A Fresh Start
Chapter One Hundred Six
They walk into the lobby of the Beacon. Ava walks down the hallway between Olivia's and Cassie's office with William following behind her. Stopping about halfway down, she reaches for the door handle as William reaches for her arm. "I'm going…."
"I know you're going in, but please try not to get upset, and try to remember what Dr. Sedgwick said."
"I will." Ava says, before opening the door.
Olivia's assistant is at her desk when they walk in. "Is she in her office?" Ava asks, as William closes the door.
"Yes." Her assistant replies.
"Thank you." Ava says, walking towards the door.
"Would you like me to announce…?"
"No." Ava says, reaching the door.
She opens the door and walks in as Olivia looks up. William closes the door as Olivia asks. "What are you doing here?"
"I want to talk to you about Emma." Ava says walking up to the desk.
"What about her?" Olivia asks as Ava and William sit down.
"I just came form her school and she wasn't that excited about me being there. Can you tell me why?"
"No, I can't."
"I asked her about it, but she wouldn't tell me anything, so her friend Will told me that she was in trouble. Can you explain that?"
"No." Ava and Olivia stare at each other until Olivia says. "I grounded her because I felt that she needed…."
"You punished her because she was talking to Jeffrey and Sam the morning after the wedding."
"If you knew that, why did you ask me to explain?"
"I wanted to see if you would admit it. You grounded her because…."
"I grounded her because she left our room without my permission."
"That is not why you grounded her and you know it. You grounded her because she talked to Jeffrey. It had nothing to do with her leaving the room without your permission. She's gone downstairs many times without you as well as upstairs and she's never gotten in trouble before. You've sent her up to my room yourself."
"Do not think you can come in here and tell me…?"
"I will tell you when you're wrong. Grounding her because you're upset at either me or the situation with Dad is wrong. She's completely innocent in everything that happened yesterday and before, including talking to Sam and Jeffrey."
"She's…."
"She's a little girl that spoke to someone she knows and was a part of her life, even if it was for a short period of time. Would you ground her for talking to Buzz?"
"Of course not." Olivia says, as Ava stands up with William following her.
"But you would ground her for talking to Jeffrey. She's not responsible for the issues between you and Dad, or the issues between you and me."
"I will..."
"You will lift her punishment when she gets home."
"Do not come in here and tell me how to raise my daughter, who do you think you are?"
"I'm her sister and she will not be put in the middle of this. I'm the only one she's got to look out for her." Ava says, before she turns and walks towards the door.
"You're both turning your back on me. You're picking…."
"This isn't about being against you or turning our back on you." Ava says, stopping and turning around to face her.
"You're my daughter, you should stand by me."
"The way you've stood by me, why should I. You're wrong now, you've been wrong in everything that you've down since Jeffrey broke up with you, except to tell the town that he's not responsible for what happened to you in San Cristobel. You think we're supposed to blindly accept whatever you say. You know that grounding her was wrong and you will lift that punishment." Ava says, reaching for the door. Opening it, she stops and turns around again. "And do not say one word to her about telling me what happened. She didn't want to." Ava says, before she walks out of the office with William following her.
When they reach the car, William stops her as she pulls the keys from her purse. "Are you okay?" He asks, turning to face him.
"I'm fine. But I want to go."
"Give me the keys. I'll drive us back to Towers."
"Okay." She says, handing him the keys. He opens the passenger door for her and she gets in. Closing the door, he walks around the car and gets in and starts the car. As he backs out, Ava asks. "Can you get back to Towers?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
They leave. About thirty minutes later, they reach Towers. William gets out and walks around the car as the valet comes. He opens Ava's door and helps her out as the valet gets in the drivers side. They walk into the hotel. Pushing the button for the elevator, William puts his arm around her. "When we get upstairs, why don't you take a hot bath and then lay down for a while?" William says.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll check in with the palace and maybe talk with Alex Spaulding…."
"Don't try to get…."
"I'm not. I need to talk to her about the Spaulding plant in San Cristobel, and Alan's trial.
"Okay." Ava says, as the elevator comes and they walk on.
William pushes the button for the penthouse. When they reach the room, he opens the door, letting her in. Closing the door behind them, he follows her into the sitting room. "I'm going to go take a hot bath and lay down."
"Okay."
As she walks past, he reaches for her. Pulling her to him, he wraps his arms around her. "It's going to be okay?"
She lays her head on his chest, closing her eyes. They stand there for several moments before William steps back. "Go get that bath and relax." He says, releasing her.
She nods and then leaves as William goes to call the palace. About an hour later, she gets out of the bath. She feels a lot better but she goes on into her room and lies down. Closing her eyes, she's asleep within a few moments. William checks on her once as he leaves to meet with Alex and realizing she was asleep leaves the suite.
She sleeps for a couple hours. When she wakes up, she rolls over and looks around. The suite sounds quiet. Getting up, she leaves her room and goes into the sitting room. She expects to find William there but he isn't. Checking his room, she realizes he's not there either. She goes back into the sitting room.
Looking around to see if he left a note, she doesn't see one. She sits down on the couch and turns the TV on. Flipping through the channels she turns it off after a few moments. Lying down, she closes her eyes and listens to the silence, letting her mind drift over the last few days. She's still laying there when William comes in. "Hi, how are you feeling?" He asks, sitting down after lifting her feet.
"I'm good. I was laying here enjoying the silence." She replies. "Where did you go?"
"To meet with Alex, she wanted to meet when I called her."
"Did you settle everything?"
"I have her assurance that Spaulding will continue with the plant in San Cristobel even with whatever decision is made for Alan's trial."
"Okay."
"Are you still upset about Olivia and Emma?"
"No, I took a bath just as you suggested and I relaxed and then I took a nap, so I feel much better now."
"Good, are you hungry?"
"A little bit."
"Do you want to go out?"
"No, not really."
"Then do you want something from Towers?"
"Okay."
William gets up. Walking over to the phone, he calls Towers and orders for her and then returns to the couch. When the order arrives, he goes to answer the door a couple minutes later he returns with her food. After she finishes eating, he takes everything out to the hall and when he returns he sits back down beside. She's sitting up, with her feet tucked underneath her robe. "What did Jodi says?" She asks, as he sits down.
"Parliament is meeting about the options for the country."
"When will they vote?"
"Probably within the month."
"If they vote for democracy when will they vote for the new head of state?"
"If the country votes to reinstate democracy then an independent commission will draft the rules for the general election. They'll decide the length of campaigning before the election and they will oversee the election, once the election is decided the new head of state will be sworn in."
"Immediately."
"It will be shortly there after."
"So, it could be several months before you're able to leave."
"Yes, I'll stay until the new head of state takes control of the country."
There are a few moments of silence before she says. "Maybe I should come down there with you."
He looks at her a little surprised. "I thought you didn't want to be involved with the government…"
"I don't, but maybe I could be there for you."
I appreciate you wanting to be there for me, but you should be up here with your family, even with the problems with Olivia, this is where you belong. I seriously think this process will not take long. The Lord Chancellor realizes the need for a speedy resolution he will push for one. And I'll be able to come up on the weekend, if you want…."
"Of course I want you to come up, but I do have the time to come down there."
"But you need to be here with your family. And I'm not sure your father would appreciate you coming down there with me?"
"My dad…."
"Your dad loves you and he's not sure he can trust you with me."
"He has no reason not to trust you."
"Yes, he does. He knows the story behind me and Camille. He was there when I first came back and found out about Will. He's afraid I'll do you the same thing to you and I understand that."
"Okay." Ava says, moving over to him. "You're leaving in the morning."
"Yes."
"So, we have tonight."
"Yes."
They sit there for a few minutes before William leans forward and picks up the remote. He turns the TV on, to take his mind of Ava sitting close to him. He picks a movie for them to watch as she leans against him.
She tries to concentrate on the movie, but she feels it every time he takes a breath. When he moves she feels every shift and it becomes harder to concentrate on the movie. When she pulls away form him, he notices and he's sort of hurt when she does, but he doesn't say anything.
Even sitting at the other end of the couch, neither one is able to concentrate on the movie. She looks over at him. After a few more minutes, she gets up. When she gets up he looks over and asks. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'll be right back." She says, leaving the room for the bathroom.
She walks in and closes the door behind her. When she finishes using it, she stands in front of the mirror. Her breathing is rapid as she feels her heart beat, beating against her chest. She reaches up and begins to fiddle with her hair and then after a few seconds she stops, staring at her reflection in the mirror. "What's wrong with you? You know what you want. So go get it. What if he doesn't want to? You can try, that's the only way to find out for sure." Sighing softly, she checks herself again and then she leaves the bathroom.
She goes back into the sitting room and sits down next to him as he asks. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She says, moving closer to him. "Did I miss anything?"
"No, not really." He says, sensing a change in her. He puts his arms across her shoulders, drawing her to him.
After a few minutes, he reaches for the remote and turns the TV off. Laying the remote down, he sits back and still they make no move. After another few minutes, Ava looks up. "Will." She says softly.
"Yes." He says, feeling his heart jump when he looks down.
"Would you...? I mean I know we thought that night…."
"Shhh!" William says, laying a finger across her lips. "Whatever we thought was going to happened that night was changed by this baby. I don't know where this is going or what we will become, but I'm willing to find out, are you?"
"Yes, I think I am. I don't know how I feel right now about you. I know this baby complicates everything we do, but I want to know if we can be more than just this baby's mom and dad."
"Okay, then come here." He says, reaching for her.
She moves into his arms as he leans in to kiss her. He nibbles softly on her lower lip until she opens her mouth and he deepens the kiss. Wrapping their arms around each other, he buries his fingers in her hair as she leans against him and he sucks in a deep breath.
After a few moments, she leans back and looks down into his eyes. Seeing desire burning there, she reaches for his shirt and begins to push it up as he reaches for the belt that's tied around her waist. Shaking her head no, she says. "Wait."
He looks up and then lets his hand fall to her waist. Holding on to her, as she works his shirt up, reaching for it he pulls it over his head and then lays back as she looks down his body.
Watching him breath, she stops when she reaches his waist. Reaching out, she moves her hands down his chest, caressing him as he fights the desire to pull her to him. When they had been together before, he had been the one to control what happened that night, loving her at his pace. Tonight, he wanted to let her do what she wanted to do, let her set the pace.
Reaching for his belt, she works it open and then moves down until she's kneeling over his legs as he kicks his shoes off. Looking up, she watches him. Watches his slow burning gaze move over her, she knows he's wondering what she has on under that robe, but she's going to make him wait to find out.
Looking down, she's surprised at how quickly he responds to her. They've only been kissing but she can see the outline of his erection press against his jeans. Reaching for the snap on his jeans, she pops it open and then reaches for his zipper being careful not to touch him too much. When his pants are open, she leans forward, again being careful not to touch him as she kisses him for a few moments before she pulls away again.
She moves over to his neck, nibbling on his neck and ear. He lets his head fall back and closes his eyes. She spends a lot of time there, feeling the pounding of his blood against his neck as she kisses him. Reaching up, he buries his fingers in her hair, holding her. He wraps one arm around her waist, trying to bring her closer to him. She leans back to look down into his eyes. After a couple seconds, she leans in again, kissing him at the base of his neck. She moves down his upper chest.
Lying back, he resolves to let her do as she pleases, knowing that she'll eventually have to given in to the desire building inside her as well. She stops for a few moments, playing with his nipples. She rakes her teeth over them before gently caressing them with her tongue. No one had ever done that to him, and he was shocked at how much he enjoyed the pain and then the soothing feel of her tongue. He wasn't quite sure which one he enjoyed more.
She moves on after a few moments, moving down to his stomach and lower abdomen. He sucks in a deep breath when he feels her slowly run her tongue around the rim of his bellybutton before gently probing it with her tongue. Sweeping waves of desire rush through him with each swipe of her tongue making his desire grow even stronger.
Sitting back, she looks up and smiles, listening to his breathing as he struggles to hold onto his resolve. "When you look at me like that, you making it incredibly difficult to let you finish this." William whispers. She answers with a smile. Even that makes him want her.
Reaching for his jeans, she begins to tug on them as he arches his back to help her, pushing them down as she pulls on them. She leaves his boxers, pulling the jeans down his legs as he settles back against the cushion. He kicks his shoes off and then kicks them to the floor as she leans over him again. She works her way back up his chest, softly scratching him as he shifts slightly, reaches for her belt again, but she moves away shaking her head no.
"But I want to see you." William whispers.
"You will." She says, leaning into kiss him
She again moves down his body, kissing and nibbling as she goes, stopping to play with his nipples before moving down to his navel again, slowly running her tongue over his bellybutton. Incredible waves of desire charge through him, clenching his hand into a fist, he fights the urge to take control. She can sense the struggle inside him. Reaching for his boxers, she begins to tug on them. Lifting his hips again, he reaches to help her and when they're at his feet, he kicks them off as she sits back, staring at his desire.
When they were together before, neither one had taken the time to really look at the other. Desire had filled them quickly and took control before they could really know what the other wanted or liked. She was learning so much right now, but her desire for him was beginning to push that aside. Reaching for the bow at her waist, she pulls it free, making sure to keep the robe closed with one hand while she lightly runs the end of her belt down his body. As the cool silk moves over him, the coolness of the fabric seems to burn into him. "Ava, please." He says, staring at her hand. "I want to see you."
"I know you do, but I'm not ready yet."
"Don't hide from me."
"I'm not." She says, dropping the belt and leaning over him. She kisses him for a couple seconds before she sits back up. She reaches for him, wrapping her hand around him. "Ava, baby." He groans, closing his eyes.
Moving her hand, caressing him, building his desire to almost a fever pitch, sitting back she looks down into his eyes as she releases her robe and he drops his gaze to her exposed body. He quickly realizes that she's not wearing anything underneath the robe. "Sweet… Ava." He groans, laying his hands inside.
Sweeping it off her shoulders and down her arms until it falls off her body he lays back, watching her breasts rise and fall, while she struggles to control her breathing. "I've got to…." He doesn't finish as she leans over him and he lifts his head.
Taking her left nipple into his mouth, he plays with her as he wraps his right arm around her. As she leans over him, he moves his right hand down her hips and around to slip between her legs, slipping between her thighs he sucks in a deep breath when he feels how desperately she wants him.
Pulling away from him, she moves over him, taking him she guides him inside her. "Ava, oh, sweet… dear..." He gasps, feeling his erection being swallowed up by her.
"I know." She says her eyes falling closed while she savors the feeling of being totally connected to him for a moment.
Slowly she begins to move back and forth. His hand fall to her waist, holding to her desperately, as searing waves of desire crashes against his soul. Bracing her hand on his chest she beings to rise and fall as he reaches up and holds her breast, squeezing them he plays with her nipples until she cries out. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulls her to him as he moves her to her back and then leaning up on his forearms he begins to thrust, driving them deeper into the passion that is raging inside them.
"Will." She cries, arching her hips and he sinks deeper. "Oh." She moans, sucking in a deep breath as her release surges through her, caressing him while he continues to thrust.
The strongest wave of release washes over her as he feels his release rushing through his body, pouring out of him and filling her again with another wave of release.
Sam is lying on her stomach when Jeffrey wakes up. Rolling to his side, he watches her for a while. Reaching over, he brushes her hair back from her face, letting it fall through his fingers. "Hi." She says softly.
"Hi." He replies, as she moves over to him. "Did you sleep okay?"
"I slept really well." She says, stretching.
"And how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." She says, laying her arm across his stomach. "What are we doing today?"
"I thought we would take a walking tour around the falls and then go over to Canada and visit the falls over there. And then we'll have dinner at Skylon Tower."
"Okay." She says, pulling away from him.
"Where are you going?"
"I've got to go to the bathroom." She says, getting out of bed.
Jeffrey sits up as Sam walks to the bathroom. She leaves the bathroom about five minutes later and is walking back to the bed when she suddenly feels dizzy. Jeffrey is watching her and when he sees her reach for the couch he gets out of bed and rushes to her. "What's wrong?"
"I feel dizzy."
He sweeps her up into his arms and carries her over to the bed. Laying her down, he sits down beside her. When she tries to sit up, he reaches out to stop her. "Lying down is making it worse." She says, and he lets her sit up. "Can you get me some water?"
He gets up and goes to the bathroom and brings the water back and then sits down beside her as she takes a drink. He reaches up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear and she pulls away. "Don't hover, please." She snaps, taking another drink.
He sits back, watching her. Reaching for her hand, he holds it, trying not to hover but worried at the same time. A few minutes later, she puts the glass on the table and then takes a deep breath. She looks up and sees the worry in his eyes and she feels bad that she snapped at him. "I didn't mean to snap at you." She says.
"It's okay. Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Maybe we should stay…."
"No, I want to go. It was the hormones from the pregnancy. I'll be fine, I promise." She says, moving over to him.
"You're sure?"
"Yes, and I'll prove it."
"How?"
"Can you go get me something to eat?"
"You're hungry?"
"Yes." She says, as he stands up shaking his head.
"I'll be right back." He says, pulling on his jeans, t-shirt and shoes on. She watches him get dressed. He leans over, kissing her softly. "I want you to stay right here until I get back." He says, standing up.
"I will, I promise."
"I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Okay." She says, lying down as he leaves.
Ten minutes later, he comes back with a tray of food. Sam is still in bed when he walks in. "I didn't know what you wanted so I brought everything, except the coffee." He says, sitting the tray on the bed after she sits up.
"I see that." She says when he takes the covers off the food.
She starts to eat while he sits down on the bed and watches her. After a few moments, he starts to eat too. After a while, she sits back and sighs as he looks at her. "Are you finished?" He asks, taking a drink of orange juice.
"Yes." She say, looking at the tray and realizing that she ate most of the food. "I guess I was hungry." She says, in surprise.
He smiles as he finishes eating the rest of the food. When he's finished, he takes the try out to the hallway. Sitting it outside the door, he closes the door and then walks back to the bed. "When is the tour?" She asks, getting up and kneeling on the bed as he stops in front of her and looks down
"In a few hours, around one." Jeffrey replies, as she takes his hand and pulls him closer to her.
"Good." She says, reaching for and pushing his t-shirt up his chest.
"What are you doing?"
"Do you know that you are incredibly sexy when you get dressed?"
"When I get dressed, I don't…."
"I was watching you get dressed a while ago and it struck me how incredibly sexy you looked pulling you shirt and jeans on." She says, pulling his shirt off and tossing it on the floor.
"If I looked so sexy putting my closes on, then why are you trying to take them off me?"
"Because right now I'll like it better if you have nothing on." She says, leaning in and kissing him. Leaning back after a few moments, she asks. "Now do you get the idea?"
"Umm, I think so." Jeffrey replies, reaching the bottom of her nightgown and pulling it up.
She reaches for the first button on his jeans. Unbuttoning it, she leans in, kissing the side of his neck. She moves down to the next button and the next, her hand brushing against his desire."
Sparks of electricity flash through him with each button, he pulls her gown up and off and then tosses it to the floor, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her deeply. She sighs softly, laying her hand at his waist.
"Baby." He whispers, breathing heavy when he pulls away from the kiss.
Stepping back, he kicks his boots off and then pushes his jeans and boxers off. She lies down on the bed and watches him. When he stands back up, she holds her hand out. Leaning over, he kisses her as he lies down beside her.
She moves hands down his back, lightly scratching him until she reaches his hips, pulling him closer as she lays back and moans softly. He leans back, looking down as she looks up.
"Is this better?" he asks, as she shakes her head no. "No." He says, surprised
"I want more." She says, moving her hand over his hip and slipping them between his legs. She closes her hand around him while he groans softly, laying his head on her shoulder. His breath feels hot against her neck while he fights for control. She caresses him as he groans. "Beca." Kissing her shoulder as he leans up and looks down. "You love doing that." He whispers as she smiles up at him.
"Doing what?" She asks, holding him tighter as she moves her hand along his erection.
"Driving… me… crazy." He gasps, lying back down beside her.
"Yes, I do." She replies, caressing him faster.
He reaches for her as he leans in to kiss the side of her neck, nibbling on her as he cups her. She looks up after a while and when he doesn't move, she starts to say something but he interrupts her. "Do you feel that?" He asks, as he looks down.
"Please, I need you." She whispers, reaching for his hand.
He waits for a few more moments before he whispers, as he caresses her. "I loved doing it too."
"J." She moans, arching her back as she holds onto him, caressing him and falling into the rhythm that he sets.
"Beca." He groans, moving closer to her.
She leans up and kisses him while she continues to caress him. She feels his desire building with each caress as his erection grows in her hand. Moving his fingers over her he slips a couple fingers inside as she begins to move her hips. "J." She moans, arching her back.
Leisurely she caresses him, the heat of desire building in both of them. Gasping for breath, he leans in and softly kisses her breast, playing with her nipple as she moans softly. "J, I love you baby."
He looks up, watching her. After a few short seconds, he pulls his hand away as he reaches for her hand, pulling it away as he moves up. Leaning on his forearms, he leans in, kissing her, as he enters her, swallowing her moan.
He thrust, slowly at first and then with almost hard desperation. She moves her hands down his back as she begins to move with him. Their desire builds as he thrusts harder. Reaching up, she pulls him down to her, kissing him.
Her release rushes through her, washing over both of them. "J." She cries, reaching for him and holding him still against her, refusing to release him when he tries to pull away. "I want you to feel this." She whispers, as each wave rolls through her and over him.
He sucks in a deep breath and holds it as he closes his eyes. "You make me feel that every time." Sam whispers, looking up, watching him. When the last wave rolls over her, she leans up and kisses him before she whispers. "Roll over."
He looks down and then he rolls to his back, bringing her with him. She lies down on top of him as he wraps his arms around her, holding her tightly. She lightly kisses his chest when she pulls away. Sitting up, she rolls her hips as he reaches for her.
Fluttering waves of release roll through her, caressing him while she moves faster. After a minute, he lifts his hips, thrusting against her. "Beca." He groans. "I'm… almost… there." He whispers hoarsely, as she lifts her hips, bracing her hands against his chest. They move together for several moments until she arches her back, warm waves of desire erupts from inside her, flowing over both of them as she clings to him, caressing him with each wave. "Sam." He groans, as his release rushes through him. He arches his back holding her hips as his release breaks and wave upon wave of desire rolls through him, filling them both with warm heat.