Sean and Tiffany have been tapped by Robin to serve as chaperones at the high school Valentine's Day Dance. They seem to be spending more time looking for each other than watching out for students spiking the punch or trying to get away for some alone time, but they put on a good act of doing their respective jobs. Sean wanders around the perimeter of the gymnasium, sizing up the kids in between sneaking peeks at his wife. He also keeps an eye on Robin, and he wanders by her when he sees her looking forlorn.
"How are you enjoying the dance, sweetheart?" he asked.
"It's all right, I guess," Robin said, trying to look past Sean.
"Are you trying to avoid being seen with your godfather or looking for someone in particular," he asked. "Or both?"
Robin tries to avoid answering. "I know I asked you do to this because I didn't want Uncle Mac watching my every move and I thought you and Aunt Tiffany would be much cooler..."
"But?" he continued.
"Buuuut, could you kinda maybe sorta focus on the 'being cooler' part?"
"Of course, sweetheart. Uh, I mean Miss Scorpio," he said, leaning over and giving her a quick peck on the cheek anyway.
Something makes Tiffany look up after she pours a glass of punch for a student. Her eyes catch Sean's, he's staring at her rather intently. The disc jockey starts playing a cheesy pop song with a young female singer belting out a bombastic tune about love and passion. The words hit home though and she almost goes week at the knees looking at her husband. He sidles his way over to her, never breaking the visual connection with her. She's practically melting inside and just when she can't think she can't take it any more, he finally reaches her.
"It's really unfair how you keep getting sexier," she said.
"And you keep on getting more beautiful," he responded.
"Uh uh," she said, shaking her head.
"Uh huh," he said, taking her hand. He tugs on her and starts leading her out of the room.
"Sean, we..." she started to say.
"They're fine. Very well behaved as Principal Washington can attest and I think Mrs. Granderson will hold the fort on the punch front for a few minutes," he replied, closing the door behind him and searching for somewhere to go. "A far sight more than we were at that age, I'd reckon."
He leads her down the hallway, trying various doors, all of which are locked. They walk around another corner. He tries the girls' bathroom door, it's open. He signals for her to go inside and check it out. She does, comes back out and grabs his arm. They slip inside and up against the door, quickly moving into each others' arms. She finally lets the emotions welling up inside of her when they were in the gym come out and they kiss fiercely and repeatedly. They slide down the side of the door, staying in the embrace and kissing all the while.
Tiffany helps Sean off with his blazer and he, in turn, slowly relieves her of hers. She's playing with the buttons of his shirt as she does them.
"Something about being in this place, I guess," she said, kissing his chest after opening each one.
"Hormones?" he laughed.
"Mine are definitely in overdrive right now," she said. "But probably more like the innocence of it all."
"These kids probably know a lot more than we did at that age," he replied.
"That's true," she said, as her thoughts trail off in another direction. "If I knew you at that age, I would have been all over you."
"A real hellcat, huh? I can see that," he said, starting to repeat her actions by unbuttoning her blouse and bestowing kisses each time he does.
"I was really eager to ... get going when I was that age," she admitted.
"You must have had many takers."
"You would think that, but you'd be surprised how inexperienced boys react to having a girl be the aggressor."
"How did they respond?" he asked.
"Well, if I did something like this..." she said, sliding her hands between his shirt and his skin while giving him a sensuous French kiss. "... they tended to back off quickly."
"I can't believe it."
"Oh yeah. Probably having to do with insecurity or something. Now once they got over that hurdle, then they were animals. Couldn't be much more of a turnoff."
"That's too bad," he said, clearly not sorry at all.
"Now if there had been a Sean Donely in my life at that time, I don't think I would have had to fret about it much. It would have been pretty interesting and a damn sight better, I'm sure, if it was you the first time. And we could have had a lot of fun experimenting."
"Mmmmmm, I would think so," he said and now he's cupping the back of her head in his hand so he could lay a seemingly innocent, yet devastating kiss back on her.
When she recovers from that, she starts thinking about it some more. "Of course if we had been each others' first loves, then I would have had to watch you go when your desire for adventure started rearing its head."
"You think so?"
"Definitely. And I would have been waiting around for you to return to me," she said and another thought crosses her mind. "Kind of like what really happened. Or maybe you would have just remembered me fondly and not ever come after me. You might have just kind of rolled along with the memory of us inside of you. A very special memory."
"That might not have been the way it went down," he said. "What if I couldn't shake you? What if I didn't try? What if we wound up with a dozen kids and running the farm?"
"You know, I never would have said it back then, but that sounds kind of nice," she said, daydreaming of that possibility. "Not just... the kids part ... but how laid-back our lives would be. Rocking on the porch swing as the sun went down, lying in your arms every night and working side by side in the fields the next day."
"It does sound really nice. However, I'd have to say at the moment, I much prefer the way things are," he said, drawing her back in for another kiss.
"There go those hormones again," she laughed between liplocks.
They continue on in that fashion, just leaning back against the door and making out like kids between tender touches and sweet talk. Until ... the door swings open and they both fall down at two pairs of feet. Tiffany clutches reflexively at her open blouse.
"Commissioner Donely! What kind of example are you setting for these kids?" Principal Washington bellowed.
Sean and Tiffany quickly adjusted their clothing and got back to their feet. Sean reached for their blazers and helped Tiffany on with hers.
"We were just taking a little break," Tiff said quickly.
Robin and a few students who had been hanging out in the hallway around the corner show up, thinking they're going to see some of their classmates caught red-handed. Robin shakes her head in embarrassment.
"If you two think you can control yourself, we can get back to work. If not, there is the door," the principal said.
Sean and Tiffany look at each other, unsure. But then they catch a glimpse of Robin and they nod their heads like scolded children and start herding everyone back into the gym.
At the end of the night, the Donelys are still on their best behavior, helping students find their rides home and stacking chairs and the like. The principal offers his thanks and shakes Sean's hand as they head for the parking lot with Mrs. Granderson in the chilly night air.
"I'm glad we could get through the night without detention," Sean joked. The principal stays stone-faced as he and the other chaperone say their good nights and drive off in their cars. Sean's sedan is the only one left in the lot. He opens the door for Tiffany and she gets in and Sean crosses to the driver's side. He starts the car and turns on the heater. Tiffany's thoughts are on her little fantasy from earlier and he can see that in her eyes. That gives Sean his own idea.
"I think I would like to do some of this experimenting," he said, breaking her out of her reverie.
"Hmmm?" the distracted Tiffany said.
"Would you mind meeting me in the back seat?" he said with a tilt of his head.
A sly smile crosses Tiffany's face and they're both out of the front seat and in the back in no time.
"Now where were we?" Sean said, and they are peeling each other's clothes off again, this time much faster.
"Sometimes it's best just not to fight the raging hormones," Tiffany laughed.
"Especially when you're married to the one you want to get busy with," Sean said.
"Did you just say 'get busy' with?" she said, cracking up again.
"I did. A little phrase I picked up from the kids."
"Which kids? I think we might not have been watching as closely as we should have."
"It was pretty difficult to do that with you looking so inviting. Your fault, Mrs. Donely."
"Whatcha gonna do about it, Mr. Donely?"
"This ... for starters," he said, lowering her to the back seat so he can have his way with her.
Sean and Tiffany are still entwined in each others' arms an hour later. Tiff's eyes are closed and she's just about to fall asleep when ... they're both jarred by someone knocking on the window. A flashlight is shining through. Sean reaches awkwardly for the power window switch.
"Excuse me, I don't want to have to take you in or anything, so why don't you just get dressed and go home and I'll pretend none of this ever happened." It's Officer Johnson, the policeman who arrested Tiffany for being a hooker six weeks earlier. Sean recognizes him before Johnson can do the same.
"Johnson, I think I have this matter under control," Sean said.
"Oh commissioner, I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know it was you. I mean, I didn't expect you to be in a car in the high school parking lot. If I would have known, I wouldn't have bothered you. You don't have to worry about me, sir. I won't tell anyone I caught you here with some woman."
"This guy really has a knack for putting his foot into it, doesn't he?" Tiffany asked from behind Sean, who is gallantly shielding her body from the officer's viewpoint with his trenchcoat.
"Oh no, Mrs. Donely? I am so sorry. I didn't mean to imply. I mean, I never thought that your husband would be here with someone else, I just didn't expect it to be you," Johnson stammered.
Tiffany's brow furrows, since his statement didn't make any sense.
"I'm really sorry, I'll go now. You just go on with whatever..." His voice trailed off because he didn't even want to think about it. "But, sir, if I could just say this, I think your battery might go dead if you stay out here too long."
"Thank you, Johnson. That'll be all." Sean said matter of factly. "And please get that flashlight out of our eyes."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," he said, swerving the beam away from their eyes. He quickly got back in his patrol car and took off.
Tiffany adjusts her place in Sean's arms. "Well, that was ... interesting," she said. "You think we should get out of here." She lowers her eyes suggestively. "I wouldn't want your 'battery' to go dead."
Sean chuckled. "We probably should go. However, there was this one other thing I wanted to try and since I'm here and you're here and neither of us have that unsightly clothing to worry about..." he said, pulling her on top of him but splaying his trenchcoat around her so that she couldn't be seen by anyone else meandering around the parking lot. They both disappear under the coat soon after.
The next day, Tiffany and Sean are in Gail's office, sporting some aches that are visible and some bruises that are not from their adventure in the car. They look exhausted, but happily so.
"Are you two all right?" Gail asked.
"Don't we look all right?" Tiffany replied.
"Actually, you do. But you both kind of look like you're in some physical pain or something."
The Donelys look at each other. "We're fine," Sean said. "Too much exercise."
Gail knows better. "I see. So you're doing well?"
"Yes," they said simultaneously.
"Have you talked more about children since I saw you last?"
"We have," Tiffany said. "We're going to try to have a baby. I'm scared, I think we're both a little scared, but it's what we really want."
"I can see that in the both of you," Gail said. "And I'll be here for you when you need me."
"Thanks," Tiff said.
"OK, I'm just going to straight talk you here, because we're supposed to be working on some things and there's the proverbial elephant in the room," Gail said. They wait for her to continue, but know what's coming. "So you're being intimate regularly now. And I just need to ask if that has brought up any issues for either of you."
"Actually this week, I feel better than I have in a long time," Tiffany said. "I ... think about the baby we lost, I think about the baby we want to have and it doesn't make me lock up inside."
"That's really excellent, Tiff," Gail said. "I'm glad for you."
"I know that it would be naive to think that will never happen again, but I think this week, I've just been able to enjoy what I have and go from there," she said.
"See, you were doing better than you thought," Gail said. "How about you, Sean?"
"I just love this woman," he said. "And like she said, it's not that things don't cross our minds, it just doesn't seem so overwhelming when they do. I have her to help me and she has me and that's what we're trying to do for each other."
"That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you both."
"Thank you," they both replied at the same time, then looked at each other and smiled in sync as well.
