Transition Plan Chapter 112 Searching for Jeanne Part 30
Rated T for mild profanity. And sexual situations. A lot of sexual situations. :)
Jeanne and Jack were making good progress westerly, despite the fact they could not swing on vines because of the lingering damage to his hand that stopped their death drop into the waterfall. It forced them to walk through the jungle hand-in-hand, which had its own rewards, as there were good things that happened from that more leisurely pace. Jeanne was astonished at the natural beauty of the Lake Victoria region and its system of finger lakes as they hiked further. At these altitudes the air was clear and crisp and the temperatures were often more like southern France in mid fall, which made snuggling up tight with Jack that much more desirable for warmth. A couple of times, it was so cool they shared the tunic with hood. That was very cozy and warm, it caused Jeanne to giggle, but they were concerned something would happen that they wanted - but knew shouldn't - so they were really careful to control their affection.
One day, the jungle broke open into a beautiful setting. They both noticed it at exactly the same time.
"Jeanne, it's a twin of our pond!" Jack exclaimed.
"A second dream pond..." she sighed wistfully. The memory of the vision that sustained their love since age 13 was very deep set for both of them.
"Wow. Yeah," Jack noted as they stood holding both hands together. She felt that something momentous was building, and her stomach felt like it had butterflies in it. His pulse quickened and she felt it while holding his hand.
Was it a leftover effect of the connection? Whatever it was, she was ready.
"Jeanne?" Jack asked with a very hopeful tone.
She turned to her boyfriend, being very anxious about what he had to say next. She intermingled both hands with him and stood face to face closely. She held her breath.
"Yes Jack. I'm listening," she said attentively. Her beauty standing before him with her breasts lightly against him was pleasantly distracting, but he stayed focused. They both liked when she did that.
"Jeanne, I know in the eight or so years we've been trying to be together, we were only ever really together about 6 months before this."
"5 months, three weeks, 4 days, 19 hours and 38 minutes in Nigeria and Togoland, actually, and about 17 minutes in Walvis Bay. Plus the six months, now, dear!" she snickered.
"My girlfriend: the bookkeeper."
That really put a smile on her face, and she stated confidently, "Green eyeshades and all, dearest… "
Jeanne knew this was leading to a big question that she wanted to hear for a long time. It had that feel. She knew they were both ready for this. Her eyes sparkled for him, framed elegantly by her glasses.
He continued, "These past few months since we've been back together have been wonderful and…"
She interrupted, "You're too kind, jungle boy. Things were pretty rough a lot, thanks to me…"
"Well yes... a few times. Like I started things off smoothly for us?" he reminded her.
"Yeah... True," but she just smiled and tweaked his nose.
"How do you feel about us now, cheri?" he inquired.
All their words were mostly in English these days, but the French words for 'sweetheart' remained most of the time.
"Cherie, I feel like you do," she agreed and looked up into his eyes with adoration, "Better. Safer. Like my old self again. Fewer damn bad dreams… Oops."
He gave her a scolding eye, but he knew she did that on purpose.
"Yes, I know I still have to work on that by the time we get home. Even in English…"
"Jeanne... a long time ago you said to me: 'I want you to like me as much as you love me'."
"Well?" she asked anxiously.
"I like you Jeanne. I like you a lot. I like you even more than I did at 9 and I liked you a whole lot then. You're fun to be around all the time. How about you, sweetheart?"
"And I like you just as much as you like me, sweetheart. More. Just like you said."
"Good, dearest. So... that's made me do a lot of thinking."
"Oh have you now? About what?" she interrupted softly and ran her fingers through his auburn beard and chest hair.
She loved the feeling of both in her hands. There was somewhere else furry that needed to be run through affectionately, but until they married, she wouldn't do that. Except when they groomed. That didn't count. Grooming wasn't sexual.
"About you. Us." he answered forthrightly.
"Sooo… what were you thinking about regarding me? And us?" she asked tenderly, confirming for him at each step of his speech that she was happy to continue talking about where he was leading them to.
Not wanting to complicate things, but knowing he had to ask the hard question, he asked directly, "Jeanne. Do you think you could accept spending some time with a slightly used husband?"
His eyes penetrated her to her core. They were warm and loving, and very inviting. Her stomach turned happy flip flops.
If there was ever a time to object, it was now or never. She let it pass. That argument was long gone and forgiven.
"Oh... I don't knowwww, Jack," she whined flippantly with her fingertip on her chin and an eye roll to make him sweat just a little, then more seriously, she looked him directly in his green eyes, "How about my whole life?" she answered softly, and pecked his nose.
"I was sort of hoping you'd say that," he grinned. She blushed. That was her line.
For a moment he let her go, and she absentmindedly rubbed her 'going steady' bracelet he'd give her months ago. She never felt closer to him wearing it right now. He turned and reached into his crossbow backpack with his knife, and sliced open a small seam. He reached into the secret pocket for something small. She was bouncing with anticipation. He pulled out a little bundle wrapped in felt and lace. She'd not seen that before. He slowly unfolded the tiny purple package them between. She looked at him anxiously a couple of times but got no read from his face.
At the nearly unwrapped point, she saw something glint.
"Omi-gosh!" she remembered to exclaim and not swear.
They were matching wedding rings and an engagement ring. The diamond was truly enormous and she gasped, "They're beautiful!"
But with realization, her eyes got huge. She clasped her hands against her cheeks and looked at him, shaking her head in disbelief, "Jack. How did you do this? These rings. They are the same ones as from our dream! Did a jeweler make them for you?"
"No, Jeanne, dear, these are the originals."
She was in complete shock. She could only gawk. She didn't touch them. She knew what was coming next. A nearly decade old dream was about to come true. Their dream rings actually existed, "How? Jack, love, how did you get the originals?"
"They were in the catacombs. An unknown ancestors' set of rings. They were put there on purpose by something that wanted me to find them."
"You know it was a someone, Jack."
He nodded. He had concluded the same thing awhile ago. Eleanor was still at work in their lives.
He wasted no time. On one bent knee he proposed, "I was saving these for when we got back to the real 'our pond'. But sweetheart, my love for you is too strong. I can't wait for us to get home to our pond. Our married life together starts right here. I love you. I want to marry you. Right now, if you'll have me. Will you, please, Jeanne Marie Jacot, be my wife?"
She never had to even think about the answer and responded instantly, "Yes, Jack, I will marry you. I love you too. Right here, right now is just fine with me too."
They hugged and kissed very excitedly. His nose smudged her glasses but she didn't care in the slightest.
She giggled but corrected him, "Dearest Jack, there is one thing you're wrong about though."
"Oh?" he asked in surprise, standing together as she took his hand and pointed at the landscape before them with the other.
"This is our dream come true. Jack, this place is 'our pond'. Our new pond. This was the one in our dreams. Not the other one we swam in as children. Look there. The dream pond was different. See? Over there. There's only one set of rocks in the dream, not two like in the Mangani pond. And three feeder streams. Remember in the dream we played in all three? And the bamboo grove in the lily pad area. Just like in the dream. There's no bamboo in our childhood lake."
"Wow, girl. You remember it all!"
"How could you not know? The scenery is so obvious. You always notice those things."
He blushed, "I… umm… admit I was concentrating on a different kind of scenery. That 20 year old you."
"You're cute, jungle boy."
He knew in an instant that she was right. She had observed the scene in much more detail than he had.
She played him, "But actually, now that I recall, I'm surprised you remember we were even at a pond. I do seem to recall a nice young man that looked a lot like you that didn't take his eyes off me the whole dream…"
They had a good chuckle over that.
"Speaking of looking at you, let's get this engagement ring on your finger so you look just like that Jeanne in the dream. In fact, prettier than the Jeanne in the dream."
She was ecstatic, and twirled around in delight right after he slipped it on her, held her widely spread fingers at arm's length, and exclaimed, "Look how beautiful it is on my finger!"
They embraced and kissed again.
"Thank you Jack. It's really pretty. Prettier than the dream ring ever showed. It was meant to be."
"I brought something else."
It was a crumpled Anglican wedding ceremony. She read through it quickly and looked up at him with a smile.
He asked, "It's all in there. Are you ready to get married now or later?"
She jumped up and down in excitement, "Right now Jack. This is time. This is the place."
"I agree."
"But Jack, I don't have a thing to wear," she said pensively removing her glasses and sucking on one of the temples absentmindedly.
"Why bother? It gets us to where we want to be even faster."
She blushed at what she thought was suggestive comment, "Gracious, Jack, I'm supposed to be the naughty one."
He laughed, "I meant married two years sooner than the vision."
"Oh!" she giggled but wondered, "But Jack. Are we allowed to marry ourselves?"
"All of our parents approved and blessed us doing this until we get home. Mom and Dad married themselves too, then Grandfather blessed them later with a real ceremony. He's a Deacon in our church. When they got back to England they had a magistrate who was a relative do a civil ceremony just to make sure it was all legal. They were married in the Lord's eyes in the jungle. And that's all that matters. This is an official church ceremony. They didn't even have that."
"You always think of everything Jack," she praised.
"I try to, dear. Now lets make an altar."
They arranged a large flat rock to rest on two equal-sized squat ones to make an altar. He made a cross of two lashed sticks and pounded it into the ground behind the altar with the handle of his knife. She fashioned a kind of veil made of wild flowers as a ring for her hair that had now grown longer than shoulder length. They unrolled the tunics which they'd kept them for use if they encountered people. These were perfect for the reverential matter of marriage before God. The tunics were like robes. She took the tunic with the hood to cover herself like women did in church to be like a bride's veil. It smelled incredibly and wonderfully like Jack.
He took her hands, bowed, and then knelt in prayer before their makeshift rock altar, and started to read their private Anglican marriage ceremony. It was a lot more formal than his father's sweet, simple marriage vows with his mother. All the scripture, the challenges, and promises and the 'I do's' they sweetly and reverently exchanged were like they were in a real church. Jack read a long prayer he made up to bless their marriage, and it moved his bride to tears in its sentiment.
At the end, just like a real preacher would proclaim, he announced, "You may now kiss the bride!"
"Oh dearest Jack, I'm really yours," she sighed in happiness with an adoring gleam in her eyes after their kiss.
Their embrace standing before God and the rock altar surrounded only by the hum of insects, the tweets of birds, and the calls of some distant animals made a perfect backdrop for the simple, tender love of the childhood sweethearts that survived everything thrown against them for almost a decade.
They broke their kiss, put their tunics away, left her glasses behind in the pack also so they wouldn't get lost or broken, and he took her by the hand toward the pond to play. They knew what came later. They already decided to relive the dream exactly in order to bring their marriage a blessing. Not surprisingly, they had committed every second of their love dream to memory.
Taking a quick break after a whole string of vine swing jumps into the deepest part of the pond, she asked, with her head in his lap, toying with his chest hair, "Do you have any idea what time of year this is Jack? I have lost all track of time. One day blurred into another in Dar es Salaam. Eat... sleep... dance... Repeat…"
"Well, I left after your radio message. We were just 16 then, and I left when I was about 16 and a half. After the plane trouble I know I was in the jungle a long time to make that journey alone to you. That was about 10 months. I was looking at least 60 days for you in the city. It's six months now in the jungle if I counted full moons correctly."
Jeanne was happy with the way things were no matter what, "But it doesn't matter now. It's our wedding day, dear husband. When we get home we'll pick a day. It must be fall."
"No dear, I think it's much sooner than that, sweet bride of mine. I think it's our birthdays. It feels like our birthdays. It's too happy a day not to be."
They liked the new terms of endearment for each other.
"That would be perfect. I could get used to celebrating our anniversary on our birthdays! Tell you what. We keep a tally of all the days and then subtract them from a calendar when we get home."
"Jeanne dear, you will always be the best bookkeeper!"
"I don't know about that. But that makes us 18!"
"All that matters is that we're married and we beat 20!" he grinned.
And that was good enough. Jack's internal clock would turn out to be right. It was their 18th birthdays today.
Suddenly Jack got up and said, "Break's over!"
He unceremoniously scooped her up and tossed her from the rock on which they were resting, making her splay her arms and legs everywhere, and she shrieked at the top of her lungs. She made a huge splash and she sputtered with most of her black hair covering her face and eyes.
When she caught her breath, she yelled her favorite teasing phrase, pulling her hair back in a pony tail, and shook her fist at him,"I hate you, Jonathan Robert Clayton IV!"
He leaped into the water right next to her, making her scream louder, creating an even more monstrous fountain of water that engulfed his new bride in a rolling wave. She was sopping wet, and gave him a nasty look.
"Bet you hate me more now, wife," he snorted.
She spit water in his face, growled, pushed herself on top of his shoulders face to face that actually gave him a wet face full of her very ample breasts. Being smothered in her breasts completely shocked Jack and gave Jeanne just enough diversion that she pushed him underneath coughing and choking.
He coughed hard when he came up, and with a nasty smirk, she intentionally cussed, "Damn right I do, jungle boy."
She spun and swam away fast as he made a grab for her and came up with nothing but a face full of water kicked up by her thrashing feet, a floating twig, and bubbles.
"You're finished, Mangani girl!" and he churned the water chasing her with revenge on his mind.
18 year old Newlyweds Count Jack and Viscountess Jeanne Clayton celebrated their joint birthday and wedding days and still-recent reunion. The couple played like children once again at 'their dream pond' deep in the Land of the Eastern Mangani. The young married couple was safe and comfortable and completely alone except for the pleasant sounds of the animals in the jungle around him. They both joked they never received better birthday presents than each other.
That set the playful tone for what happened next.
They swam after each other, dunked each other without remorse, splashed each other mercilessly, leaped off the high cliffs in each other's embrace, and swung together by vine into the deep cool waters, shrieking and yelling in happiness and laughter. Jeanne rode on his shoulders as he stomped around in the water like a hungry croc growling and bucking, but she held on tightly riding his shoulders, her body pressed against his neck, giggling, and sometimes holding her hands over his eyes from behind to throw him off guard. The pressure thrilled her. In between each fun activity, they held hands and whenever she could, Jeanne smothered him in kisses and caresses which Jack affectionately returned.
At the end of one breathless moment, Jeanne reflected in English, "I missed this Jack. As much as I missed you."
"We have all the time in the world now, cherie."
They were exhausting themselves with their first day of their honeymoon together, and finally fell headlong on the tiny beach beside the pond, wrapped up in a tight hug, breathless and exchanging loving looks for each other. They admired the rings that only hours before they'd placed on their fingers. They'd long since discarded their improvised wedding attire worn back at the small Christian altar they'd created, were once again dressed as the Mangani they were, and admired each other's young adult bodies. As her husband now, his hands could go touch her anchor tattoo which fascinated him – once she let him uncover it. It tickled so much she shrieked, and then she guided his hands to wander elsewhere further up. They were drawn to each other tenderly.
She gave him the most loving smile she could compose and cooed in heavily accented English, "I love you Jonathan Robert Clayton IV, dear husband. You saved my life rescuing me from Dar es Salaam."
He grinned back broadly, and "I love you too, Jeanne Meriem-Marie Jacot. Getting married to you saved me, dear wife."
She'd decided that Meriem had been so much of what she was that the name needed to be a part of her life from now on. There was so much she wanted to forget forever, but some of Meriem made her a better, stronger woman. Jack had some concern, but Jeanne convinced him, so he agreed heartily.
Hazel eyes gazed upon opal green eyes with an intensity never before shared between them. There was no question what was next for the new husband and wife as those eyes closed, each pair of lips pressed upon the other, and the couple tangled together on the bank of the pond.
The delighted thoughts of all the animals in the jungle were the same as they could all sense the beginning of the human Mangani couple's long-awaited joining. Tikara informed her now grown-up leopard cubs, who always kept a discreet distance from the human couple as they courted and guarded them from unseen harm, "Children, Father Korak and his Jeanne will soon be mates."
They watched the Jack and Jeanne in wide-eyed fascination. Humans coupled a completely different way than leopards. Mykelti purred too quietly to hear, "I'm so happy for you Dad. Make strong cubs."
Jack hovered over Jeanne like in the dream, but real life was a lot more intense despite how real the dream had been. They were acutely aware they had just intentionally repeated nearly every moment of their dream vision.
Until this one.
"Isn't this where we were so rudely interrupted in our dream, husband? I really wanted to see how it turned out," she stroked his cheek tenderly. She couldn't be any more ready for this moment with him. He caressed her beautiful body's most intimate places gently and her emotions were soaring with his stimulating touches.
Lying with her and holding her tenderly he answered softly, "Yes it was, dear. And I did too. But Jeanne…" he said as he pushed through the last little distance remaining between them in time with his words, "...we won't be interrupted this time, wife and mate."
She gasped with her mouth and eyes wide open in utter delight with the incredible feeling of them being together and kissed him deeply.
Their first time union had begun. They fit together perfectly. He was hers and she was his and no others could claim them. Jeanne sighed and just savored their simple act of being joined. She sent her answered prayers skyward. Her husband Jack - and only Jack - had fulfilled her 'little girl dream' that Margrite scoffed at of saving herself for her wedding day. She wrapped him into her arms and legs closer, making the feelings even more intense between them.
This indescribable experience was absolutely worth sacrificing everything and suffering all the hardships for Jack to be Jeanne's first and only lover.
Hazel and opal eyes met and closed and their first sweet rhythm of being husband and wife climbed to its inexorable peak.
...
They didn't separate until dawn the next morning. She stretched and yawned and re-positioned in his arms.
"Jack my dear sweet husband, that was the best night ever in my whole life!"
She kissed him tenderly.
"Yes it absolutely was for me too," he told her earnestly but kidded, "but Jeanne dear, you've had some terrible nights in your life. I guess I should consider that a compliment."
The memory of Eleanor he blocked out of his mind. The two 'first times' could never be compared. But there really was no comparison.
Jeanne swatted him playfully, gave him a cute twisted up frown, and scolded, beeping his nose with every word of emphasis, "Don't ruin the moment, jungle jerk!"
"Speaking of not ruining the moment, how about a morning swim?" he suggested.
"This wasn't in our dream, Jack…" she noted.
Immediately he replied, "We just relived the end of that vision yesterday, dearest. Time for us to make new dreams from now on, Jeanne."
She was overwhelmed by the emotions and promise of his words, and she kissed him with complete abandon, which left them both breathless and wanting a lot more.
She suggested in a very sultry voice, "How about a morning 'something else' first?"
She shoved him on his back and swung over him. She settled astraddle his hips, looking down upon her shocked reclining husband.
Despite finding himself with Jeanne the way he knew his mother liked best with his dad, he quipped, "Convince me this is better than swimming."
"Surely you must be joking!" she scolded in fake indignation with her hands on her hips.
He was not sure where to gaze at her first, but she gave him ample time to take everything in, placed his hands right where he wanted them to be on her, and instead of him initiating their activity, she started the rhythm. He could not help himself but gasp ecstatically.
"Convinced now, stupid jungle boy?" she said breathlessly while she rocked.
Shuddering in delight, Jack exclaimed, "I'm convinced!" and they accelerated their intimacy.
…
And so it went throughout their first days together. Jungle play time was punctuated with a lot of love making.
Jeanne encouraged Jack to try stuff with her that she'd seen Karl-Heinz and Margrite perform that she thought he might like, only to make the activity beautiful for just them. Not everything those two did was disgusting.
She suggested something quite unconventional, and to her surprise, he agreed enthusiastically, but she asked, "You're sure? I've been forced to see some pretty crazy things. Are you certain you want the bad Meriem or the good Jeanne?"
And a flash of creativity dawned on them both.
Jack said, "When we want to try something naughty…"
She completed the sentence for them," …it's 'Bad Meriem'… and for something sweet…"
Jack replied, "… then, it's 'Good Jeanne'."
With that, they couldn't stop laughing, and tumbled together into their evening nest.
Gathered completely in each other's arms, they were out of breath, but ready for another new adventure, so Jeanne asked, "And right now sweetheart, which will it be?"
"How about a little of the 'Bad Meriem'?" he suggested expectantly.
She gave him a mischievous grin, "Coming right up, lover!"
From her memory, Jeanne selected the perfect new position to try. One that Margrite and Karl-Heinz loved the most. She knew Jack would too.
…
A lemur couple observed the new shenanigans of Jack and Jeanne from a tree limb.
The male couldn't believe what he'd witnessed, and he noted, "Well, that proves it. Humans are just plain weird."
His mate shook her head in dismay, "I totally agree, beloved. That is just not right."
…
Jack was flat on his back, completely exhausted at the end of the 'Bad Meriem' session. With her very satisfied face propped up on her elbows on his chest with a 'cat that just ate the canary look' on her face, she winked at her husband and leaned up to give him a truly sloppy kiss. He was sore in his muscles in places he never had known he had muscles.
Jack gasped, still racked by waves of ecstasy, "Jeanne, honey, Never ever do that in front of my parents or sibs."
"But alone?" she coaxed him seductively.
"You can do that anytime," he gave a wanton look at his wife.
"How about again right now?" she requested with a sly smirk. She really wanted more of that.
"I thought you'd never ask," he replied and they reached for each other ravenously.
…
A little while later, finished with their second round of fun, Jack decided that what just happened together was worth celebrating. The jungle yell he uttered, while Jeanne cuddled a second time with him, made a sound he never thought he'd could ever do.
Deeper in the jungle, A female okapi turned to its mate, hearing the reverberating jungle yell from Korak, and asked, "What on earth was that sound?"
The meaning of the yell sank in with her nearby mate, and he reflected, "I couldn't tell you what animal that is dear, but I wish I had his female for a mate."
The girl okapi gave her mate a really ugly look. He wasn't getting any tonight, even at the peak of mating season for her.
…
After the second time, Jack needed nearly three nights of just of 'Good Jeanne' to recover. She was very proud of herself. There was just enough 'Bad Meriem' left in 'Good Jeanne' to make her new husband deliriously happy.
…
Putting her glasses safely on a rock, Jeanne knelt and bent over to wash her face, and saw herself reflected in a calm stream one day. She frowned that her hair was only grown down to her breasts even after more than seven months in the jungle. She put her glasses back on to take a closer look at herself. She had discovered, with Jack's help, how to put the long lasting natural purple eye shadow dye on herself like Jane did. Unlike Jane, Jeanne didn't ever shave her underarms, and didn't try to shave her legs in the jungle, as Jack preferred seeing the black hair all over her body. He encouraged her not to shave again until they got back to the treehouse. It was fair. Jeanne didn't let him shave his beard. And she'd cut herself several times trying to shave with a knife. She really needed a razor to trim what she was richly blessed with.
But having changed how she cared for herself differently as a Mangani female than as a human in the city, she asked, "Am still I pretty to you, Jack?"
He was leaning against a tree with his arms behind his head, leaning to the side a little to admire Jeanne's crouched position from behind. She knew he was and shifted to improve the view for him. She'd never admit that Jack was right, but she did thoroughly enjoy showing off her pretty body to him as much as she could, and always had.
"You must be nuts. Of course you are, dear."
"But my beautiful long hair is still gone, Jack. As a boy you were always looking at it and playing with it. I still look like a boy. It's so awful being short. It nearly killed me having Karl-Heinz cut it as short as a soldier's hair right after I got kidnapped, even if it was for a good cause for a sick woman who lost all her hair in Garua."
He answered, "Well yes, I liked it very long better, but it's growing, dear. It will be always pretty no matter how long or short. Besides I know how to help right now."
He walked over, rubbed her rump affectionately, which made her smile, and pulled her to her feet. In return, she let her breasts graze his chest and he winced.
"Really? How?" she smiled, ignoring her affect on him.
They were surrounded by wildflowers. He gathered some of them, and plopped her in the middle of the field, "Now sit here in front of me."
She sat cross-legged in front of him rather than tuck her legs under herself demurely, and gave him a knowing happy grin. He winked in between peeking, "Quit distracting me…!" but she just stuck her tongue out and stayed put.
"Deal with it husband… I'm Mangani… I sit how it's comfortable," she challenged with a grin.
He picked one flower and wove it into her hair, and then another and another, until she had a plentiful tapestry of beautiful flowers laced into her amazing sleek black hair. And several more in her other patch of black hair just for grins and giggles. That really made her snicker, especially when he couldn't resist tickling her there too.
He took over to the stream again, she adjusted her glasses, and she saw herself.
"Jack! My hair! It's beautiful."
"Because you are."
She turned to him, puzzled, "But you're a boy. How did you learn that?"
Jack shrugged, "Lily always thought she was 'plain' or ugly when she was going through her changes, and one day she was totally in tears over it, so I put flowers in her hair exactly like this. She still likes me doing it for her. Just because."
"No wonder she adores her big brother."
"Oh?"
"Because I do too. And she can't thank you the way I can."
"Oh? How?" he asked not so innocently, but he did see it coming.
It took her about 3 seconds to pull him down into the flowers and make love to him.
When they awoke from their after-session nap, she discovered her flowers were covered with butterflies and she gasped in awe, then got up danced and twirled in delight in communion with the delicate creatures. As she moved and spun, the butterflies were startled and flew around her head and shoulders and lower body, landing and taking off again. It was as if all of them were dancing like a ballet troupe with her. Her completely nude body moved and bounced with the butterflies, and from her giggles and laughter he knew she had rarely been happier. Her rings and going steady bracelet which she still wore caught the sun and glinted.
She stopped just a moment right in front of him, and his heart skipped a beat seeing all of her and her beautiful flower and butterfly filled hair, "Look at me Jack! Look at them! They're beautiful. And they tickle."
Several alighted on her tanned shoulders, outstretched arms and fingers and nose, even on the top and tips of her dark olive breasts, and below her belly button. She watched in fascination and awe of the delicate insects and their iridescent colors, then returned to dancing with them.
It was on that day that Jack thought that Jeanne had never been prettier in her whole life. It was all he could do to be not overwhelmed in taking the sight of her among the flowers and the dozens of butterflies that surrounded her head and shoulders like a cloud.
She stopped, saw his complete adoration of her, and laid down beside him, and curled into his grasp in utter contentment.
…
Unseen behind them hidden in a bush, two blue lights glowed, and the one, a little smaller than the other, turned and evoked a feeling to the bigger light. If the little light had the power of speech would have asked, "Did I do good for Jeanne, Mother?"
And the other emoted to the other, "You did wonderfully, Meri."
…
As Jack and Jeanne got higher in the mountains, Jeanne, adjusted her glasses after she caught a metallic flash.
"Jack look!"
It was a portable radio tower, but in real disrepair. Despite the war being over, they approached cautiously with crossbow and slingshot at the ready. It was an abandoned forward base. It looked to be Portuguese. All the equipment abandoned in place.
"Is it functional?" Jeanne asked.
"I… I don't know," Jack said and fiddled with the switches, "I think so but the battery is dead."
Both of them looked the unit over carefully.
He asked, "Wait, there's a hand crank. You wind that while I key a message."
It was in Mangani so Farnsworth would not understand if he was eavesdropping:
'Moms and Dads C and J. Korak and Jeanne here. Safe in jungle. Change of plans. Headed west on foot. Married. Honeymooning.'
"I like that part," she blushed. He just grinned.
'Will see you in about six months. K+J.
"I like that even better – six more months alone with you, husband. Honeymooning."
He was still busy with the radiotelegraph, "Shush, Jeanne. Let me finish."
She responded with a very snarky tone, "You said that the other night, lover."
He turned bright red remembering that little session that got completely out of control, "I told you to shush. Time for that later. Meriem."
Jack was such an incredible lover. Jeanne only knew his love, but she doubted that any other man could be as fantastic as Jack.
She also knew very well when and how to 'get' to him but also knew when to stop. She just grinned and giggled. He shook his head and raised an eyebrow at his bride.
And then he tackled her as soon as they got out of the radio hut.
"Goodness, jungle boy? In the middle of a 'hiking day'? Now who's acting like Meriem?"
They divided hiking days and fun days, deciding they would never get home if they didn't keep some kind of discipline in between their romance.
"Not Meriem, but Jaeger."
"Oooh, tough guy, huh? Love me you big bad criminal mastermind," she said in a husky voice and outstretched arms, and then laughed hard.
"So you did want him after all?" he snickered, "Wouldn't you rather have a Scotsman than a German? I hear they're naked under their kilts."
"Any time I'd rather have a Scotsman, lover. And you, Scottish jungle boy, in case you hadn't noticed, you're already completely naked."
He rolled his eyes, "My wife Jeanne: Mangani ape girl and loose woman."
"Shut up, Jack. I'll make you eat those words," she grinned and pulled him off balance into the nearest soft bed of moss, pinning him to it as she wrapped her legs around him. Jeanne was much stronger than she appeared, and it always surprised him. In amazingly good ways.
…Clayton Treehouse...
Lily couldn't get the message translated fast enough. She was taking her turn at the family Marconi and radiotelegraph in the treehouse and listened for any word of the pair, in between smooches with handsome Okpara who was spending the weekend again.
"Come on Okpara, we have to tell them now!"
"Uh… OK…"
Hand in hand they rushed down the stair to the small parlor.
Lily was beside herself with excitement, and all the parents were together, "Everyone. Read this right now!"
Tarzan's 14 year old daughter often amazed him with her true beauty. She had filled out completely, and it was like seeing a brown-haired twin of her mother. Jane had told both Lily and Tarzan she'd matured early in life and to expect this. What she was blessed with when she married Tarzan at 24 was what she had in her middle teens. Okpara was very respectful of her. Tarzan already had that talk with the nice young man, because even 'nice' young men, as Jack did, could make big mistakes. She wore the bracelet on her left wrist of a Igbo betrothal. The Clayton's and Abassi's insisted they get married at the civilized age of 16 over the kids' objections about Igbo traditions – which Femi and Abassi themselves self had done years ago - but there was an understanding.
"Yes dear?"
"Read this. It's from Jack and Jeanne. They're fine! Near Lake Victoria. And they are married!"
Armand, Josephine, Tarzan and Jane all got up and anxiously read the message. They got more excited with every word. The mothers couldn't contain their jubilation.
"What? So they are! Our babies are married!" exclaimed Josephine and there was a lot of jumping and shouting and kissing between the women.
That night Lily made bets with her siblings and now in-law sibling Michelle that Jeanne would come home pregnant.
"What are you laughing about, Lily?" Jane asked suspiciously walking past the play room checking on the commotion.
"Oh nothing, Mother."
Jane was very skeptical.
As soon as they left the kids snickered about Jack and Jeanne more.
"Tarzan?"
"Yes dear?"
"We do now have to be prepared that they come home not just married but married and pregnant."
That thought had not really occurred to Tarzan.
"Oh! Well. Yes. I guess so. Wow… What brought that thought up?"
"The kids," she snickered.
She looked over her shoulder and Tarzan noted that Lily was walking around with her belly all puffed out like a pregnant woman and then cuddling her "Jeannie' stuffed doll pretending to nurse it. All the kids and Okpara were laughing themselves silly in the play room. Michelle and Paul were holding hands and sitting close together. They smooched.
"And dear?" she said with a little concern.
"What," he said with exasperation, wondering what else he'd have to consider about the new couple for the next six months of waiting.
"You might want to have that talk with Okpara again…" she grinned but noted the ten year olds' budding affection for each other, "And with your son..."
"Gladly… putting the fear of God in those boys about respecting women is what I live for," he joked, "We don't need another member of the family have the same problem as with Eleanor and Jack. Even though it's early for Paul, he's going to be changing soon, and Michelle already is showing the signs."
That sobering experience with Eleanor actually did more to throttle any secret behaviors between Okpara and Lily than any bone chilling lecture from Tarzan to the young man he respected. Like Lily told Jack, she was insisting on chastity and had made Okpara understand that in no uncertain terms. He, of course, felt exactly the same way. Okpara didn't want to ruin his beautiful love affair with her.
Paul listened very intently to his father's words and promised to obey also when his time came to become a young adult and to honor Michelle. Holding hands intently with her boyfriend, Jeanne's sister wanted to hear 'the talk' too from Tarzan and agreed to abide by the family rules as vigorously. Armand and Josephine listened and approved, reinforcing what Tarzan said and agreeing to their special friendship only if they obeyed their parents rules of behavior. Both sets of parents were in total agreement, and the mothers already thought it was cute that Michelle and Paul liked each other, further linking their families together. Josephine had just talked to Michelle the day before on this subject, having seen them kiss each other pretty deeply 'goodnight'. Exposed as they were to one another as natural jungle children, and knowing the 'no privacy/no secrets' realities of life with their jungle friends and families, early clarity and expectations on proper sexual behavior was imperative.
Tarzan left the kids and returned to Jane. He heard the baby's cry in the converted nursery.
"'Mommy time' again?" Tarzan smiled.
"Yep," she beamed.
The 'new mother look' always looked good on Jane, Tarzan concluded. He'd have to savor these moments. This one was the last baby. They were both in their 40s.
…
When the families had returned from a fantastic time in the jungle with the gorillas, they all spent some time rediscovering their civilized human side in Lagos. Josephine and Jane nearly closed the tea house down in Lagos chatting and speculating about how to welcome home the newlyweds. Both rocked their babies in their strollers. They were enjoying caring for their new babies as much as they enjoyed their joint pregnancies together. Femi joined them as soon as she heard they were in town and the news about Jack and Jeanne. She looked spectacular in her new French dress ensemble that had an African design and highlights and they gushed over her. They joked that she looked pretty good wearing real clothes. She was late because of family issues, but she didn't specifically say what.
Femi actually had to console Ndidi about Jack and Jeanne's marriage. A big door had closed for the 18 year old, even though she knew it probably would occur and was prepared for it. She promised would always be Jack's and Jeanne's friends though. They were friends worth having. If jack had decided to marry her in the jungle even with all the years of change, she must be really worthy having as a wife and as a friend.
…Central Africa...
Jeanne was really enjoying making her new husband happy in just about everything they did together. Jack felt the same way, and was thinking that life with Jeanne was a lot spicier and fun than he remembered at age 9. He wondered if it because they were just all grown up, or because the right blend of Jeanne and Meriem was coming into their relationship. It didn't matter. Life had turned out to be just the way they wanted after the difficult adjustment that made both of them care more for each other. The eight years of waiting was worth it.
...
They were just past another of Jeanne's heavy week long periods, and coming out of it, both were feeling frisky.
They were going over the last ridge of mountains before they let down to the vast central jungle into the land of the Eastern Mangani. The trail was narrow and steep and they were single file on this trail and trees and vegetation was sparser this far up. The sun was low and bright near sunset. Jeanne was up the trail and the incline was steep enough that her bottom was nearly eye level to him. She knew it would distract him, and she made it worse by deliberately lagging in the clamber up so that her cheeks would wiggle right in his face.
They were just idly chatting about their plans on what to do when they got back to family. It was quite a list.
The flexing twin dimples in the small of her back where her hips widened were about to drive Jack crazy. He couldn't resist the temptation. He reached out and slapped one of her delectably large butt cheeks.
"Easy target. And a big one," he snickered.
She yelped and jumped.
He slapped the other one. It gave a good sharp sound, and then he pinched her.
She shrieked and yelled over her shoulder continuing on, "Stop that, jungle jerk! That actually hurt. I'm not that big.""
She knew she was, but knew he loved her ample shape.
"Keep it going up there, French girl," he chided, using a very old appellation he teased her with when she as a jungle novice.
"This is steep, jungle boy. Climbing this trail is exhausting. I'm still not in as good shape as you are, husband."
"Sorry…" He felt a little sheepish. His playful swats actually left hand-shaped red welts, and then he noticed something else even more exciting that she could not see.
As they walked her body would periodically block the low setting sun as the day progressed, but now on this long incline the sun's rays shone brightly between her upper thighs and her legs, and it captivated Jack's total attention as he climbed following her. Most of her most feminine attributes were easily visible externally, especially from behind. Those details and each of her copious curls literally shimmered, catching the sun's rays as she walked, and the golden rays against the deep tanned olive skin of her inner thighs gave her a deep coppery color that glowed. The tattoo stood out starkly.
He just drank all of this in and smiled, watching every detail of how she swayed and moved. He was having a very hard time concentrating on their climb.
Jeanne commented on the great sunset coming soon, "Great sunset, huh, sweetheart?"
He really grinned and noted, not really paying attention to anything but her body, "Best sunset ever Jeanne, dear."
Hearing a very suggestive tone in his voice, she turned and saw him staring, and saw exactly how her shadow fell framing her on his face, and the effect it was having on him.
She didn't complain but got an idea and a very sly grin. She stepped aside out of the path and the full near-sundown sunlight blinded Jack.
"Gahhh!" he groaned.
He shielded his eyes but walked straight in to a rock precipice and fell flat on his back, with one part of him sticking straight up.
She doubled over in hysterical laughter.
"That will teach you to not peek at me like that!" she scolded him, even though she was really happy he would admire her that way.
"Uhh, I'm sorry," he groaned as he got up to his feet.
"It's OK Jack, it was kind of cute," she noticed how rapidly the sun was going down now, "Uh oh. We don't have much time."
The deep red sun was very close to the horizon.
"Let's not waste this. Hurry!"
Jack was utterly clueless what she wanted to do with him so urgently at sunset. She grabbed his hand and helped him up and climbed up a bare rock ledge and outcropping at the very pinnacle of the mountain. When she explained why, Jack was very excited for this moment. Positioning so they could both see the sunset at the same time and decided it would be romantic and fun to time their climax at the very moment of sundown. It was so exciting to them and was terribly hard to hold back, especially as aroused as Jack already was, but they did and shouted triumphantly at their peak as the sun disappeared. Jeanne's fun idea worked out perfectly.
She stayed draped over him, he was completely spent, and she kissed him softly, he mused in exhaustion, "Best sunset ever, right Jeanne?"
"And how!… she cooed, "but not half as good as sunrise will be."
"Oh gracious me," he smiled at her in anticipation. He was amazed how creative she was at making every time they made love truly memorable. They weren't hungry for anything that night but each other, never moved, and talked for hours simply cuddled after their session together.
…
In the coming light of dawn all they had to do was turn their heads to greet the sun in a very tender lovemaking timed to greet the first glint of the new day.
Jack reflected after they were done with their latest encounter, but were still one together, "Goodness, Jeanne. Last night… this morning…. Out here together…This is just all so wonderful, dear. I've lived all my life out in the jungle, but it was nothing like this until you came into my life! I think we're making up for all those lost years we promised each other."
She looked in total adoration at Jack's confession of having the best time of his young life with her, "Jack, You have no idea how much I love you, husband. I just want to be this close to you all the time. It feels so right every time."
He answered with a wink, "Yes I do know. As much as I do. And I can prove it."
He closed his eyes in concentration.
She scoffed until she realized what she was doing, "You don't need to… Oh! I get it," she smiled, and closed her eyes like his. They were instantly connected. For the first time ever, they were simultaneously physically and mentally and emotionally joined in the connection. It was an intense feeling, stronger than even the feelings of that dream vision, the most powerful and intense the connection had ever let them become.
"Mmm…" she sighed, feeling the intensity of his love for her course throughout her body savoring it with her eyes closed, "Yes dear, I do believe you are right about that love of yours for me."
"It's amazing how this works now for us now, sweetheart. I feel what you feel too," Jack noted.
"Our connection did save our relationship, didn't it?"
"More times than we can count, Jeanne."
"Eight years apart would have never been possible without it."
Jack pondered, "Well, actually I still think we would have still been in love, but it would be a lot harder and taken a lot longer and a lot more mistakes along the way to forgive."
She nodded in agreement, "You know the best time?"
"The vision?" he smiled.
"Well besides that…" she blushed even though their actual time at pond was better even than the vision.
She held up her ring, "When you pretended to marry me. I could even feel the ring on my finger."
"That's amazing. I could feel you being happy from afar that day."
She propped her chin on her elbows right in the middle of his chest, playing with his chest hair. She found a particularly long one and ripped it out by the roots, and examined it like it was a biological specimen.
"Ow! What the heck was that for?"
"For smacking my butt.Twice! And staring at all my privates," but whispered softly with a grin, "But don't ever stop…"
They laughed.
"On a more serious note," she said, "I hate to break up this little party for two, but we need to get back on the trail. If we dally too much we'll be lost in the jungle forever."
He grinned, "That wouldn't be so bad, now would it, cherie?"
She agreed, "I could live with it. And you, but for now we have people anxious to see us."
"Yep. I know," he noted.
"But Jack…" she asked with hesitation.
"Yes Jeanne?"
She placed her arms around his neck and shoulders loosely, and her bespectacled eyes shown at him, "Can we come back here someday? Our pond. This mountain ridge. The wildflower field. All the other amazing things we've seen and done together. This has to happen again Jack. This is the best time between us ever."
He assured her, "It is, cherie, I hope so too, we'll try our best."
"And Jack. I am ravenous."
"I was thinking the same thing."
They'd skipped dinner last night. This time they didn't mean each other. They'd been very aggressive in their lovemaking twice in a day and while making love to each other was incredible fun, twice was enough for now. They drew their weapons and looked for something to eat. It didn't take long.
…
Not every activity together was lovey dovey. As much as they desired each other, even that would have been really boring after awhile. Sometimes they loved to goad each other and yank each other's competitive natures.
They'd reached the end of their trek for the day. She took a thick-skinned fruit, pulled out Rolfe's knife and started peeling it. It was overkill. Intentionally.
"I know you were a street fighter," Jack said to Jeanne, noticing her impressive knife.
"Well that was a long time ago. I was a pre-teen, but I kept practicing. And I needed to defend myself as a waitress and a dancer. I carried a knife all the time. And used it."
"Well that makes sense. Some of your customers probably thought they could have a date with you."
"More than I wished. And we lived in a nasty side of town."
"So how good are you with that knife?" he asked. She knew what he wanted was more than just information just by her tone.
"I'm an expert knife fighter," she bragged admiring the glistening blade while chewing on the fruit.
"Well you can't have been that good," he said condescendingly, picking a fight on purpose.
"I beg your pardon jungle boy?" she was offended and swallowed hard.
He intentionally kept intending to stir her up, "I mean you are, after all, a 'four eyes'. I mean, look at you. Do you know how goofy a girl looks wearing nothing but glasses?"
He let that sink in a bit, but it didn't take any time at all with that famous temper. That really riled her up.
"What did you say, jungle jerk... oops, I mean jungle arschloch?" she stammered and deliberately cursed in German.
"Well… you wear glasses... how intimidating is that?" he criticized using the term like she had plague.
"I know full well what 'four eyes' means. Goofy? I swear jungle boy, over the years your brains have shrunk to chameleon size."
A chameleon chasing a bug nearby complained, "Hey! Watch that, naked ape woman."
"Oops sorry. No offense."
The reptile was not satisfied with her explanation, "Hmmph, I bet!" it snapped and continued its hunt.
Jack nearly doubled over in laughter at the indignant chameleon's complaint.
He had her going now, "I'll show you just how good I am. With glasses. Let's play one of our games. Let's spar."
He noted over-confidently, "You don't want me to. I might hurt you."
"Oh yeah? Let's see who can hurt whom, Jonathan Robert Clayton IV!"
"I've had a knife in my hand since I could walk, Jeanne, and I'm more worried about…"
She make a quick swipe at him. A thin two inch line of red formed on his left pectoral muscle.
"Oww!" It really stung. it was like a razor blade cut.
"Think I can't fight with glasses?" she grinned and adjusted the raw latex gum strap tighter holding the frames to her head.
"We will just see about that," he challenged his wife, getting in an apelike crouch, blade drawn.
They faced off, and they traded dozens of thrusts as they leaped and bounded over vines, under limbs and around stumps, bounced off tree trunks, and leaped across creeks and brush. They dodged and weaved, their blades clanged as they engaged and turned and pushed and grunted strength on strength. Jack jumped into a bamboo forest and to his huge surprise she whacked her way through it to him, and locked blades.
"Had enough of the 'outlander street rat's' knife skills with her glasses, jungle boy?"
He boasted snidely, "I was about to ask you the same."
The fire in their eyes was exhilarating, both loving the battle together.
They lunged at each other with renewed vigor, and beside the blade work, they got physical, bumping and tossing and going arm to arm.
He sliced her accidentally with a little scratch on her breast, and she dabbed and licked the blood with one finger, "I kinda need that, Jack, for our babies. I thought you liked those."
He really had an opening now, "It's OK. Unless we have twins, then you only need one of those… besides one of yours is as big as two on a normal girl."
It was true and she was very happy about that. And Jack too. But she let her jaw drop in feigned anger, "Aughhh! You Scottish bastard. OK with whom, jungle boy?"
She lunged out with renewed vigor, forcing his retreat. He grinned. This is exactly what both wanted.
For once the swearing was fun, and they guffawed.
Jabbing her knife at him with each word for emphasis, aiming her knife at his balls, "Well I know you can't live without those, dear."
"You take those off and they're no babies to be made, dear. And I thought you couldn't cuss in English?" he snickered, countering each slice.
"I lied. I'm a professional liar, remember?" She grinned.
She thrust her arm through a fork in the tree at him. He gulped that it came within an inch of his nose. She didn't connect only because she jammed her elbow in the tree and couldn't push forward any further.
Jeanne said, "Impressive, husband. I rarely ever went this long with anyone else."
He tried to reach and disarm her, but she instantly withdrew her blade, rolled her smaller body, leaped at him, and bowled him over on his back. She had him pinned with the blade at his throat and her lips a fraction of an inch from his.
He was shocked as she bragged, "I seem to remember a certain water wrestling game that ended like this."
He gulped.
With a very triumphant laugh smile she demanded, "Do you yield, jungle boy?"
"I yield, street rat."
They stopped, sat side by side to catch their breaths, as they drank a bamboo stem full of water, "Wow girl, you are a great knife fighter."
She pressed against his side. She was very warm against him. And glistened with sweat in a very desirable way.
"Well I learned a lot on the streets, and from that jerk, Gunter. You're very good too."
"Well mostly I learned from my dad, but quite a bit from your dad. I had to have both of their the skills. We assumed that at some point your rescue would devolve into a knife fight against Karl-Heinz and Gunter and probably a whole bunch of thugs with them over you."
"I thought I recognized some of those moves as French Army Special Forces. And you weren't far off what really happened."
He was also profusely sweating, not being sure whether it was from the closeness of Meriem, or the exhaustion of the knife fight. He smelled very, very good to her right now. Jack was slick with his sweat.
"Now I understand why you were able to keep yourself pure for me."
"It wasn't just knife skills, Jack."
"Oh?"
"It was this!"
She jammed her knife into the stump next to his, and instantly leveraged his weight and height against him and threw him over her head. He landed violently on his back. She sat heavily on his chest, knocking the wind out of him with her hands pressed hard against his collarbones. She was not a small woman.
She said victoriously, "So, jungle boy, do you still think a naked girl with glasses looks silly and can't fight as well as the Prince of the Jungle?"
Looking up from under her helplessly, "Lady Jeanne, dearest. Did I ever tell you how pretty your glasses complement your stunning natural beauty?"
"I thought so," she said smugly, still astride Jack and intending something else.
That was the opening he needed. Jack had other plans than lovemaking… for now.
He winced, but leaped to his feet using nothing more than brute strength, throwing her off him in surprise, and assumed an attack position. She went at him, and where he had strength advantage, she had leverage and skills that he did not have. But they tussled and tangled and the sweat of them together became more thrilling, but he had an advantage she did not. His prehensile feet were as dexterous as his hands, and slowly he had her pinned underneath him. He had her arms and legs spread far apart and jammed into to the ground. She was very frustrated that he bested her. It was clear this was the first time she had lost in a very long time. But there was something softer in her eyes that betrayed her temporary anger at being under him. He realized this was exactly where she wanted him.
"So Jack, dear husband, do you want to fight me, or make love to me?"
His impassioned kiss told her instantly the choice and she completely wrapped herself around him. She didn't have to ask twice.
…
Afterward, they sat next to each like before.
"Wow, Jeanne. That was amazing. Is this as tough as you were as a street rat, Jeanne?"
"No. I was tougher. Especially as a younger girl."
"How much tougher? Tell me please, don't show me."
She knew he was exhausted from the fighting and their loveplay. She was too.
She snickered, "Well…" she said looking up into the sky, rocking her beautiful bent legs on her ankles and bare toes. Her breasts sneaked out around her bent knees.
"So tell me, dear."
She pulled her knife out and felt the edge and explained smugly, "Oh, well I almost cut the balls off a boy who threatened me in Douala when I was pretending to be a boy so I could survive the streets, Jack."
"Oh, dear, Jeanne."
"But he humiliated me. He stripped me, Jack, right in front of his gang to prove I was a girl. I hated that. This is his knife. I took it as a trophy when I surprised him and fought him to the ground. Instead of taking his manhood. It was disgusting Jack. I had to touch him."
Jack gulped. He hadn't heard that story yet.
He only sort of joked, "Wow that hurts just thinking about it."
A little more seriously remembering the shame, she said, "Not half as much as it hurt me…"
"I'm sorry Jeanne. I'm sure it was awful," and they gave each other a pensive look reflecting on a difficult memory now long in the past but not forgotten.
But then she smirked pointing the knife tip below his waist and emphasized, "So let that be warning to you Jack, the next time you are even considering flirting with red-headed girls, Jonathan Robert Clayton IV!"
They'd reached the stage of forgiveness that old pains could be joked about when the time was right. This was one of those moments.
Their vigorous knife fighting, wrestling, and lovemaking that they had just enjoyed together was why they savored this beautiful long honeymoon, to get all the fervor and passion borne from being apart so long out of their systems. They hadn't been married long to realize it might have been a good idea that they hadn't grown up childhood sweethearts. They would have driven their parents crazy in their passion for each other and probably been parents themselves by now.
…
Which prompted another important couple's conversation on another afternoon after hiking all day, "What about children, Jack?"
"I love children, and I hope we have a gaggle of them just like my family. But cherie, after so many years apart, I'm probably too selfish about this, but I think I'd just like a few years alone with you. But if something happens, it happens. You know I'll love any child we're blessed with."
She got the broadest smile he had ever seen, "I feel exactly the same way."
"So how do we make sure of that?"
"Well nothing is for sure, but if we want to delay having kids right away, I want you to know why we have to stop longer each month."
"Bad cramps during 'that time of the month'?" He knew from his mom, his sister, Ndidi, and all the female Mangani had their feminine cycles.
"No not yet. The other time of the month just before that."
"What?"
"The time I'm most fertile."
"Oh. Yeah. I know about that. My mom can feel when that happens to her. It's funny to see Dad get antsy."
"Well I can't. She's lucky. But do I know my cycle. It's like a clock every month. So we'll still have our fun. But not when we have to stop like we did the past few months."
"Any day with you dear, is fun."
"You're so cute," she pecked him on the nose.
During those times of the months, they made a lot better progress across the jungle. And at the end of the two weeks of that cycle and her period, Jack didn't think his father being antsy waiting for his mother was quite so funny anymore, waiting for his Jeanne to return to normal.
…
It was during this time that eyes began to watch them. A female voice asked in their language of her mate, "Is that the mate?"
"Yes it is."
"She's beautiful."
"For a human."
"It's amazing how much they look like us. Both of them. She has a lot of light black fur, and his is... well what is that color exactly?"
"Auburn, dear mate. Well they look good for a couple of naked apes. I think it's time for the next family reunion. They've had enough time alone since Dar es Salaam."
"What if they don't want to? What if they don't agree?"
"Well they don't have any choice, do they? My rules apply here in my jungle as long as they are in it."
"But they are almost through the land of the Eastern Mangani. Can't we just let them go?"
"No. That's why we have to interrupt their private little mating dances now."
"Then what?"
"We share meals, nest, then we dance the dance. And then. Well… You girls know there are no Mangani mates here but mine. It's too bad Kala didn't tell him that."
"Will you kill him if he won't let her go? Like the others?"
"If I need too. One way or another she is my newest mate."
"What if she resists?"
"Then she dies soon after he does."
"Why don't you let them go?"
"Because I want her."
…
The watchers were being themselves watched.
Mykelti asked with worry, "Why is Akut secretly spying on Dad and Jeanne, Mom?"
Tikara worried, "I don't know Mykelti, but I don't like it. I wish I knew their language. This smells like trouble to me. We need to get some help. I think we're going to need it. Soon."
"So what do we do?" asked her oldest girl cub.
"Kids, go get Grandma and your cousins, and have them track Jack, Jeanne and Akut and his females, and listen for me."
"OK Mom. Anything to protect Dad."
…
Authors Notes: Hope you had a little fun eavesdropping on Jack and Jeanne and their jungle marriage honeymoon. C'mon, admit it. Don't you all want to see them have their fun? It's been little fluffy and a little feisty, and a lot more physical than Tarzan and Jane's time as newlyweds, due to the leftover Meriem in Jeanne and Jack's openness to try new things with his wife. And she was always more of a tomboy than genteel Jane anyway. I owed you fans a simple, fun look at their little romp in the woods given all the awful things that have happened. They deserve all the alone time. Yes their first lovemaking at their pond was nearly verbatim from the connection induced vision dream, but updated for what they really encountered. They are not so alone at the end. Now what? Can't the newlyweds catch a break ever?