Part 5 -- The Master Plan
The bar was busy enough that evening that Cole had to wait for a few minutes to speak with Mel when she came downstairs. His opening words were not encouraging to the harried woman.
"Mel, I'm sorry," he began.
"What did she do this time?" Mel sighed, shaking her head.
"We should not discuss this in public, Mel."
"Right." She sighed and nodded. "Jess! You guys okay without me for a few minutes?" she called.
Jess took one look at the expression on Cole's face and nodded, making a shooing motion and wondering what Kitten had done now. She shook her head as Mel and Cole vanished into the back room. Something told her that she would not be seeing Mel again tonight.
"What did she do?" Mel repeated when they were alone in the store room.
"When you were getting dressed this morning, Mel, you left your underwear drawer open," he began, his expression apologetic.
"What?" Mel demanded, staring up at him with wide eyes. "What did she do in my underwear drawer, Cole?"
"This would be a good time to remove any of your panties that you're particularly fond of, Mel. She's already shredded one pair." As he followed the cursing woman across the bar and up the stairs, he added, "It's a shame, too, Mel. They were a very pretty shade of blue, like your eyes." He was not entirely sure whether the noise Mel made in response to this comment was a laugh or a scream. "I'm sorry, Mel," he added.
Mel walked into her bedroom, coming to a stop several feet in front of her dresser, with its partially-opened underwear drawer. "I am not putting my hand in there until you get her out, Cole."
Cole nodded and quickly scooped up Kitten. She hissed at him, a shred of black silk fluttering to the floor.
Mel cursed again, tears in her eyes. "Why are you doing this to me, you brat!" she demanded, ripping open her drawer and shifting through its shredded contents. "Obviously she doesn't like plain white cotton," she grumbled, tossing several pairs over her shoulder and onto her bed. "Has to go for the expensive stuff…"
"I think she likes the way silk feels, Mel," Cole offered by way of an explanation, moving to stand next to her. He reached into the drawer and came up with a handful of shredded silk. "These must have felt very nice against your skin all day, Mel."
Mel closed her eyes and took a few moments to compose herself. "Cole, please take Kitten out of here. I really can not look at her right now."
Cole nodded and returned the ruined undergarments to the drawer before carrying Kitten from the room. He returned as Mel was finishing sorting through her underwear. Her plain cotton panties and bras were all just fine, but only two silk bra and one set of silk panties remained in one piece. She sat down on her bed with these in her hand, shaking her head and laughing mirthlessly.
"I think your pet is trying to drive me insane, Cole," she announced, dropping them onto the bed with the others. "It's working, too."
Cole frowned apologetically, sitting down next to her. He picked up the panties and regarded them thoughtfully, rubbing the fabric between his fingers as Mel stared on with wide eyes. Her expression was shocked when he closed his eyes and rubbed the fabric against his cheek.
"Cole!" Mel gasped. "What are you doing?" she whispered, wondering if her grip on reality really had slipped completely thanks to the K'kul cahn.
"This fabric, Mel," he told her, rubbing it against her cheek. "I know what Kitten was doing."
"Really?" Mel asked, raising an eyebrow. "Share."
"There is a tree that grows on Cirron. The leaves have a very similar texture to this. K'kul cahn shred these leaves to sleep on."
"Oh," Mel whispered, shaking her head.
For some insane reason, that actually made Kitten's destruction of the contents of her underwear drawer seem completely reasonable. She sighed and shook her head, walking over to her dresser and pulling that drawer until it came out in her hands.
"What are you doing, Mel?" Cole asked as she retrieved several fallen handfuls of silk and returned them to the drawer.
"If it's going to keep her from joining me in bed again tonight, Kitten is more than welcomed to my underwear drawer, Cole," Mel explained, carrying it into the war-room and setting it down in a dark corner. "In fact…" Mel left the war-room and returned a few moments later with a shirt in her hand. "It got torn so I've been using it as a nightshirt. All yours, Kitten," she announced, dropping it into the drawer.
Kitten purred loudly and nuzzled Mel's hand for a moment. Then she dove into the drawer, merrily ripping the shirt to pieces, shaking it in her mouth like a rag doll and sending bits of fabric everywhere.
Cole smiled happily and moved to stand next to Mel, absently draping an arm around her shoulder. "You've made her very happy, Mel."
"Yeah, well…" Mel shrugged. "Tomorrow she and I are sitting down and having a long talk, but… what the hell, right?" She smiled up at him. "She makes you happy, which earns her points in my book."
Cole smiled warmly down at her. "Are you going back downstairs now, Mel?" he asked quietly.
Mel blinked. His tone of voice clearly indicated that he was hoping for a negative answer. "Not yet. I need to clean my room a little," she told him. "Do some rearranging in my drawers. Want to keep me company when I work?"
Cole smiled and nodded, following Mel back to her room. He closed the war-room door as they left. "Can I help, Mel?" he offered.
Uncomfortable with the thought of Cole handling her underthings, Mel shook her head quickly. It was going to take her months to forget the way he had been handling those silk panties. No reason to tempt fate further tonight.
"No thanks, Cole. I've got it."
"If you're sure, Mel," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed and picking up the silk panties again. "Why don't they make underwear of this fabric for men, Mel?" he asked. "I think I'd like to wear something like that."
Mel flushed and turned her back to him on the pretext of making room in a drawer. "They make silk boxers for men, Cole, but I don't think they make briefs."
"Boxers?" he asked, rising and joining her.
"Yeah, they're… another kind of underwear that men can wear. Not sure you'd be particularly comfortable in them, being used to briefs," she rambled. She drew a deep breath, struggling to compose herself.
Cole considered this. "How does it feel to wear silk underwear instead of cotton, Mel?"
Mel knew she was beet red, but she managed to keep her tone steady. "Just like the difference between a cotton shirt and a silk one, Cole."
"Are you wearing silk underwear now, Mel?" Cole inquired in a low voice, his expression curious.
Mel let out a startled squeal at the question and sputtered, "Cole!"
"Yes, Mel?" he asked innocently.
Mel sighed. He had not meant any harm, of course, but still… "Cole, that is not a socially acceptable question to ask a woman," she told him gently, plucking the underwear out of his hands and dropping them into a drawer at random. Shaking her head, she rubbed the back of her neck, trying to relieve some of the tension building there.
Cole watched this wordlessly, his expression thoughtful. Abruptly, he bent down and planted a tender kiss on the nape of her neck.
"Cole?" Mel asked, her voice shaking. "What are you doing?"
"You were rubbing your neck. I thought it hurt. I was kissing it and making it all better." Cole smiled happily and repeated the procedure.
"Well, that's… nice of you, Cole, but… my neck doesn't hurt. Really."
Focusing on taking deep, even breaths, Mel returned her attention to rearranging the drawers. Cole planted another kiss on the base of her neck. Her eyes widened.
"I said it doesn't hurt," she whispered.
"That's okay, Mel," Cole assured her, smiling. "You told me this morning that I did not need an excuse to kiss you. Remember?"
Mel winced. "Cole, about that…"
"I liked the way you were behaving this morning, Mel," he told her. "I don't like that you were scared, but you were more affectionate as well, and more receptive to my touch. I liked that, Mel."
"Cole, we've talked about this." Mel turned to face him and found herself in his arms. "Cole…" She shook her head, her expression apologetic. "You can't be distracted, remember?"
Cole nodded. "I remember, Mel. I've been thinking about it a lot in the last few days. I've decided that it is a silly restriction for us to place on ourselves."
"You… have?" she managed.
Cole nodded. "I was trying to protect you, Mel, but I think I went about it wrong. I think that I can protect you just as well if…" He trailed off.
"If what?" she whispered, staring up at him with wide eyes.
"If we… act upon those things which we both feel, Mel. I feel them very strongly, Mel, and I believe that you do as well. If I'm wrong, you can tell me. I'll understand and will not try to kiss you any more."
She stared up at him mutely, her eyes wide.
"Mel?" he asked uncertainly, his expression reflecting hope and anxiety.
"Um… yeah, Cole, I'm sorry. I was just… thinking, you know? I… I think the first thing we need to do is… well, define these things that… well, we feel for each other…" she began hesitantly.
"Love, Mel. It is love. I love you very much," he told her firmly, smiling down at her.
"You… do?" she whispered, tears in his eyes.
"I love you and I believe that you may love me as well. Am I wrong?" he whispered, his face falling.
"No," Mel whispered, barely audible. She shook her head firmly. "You aren't wrong, Cole. I do love you. I mean… really. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone before."
Cole smiled widely, half lifting her from the ground with his enthusiastic hug. "I'm very glad, Mel. I had… hoped so, but I wasn't sure," he admitted.
"How could I not love a man like you, Cole?" she asked gently, shaking her head and cradling his face in her hands. "Why would you think that?"
"There have been many times, Mel, especially in the last few days, where you have pushed me away."
"You said…" She shrugged. "I was trying to do the right thing."
"I love that about you, Mel," Cole told her with a smile. "You always try to do what is right."
"Well, I do my best." Mel shrugged. "Doesn't always work out like it should, though." She smiled wryly. "Otherwise I wouldn't have ended up naked in your lap this morning."
"I liked having you naked in my lap, Mel." He smiled. "We should do it again. This time when you are not upset."
Mel laughed, shaking her head. "You want me naked in your lap again?"
Cole smiled and nodded eagerly. "We could do it now," he suggested brightly.
Mel flushed, shaking her head. "Oh, Cole, I would love that, but I… really think that we need to… well, discuss some things before we do anything else…"
"Our relationship, Mel?" he guessed.
"Yeah." Mel nodded, pleased that he seemed to take this in stride.
"It's a good idea, Mel. I think you're right and it is important that we discuss our relationship. We should do that now."
"Good idea." Mel smiled lovingly up at him.
"And then you can sit naked in my lap again," he continued in a matter-of-fact voice, looking very pleased with himself.
Mel laughed, shaking her head. She looked up at Cole, smiling curiously down at her as if trying to figure out why his suggestion had her laughing. Finally she composed herself enough to shrug and nod.
"Sounds like a good idea, Cole," she told him, smiling. Her smile turned sly. "Although it's really not fair that I get to be naked and you have to wear clothes…" she added.
Cole's expression was speculative. "From what I understand of humans, Mel, that could lead to… other things." His expression was tentatively hopeful.
"Which would kind of be the point," Mel explained, laughing.
He grinned widely, nodding. "I like that idea, Mel."
"Me, too."
"We should have that discussion now, I think, Mel," he suggested. He bent to kiss her again, stopping when she held up her hand. "Yes, Mel?"
"Cole, Kitten can open and unlock doors," she pointed out.
Cole spent a few minutes trying to figure out what that had to do with anything, then smiled widely. He gave Mel a quick kiss on the tip of her cute little nose, then walked and closed the door. As Mel watched, laughing and shaking her head, he grabbed on to her dresser and pulled it in front of the door.
"Better Mel?" he asked, smiling proudly at his ingenuity.
Laughing too hard to speak, Mel just nodded. Cole smiled at her good humor and sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and just holding her close until her laughter died down.
"Have I mentioned how much I love you?" she chuckled, shaking her head and cuddling into him.
He smiled widely and nodded.
"So, I… guess we have some things to discuss," Mel said, taking a deep breath.
Cole nodded. "Think so, Mel. I'm not sure how long this conversation is going to take, but humans do require sleep and I wouldn't want you to be too tired to enjoy sitting in my lap." He considered for a moment, then smiled and scooped her up and into his lap. "This is better," he announced. "We can talk and you can sit in my lap."
"Um… sure." Mel shrugged.
Cole smiled slyly. "If you'd like, you can take your clothes off now, Mel," he offered. "I don't mind."
"We're never going to have this conversation if you keep making me laugh, Cole!" she protested, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder.
"You're right, Mel. We should discuss our relationship now. Later, we can discuss… other things."
She shook her head, laughing. That was her Cole all right.
***
Kitten lay curled up outside of Mel's bedroom door, listening to the conversation within and chuckling to herself. When spoken communication was abandoned in favor of unspoken cooperation, she returned to her new nest in the war-room, well pleased. It had taken her pets long enough to respond to her prodding, certainly, but it had been worth the wait.
Chuckling to herself, she began rearranging the nest, readying it. Now she could lay her clutch, secure in the knowledge that her offspring, when they hatched, would have little pets of their own to play with.
The End