Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews!

Chapter 61- The Thanksgiving Vendetta-Part 2

Johanna could feel her stomach clenching as she followed Jim to the door of his parents house. Why had she agreed to this? It felt wrong…and she knew it was probably silly to feel that way but she couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to end in disaster. She should just flee while she had the chance…she could borrow Jim's car, go to her mother's and then come back and get him when he was finished. Dining with the Westons wasn't her idea of a good time either but she wouldn't have to see them as often as she saw Elizabeth. Why did she get herself into these messes?

"Are you okay?" Jim asked as they paused on the porch.

"I feel sick," she admitted, her tone a mere whisper. "Maybe I should just go to my mother's; I could come back and pick you up."

"No; you're not bailing on me now," Jim told her. "Just relax, it'll be fine."

"I hope so," she breathed.

"Trust me," he said as he gripped the door handle and pushed the door open.

Natalie was standing in the entry way when they stepped inside and she met Jim's gaze and smiled. "Have your ears been burning?"

"No; why?"

"Your mother's been anticipating your arrival."

"Is that good or bad?"

Natalie shrugged. "She just kept saying that she wondered if you'd really show up with Johanna…which you have, so I guess we'll see how she takes it."

The comment had Johanna eyeing the door as she kept quiet. Natalie hadn't offered a greeting so she didn't either as she tried to fade into the background while clutching her purse and making no move to take off her coat.

"She said it was fine," Jim remarked as he took off his coat.

"Do you really believe that?" his sister-in-law couldn't help but ask.

Johanna wished she could crawl under a rock. She hated to be talked about like she wasn't there and yet she couldn't seem to get her mouth to work the way she wished it would…and she knew why. She didn't want to make things difficult for Jim. She didn't want to embarrass him or put him in a situation where he'd have to defend her all day. She'd have to grin and bear things…but for Jim she could manage for a day. She didn't want to ruin his holiday.

"Jo; are you going to take your coat off?" Jim asked her, startling her from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I guess so," she murmured as she handed him her purse to hang up while she unbuttoned her coat.

"I'm surprised he talked you into this," Natalie commented as she glanced at her.

"Shut up, Natalie," Jim retorted, his tone light but a warning clearly heard in it. "It's all I could do to get her out of the car; you're going to send her running back out the door."

"I'm fine," Johanna told him before shifting her gaze back to Natalie. "He has his persuasive moments."

His sister-in-law smiled. "Obviously…otherwise he wouldn't talk you into a lot of things."

"Meaning what?" she asked without thought.

"You know, babysitting, trick or treating, vacations at the cabin…Thanksgiving dinner here…where dinners can go to hell very quickly."

"Natalie," Jim warned once more. "Would you stop?"

"I'm not scaring her away," she chastened. "I'm just preparing her."

"I'm prepared," Johanna remarked. "Believe me, every scenario in my mind has been a glimpse of hell."

"Holidays with Elizabeth can be hell," Natalie whispered. "Aren't you excited?"

"So excited," Johanna said somewhat sarcastically.

Jim took hold of her elbow and steered her toward the living room. "Ignore Natalie."

"I don't want to be ignored," Natalie replied as she followed. "I haven't seen Johanna since the summer…you haven't brought her around."

"That probably has something to do with our joint vacation," Jim remarked, pausing on the threshold of the living room.

"Are you still mad about that?"

"Yes."

"Oh I don't know," he said; "It might have something to do with you and my brother acting like we're teenagers that can't control ourselves and thinking we were your built in babysitters…and then there's the fact that you didn't tell me that you told Mom something I told you in confidence, that she then had the pleasure of telling Johanna's mother. I think I have plenty of reasons to be miffed at you, Natalie."

Natalie sighed. "I didn't realize you were still holding a grudge from summer…I mean it hasn't kept you from my table when you're invited so I thought you were over it."

"I'm over it enough," he replied; "But that doesn't mean it doesn't still bother me sometimes…I know it still bothers Johanna."

"Jim," Johanna hissed. "Don't make this more awkward for me than it has to be, please?!"

"I'm just trying to clear it up so you'll feel better," he told her. "I think you're owed an apology."

"No, I'm not, I'm fine. Everything is perfectly fine, let it go and let's just forget it ever happened, okay?"

Natalie's brow rose as she regarded them. "I take it you're a little tense today," she said as met Johanna's gaze.

"A little, I guess," she replied honestly. "But I'll be fine. I'm not looking to make trouble with anyone."

"You're not," Natalie told her; "At least not with me. "If I hurt your feelings over the summer, I apologize; it wasn't my intent. If Michael and I took advantage of the situation for free babysitters, I'm sorry for that too; when you have a kid, I will babysit for you, I promise."

Johanna shook her head. "I don't mind babysitting; I didn't have a problem with it. I enjoy being with the kids; I like them, they're great."

Natalie smiled. "You don't have to convince me; I know you like them."

She felt an odd tug of emotion as she raked her fingers through her hair; it was ridiculous but she knew it was stress related…she felt out of control in this situation and it wasn't a feeling she enjoyed. A small flicker of irritation at Jim for goading her into this welled up within her but she quickly doused it. She had chosen to come, there was no one to blame but herself.

"Jim, you've got this girl twisted into knots over being here today," Natalie said, her voice soft and her tone warm.

"It's not me," he replied. "It's everyone else; she's fine with me…she used to be fine with you."

"I am really sorry if we hurt your feelings, Johanna," Natalie said. "And I also apologize for having to tell Elizabeth your business. I explained to Jim that I didn't do it on a whim; Angie had overheard part of the conversation and made an assumption that she shared with her grandmother much to my dismay. I had to tell her before she came and shot you both."

"I understand," Johanna answered. "I'm not holding any grudges."

"Good; maybe Jim will bring you to dinner once awhile…like I've told him he's free to do anytime…he just hasn't done it yet."

She smiled. "I'm sure he has his reasons."

"And I'm sure none of them are good ones," Natalie said, her gaze sliding toward her brother-in-law.

"I'm afraid you'll run her off," he quipped. "I can't take a chance of that happening."

"Uh huh," his sister-in-law replied.

Johanna didn't mind that Jim hadn't extended the invitation to her, after all, Valerie had made the same invitation, with Jim's knowledge and they hadn't gone there either. They were easing into family inclusion…or at least that's what she felt like they were doing and she didn't mind at all. She wasn't one of those people who felt like she had to go everywhere her significant other went. He had his friends and family, she had hers; yes, sometimes they did things jointly with friends or family but it wasn't necessary to make it a constant affair. She found his hand and gave it a soft squeeze, letting him know that she wasn't bothered by Natalie's announcement and that she understood. He gave her a small smile, his eyes offering a silent apology anyway but she gave a soft shake of her head and offered a smile of her own. He seemed to understand what she was conveying and he gently squeezed her hand in return.

"Are you going to stand there all day or come in?" Robert called from the sofa. "The game will be starting soon."

They moved into the living room and Johanna said hello to Robert and Michael and Andrew and then following Natalie's nod toward the corner, she acknowledged Madelyn's presence. "Hello, Madelyn," she said. "It's nice to see you again."

"You too," Madelyn replied; although Johanna couldn't tell if she was being sincere or sarcastic. Jim didn't seem to tense in regard to the comment so she took it as a good sign; at least for the moment.

After a few minutes of small talk, Jim looked at his father and asked, "Where's Mom?"

"Here she comes now," Michael said before their father could speak.

Elizabeth Beckett swept into the room, her chestnut brown hair swept up and pinned back in a bun, making her look even more severe than usual, Johanna thought to herself. Of course it didn't help that the woman was also wearing her usual stern expression; those blue grey eyes of hers cutting with the slightest glance. Johanna forced herself not to tense, she could deal with Lizzie…after all, the woman had probably already done the worst she could to her when she had told her mother the details of her private life. She couldn't imagine anything worse…or at least she didn't want to imagine anything worse. She watched quietly as Jim kissed his mother's cheek and greeted her, slipping into the typical small talk that came with the greeting. She didn't pay much attention, choosing instead to mentally rehearse the line she'd have to speak, being careful to mind her tone so that Elizabeth wouldn't accuse her of being insincere or condescending. Finally the woman's cool gaze slid toward her, a slight sneer curling the corner of her mouth.

Elizabeth's expression as she looked her up and down was like a match striking and setting her temper aflame but Johanna suppressed the urge to be snarky, telling herself to stick to her script, that this was for Jim and she loved him enough to play nice and get through this. "Mrs. Beckett," she said with a slight nod, her tone soft and polite. "Thank you for inviting me."

Elizabeth scoffed. "It wasn't my idea to invite you; you belong with your own family."

"Elizabeth," Robert said sharply before Jim could even utter a word of rebuke.

Johanna held her gaze. "It wasn't my idea either."

A smirk touched her lips. "I should hope you wouldn't be stupid enough to believe that it was mine."

She could feel ire building within her. "It was Jim's idea," she remarked, keeping her voice calm and neutral. "I told him that I was fine with staying home…I can leave if you'd like. I don't want to force my company on you."

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh look at you putting on airs," she remarked. "Did your mommy give you an etiquette lesson before you came over?"

"No, Mrs. Beckett," she replied, her tone now carrying a touch of sharpness. "My mother raised me to be a lady long before I had ever heard of you."

"You have a funny way of showing it."

Her brow rose. "So do you."

"Mother," Jim said before Elizabeth could form her retort. "Don't be like this. You said I could bring her."

"Only so you'd shut up and leave me alone," his mother snapped.

"I'll leave," Johanna told her. "It's not a problem."

"Oh no, you stay Princess," Elizabeth said as she eyed her. "You stay and get a full taste of this family…maybe it'll leave an impression you won't like and you'll move on."

Johanna sighed. "Do we really have to do this?" she asked. "I really don't feel like arguing with you and ruining Jim's holiday."

"Then you should've went with your mother," Elizabeth remarked. "You're just like her."

Johanna smiled. "Thank you, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. I consider it the highest of compliments to be told that I'm like my mother. I've aspired to be like her in any way that I can."

Elizabeth smirked. "You think you're cute, don't you?"

Her eyes glittered with a spark of fiery temper as her smile turned sassy. "Well, Jim did tell me I was cute this morning," she replied.

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed as Robert appeared at her side. "Elizabeth," he said firmly. "Remember what we discussed this morning."

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she continued to regard Johanna for a moment longer. "I'm going back to the kitchen," she announced. "Natalie, Madelyn, quit loafing in here and get in there and help. I'm not your damn slave."

"I can help," Johanna offered.

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh no you're not. I might have to have you in my house but I don't have to have you in my kitchen. Besides, I'm sure nothing I make is up to your high standards. After all, Jimmy seems to think you're the second coming of Julia Child."

"Well that's disappointing to hear," Johanna remarked. "I feel that my food and Julia's have very little in common."

"You're not coming into my kitchen and telling me how to cook."

"I would never tell you how to cook, Mrs. Beckett; being that you have five healthy children who haven't starved to death, I assume that you're successful in the kitchen."

"With the exception of fried chicken," Robert muttered.

Elizabeth glared at him. "If you don't like my chicken, don't eat it."

"Mom; would you stop," Jim asked. "I think Johanna would have a better time being in the kitchen with you women."

Elizabeth eyed her son. "I said you could bring your Princess; I didn't say I'd entertain her. She's not putting foot in my kitchen to spew her helpful little hints or to put on airs of what a good little helping hand her mother trained her to be. You brought her, you entertain her."

"I didn't mean to offend you, Mrs. Beckett," Johanna said. "I wasn't offering so that I could give you tips or critique your meal; I don't do that. I just thought you might have something I could do."

"Well I don't," she snapped.

"She'd probably be more a help to you in the kitchen than I am," Madelyn spoke up from the chair in the corner of the room. "She likes to cook, let her help."

"I said no!"

"It's alright," Johanna said, seeing that Jim was about to advocate on her behalf. "I'll stay out of your way."

"Make sure that you do," Elizabeth said sharply. "And I'll tell you something else, Princess; while you're in my home you will mind your manners; you'll do as you're told, you'll stay out of my way; and when we sit down at the table, you will sit at one end with Jim and Robert since they insisted on your presence and I will be at the other. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear," she replied.

"And one more thing," Jim's mother stated.

"What's that?"

"You will not be here for Christmas; you will go home to your own family."

"I have every intention of being with my mother for Christmas, Mrs. Beckett," Johanna told her. "Jim will be joining me there for dinner."

"No he won't be," his mother retorted. "He will be here with his own family."

"I already told you that I'm going with Johanna," Jim remarked. "Now stop this; Johanna doesn't want to fight with you. Take your own advice and behave yourself."

"That's right, Elizabeth," Robert stated. "Johanna is a guest in our home and you will treat her with respect…and she'll extend the same courtesy to you. You came in here spoiling for a fight with her and so far she hasn't given you one; don't provoke her into it."

"Natalie, Madelyn; let's go," she snapped.

Madelyn got up with a sigh and followed after her mother; Natalie giving her a sympathetic smile as she too followed the woman. Johanna looked to Jim once they were out of sight. "Take me home," she murmured. "I don't want to intrude on her holiday."

"You're not," he whispered back. "She's just showing off, she'll settle down and get over it. She said I could bring you and she's going to keep her word about that."

"Is this really about spending the holiday with me or is it about proving something to your mother?" Johanna asked.

"Oh, that sounds like a gun being loaded," Michael said from the couch. "Take cover, little brother."

Jim shot his brother a look before turning his gaze back to Johanna. "I don't have anything to prove to anyone…and you know it. I know you're nervous about being here but it's going to be fine. Don't pick a fight."

"I wasn't; I was just asking a question."

Jim took a breath, trying to ease the tension he had felt building within him so that he could soothe her without being the one to pick a fight which he might have just unfairly accused her of doing. He brushed a quick kiss against her lips and gave her a smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to accuse you of something that wasn't your intention. Just try to relax and everything will be okay; I'm here with you, it'll be fine now that we got the initial…meeting, for lack of better words, out of the way."

Johanna pasted a smile on her lips and nodded as expected. "I'm sure it will be."

"Don't worry, Angel face," Andrew called out. "We'll protect you."

She gave him a small smile and a nod and then retreated to the corner and took the seat that Madelyn had vacated. It was going to be a long day.

Two hours later, Johanna was ready to lose her mind from boredom. She hadn't moved from the chair in the corner of the room and so far none of the women in the house had returned to the living room…not that she blamed them. The Beckett men were absorbed in the world of football; beers and light snacks being devoured as they carried on and totally forgot she was in the room. She rolled her eyes at the laughter over some stupid joke Michael told as they waited on the game to resume on the screen. It was also beyond her why the volume of the TV had to be so loud while they watched…she had been around Jim plenty of times when he watched a game at his apartment or even hers and he always kept the volume at an acceptable level. He also didn't make the mess at home that he and his brothers and father seemed to be making there in Elizabeth's living room with their antics. Oh she was still working on getting him to use a plate instead of eating straight from the pizza box in the living room, but over all she hadn't seen any evidence of this level of messiness from him…but maybe the condition was brought on by being with other men…or he was just hiding this side from her for the time being. Both seemed like plausible explanations.

The shrillness of the whistle being blown on the screen made her sigh and she shifted her eyes to the television, watching as the players lined up and the ball was passed only for a quick tackle and another blow of the whistle, the clock stopping once more. She couldn't take it anymore and the words slipped from her lips before she could stop them. "This has to be the stupidest game on earth," she declared.

The four men sharing the room with her ceased their rowdy conversation and stared at her as if she had just committed sacrilege. "I'm sorry," she said, "But it is."

"How can you say that?" Robert asked. "Football is an American tradition."

"Why?" she asked. "It takes so damn long."

"Angel face," Andrew said, shock still written on his features. "If it was quick it wouldn't be enjoyable."

She eyed him. "If they didn't stop the clock so much, you could probably still have a good two hours out of it instead of four or more. It's ridiculous how many times they stop the clock. Are they getting paid by the minute?"

Jim glanced at his father and brothers, a look of apology on his face. "Johanna was a high school cheerleader…and yet she has no real understanding of the game of football."

Robert looked shocked. "Honey; how can you be a cheerleader and have no love or understanding of the game?"

"It's easier than you think," Johanna replied. "I do have some understanding. I know what a touchdown is and a field goal. I know there's a fifty yard line and when you want to make a touchdown you got run from fifty and down. What I don't understand is the constant clock stopping and why the idiot who has the ball runs straight into the gang of people waiting to tackle him when the whole rest of the field is open."

"Oh my God," Michael stated. "Really? Are you sure you were a cheerleader?"

"Yes; I still have the uniform."

"And she looks adorable in it," Jim said without thought as he grinned at the memory.

"Jim!" Johanna exclaimed.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he chuckled.

Robert shook his head. "I'm not even going to ask what that's about."

"It's not what you think," Johanna said hurriedly. "I lost a bet with him; we were just friends then."

Andrew glanced at Jim. "Did you know she was a football hater when she modeled her uniform for you?"

"No; she hid it for awhile," he replied. "I've tried to explain the game to her…without much success."

"Women," Michael muttered. "They can talk about a dress for hours but they can't understand a simple game."

Johanna narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't talk about dresses for hours."

He grinned. "So you claim. Jim; does she talk about dresses a lot?"

"Only if someone is forcing her to shop for a bridesmaid dress," he replied as he picked up his bottle of beer. "But I give her a pass on that one because the story is always good and usually makes me laugh."

His brother nodded. "It can definitely be overlooked in that case."

"I'm so glad," Johanna quipped. "I'd lose sleep tonight if you all had deemed it otherwise."

"I just don't understand how you can dislike football if you were a cheerleader," Robert stated. "It's unnatural."

She couldn't help but laugh. "I hope the shock isn't too much for you."

"I think I'll be alright," Robert told her; "But we're going to have to get you educated in football. I think we've got your baseball education off to a good start but I see we need some serious work in this area."

"Okay," she replied. "Answer a question for me."

"Name it," the older man said, a smile coming to his lips.

"Why do they spend so much time patting each other's butts? I've never understood that."

"It's…it's just a part of the game," Robert remarked. "It's a show of support."

"A show of support?" she asked. "If someone at work pats me on the butt, they're getting slapped."

"Unless it's Jim?" Michael asked.

"Obviously," she replied; "But during working hours he better keep it out of sight of everyone else."

"I do my best," Jim grinned; "But giving you a little pat is always so tempting."

"Supportive pats are nice," Andrew agreed. "I could give you a supportive pat…."

"I'll break your hand off," Jim told him before Johanna could reply. "And then I'll shove it down your throat."

"Down boy," Andrew replied. "I was just teasing. I wouldn't pat her unless she was available to be patted."

"I thought we were talking about this dumb game," Johanna said, driving the topic back to its starting place.

"Football is like Thanksgiving," Michael told her. "It's everything good about America…it's sacred."

Johanna scoffed. "Shopping at Macy's tomorrow morning is sacred…at least there you're dodging being tackled for a sales item."

"Poor Jim," Michael said lightly. "He got himself one of those women who's opinionated when it comes to sports but doesn't mind crawling under a table to snatch a sale item from someone else."

"Now that's a sport I can support," Johanna remarked. "And believe me; holiday shopping is more athletic than football. Last year I was in one aisle and my mother was in the next and she tossed a shoe box over the shelves and I caught it…and then I had to run from the woman who saw her toss it, and I was wearing heels…and not only did I not get tackled; I threw that shoebox back to my mother from two aisles away and she caught it while fighting her way out of a mob. Now that's a sport…and there was no stopping the clock."

Jim laughed as his father and brothers continued to regard her with shock and amusement. "That did not happen," he said.

"Yes it did, you can call my mother and ask her. We're going out tomorrow morning…we've thrown items, we've crawled under sales tables, we've run, we've grabbed. We get the job done."

Michael looked at Jim. "It kind of makes me want to go to Macy's tomorrow so I can watch this."

"You'd get hurt," Johanna told him. "Best to leave it to us women while you boys recover from your football and turkey hangovers."

"I'll never understand how anyone can hate football," Andrew stated. "It's such a great game…not as great as baseball but close enough."

"If you like watching people crawl down the field an inch at a time and the clock being stopped every five seconds," she quipped. "And let's not forget the timeouts and half time…it takes way longer than it should."

Robert glanced at Jim. "This may be the one thing she has in common with your mother."

"Don't insult me," Elizabeth snapped as she walked into the room.

"I didn't insult you," Robert replied.

"He was only pointing out that we both dislike football," Johanna said, hoping to spare Robert a tongue lashing.

"I didn't ask you," Elizabeth said with a sharp look before turning her attention back to her husband. "Shouldn't you be picking up Lilly?"

"Not yet," he answered. "She said to wait until an hour before dinner was ready; besides, this game isn't over yet."

"She just wants to hold things up and you let her because she's your mother!"

"Shame on you, Dad," Jim stated; "Don't you know by now that you can't please mothers?"

Andrew and Michael chuckled in agreement, earning them a glare from their mother.

"None of you are cute," she told them. "Now go get your mother, she's not delaying my meal!"

"She doesn't want to be picked up yet," Robert shot back. "The last holiday she was here you kept accusing her of telling you how to cook and she said she's not putting up with your snide remarks today."

"I hate when she plays these stupid games!"

"Now you know how we feel when you play games," Michael stated.

Elizabeth turned her attention to her eldest son with eyes blazing. "When I want your opinion Michael Anthony Beckett, I'll ask for it; until then you can hush."

"You only want my mother here to make the damn gravy," Robert declared.

"Well if you'd all get off your high horses and eat the jarred gravy I wouldn't need her to do it!"

"You could make it," Jim suggested.

"You know I can't make it without lumps!"

Andrew looked to Johanna. "Can you make gravy?"

"I can ma…" was all Johanna got out before Elizabeth cut her off.

"Either Lilly makes it or you'll eat it with lumps," Elizabeth stated.

"I could go get Lilly," Johanna offered. "Then Robert won't have to miss his game."

"No," she said sharply. "Robert will pick up his mother and you'll address her as Mrs. Beckett."

"Won't it be confusing if I have to call you both the same thing?"

"Keep your mouth shut and you won't have to worry about it."

"Elizabeth; you're walking a fine line," Robert warned. "I'll pick up my mother in a little while and Johanna can call her by her name like she's been given permission to do by my mother and you need to stop being rude to her when she's only offering to help."

"Fine," Elizabeth snapped. "But you better have Lilly here before I'm ready to serve. You know she likes to dally."

"I'll take care of it," he told her, a hint of sharpness to his tone.

Elizabeth stormed back to the kitchen and Jim caught Johanna's gaze and grinned. "And you thought your family was dysfunctional."

She smiled. "Yeah…apparently we're not the only ones."

After Elizabeth's third appearance in the living room, Johanna slipped off to the den to hide out with the children. She had arrived in time to stop a squabble between the three oldest siblings who were growing bored and who had been left to their own devices for too long. She got them settled in front of the television, watching some holiday themed cartoon she had found. She had settled down on the sofa with the newspaper but quickly put it aside as Alicia crawled onto her lap, sticking her thumb in her mouth and promptly falling asleep. That had been an hour ago, Johanna mused as she glanced at the clock on the wall. The three children on the floor looked sleepy and bored as well…she didn't blame them, it was odd for her not to have something to do on the holiday. She was used to being put to work in the kitchen with her mother…and a part of her regretted not being there with her.

"It looks like the sandman is ready to visit in here," Lilly Beckett declared warmly from the doorway.

"Nana," Angie exclaimed, her voice soft and drowsy as she pushed herself up from the floor to go hug her great grandmother.

"Hello my dears," Lilly cooed to her grandchildren, embracing them as they made their way to her side.

Once they had been properly fussed over and loved up, Lilly settled them back in front of their cartoons and moved to the sofa, pausing to press a kiss to Alicia's head before she settled down beside them. "I heard you were hiding in here, Johanna," Lilly said, amusement in her eyes.

Johanna smiled. "It seemed like the safest place to be…Elizabeth isn't happy with me being here."

Lilly laughed softly. "Hell, honey; she only wants me here to make gravy; if it wasn't for that, she wouldn't want me here either."

She chuckled quietly. "She won't even let me speak; as soon as I try to answer someone, she cuts me off and tells me to keep my mouth shut. I told Jim this was a bad idea…he didn't believe me."

"Well the boy is smitten," his grandmother declared fondly. "He just loves you so much he can't bear to be away from you. Don't let Elizabeth bother you too much; she's like this to nearly everyone. Just cut her off every time she cuts you off, that's what I do."

"I'm glad you're finally here," Johanna told her. "With the men absorbed in their football and the fact that I've been banned from joining the women in the kitchen, it's been a little lonely, with the exception of the kids of course."

The old woman smiled. "You needed a sturdy ally here with you; if I had known Jimmy was bringing you, I would've told Robert to come get me earlier so that I could be here helping you in the battle."

"You might've been able to give me some tips," Johanna said lightly. "I've been trying to keep from causing any scenes. I don't want to embarrass Jim."

"You don't have to worry about that," Lilly told her; "But I do understand the desire not to fall into Elizabeth's numerous verbal traps. Taking the high road might be the best move you can make."

"I hope so…but it's not always easy."

"Oh I know," Lilly said; "That's why I'm glad I'm old and can say what the hell I want."

She laughed. "I really have to introduce you to my grandmother; you two would get along so well."

Lilly patted her knee. "You bring her over to see me one day; I love making new friends. You can come by any time you want; I still need to teach you how to make cherry pie…you have to have Jimmy's favorite in your arsenal, dear."

Johanna nodded. "I do need to learn that; maybe we can set up a day for that sometime soon?"

"Absolutely, you pick a day when you're not going to be busy and have Jimmy bring you over. We can shoo him on his way for awhile until we're finished."

"I would love that," she told her. "I'll see what I have going on in the next few weeks and find a day to have Jim ask you about."

"Wonderful," Lilly declared; "I'm looking forward to spending some time with you."

"I'm glad someone is," Johanna couldn't help but say with a laugh.

Before Lilly could respond, Elizabeth and Natalie appeared in the doorway. "Dinner's ready," Elizabeth said tersely. "Wake Alicia up; she shouldn't be sleeping this late in the day!"

"Alicia usually takes a nap in the afternoon, Elizabeth," Natalie retorted as she rounded up her children. "It's fine."

Elizabeth sniffed. "Yes; everything always is with you."

"For God's sake, Elizabeth," Lilly said; "Get that stick out of your ass and act like a pleasant human being for once. It's really not difficult."

"I didn't ask you," Elizabeth retorted. "You'll be sitting at Robert's end of the table with Jimmy and the Princess."

"Good," the old woman declared as she took the hand Johanna offered her to help her to her feet. "I'll be in good company."

Elizabeth turned and left the room, leaving Johanna, Lilly, Natalie and the children alone. "Let the good times roll," Lilly declared, keeping hold of Johanna's hand.

"Let's just hope it's quick and painless," Natalie remarked as she carried Alicia to the door, Mikey, Angie and Danny following behind her.

"I feel like I probably should be with my mother," Johanna murmured.

"Don't worry honey," Lilly said; "It's going to be alright; the first holiday with another family is always the hardest, but we're here for you. Ignore Elizabeth; you're halfway home at this point."

Johanna took a deep breath and thanked God for that thought…she was almost home. She just had to make it through the meal, have her offer of helping to clean up shunned, a little more small talk and then hopefully they'd be on their way. She could do this…it was going to be fine.

"Did you try new recipes this year?" Andrew asked Elizabeth between bites once they were midway through dinner.

"Yes I did," Elizabeth remarked. "Do you like it?"

He nodded. "It's great; except the biscuits. I miss the ones you always make."

"I'll make the other ones for Christmas."

"The new stuff is a nice change of pace," Michael commented. "It's very good."

Elizabeth gave a nod. "I'm glad my children are finally pleased."

"No one has ever said a bad word about your holiday dinners," Jim remarked. "It's always good."

Johanna wanted to agree that the dinner was good as the rest of the guests put in their two cents but she knew that if she opened her mouth Elizabeth would just cut her off like she'd been doing all day…which was why she had fallen silent and stayed that way, figuring it was how Elizabeth wanted it and she didn't want any trouble. The meal was good though and she was sorry that she couldn't seem to offer the compliment…she'd also like to ask Elizabeth what blend of spices she had used as she couldn't pinpoint what it was but it was a pleasing taste, different but good. She didn't dare ask though; she didn't want Elizabeth to accuse her of stealing recipes along with stealing her son.

"I think you overdid the pecan theme," Lilly declared. "They're in every damn thing I've eaten; the stuffing, the potatoes, the rolls, and I know you have a pecan pie as usual. Did you buy too many? You could've saved the excess for awhile with proper handling, you know."

"Pecans," Johanna thought to herself, her fork falling from her fingers as her gaze darted to Jim, taking in the look on his face. Now she knew why the taste was unfamiliar; she hadn't had anything with pecans since she was a kid and she had forgotten what they tasted like.

"Tell me you didn't," Jim seethed as his gaze shifted away from Johanna and settled on his mother. "Tell me that Grandma is mistaken about what's in this food."

Elizabeth lifted her chin primly and met his eye. "She's not mistaken."

"How could you!" he yelled. "I told you that she's allergic to pecans! And I didn't give you that goddamn information so you could put them in everything she ate! I only told you so you wouldn't be offended when she didn't eat the damn pie!"

"This is my house," Elizabeth stated. "I cook what the hell I want. I don't cater to prissy ass picky eaters."

"Elizabeth Beckett, I have never been so ashamed of you in all my life!" Robert thundered.

"What the hell is going on?" Andrew asked as he paused in his eating.

"Johanna's allergic to pecans," Jim told him. "I told your mother that and clearly she took it as some kind of opportunity to enact some form of revenge."

"My mother?" Andrew repeated. "Don't shove her off on me; I'm not sure I want to be associated with a woman who poisons people at Thanksgiving. Christ, Mom; how can you do something like that! You could kill her!"

Johanna stared at her plate, taking in the fact that she had already eaten half of what she had been served. It was hard to fathom that Elizabeth had gone so far…but she shouldn't be surprised…although she wished that Jim had informed her that he had told his mother about her allergy.

"I'm not buying that she's allergic to one nut and not all the others," Elizabeth retorted. "It's not possible."

"Yes it is," Madelyn spoke up. "My friend Janet is allergic to hazelnuts but she can eat any other nut…it's rare but it does happen."

"Well she's sitting there just fine, she ate it…you'd think someone with an allergy would be more careful."

"If I had seen any sign of a nut in the food I would've asked," Johanna said as she finally found her voice.

"The conniving bag has them ground up," Lilly declared. "For God's sake, Elizabeth; I knew you could be a bitch but I didn't think you could be downright evil!"

"She's fine, just like I figured," Elizabeth retorted.

Jim looked to Johanna. "Are you fine?"

"Only for the moment," she replied. "It can take up to an hour to kick in."

"The question remains, why didn't you realize it was in there?" Elizabeth asked. "Surely you could taste it."

"I haven't tasted pecans since I was eight years old," Johanna retorted. "I didn't hear anyone else mentioning that they knew what you had used."

"I didn't know it was pecans," Michael remarked. "It's not something we eat a lot of. I'm used to it being in pie; it tastes different mixed with other spices."

"I can't believe you've done this," Robert exclaimed as he pounded his fist against the table. "How can you do something so despicable?!"

Johanna wanted to scream, she wanted to call Elizabeth Beckett every name in the book and show her just what a bitch she could be…but she wouldn't. She wouldn't because she knew it was what the woman wanted and depriving her of the fight she sought would wound her more than anything. It was one thing to go out of her way to ensure that she caused her misery…but to think about what Elizabeth had done to Jim in the process made her heart ache and she wouldn't make it worse for him by causing a scene.

"What's an allergy?" Angie asked from the kids table off to the side of the room.

"It means that Johanna can't eat pecans because they'll make her sick," Natalie explained.

"Uncle Andrew said it could kill her," Mikey chimed in.

Angie's eyes grew wide and she bolted out her chair and across the room to Johanna. "Are you going to die, Miss Jo?" she cried, her small arms wrapping around her in a makeshift hug.

"No, honey," she assured. "I'm not going to die. I do have an allergy to pecans but it's mild, I'm just going to be very itchy before the night is over. I'm going to be fine, I promise."

"Are you happy now, Elizabeth?" Natalie asked. "Now your granddaughter will set up all night and worry that you killed Johanna. That's such a lovely holiday memory for a six year old; I can't thank you enough."

"Oh shut up," Elizabeth retorted. "She's fine; Angie quit your bawling and go sit down."

Angie pressed closer to Johanna, her tears falling against the soft material of her dress. "It's alright," Johanna told her as kissed the top of her head. "I'll be fine. You go sit down with your brothers now and I'll call you tomorrow so you know I'm okay."

"You promise?" Angie asked.

"I promise," she said, giving her a squeeze before releasing her. "Go ahead; don't make your grandmother mad."

"You've done some questionable things in your time, Mother," Jim said; his tone low and angry. "But this is the worst."

"I'm telling you that she's fine," his mother remarked. "If she was going to have a reaction she should've had it by now; why would it take an hour?"

"It takes time to get into her system," Robert seethed.

"I'm going to go," Johanna said as she rose from her chair and laid her napkin on the table. She didn't trust herself to hold her temper much longer…and she really didn't want to give Elizabeth the satisfaction of seeing her angry.

Jim pushed his chair back from the table. "Let's go," he stated.

"You don't have to leave," she told him. "Just let me take your car."

"Believe me, it's in her best interest if I do leave," Jim stated. "Because I'm not done with her by a long shot."

"Then maybe you should stay and finish it," Johanna said as she held his gaze, hoping he wouldn't take her words as some sort of rebuke.

"I don't think you should go anywhere," Robert stated. "You should stay here where we can keep an eye on you. When was the last time you had a reaction?"

"When I was eight; but like I said, it's a mild allergy, I'll be fine."

"Honey, just because it was mild when you were a little girl doesn't mean it's going to be mild now that you're an adult."

"My mother's is still mild."

"You're not your mother," the older man stated. "Jimmy should probably take you to the hospital to be on the safe side."

Johanna shook her head. "I'm not going to the hospital; I can treat it at home."

"She's not going to the hospital because she's faking it," Elizabeth remarked. "Let her go home if she wants; I didn't want her here in the first place."

Johanna's chin jutted upwards a notch as she looked at Jim's mother. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry that Jim and Robert clearly browbeat you into allowing me into your home. I had a feeling that you didn't give your consent as easily as they claimed but I thought maybe I was just being overly suspicious. I promise you that I won't walk through your door again. You didn't have to go through the trouble of putting pecans in everything you served to prove to me that you hate me. I already got the message long ago…but the fact remains that I just don't care if you hate me or not because it doesn't change anything between Jim and I, so this show you staged tonight didn't accomplish anything aside from the side effects I'll suffer and the fact that I know you've hurt your son by going to such lengths. I hope you're proud of that; I hope you sleep easy tonight knowing that you've hurt him, because you have…you can deny it all you want, he might not even let you see it, but I see it and feel it and I hope you can live with remembering it for the rest of your life. I hope you're proud that your efforts to sabotage me have upset your grandchildren and most likely spoiled what remains of their holiday. I hope it was worth spoiling the meal you were hosting for your family. I don't know what you hoped to prove with your stunt…but all you proved to me is what a vindictive person you are. You probably hoped to run me off…and I will leave your table here in a minute…but I'm not leaving your son. Nothing you can do will ever accomplish that, Mrs. Beckett. You can rant and rave and poison and try to ruin my reputation and tell my mother anything you want, but you won't run me off. I'm not going anywhere so you may as well get over it and get used to it."

"Is that right?" Elizabeth asked tartly.

"That's right," she said firmly. "Now I'm going to go home before this reaction sets in because I don't want it to scare Angie more than it already has. Thank you for your hospitality…and despite the fact that I'm going to regret eating the dinner you served, it was very good."

With her piece said, Johanna swept away from the table, murmuring a soft goodnight as she went. Jim was hot on her heels, following her through the house. "How do you feel?" he asked quietly as she grabbed her coat from the hook in the entryway.

"I'm still okay," she replied while pulling on her coat. "Can I please take the car?"

"I'm going with you."

Johanna shook her head. "You don't need to do that; I'm going straight home, I'll be fine."

"Shouldn't I take you to a doctor? What if Dad's right and it's worse than you anticipate? Maybe we should just go to the hospital to be safe?"

"No; I don't even have any symptoms yet, except my arm is starting to itch, but that might just be because I'm thinking about it."

"I know you want to get out of here and so do I, but maybe we should go in the den and wait a little while until we're sure you're not going to have a bad reaction."

She sighed. "Jim, let me tell you what's going to happen. Sometime in the very near future, I'm going to throw up; that's usually the first stage of this reaction, I throw up once or twice…and I'm going to break out in hives. I'm going to be very itchy. I'd rather not go through any of that here. I want to go home…I'll be waiting on you. Finish your dinner and do whatever it is you need to do here, I'll be okay," she assured, giving him a small smile.

Jim pulled her into his arms for a tight hug, his eyes squeezing shut as anger continued to fill his body. He wasn't finished with his mother…but he was also afraid to let Johanna go home by herself. He was torn despite her assurances that she'd be alright…and he had a feeling that she wanted a little time to herself so that she could come to terms with what had transpired. "I'm so sorry," he murmured; his voice thick with emotion. "I never thought she'd stoop so low…I'm so sorry."

She held him tightly. "It's alright, honey; it's not your fault."

"It is; I told her about your allergy."

"You were just trying to make sure there wasn't any unintended offense; I understand why you told her. You didn't know she'd use the information this way."

"You don't know how badly I feel," he stated. "How angry I am."

"I know you feel bad and I know you're angry…that's why I'm telling you to stay so you can do what you need to do. I love you…and I promise I'll be okay, but please let me leave now so I can get home before it starts."

Jim nodded reluctantly and released her, grabbing his keys from the stand. "I'll walk you out…and I won't be long getting home. I'm going to take care of her and then I'll get Andrew to drop me off."

"Okay," Johanna said, her hand slipping into his. "I'll be waiting on you."

Once Jim had seen Johanna off, he stormed back into the house, his anger boiling as he stalked through the house on his way back to the dining room where raised voices could be heard. His grandmother was yelling…he loved her for it, but she was going to have to take a backseat because it was his turn to do some talking.

"Well?" Elizabeth said as she caught sight of him. "Why didn't you leave with Princess since she means so much to you? Shouldn't you be there with her, holding her hand and waiting on her hand and foot? Or do you know she's fine because you know her allergy is fake?"

"It's not fake," he seethed. "I didn't leave with her because I'm not through with you. I'm taking her word that she's going to be alright until I get there, because believe me, I'm not going to be far behind her. I have a few things to tell you first."

"And just what is that, James Robert?" she asked tartly as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Let's start off with the fact that I've never been ashamed to call you my mother…until tonight. Tonight I am ashamed…and disgusted that you would stoop so low. Do you even have a conscience? How did you not stop and think 'maybe I shouldn't do this?' as you were grinding up pecans to serve her? You knew she was allergic and you did it anyway! How could you! How could you do that to her…how could you do it to me?"

"I was proving a theory," she said without remorse.

"No; you were proving what a cruel person you can be," Jim said sharply. "You think you own the world and you can tell people who to be with and what to do with their lives, well guess what, Mother? You can't. I hope you enjoyed this little stunt you pulled tonight because you and I are done. Do you understand that? Does that get through your thick skull? Because I'm pretty sure I told you before that the way you act was driving me away…you drove the getaway car clear into another town tonight…we are done."

Elizabeth looked stricken. "You don't mean that!" she exclaimed, her tone wavering.

"Yes I do."

"You're choosing her over me?"

"I never wanted to make that choice, Mom…but you forced my hand. Yes; I'm choosing her over you. I hope you're happy. While you're wallowing in your never ending vat of pettiness, I suggest you get down on your knees and pray to God that nothing happens to Johanna tonight, because I swear to you, if something happens to her, I'm calling the police and I'm having you arrested; I don't care if you're my mother or not…if something happens to her, you're going to jail, I'm going to make sure of it. Do you know why?" he asked, and then not even waiting for her to answer, he continued on. "I'll tell you why; because if something happens to her because you fed her something that you knew she was allergic to, in my business we call that pre-meditated…and I'm going to let you fill in the blank on the rest of that charge because I don't want to upset the kids…but you watch enough TV to know."

"You'd really do that to your own mother!" Elizabeth asked.

"In a heartbeat!" he bellowed. "You better pray…you better pray harder than you've ever prayed in your life. I'm never going to forgive you for hurting her like this. She's never done a goddamn thing to you. She came here and treated you with respect, offered to help and when you shunned her she did her best to stay out of your way. She didn't deserve this, no one does…and if you keep treating people this way, you're going to end up a bitter lonely old woman because no one is going to come around here when they know what they have to put up with. I am so sick and tired of your holier than thou attitude and your way of thinking that everything in the world has to be your way and no one else's and that you're better than everyone. You treat Natalie like a peasant, you ran off Andrew's girlfriend and now you've tired to poison mine…what's next for you? I hope to God that Madelyn doesn't bring someone around here, who knows what you'd do to him."

"Robert; are you going to let him speak to me this way?" Elizabeth asked as her gaze sought her husband.

"Yes, Elizabeth; I am. You deserve it. What you did tonight was despicable…and the lecture you're getting from our son will look like a walk in the park after I get through with you get from me in the coming days, because I don't intend to let you forget what you've done," her husband said sternly.

Elizabeth's gaze darted away. "I'm sorry you think I'm such a terrible person, Jimmy."

"I never thought you were terrible until tonight…because what you did was terrible and nothing you can say can justify it. I'm ashamed of you tonight…I'm so angry with you that I can barely see straight. I'm going home and take care of Johanna…don't call my apartment, don't call my office, don't call Johanna. I'm taking a well deserved break from you."

"What if something's wrong!?" his mother asked.

"Then you better hope you have someone else contact me because I'm not taking your calls for awhile."

"Robert; make him stop this!" Elizabeth demanded.

"No," her husband retorted. "You get what you deserve, Elizabeth, I don't blame him a bit for wanting a break from you; how could he not? You've done everything you can think of to dissuade him from being with the person he loves. You've gone out of your way to disrespect Johanna, you've humiliated her in front of her own mother, you wouldn't even let her speak more than two words tonight without cutting her off and you purposely serve her something that Jimmy told you she was allergic to…and I just can't even believe that you would be so cruel and nasty to do that. I am beyond furious with you…I'm so angry with you that I don't even want to be under the same roof with you tonight…because I might be tempted to throttle you for jeopardizing that young woman's health; and whether you believe it or not, that's what you did, Elizabeth. You put her in jeopardy. I'm sitting here looking at you and I feel like I don't even know who you are because of this; because the woman I married would've never done something so terrible. I agree with Jimmy; you better get down and pray tonight that Johanna is alright, because if she isn't, I'm going to hold the door open for the police when they come for you…and I'm testifying that I was there when you were told about that allergy. I just can't believe you!" he exclaimed. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why do you have to be so hateful? You're turning into your father…you're turning into the female version of William Bradley and it's not attractive, Elizabeth. It isn't attractive at all."

Elizabeth's chin held the slightest hint of a quiver. "If you find me so distasteful tonight, then go home with your mother," she remarked; her tone low and dark.

Robert gave a nod. "I think I will…because I'm sure as hell not sleeping next to you tonight after what you did."

"I didn't kill her!"

"You could have," Lilly interceded. "Food allergies aren't a joke, you dumb bell. That girl wouldn't lie about something like that. You've never fully been my cup of tea either, Elizabeth…you've been married to my son for over 30 years and I still don't know what he saw in you, and yes, I think he could've done better, but I haven't tried to kill you! You're who he loves, why, God only knows, and I accept that and was grateful that you made him happy; because that's what a mother does. You need to learn how to do the same or you're going to lose what you have. You owe your son an apology; you owe Johanna an apology too…the whole family when you get down to it, because you've ruined Thanksgiving in your quest to be the head honcho and to run her off…and all you succeeded in doing was making a big ass out of yourself. Robert; take me home, I'm done here. I'll be making my own meal for Christmas, all of you can come and bring whoever you want, you won't have to worry about them being poisoned," she declared as she rose regally from her chair.

"Let me pack a bag, Mother," Robert said as he got up from the table.

"You're really leaving me!?" Elizabeth asked.

"You're damn right I'm leaving!" he yelled. "It's in your best interest if I do, because I've had it with you. I need the night to cool off some before we discuss this further, and believe me, we will be discussing this…and a lot of other things. Use your time alone to brace yourself, Lizzie, because I'm going to curl your damn hair tomorrow. We're going to have some new rules in this house come this time tomorrow!"

"Then go!" she yelled. "I don't care. I might have a peaceful night's sleep without your snoring!"

"And I might stand a chance of having more than a corner of the blanket," Robert yelled back.

Seeing that he'd lost his spot in the argument, Jim turned to his brother. "Andrew, will you run me over to Johanna's?"

"He's not finished eating!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

Andrew pinned his mother with a look. "Believe me, Mom; I'm done. I'm not taking another bite of a meal you designed to cause harm to someone. I don't know why you're the way you are lately…just like what you did last year to Ashley; you got in her head so much and treated her so meanly that she couldn't stand the thought of having to deal with you more often and she dumped me. I liked her, Mom…I liked her a lot…I thought that relationship might be going somewhere…but I guess it's my fault for bringing her here. Don't you see how you treat people? Do you see anything wrong with anything you do? Or are you just convinced that you're always right?" he asked and then he shook his head. "Don't answer that; we all know the answer. Thanks for dinner; this holiday is one for the books. Come on, Jim; I'll drop you off and then I'm going home. I've had enough."

"I'm out of here too," Madelyn declared as she put down her napkin. "You went too far, Mom…and this is exactly why I don't introduce you to anyone I'm dating. I've seen what you do to Natalie, I saw you run off Ashley, and now you've purposely fed Johanna a meal laced with something she's allergic too. So the next time you're harping about how you never know what's going on in my personal life; think about the people I just listed and you'll know why I don't tell you anything."

"I think I've seen and heard enough too," Natalie remarked as she got up and unhooked Alicia from the highchair. "Come on kids, we're going home. Michael, you can come with us or take a cab home."

Michael glanced at his mother. "I'm ready to go too…I don't like what's going on here tonight. Head for the car, kids."

"Fine!" Elizabeth yelled as her dining room began to clear out. "Go, all of you! I don't care! You all think I'm supposed to cater to you and keep my mouth shut when you're making mistakes and you all get to be bent out of shape about everything while I'm held to a different standard. So all of you go! And you all can go to Lilly's for Christmas, I don't give a damn! I'll be glad to have a break! I'll stay home and have some damn peace and quiet!"

Jim turned to look at her as she sat alone at the table. "Be careful what you wish for, Mother; you just might get it."

"Go be with your princess," she seethed; but he could see the sheen of tears in her eyes, the look of realization that she might have gone too far slowly and quietly spreading across her features.

Jim shook his head at her and left the room…leaving Elizabeth alone with the remains of Thanksgiving dinner, the plates still half full and the mess all hers to clean up alone.

By the time Johanna got home, the nausea she had expected had set in. She took a few deep breaths as she hung up her coat and purse and kicked off her shoes, hoping to quell the coming sickness for long enough to change her clothes. She only got halfway down the hallway when she felt her stomach beginning to rebel and she had to hurry in to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. She threw up twice, and she prayed that would be the end of that part of the reaction as she slowly got up from the floor and brushed her teeth. Johanna could feel the hives breaking out on her body as she washed her face with a cool wash cloth and she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the hot sting of tears filling her eyes.

She unzipped her dress and pulled it off, allowing it to fall in a heap on the floor as she examined her skin. Pale red welts were littering her arms and spreading across the top of her chest. A glance at her itchy legs showed that she had acquired a few there as well. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed as she continued to stand in the bathroom, clad only in her lingerie. It didn't feel good to know that someone hated you so much that they'd go through the trouble of spiking your food with the one thing you were allergic to. Who knew that Elizabeth Beckett had such a criminal mind? She hated to shed tears over the woman…but it just hurt so much and she knew she had to get it out before Jim got home. He'd feel guilty enough and her tears would only make it worse…just like she could never utter the words 'I told you so' about what would happen at his parents house. She couldn't do that to him. She just wondered what it was that she had done to Elizabeth to make her go to such great lengths to hurt her. Why did that woman hate her so much? Of course, Elizabeth seemed like the type of person who didn't need an actual logical reason. She just hated anyone who didn't conform to her ideals, Johanna thought to herself as she dug at the welts on her arm. Scratching wasn't going to help anything and she knew she probably shouldn't do it…but she had to…and with every itchy blotch on her skin a reminder of the meal she'd been served, she hated Elizabeth Beckett for it. She wished she could return the favor and poison her with something that would make her itch all night.

Revenge wasn't the answer though…not at the moment at least. Maybe one day she could get even, but now wasn't the time for such thoughts. She needed to change clothes and get a cold drink to soothe her sore throat. She needed to have herself together when Jim got there.

Anger was still boiling in Jim's veins as he made his way to Johanna's door. He did his best to shove the feeling aside as he used his key to unlock the door and let himself in. Johanna was what was important; he had to make sure that she was okay and that she wasn't having a more severe reaction than she had predicted.

"Jo," he called out as his eyes swept across the empty living room. The lights and the television were on; a glass of soda on the stand. He moved to the kitchen but found it empty as well. Fear knotted his stomach.

"Jo," he called out again, a little more loudly this time as he headed for the hallway.

"I'm here," she said as the bathroom door creaked open.

"Why didn't you answer the first time?" he asked.

"I didn't hear you," Johanna answered as she stepped into the hallway. "I was rooting in the medicine cabinet. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he murmured; his heart twisting in anguish as he looked at her. She was wearing a nightgown that she usually reserved for summer or seduction due to its short length, thin silk material and thin straps. He knew that seduction wasn't in the cards tonight; that she had chosen the pink garment in deference to the itchy red welts that were marring the skin of her arms, legs and across her chest. "Oh God," he breathed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured. "I'm just itchy like I said I would be."

"You're sure?" Jim questioned as he studied her. "You feel okay? You're not having any problems breathing?"

"No, honey; I'm fine. I promise; it's just a mild reaction. I feel fine and my breathing is the same as always. I'll just be itchy tonight."

"It doesn't look all that mild to me," he replied; his tone tight with emotion as his eyes moved from welt to welt on her body.

"I'm not broke out anywhere else," Johanna told him. "I'm okay."

"Maybe I should take you to the hospital to be safe."

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "There's no need for that."

Jim held her tightly; his eyes closing as he nuzzled her hair. Emotion clawed at his throat and it wasn't a feeling he was all that accustomed to. He couldn't stand what his mother had done to Johanna. He ached for her; his gut twisting every time he thought about how it could've been worse…those what if she had a stronger reaction questions…what if she had been harmed more than she had been. He would've died…right after he killed his mother. "I'm so sorry, Jo," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, honey."

"I told her…"

"I know," she interrupted. "It's not your fault, Jim. I don't want you to think I blame you in any way because I don't."

"I never thought she'd do something like this…something so despicable."

"It's okay," she said soothingly. "You can't help what she does. She didn't want me there…and I won't go back. I shouldn't have gone this time. It's my fault."

Jim shook his head as he held her tighter. "It's mine. I shouldn't have told her; then she wouldn't have put them in everything possible…or I should've let you bail when you wanted to…you had a bad feeling and I wouldn't listen. I guilted you into going."

Johanna pulled back from him. "Please don't blame yourself. You were trying to protect me by telling her; you didn't know that she'd do this. It happened and it's over with. I don't want you to torment yourself all night."

He nodded; but as she scratched her blotchy arm, he knew there was no way in hell that he wouldn't blame himself.

"I didn't expect you to be here so soon," she said as she took his hand and made him follow her to the living room.

"Did you really think I was going to stay long when all I wanted to do was throttle her?"

She fought to urge to scratch as she settled down on the sofa but gave in and dug her fingernails into the rash across her chest. "I ruined your whole Thanksgiving," she remarked.

"No you didn't; my mother ruined it."

"I should've gone to my own mother's and suffered through the Weston invasion or made my own dinner like I had planned on. I knew your mother wouldn't like this. I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologize for," he stated as he settled down next to her and took the hand that wasn't busy scratching. "I don't blame you though for wishing that you hadn't. If I had know this was going to happen; we both would've stayed home…because all I really wanted out of this day was to spend it with you."

She gave him a soft smile before she brushed her lips against his. "I just wanted to be with you too, honey. That's the only reason I went; I wanted to spend the holiday with you."

"I'm sorry," he said once more; feeling like he couldn't say it enough.

"It's not your fault," Johanna said as she laid a finger against his lips. "We're home now and I'm okay."

He was quiet for a few minutes; pretending to watch the TV as she discreetly scratched at the rash. "Sweetheart, don't you have anything we could put on that rash to take some of the itchiness away for you?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "That's what I was looking for when you got here. I thought I had a tube of cream that I use in the summer when I have bug bites but I must've used it all because it's not in there."

"I'll go out and get you something," he replied. "I can't let you suffer all night with this."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to; it's a holiday; everything's closed."

Jim sighed; that was probably true. "Then let me take you to the hospital, they can give you something for it."

"They'll give me a shot!" she exclaimed.

"It'll only hurt for a second; I'll hold your hand."

"I appreciate that but I really don't feel like sitting in the emergency room for half the night."

"I don't blame you for that," he said as she started to scratch a patch of her skin but forced her fingernails away from it. "But we have to find something for you; you have to be miserable."

"I'm not miserable…just…itchy."

"What about your mom? Would she have something for it? I'll go pick it up if you want to call and ask."

Johanna glanced at him. "I'd really rather not tell her about this."

"Why?"

"Because she'll want to kill your mother…and even if I don't tell her where she lives, she'll find her on her own. It wouldn't be pretty. It's best that she doesn't know."

Jim nodded; "She'd probably have to take a number and get in line to get to my mother but I understand. What about your sister?"

She laughed; "My sister can't keep a secret very well; she'd blab to Mom."

"Okay what about your sister-in-law?"

"They're staying overnight in Connecticut at Valerie's grandmother's ."

Jim got up from the sofa and paced the floor for a moment. He knew he didn't have anything at his apartment that would be of use. Sharon and Phil had gone to New Hampshire to Phil's grandparents for the holiday. He moved to the phone and dialed Jeff's number, hoping that he and Maggie were back from her parents house and might have something but the line rang endlessly.

"Who were you calling?" Johanna asked.

"Jeff; I thought maybe him or Maggie would have something."

"It's alright," she told him; conjuring up a smile for him. "I just try not to think about it. Do you want a drink?"

"Yeah," he said with a sigh as he raked a hand through his hair.

"What do you want?"

"A soda is fine, sweetheart."

Johanna got up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. She poured him a cold drink and then went to the cabinet and got out a bowl and poured some chips into it figuring they may as well have a snack while they watched TV. When she carried his drink and the bowl back to the living room, he was saying goodbye to someone on the phone.

"Who was that?" she asked; handing him his drink.

"Grandma," he answered before taking a long sip. "She's home now; she has some lotion you can use so I'm going to go get it and I'll be back. Will you be okay?"

"I'm fine; you don't have to go through all of this trouble."

"Nonsense," he said as he brushed a kiss to her lips. "I'm not going to let you itch all night if I can help it. I'll be back as quick as I can."

"Be careful," she told him as he sat down his drink. "I want you back in one piece."

"I promise," he replied as he grabbed his keys from the stand and headed out the door. "Save me some chips."

"I will," she laughed; her heart warm with the knowledge that he loved her enough to track down anti-itch cream on a holiday just so she wouldn't have to suffer.

Johanna's phone rang minutes after Jim's departure and she hoped that it wasn't her mother because she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep from telling her about what Elizabeth had done. She sighed and scratched at a hive on her leg as she reached for the phone. "Hello?"

"This has been the worst Thanksgiving ever," Sharon's tearful voice answered softly.

"What's wrong?" Johanna asked, pushing her own troubles aside to concentrate on her friend.

"Everything," Sharon answered.

"Did you go to New Hampshire?"

"Yes; we left last night as planned; we're still here…I'm hiding in the closet of the guest room at Phil's grandmother's."

"Is that why you're whispering?"

"Yes."

"How is she going to feel about the long distance phone call?" Johanna asked.

"I don't really care; she can take it up with Phil," her friend muttered and then she cursed, a soft thud sounding across the line.

"What was that?" Johanna asked as she dug her nails into the rash on her arm.

"I was trying to get more comfortable and fell into the side of a box," Sharon replied. "Go ahead and laugh; one of us should have some amusement."

"I'll take a pass," she told her. "What's going on? What has you upset?"

"No one can shut up about my disaster of a wedding," her friend cried.

"Your wedding had a few missteps but it wasn't a disaster," Johanna soothed.

"It feels like one when you keep getting a repeat of the play by play. Every damn relative Phil has must be here. I'm ready to lose my mind."

"Tell them to shut up about the wedding. Tell them you know there were a few issues but that you'd rather focus on the positive moments of the day…like the part where you got married."

"At the moment I wish I hadn't."

"Why?"

"Because for the four and a half hour drive up here, all Phil and I did was fight over the damn decorating for the house and because I made a mention of how I'd miss my family today…apparently that means I want to shun his family in favor of mine."

"Oh my God," Johanna said. "What the hell is his problem?"

"I don't know but he needs to get over it. Just like that damn house…I wish he hadn't run out and bought it before we got married. I would've rather stayed in an apartment for awhile until we got accustomed to being married. This just feels like unneeded stress, you know?"

"Yeah; I get that. It did seem like he rushed you into home owning."

"That's not the only thing people want to rush me into," Sharon muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"I can barely go five minutes without someone asking me if I'm pregnant yet or when I plan to get pregnant and talking about how nice it would be to have a baby around for the holidays next year. I'm not ready for that yet! I feel like my uterus is on display more than the turkey."

"Sharon; tell these people to kindly shut up and mind their own business. If you're not ready to start a family, you don't have to. Stay on the pill until you're ready."

"Phil wants me to quit taking it."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to stay on it for awhile longer…I don't think we're ready for a baby right now. I'd like to time to settle…is that so terrible?"

"No, not at all," Johanna replied. "It makes perfect sense to me. It's your body, if you want to stay on the pill for awhile, do it. Phil will get over it; he's not the one that has to carry the baby, you are and you should have the say of when you're ready for that."

"It's not just that," Sharon said softly. "His family, while on their pregnancy kick, seem to think that I'm going to be giving up my job to stay home with the future children…and I just don't see me doing that and I said so and they just looked at me like I was some selfish monster for wanting to keep my job."

"You wouldn't be the only mother who works," she told her. "You don't have to do what everyone else does. My mother quit being a secretary but she kept teaching piano…she's done it all my life and Frankie's too. I know it's not the same as you having a full time job but I think you get my point. You're allowed to be a working mother; it doesn't mean you love your child any less. It doesn't mean you're selfish. It means there's a part of yourself you want to hang on to for your own sake. Do you think I'll give up my job if I have a baby?"

"No."

"Then why should you?"

"I'm not going to," Sharon stated. "I love my job and I'm not giving it up. I'm not running out and getting pregnant tomorrow…I'm not having that ugly carpet Phil likes in my living room."

"There you go," Johanna said lightly; "Problems solved."

"Are they?" her friend whispered, an undercurrent of sadness in her tone.

"It's going to be okay, Sharon."

"What if it's not?" she asked. "It's not supposed to be like this…this isn't how I pictured it."

"What do you mean?"

Sharon sniffled. "We've been married a month and we're already fighting…that can't be a good sign."

"Maybe you're just working out the bugs," Johanna told her.

"What if Phil is the bug?"

Johanna couldn't help but laugh. "Now I'll spend all night thinking of Phil with six legs and antennas."

Sharon giggled through her tears. "The questions stands though, what if he's the bug?"

"Then we'll get a big fly swatter and smash him," she answered. "Or some bug spray…maybe both."

The secretary laughed. "I can fantasize about that, right?"

"Sure you can…picture him with the little bug antennas when you do," Johanna giggled.

"How can I not now?" Sharon laughed while wiping away her tears. "Thanks, Jo; I needed that laugh."

"Me too…it hasn't been a delightful holiday here in New York either."

"Did you go with Jim?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah, I went…"

"Was his mother her usual bitchy self?"

"Even better," Johanna replied. "Jim told her that I'm allergic to pecans so she wouldn't be mad when I refused the pie…so she discreetly put them in the stuffing, in the potatoes and in the bread."

"Oh my God! Did anyone realize it before you ate it?"

"No; I was midway through the meal when Jim's grandmother commented on the pecan theme. I didn't remember what they tasted like since I haven't had them since I was a kid…I don't think I'll ever forget now."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm broke out in hives but other than that I'm fine."

"What is wrong with that evil bitch!?" Sharon exclaimed.

"She's a psychopath," Johanna replied. "She doesn't believe I have an allergy; she thinks I'm just picky."

"Well I think she's a damn fruit loop who needs locked up for pulling a stunt like that. She could've really hurt you…or worse."

"She was probably hoping for worse," she remarked. "It took all of my self control not to call her every name in the book and punch her before I left…but Jim was upset enough and I didn't want to cause a scene. Elizabeth wants a fight…I figure trying to be lady like about it probably hurt her more than any words I could fling in anger."

"You're probably right," her friend agreed. "You showed her that you have class…something which she clearly lacks."

"I just don't know what I did to her…what could I have done to inspire that level of malice?"

"You haven't done a damn thing," Sharon remarked. "She's just pissed off because she can't run you off and personally handpick who her little boy ends up with. It's time that she gets over it."

"I think it's time that they put her away somewhere…like a mental institution."

"That would be a good place for her. I'd like to find out if she has any allergies and then return the favor."

Johanna scoffed. "She probably doesn't or she wouldn't think that it's something people fake. I wish I could get even with her though."

"You can," Sharon told her.

"How?"

"Marry Jim."

Johanna laughed. "After your glowing endorsement of marriage?"

"Don't pay my marriage any mind…Phil and I; we're different than you and Jim; you said that yourself."

She was quiet for a moment before responding. "I never meant to hurt your feelings by saying that, Sharon."

"I know, and you didn't. It was only the truth; we are different types of couples and that's okay...but we all know you're going to end walking down the aisle…one way or another."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're either going to walk down the aisle being gorgeous and radiant and unconcerned about your dress fitting or you're going to be walking down the aisle praying you won't throw up and that the baby bump doesn't show yet."

"Sharon!"

"Well!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

"Now I feel like my uterus is somehow on display with yours," Johanna laughed.

"Good; mine didn't want to be lonely."

Their laughter faded and Johanna sighed deeply. "What's on your mind, Jo?" Sharon asked.

"I just worry that it's going to come to the point one day where he's forced to choose between me and his mother…it won't be by my hand, because I'd never do that; it'll be here…but if he chooses me I'm going to feel like I'm tearing his family apart and that he'll resent me for it."

"You don't need to be worrying about that right now…you know that you'd never go there, that she would…and if she does then she deserves what she gets from him because everyone knows he'd pick you. He loves you and he's not going to give you up just to make her happy…because the way it sounds, she's never happy regardless. Don't worry about it until it's happened. Is Jim there with you?"

"He was but he went over to his grandmother's to get me something to put on these hives so I won't itch all night."

Sharon blew out a soft breath. "What a holiday, huh?"

"Yeah…I got hives and you're hiding in a closet."

"Makes you shudder to think about what Christmas has in store, doesn't it?" her friend asked.

Johanna smiled. "I don't even want to attempt to contemplate it…Jim's invited himself to my mother's for Christmas so I'm not even ready to think about him and my father in the same room."

"Well don't feel bad; I'll be at my mother-in-law's…and I'm kind of starting to hate her, so I'm not going to be feeling the holiday love either."

"Aren't you allowed to go to your mother's on Christmas since you went to his family for Thanksgiving?"

"I had to compromise on going there for the morning and his in the afternoon and next year we're supposed to switch…if I don't wham him in the head by then."

"After you wham Phil; could you go wham Jim's mother?"

"I'll hold her down while you wham her."

"Sounds good to me," Johanna said with a soft laugh. "When are you coming back?"

"I was hoping to be back by tomorrow afternoon but Phil can't make up his mind about when he wants to head back. I'm going to miss the black Friday shopping."

"I know," Johanna replied. "I'm supposed to go with my mother…I just hope this rash is cleared up by then."

"Your mother will kill her when she finds out."

"I'm going to try not to tell her but I don't know how successful that will be."

"Oh I'd tell her," Sharon declared. "Then she can call her up and tell her all about how you're not faking it."

"She wouldn't call…she'd just go to her door and probably punch her when she opened it."

"And that would be wrong?" Sharon asked lightly.

Johanna giggled. "No, not necessarily but I'd rather not have to bail her out tomorrow."

Before Sharon could answer the creak of the closet door could be heard and then Phil's voice. "Sharon, what the hell are you doing in the closet?"

"I'm on the phone," she answered. "I wanted a little privacy."

"Who are you talking to?"

"Johanna, if it's any of your business," Sharon retorted, not liking his tone.

Phil huffed. "You called long distance on my grandmother's phone?"

"Yes; and you can pay her for it. It's your family driving me nuts. I needed to talk to a sane person who isn't interested in my fertility at the moment."

Johanna could hear Phil breath deeply. "Okay, I'll pay for the call…but can you wrap it up and come back downstairs before people think you abandoned me?"

"Believe me, Phil; I wouldn't abandon you quietly…it would be a very loud occasion," Sharon replied; "But if you'll shut the door and wait outside, I will wrap up my call."

Johanna could hear the closet door shut with a thud and she couldn't help but laugh a little. "Sounds like you've got the marriage thing under control," she told her secretary.

"Don't be too sure of that," Sharon replied. "I guess I better get back down there and let them finish me off. I hope you feel better soon…I'll call you when I get back to town."

"Alright," she told her. "Try to hang in there…and don't be afraid to tell people to mind their own damn business. We'll go order the carpet you like when you get back…Phil doesn't need to know until it's been delivered and put down."

"Deal," Sharon said. "Happy Thanksgiving…what's left of it."

"Same to you…let's hope Christmas goes better."

"We can hope," her friend agreed before they said goodbye and ended their call.

Johanna scratched her itchy leg; one thing was for sure; she wouldn't have to worry about what she ate at her mother's.

Jim pulled up behind his father's car in front of Lilly Beckett's home, anger still simmering and his thoughts a whirl as he thought of Johanna's misery and how badly he wanted to throttle his mother. He shook off his thoughts and got out of the car and hurried to the door, not wanting to keep his grandmother waiting or Johanna either. He grasped the handle of the door and found it unlocked so he let himself in.

"Grandma," he called out from the entryway.

"She's getting the lotion, Jimmy," Robert said as he beckoned him into the living room. "How's Johanna?"

"She's itchy…you should see her; she has hives all over her arms, on her legs, across her chest. She has to be miserable although she's trying to act like she's fine."

"I feel terrible," Robert remarked. "I had no idea your mother was concocting a scheme like this…I stay out of the kitchen on the holidays when she's preparing things; I don't want to be in her way; that will change now that I know she has this side to her. I told Johanna it would be okay if she came with you; I thought I could keep things under control for the two of you. I'm sorry, son; and please tell Johanna how sorry I am too. I've never been so angry with your mother in all my life. I don't know when I'll be able to look at her again without feeling rage."

"It's not your fault, Dad…it's mine. I shouldn't have made go with me. She had planned on making her own dinner and staying home…but I wouldn't let her."

His father gave a nod. "That's because you love her and you didn't want her to be alone on the holiday."

Jim scoffed. "Yeah; and look where that got her…practically poisoned by my mother. I just don't understand why she hates Johanna so much. What the hell did she ever do to her? What is her problem?"

"Well for starters, your mother is a control freak," Robert stated. "It pains me to admit that but she is; everything has to be exactly the way she thinks it ought to be and if it isn't then she has a burr up her backside about it for days, weeks or years. When she envisions the lives of our children; she has mapped out what kind of person she thinks would best suit each one…and that person is always someone who she can't see as a threat…someone she can't see outranking her in the grand scheme of things. That's why she likes to find prospective brides for you and your brothers and husbands for Madelyn. She never gets it right because she never allows herself to think about who and what you need, not that it's her business to marry any of you off. She wants Andrew to find a woman who will demand that he give up traveling for his job; someone who will dampen his humor and his zest for life and I think we both know that that's the last thing your brother needs."

"You can say that again," Jim muttered.

"With your sister, she wants Madelyn to have a husband that she can walk all over and who will never tell her no…I love your sister, Jimmy. She's my only girl and I want her to be happy…but the last thing she needs is a docile wimp of a man who will let her get away with murder…she has too many of your mother's tendencies and she needs someone who can keep them in check. She needs a man who can stand up to her and tell her how things are going to be when the moment calls for it."

"I agree."

"For Michael, she wanted someone quiet and meek, who wouldn't bother him after a long day at work and who let him be the boss at all times…and then Michael found Natalie…Natalie who doesn't care if she's bothering him or not if she has something to say. Natalie lightens him up, reminds him to have fun when he's too bogged down, tells him to go out in the yard and play with kids. Natalie who lets him be the boss…unless something's going on that she doesn't like and then she steps up and takes the position away from him and tells him what she thinks of a situation. Your brother needed her…if it wasn't for Natalie he'd drown in work, forget to have fun and would keep things bottled up inside of him. He didn't need that. He needed her and he got her and your mother has never gotten over it."

"Yeah, I've noticed…even four grandchildren hasn't softened her."

"No they haven't," Robert agreed; "And if she'd ever get down on the floor and play with them and have a little fun with them, I'd probably expire from the shock. But anyway; as I was saying; for you, your mother wants a woman who doesn't have a backbone; one you can push around, one who can't live up to her image, one who will just cook meals and clean the house and let you do as you please whether it's hurtful or not. You see, Jimmy; your mother doesn't want competition. She looks at Natalie and sees competition; she knows Michael would choose Natalie over her if he had to. She looks at Johanna and sees competition. Johanna's young and beautiful; she's a successful woman who understands the ins and outs of your job because it's her job too. She has a backbone, she's not afraid to fight…she's probably not afraid to call you on something when it needs to be done. She's also a happy person, kind, sweet, loving. You've sung her praises, not to brag or gloat, not all at once, but as time as passed and you grew more and more comfortable mentioning her, you told more about her, like how she's a good cook and she's good with kids excreta, your mother sees her as a threat. She knows you'd choose Johanna over her…she knows Johanna can understand you in a way she can't. She knows Johanna isn't going to sit there and be a docile little housewife and let you get away with anything and everything. She knows she can't walk all over her…and so she hates her; because she's jealous, because she can't control Johanna or you. It's petty and it's stupid, but that's what it comes down too, although she'll never admit it…but that's what it is; jealously and loss of control."

"Maybe she needs a psychiatrist," Jim remarked as he paced a bit.

"What your mother needs is a good dose of her own medicine…I just haven't figured out how to give it to her yet…and by the way, I'll probably be here for tomorrow too if you need to get a hold of me. I'm too angry to be in that house with Elizabeth. She can spend some time alone stewing in her bitterness and whatever else she wants or has."

"Serves her right," he replied. "I hope she got a good look at me tonight because she won't be seeing me anytime soon. I don't know if I can ever forgive her for this. What she did tonight is so far out of line there isn't even a word for it."

"I know," Robert replied. "But for right now you have to concentrate on Johanna and getting her better."

"Believe me, I am thinking about that. I know she's in for a long night and if she's up all night, I'm going to be up all night with her. I did this to her."

"You didn't."

"I did, if I hadn't told Mom about the allergy, she would've never thought to put pecans in everything. I wouldn't blame Johanna if she hated me for it."

"But she doesn't, does she?"

Jim shook his head. "No; she keeps telling me it's okay."

His father gave him a sympathetic smile. "She doesn't want you to feel bad."

"Good luck with that," he muttered. "If something had happened to her, I'd…"

"I know," Robert murmured.

"That thought just keeps popping up in my mind; you know…what if she'd had a bad reaction instead?"

"But she hasn't," his father assured. "If she was going to, she would've had it by now. It's mild as she said it would be…but I understand that you keep thinking about the what ifs…so do I. Believe me, son; I'm thanking God too that she's alright. I know how much it would hurt you if she wasn't."

"I hurt anyway," he admitted. "I try so hard to take care of her and then I set her up for this by taking her home to my family for dinner."

Robert clamped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "You didn't know your mother was this devious; I doubt that Johanna blames you, does she?"

"No; she says it wasn't my fault."

"She's right, it isn't. It's Elizabeth's fault…and I promise you, there will be no peace for her anytime soon once I do go back home. You take good care of Johanna, Jimmy…but sometimes you can't protect her from everything. We all do our best to protect the women we love from every hurtful thing in this world, but sometimes we just can't. As long as you love her and do the best you can, it's enough. It's enough to her too…I see the way she looks at you; all the love and trust in her eyes. She knows you take care of her."

"I give her my best," Jim murmured.

"That's all you can give…and all she asks, I'm sure. I hope this fiasco won't interfere with what we were discussing the other day."

Emotion tugged at Jim, making his throat feel tight. "How can it not, Dad? How can I ask her to marry into a family where someone has already purposely fed her something that could be harmful to her? How can I ask her, knowing that I'm sentencing her to a life of putting up with my mother? How can I ask when I know that I basically forced her hand about going to dinner with me? I played dirty and guilted her into this because I didn't want to put up with Mom's snide comments if I showed up without her after making a big deal about getting her invited. Not only did I guilt Johanna into going, I also invited myself to go home with her for Christmas which sent her into a rambling spasm of panic at the thought of me meeting her father so soon. A man doesn't do those things to the woman he wants to marry."

Robert gave him a smile and shook his head. "Jimmy; men do sometimes do those things to the women they love. We always have what we think is a good reason for it…and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. Women are also guilty of it and face the same results. It's human nature, son. Don't let this fester in your mind and dissuade you from the direction you want to go in. Johanna loves you, she's not going to hold this against you and she's not going to let your mother scare her away; she told her that tonight right to her face…she'll stand up to her any day of the week for you. She's not going anywhere and she's not going to look at you any differently or blame you. You'll get it through it together…the two of you already handled some tough things and you're still standing together. She'd be marrying you, not the rest of us. I think her love for you will outshine any worry about your mother…and she'll be cautious about eating around her now but she's going to be fine. Don't change your thoughts because of this…if you do, your mother wins; and that's not a victory she needs. Take a few days to get through it and then put it away and go back to the thoughts you were having. Don't make any rash decisions, okay?"

Jim nodded. "I won't, Dad."

"Good; I hear your grandmother coming so we'll end this talk, I know you don't want anyone to know that you've been thinking about bigger things just yet."

"Jimmy; your mother is a despicable human being," Lilly announced as she entered the room and you tell Johanna how sorry the family is and that we love her. Elizabeth doesn't speak for us and I for am outraged by her behavior."

"I'll tell her, Grandma. What's in the bag?"

"I put the lotion in there but I also put in the things you need to make an oatmeal paste. She might get more relief from the oatmeal; I'd recommend that first, as it might work faster. I wrote down how to do it and put in the bag. If the oatmeal paste doesn't work, then tell her to put the lotion on."

He nodded as he accepted the bag. "Thanks, Grandma."

"No problem, dear," she replied as she beckoned him to lean down so she could kiss his cheek. "Don't worry; she's a strong girl; your mother won't run her off. She'll fight; she'll give Elizabeth a run for her money."

"I know she will," Jim replied; "Dad; I'll call you at your office or on your work line at home. I'm not speaking to Mom anytime soon."

"That's fine," Robert told him. "I'm just glad you're not avoiding me too."

"Of course not; I know where to find you outside of the house."

Robert smiled and gave him a hug. "That's my boy. You go now and take care of your girl. Tell her that I hope she feels better in the morning."

"I will," he answered; saying a quick goodbye to them both and then heading out the door.

Johanna forced herself to quit digging at the rash on her chest when she heard Jim's key turn in the lock. "How are you, sweetheart?" he asked as he stepped inside and closed the door.

"I'm okay," she answered.

"Grandma sent the lotion but she also sent the stuff to make an oatmeal paste. She thinks we should try that first; it might give you more relief and work faster."

"I'm all for that," Johanna admitted. "What do I have to do?"

"She wrote down the directions; I'll make it."

"I could help," she offered as she got up from the couch and followed him to the kitchen.

"No; I'll do it; you go lay down and I'll bring it in."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Are you laying down the law tonight?"

"Yes," he replied. "I have to take care of my girl…that means she has to follow orders until she feels better."

"Alright," she murmured lovingly; "But don't get too used to this submissive behavior."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he remarked as he unpacked the bag. "Go on now."

Johanna padded out of the kitchen and went into the bathroom to get some towels out of the small linen closet. She knew from childhood experience that this could be messy and she didn't want to have to sleep in a messy bed…although she doubted she'd be sleeping much. She had a feeling they'd be sitting up watching tv. She moved into her bedroom and turned on the lamp and then pulled back the covers and spread out the towels. She settled into bed and waited for Jim.

Jim stopped in the bathroom and grabbed a few washcloths and then headed to the bedroom. "Are you ready?" he asked as he sat the bowel on the nightstand.

"Yes; but I can put it on."

He shook his head as he scooped some of the paste out of the bowl. "I'll do it, sweetheart; that way you'll be sure that it's all covered."

"You're the boss," she remarked; giving him a smile.

He returned her smile and spread the paste along her right arm; making sure to cover each little welt. He repeated the process of her left arm as she watched quietly and then he set about spreading the mixture across her shoulders and the expanse of her chest that her nightgown left bare. His heart ached as he moved to her legs and spread the paste over the hives. Her legs didn't seem to have it as bad as her arms and chest but he made sure to coat her calves well just the same…and to be safe in case this reaction came in waves. Her soft laugh pulled his gaze away from her leg where he was making sure he hadn't missed a spot. "What?" he asked.

Amusement lit up her eyes, a small smile on her lips as he rubbed her leg. "I bet this is one thing you never thought we'd be doing in bed."

Jim couldn't control the laugh that slipped free. "No; I can honestly say that coating you in oatmeal wasn't on my to-do list…if I was going to coat you in something, I'd want it to be something good."

"Do go getting any ideas," Johanna giggled.

"But now you've put them there," he quipped.

She grinned. "Have your fantasies then, just don't expect me to act them out."

"I wouldn't expect you to tonight…tonight you look like I need to slice up some fruit and throw it on top of the oatmeal."

"Don't you dare!" she laughed.

"I won't," he chuckled but then he turned serious as his gaze took in the sight of her coated skin. "You have to leave this on for awhile," he remarked as he wiped his hands on one of the washcloths.

"I know," she answered. "Mom and Grandma did this to us when were kids and would get bug bites or sunburns."

His fingers toyed with hers, anguish sweeping through him once again. "I'm so sorry, Jo," he murmured seriously.

"It's not your fault," she told him as her fingers curled around his.

"It is…I made you go there…I told her that you had an allergy."

"You told her so she wouldn't get offended if I didn't eat something. You didn't know she'd come up with this diabolical plot, honey."

"No, I never thought she'd do this but I should've known she'd do something; I mean look at her history where we're concerned. I should've known…I should've listened when you said you didn't want to go. I played a guilt card on you, knowing that you wouldn't be able to say no if I made you feel guilty somehow and then you end up like this because I couldn't listen."

Johanna shook her head and tried to sit up but Jim gently pushed her back against her pillow. "Rest," he told her.

"I'm fine," she said softly, her fingertips rubbing against his wrist.

"Yeah," he scoffed. "That's why you're covered in hives."

"Come here," Johanna beckoned since he wouldn't let her set up.

Jim leaned closer and she managed to capture his lips in a kiss. "It's okay."

He shook his head. "No; it's not okay that she hurt you. Nothing about this is okay…you can't be okay with this."

She found his hand and held it. "No; I'm not happy that she hates me enough to go to these lengths to show it; but it's not your fault, I don't blame you for this if that's what you're afraid of."

"How can you not?" he murmured. "It's like I set you up for this. I forced your hand."

"You didn't force me; I could've said no and dealt with it if it made you angry…but I didn't want to upset things between us for something that didn't seem worth it. I figured that the worst she would do would be to call me a slut and humiliate me further by telling the rest of your family details of our personal business. I didn't expect this anymore than you did. You didn't tell her to do this, you don't approve of it, you didn't do anything wrong."

"I shouldn't have trusted her," he muttered.

"Honey, I don't trust her as far as I can throw her and even I didn't expect this; please stop blaming yourself. This doesn't change how I feel about you. I love you and nothing your mother does can change that…no matter how much she might hope that it will. It hurts me more that she did this without thinking about how it would hurt you; but none of it is your fault and it doesn't change anything. If you're afraid it'll make me leave; you don't need to worry because I'm not going anywhere until you tell me I have to."

"You don't have to worry about that happening," Jim murmured. "I don't want you going anywhere unless I'm going with you."

"Then there's nothing to worry about, is there?"

"No, I guess not," Jim replied; but his guilt still wasn't eased. "It's going to take me awhile to get over it though. I told her I was done with her…"

Johanna gave a soft shake of her head. "If you need to take a break from her, and I can understand why you'd need to, do it; but you're not going to be done with her. She won't allow it and you'll miss her eventually…and it would just be more ammunition for her to us against us."

He blew out a breath; she was probably right. "I'm not talking to her any time soon."

"I understand…I went awhile without talking to my mother, sometimes it's needed to reset things."

"She needs a major reset," Jim scoffed; "And maybe a psychiatric evaluation since she's upped her game to this level. Dad's furious with her…he's staying with Grandma tonight because he's so mad he might throttle her. He told me to tell you that he's sorry."

"It's not his fault either…your mother is going to hate me even more though for Robert abandoning her tonight."

"He wasn't the only one who jumped ship," he replied. "Everyone left."

Johanna smiled. "She's hating me even more tonight in that case…but I'm not sure I care."

"You shouldn't," he told her. "She doesn't care how she makes anyone feel or how she treats them. Grandma gave her a few choice words too…she told me to tell you that she loves you."

Johanna smiled. "That's sweet. I love her too…see, as long as your grandmother likes me, everything is fine."

He smiled; his fingers brushing against the curve of her chin before brushing a kiss to her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied.

"Are you sure you feel okay?"

Johanna gave a soft laugh. "Yes, honey; I'm fine."

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "I'm probably going to drive you crazy."

"It's okay; I don't mind…you're my knight in shining armor coming to my rescue."

"It's too bad I didn't save you before you took a bite of anything laced with pecans."

"Don't feel bad; she made it discreet…and I didn't remember what they tasted like so I was clueless. I won't forget the taste now though."

Jim shook his head. "I've never been so angry with her in all my life."

"I know," she answered and then fell silent; knowing that nothing she could say was going to make him feel better at the moment, but she could try to console him as best she could. She rose up on her elbow, her fingertips grazing his chin and guiding his lips back to hers for a series of kisses that quickly grew heated. He shifted to move over her and she was pulled back to her senses, her hand quickly reaching out and pushing against his chest gently, making him pause. "You better stay put or you'll have this paste all over you."

A soft laugh crossed his lips, his gaze meeting hers. "Is it wrong that you're covered in an oatmeal paste and I still want you so badly?"

She giggled. "No…I'm flattered that you still think I'm desirable with hives and an oatmeal paste…but unfortunately nothing more is going occur so you might want to tell your friend not to get too excited because it's really not happening tonight."

"Believe me, sweetheart; I know it's not happening, nor would I expect it to given the circumstances…but you know me, I always want you."

A soft seductive smile slid across her lips, her fingers toying with the top button on his shirt. "I always want you too," she murmured. "I need to wash this stuff off so I can at least hug you."

"You should leave it on a little longer…is it helping?"

"Yes; I'm not feeling as itchy as I was."

"Good; leave it on for awhile longer and maybe it'll take it away completely…but you can still hug me."

"I'll get this paste on you," she replied.

Jim smiled. "I don't care; this shirt will need washed anyway; I've got clothes here."

Johanna didn't waste any time in wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug; her lips brushing against his neck as she breathed in his scent. "This is better," she whispered. "This always makes me feel so much better."

"Me too," he said quietly, pressing a kiss against her hair.

"I think I'm ready to wash this stuff off," Johanna said a short while later.

"Are you sure?" Jim asked as he got up from his side of the bed where he had been reading a magazine while she watched TV.

"Yeah, if it starts itching again we can always put more on. Let's go into the bathroom though; I don't want to make a mess in here."

Jim led her to the bathroom but instead of letting her wash the paste off herself; he ran a wash cloth under some water and sat about doing it for her. His eyes met hers as he swept the cloth across her chest and he noticed that her eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing…just that this is a far cry from the last time you helped me like this…."

A soft laugh crossed his lips. "I'm not sure I was much help in the washing department…"

"True," she quipped; "But you were a lot of help at making us late for work."

"It wasn't my fault that you couldn't resist temptation."

"Me?" she asked. "I was already in the shower; you're the one who joined me…so that low resistance to temptation is on you."

"If that's the story you want to stick to," he teased as he rinsed out the washcloth and then ran it over her arms and chest one last time to be sure he had gotten everything before gesturing to her to sit down on the edge of the tub so he could scrub the paste from her legs. "Are you still feeling alright itch wise?"

"Yes; I feel normal again for the moment."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said as he finished his task; "But the hives are still there; I don't think there's as many but they're definitely still there."

"It'll take some time for them all to fade…they might even itch again later; we'll have to wait and see."

"You're going to have to change your nightgown. I got it wet and there's a little bit of the paste on it," Jim remarked, reaching for the hem to pull it up.

Johanna swatted his hand away. "Go get me the blue one like this one; it's probably best I keep that rash uncovered until it clears up completely."

"You can still go ahead and take this one off so you aren't getting chilled from the dampness laying against your skin."

"I'll take it off when you bring me the other one."

"Why?"

She gave him a pointed look. "Because I don't have a bra on. I took it off because I didn't know how far this rash was going to spread and I didn't want to irritate it."

Jim laughed. "Sweetheart; I've seen you without your bra…I've seen you without underwear. I've seen everything you've got."

"Yes, I know," she replied; "But that's different."

He continued to laugh. "I don't really understand it, Jo; you have no problem being naked during sex; but when you get up in the morning you keep the sheet pulled around you like I haven't already seen what you got and now you won't take your nightgown off."

"I was raised to believe in modesty," she replied. "Sue me. I'll take this one off when I have another one to put on and this isn't about you seeing me. Don't you think I might get cold?"

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "You're cute when you're modest."

"Go get my nightgown please."

Jim left the bathroom and went back to her bedroom; making his way to the dresser and pulling open the drawer that held her nightgowns. He found the blue silk she wanted and then he opened up her lingerie drawer and rooted around in it until he found a bra that was soft and looked well worn enough to be comfortable. She hadn't asked for it, but he figured she might want it anyway since the rash apparently hadn't spread down that far. He carried the items back to the bathroom and handed them to her.

Seeing what he had brought her, she smiled. "Thank you."

"Do you want me to wait outside?" he asked; only half teasing.

"And deny you a peep show? Never," Johanna said as she laid the items on the sink counter and pulled her nightgown off and handed it to him. "Put that in the hamper."

He did as she asked; giving her a smile as she set about getting re-dressed. "I saw your leer," she teased. "Don't try to hide it."

Jim laughed. "Like it's possible for me to hide it. Did I make the right selection?" he asked as she hooked the bra.

"Yes; you're a very smart boy. This is one of my most comfortable selections."

See, I pay attention…I didn't even glance at the special occasion pile."

"I'll have to reward you for your diligence," Johanna quipped as she dropped the nightgown over her head and turned toward him to wrap her arms around him. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Anytime, sweetheart; you know that," he answered as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"I'm glad we don't have to work tomorrow."

"Me too."

"My mother is supposed to pick me up in the morning to go black Friday shopping," she remarked as they left the bathroom and headed back to her bedroom.

"Are you going to be okay to do that?" he asked. "What if that reaction kicks in some more?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine…if I'm too itchy in the morning then I'll have to stay home but hopefully it'll be fully gone by then."

"I hope it is," he murmured as she pulled the towels off the bed and carried them back to the bathroom to put them in the hamper.

"Don't worry," Johanna told him as she returned. "I'll be fine…I can't promise it won't be a long itchy night, but I'll be fine."

Jim nodded and rounded the bed to settle in; he had a feeling her allergic reaction wasn't finished rearing its head but he hoped he was wrong.

…to be continued

Author's Note: Next chapter has a run in…and a plan to turn this bad memory into a good one ;)