Falling Back in Love

Chapter 2

The safe zone was no longer safe and Christine didn't know where she was going to take her girls. She only knew she couldn't stand to lose either one of them. She found a car and started driving, leaving most of their personal belongings behind but taking her most prized possessions with her, her girls. Hopefully someday, they would be able to surface and if Mike found them, maybe he'd give her a picture of two of Lucas. Christine was beyond upset that the photo album got left behind.

Christine drove all night and into the day before she had to stop. She was somewhere in Louisiana. She had traveled there on business before but had stayed in somewhere decidedly more upscale then the little farmhouse she found. The advantage with the little farmhouse was the previous occupants had a large pantry full of home-canned food. Christine would still have to ration their food but at least they would have more then most people. There was also a rifle, a handgun and a shotgun. All things Mike had taught her to shot. There were free-range chickens and a milk-cow that Christine quickly learned how to milk.

It was so far from her previous life with mergers and acquisitions, business lunches and power plays. Christine had loved being in the corporate sector, more then she loved being a wife and mother. She loved her kids and at one time, she had loved Mike. He had tried to be a good husband and it wasn't until she had cheated several times that he started. She had gotten tired of him being gone so much even though she was barely home, leaving their kid's care to a nanny.

Her latest indiscretion, Peter, had been her undoing. He wanted her to pursue a divorce even though he didn't care at all about her kids. Mike and Christine had been in counseling for years and while Mike would adhere to some of what their therapist suggested; Christine blatantly ignored it. Finally, the therapist threw up her hands and told them to just divorce. They were doing their kids no favors by staying together. Mike wanted to co-parent and be friends since they couldn't be married. Christine objected and filed for divorce while he was away.

It wasn't that Christine didn't still love Mike. A small part of her always would. He was great with their kids and even when they were fighting and arguing; treated Christine with respect. Christine knew that she hadn't loved Peter or any of her other partners like she had loved Mike and she also knew that the relationships Mike had had were more of way of getting back at her. There was just no going back after all the affairs and issues. Christine was fixing dinner for her two daughters, reflecting on her marriage and wondering what would happen if Mike found them. They had been holed up for a few months and it was almost Christmas, Lucas' favorite time of year.

If things had been right, Christine would have been hosting a fancy dinner party and making sure the decorations and food was perfect. Instead she was plucking feathers off a chicken when she heard voices out in the yard. The girls were upstairs in their room and Christine grabbed the shotgun, her weapon of choice and stepped out on the porch.

"Who the hell are you?" Christine asked. A wild haired man backed away but she noticed the odd assortment of people. Men mostly, all with a military bearing, a woman and some kids.

"Ma'am, can you put that gun down?" One of the men asked her.

"Not until you tell me who you are. There hasn't been a soul come through here in months and now a whole slew of them?" Christine asked. Suddenly a commanding voice rang out from the clearing about fifty yards from her.

"Just shoot her if she doesn't comply. You know the rules, Greene." Mike's voice rang out.

"Sir, it's just a woman. Ma'am, just lower that weapon; please?" The young man asked. He wasn't registering the shock on Christine's face.

"Mike?" As Christine lowered the weapon and then handed it to one of the younger men. She stepped off the porch and saw her husband come around the corner of one of the outbuildings. Once he realized it was her, he might just shoot her himself but she decided to take that chance.

"Christine? How the hell did you get here? Where are my girls?" Mike asked. He had also lowered his weapon but Christine could see the apprehension in his eyes and noticed the wedding band on his finger. One she had put there fifteen years before.

"The safe zone was not so safe anymore so I packed the girls up and got them here. They're upstairs." Christine explained. As fractured as her relationship with Mike was, she hoped he would at least hug her. She was so tired and his hugs always felt good.

"I'd like to see them. Inoculate them." Mike told her.

"Inoculate them with what?" Christine asked.

"We have the cure. Alright, lets get a little comfortable. Not too much, though. Christine, I'm commandeering this farm and any food you might have. Take me to the girls." Mike ordered.

"Mike, I don't have much food and would you really take food away from your own children? What gives you the right to do this?" Christine asked angrily. She and Mike were now standing toe to toe and having a staring match.

"You also need to inoculate her." The woman said. She had a British accent and Christine had to wonder if she was Mike's new girlfriend.

"I don't want anything from him!" Christine shouted. She had noticed the smirk on one of the guy's faces and knew they thought this was quite funny. Suddenly, Mike grabbed her by her shoulders and his lips met hers in a violent crash. He hadn't kissed her like that in years. He seemed to be prolonging it just to aggravate her, sliding his tongue along hers and holding her head in place. Finally, he pulled away but gave her a much softer kiss on the corner of her mouth.

"Too late. I just inoculated you. The cure could be passed through a kiss, correct, Doctor?" Mike asked.

"Uh, yes." The doctor answered.

"How dare you!" Christine said as she slapped Mike across the face. He just rubbed his cheek and opened the front door.

"Believe it or not, I wouldn't want you to get the Red Flu. There were easier ways of inoculating you but you were too busy refusing. You said the girls are upstairs?" Mike said as he walked into her house.

"Yes. You are not going to kiss them like that!" Christine said.

"No, I'll give them a kiss on the cheek and they'll be fine. You were just being combative. What's the matter, didn't think I would kiss you like that anymore? If you were a little more willing, it would have been more enjoyable for both of us." Mike said as he started to climb the stairs.

"What's going to happen?" Christine asked. She was following him upstairs.

"When I figure that out, I'll let you know. Now we are playing Hide-and-go-Seek with the Immunes. I suppose the proper thing for me to do will be to take you and the girls along. I don't mind taking them, but I will not have you make me a fool on my own ship. No sleeping around with my sailors." Mike remarked.

"Jesus Christ, Mike. Do you take me for some sex-addict or something?" Christine asked him in a low whisper.

"Possibly. Just keep your legs closed while you're on the James, please." Mike said.

"To everybody but you?" Christine sneered.

"If I wanted you, I would have fought harder. Where's Peter anyways?" Mike asked.

"Dead. Where's Sally?" Christine asked.

"Probably dead too. All I care about is getting my girls to safety and they need their mom, which means I have to ensure your safety. Believe it or not, I do still care about you because you are the mother of my children. Children I love with every fiber of my being, as I know you do too. They are innocent in this and we need to show them a united front, for the first times in their lives. This is hardly an ideal situation for any of us. Just please…be a responsible human for a for days, at least." Mike said before stepping into the bedroom where the girls were. Christine had to admit, watching him with their two girls was heartwarming. Both girls were crying and excited to see their father. Mike had given them both several kisses and held them close.

"Mike, would your men help me carry in some firewood and possible chop some more? I only have an old cook stove." Christine finally asked.

"Yeah. We are commandeering the food but that doesn't mean we won't work for it. I would say Miller would probably know his way around an ax." Mike said as he, Christine and the girls walked downstairs.

"I was going to make chicken stew and biscuits." Christine told him.

"Sounds fine to me. Let me step out here and I'll put them to work." Mike said as he walked out to the porch. She could hear him issuing commands and the woman and kids came in along with a gray-haired man.

"I can help you cook. Least chop up vegetables." The woman with the accent offered.

"Sure. My name is Christine." Christine said as she shook the woman's hand.

"Rachel. Tell me, is your husband always so bloody stubborn?" Rachel asked as she took a knife in hand.

"He gives that word a whole new meaning." Christine joked. She didn't know who Rachel was but had a feeling she would like her. Kaitlyn and Hannah were talking to the other kids and Christine could hear firewood being cut. It really felt good to talk to other adults.