Reflections Chapter 21-Somewhere With You Part 2, a castle fanfic

Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews.

Chapter 21 –Somewhere With You – Part 2

"Do you have any other relatives around here?" Johanna asked when they stopped for lunch. "A relative that might let us take a nap? I'm so tired."

He was tired too, Jim thought to himself as he took a sip of coffee and looked across the table at his sleepy eyed companion. Apparently a night in a haunted hotel was just the thing for sleep deprivation. "My aunt Vivien is about forty five minutes away from here. I'm sure we could go there."

"Is she your Dad's sister?"

"My mother's."

Johanna picked up her soda and took a long sip. "On second thought, I feel my energy returning."

Jim laughed. "She's nothing like my mother. They're polar opposites."

"You sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure. I could use a nap myself so we'll go there after we eat."

"Shouldn't you call first? There's a phone outside."

"I will when we're ready to get back on the road," he replied. "Don't worry, she won't say no."

That wasn't really what worried her, Johanna thought to herself; what worried her was that his Aunt Vivien might be more like Elizabeth Beckett than he thought…or that she'd be on the phone to her within ten minutes of their arrival.

"You two look like you've been through the ringer," Vivien Bradley Barlow declared as she looked over guests.

"It's all his fault," Johanna stated as she sank into an overstuffed armchair in the living room.

"Jimmy, what did you do to that girl?"

"We stayed at the Balfour last night," he answered as he sat down in the chair that was separated from Johanna's by a small stand.

"The Balfour!" Vivien exclaimed as she took her place on the sofa. "Are you crazy? I knew someone who stayed there once and when she came out she didn't talk for a week she was so traumatized."

"We did okay," Jim replied.

"Speak for yourself," Johanna remarked. "I don't feel like I did too well."

"Shame on you, Jimmy! That's no place to take a lady! She must've been terrified being by herself all night."

"She wasn't by herself, I was with her," he responded.

"They let you share a room when you're not married?"

"Here we go," Johanna thought to herself as she closed her eyes. He just had to go and tell her that they had shared a room. Word would probably make it back to Elizabeth and she'd really think she was a tramp now.

"They didn't ask questions so we didn't supply information," Jim stated.

"Except for the fake names he wrote down," Johanna remarked; figuring it was best to put it out there that it had all been his idea.

"James Robert!"

Jim's gaze slid towards Johanna. "If I had known you were going to tattle, I would've made you take your nap in the car."

"I only tattled because I want it known that the whole thing was your doing," she replied.

He shifted his attention back to his aunt. "Okay, I admit it, I signed us in under assumed identities but she's the one who crawled on top of me."

Johanna's eyes grew wide. "It's not the way it sounds! I only slept on top of him so if the ghost got me he'd have to get him too!"

"Oh my goodness," Vivien said with a shake of her head. "Did you have any encounters with the ghosts?"

"We had encounters all right," she told the older woman.

Jim laughed. "One of them got a little too friendly with Jo for her liking."

"And a lot of help your nephew was."

"For as long as I live, I'll never forget you yelling at me to get it, Jo," he laughed.

She smirked at him. "I'm glad I give you lasting memories, Jim."

Vivien shook her head once more. "You ought to be ashamed, Jimmy. You should take her somewhere nice."

'I'm sure there are plenty of nice places on our agenda," he answered as he failed to stifle a yawn.

"The two of you can take a nap before dinner," Vivien stated; "But I'll tell you one thing, the Balfour might've let you share a room but it won't happen here. She'll be upstairs and you can have the downstairs guest room. Don't get any ideas about sneaking up to her room, young man; the stairs and the floor creak, I'll hear you and I'll be on you like stink on a monkey."

Johanna laughed as she looked at his shocked expression. "Well you said you wanted your own room tonight."

"Yeah but I didn't think we'd need to be on separate floors."

"Well I do," Vivien replied. "I won't have your mother blaming her illegitimate grandchildren on me."

"Hey! There's no call for that," Jim remarked. "I told you we're just friends."

"Mhmm," his aunt replied; "That's how it starts."

"I can assure you that producing illegitimate grandchildren for our parents isn't on my vacation itinerary," Johanna stated.

"It usually isn't on anybody's…that's why they're called accidents," Vivien replied. "Now I don't consider myself a prude and I don't care what you two do in your spare time…just don't do it here. Elizabeth is a big enough pain in the ass; I don't need her breathing fire on it."

"We'll be on our best behavior," her nephew stated; "And you don't even have to tell her that we've been here."

Vivien smiled. "Get Johanna's luggage, Jimmy. We'll show her to her room so she can get some rest."

"I thought I was banned from the upstairs."

"The ban is lifted when it comes to toting the bags. You wouldn't want a lady carrying her own bags would you?"

"Oh of course not," he said sarcastically as Vivien motioned for Johanna to follow her.

Johanna grinned at him. "You're not only my chauffer, you're my bellboy."

He smirked at her. "I live to serve you, sweetheart…and I'm sure you'll return the favor one day."

She gave him a sassy smile. "I guess we'll see about that."

"How long are you staying, Jimmy?" Vivien asked that evening at dinner.

He shrugged. "We hadn't planned on dropping in on you unexpectedly like this so I figured we'd get back on the road in the morning."

"Oh I wish you wouldn't," she replied. "The big heritage days festival is tomorrow and I'd like to go but I don't have anyone to go with me since your uncle is out of town and Hilda isn't feeling well. I thought maybe the two of you could go with me."

Jim's gaze darted to Johanna. "It's okay with me," she stated. "What kind of things are at this festival?"

"Well there are tours of the historical district and different kinds of demonstrations and re-enactments. There's also a big flea market and antiques sale. You can also find local vendors set up with their jewelry and candles and things like that. There's always music and food, arts and crafts…all kinds of things. It's well worth the time," Vivien declared.

"Sounds like fun," Johanna replied.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it, dear; and I'm so glad that the two of you are staying and going with me. Jimmy, are you going to stop and see your grandfather while you're in town?"

"No," he answered casually as he took a bite of the ham on his plate.

"You should."

"No thanks."

"Don't not go on my account," Johanna spoke up. "You can drop me off somewhere or I can stay here with Vivien if she doesn't mind."

"I don't mind at all."

"I'd rather not go," Jim stated. "It's liable to ruin my vacation."

That was all Johanna needed to hear to convince her not to pursue the topic. She figured that he had his reasons for not wanting to visit his grandfather and she recalled that he had mentioned that the man wasn't a people person.

"I know he isn't the easiest person to get along with," Vivien said; "But he is still your grandfather."

"I'm aware of that."

"Maybe if we come back this way, he'll stop then," Johanna commented in hopes of saving him.

He shot her a grateful look. "Yeah, maybe on the way back I'll stop in. We have places to get to."

"Where are you headed? When I talked to your mother the other day she didn't mention that you were coming this way or even that you were on vacation."

"She didn't know," he remarked. "I only told Andrew my plans."

"You didn't tell your parents that you were leaving the state?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm a grown man; I don't have to tell my mother what I'm doing every second of the day."

"Well you should at least let them know when you're traveling. What if something happened? What if someone needed to get in touch with you?"

Jim shrugged. "I guess it would have to wait until I got back."

Vivien shook her head at him and then turned her attention to Johanna. "What about you, missy? Do your parents know where you are?"

"No ma'am."

"Why not?"

Johanna met her eye. "Because if they knew where I was, they'd know where to find me…and I don't want to be found."

"I see; may I ask why not?"

"Because she's on vacation," Jim stated. "Family is usually half the reason why a vacation is needed."

Vivien arched a brow at him. "So what are you saying? If you hadn't needed a nap you wouldn't have stopped to see me?"

Jim smiled. "Of course I was going to stop and see you; that was the plan from the beginning, right, Jo?"

"It's all he's talked about since we left New York," she stated.

Vivien laughed. "You're both liars; I guess that's why you're lawyers."

Jim smirked at his aunt. "Like we haven't heard that joke before."

"Well that's what happens when you go around fibbing. The two of you running away from home without a word to anyone makes me feel like I'm harboring fugitives."

"Andrew knows I was leaving town, I took his car," Jim replied. "I'm sure he'll pass the word around."

"I told my sister-in-law," Johanna added.

"Well at least that's something. I swear, you kids today…"

"Now don't get started," Jim interrupted. "I promised Johanna that you were nothing like Mom and if you prove me wrong, she'll never forgive me."

"Don't insult me by implying that I'm like your mother in any way!"

"Then behave yourself," he replied.

"You still haven't told me where you're headed," his aunt stated.

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a surprise for Johanna."

Vivien turned her gaze toward her nephew's friend. "He hasn't told you where you're going?"

"No; all he's said is that we're going wherever the road takes us."

"You must be a very trusting soul, dear."

"I trust Jim completely," Johanna said with a smile.

"Jo knows she has nothing to worry about. I'll take care of her. All she has to do is have a good time."

Vivien's brown eyes gleamed with amusement and warmth, a smile touching her lips. "You two make a cute couple."

"Yeah, we know," Jim responded. "What's your next topic of conversation?"

She laughed. "I wasn't going to pry into your personal affairs. I was just going to remind you not to try sneaking into her room tonight."

"I'm not going to sneak into her room!"

"Make sure you don't."

"I'll lock the door," Johanna remarked.

"You probably should," his aunt replied. "I see how he looks at you, especially when you're not looking. It's like a tiger sizing up his steak dinner."

Johanna's eyes sparkled merrily as she looked to Jim. "Maybe I better pick up some of those tranquilizer darts…you know in case you come at me with a bottle of steak sauce."

Jim nearly choked on his potatoes as he laughed. "I don't think I want to put a dart gun in your hands, Jo. That could really kill the mood."

"Alright, that's enough of that kind of talk," Vivien remarked with a laugh. "I don't want to get the two of you started on thinking about illicit rendezvous…I have a feeling it doesn't take much."

'What are you saying?" Jim asked.

"I can tell when two people would like to be locked in a room together…and not for conversation reasons. Do you really think people can't see the electrical current between the two of you? That's why I'm putting you on separate floors; I don't want you shorting out my breakers."

Jim grinned as he looked across the table at Johanna; her cheeks couldn't be any redder. "You're really regretting that nap right now, aren't you?"

"Just a little but I'm consoling myself with the fact that it's probably serving as punishment for taking me to a haunted hotel."

He nodded. "I do feel a little punished."

Johanna smiled. "Then I'd say we're even."

The next day as they made their rounds of the heritage days festival, Jim had to admit that he was glad they had stayed for it. There were a lot of things to see and do, just as Vivien had promised. The historical presentations were interesting and the food was great. Of course he had to admit that it had also been great when Johanna had slipped her hand into his as they strolled the area. It was silly, they'd held hands before but there was something special about it this time around. Maybe it was because they weren't worried about being caught...or maybe it was because they were just comfortable enough not to care who saw and drew conclusions from it. Whatever the reason was, it was nice and she seemed to be enjoying herself and so was he...that was until he caught sight of a figure in the distance that his aunt had stopped to speak to. "Oh no," he muttered as he gripped Johanna's hand and dragged her off the path they had been walking on.

"What's wrong?" she asked; surprised by his behavior.

"Save yourself and run," he stated as he looked back and saw the two women headed in their direction.

"What!"

"That's my aunt Theresa and you don't want to meet her. She's crazy. She thinks she's a witch and that she can cast spells and curses on people. She's also mean and somewhat terrifying. Go, hurry, I'll find you."

Johanna stared at him dumbfounded. "She thinks she's a witch? Why?"

"I don't know; something about someone calling her one when she was a kid and she took it literally and has believed it ever since. She's worse than my mother, you need to save yourself."

"James," a cool voice said from behind him. "Are you going to ignore my presence."

He lowered his head; muttering "it's too late," to Johanna before casually shifting himself in front of her as he turned to speak his aunt. "Aunt Theresa; it's good to see you."

Her steely eyes narrowed as she looked at her nephew. "Don't lie to me."

"Okay," Jim replied; "It's not exactly good to see you...I haven't prepared for it."

Theresa pointed a bony finger at him. "Watch yourself, boy; I'd hate to have to punish you."

He couldn't help but smirk. "You going to brew something up in your cauldron? Maybe some snails and lizards and do a little chant that will make my tongue fall out or something?"

"Don't tempt her, Jimmy," Vivien muttered. "You know she's nuts."

"I heard that!" Theresa said sharply. "You shouldn't scoff at my powers...I can make you sorry."

"We already are," Jim replied. "It was nice seeing you but I think we'll be moving along now. Try not to get yourself arrested again."

"I put a curse on that officer; he'll never know a moment's peace."

"I'm sure he won't," he responded.

"Are you still a lawyer?"

"Yes; but if you need one, I'm not licensed to practice here so I can't be of any help to you."

"I don't require your services. I require the services of no one. I dole out my own punishments...I don't need some lying thieving lawyer to do it for me. You should be ashamed seeking out a profession like that. You should've been something noble."

"Like what?" he laughed.

"Like a doctor or a professor. Who are you hiding behind you, James?"

"No one you need to be concerned with and as for my career choice; there's nothing wrong with the law. It's needed and I believe it's noble in its own way."

"As do I," Vivien agreed.

"Believe what you want," Theresa sniffed. "Who's the girl?"

Johanna sifted back to Jim's side; not entirely comfortable with hiding behind him. "My name is Johanna," she stated.

"Johanna," Theresa repeated; her face contorting with distaste. "Do you always go out in public dressed so disgracefully?"

Johanna looked down at her white summer dress which was sprinkled with tiny lavender flowers. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

"In my day, a proper young woman covered up! Look at you; I can see your knees!"

She laughed. "Well surely you know that everyone has knees."

Jim's aunt glared at her. "That doesn't mean they're meant to be displayed. Your arms are bare, your feet are on display in those God awful shoes and that neckline is barely decent! Good lord, James; did you pick her up at a street corner?"

"Hey," Johanna said sharply before Jim could even open his mouth. "There's nothing wrong with my dress; if you look around you'll see other girls wearing the same thing. I'm not a hooker and don't you ever imply that I am again."

Theresa glared at her before turning her attention back to her nephew. "Is this the girl that your mother has been so concerned about? She said you'd fallen in with the wrong kind. I can see she's a bad influence on you."

"My mother is wrong," Jim stated tersely; "And who I spend my time with isn't any of her business or yours. Johanna isn't a bad influence on me...she's a good influence. I enjoy her presence in my life and my mother is just going to have to get over that and you can call her up and tell her I said so."

"And you can tell her from me that she better quit running her mouth about me or she and I are going to have words," Johanna added.

The other woman's eyes widened. "How dare you disrespect my sister! I'll put a curse on you; that will fix you!"

Johanna put a hand on her hip and eyed the woman. "You go ahead and try it but let me tell you something, lady; I'm Italian and my grandmother has taught me a few things, including how to put the eye on someone. Don't think for a moment that I won't do it to you, you'll be bald by the end of the week...and if you really piss me off, I'll call my grandmother; she does a really nice long distance curse of her own...you'll beg for mercy."

Jim struggled to hold back a laugh as Johanna held her own against his aunt. "James, you get away from that girl," Theresa remarked. "She's trouble; green eyed women always are. You stay with her and you'll know nothing but misery. She's got evil in her!"

Johanna burst into laughter. "Oh my God; you weren't kidding when you said she was crazy," she said to Jim. "She's not just a just a fruit loop, she's the whole damn box."

Vivien laughed. "Johanna; allow me to apologize on behalf of the family. Please don't judge us all on the basis of my sister. She's always had a problem."

"Oh don't worry, I'm not."

"I don't need you to apologize for me, Vivien," Theresa said sharply. "I have nothing to be sorry for! You'll all be the sorry ones one day. You heed my advice boy and get rid of that little trouble making tramp. Nothing good will come of this liaison!"

"I'm willing to risk it," Jim stated as he took Johanna's hand once again. "See you around, Aunt Theresa. If you want to put a curse on me, go ahead if it'll make you happy."

"Don't think I won't!"

Jim waved and tugged Johanna along with him, leaving Vivien alone to deal with her sister. "I'm sorry, Jo," he stated once they were out of earshot.

"Oh don't worry about it," she laughed as she linked her arm through his. "I'm not bothered by it...I think she needs put away somewhere though, no offense."

"None taken, I agree. She should've been put away long ago. I am sorry though...and I'm going to have a talk with my mother. I've just about had it with her running her mouth too."

Johanna gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "Let's not worry about it right now, we're having a nice day and there's no need to spoil it with thoughts of what we left behind at home."

"You're right," he replied; wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her close enough to press a kiss against her cheek. "Let's forget about all of that and enjoy our day."

"Do you collect baseball memorabilia?" Johanna asked later on as Jim studied an old, thick scrapbook of old photos, baseball cards and news clippings among other things pertaining to the sport.

"Yeah, I do a little collecting."

"You should get that," she said with a nod at the book. "It looks interesting."

"It has a lot of the all time greats in there," the seller commented as he stood by, hoping to make a sale.

"I know," Jim replied. "It is a nice collection. How much?"

"I'll let you have it for a hundred."

"No way," he stated. "That's too high."

"But there are cards in there that are worth that alone," the seller remarked.

"They would be if they weren't pasted down," Jim replied.

"They're only pasted at the corners; you could pop them off the page."

"Nice try," he laughed. "I'll give you forty-five."

"Forty-five! That's insulting," the other man stated dramatically.

"That is less than half of his original price, Jim," Johanna commented.

"Okay, I'll give you fifty."

"Ninety."

Jim shook his head. "Fifty-five; that's my final offer."

The seller thought about it. "Eighty-five."

"I'll think about it," Jim replied; dismissing the notion of buying the item.

"Jimmy," Vivien called to him. "Can you come and look at this cabinet with me?"

"Sure, I'll be right there."

"You go ahead," Johanna told him. "I'll just wander around some more and see what else I can find."

"Alright; I'll find you."

She waited until Jim was out of sight and then turned back to the seller of the scrapbook. "Okay, I'll give you sixty-five for the book."

He smiled. "Eighty."

"Sixty-five."

"Seventy-five."

"Sixty-five," she said once again. "Now look, this book is appealing to a baseball fan but as my friend said, the value of the cards has been diminished by being pasted down. It may be true that they can be removed but they'll most likely suffer damage and collector's frown upon that."

"There's the pictures."

"The pictures are wonderful; I can tell they're old…but they're still prints. I don't see a photographer's mark and I don't see any documentation that they're from a specific photographer's collection. I'm willing to bet that there are a lot of these pictures floating around out there."

"Let's not forget about the newspaper clippings, magazine articles and covers, Miss," the seller remarked.

Johanna smiled. "You can go to any public library in the country and look up old issues of newspapers and make copies. As for the magazine articles and covers; it's nothing that's going to score a fortune on the auction block…if they even made it to one, which I doubt."

"There are ticket stubs and programs and…"

She waved a hand. "Those things aren't highly sought after and you know it."

The man smirked. "What are you, an appraiser?"

"No; I'm a lawyer."

The seller laughed as he looked her up and down. "No you're not."

Johanna's brow rose. "I assure you that I am and my offer just went down to fifty-five."

"I'm not buying it; you're not the legal type, no woman is when you get down to it, although some of them want to act like it."

"Oh, then what type am I?"

"A girl that looks like you isn't a lawyer," he stated with another leer. "You look more like the cocktail waitress type."

"Would you like to see my business card?" she asked tartly.

He chuckled. "Lady, if you can prove to me that you're a lawyer; I'll let you have the book for fifty."

Johanna shot him a glare and dug her wallet out of her purse. She thumbed through the contents and pulled out one of her business cards and handed it over to him.

The seller smirked and then dropped his gaze to her card, its center line reading 'Johanna E. McKenzie' and beneath it were the words, 'Attorney at Law''. His gaze then dropped to the words, "Manhattan, New York". "How do I know this is really you?"

She gave him a cool look and then turned her wallet toward him so that he could view her driver's license. "Satisfied?"

The man nodded. "Okay; a deal's a deal, you can have it for fifty."

Johanna snatched her business card from his hand. "No; now I'll have it for thirty-five."

"What!"

"You heard me. Where I come from, when you insult someone, you have to pay for it, and now the price is thirty-five."

"How did I insult you?"

"Well let's see, you called me a liar; you looked me up and down like some creep and then judged that I was only good enough to be a cocktail waitress. You implied that I wasn't qualified for my profession based on my gender, which, may I remind you, is discrimination…and I'm very good at winning lawsuits dealing with discrimination, just in case you're wondering, and before you go thinking that my fragile female mind can only handle one area of the law, I will assure you that I deal in many different types of cases. You also implied that I might be lying about my identity when I gave you my card. In my opinion, I've been highly insulted and you now must pay for that. In fact, I'm dropping my offer to twenty-five."

He stared at her incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"Very," she said firmly. "Now let's look at the big picture here; you're prices are obviously too high as you're not selling much, so you can take the twenty-five and make a sale; or you can pass it up and lug that book back home with you at the end of the day, because let's face it, no one's lining up to get it and my friend isn't coming back and giving you eighty; so if you think he is, you have another thing coming. So what's it going to be? Are you taking my offer or am I leaving here and telling every woman I see that you have a problem with women and discriminate against them?"

"You must really like that guy," the seller remarked as he held her cool gaze.

"I do; and the offer is still twenty-five; take it or leave it because I'm walking away from this table in about ten seconds."

The man laughed softly. "Lady, I like your attitude; it's a deal."

"Good; wrap it up nicely and put it in a bag," Johanna stated as she took the cash from her wallet and laid it on the table.

He wrapped the book in an old piece of cloth and then tucked it inside a shopping bag and handed it to her. "How would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" he asked as she accepted the bag.

She smiled and looked him up and down. "Well I would, but you just don't look like the type that can show a girl a good time…you look more like the bucket of greasy chicken and a hotel room kind of guy and I'm just not that kind of girl."

To his credit, he laughed. "I guess I deserved that."

"I guess you did…you're lucky you caught me on a good day or I might've punched you."

He grinned. "I do like a feisty woman; are you sure you don't want to have dinner with me?"

"Positive," Johanna replied. "It was nice doing business with you."

"If you change your mind," he began to call after her as she turned away.

"I won't," she interrupted as tossed a look over her shoulder; "But since I feel like I sufficiently punished you, I'll pretend that I don't know that you're staring at my ass as I walk away."

"I guess if that's all I can get…"

"Oh believe me, it is," she stated as she continued on her way.

"What have you managed to find while my aunt was dragging me around?" Jim asked lightly once he finally found Johanna.

"Some records and books," she answered. "I found some storybooks for Greg and I grabbed one about trucks for Danny."

"That was nice of you to think of him," he replied as his hand fell against the small of her back. "The other kids will probably be jealous though, especially Angie; she claims you as her personal friend."

"I already thought of that. I'll pick up something for the other three along the way. I got a pretty turquoise necklace for Valerie and the lady who was selling them let me have the matching bracelet for half price. I'll give her the bracelet for Christmas. I got a bracelet for Sharon too. I found some silk scarves for my grandmother; she loves those things for some reason and I got my mother an old cookbook that she's been searching used bookstores for. I also finally found my brother's favorite Batman comic book that I ripped up when I was seven."

"You ripped up his comic book?" Jim laughed.

"Yes, you see, he drew on the face of one of my dolls, cut her hair and then threw her down the stairs, causing her arm to snap off. I was furious so I went into his room, found his favorite comic book and ripped it into shreds as my revenge. That was the day I made him cry."

"So why are you replacing it?"

"Because even though he deserved it and he made me cry all the time, I felt bad about making him cry...I guess I still do...especially since he mentions on occasion how he's never been able to find another copy for his collection. Now my conscience can be eased."

Jim smiled as he shook his head. "Seems like you're spending your money or everyone but yourself."

"I haven't really spent much," she replied; "And like I said, I've found a few books and records. I do keep coming back to this lamp though," she said as she pointed to the small hurricane lamp on the table in front of her. It was made of thin lavender colored glass and was decorated with hand painted white roses. "I'd like to have it for in my bedroom but I'm afraid it will get broke with us traveling."

He studied the object for a moment; it seemed so fitting for her and he wanted her to have it. "Get it; I'll make sure it doesn't get broke."

"Miss, since it's getting late, I'll come down on price on it. I have packaging materials and boxes, I can pack it well for you and it should do just fine if you're traveling," the seller remarked.

"I'll fix a space at the back of the trunk for it where it won't get knocked around by our luggage," Jim added.

Johanna considered it for a moment and then nodded. "I'll take it."

As they waited while the seller wrapped and packed the lamp, Johanna turned her attention to Jim. "Is your aunt getting that cabinet she wanted you to look at?"

"Yeah, they're going to deliver it early tomorrow morning so I can help get it moved and situated."

"Lucky you."

"Yeah," he laughed. "After that we're getting out of Dodge before she has us rearranging the whole house."

"That's definitely not on our itinerary."

"You got that right. Are you finished here or do you want to keep walking around? If you do, I'll run Vivien on home; I think she's had enough and then I'll come back for you."

Johanna shook her head. "No; I think I've seen everything there is to see. As soon as I have my lamp I'll be ready to go."

After she finished helping Vivien with the dishes that evening; Johanna grabbed the shopping bag from her room and headed out to the front porch where Jim had taken up residence on the porch swing with the newspaper. He smiled as he looked her way and made room for her to join him. "What do you have there, Sassy? More of your flea market finds?"

"Kind of," she said; a touch of shyness in her tone. "It's a present for you."

"For me? Why?"

She shrugged. "Because I wanted to."

"It wasn't necessary," he replied.

"If I waited until something was necessary I'd be at work right now instead of on vacation."

"But you don't have to spend your money on me, sweetheart. You're supposed to be spending it on you."

"No; I'm supposed to be spending it on things I want and things that make me happy. You make me happy and I wanted to buy you a present...so shut up and take it."

Jim laughed softly and took the bag from her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, I hope you like it."

He pulled the object from the bag and unwrapped the plain cloth from around it. His eyes grew wide as he uncovered the baseball scrapbook. "Jo...tell me you didn't give him eighty dollars for this."

"Oh hell no," she replied. "I got it for twenty-five."

"No you didn't!"

"Yes I did," she laughed.

"How the hell did you do that? I couldn't get him to take fifty."

She leaned back against the swing; her foot pushing against the porch to give it a gentle sway. "I worked my magic."

He studied her for a moment. "What kind of magic? Did you kiss him?"

Johanna laughed. "God no! Why would you think that?"

"Well you said magic."

She eyed him mischievously. "So what are you saying…my kisses are magical?"

He stammered for a moment. "I should think it's obvious that your kisses are magical."

"How would I know; it's not like anyone's ever told me that."

Jim grinned. "I'm sorry I've been remiss in that area. I assure you that they're magical…and if that isn't the magic you used; what is?"

"Oh I let him insult me a little and then I took him down a few pegs," she replied before telling him the whole story.

When she finished, he laughed quietly and dropped an arm around her shoulders. "You know, I'm learning that behind those pretty eyes of yours lurks a devious mind."

She melted into his side and smiled at him. "But you like it."

His thumb rubbed against her shoulder. "You're right, I do." In fact, he loved it, he thought to himself as she shifted and snuggled into his side more securely; laying her head on his shoulder as she did so. He loved her mind and he loved her...wait...what? Love? Where had that come from? He panicked internally at the thought but then quickly talked himself down. She was his friend...hell he could classify her as a best friend, of course he loved her. You were allowed to love your friends. It was perfectly okay; no need to panic. He allowed the thought to roll away but somewhere deep inside; he knew he was lying to himself. He was okay with that for now; he thought to himself as he tightened his arm around her.

"He did ask me to have dinner with him," Johanna stated; pulling him from his thoughts.

"What!"

"I shot him down," she laughed before telling him the rest of the encounter.

"He's got a lot of nerve," Jim stated. "He saw you there with me!"

"That's true, but I was thinking he had a lot of nerve doing it after he insulted me."

"That too," he agreed.

She tilted her head to smile up at him; her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Do you like it?" she asked as she tapped the book on his lap.

He brushed a kiss against her forehead. "Of course I do; thank you, sweetheart."

"You said you'd teach me about baseball."

"I will."

"Then don't you think you should open this book up and start telling me who these people are?" Johanna said.

He smiled. "We can do that, but let's start this way; tell me who you know of in the baseball world so I can see how far behind you are."

"Well I know there was Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson."

"Good; anyone else?"

"Umm; Willie Mays and Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio."

"Very good; you're not as bad off as I thought."

"That's good to know; oh and there was Johnny Unitas."

"That was football, sweetheart."

"Oh...well I knew he was in a sport that involved a ball."

Jim nodded as he bit back a laugh. "You get half credit for that."

"You're so generous."

"You'd think that a former cheerleader would keep her football players straight though," he commented as he opened the cover of the book.

"I just wanted to be a cheerleader; I didn't care about the game so much...I don't even really understand all of it. What the hell is a first down anyway and why are there so many of them?"

Jim squeezed her arm gently. "I was wrong, you are worse off than I thought. Let's get you through baseball first, sweetheart; and then I'll teach you football…because you clearly didn't learn a thing standing on the sidelines."

"I was busy cheering."

"Apparently," he replied. "Didn't your brother play sports?"

"Of course; he was always enrolled in a sport. He played football all through high school."

"Didn't you ask him anything?"

"Yeah, but he just laughed and told me I was stupid and went on about his business."

"Well don't worry; I'll get you up to speed...as soon as you master baseball."

She smiled as she glanced up at him. "You have a lot of things to teach me; baseball, football, fishing...whatever else I've missed along the way."

Jim laughed. "I'm up for the challenge."

"I guess I'll have to find something to teach you to keep things even."

He gave her a squeeze. "You can teach me how to haggle so I can get bargains like you do. Where did you learn to do that?"

"My Grandma," she replied fondly. "Every time I score a bargain, I love her a little more."

"I'm sure she'll be proud when you tell her about how you cleaned up today," he remarked; his gaze dropping back to his book as he pointed at a picture. "This guy here is a name you know; it's Babe Ruth."

She nodded. "Tell me all about him."

Jim turned pages and educated her in baseball history until it grew too dark to see and then they sat together quietly as the swing rocked gently; her head still on his shoulder. "Jo?" he said softly; breaking the silence.

"Hmm?"

"What do you like?"

"You know the things I like."

"Basic things; but what kind of things do you study and take an interest in...you know, like I do with baseball."

"Silly things," she murmured. "Nothing that you would find interesting."

"You could let me be the judge of that."

"I like music and movies."

"Those are things I know," he stated.

"But do you know that Katharine Hepburn has won the Oscar for best actress more times than anyone else?"

"No, I didn't know that. How many times has she won?"

"Three for now...who knows, maybe she'll win another some day. Did you know that she was once considered box office poison?"

"Really?"

Johanna nodded. "She had some bad luck in the late 30's...but she overcame it."

"It's hard to believe that she was labeled that way; she's so highly regarded."

"She didn't let it stop her; she never gave up."

"You admire her a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah; I was always fascinated watching her in those old movies that Mom always took me to see and in the new ones too. She was always so classy and bold; nobody pushes her around. Even when she's a mess she somehow has it together."

"But those are just roles she plays," Jim commented.

Johanna shook her head. "They're not just roles; she plays them well because they're a part of her...and she's all of those things in real life in my opinion. She does what she wants and she doesn't care what people think of her for it. She's in control of her life."

"I can see that," he agreed as he thought about the actress in question.

Johanna was quiet for a moment before speaking once again. "I saw her once."

"You saw her?"

"In the city; she was in a play at one of the theaters and I wanted to see her in person so badly but Dad couldn't get us tickets...so that night I told my parents I was going to the library and I went to the theater instead and hung around the stage door half the night waiting for her to come out. At first there were a lot of people waiting with me but eventually they gave up; figuring that she had slipped out another door...but I kept standing there, knowing I was going to be in so much trouble when I got home...but I just couldn't go until I knew there was no hope left of seeing her and then suddenly the door opened and she was there."

He smiled as he heard the awe that still lingered in her tone as she recalled the memory. "And then what happened?" Jim asked quietly.

"She saw me...and she smiled and she said "so you're the lone holdout, are you?" I was probably smiling like an idiot and I stumbled over my words as I told her that I just couldn't give up on seeing her even though I didn't get to see the show. I threw in that I had seen all of her movies though and she laughed and said I wasn't old enough to have seen all of her movies but I assured her that I had; thanks to those theaters that ran the early ones. She was very kind to me; she caught sight of the little tablet and pen I was clutching and asked me if I wanted her to sign it and I felt so dumb for almost forgetting that that was one of the reasons I was there but she didn't seem to mind. She took my hand for a moment and thanked me for coming to see her...and for outlasting all the rest; she said she liked my spirit. I was so happy I cried all the way home," she said with a soft laugh. "For a moment in time, Katharine Hepburn knew me and nothing in the world could bring me down from that high; not even knowing that I was going home to face the music of being hours past my curfew."

"How old were you?"

"Sixteen."

"Did you get in trouble?"

"I got yelled at but Dad didn't punish me that time; he let it go but he said if I pulled a stunt like that again, there'd be hell to pay."

"Do you still have the autograph?"

"Are there stars in the sky?" she laughed. "I have it framed, and the frame is wrapped in cotton and bubble wrap and it's inside a box and the box is inside my trunk where I keep all of my treasures."

Jim laughed. "I should've known it was safely preserved somewhere."

"I'll show it to you some time."

"I'd like that."

She was quiet for a minute as she stared out at the fireflies that were lighting up the night sky. "If I'm ever lucky enough to have a daughter, I'm going to name her Katharine," she said softly.

"It's a pretty name," Jim agreed; "But a little big for a little girl to carry around; you could call her Katie though."

Johanna smiled. "I like that; it's cute."

"She'll be beautiful; just like her mother," he remarked.

"It's nice to dream," she whispered.

"It'll happen, sweetheart. One day you'll have a little Katherine running around."

"I sure do hope so."

"Of course you might end up with a boy; what will you do then?"

She laughed quietly. "Oh I don't know; maybe I'll name him after you."

He chuckled. "It is a fine name, if I do say so myself."

She grew quiet; her mind drifting as she envisioned a little brown haired girl named Katharine chasing fireflies while she watched her from an old porch swing...and in her daydream, the man sharing that swing with her was the one she was currently sharing a swing with. Her breath caught and her heart skipped a beat. She wasn't stupid; she had known for some time that her heart was in danger of being lost to Jim...but it was starting to occur to her that it had already been lost...or at least some of it had been and that those pieces of her were firmly in his possession. The word 'love' came to mind and she froze internally at accepting the term in a romantic sense instead of friendship...but she couldn't deny that romantic throb that rippled through her heart in connection to him. She was in trouble...but somewhere inside, she had known about that trouble for awhile and she smothered the sense of anxiety that sprung to life inside of her. Her feelings were nothing new and she'd just have to wait and see what happened down the road.

Jim took her silence as meaning that she was dwelling on the things that she didn't have in her life right now and he didn't want her slipping back into those melancholy feelings. "Are you ready to get back on the road in the morning?"

"Yeah; I'm ready. Where are we going?"

"We'll know when we get there," he replied; "And maybe on the way, you'll tell me more things that you like."

"It's a deal," Johanna replied. "Maybe you'll share a few things too."

"We'll see what happens."

"Yeah, I guess we will," she murmured; thinking about how his words had echoed her thoughts.

"You didn't mention this in my travel brochure," Johanna remarked the next afternoon.

Jim smirked as he looked out the windshield...or at least tried to. The rain pelting it made it too difficult to see anything other than grayness and the occasional flash of lightning; which was why they had been sitting in the parking lot of a convenience store, waiting for the storm to ease enough for him to be able to see to drive. They'd been waiting for a little over an hour and so far the storm showed no inclination to easing or stopping. "It's not my idea of a good time either," he stated.

"I'm hungry," she replied; an angry rumble of thunder causing goose bumps to break out along her arms.

"Where's your chips?"

She eyed him. "You ate them."

"I did not!"

"You did too! You ate all of yours and then asked if you could have a few of mine...and instead of a few, you ate all of what I was saving for later."

"Then it's your fault; you should've eaten them while you had the chance. What were you saving them for anyway?"

She scoffed. "So I'd have something to eat when this car turned into a boat and floated away. Now what I am I going to do?"

Jim shrugged; a small grin tugging at his lips. "I guess you can hope we float by a McDonalds and I'll grab you a burger."

"Don't forget the fires...in fact if we only have time to grab one thing; grab the fries."

"Oh of course; we can't have you being deprived of French fries."

Johanna shot him a look. "I like fries, sue me."

"Yes, I've noticed that you like them," he chuckled. "They do disappear quickly when you're around. In fact, you probably owed me those chips for all the fries you've eaten off my plate."

"I won't eat your fries anymore," she stated; turning her head to gaze out her window.

"Don't go getting your feathers ruffled, Sassy; I didn't mean anything by it. I don't care that you eat my fries; I want you to."

"I wouldn't have gotten into the habit of it if you hadn't started putting your leftovers on my plate."

"I started putting them on your plate because I saw that you liked them and I wanted you to have them...and now you just grab them yourself; which I'm completely fine with. There's no reason to change."

Johanna said nothing as she pulled her legs up against her and wrapped her arms around her knees. He sighed. "I'll give you a dollar and you can run into the store and buy some more chips and keep them all to yourself."

"Are you crazy?" she asked. "I'm still wet from the last trip I made."

He gave a short laugh; her white shirt did still look damp. "It's not my fault you had to go to the bathroom. I didn't tell you to drink all of your soda."

"I was thirsty!"

"You still didn't have to drink it all."

She glared at him. "You know, if I sprayed some Chanel perfume on you, I'd think my mother was here lecturing me."

"I wasn't lecturing you."

"That's what my mother always says."

Jim couldn't help but smile as he met her eye and it was a relief to him when a small smile of her own curved her lips upward. "Let's not argue, sweetheart. We'll be out of here soon."

"I hope so," she replied. "Are you sure it's safe for us to be in the car?"

He nodded. "We'll be fine; besides, we couldn't keep walking around the store, they kept looking at us like we were going to rob the place."

Johanna laughed softly. "Yeah they did. I guess they think we're Bonnie and Clyde."

"Yeah," he agreed with a laugh. "We're trying to keep a low profile by knocking over a convenience store instead of a bank."

"I just can't figure out what it is about us that seemed to scream potential robber," she replied in amusement.

"Clearly it was the holes in your jeans and the heels you're wearing. They looked at you and thought, she's a badass looking for trouble...and they figure I'm your accomplice."

She giggled. "You don't look bad ass to them?"

Jim shook his head. "No; I'm more discreet about my badness. I hide it well...you on the other hand exude it, they probably have you pegged as the brains of the operation."

"If the cops show up; I'm telling them you're the brains," she replied.

"Good, save yourself; you're too pretty for jail."

"I'm surprised they're letting us sit in their parking lot."

"It's probably only because I asked if we could...they figure that will make it easier for the cops to find us if we spook them too much," he added with a laugh.

She laughed with him as she put her bare feet back on the floor and rubbed her hands against her arms. "Cold?" he asked.

"A little."

"Come here," he said; opening his arms for her. She slid towards him and tucked herself into his side; his arm coming around her protectively. "Better?"

"Some," she replied as his hand rubbed her arm.

"If you want me to do better, we can get in the back," Jim said teasingly.

Johanna laughed. "You're not going to be like that guy I went out with in high school, are you? He tried to lure me into the backseat by telling me that the radio sounded better back there."

"No; I wouldn't give you a line like that," he replied. "But I have to ask if you fell for it at the time."

"No! I wasn't stupid...and I wasn't ready to go there."

"So what happened?"

"Well basically it came down to him saying put out or get out...so I got out. We had been on our way to a party when he turned down this old road that no one used anymore...and that's where he left me. He went on to the party and I had a long walk. After about a half hour of walking, I saw an old lady sitting on her porch and I went and asked her if I could use her phone. I had to call my father to come and get me...that was one of the most humiliating nights of my life."

"What did your father say?" Jim asked. "If someone had done that to Madelyn, Dad would've killed him."

"I didn't tell him the whole story until we were on our way home...and he started yelling "if you had the sense God gave a goose, you would've listened when I told you that little bastard was no good. Maybe now you'll learn to listen to me."

"That's all? He wasn't mad about what the boy had done to you?"

"Oh he was mad...and I started to cry and he hates crying."

"Didn't he comfort you at all?"

"Not until we got home. He hugged me on the porch and let me cry a little more...he told me I did the right thing...and that one day when I was older, I'd find someone who would respect me and my wishes and who would be worthy of me. He did call that boy's father...you should've heard the yelling," she recalled.

"I take it you never saw him again?"

"Only in passing at school...and he spread it around that I was a big baby and made my life miserable for awhile...until my father took me to school one morning and grabbed a hold of him outside the building. I was suddenly off the gossip chain that day."

"What did he say to him?"

"I don't know; he made me go on in to school. I didn't get to hear any of it...but the boy in question did look very afraid for the rest of the day so I assume whatever it was made a great impression upon him."

"Good; he should've beat the little bastard to within an inch of his life."

"I was just glad he did what he did…it doesn't happen too often; but I guess I know why now."

"Don't go thinking about that," Jim replied as he held her a little tighter. "He doesn't matter right now; all that matters is that you're here with me and he's miles away."

"That's true," Johanna whispered; "And I can't tell you how relieved I am to be out of the state of New York…I just hope we aren't going to have to sleep in the car tonight."

"We won't, I asked the cashier about places to stay, there's supposed to be a motel about five minutes down the road. As soon as the rain slows enough that I can see a little better, I'll get us there. Don't worry; I'll take care of you."

"I know you will," she replied; wrapping her arm around him. She never worried about that.

Jim and Johanna were soaked when they finally made it inside the office of the motel that was down the road from the convenience store.

"With that storm going on, I only have one room left," the matronly woman at the counter stated as she eyed them.

"We'll take it," Jim answered as he pulled his wallet from his pocket.

"Not so fast," the woman remarked. "I run a respectable place here. I don't tolerate shacking up."

"We're not shacking up," he replied.

Her brow rose. "Is that right? Well then what do you call it?"

"I'm his wife," Johanna spoke up, causing Jim's eyes to grow wide.

"Married, huh? I don't see a ring on your finger," the manager stated.

Johanna called upon her high school drama club acting experience and conjured up a few tears; masking a shiver as a quivering lower lip. "I lost my ring," she said mournfully.

"You did?" the woman asked; still somewhat skeptical. "You don't look old enough to have been married for long enough to lose the ring."

"Oh but I did," she cried. "We've only been married for six months, and my ring was so pretty that I didn't want to ruin it by wearing it while I washed dishes. My mother always said that dish water was hard on rings, so I took it off and laid it on the sink," she explained with a sniffle as Jim looked at her incredulously; wondering what the hell he was witnessing.

"I guess my fingers were still wet when I went to pick it up," Johanna went on; a tear sliding down her cheek and mingling with the rain drops. "It slipped out of my grasp and went down the drain...and the plumber couldn't find it."

"Oh my," the manager said; listening intently to the story. "That is a shame."

Johanna nodded; managing to squeeze out a few more tears. "And my husband won't buy me a new one," she cried.

Jim's head snapped towards her; his eyes growing wide once again. She hadn't just done that...had she? He caught sight of the manager's name tag as she turned towards him. 'Thelma' it read...that figured. She looked like a 'Thelma'...and that icy glare of hers was locked upon him.

"What kind of man are you?" Thelma demanded to know. "What kind of man doesn't replace his wife's wedding ring?"

Jim stammered for a moment as he eyed Johanna, watching as she bit back a smile. "I was...I was trying to teach her a lesson about being careless," he answered.

"Well of all the cold hearted things I've ever heard, that's the worst!" she exclaimed. "How dare you. Accidents do happen you know. She was just trying to take care of her ring."

"I know it cost him a lot of money," Johanna sniffed for added effect. "I was trying to be so careful."

Jim closed his eyes for a moment; he was going to wring her neck for throwing him under the bus like this.

"I hope you're ashamed of yourself," Thelma chastened. "Teaching a lesson is one thing but humiliating her is another."

"Humiliating her?" he exclaimed. "I haven't humiliated her."

"Of course you have," the older woman argued. "How do you think it makes her feel to go around with you without a ring on her finger? It probably makes her feel cheap."

"It does," Johanna said with a nod. "I feel very cheap...like some kept woman, and I'm not that at all!"

"Of course you're not, dear."

"My mother didn't raise me to be that kind of girl."

"Of course she didn't," Thelma agreed.

Good lord, Jim thought; she was laying it on thick.

"He used to be so understanding before we were married," Johanna cried.

"Marriage brings out their true colors," Thelma remarked as she glared at Jim.

"Maybe he won't buy me a new ring because he's ashamed of me," she commented; enjoying Jim's squirming.

"That's not true at all!" he exclaimed.

"Well what are you going to do to prove that you're not?" Thelma demanded to know.

"I'm going to buy her a new ring," Jim announced. "I planned on it all along. I just wanted it to be a surprise."

"Sure you did," Thelma smirked.

Jim sighed. "Can we have the room or not?"

Thelma turned the book towards him to register as she grabbed the keys from the peg behind her and smacked them down on the counter. "Only for her sake," she stated; "And you better start treating her right."

"I promise I will," he muttered; handing over his credit card. Once they had finished registering and Thelma had given him a parting glare, they headed back out into the storm to make their way to their room.

"What the hell was that show in there," Jim asked as they hurried towards the door numbered 314.

"You wanted a room, didn't you?" she asked as he caught her wrist and tugged her towards the car so they could grab their bags from the trunk.

"Yeah but did you have to make me out to be a jackass?"

"I figured that would be the most believable story," she answered as they resumed their trek to their room; "And apparently I was right."

Jim smirked at her as they ducked under the awning that covered the sidewalk. He sat down the bags he was carrying and unlocked the door; pushing it open and fumbling for the light switch before gesturing for her to enter ahead of him. "Your honeymoon suite awaits you, Mrs. Beckett."

Johanna smirked. "Shouldn't you carry me over the threshold?"

"I'm carrying enough bags," he replied; a mischievous grin on lips.

Her mouth dropped open and she whammed him with her purse. "Do I need to go back to the desk and have another talk with Thelma?"

"No," he laughed; "You said more than enough to Thelma."

"I think I'll just make you sleep on the floor tonight," replied as she sat down the bags she was carrying.

"Oh no; we won't be having that," Jim said with a sly grin. "I have to sleep where my wife sleeps."

"Fine," Johanna responded; "That will make it easier for me to kick you."

"You used to be so sweet before we got married," he teased.

"Shut up," she laughed.

"Who should we call first with the good news about our marriage?" Jim asked; "Your mother or mine?"

"Oh let's call yours," she said. "It would be fun to hear her scream when you tell her I got my hooks into you."

Jim laughed. "I'm tempted to do it."

"I'm sure you are," Johanna said as she knelt down at one of her bags; intent on finding dry clothes. "What are we going to do about dinner?"

"Well since it doesn't look like Thelma provides room service, I guess you'll want me to brave the storm and go across the street to McDonalds."

"A good husband would," Johanna stated with amusement.

"I had a feeling you'd say that. What do you want me to get you?"

"You know what I eat," she replied.

"All right; I'll be back soon."

"Wait," she said as she dumped out the tote bag that she was carrying books and magazines in. "Take this and put the food bags down in it so they don't get soaked."

Jim accepted the bag and fished the car keys out of his pocket. "Get out of those wet clothes before you get sick," he told her as headed for the door.

Johanna grinned. "Look at that, you're already improving as a husband. Thelma will be so proud."

He shot her an amused glare. "You're lucky that my mother told me that I'm not allowed to hit girls."

She laughed. "Like you would anyway. Now go and get dinner, I'm starving and you need to change too before you get sick."

"Yes, dear," he quipped before heading back out into the storm.

Johanna smiled as the door closed behind him. She had felt a little flutter when he called her Mrs. Beckett but she forced herself not to dwell too much on that feeling as she gathered up her clothes and hairdryer and headed into the bathroom.

By the time Jim walked back into their motel room, Johanna was dressed in a white cotton, spaghetti strap nightgown and was laying on her stomach at the foot of the bed, her legs bent and lazily swinging back and forth like she was a young girl without a care as she watched a M*A*S*H rerun on the small television.

"Well look at you," Jim stated; "All dry and warm and cozy while I'm out getting soaked...again."

Her lips curved into a smile as she shrugged a shoulder. "Hey, it's your job as the husband to brave the storm to find food for your wife. You are supposed to provide for me now, you know. I mean what would my mother say if you let me go hungry?"

"I shudder to think of it," he replied as he sat the tote bag and the drink carrier on the table. "I do know, however, that it's your job as the wife to set the table and serve, so why don't you do that while I change."

"Putting me in my place, I see," she commented as she got up from the bed and made her way to the table while he rummaged in his bags.

"It is my job as your husband to make sure you stay in line."

Johanna scoffed. "I can see that we're going to have trouble in this marriage."

Jim grinned as he made his way to the bathroom. "I know, but you make up for it...in other wifely ways," he said suggestively as he made a point of looking her up and down.

A blush spread across her cheeks despite the sassy smirk she threw at him. "I have a headache."

"There's always tomorrow night."

"Go do what you need to do before the food gets cold," she laughed.

"You're sounding like a wife already."

"Mama will be so proud," she stated before he entered the bathroom and closed the door.

He turned on the light and smirked as he took in the sight of her wet jeans, t-shirt and white lacy bra thrown over the shower curtain rod. He had a feeling she had thrown the bra up there just to torment him. He snatched the items and tossed them on the counter of the sink so that they wouldn't be in the way as he took a quick shower. When he was finished and had changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, he hung her clothes back up, along with his and then re-entered the room to find her waiting for him at the table.

"Does your mother know that she raised you to be the kind of girl that leaves her lingerie laying around for everyone to get a look at?"

"No; I've kept that from her," Johanna replied; "Besides, I figured that you had already seen it, so what was the point in hiding it."

Jim grinned. "Now what makes you think I've seen your bra?"

She eyed him knowingly. "Well you have looked in my underwear drawer before and I was wearing a white shirt, and it's common knowledge that once a white shirt is wet it becomes see through...and your eyes weren't always looking at my face."

"A husband has a right to look," he quipped. "He has to make sure his wife is wearing everything she should be."

"Uh huh. Sit down and eat."

"You didn't have to wait for me," he replied as he took the seat across from her.

"It wasn't a problem," she answered as she picked up her burger to take a bite.

"Oh I got something for you," Jim announced half way through their meal.

"What?" she asked. He got up from the table and picked up the empty tote bag from the chair and reached inside the front pocket where he had tucked a small item.

"I got you this," he said; returning to the table and holding up a very small plastic container that he then uncapped.

"What is it?"

"Give me your left hand and you'll find out."

Johanna gave him her hand and watched as he produced the ring he had taken from the small vial. "I now pronounce you Mrs. Beckett," Jim said lightly as he slid the gold colored band onto her ring finger.

She laughed as she looked down at the ring, taking note of the fake diamond like stones that circled the band. "Wow," she said; "This must've cost you a fortune."

He nodded. "It cost me thirty cents, so you be careful with it."

"Thirty cents?" she asked. "Last time I checked, bubble gum machines cost ten cents."

"It took me three tries to get that ring for you," he answered. "Speaking of which, your engagement ring is in the bag too; along with a smiley face ring, but I'd appreciate it if you'd let me keep that one for Angie; she'd like it."

"Oh of course; after all, she's my niece too now."

Jim laughed. "Now you don't have to feel cheap anymore."

"No, now I can show off my cheap ring and everyone can know I married a tightwad."

"Hey, if you were a good wife, you'd be a little more appreciative of the gift I just gave you."

"Oh?" Johanna asked; her brow rising. "And just what do you want as a show of my gratitude?"

He shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips. "You could at least give me a kiss for it."

"Why did I have a feeling you'd say that?"

"You're a smart girl," he replied; "And besides, you should live up to your wifely duties."

Johanna smirked. "I wouldn't want it to be said that I'm a bad wife," she remarked as she rose from her seat and moved towards him; causing his breath to catch in his throat for a moment as she sat down on his lap.

"We wouldn't want that at all," he agreed. She had him right where she wanted him, she thought as she made a show of dropping her gaze to his lips and lowering her face. His eyes closed, anticipating the feel of her lips against his but felt them brush across his cheek instead.

He frowned. "What kind of kiss was that?"

She gave him a saucy look. "If you want something better, you have to earn it," she commented as she rose from his lap.

As payback for her trickery, he reached out and pinched her lightly as she began to walk away, making her yelp in surprise. "That, Mr. Beckett, will not get you a better kiss."

He smiled; mischief gleaming in his eyes. "You know you liked it. That's why you married me."

Johanna laughed. "Oh I'm sure the reason for our marriage isn't as innocent as that…you probably ruined my reputation and had to marry me to save face."

Jim shrugged. "Whatever works."

"Just like a man," she replied with a shake of her head before popping a fry into her mouth.

"Your man," he quipped with amusement. "Don't forget, you're now wearing my ring."

A soft laugh crossed her lips. "Suddenly I feel like I sold my soul to the devil."

"Don't worry, I'm a gentle devil."

"I sure do know how to pick a pretend husband," Johanna remarked with a shake of her head.

He nodded in agreement. "You sure do; you saw the best and snatched it right up."

"I'll drink to that," Johanna replied; raising her soda in salute to him.

"And I'll drink to being smart enough to accept your proposal."

"It's going to be a long night," she remarked.

"I hear that's what happens when you get married…that will teach you to be so hasty about jumping into marriage," Jim teased.

"Shut up and eat," Johanna replied with a smirk.

"That's not very wifely."

"I don't know about that…Mom says it to Dad at least once a week."

"I stand corrected."

"As always."

Jim grinned. "Now that was wifely."

"Feel better now?" Jim asked later on as Johanna was once again lying on her stomach while watching TV. "You have a roof over your head, you're dry and you've been fed."

She shot him an amused smirk. "You make me sound like a baby."

"You're not a baby...but I can baby you a little if you want," he replied.

Her colleague laughed softly; her eyes alight with amusement. "Or you could just come over here and watch TV with me."

He rose from the chair and crossed the room; mirroring her position as he settled in next to her. "Better?"

"Much. I don't know what you were doing all the way over there anyway. Is that any way for a husband and wife to be?" she teased.

He grinned. "Forgive me; I'm new to this marriage game."

"I'll overlook it this time...but if you keep it up, we might have to rethink this marriage."

Jim chuckled. "How did you get to be an expert on the subject? Do you have an ex-husband stashed away somewhere?"

"No! But I've read a lot of romance novels and I've seen a lot of movies."

"Well with that kind of background, I bow to your expertise."

Johanna swatted his shoulder. "What kind of expertise do you have on the subject?"

"Just what my father has told us boys over the years," Jim replied.

"And just what would that be?"

"He says that the key to marriage is unconditional love, mutual respect, and a lot of patience."

"That sounds very wise."

He nodded. "He also said that a husband has to be a good listener, a good provider, a best friend, a lover, a partner and able to provide comfort and security."

"Those are all wonderful qualities," Johanna sighed wistfully.

"Wait; I forgot a few things."

"What?"

"Dad says to always apologize; even when you're right...because you're wife is going to stubbornly refuse to admit that she was wrong. He also says never to be afraid to argue with a woman...because make up sex is incredible."

"He told you that!"

"Yes," Jim laughed. "He told all of us that."

She shook her head. "Maybe that's how you ended up with so many siblings."

"It could be...but it's been implied that I might've been the result of makeup sex."

She laughed. "Well at least it's only been implied...I accidentally overheard that I was the result of a free vacation to Virginia Beach that my father won at a business conference."

"How did you overhear that?" he asked.

"Let's just say that it taught me not to eavesdrop on my mother and her best friend; so you see, at least your story is implied...I know the fact of mine."

"Mom hates when Dad implies things," he stated. "Mom doesn't want anyone to know that she's had sex."

Johanna's slender frame shook with laughter. "Then she shouldn't have had five kids to prove otherwise."

"Yeah; that's been mentioned to her. She gets all flustered and puffs up like a bird in a storm and starts going on about how indecent it is. You should've seen her face the day Michael told her that it must not have been too indecent, she kept going back for more."

"Oh my God," she laughed. "I bet she was furious."

"Oh yeah; she didn't speak to him for a week; not that that hurt his feelings. Is your mother like that?"

"Well, she'll talk about it if she really really has to...and you better really have to. I think her way of teaching Colleen and I about sex was when she started letting us read her Harlequins...and she threw in that if we didn't understand anything in the story, we could come and ask her about it."

Jim laughed. "And did you?"

"Hell no; but let me tell you, Harlequins are not the place to learn about it."

"Why not?"

"Because it gives you certain expectations and everybody's having these incredible experiences and...you find out that it doesn't always turn out that way."

Jim grinned at her. "Maybe you just haven't been with the right man."

Johanna laughed; her cheeks warming as it dawned on her how intimate this conversation was getting. "Maybe...but talk about learning the hard way not to believe everything you read. I'm not saying I haven't enjoyed it...I just haven't enjoyed it as much as some of those stories implied that I would."

He laughed quietly. "Then you definitely haven't been with the right man, sweetheart."

"That's probably true," she said with a nod. "I can't even believe we're discussing this."

"I won't tell if you don't," he replied as he nudged her shoulder with his.

"Deal; but since we were discussing marriage...what are you looking for in your future wife?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't really know. I haven't thought much about it."

"Not even a little? Have you been too busy playing the field to give it any thought."

"I haven't been playing the field all that much lately; you know that. Why do you want to know, are you applying for the job?" he teased.

She grinned as she held up her left hand and showed him the cheap bubble gum machine ring he had slipped onto her finger earlier. "Apparently I've already gotten it. I just need to know what expectations I have to live up to while I'm wearing your ring."

That phrase shouldn't have sounded so good to his ears, he thought to himself as she turned onto her side to face him. He mirrored her position once again as he thought over her question. "I want her to be...intelligent, I want to be able to talk to her about anything and everything. I want her to make me laugh and be good company to me. I want someone that I want to go home to every night. I want her to take care of me when I need it and to be forgiving when I'm stupid," he said with a short laugh.

Johanna smiled and dragged a finger along his jaw line. "How could she not forgive this face?"

He was sure his heart skipped a beat and he wasn't quite sure if she was just teasing him or if she was flirting with him...but he figured he didn't need to know the answer to enjoy it.

"What other qualities do you want in your wife?" she asked.

"I...I want someone who is loving and compassionate...brave enough to stand up to me and fight with me...I want her to be able to cook and keep a nice home. I want someone I can have fun with; someone to share things with...someone I'm just happy staying home with too."

She couldn't help thinking that she could live up to those things but she quickly shook the thought away. "I think maybe you've thought about it more than you think."

He scoffed softly; hoping to seem nonchalant as he tried not to think about the fact that he was pretty sure he had just described her. It was time to turn the conversation back on her. "And what is Johanna McKenzie looking for in her future husband?" he asked.

"Well I want him to be loving and affectionate. I want him to make me laugh and hold me when I cry. I want him to be strong and warm and kind...but able to hold his own against my temper...and I hope he's forgiving and understanding. I want him to make me feel safe and loved. I want him to be smart but not arrogant. I want him to respect me as an equal. He has to love children and be good father material...and I want him to take care of me even when I don't think I need taken care of. I want him to know me well enough that he can give me what I need without me saying a word. I want someone that I want to be with all the time; that I miss when we're apart. I want a husband that I can be myself with and that I can love completely...and that he'll do the same with me."

"Is that all?" Jim quipped lightly.

Johanna laughed softly. "That's not too much to ask is it?"

"Not at all," he replied; brushing his knuckles against her cheek as the stray thought entered his mind that he could be those things, before he quickly brushed it aside. "Especially when you deserve all of it and more."

It felt like time had slowed down; Johanna thought to herself as their gazes held. The sounds of the storm and television faded into the background and the world became solely about them; those fiery little sparks filling up the atmosphere inside their room as lightning lit up the night sky outside. His face neared hers slowly; her heart racing in anticipation as his lips touched hers, gently at first, as always; and then upon finding no resistance he captured her lips more confidently, a man in charge who knew exactly what he was doing but never losing the tenderness of that first gentle brush of lips that always preceded a deeper, more satisfying kiss. They had kissed often enough that she was familiar with the feel and taste of his kiss but it was still as intoxicating as their first kiss had been and she marveled at that fact. She wasn't sure she had ever felt that way before and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that no other man had ever kissed her the way Jim did. There was always so much feeling layered into his kiss; always so much to revel in and cherish. Jim always kissed her in a manner that made her feel like he was more concerned about what he was offering to her instead of what he wanted from her or hoped to gain from making the advance. Maybe that was what made his kiss so different from others that she had experienced.

Their kiss ended for the briefest of seconds before they engaged in another. She liked the feel of the weight of his hand as it rested on her waist; its warmth seeping through the material of her nightgown. As she laid her hand against his cheek, she felt the band of that cheap bubble gum machine wedding ring on her finger and she couldn't help but wonder, what if? What if's weren't new to Johanna; she had them as often as she would permit herself to...and usually they came on the heels of some encounter with Jim; and usually it was always the thought of 'what if they crossed the line and took that next step' but tonight her what ifs went further. What if the ring on her finger was gold instead of a piece of painted metal? What if she was really his wife? What would it be like? How would it feel to have this be her life every night? To always feel him lying beside her; to know his hands in the most intimate of ways; to breathe in those scents that were so unique to him. What if...what if it was real and not some game they played to get shelter from the storm? What if she was really his?

Her heart fluttered; she shouldn't be thinking such things. There were no words of love between them...but sometimes...sometimes when he kissed her, it felt like it might be there, simmering just below the surface but she never allowed herself to dwell on that for too long; after all, she did refrain from naming whatever that feeling was that beat in her own heart whenever they were together. She almost laughed at herself as they broke apart once more. She, who was so sick of marriage talk and weddings, was suddenly filled with the thought and need...all because Jim had slipped a ten cent ring on her finger, playing up the lie she had told. Johanna drew him back for another kiss; trying desperately to drown the thoughts in her head and those all too real feelings of how she wished it wasn't a game and that he was really hers...and that this was really her life every night.

"Stop it," she silently berated herself. "You have no business thinking such things." As if some higher power agreed with that thought, thunder cracked loudly, lightning flashed brightly lighting up the room; startling her and causing her to break their kiss.

"Don't worry," Jim whispered; his breath warm against her ear, making her shiver, "I won't let it get you."

She smiled then, her fingertips lazily caressing the line of his jaw. "I know," she whispered as she held his gaze. It was true; she did know...she always knew that if she was with Jim he would keep her safe from any threat, whether it be real or imagined. He always made her feel safe and warm...he made her feel special; cherished even. He made her feel beautiful and wanted, she mused as his mouth found it's way back to hers once again. He made her feel lo... "Stop," she commanded herself, as another flash of lightning lit up the room; a crack of loud thunder following, along with the sound of static as the cable went out, followed quickly by the lights.

"This isn't good," Johanna said as she shifted away from him and sat up at the foot of the bed.

"I thought it was going pretty well," Jim replied.

She could hear the smile in his voice without need to see it...just as she could feel the heat spreading across her cheeks. "I didn't mean that!"

"I should hope not," he replied; his hand finding her in the darkness as he sat up beside her.

She smirked. "Am I supposed to stroke your ego now?"

"A good wife would."

Johanna laughed. "Are you going to throw all of my words back at me tonight?"

"As much as possible. I figure that's my right as the husband."

She sighed quietly; why did it have to feel so good to think of him as her husband, even in the realm of make believe? She was content with her life...right? Oh God; her mother wasn't right, was she? No; Johanna insisted to herself; Naomi McKenzie wasn't right at all...that's why they hadn't spoken much to each other these last few months. She had just gotten a little too wrapped up in her play acting tonight; that was all. She'd be fine come morning.

"Jo," Jim said; his voice pulling her from her thoughts.

"What?"

"Are you okay?" he asked; his hand falling softly against her bare knee.

"Yeah; I'm fine," she answered; covering his hand with hers. "What are we going to do now?"

"There isn't much we can do," he replied. "This is Thelma's problem."

"Thelma's problem feels a lot like ours seeing as how we're sitting in the dark with no cable."

"What concerns you more, the lack of electricity or the lack of cable?"

"Well they're mutually exclusive so I don't really think it matters."

"The question still stands."

"Fine; if you must know, I'm more bothered about not having cable," she replied.

Jim laughed lightly. "Why?"

"Because I've never been one to enjoy silence for long," Johanna explained. "I always have to have background noise. That's why I have a radio in my office for when I'm working late."

"It's not exactly quiet right now, sweetheart," he remarked as thunder rumbled loudly once again.

"Storm noise doesn't count."

His thumb moved against the skin of her knee; he had a feeling that she didn't like silence because it made her feel alone. "I'm here with you though," he told her.

Johanna smiled and squeezed his hand. "I know...I'm glad."

"Me too. I guess we can stumble around in the dark and see if Thelma has any candles and matches stashed away in here."

"What do you think the chances of that are?" Johanna asked.

"Probably slim to none. I should've brought in the flashlight from the car...do you want me to go get it?"

"No! You're not going out there in that storm."

"Are you laying down the law, Mrs. Beckett?" he asked teasingly. "Is that beautiful ring going to your head already?"

She bumped his shoulder with hers. "That's right; I'm the boss of this marriage and I said you aren't going anywhere, so you better just toe the line."

"Fine," he laughed. "You can be the boss tonight, but tomorrow it's my turn and you'll be toeing the line."

"We'll be divorced by lunch time," she quipped.

"I hope I got a pre-nup."

"Nope; I'm taking you for everything you're worth," she laughed.

Jim laughed with her and squeezed her knee. "Let's go to bed. I'll talk to you until you fall asleep since the storm took away your nightly television watching routine."

"Sounds good to me," she replied; stifling a yawn. "I am kind of sleepy."

They carefully moved about in the dark and settled into their chosen sides of the bed. Jim reached for her; pulling her close as if he had read her mind and the longing she felt to curl up against him. He talked to her about meaningless things as she made herself comfortable against his chest and within a half hour, she was sound asleep. Jim pressed a soft kiss against her hair; his hand reaching for hers and curling around it as it rested against his chest. He could feel the band of that ten cent ring on her finger and as he fell asleep, he couldn't help but wonder, what if?

When Jim woke the next morning, he found himself alone. "Jo?" he called out. There was no response as he sat up and rubbed a hand over his face. Where had she gone? A scrap of paper on the nightstand caught his eye and he snatched it up as he recognized her elegant script.

"There's a mall across the street, they're having a sale. I'll be back before we have to get out of the room. If I'm not too long, I'll bring back something for breakfast. – Johanna"

He scoffed as he glanced at the clock; it was already 9:30, chances were she was knee deep in bargains and breakfast was the furthest thing from her mind. He'd probably end up having to go over there drag her out so they could get back on the road. Maryland was only an hour away and he hoped that if they got there early enough and found a place to settle for the night, that they could then enjoy an evening out. Jim got out of bed and rifled through his bags. He'd get ready for the day and then he'd load the bags into the car, he took note of the fact that Johanna's was already packed and neatly stacked by the door…which clearly meant that she wasn't coming back anytime soon, he thought to himself. Hopefully by the time he was through with his tasks she'd be back and they could eat and get going once again…but somehow he doubted it.

By noon, Jim was walking through the mall in search of Johanna. There was a small surge of annoyance in his veins as he made his second lap of the building but he finally spotted her at a table in the center of the mall, trying on sunglasses, a multitude of bags at her feet. "Jo," he called out, a hint of sharpness in his tone.

Her head snapped towards him and she smiled. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, do you know what time it is?"

She shrugged. "Probably about ten."

"Try twelve."

Her eyes widened. "I'm sorry, I forgot about breakfast."

"I think you forgot more than just breakfast. We have to check out by one. What time did you leave the room?"

"It was a little after eight," she replied as she turned her attention back to the sunglasses she was considering.

"You've been here for four hours!"

"What's wrong with that? This place is great; it's so much cheaper than at home. In fact, if you need anything, you should get it here; you'll save a lot of money. They have great stuff."

"I don't need anything; unlike some people, I don't buy a new wardrobe every week."

"Neither do I. Which pair of these do you like best?" she asked as she modeled two different pairs of sunglasses for him.

"What do you need sunglasses for? You already have a pair."

"Well that doesn't mean I can't have another pair."

His gaze dropped to the bags at her feet. "Did you buy out the whole mall?"

"No; but if I could, I probably would," Johanna answered before giving her attention to the saleslady. "I can't make up my mind; I'll just take both pairs."

"Good lord," Jim muttered.

"Oh shut up; it's my money."

The saleslady shook her head as she accepted Johanna's money and gave her back her change. "Husbands are a pain in the ass, aren't they?" she remarked.

Johanna laughed; her gaze catching sight of the cheap ring that was still on her finger before she glanced to Jim. "They do seem to have their moments."

He smirked at her. "You're going to need another suitcase for all of that."

"Luggage is on sale down at JCPenny's," the saleswoman stated.

"Thank you," Johanna said. "I'll go down there and see what I can find. Come on, Jim; now that you're here you can help me carry my bags."

"Jo, we don't have time for this right now," he stated as he helped her grab her bags.

"It'll only take a minute. I'll just look for a suitcase and we'll head back and I'll pack this stuff and we'll go."

"Says the woman who doesn't realize she's been in the mall for four hours. It's already after twelve; by the time you pick something out and get all of this stuff packed; we'll be past one and your friend Thelma is going to charge us for it."

"Would you relax?" Johanna replied. "This is my vacation, I was having a good time here and your harping about time is killing my shopping mood…and I for one don't appreciate that. If we're short on time; I'll take my stuff and get in the back of the car and pack there."

"I bet that would work out real well."

"What are you so cranky about? Is this because I forgot to bring you breakfast? I said I was sorry."

"I'm not cranky and as for breakfast, I went to McDonalds and ate when I realized you weren't coming back…but really, Jo; what kind of pretend wife are you when you let your husband starve."

"Oh you're fine. You're capable of fending for yourself."

"I hope you ate while you were shopping," he remarked; "Because if you didn't, you're not eating until we get to Maryland. We're leaving when you're done here."

"You're not going to let me eat!"

"Apparently you're not hungry; it doesn't seem like it's been on your agenda this morning."

"That's cold, Jim. Talk about being a bad pretend spouse."

"Just following your lead, sweetheart," he quipped.

"I think you might need to be punished," she replied; "And as soon as I think up a suitable punishment, I will enforce it."

He laughed. "Good luck to you."

They had been driving in Maryland for a total of an hour when Johanna spotted a sign that caught her attention. "Shoe sale!" she exclaimed.

"No," Jim stated.

She looked at him. "What do you mean no? You said that we'd stop for anything interesting on our travels."

"Shoe sales aren't interesting."

"Speak for yourself."

"I am," he remarked. "We're not going."

"That's not fair."

"You just bought shoes two hours ago!" he exclaimed. "They're sitting right there in the back in the shopping bag because you couldn't fit them in the new suitcase. I've seen your closet, Jo; you don't need any more shoes."

"That's not your decision to make," she replied; "And this is my vacation; remember, you said I could do what I want."

"You can; but we're not going on any more shopping sprees today."

Another sign passed by her window. "But it says it's the biggest sale of the year."

"No."

"Oh come on; just let me look for ten minutes."

He laughed. "Not happening. I give you ten minutes, you'll take two hours."

"I won't, I promise."

"I don't believe you and neither do you."

She slid towards him, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she wrapped her arms around him the best she could as he drove. "What if I said I'd make it worth it," she whispered seductively.

His gaze quickly darted toward her. "How worth it are we talking?"

"How worth it do you need it to be?"

He grinned. "I don't know...what did you buy that's worthy of being modeled for me?"

Johanna smirked at him. "Well I did buy a bikini..."

His brow rose in interest. "A bikini, huh... what color is it?"

"Hot pink...I'll even wear heels with it."

"Going for the Miss America look?"

"If that's what it takes. Do we have a deal?"

Jim thought it over for a moment. "I don't know...I'm not sure the modeling is enough. Am I supposed to just look and not touch...or is it included in the deal."

"I guess that depends; what do you want to touch?"

"Well, sweetheart, you know me; I'm a thorough investigator when something is brought to my attention."

She brushed another kiss against his cheek. "I guess a little touching would be okay...as long as you're a gentlemen about it."

"What's the fun in that?"

"Hey, I could've said no."

"What about kissing?" he asked.

"I guess I can allow that too. Now do we have a deal? You stop for the shoe sale now and I'll model for you later."

Jim shook his head. "No; I don't trust you to uphold your end of the deal. I want paid upfront."

"Well that's not possible unless you pick a different deal."

"I'm not really in a deal making kind of mood but rest assured that this information about what you're willing to do for shoes is being tucked away for future reference," he told her, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

Johanna narrowed her eyes at him as she slid away from him. "I guess I'll have to add to that punishment I'm formulating."

"You do that."

"Maybe I'll wear my bikini while I punish you...and you won't be allowed to touch."

"That does sound cruel," he remarked with a grin.

"You have no idea just how cruel I can make it for you."

"I'm willing to risk it."

She shot him a look. "We're getting divorced at the next hotel we check into."

Jim laughed. "That's fine with me; I'm not ready to settle down yet anyway."

Johanna smirked at him. "Somehow I sensed that and although I should be insulted, I won't be. Now I have time to try to do better. It's a good thing I bought new clothes. I'll need something nice to wear to catch my next husband."

"Can I see you in the bikini first?" he laughed.

"Nope."

"What if I said I'll give you half of everything in the divorce settlement?"

"You'd give me half of everything you own to see me half naked?"

"Hell yes. I might even beg you not to go. I'll let you have everything if you..."

"Stop right there," she laughed as she held up a hand. "I know where this is going."

"What if I said I'd throw in a shoe sale?"

"Forget it; deals are off the table. I'll sacrifice the shoe sale...but we're stopping for the next thing I find interesting in return for it."

"Okay," he agreed. "I can live with that...and let's not be so hasty with the divorce. Let's see if we can work it out. How about I take you out for a nice dinner?"

Johanna nodded. "It's the least you could do since you deprived me of lunch."

"We went through the drive thru and got you some fries and a drink."

"Yes but you were a bit of a bear about it. You weren't being understanding of my need to shop...you weren't behaving like my ideal husband, Jim."

"Well you weren't behaving like my ideal wife, either," he responded. "I woke up alone, you didn't bring me breakfast, you weren't thinking about me at all. I think we're even."

Johanna sighed. "Maybe we need marriage counseling."

"Nah, we don't want someone poking their nose into our sacred pretend marriage. I like my idea better; we'll go out for dinner, we'll go have a drink and then we'll go back to the hotel."

"And then what?" she laughed. "Have some pretend makeup sex?"

Jim grinned. "We don't have to pretend if you don't want to, sweetheart."

She laughed as a blush spread across her cheeks. "Just drive, James."

"Yes, dear."

That night as she sat at a table in a bar, Johanna hoped Jim would hurry back with their second round of drinks. Dinner had been nice and she had enjoyed the movie they had stopped to see as they wandered around town. When Jim had suggested having a drink or two before heading back to their hotel for the night, she had thought it sounded like a good idea…but now she wasn't so sure.

The bar itself was nice but most of the people inhabiting it made her wonder if there was some sort of cell block reunion going on. It hadn't taken long to discover that there were two gangs of thugs in residence…or at least they seemed to put a lot of effort into looking like thugs, she thought to herself; now she had some idea of where Hollywood was getting their ideas about what motorcycle gangs looked like. There seemed to be an invisible line drawn in the barroom, gang A whose leader she heard referred to as Ugly John was on one side and gang B, whose leader was identified as Lyle the Lizard was on the other…the Lizard was right behind her as a matter of fact…and Mr. Ugly was across the room leering at her. She shuddered at the thought of him entertaining the notion of heading her way and her only hope was if he and Lizard killed each other as they had mentioned earlier.

Johanna drummed her fingers against the table and tried to ignore the feeling of being watched but it was easier said than done. She subtly glanced in Ugly's direction, having a feeling that the discomfort was still coming from him. Sure enough it was and to make matters worse, he was headed in her direction. "Oh God," she muttered to herself. Where the hell was Jim?

"I don't think I've seen you around here before," Ugly John said as he stood at her side.

"And you never will again," Johanna answered as she looked up at him; thinking that the name Ugly suited him; his nose looked like it had been broken several times and there was a long jagged scar that ran along one side of his face.

He smiled; showing her a mouth that was missing several teeth. "Now don't talk like that. What's your name, Baby?"

She smirked at him. "It isn't Baby, that's for sure."

"Hmm, feisty, are you? So what is your name then?"

"Bonnie," she lied; going with the first thing that came to mind.

"Are you new in town, Bonnie? I can show you around," he said with a wink.

Johanna wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I'm just passing through and I don't need a tour guide."

"I bet I could convince you to stay," Ugly stated, reaching out to drag a finger along her cheek but she shifted away from his filthy hands.

"I highly doubt that."

"Where are you staying? Maybe I can take you home later."

"None of your business and you aren't taking me anywhere."

Ugly John smirked at her. "You're not very friendly, are you?"

"No I'm not, so why don't you go crawl back into your hole, because I'm not interested."

"I'll make you interested," he retorted; "And then we'll start working on your manners and your friendliness."

"We're not working on anything. My husband is going to be back any minute so you better get the hell out of here."

Ugly laughed as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "I saw your man, he doesn't concern me. I always get what I want."

"He better concern you," she replied. "He has a terrible temper, especially when someone tries to take what's his."

"Well that's just too bad for him because you and I are going to get better acquainted."

She hated to do this but she figured she had no choice. "Do you know what happened to the last man who tried that?"

"What?"

"He ended up in intensive care."

The thug laughed. "I'm supposed to believe your man did that?"

Johanna kept her features serious. "He sure did...he even let me have a few punches."

"Sugar, you look like a strong wind would blow you away; you didn't hit nobody."

"Don't underestimate me, slime ball."

"Slime ball!" he exclaimed. "You see, now I'm gonna have to take you from your man. You need a man who can take you in hand."

Johanna arched a brow. "The man hasn't been born yet that can take me in hand. Now go before my husband breaks your neck."

"Your husband doesn't have what it takes. He barely looks capable of squashing a bug."

Johanna eyed him coolly. "He shot a man in Reno just to watch him die."

The brute took a moment's pause at that comment. "Then why isn't he in jail?"

"He had a good lawyer and got off on a technicality...but he'd do it again, so you better get moving."

"Is he bothering you?" Jim's said as he sat their drinks on the table.

"He was, but he's just leaving," she replied.

Ugly pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. "I'm not going anywhere unless she's leaving with me."

"She's with me," Jim stated firmly; "And she's not going anywhere."

The other man scoffed. "You think because you shot a man that you scare me? I'm not afraid of you."

Jim's gaze darted to Johanna, a silent 'what the hell did you tell him?' in his eyes.

She gave him a sheepish look. "I know we're not supposed to talk about Reno, Clyde...but I had to tell him what he's up against."

He closed his eyes for a moment as he took a breath and then he looked at her again. "We're going to have to talk about this later...Bonnie."

She hoped they'd be able to talk later...because if they weren't able to it would mean one of three things, they were in jail, they were in the hospital or they were dead. She was really hoping to avoid those things.

Jim turned his attention back to Ugly John; praying to all that was mighty that he'd be able to get them out of this. "Look; she's mine. I'm sure you can find some desperate bimbo somewhere else. Now get the hell away from us."

"Why don't you make me," he stated; moving forward and giving Jim a shove.

"I'm not playing games with you," Jim replied as he shoved the man back.

Ugly John then threw a punch as Johanna got up from her chair. Jim had managed to duck the blow and land one of his own in Ugly's stomach but it didn't seem to faze the man. He struck back, managing to clip Jim in the chin, which only served to infuriate Jim further. He drew back and swung at the thug, smashing his fist into his nose.

"You're going to pay for that Clyde!" Ugly growled; "And so will your woman."

As he drew back to hit Jim, Johanna grabbed her drink and threw it in his face; momentarily blinding him and causing him to stumble backward. She then grabbed her purse and whammed Lyle the Lizard in the back of the head with it.

"What the hell is going on!" Lyle thundered as he upset his chair and turned towards them.

"He did it!" Johanna yelled; pointing a finger at Ugly John; who had wiped the alcohol from his face and was about to lunge at Jim again.

"I've just about had it with you, Ugly!" the Lizard thundered as he stepped closer to his nemesis.

"I didn't do it!"

"Yes he did," Johanna stated. "He's been saying horrible things about you all night long, I heard him. You heard him too, didn't you, Clyde? Remember, he said that he could take him down without even breaking a sweat."

"Yeah, I remember," Jim said with a nod as he played along with her; hoping that she hadn't just gotten them into a bigger mess.

"Is that right?" Lyle asked as he glared at John.

"I didn't say that, but I could take you without breaking a sweat...and my boys could take yours too without much effort."

Lyle the Lizard picked up the chair that was in his way and threw it across the room. "Then let's just see about that."

Ugly John smiled. "My pleasure; and when I'm through, I'm coming back for you, Clyde and your little Bonnie is going to get a piece of it too."

They didn't get a chance to comment as Lyle slammed his fist into John's face. Both gangs attacked each other; the sound of glass breaking and splintering wood filling the air as the bar irrupted into chaos. Seeing that Ugly John was occupied, Jim grabbed Johanna's hand and they ran to the back door. They kept running until they reached the car. Jim jerked the driver's side door open and shoved Johanna in ahead of him. He slid into the seat just as the back door of the bar opened and a voice started yelling 'Hey!"

Jim started the car and peeled out of the parking lot. "Is anyone following us?" he asked Johanna as she turned to look out the back window. "I don't see anyone but don't you dare slow down."

"I didn't plan on it," he replied.

He sped all the way back to the hotel and even though they saw no sign of being followed; they ran to the door of his room; slamming it shut behind them. They were quiet for a moment as they caught their breath and then Jim looked to Johanna. "I just can't take you anywhere," he stated. "Everywhere we go you have to steal hearts."

"I think we need to get the hell out of this town, they're crazy here," she replied.

"They're crazy? I was starting to think you were crazy...Bonnie."

"It was the first name that came to mind."

"And Clyde naturally followed?"

"Yes," she said with a nod; "And we're just lucky that he was too stupid to think about it."

"And what's this business about Reno?" Jim asked.

"I told him that you shot a man in Reno just to watch him die."

He looked at her oddly for a moment and then it dawned on him where he had heard that line before. "That's a Johnny Cash song!"

"I know," she laughed nervously. "I can't believe it worked. I guess he's not a Johnny Cash fan."

Jim raked a hand through his hair. "Are you crazy! What were you thinking telling him that?"

"I was thinking that telling him you were my husband wasn't working...so I better build you up into a big badass."

"Yeah well...wait a minute, what do you mean build me up? I could've taken him, you know."

"Of course you could, honey," she replied as she rubbed his arm. Male egos were so fragile.

"You're damn right I could. You didn't have to hit that other idiot and turn him loose on Ugly; I was doing just fine!"

"I know you were, but I figured if I could get us out of there without going to jail that it would be best to do that. I know you could take him." Or at least she knew he would've made a valiant attempt at it...and probably ended up in the hospital for it. "Are you okay?" she asked; touching his chin where he had been hit.

"I'm fine," he said nonchalantly. "It didn't hurt."

She smiled at him; the bruise suggested otherwise but she'd pretend to believe that. She brushed her lips against the mark. "My hero."

Jim smiled at her. "I wasn't going to let him take you away."

"I know...but I really think we need to get out of this town...they might come looking for us and I don't know if they got a good look at the car or not."

"Andrew would kill me if something happened to that car."

"I think Andrew would be the least of our worries."

Jim thought about that for a moment. "You're right; let's get the hell out of here."

They scrambled to gather up their luggage from his room and hers and then hurriedly packed the car before going into the office to turn in their keys. "But you just checked in this afternoon," the woman at the counter stated.

"We called home, there's an emergency," Johanna stated. "We have to get back right away."

"In fact we need to go right now," Jim added as he grabbed her hand.

"You're not getting your money back," the lady remarked.

"That's fine," Johanna replied as Jim dragged her to the door. "Keep it with our compliments."

They raced out to the parking lot and jumped into the car and took off once more. There was silence between them for about five miles until Johanna's laughter filled the air of the car.

"What?" Jim asked.

"I'm not saying that I'd like to do that often, but it was kind of fun."

He laughed. "You mean you don't want to make starting bar fights and sneaking out of town at midnight a staple of our trip?"

"No," she giggled. "One bar fight and fast escape is enough...but I like I said, it was fun."

Jim smiled. "Well I did promise you adventure."

"I think we found it."

"And the best is yet to come," he replied; stealing a quick glance at her, the thought filling his mind that he'd be the Clyde to her Bonnie anytime she wanted.

Authors Note: I named Jim's aunt Theresa in Chapter 26 of Apologize; that was written before the show gave Kate an Aunt Theresa, so there's no connection. Next up, things start to heat up…and we're not talking about the weather ;)