A/N

Thank you, Hannah (grahamlecter) for Beta-reading my story. I appreciate your help!

To the readers, if there's anything in particular you like (or dislike) about the story, please take a moment and leave a review. Thank you.

I truly love hearing from you all!

G-Girl

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Chapter Twenty-Eight – The Softball Game

Spencer searched through his closet for something he could play softball in. He had a t-shirt and of course his shoes and socks. Jeans or slacks wouldn't work very well. Still wearing a towel, he went into Susan's closet. "I have khakis that might work… or sweatpants."

"There are some clothes, including a tracksuit of Phil's in the basement guest room closet. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you borrowed the pants."

After putting on his t-shirt, underwear, and socks, he hung up his towel, picked up his shoes, and went down to the basement. Minutes later, he came back up wearing the grey track pants, happy with the fit.

He sat down on the stairs to put on his shoes and looked up to see Susan standing by the railing, looking adorable in black leggings that fit low on her hips and a tank top with Princess Leia as Rosie the Riveter. She gave him two enthusiastic thumbs up.

No sooner had he picked up his shoe to put it on, he heard a noise coming from the library. It surprised him to see Susan walking towards him. Spencer looked up towards the 2nd floor again, then back at her.

"Uh… wait. How did you do that?" He left his shoes on the steps and went into the library, looking around, not knowing what it was he was looking for.

She stood against the door frame, smiling wryly. "My grandfather built secret passages in the house and I meant to tell you before." Spencer searched for anything that might hide a secret passage. She said, "I'll give you a hint: One reminds me of Star Trek."

"So, there are at least two," he mused aloud. "Hmm. Since transporters still haven't been invented…" He walked around the room. "… and there's no sign of an elevator, I'll have to use my powers of observation." Susan watched as he thought it over, his fingers moving absently. Walking up the circular staircase, up to the top, he pushed his hand against the ceiling, around the chandelier, for a trapdoor. The other way to get around on Star Trek was… he thought to himself as he walked back down. Then he grinned as he got it. "Jeffries tubes." His lips puckered, twisting to one side, and he stood next to the large cylindrical, ornate columns on either side of the tower. "Now," he said, figuring Susan was still listening. "if I'm right, one of these will be hollow." Tapping on the column in front of him, the sound resonated. He studied it closely, running his fingers along the edges of the ornate designs carved into the wood, finding a gap. The hinges were the same color as the wood, along the carvings. Spencer found what he surmised was the latch, a carved wooden rose, a quarter of an inch higher than the others. Remembering the framed light had a magnetic lock, he pushed it. It went in slightly, and the panel popped out. He smiled and opened the secret door as he looked back to show her he'd found it; slightly disappointed she was no longer standing there. He turned back to the column to discover a ladder inside. Checking the other column, it had the same gaps and latch. He opened it, finding Susan standing inside, with her hands and a leg wound around a fireman's pole.

"Yay, you figured it out. I knew you would!" She ducked her head as she stepped out, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him. She told him the ladder in the other column went up to the second floor, but also went down to the basement, into the safe room. "The Animaniacs poster hides the access panel."

"Okay, that's cool." He ducked his head as he stepped into the column with the ladder and climbed up a few rungs. Stepping out, he closed it. "I wanted to make sure I fit. Would you help me play a joke on Morgan later?"

Sure." Susan went back up the stairs to get her shoes as Spencer followed, still wearing his socks. "There other secret passageways, too." She whispered, "There's also a hidden opening in the wall, outside my old room, across from the nursery." His eyes widened, wondering what it was for.

"Laundry chute." She smiled and showed him the tilt-out cupboard next to the door of the Jack & Jill bathroom. He shook his head, chuckling. Susan led him to the closet in the nursery suite and asked him to stand in the doorway. She told him, "I'll be right back." and headed for the bedroom. He began looking over the nursery when the large framed mirror on the wall clicked and opened. Susan stepped through. "Like Alice, through the looking glass." Spencer went through. The other side was behind the mirror in her closet.

He came back through, grinning. "That's pretty cool, too."

The doorbell rang, and Spencer went downstairs to answer it. Emily brought Aaron, Jack, and the Morgan family back and following them, Penelope, Tara, and Luke. Matt was walking behind his wife and kids up to the door. Jennifer was at the gate with Will and the boys. Dave and Krystall were getting out of his car. The adults carried tote bags to the kitchen and dining room to set up.

Spencer and Morgan were talking by the door when Susan came back down. The pink ribbons on her black Converse sneakers made Spencer smile. He kissed her.

Morgan laughed, seeing Susan in her leggings and tank top. He asked, with a wry grin, "You're going to play softball in that cutsie girly girl outfit?"

"Sure. Why not?" Susan thought of something else she could add to her outfit, up in her closet.

Spencer started up the stairs. "I'll be right back."

Susan sat down on the steps, inviting Morgan to sit with her. "It's sweet how much he loves you and wants to make you proud."

"He's a great kid, the best little brother a guy could have." Morgan sat with his back against the Newel post.

Since he was sitting facing her, he couldn't see Spencer sneaking up behind him, his socks silent on the hardwood floor. She was telling Morgan about some of the renovations done on the second floor. He leaned forward to glance up the staircase, then sat back against the post and noticed Spencer standing on his left.

He did a double-take and jumped two steps up the stairs, shouting, "What the hell, man?" Several of the others ran over to find out what the commotion was about. Morgan pointed up the stairs, then stared at Spencer. "How the hell did you do that?"

He grinned and sat down on the steps to put his shoes on.

Aaron asked Susan, "He came down the pole, didn't he?" He gave Spencer a high five and told him and Morgan that Susan did that to him—startling him on a couple of occasions—when she was a kid.

She led the group into the library, showing them the pole and the ladder. Jack asked if he could try it. Aaron told him he could, as long as it was okay with Susan.

Spencer took the teen up to the bedroom, opened the passage, and slid down, then called up and told him it was okay to follow, with the hatch open as the group watched. Jack came down the pole, grinning. He wanted to do that again and ran back up the stairs, joined by Will, his boys, and Matt's sons, Jake and David, all taking turns. Twice, Spencer came down the pole holding Hank, and then Will slid down, holding Michael since the youngest boys were too small to go down by themselves.

Susan followed the others into the kitchen, leaving the guys to play. "They'll get over it after another twenty times… or so."

The rest of the Simmons family went out back with Dave, Krystall, and Savannah.

The guys had fun. Morgan was disappointed he couldn't join in. His shoulders were too broad to fit comfortably in the column. But he enjoyed seeing the boys having a good time.

After everyone was done eating, the leftovers put away, and the kitchen cleaned up, the group relaxed for a little while before heading over to the park.

In the upstairs bathroom, Susan quickly braided her hair and went to her closet to get two more things: her baseball glove and a short pink fluffy tutu skirt. She fastened it around her hips, along the band of her leggings, and bounded down the stairs. She set her glove on the table by the front door and went back outside.

Morgan hooted when he saw her, gripping Spencer's shoulder. "Hey Kid, your ballerina's here."

Spencer kissed her, sliding his hand over her back, smiling as she shuddered. She was about to sit down when her cell phone rang, and she excused herself to answer it. It was Jesse, one of the high school seniors who worked part-time, at the rec center. She had left a message for him earlier, asking if there any teens were looking to play softball and he was calling back to let her know. Yes, there were, and they could meet up at the park. "Half an hour? Do we have any of the promo caps left? Bring a box? Thanks. Sounds good, see you then."

They agreed to split into teams once they got there and instead of driving, most of them walked over since it was only three short blocks to the park, then a diagonal walk across to the baseball diamond at the far end, near the playground.

Matt drove with Kristy and the girls in the van when the rest of the group headed out. Their sons, Jake and David, walked with Jack and Henry, talking about sports, comic books, and video games.

On the way over, Susan explained to the group she had hired Jesse three summers before, to help with the baseball camp and ended up keeping him on part-time, helping with the athletics programs. He was smart, a good kid, who was saving his money for college. His mother—Joanne—managed the center's day-care program.

By the time the group got there, Matt was in the parking lot nearby, setting up a stroller. Kristi was getting little Rose out of her car seat, with the twins, Chloe and Lily standing beside her.

Krystall, JJ, Penelope, and Kristy decided they would watch the youngest children on the bleachers and the playground nearby, with Savannah, who offered to help in case anyone got hurt. And Rossi announced he would serve as umpire. The rest of the group came to play.

Four teenage boys from the rec center met them at the backdrop. They had set out a first-aid kit and all the equipment, ready to play.

Jesse, tall and good-looking, was a few months shy of his 18th birthday. He jogged over to Susan. "What's up, Doc?"

"Hey, Jess, you and your guys did a fantastic job painting the dugouts and backstop. Please tell me Scott supervised?"

"Thanks, yeah, and he helped. These guys are really FBI?" He held his fist out to her. "Pop it."

She bopped his fist. "Yep, three of the ladies, too. Top it," He did. Both said, "Blow it up", doing a fist bump and making an exaggerated explosion sound as they opened their hands, fingers spread wide.

"Cool. My guys are ready. How do you want to play this?"

"We have thirteen, so we need three to make two teams."

Jeff, one of the teens from the center, offered to keep score. He held a box under one arm, opened it, pulling out bright blue baseball caps emblazoned with Wheeler Park and Rec in white letters across the front, and passed them out to the group.

Morgan offered to head up one team, and Aaron volunteered to head up the other. To make it easier, those standing next to Aaron would be on his team, and those next to Morgan were on his. Susan was standing between the two with Tara.

"Susan's great, and all," Morgan said teasingly, "but I'm not all that sure about having a girly girl ballerina on my team… unless she wants to be a cheerleader."

Aaron offered a solution. "Okay, Morgan. You take Tara, and I'll take Suzie. Tara, are you okay with that?"

"Yeah," She shrugged. "I'm good with being on either team."

Since they had warmed up on the walk over, they got right to the game. Dave flipped a coin to determine whose team went up to bat first. Morgan lost, and his team picked out mitts and headed out to the field, talking about which positions they would play. Jesse's younger brother Kenny, one of the other teens from the center, claimed dibs on the pitcher's mound.

Aaron's team headed to the dugout and sat down on the bench, deciding that was the order they would go to bat. Aaron, Jesse, Emily, David, Susan, Spencer, Jake, and Matt.

On Morgan's team: Jack, Luke, Morgan, Henry, Tara, Will, plus Julio, also from the rec center, and Kenny.

Aaron got up and told Spencer quietly that Morgan would regret his decision when he found out Susan had been on the girls' softball team in High School. She was well-known for a powerful swing and leaping ability to catch hits others couldn't.

"You mean my girly girl ballerina?" Spencer put his hands on either side of his mouth and called out, "Morgan!", giving him two thumbs up and a wide grin.

Derek Morgan, standing at third base, yelled back with a sing-songy "Good luck!"

Aaron got up to bat and got to second base, then Jesse hit a home run. Emily got on first, David hit a double, and Emily ran to third. Susan, with her little pink tutu, blew a playful kiss to Morgan, got up to bat, and hit one high over the heads of the outfielders, skipping to third. Morgan realized her outfit was meant to psych out her opponents. Grinning, he gave her a fist bump, as an apology and a sign of respect. Spencer hit the ball beyond second base, getting to first.

Susan lit out, headed for home, and Tara, playing short-stop, chased the ball. She threw it to Will, but it went wide, so he dove for the ball and landed in the dirt, several feet away from the plate. He attempted to tag her leg as Susan leapt in the air, executing a perfect Grand Jete. She sailed over Will's outstretched hand by a few inches, landing safely on home plate. Doing a little dance on her toes, she flipped her tutu up in Morgan's direction, which made him shake his head and chuckle. That made Spencer laugh. As she went to sit down, she gave Aaron a two-handed high-five.

Jake hit the ball over Morgan's head and Henry was too deep in the outfield, so Jake got to second base and Spencer landed on third. Matt hit a home run, bringing the other two runners in. The score was 8 to nothing, no outs. Spencer sat down after giving Aaron a high five. He gave Susan a kiss, complimenting her on the leap to home base. Aaron hit the ball and got to first base. Jesse got to third, Emily got a hit but was taken out at first. David hit the ball but was tagged at second base. Two outs.

Susan hit a home run. On her way to third base, she giggled and said in a squeaky voice. "Here comes the ballerina," to Morgan, and he gave her a high five when she rounded third and kept going, meeting Spencer at home plate, jumping up, wrapping her arms and legs around him, kissing him.

He was still grinning as he got a good hit off, which he was happy about, but Tara got the ball to Jack by the time Spencer reached second base. Three outs, the score was 11 to nothing.

Aaron sent the players out to different positions. Spencer and Emily, to the middle of the outfield, as Aaron went to third. He had Jake at second and Matt behind home plate. Jesse went to the pitcher's mound, and David played shortstop. Susan headed to first base, where she knew she played best.

Jack hit the ball to the outfield and got to third base, where Aaron gave him a high five. Luke hit a homer, as did Morgan. Henry got tagged at first base. Tara hit the ball and Susan jumped up, catching it a few feet over her head. Will hit a double and Julio and Kenny both sent the ball to the outfield, but Kenny got tagged by Matt at home plate. Three outs.

At the end of the first inning, the score was 11 to 5. They played for a couple of hours and Morgan's team did well, but still lagged behind Aaron's team by 4 points. By the time they got to the end of the 5th inning, some had run out of steam and wanted to go back to the house to rest and relax before the families from out-of-town had to leave for the airport. They all had a great time.

The teens put the equipment away and thanked everyone for the great practice game.

Susan gave all the boys fist bumps. "Thanks, guys, it was fun! Jesse, Kenny, say hi to your mom for me?"

When they left the park, Morgan admitted Susan was a decent player, even with the girly girl outfit. He gave Spencer a neck hug and said Susan's leap to home plate impressed him.

Since he was the captain of the losing team, he called Vincent's and ordered pizzas. By the time they got back to the house, the driver was pulling up to the curb.

Susan put her glove and tutu away and went out back to find the adults sitting around the backyard table, laughing and relaxing, while they ate. The kids were in the home theater, watching another Disney movie while eating their pizza. Savannah and Will took turns supervising with Matt and JJ.

Around the table, they discussed making the get-together a monthly event, which Morgan said he and his family would attend as often as they could.

Later, Susan took the empty pizza boxes from the table, tossing them into the fire pit, and Morgan followed. He sat on one of the stone benches, and she figured he wanted to talk, so she sat on a bench across from him. "Great game. It was a lot of fun."

He nodded. "Yeah. And Spencer did great. He's loosened up, and it seems he trusts his instincts more."

"Did you guys play often?"

"A few times, several years ago. So, he told me you've racked up college degrees, like him."

"Mm-hmm. He has a Bachelor's in Psychology, I have a Doctorate. I have a Bachelor's in Chemistry, he has a Ph.D. And I have a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, similar to his Ph.D. in Engineering."

"But you have a few more, right? Didn't he say something about Dance and Music?"

"Two; a Bachelor's in Dance, plus a Master's in Education. I still need a couple of classes, for my degree in Music."

His thick eyebrows rose as he smiled. "You two must have a lot to talk about."

"We do. It's nice having someone get my nerdy chem and math jokes." She grinned. "Just this morning, we were discussing neurochemistry and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex."

Spencer walked over and stood next to her, with his hands on her shoulders, smiling, not sure if Morgan knew much about that region of the brain. Well, not from textbooks, anyway.

"Okay… then. Hey, Pretty Boy, you found your match."

"Now tell me something I didn't already know." Spencer slid his hands over Susan's shoulders, down her arms, and kissed the top of her head. After talking for a few more minutes, they went back over to sit with the group.

Phil showed up a few minutes before 5 and was sitting down at the table when Emily asked about the history of the house. He told them his and Susan's grandfather, after returning from serving overseas in WWII, had resumed working in his father's construction company, and several months later, his father died and he inherited the business.

"My grandfather trusted the group of men he served with and hired those who lived near here. What we would now refer to as a culturally diverse group." Everyone understood what he meant, and he continued. "Not long after, the crew was threatened by a local chapter of the Klan, and the house the crew had just framed and the construction supplies were burned to the ground in the middle of the night. After the clean-up, my grandfather vowed to rebuild and fight back with force, if necessary. He hired more men he knew he could trust, assigning them as security guards, since the local police at the time couldn't, or wouldn't do anything about it. The crew built the sub-basement, the basement, and the garage, with the tunnel in between, and used the plots where my aunt's and parents' houses now stand to store construction supplies and equipment. They had a trailer where the other driveway is now before the block walls were built, and it was used as the security office. That's how Union Security got started." Phil went on. "They went on to build several more houses and sold them while Grandpa worked on the design of this house for my grandmother, completing it the week before they got married. The house has some fairly inventive security features. Susan has since upgraded, inside and around the yard."

Spencer had to ask, "She showed me three secret passageways but said you might know of more."

"There are two more. Spence, my grandfather had a weird sense of humor, plus he didn't want to be caught off-guard again if the Klan ever came back. They never did, though."

Susan asked if anyone wanted to join the group going down to the sub-basement. She and Spencer had left the safe open, so they no longer needed the key. They formed a line, bringing everything from the safe and the bottles of wine up, setting all of it on the table in the library.

Matt and his family left for home after that, and the rest of the group went back out to the yard to finish cleaning up, throwing the used paper plates into the fire pit. They were getting ready to leave and Penelope, after hugging everyone, headed downstairs to continue exploring inside Betty's brain. Spencer went upstairs when Phil asked Susan to go with him into the library to talk.

"We can have a third party sell the items but it will cut into the proceeds, by 15 percent."

"I'm fine with that." Susan shrugged. "Since there's nothing I need, I was planning on either funding upgrades on the building and the park, or I could donate it to the center's trust fund for future improvements."

"Sure. Sounds good. I'll donate mine to the non-profit legal aid group in L.A. that I do some pro-bono cases for. I'll let Ellen know after everything's sold and try to convince her to put hers into their trust or pay off debt, but I'm pretty sure she'll spend it on shopping trips. Tell you what, I'll make some calls tonight and give you an update by the time we have our meeting tomorrow, with Stan and Sam."

"Good plan. Would you rather stay in the apartment or in the guest room downstairs?"

"Nah, I'm fine at the hotel. Speaking of the apartment, Sooz, are you ever going to let go of yours?"

Susan chuckled. "Yes. I gave my notice on Friday, to be out in 60 days. I'm done letting Janelle stay there, after her last mess." She told him about Janelle's abduction.

"I'm not surprised." Phil grew serious, speaking low. "I need to ask. Are you going to ask Spencer to sign a prenup?"

"No, Phil… I know you mean well, but Grandpa didn't ask Grandma to sign one. You didn't have one with Katie, and I don't need one, nor would I ask him. He's a good guy. I hope you trust me." She knew her brother did.

Phil got up and hugged her. "I do trust you. I'm a lawyer... had to ask." He shrugged and gave her a peck on the forehead. "Dave and Aaron both told me Spencer's a great guy. Besides, he called me, to let me know he wanted to marry you. I appreciated that. You know, kiddo, you are so much like Mom and Grandma."

"Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment."

He laughed, giving her a hug. "I meant it that way. Hey, can you play that song for me?"

"Mom and Dad's song? Sure." Susan closed her eyes for two seconds, then played Unchained Melody as he sat back down.

As the song ended, he smiled wistfully. "Remember watching them dance at home?"

"Mm-hmm. You remember this one?" Susan played and sang Streets of Laredo, the Smothers Brothers version. By the time she got to the last line "If you get an outfit, you can be a cowboy too.", Phil was laughing. The comedy duo and that song were favorites of their grandfather. Spencer heard laughter, figured the serious talk was over, and it was a good time to come down.

Phil told him as he walked into the room, "Spence, my sister is a kooky weirdo, but a lovable kooky weirdo. I hope you can keep up with her."

Spencer sat down on the end of the piano bench, next to Susan, but facing Phil. "I'm sure I can. I'll do my best, anyway." He smiled as Susan laced her fingers around his waist, hugging him. "You should have seen her today. As she was running from third to home base, Will went to tag her leg, and she goes flying over him, landing on home plate. "Has she always been this… amazing?"

"Right? How was she helping me with my high school algebra before she even started school? She would sit at the table while Dad helped me with my homework and she… understood it." He shrugged. "I was sure I had the lock on Athletics in school, with Football, Baseball, and Basketball, since she was the Brainiac of the family, but then she had to go and be good at sports, too. Softball, Tennis, Gymnastics, Cheerleading and of course Dance." He got up, looking at his watch. "It's nearly 7. I've got to make those calls, then I'm going to pack it in. He shook Spencer's hand, then turned to his sister. "Sooz."

She hugged him, "See you tomorrow."

After he left, Susan had Betty lock up, and she and Spencer went upstairs. The plan was to take a shower and go to bed. Both were tired, but Spencer wanted to look in the other bedrooms, first.

The furniture in the nursery was sheeted, and the murals on the walls were faded. He walked around, taking it in since he didn't have the chance to earlier. It was spacious, even with the baby and toddler-sized furniture. The room, though not as wide as the master suite, was the same length. The bathroom was also at the back end of the room and next to it on the right, a small walk-in closet. Spencer went over to Susan, watching her.

She walked slowly, dreamily, trailing her fingers along the wall. "My grandmother painted this mural and the nursery rhymes in Portuguese before Enid was born." Softly, she sang Frei João.

He recognized the melody. "Frere Jacques?"

"Mm-hmm." Susan nodded, pointing out another song near the play area. "A counting rhyme, also in Portuguese and this one, in Italian. My grandmother would talk, read, and sing to me in Portuguese. My grandfather did the same in Italian. Grams, my dad's mother, taught me French, while my parents and Gramps spoke English. By the time I was five and starting school, I was fluent in all four languages."

Spencer chuckled as he followed her out of the room. "Hmm, a five-year-old polyglot." Staying in the room any longer would have him thinking about babies again. So much so, he was considering asking Susan to forgo using contraceptives. He could see himself having a baby, or at least two with her, especially after the picture in his head, at the coffee shop. He still couldn't explain it, but he liked the idea of it. No, it was more than that. He looked forward to it.

He followed her into the bedroom across from the nursery. The room had a walk-in closet in the back and a Jack and Jill style bathroom in between this bedroom and the other on the front side of the house. This room was Susan's after her father died, Spencer remembered her telling him, and he wondered what decorations adorned the pale pink-lavender painted walls. The shelves above the desk held several stuffed animals, including Tigger, from the Winnie the Pooh books. Or, more accurately, three of the bright-orange character with black stripes, in different sizes, among the others.

Susan opened the closet door and went in, looking through plastic shoe boxes on the shelves. From one, she took out a composition book, labeled in large block letters, My European Adventure. Spencer wandered in behind her, looking at several posters, pinned in a stack, on the closet door. He lifted them up, one at a time. Two posters of Doctor Who, one with David Tennant and the other with Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen; a group called Maroon 5, another of a group called N*SYNC, and one of a singer named P!NK with, not surprising, bright pink hair. Spencer noticed the name was spelled with an exclamation point instead of an 'i'. He chuckled and flipped to the last poster, an iconic picture of Einstein. It showed the famous physicist sticking out his tongue. Spencer laughed out loud. "I had one of these on my wall when I was a kid." He turned and stood behind her as his arms wound around her waist. Holding her close, the scent of her hair wafted through his senses, and he closed his eyes for a long moment.

Looking up, Susan could see his expression, and she whispered, "What are you thinking about right now?"

"I'm thinking we should go to our room." Smiling, he took her by the hand and led her to the bedroom. He sat on the bench at the end of the bed and pulled her close, sliding his hands down the back of her legs, and smiled wider when she shuddered.

She set the notebook down on the bench and met his eyes, holding his shoulders as she said seriously. "I want you to know something, Spencer. Wherever you are, is home for me. If it's going to be here, it has to be ours. Yours and mine. Not just mine and you're living here. Whatever you want to bring over to help make this feel like your home too, is okay with me."

He smiled, resting his forehead against her midriff, and hugged her, then lifted his head to look up at her. "I feel comfortable here—I want you to know that—from the minute I walked in. And I'm learning my way around. It's not going to happen overnight, but you've organized this home much like I would. For now… just love me? You make me want to be a better man, to give you what you need."

Susan smiled. "You already have… and I do love you." She laid her palm on his jaw and kissed him. He beamed, took her hand and kissed her wrist, then slid his hands down to her right knee, lifted it up, setting her foot on the bench, between his legs, untied the ribbons on her shoe, pulled it and her crew sock off, and set her leg back down. Then he did the same with her other leg.

He grinned as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her dusty leggings, sliding them gently down her legs, along with her panties. She shuddered. His breath quickened, as Susan kicked off them off and lifted her tank top over her head, letting it fall on the bench beside him.

Spencer held her hips and kissed her midriff as Susan unzipped her sports bra, slipping it off her shoulders. Still shaking, she laid it over the footboard as he took off his t-shirt. She put her knee on the bench next to him, leaned against him, and kissed him harder. No words were spoken; none were needed.

After a few more kisses, Susan suggested a bath, and he murmured in agreement as he got up and held her close. He chuckled, wiping a smudge of dirt from her cheek, then kissed her again and went to start the water, picking up clothes on the way, tossing them in the hamper as Susan set her shoes in her closet. When she walked into the bathroom, he was already in the bathtub, waiting for her, his pants hanging on a robe hook.

He watched as she set a couple of towels on the counter and stepped in with him.

/

Wrapping a towel around her, Susan dried her feet on the bathmat. "You've changed me; started this… fire inside of me. Mmm, I can't help but think of trying nearly every position in the book with you."

Spencer's eyebrows snapped up; he was intrigued. "Oh? And what book is this?" He followed her out to the bedroom.

Susan went over to the fireplace and turned it on as he sat on the sofa, both still in their towels. The blue-green reflective glass beads sparkled, the flames dancing over them like rays of the sun on the ocean. She picked up her tablet from the side table and turned it on, as she laid back on the sofa with her head on his leg. After touching the screen a few times, she handed it to him.

Cosmo's Kama Sutra. He grinned, lips pressed together as he browsed through it.

"Now there's another book you couldn't read at work, or on the jet, but with a tablet, who would know?"

He skimmed through more pages, saying "Mm-hmm," every few seconds, then grinned wryly. "Every position?"

"I said nearly. Some I wouldn't be interested in… at all."

His eyebrows arched. "Oh? Which ones?"

"These… for example…" she held the bottom edge of the tablet and flicked her finger across the screen, flipping through several pages. "I can't even… nope… not my cup of tea, so to speak." She shook her head as her nose wrinkled up.

Spencer looked at her, still grinning. "What if I wanted to try that?" He laughed when her mouth dropped open. "Don't worry; I wouldn't ask you. That's a no for me, as well." Still sliding his finger across the screen, he read through the e-book. Every few seconds he'd say "Hmm…" and grin. "You know, you've changed me, too. I wake up, surprised and grateful, seeing you sleeping next to me and my arms ache when I'm not holding you. Every time you shudder, it amazes me the reason is that you're near me or thinking of me. Could you move up, please?" Susan scooted up as Spencer moved his right leg over, and she sat between his thighs, with her head against his shoulder and her arms around his waist.

"Mm-hmm, this is better. No matter how busy we get, we have to make time for each other. That could be challenging with your job, but I promise I'll do my very best to never hold that against you."

He put the tablet down on the side table and slid his arms around her. "But you will hold your body against me, right?"

She laughed and drew an X above the towel with her finger. "I promise." They sat for a little while, talking and kissing. "This is so relaxing… except that it's also… wildly arousing."

His eyes were closed, and he grinned as he laid his head on the back of the sofa, his hands slowly caressing her arms.

She whispered, "I had fun this weekend, getting to know your friends."

"Mm-hmm, it was fun, but I don't want to talk about them right now." He lifted his head and opened his eyes as he held her with his hand on her back and opened her towel slowly with the other. Sliding his hand down her back, he pulled her bent leg up to his side, softly stroking the back of her thigh.

Susan shuddered and kissed him, lingering on his bottom lip, sliding her arms over his shoulders. "You make me feel so good."

"Beats terrified, right? You make me feel good, too… and safe. I can be myself, and you don't judge me or make me feel like I'm weird." He couldn't imagine any kind of life without her.

"Maybe we're both weird, and our weirdness fits together." She let out a gasp as he pulled her closer…

/

/

A/N

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoyed it. (not to belabor the point, but I really would like to hear from all of you readers!)

If you haven't already done so, read The Talk (Chapter 4) in Side Stories.

Did anyone happen to notice the unintended overnight house guest? (find out who it is, in the next chapter)

Coming soon, the trip to Las Vegas and...

There are bumps in the road ahead, for the pair... Buckle up and stay tuned.

G-Girl