Chapter 4

Anne winced as the front door crashed open. Raising her eyes from the research she had spread on the table she said, "In the kitchen, Kimmie." Anne's welcoming smile tilted when she saw her usually whirlwind daughter come through the door like a spent shower.

"Kimmie? What happened?"

Kim slumped past Anne to the coffee pot, prepared herself a cup, then retraced her path to plop into the chair across from Anne. Carefully placing her cup, she dropped her head onto her folded arms muttering, "He's your son in law, you did this, I just know it."

"What did I...wait, is something wrong with Ron?" Anne questioned.

Kim raised her head enough for half lidded eyes to blink at her mother, "Don't worry, he's the picture of health. A picture of health who is right this moment sleeping in our king size, top of the line, satin sheeted playing field with a humongous grin on his face, while I'm attempting to apologize." The last came out in a resentful semi snarl.

Anne began to smile, "And just why are you here, Kimmie? Instead of sleeping?"

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to distract a professional distraction?"

Blinking at the non sequitur, Anne's smile began to turn wicked. "And just what were you distracting Ron from?"

"From your little mystery, that's what."

"But Kimmie," Anne asked, "I thought you set up surveillance?"

"I did." Kim looked embarrassed. "But something Ron said made me realize that if the mystery rose person was disguised, we still wouldn't know who it was. So I tried to rush home so I could have 'eyes on the ground'. But we caught a head wind on the way back that delayed us too much. The rose was there when I went by to pick up the camera."

Anne's eyes narrowed. "And was the visitor disguised?" She asked cautiously.

"Don't know." Kim took a large gulp of soothing dark brew. "Haven't looked at them yet. I thought I'd get here first and we could use your computer to study them." She pulled a half dozen miniature devices from her pocket. "Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Maybe." Anne agreed weakly.

Kim pulled another device from her cargoes. "This is a handy little gadget that projects a three-d image of what ever the camera got, from miniature to life size."

"Ah, Kimmie, maybe we should...ah..."

Kim glanced at Anne, "What, Mom?"

"Maybe, maybe we should just forget the whole thing. I mean, it's not like there's any harm being done, is there?"

Kim's jaw dropped, "You're kidding, right? I just cut short a romantic weekend in Paris to come back and help you and you want to..." Kim's hands made air quotes, "forget it"?"

"Well, ah, you see Kimmie, I...ah..."

Green eyes popped wide in inspiration. "You went out there didn't you?"

Anne slumped, "Yes."

"Well, great," Kim exulted, "who was it?"

"I don't know."

"What?"

"I didn't catch them, all right? Can we just let it go at that." Anne plead.

"Well, maybe the tape will show something." Kim hit the start button.

"No, Kimmie..." Anne protested.

An image appeared of a woman in black, wearing a veiled hat. She stood a moment at the grave, then bent to place one white rose in front of the tombstone. She turned to leave. Her image was suddenly blocked by a pair of descending hiking boots, long, slim legs, and cream satin lace panties. The image darkened, showing only black.

Silence descended on the Possible kitchen.

"Who..." Kim swallowed, "What was that?"

"That would be me, Kim." Anne blushed, "And those would be Ronald's old mission pants. They caught on the camera."

II.

Watching her almost ten year old son through the window, a fond smile set softly on her lips. "Wonder if I should stop? Anne almost caught me this morning." The smile grew into a grin. "Although I must say, those were some pretty racy scanties she was wearing for a grandmother."

A shriek of mock terror rang out as one of her boy's playmates almost tagged him. "Jimmy would hate to move. I wouldn't like it too much myself. My career, all the memories." She turned from the window to the kitchen, reaching into the refrigerator for a diet soda. Memories cascaded like cards.

"Why so glum, Dr., your robotics project is ahead of schedule and the results are looking fantastic." She grimaced, "It's silly, I know, but here it is Valentine's day, and I'm...valentineless." A soft chuckle replied, "Well, no one as lovely as our robotics expert should go valentineless, so...." A big hand reached into a lab coat pocket, "I got these for the boys, they love them, but...Happy
Valentine's day." Two boxes of sugar candy hearts were placed on her desk.

Opening the can, she leaned back, letting the thoughts flow.

"I don't love you like you deserve, Arthur. I..." "I know that, but I think I love you enough for two, and maybe in time..." And in time she had come to love him, not as much as her great secret love, but a softer, gentler love.

He leaned forward, staring intently out the bunker window. "Damn, there's somebody on the field. Abort the launch while I go get the idiot." He ran out of the hatch, and out of her life. "Control, there is an intruder on the field, abort the launch, I say again, abort the launch." Silence answered her. She stared at the phone in her hand in shock, turning to one of the techs, "What..." He began frantically running diagnostics while his peer grabbed another phone. "This one's dead too, doctor." "Oh, my god." She whirled back to the window, just in time to see the flash that obliterated two men.

Wiping her suddenly damp eyes, she shook her head, "Stupid tears, after all this time."

"It doesn't matter, Arthur, we can adopt or artificially inseminate." He clenched the counter in anger and remorse. "I know, but I should have told you. Had some tests done. I knew I'd had the mumps, I just never thought..." She clasped him in a warm, comforting hug. "Shhh, shhh, we'll work it out."

She returned to the window and her favorite pastime, watching her son. "And we did work it out, didn't we."

The phone dropped from her nerveless hand. "Dr.? Dr.? We have to find out what happened. Dr.?" Who cared how it happened, the greatest love of her life had just vanished like a paper in an oven. "Dr.?"

Shaking her head, she took a sip of cola, "And, dammit, Arthur, what were you doing on the field in the first place?"

"Congratulations, Ma'am. The procedure took. You are now officially a mother to be." The doctor grinned widely. "Arthur!" She jumped off the examining table. "We're pregnant!" The hug they gave each other said it all.

"I wonder if I should have told him?" She shook her head, "No, this was right. Arthur didn't need to know and neither did he." A damp smile blossomed. "Although I wonder what he would have said if he knew what happened to those "fluid" samples he had to give for astronaut testing."

She walked to the door, "Jimmy! Time to come in, honey, lunch is ready."

His blue eyes looked at her, "Can Larry and Joe come too?"

"Of course, bring them in too."

He ran a hand through his brown mop. "Great! C'mon, guys. Then Mom said she'd take us on a special tour of the space center." The three disappeared around the house, there presence announced by the slamming back door. "What have we got, Mom?"

"Your favorite, hot dogs. And...." She grinned wickedly, "marshmallows."

III.

Anne lay back in her bed, sighing with relief. Whether she had taken Kimmie off the scent or not, she supposed she would have to wait until next year to find out. Still, it had been an interesting day. Of course she had recognized the car. After all, she saw her at least once a week. And of course, she had been on the podium when Kimmie gave her speech. Her son should be asleep by now, so it was time to make a call.

IV.

She stretched her arms over her head, hearing her back pop. Finally asleep, now maybe she could get those calculations for the new explorer done. The light tone of her phone sounded. "Hello?"

"Vivian, we need to talk."