A.N. Anyone that follows anything else I'm writing might have noticed I'm sort of on a spree. Determined to post a new chapter of everything I plan to finish in the future this weekend.

So expect new chapters of the following:

Vines and Thorns (its about damn time)

GRoP (that's what you're here for, right?)

Dalmatian Daze (going to try for two here)

PRV (already posted on second account)

A.N. 2 BTW, adult themes in this chapter. But it's tastefully vague. :)

Chapter 7

Forces of Nature

Every day Roger would arrive at her doorstep bright and early. He was a morning person, and always so cheerful, even on the darkest of days. Anita met his bright grin with one of her own, gently threading their fingers together whenever she had the chance.

Her mother still gave her distasteful looks, and had mostly stopped speaking to her, except to comment on the housework or the cooking. Still, Anita couldn't be bothered to care; she was too caught up in emotions and feelings she couldn't comprehend.

She loved every minute of it, the time they spent together; even working in his big, fancy house was worth it. The reality of college was so close, she could taste it on her tongue, and her dreams were littered with fancy weddings and grinning babies.

Her insecurities made her pause, to wonder if she was getting in too far, but just one look into Roger's deep, adoring eyes, and she knew that even if it was all going too fast, he was feeling the same things she was.

Not even the shadow of his fast approaching departure could blot out their happiness.

This morning he had dropped her off at the manor, kissing her on the cheek, and leaving her blushing scarlet as he disappeared to run an errand. The housekeeper found her like that, hands on her hips as she clicked her tongue.

"Come on, missy. That boy'll be back 'fore you can snap your fingers," Gretchen said, shaking her head.

Anita giggled. "Yes, ma'am. Where should I start today?"

Gretchen gave her a smile, "Mr. Darling's study needs a good dusting. I'll be in the sitting room."

Anita nodded and left for the utility room to grab her own supplies.

o.O.o

Roger slipped back into the house just after eleven, dropping his things on one of the tables in the entryway before going in search of Anita. He found her, surprisingly enough, tidying up his room, humming a soft tune as she vacuumed the carpet.

The added noise gave him the perfect chance to sneak up on her. He placed the flower he had in his hand on the dresser and creeped forward on his toes. When he was directly behind her, he slid his under her arms and grabbed her by the waist.

Anita jumped and gave a small yelp, turning around abruptly. She gave him a half-hearted glare, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling as he laughed.

"What are you doing?" she asked, followed by her own soft laugh.

When he finally managed to calm down, he reached for her again, giving her a sweet kiss. "Just thought I'd say hello."

She shook her head at him, trailing her fingers over the material of his shirt. "You scared me on purpose, didn't you?"

Her bright blue eyes flickered up to meet his darker ones, a happy glint in them. "Well… Maybe just a little."

She laughed again, pulling herself out of his arms. "I have to finish this," she added a few moments later, nodding to the vacuum.

"And I brought you something."

Her eyes traveled back to him. "Roger…" she sighed, but her smile picked back up when she saw what he had in his hand.

He slid the bright flower into her outstretched hand, and watched as she brought it to her nose. "Oh, it's so lovely!" she said, tucking the pink blossom behind her ear and turning to face the mirror.

"Only the loveliest for you, 'Nita," he told her, turning so he too could take in her reflection. She blushed again. "How about lunch? You can do this later."

Her smile turned mischievous. "I don't know how my boss would like that. Taking off with someone while I'm supposed to be working…" she trailed off, flexing her hand ever so slightly, edging it ever closer to his.

Roger took her offered hand, linking them together, before dragging her to the door. "I can promise you, he doesn't mind at all."

And with that the two of them laughed their way into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. Chef had made it easy for them; a small picnic basket was already waiting for them on the counter, filled with fresh food.

o.O.o

Anita watched as Roger spread the blanket out on the ground, forsaking the comfortable shade on the gazebo for the more private nook among the rose bushes. To make herself useful, Anita began pulling out their meal, her smile growing a little wider when she spotted that Chef had made her sandwich just the way she liked it and had even sliced her favorite fruit.

She felt like a welcome part of the family for the most part. Certainly the help adored her as much as Roger himself and Bella… Bella was the sweetest woman she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. Even Joseph was trying harder to be nice to her, sometimes it was almost genuine. Only his father seemed to thoroughly disapprove, which was only to be expected.

After a moment of pondering the wonder that had somehow became her life, Anita felt the slightest of touches on her bared ankle, and glanced quickly at Roger. He gave her his best innocent grin, continuing to draw tiny circles on one small patch of skin.

"R-Roger," she stuttered as an icy chill ran down her spine, "stop that."

He didn't answer, working his fingers farther up her leg, his artwork growing abstract and tangled. Anita shivered, reaching to still his hand, only to have her action halted as Roger skipped upward, cupping her cheek suddenly and pulling her into a deep kiss.

They broke apart, gasping for air, the air tense and needy. "Wha-"

"Shh," he shushed her, grabbing the back of her head and drawing her into another fierce kiss, searing her very soul. Roger pressed into her, and she relented, until she could feel the heat and pressure from his bod hovering just slightly over her.

Things were escalating so rapidly that neither was very sure how one thing was leading to the next. So many things were wrong, the blinding sun hovering just above Roger's tanned shoulder, the crunching of the dry grass underneath the thin blanket, and the fact that twenty people were just a few yards away, wide awake and perfectly aware of where they were, and even that wasn't enough to pause them.

Instead things were as they were, a few strange moments mixed with pain and pleasure that left them sweaty, confused, and desperately wanting away from one another.

And, for just a fraction of a second before they separated, she felt as though a weird little flutter in the back of brain was trying to tell her something vitally important.

A.N. 3 Oh noes. That didn't work out as well as it should have. Hmm.