II



"Now's not a good time" Fox said grimacing.

Angela narrowed her eyes and glared at Fox. "Are you trying to say that our daughter isn't important?"

Fox still had a hard time getting used to hearing people call Belle his daughter. It just didn't feel right to him. "No." Fox replied. "I didn't mean that. Don't try taking things I say out of context."

"Whatever," Angela said irritated. "Are you going to let us in or not?" She asked impatiently.

Fox took a deep breath. "Fine," He said quietly. Theresa looked at Fox with a questioning gaze. "Angela, you and I can talk in the study. Belle, why don't you hang out with Theresa and Ethan Martin?"

"Okay," Belle said cheerfully as she looked innocently took Theresa's hand. Theresa's heart went out to the little girl who held onto her hand. She felt sorry for Belle who had Angela as her mother. Fox gently handed Little Ethan to his mother. Theresa, Little Ethan, and Belle went into the living room. Fox and Angela headed to the study down the hall.

"Is something wrong with Belle?" Fox asked as he closed the door of the study.

"No, but I need five grand." Angela blurted out.

"What?" Fox said exasperated. "Five grand?" "I should've known," Fox thought to himself. "I should've known that it was about money."
"Look," Fox said to Angela. "I have a family of my own that I have to provide for~"

"Belle's your daughter too." Angela interrupted. "You can't just ignore her. She has needs too."

"I know that." Fox replied. "But why do you need five grand?"

"You want Belle to go to school don't you?" Angela retorted.

"Which school are you planning to enroll her in?" Fox asked.

"Harmony Prep." Angela answered crossing her arms.

"If I remember correctly, it was only two thousand for tuition." Fox said.

"Well it's gone up." Angela said caustically.

"I'll go to the school myself. I'll take care of enrollment and the tuition." Fox replied. "It'll be easier for Belle to get in. After all, I graduated from there."

Angela still did not look happy with Fox's offer. "What is it now?" Fox asked warily.

"Nothing." Angela replied. "You'll hear from me soon." Angela left the room hurriedly and slammed the door of the study. She went into the living room where Theresa was reading to the children. Angela pressed her lips together firmly and grabbed her daughter's arm. "We're going." She said in a harsh tone.

"But we just got to the part where~" Belle protested.

"It doesn't matter. We have to go. Now." Angela interrupted.

Belle frowned. "But~"

"You go on." Theresa said quietly. "We can finish this story another time."

"Okay," Belle relented reluctantly. "Bye then," she said as she hopped off the couch.

"Bye," Theresa said.

"C'mon," Angela said as she yanked Belle towards the door.

"Ow!" Belle cried. "Mommy, that hurts!"

"Don't do that." Theresa said as she stood up.

Angela turned around. "Excuse me?"

"I said don't do that. You're hurting your daughter." Theresa said.

Angela let go of Belle's arm and stepped menacingly in front of her. "Don't you dare tell me what to do." She said in a low tone.

"You were hurting your daughter." Theresa said in an even tone. "You hurt her again and you'll hear from me."

Angela was fuming. Her eyes flashed with fury. "You have a lot of nerve," Angela said. "This isn't over." Angela turned and stalked off. Belle watched her mother and looked back at Theresa. Theresa nodded and Belle waved before she ran after her mother. Theresa shook her head sadly. As she went into the house, she picked up little Ethan and put him down one of the bedrooms for a nap. Once her son was sound asleep, Theresa went into Fox's study. "Fox?" Theresa called softly.

"Hm?" Fox asked as he looked up at his wife.

"Are you alright?" Theresa asked. "Angela just left in a rush. She's a rude woman." Theresa frowned.

"Yeah, she's a real bitch." Fox said as he continued to rub his neck.

"Tense?" Theresa said as she came up behind Fox and began to massage him. Fox instantly slumped in his chair. "You have magic hands, Theresa." He replied.

Theresa chuckled softly. "What time is my mother coming over?"

Fox glanced at his watch. "She's coming around seven." Theresa stopped massaging Fox and sat on his lap. She snuggled against him and sighed. "You want to tell me what's bothering you?" Fox asked quietly.

Theresa frowned. "Well besides Angela just showing up out of nowhere, I'm still pissed at my professor."

"Oh," Fox said. "You want to tell me about it now?"

Theresa sighed again. "He's such a jerk!"

"So I've heard." Fox said. "Why is he such a jerk?"

Theresa gave her account of what happened to Fox who listen quietly through Theresa's ranting. He stroked her hair comfortingly as she complained about her embarrassment and humiliation. Once Theresa was done raving about Professor Hammond, Fox said, "Maybe he likes you."

Theresa sat up and hit Fox on the shoulder. "What? That is ridiculous!"

"Ouch." Fox said as he rubbed his shoulder. "I was just saying. Don't people say that if someone teases you, then that person likes you? On top of that, you are a beautiful woman, Theresa."

"And? It doesn't mean my professor is going to be interested in me. Besides, he knows I'm married."

"Maybe he likes married women." Fox said with a smile.

Theresa made a face and nudged Fox. "Don't say that." She reprimanded.

"Okay, okay," Fox said as he put his hands up in mock surrender. "Honestly, I don't like the idea of him being interested in you either." Fox said appearing to be a bit disturbed.

"Then why did you suggest it?" Theresa asked.

"It was just my interpretation of why he picked on you and not anyone else." Fox replied.

"Well you don't have anything to worry about because I despise that man." Theresa said.

"I don't blame you." Fox said. "But be careful Theresa. I don't want him making any moves towards you."

Theresa looked at Fox. "Are you jealous?" She asked teasingly.

Fox shifted in his chair and fixed his brown eyes upon his wife. "I'm only jealous that he gets to be in the same room with you for two hours." Fox smiled.

Theresa smiled. "Oh big whoop, two whole hours." Theresa said sarcastically.

"Two hours is a long time," Fox commented. "Let's see, two hours is 120 minutes which is comprised of a whole bunch of seconds~" Fox's voice trailed off. "Hence," Fox said after awhile, "A really long time."

Theresa shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?" She asked as she cupped his chin in her hand.

"Dunno," Fox said. "Guess you're gonna have to keep me." Fox said grinning.

"Yeah," Theresa replied laughing. "I guess so."

~*~



The setting sun cast an orange glow upon the small New England town. Theresa went outside on the back porch and took a deep breath as she stared at the beauty that surrounded her. Fox watched Theresa from behind the screen door. He gazed in awe at the way the remaining light of the sun gave his wife an angelic glow. Her long brown hair was swept to the side and revealed her slender neck. Fox came up behind Theresa and placed his hands around her waist. He leaned down and kissed the top of Theresa's head. "It's so beautiful out here Fox." Theresa said quietly as she wrapped her arms around Fox's. Fox rested his chin on the top of Theresa's head. "It is." Fox agreed. Theresa and Fox stood in comfortable silence as they listened to the gentle rustling of the leaves and the chirps of the crickets.

"Are we interrupting something?" Stanley asked as he and Pilar walked up the steps.

"We're just enjoying the scenery." Theresa smiled.

"This is such a beautiful location," Pilar commented. "You chose well, Fox."

"I just wanted the best for my wife and son," Fox replied.

Theresa beamed with pride. "I have such a wonderful husband," She said as she kissed Fox on the cheek.

"You're very lucky." Pilar said smiling.

"I hope you two are hungry," Fox said.

"I'm famished." Stanley admitted. "Are we going outside, or would you prefer we stay out here?"

"Let's eat out here." Pilar said. "We can light a few candles." She suggested.

"Okay," Theresa replied. "If you guys can grab the plates and things, I'll go grab some candles."

Once everything was set up, Fox, Pilar, and Stanley took a seat at the table. Theresa came out a few minutes later with the candles and Little Ethan. Fox placed the candles all around the porch giving the setting a romantic glow. As they sat down at dinner, they talked about various things. "How was class?" Pilar asked her daughter.

"Theresa's teacher likes her," Fox spoke up. He winked at Theresa as Theresa frowned. "He does not." Theresa said embarrassed.

"What happened?" Stanley asked.

Theresa glanced at Fox. "Well," She began. "My professor called me out in class today and embarrassed me in front of the whole class."

"What?" Pilar said. "That's awful!"

"Sure is," Stanley agreed. "Why did you say that he liked Theresa, Fox?" Stanley asked confused.

"You know how they say that if someone teases you it's because they like you? Well, since Theresa's teacher teased her I only assumed that was because he likes her." Fox replied.

"How old is this guy?" Stanley asked. "Because if he's like fifty~"

Theresa shook her head. "He's only five years older than me."

"How do you know that?" Fox asked surprised.

"People talk." Theresa said simply. "Professor Hammond even has this fan club type of thing at school."

"Fan club?" Pilar said.

"Yeah," Theresa replied. "He's very popular among the girls, if you know what I mean."

"Oh," Stanley said knowingly. "Is he a handsome fellow?"

"Sure," Theresa said. It was Fox's turn to frown. He crossed his arms and looked at his wife. "Is he more handsome than me?" He asked with a hurt expression.

Theresa laughed. "Oh don't look so down, Fox." Theresa replied. "Of course he's not more handsome than you."

"Okay," Fox said.

"Anyhow, like I said," Theresa continued. "Professor Hammond is handsome, but he has a tendency to be sarcastic and pessimistic."

"Hm, I wonder why," Pilar said.

"I don't." Theresa admitted. "And I don't care to know anymore about that man. I just want to get my credits and move on."

"I think it's great you went back to school." Stanley replied.

"I'm glad too." Theresa said smiling. "Oh no," Theresa said as she came to a realization.

"What?" Pilar, Stanley, and Fox asked at the same time.

"I have a paper to write." Theresa moaned. "Oh no,"

"Well, you go on and do your paper," Pilar said. "We'll clean up here."

"But I don't want to just leave~" Theresa protested.

"Mi hija, it's okay. You go on. We'll finish up here."

"Okay," Theresa said. "I'll put Little Ethan to bed first. He looks like he's about to fall asleep." Theresa went over to Little Ethan. "I'll do it." Fox volunteered. Theresa looked at Fox. "You sure?"

"Yeah," Fox said. "I'll read him a story and everything."

"Thanks." Theresa said as she kissed Fox on the cheek. "If anybody needs me I'll be in the bedroom working my ass off to get this paper done."

"Have fun," Stanley said.

"Yeah, fun," Theresa said unenthusiastically.

Pilar and Stanley cleared the table and took everything inside. Together, they washed and dried the dishes. After they were through they sat in the living room and chatted. Stanley wrapped one arm around Pilar's shoulders. "I had fun," Stanley commented.

"Yeah, dinner was nice." Pilar answered. Something in her tone signaled that something was bothering her.

"Is something wrong, Pilar?" Stanley asked.

"You're leaving in a few days," Pilar said sadly.

"I know," Stanley answered. "But I have to get back to work. My vacation time is up."

"I wish you didn't have to go," Pilar said quietly as she reached for Stanley's hand.

"We'll keep in touch." Stanley said.

"But it isn't the same." Pilar replied.

"I know it isn't." Stanley said. "But we'll find a way to see each other." Stanley said as he kissed Pilar on the forehead.

"Well, Little Ethan's asleep and Theresa's hitting the books." Fox said as he came into the living room.

"Maybe that's our cue to leave," Stanley said standing up.

"Yeah," Pilar agreed. "Perhaps we should go."

"I'm glad you guys came over." Fox said. "You'll have to visit again sometime, and soon," Fox added.

"Of course," Pilar said. "Good night, Fox." She said as she kissed him on the cheek. "Good night, Pilar. Night Stan,"

"Good night," Stanley said as he and Pilar left.

Fox did not want to disturb Theresa so he went into the living room, cut on the T.V. and stretched on the couch. He found himself drifting off to sleep. Meanwhile, Theresa feverishly tried to find a topic to write about. She cursed at the huge chunk of material she had to read. Theresa took a deep breath and tried to focus her attention to reading. Once she was through, Theresa opened her laptop and opened a new document. Theresa stared at the blinking cursor as she racked her mind for an opening sentence. Once Theresa began typing, she didn't stop until she had ten full pages. Breathing a sigh of relief when she was through, Theresa rubbed her tired eyes and yawned. When she glanced at the clock, she saw that it was two in the morning. Theresa got up and changed into her pajamas. She went to Little Ethan's room. She readjusted his blanket, kissed him on the forehead, and went into the living room. She found Fox sound asleep on the couch. Theresa smiled down at her husband. "Fox," She whispered in his ear. Fox stirred slightly. "Fox," Theresa called again. Fox didn't move. Theresa went into their room and pulled the blanket off of their bed. She lay beside her husband and covered them with the blanket. Fox instinctively put his arms around Theresa. Theresa snuggled against her husband and whispered, "I love being married to you." Theresa kissed her husband, closed her eyes, and found herself entering a realm of pleasant dreams.

~*~