah can you see what I see?
Can you cut behind the mystery?
I will meet you by the witness tree
Leave the whole world behind

I want to come when you call
I'll get to you if I have to crawl
They can't hold me with these iron walls
We got mountains to climb, to climb

Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow?
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain?
There he goes moving across the water
There he goes turning my whole world around
turning my whole world around
turning my whole world around
turning my whole world around

Broken Arrow, Rod Stewart

Late July, 2011

Jo and Blair spent the next day calling family and friends, all who wanted to hear about the excitement in Albany the day before. They let everyone know that they were officially engaged, but hadn't set a date yet. The two women talked about that after they woke up in the morning.

"We could just go get the rings and go to the courthouse?" Jo had been waiting for years for this, and wanted to make it official.

"Oh, no you don't, Joanna Marie. We are going to have a proper engagement. I mean", Blair said with her tongue firmly planted in her cheek, "we need to see if we're really compatible together, check out how the sex will be. You know, just like all engaged couples."

Blair held a straight face as long as she could, Jo doing the same, then both bursting out in laughter at that thought. But the more Jo thought about it, the better she liked the idea of an engagement period. Neither were going anywhere.

"Besides", Blair had added, "the Foundation is going to be busy over the next six months to a year at least, educating the public about the marriage law here in New York. We're also going to start putting out information in other states that are thinking about passing similar acts."

"I think New York is the first in the dominoes to fall, Princess", Jo said with a satisfied nod and smile. "Washington state, Maine, and Maryland may get there as soon as next year."

"Plus there are going to be challenges to this law", Blair noted, "even with the religious exemptions in it. I'm not one of those who want to force churches and synagogues and whatnot to marry gay couples, but getting The State to recognize our rights was the goal."

"I'd have liked to have a wedding at my old church, but I've come to terms with that", Jo told Blair, a hint of sadness in her voice nevertheless.

"As long as I get to marry you, my barbarian", Blair said with intensity, "that's all that matters to me."

"We do think alike", Jo answered back, giving Blair a sweet kiss.

A few weeks later, Blair and Jo publicly announced they would get married on June 23, 2012 in Peekskill at the same Chapel that Natalie and Curt had been married. It would not be a large affair-the extended family, including all their close friends they had made and who had affected their lives so positively over the years. They decided to wait because they still had a lot of work to do at the Foundation, and with school starting soon for both of their children-Gloria would enter Kindergarten that fall-they wanted to wait til the following summer.

Boots St. Clair and Georgia Compton didn't want to wait. The legislation went into effect on July 24, 2011, and three weeks later, with Jo and Blair, and Edna with them, they received their marriage certificate from the State of New York at New York City Hall. The two women cried, hugged and kissed happily when it was official, Boots taking the last name Compton. She wanted to leave the St. Clair name behind.

Later that evening, after Blair, Jo, DC, and Gloria arrived home from the reception for Boots and Georgia, the kids fell asleep quickly, Blair and Jo sitting on the couch, snuggling with each other.

"This was a good day", Blair said with a tired but contented voice. "I've never seen Boots look so happy as she did at City Hall and during the reception. She was glowing."

"She's a good person, Blair, despite the fact that she can be kinda quirky at times. Those two are perfect for each other. They compliment each other so well, ya know?"

"Kind of like you and me?" Blair looked up at her lover with a wry smile.

"Exactly", Jo said, leaning down and kissing Blair's lips. "I'm convinced there's someone for everyone, even ditsy blondes like you and barbarians like me."

Blair laughed, but kept the volume down, not wanting to wake the kids. "So I'm ditsy now, huh? What happened to 'Princess'?"

"You'll always be my Princess, Blair, but face it, you're blonde and ditsy goes with the territory", she teased her fiance once again.

"And you'll always be my barbarian grease monkey, I'll have you know." They kissed a little more. "Can you believe that, this time next year, we'll be married, Joey?"

"I thought it would never happen, babe", Jo said with a shiver running through her. "I honestly didn't know that we would see the say were we were permitted to actually tie the knot."

"I know it's just a piece of paper, when you get the license from the State, but it means so much more than that. It means that love is good, and that all of us should be able to say, 'this is my spouse', and be proud of that fact."

"I wasn't going anywhere either way, Princess", Jo said, holding Blair tighter. "But on that day next year, I can scream to the world that you're my wife."

"Maybe I won't scream it", Blair said sardonically. "I'll probably say it in a memo."

Now Jo burst out laughing, "That's my business executive." Jo was now lying on top of Blair. "I love you, Blair Warner. Since the day I met you, and I will til the day I die and beyond that. I can't wait to take your last name."

Blair tenderly touched Jo's cheek. "Since the day we met, this was just meant to be, sweetheart. I love you so much."

Monica Warner had had a rough road through her cancer treatment, her double mastectomy, and then her reconstruction surgery. Like most people going through this, she had bouts of depression, anger, then, finally, a weary acceptance. Yet in the end, it caused her to become even closer to her daughters, and even with Jo, who had helped her as much as she could, just as Blair and Bailey had.

In some ways, Monica felt like a new woman. The cancer was still in remission, none being detected anywhere in her body with her recent MRI's and CT's scans. She would never say it out loud, but the fact that her new breasts were much more flattering that her original ones had become-she even had nipple implant surgery done because, well, you never know when one might find an attractive man to spend time with.

She wasn't actively "playing the field", as the saying went, but she went out to dinner quite often, and began to socialize at charity events in the area for causes that interested her. Her days of simply getting laid to get laid were over, that part of her life had ended when she had almost lost Blair.

One afternoon while Blair was in the Nation's Capitol, Jo stopped by with DC and Gloria to visit their Grandma Warner. As always, Monica doted on the two children who were growing up so fast.

After the kids settled down to play, Monica invited Jo to make some sandwiches with her. "You could have brought the kids here, or I'm sure to Jericho to Charlie and Rose if you wanted to go to Washington, Jo."

"Nah, sometimes Blair and I need a little time away from each other", she offered. "Much as we love each other, it's not healthy being around each other 24/7, every day. You have to have your own space once in a while."

"I've known people who were around each other every hour of every day, or so it seems", Monica added, "and I never understood how they didn't go out of their minds."

Jo laughed. "Yeah, that's exactly it, Monica. I understand that sometimes I can be...difficult to live with if I'm in a bad mood. Same with Blair, although her bad moods are different than mine. I get loud, she just shuts up."

Monica chuckled. "That sounds like Blair", she agreed. She looked over at Jo. "Isn't it amazing how far you and I have come, Joanna? Lord, some of the fights we had in the past. I'm ashamed of how I was back then, and the things I said."

"It takes two to tango, Monica, and I was no saint either. But as harrowing as that time was when Blair was in the coma, it brought not just you and me, but most everyone we know closer together. As I've told you, it's in the past now."

"You're a good woman, Joanna", Monica observed. "It's still hard for me to admit when I was wrong, but if these two children end up half as good as you and Blair are, they'll do just fine."

Jo just smiled as they finished up making the sandwiches for the kids and themselves.

Georgia and Boots Compton were lying on the beach in Aruba, at an adults-only club for their Honeymoon. Boots was very fair-skinned, but she wanted a tan, and while careful to get one, one was starting to show in the middle of their 2-week vacation.

One advantage of where they were staying is that it was a clothing-optional resort, so Boots wouldn't have to worry about any lines.

"That tan is looking good, baby", Georgia said, peeking over at her wife. She still couldn't comprehend that she was married and had a wife, but she was loving it. "You're gonna be as dark as me if you keep this up."

"Haha, Georgie", Boots said without opening her eyes. "I'd have to get nuked to get that dark, and I'll pass on that, thank you very much."

Georgia laughed. "Doesn't matter to me if you have a tan or not, Boots", she said, rolling over toward her spouse. "I love every inch of you just the way you are."

"Do you think you've actually explored every inch of me, sweetie?"

"I don't think there's a single spot on our bodies that the other hasn't touched, licked, suck, or kissed."

"Keep that up lover girl, and we'll have to adjourn to our suite."

Georgia gave a sultry laugh. "Why, am I making you wet, baby?"

Boots opened her eyes and looked around the beach. There were a few people, but not many out right now. She and Georgia were sharing a giant beach blanket. Rolling on her side, then rolling Georgia on hers, she discreetly took her wife's hand and placed it on her genitals. "That answer your question, love?"

Sure enough, Boots was already very wet and very excited, Georgia using the moment to quickly put a finger inside Boots, feeling a thrill that they might get caught. Boots simply moaned.

"I think", Georgia suggested, teasing her wife's clit, "that we head inside. I suddenly have a need to fuck you, Boots Compton."

"I thought you'd say that", Boots responded, making them both laugh as they gathered their items and headed indoors.

Edna Garrett and Mark Browning were back to traveling again. This time they had gone to Hawaii. Mark was an avid history buff and one of his bucket list items was to visit Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. He and Edna had visited Gettysburg National Battlefield about six month earlier. While Edna certainly knew of both historic American sites, she had learned a lot about Gettysburg, the three day battle that cost more American lives than any other battle, and its place in American History.

Their visit to the Arizona-still leaking oil from it's hull seventy years after being sunk, along with the visit to National Memorial Cemetery of The Pacific, were two of the more emotional moments both had ever experienced. The cemetery, where over fifty-three thousand American war dead were interred was something neither would forget.

A few days later, they hopped on a Hawaiian Air flight over to Maui, where they would spend a few more days, eating at one of the luau's offered on the island. At the luau, the two of them talked about their vacation and other subjects.

"You know, Mark", Edna began, "I had a friend who visited the American Cemetery at Normandy in France, and he said he was unprepared for how emotionally overwhelming it was for him and his wife. He said he was in tears before leaving."

"Knowing you're walking through such hallowed ground, where a lot of men-some of them only eighteen and nineteen years old-gave their lives, is quite an experience. I'm glad I brought a handkerchief with me when we went to the cemetery", he said with rueful smile.

"Me, too", Edna admitted. "Have you ever been to Normandy?"

"I was there once with some friends about fifteen years ago, and yes, it hits you like a ton of bricks emotionally."

"Maybe we can go there some day? I've learned so much history being around you."

Mark smiled. "I would like that, Edna, but I'm thinking we won't go there until after you have been wearing this for a while.

He suddenly pulled out a ring as if from thin air, Edna gasping, looking at the small but very beautiful ring. "What?" She was trying to joke at the moment. "I need a ring to get to France?"

Mark laughed loudly despite the solemnity of what he was asking. "For our purposes, yes, Edna. Will you marry me?"

"I would gladly marry you, Mr. Browning, although I want to check with the Government of France about the ring requirement." Again they both laughed, Mark slipping the ring on Edna's finger, as they kissed sweetly, Edna's eyes shining at her fiance.