Hi guys, it's maybe Monday. Not that Monday, though...that'd be too easy :D I'm so glad Kayla2 and impvme are back, all we need is QueenJessicaPearson for a full-on reunion. Thanks for all the M words so far, Marsupial and Mischief are probably my favourites.

Random fact: This chapter could've been called Macho or Manly and was originally called Mission(ary).

Back to that cheque and the asses that can't cash it.

As always, enjoy x

Chapter 4: Mosquitoes

Sunday 28th August 2016, 5.30am, Aunt Tullie's house, Summerville, South Carolina

Joss knew he was an early riser, often up before the break of dawn, because usually she was the beneficiary. So when the alarm on his watch went off, she thought it meant time to throw her legs around his neck, or his waist, or wherever. Instead he grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of jeans out of his duffel bag, seemingly not even thinking about her.

"Where are you going?" She asked, spotting her dress hanging over the chair in the corner.

"Fishing, hunting. At Tostado Creek or something."

"You mean Eastatoe Creek. That's three hours away."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Men only."

She laughed to herself. "You know this is a set-up, right?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Think I can't hold my own?"

"I know you can." She sighed and got out of bed wearing just the tape from her stick-on bra. "I just thought you'd wanna spend time with me over Uncle Sterling and The Five Heartbeats. But I guess I was wrong." The worn t-shirt covered her body again.

He tried to disarm her. "How come you don't have a flower name, daughter of Magnolia?"

"'Cause I was supposed to be a boy." She explained with a tone he wasn't used to. "Come to think of it; I should've been Jason."

"Not with that moustache." He joked, putting on a long loose khaki shirt. "If you want me to stay,"

She really did. "Go. They might as well haze you sooner rather than later."

Her wet kisses on his neck were a welcome distraction. "What'd you call last night?"

"Getting off easy."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Joss."

"If you want their respect, just be good - but not too good - with the rifle, Uncle Sterling thinks he's a good shot. And we let him." She advised.

"Noted. Will you be safe here with Aunts Venus Flytrap and Sundew?"

She elbowed him for talking about her family like that, even though it was true. "Nobody's thinking about me. It's Sunday."

"Right, church." He was happy he had a reason to skip it because it wasn't his thing.

"No, silly; it's the Battle of the Church Hats."

5.34am, Aunt Tullie's house, Summerville, South Carolina

Gregory was surprised to find his wife up at the crack of dawn, already making wedding plans online with a special Pinterest. "I hope you're happy."

"In fact, I am. And Freddie said she'll officiate the wedding and put a rush on the marriage license. All is right with the world, Greg. Good morning." She beamed with self-satisfaction.

He shook his head, suddenly seeing the blessing in being away from her all day. "Joss had a panic attack last night. So in your pursuit for world domination, please think of the little people." He advised, knowing with her; less was always more.

Evelyn didn't have a snappy comeback when he was right and she knew that he knew she knew he was right, so she simply said, "Have fun, Greg, and watch out for mosquitoes."

9.47am, Aunt Tullie's house, Summerville, South Carolina

If Joss couldn't have what she really wanted first thing in the morning she would have to settle for a hot cup of coffee and whatever throwback record CeCe was playing. To her surprise, CeCe wasn't on a musical trip down memory lane, instead she was staring off into space.

"C?" Joss got her attention.

"Well, good morning Trina." CeCe greeted.

Joss hip-bumped her out of her spot in front of the coffee machine. "You play too much. And stop eavesdropping."

"It's only eavesdropping when you're quiet. And I take mine with cream, two sugars."

"My pleasure." Joss said mockingly. "What's up? You disappeared last night."

Always a cop. "You got me thinking of Big Reggie." She confessed.

All jokes aside, this was not good news; at any time, in any place. "Don't do it, Carolyn." She warned, using her full name for emphasis.

"It's just…you're so happy. And I keep thinking if we get back together then, maybe this time it'll be different."

"Everyone feels that way." Until they don't, Joss thought.

"And then I remember who he is, and…" She sighed. "These feelings should've been long gone."

"Every woman wants to be with her child's father, but if he's wrong for you; can't nothin' make it right. So he's around?" Joss asked, stirring away.

"Just when I thought he was gone for good, guess who shows up at the last game of the season? It was just like old times. Old, old times." She clarified in response to Joss' raised eyebrows. The old times sucked. Truth be told, the old, old times weren't much better but at least CeCe was too in love to see it. "So they lost but Reggie wasn't fazed by it; he went straight to the kickback with that girl I don't like." Joss smiled and wondered if she sounded like that about Taylor…probably. "And Big Reggie, I've never seen him so excited 'bout his son. J.J…we barely made it to the car."

"CeCe!" She exclaimed, remembering these 'reunions' also kicked off a hurt cycle that left her crying on the phone in the middle of the night, or crying in the shower to a wailing Celine Dion soundtrack, or crying in her car at lunch, or just crying full-stop.

"…Last ones out the parking lot. He's still Big Reggie…" She said with a smile that begged for a cold shower.

"Lawd." Was all Joss could say.

"And ever since, I can't get him off my mind."

Joss wanted to say something; she so badly wanted to advise her cousin that no good could come of this and Big Reggie's actions could never match up to his notorious performance between the sheets. But she couldn't, because CeCe needed a listening ear especially with all this love shoved in her face all day and permeating through the adjoining wall at night. So instead she kept her mouth shut, and enveloped her in a warm, empathetic hug. "Good thing we're headed to church, huh?"

"Amen Sister, pray for me."

"You need a fan, C?"

"Just for the flames."

10.12am, Eastatoe Creek Heritage Preserve, South Carolina

Time and again, nature made John a better man. It was the only thing that could tame the raging beast within, well, until he met a Detective who read him like a book. Even now, he could disappear off the grid into the only place in life that was fair; where his survival was based on his wits and his strength rather than which government agency was or wasn't on the hunt for him. For some reason he couldn't yet fathom, Uncle Sterling insisted on his partnering with Reggie to find dinner. The great outdoors was a far cry from the freshly cut grass he was used to on the football field.

"Mr John," Reggie whispered, as John was holding the hunting rifle, and he didn't want to risk getting shot.

"Call me John, Reggie. Your mom'll never know."

"John." He repeated. "Can I ride your bike?"

"It's not a BMX."

"I know. I'll be real careful."

John stopped walking, and listened for movement. Nothing. "You can…for a price."

Reggie nodded. "How much?"

"A hundred grand." John replied, heading east.

"A hundred grand?" Reggie repeated as he followed, hoping he misheard through the leaves brushing past his ears.

"Yep, that's how much your scholarship's worth, right?"

"I guess. Why?"

"'Cause when you get thrown off that bike; only a hundred grand'll get CeCe's hands off your neck and mine."

"How'd you know?"

"'Cause I was like you at 20." The incredulous expression on Reggie's face was frame-worthy. "Okay, paler. I was impulsive, a little reckless, and I liked girls who liked guys on motorbikes. Even stole one. The motorbike not the girl." That story instantly earned Reggie's respect. "So, start off slow. Try a scooter or something."

Reggie was prepared to drop it, especially since John was leading the way and his life depended on it. "How'd you know where we're going?"

"Listen. You might learn something."

"Cool…can I hold the gun?" Reggie asked, sounding like John of '86.

"We're gonna have to work on that listening thing…"

2.32pm, Aunt Tullie's house, Summerville, South Carolina

Since she won the War of the Church Hats with a purple fascinator, Aunt Rosie got more than comfortable by lighting a slim cigarette in the living room. Tullie's distress showed on her face as she believed the smoke was choking her plants.

"Rosie," She hinted, in the middle of her diatribe about her soon-to-be-ex-daughter-in-law.

"…And to top it all off, when he came home Jackie didn't even try with him. We all know Jason has a temper but it's been frustrating for him. How would she feel if she lost a limb?"

"It's just terrible. There's no loyalty these days." Cammie co-signed, like she wasn't on her third husband and she hadn't arrived alone.

Rosie took a long drag, long enough for Tullie to come up with something. "Josie, did I ever tell you Rosie was our very own fashionista growing up?"

"I don't think I've heard this story." Joss said with exaggerated intrigue, anything to make it stop.

"I remember it like it was yesterday; she was the first one of us to have one of those haircuts, long on one side, short on the other. What'd you call it?"

"Asymmetric." Joss and CeCe said in unison. Evelyn's eyes were glued to the weddings on the laptop; she was tuning everyone out.

"Yes, that, so one morning Rosie here, woke up like something out of the movies. It practically happened overnight. Remember, Rose?" Tullie asked with a mischievous smile that didn't leave her face until Rosie promptly put out the cigarette and asked for air freshener.

3.02pm, Eastatoe Creek Heritage Reserve, South Carolina

Just when Reggie wanted to die from boredom, and John was about to lose his mind answering his 68th question about motorbikes, they spotted a white-tailed doe drinking at a waterhole. Reggie was mesmerised because he'd never seen one in person that hadn't been hit by a car and John was crouching down slowly towards the ground into a better position.

Joss' voice rang in his ears. Let Uncle Sterling have this one, John…

Let him come home a hero with a story of how he came face to face with a buck but his nature got the best of him…

He thinks he's a good shot..and we let him.

But then he remembered; he was John Something Lastname and he couldn't resist a challenge. She was a beauty. She had the warmest brown coat. And with a shot to the brain she was…dead.

8.16pm, Aunt Tullie's house, Summerville, South Carolina

On any other day, the man who brought home 110 pounds of tender venison would've received a Hero's welcome but the moment Taylor saw it lower the wheels of the open back truck he knew John had blown it and there was no coming back from that. Evelyn confirmed it when she overheard Sterling saying something about a 'taxidermist for the head'. "You just had to go showing off, didn't you?" She asked, with indignation. "All my hard work…the nerve…" Her voice trailed off as she went off to find Gregory to ask him why he didn't stop it.

Joss was half-amused and half-concerned by it. "What happened to letting Uncle Sterling have his shot?" She asked, helping him out of a shirt that didn't have human blood on it for once.

"These hands can't do that. Reflexes."

She looked away because he was right. "So what'd he say when you showed up with Bambi slung over your shoulder?"

He cleared his throat. She wasn't gonna like this. "Something about a lucky shot or a trained killer."

"You're kidding." He shook his head and took off the t-shirt. "You're not?"

"I'd need a lot more practice to be a bad shot, don't you think?"

He was right again. "Well, now he's suspicious."

"Just now? You worry too much. Besides, this is the one place I don't mind sticking out like a sore thumb." He reasoned, thinking he didn't have a cologne strong enough to mask the metallic smell.

Joss hoped for a small victory. "Tell me you let him catch the big fish, at least?"

His blue eyes glimmered with the mischief of a child. "I let him think he did. Bait switch."

She threw her head back and wondered what she had done in a past life to deserve this. "What am I gonna do with you?"

He made a colourful suggestion. "Things that hurt and feel good at the same time."

"Oh really?" She didn't mind his line of thinking. At all. Not up against the wall, making out like teenagers 10 minutes from curfew. And definitely not like grown-ups with an appreciation for the finer things in life. "John, we'll be late for dinner…"

8.22pm, Aunt Tullie's house, Summerville, South Carolina

The doe's head was bagged in the freezer in the garage. Jason and Uncle Sterling showed the horrified Aunts Rosie and Cammie as proof of their suspicions. "…See? Right between the eyes." Sterling pointed out the neat wound where a solitary bullet incapacitated the game instantly. "You don't learn kinda thing at Boy Scouts."

"You're right, Unc." Jason agreed. Even though he hadn't shot a gun in 22 months, he still taught theory and supervised training on the base. There was no question in his mind that John had served somewhere, but he couldn't nail down which branch of the military. "Nobody's that lucky."

Rosie felt that tingle she often did when things were heating up; because she'd never worked a day in her life and her youngest child was 30, this was the most excitement she'd probably have all year. "What do we know about him anyway? This…tall man John from the City. Josie's never brought anyone home since Paul, not that we see her that often. Sound shifty."

"I knew it. I just knew there was something funny about him on sight. And my instincts are never wrong." Cammie blagged, thinking it was taking Hamilton too long to get there. Precisely two days too long. "Clearly he has a past. Almost 50, no kids? Sounds suspect to me."

"And me too." Sterling co-signed, wondering what mess his favourite niece had gotten herself into. "Last thing we need's to find Josie in a string of dead wives."

Jason sighed, he was due back on the base first thing the following morning and since Jeffery and Jermaine were accountants with cushy office jobs; they wouldn't be much help in his absence. "I'll look him up as best as I can. But first, what's his last name?"