A Gift of Treasure

Laughter mingled with the scent of coffee and the tingling effect of sunlight on skin as Ben Gates leaned against the cupboards in his father's kitchen. He was smiling as he watched Abigail talk to his mother, and his grin widened as his father rose from his chair to refill his mug, pausing just long enough to lightly kiss the top of Emily's head as he passed her.

Patrick grinned at his son as he passed him on the way to the coffee machine.

"You look a little shell shocked," he teased. Ben laughed at this and shook his head as he pressed his lips together and then smiled again as he met eyes with his father.

"If I wasn't standing here in the kitchen with the both of you I would say it was impossible," Ben said. Patrick patted his son on the back as they watched the women in their lives chat.

"It certainly does seem improbable, doesn't it?" Patrick chuckled softly. "I was feeling a little lost last night. Something was missing that I couldn't place until your mother arrived on my doorstep, all those curls going limp in the rain and her eyes so wide…as if she was just as lost and empty as I was at the exact same time."

"Don't get me wrong, Dad. It really is nice to see the two of you getting along," Ben said without really finishing his thought.

"But?" Patrick queried.

"But is this a one-time thing? I want you both to be happy but a big part of me doesn't want to watch the two of you go to blows again," Ben said.

"I know you're concerned, Ben, and you need to know that we both love you very much. Last night, each of us said I love you for the first time in over 30 years. Thirty years, Benjamin!" Patrick said.

"I've never seen you two so happy," Ben said with a grateful smile. He looked over at Abigail and his smile widened when she looked up at him.

"I'm sorry to be the one to break this up, but we have lunch plans and errands that have to be done before then, so we need to be going," Abigail said, rising from her chair. Ben set his mug in the sink to free his hands so that he could say goodbye and he and Abigail retreated to the cars they came in. Emily peered out the front window to watch them go, waving when they waved and then turned around to face Patrick, who smiled as she easily slipped into his arms.

"He's suspicious, isn't he?" Emily said softly. "He thinks it's just a fling; one night with a comfortable stranger that will pass when both of us regain our senses?" Patrick tightened his hold on Emily and lingered with his nose in her hair before kissing the top of her head.

"Yes, he is," Patrick said. "But that doesn't make him right. It's my opinion that neither of us had our senses until this whole thing with Cibola." Emily looked up at him with a smile that slowly faded as she gathered her thoughts and then spoke.

"Do you really believe that this isn't a one-time thing? Do you believe that two people can suddenly come back together after thirty years?" Emily said, her arms wrapped securely around Patrick's middle.

"Absolutely. Now, Dr. Appleton, would you like to shower first or shall I?" he teased. Emily smiled as she replied, "You. I'll take care of the coffee cups and be right up."

"Promise?" Patrick bantered innocently. Emily smiled broadly and said, "Yes, I do." Patrick laughed at this.

"I believe the last time you said that to me, it was our wedding day," Patrick said, giving Emily another kiss before turning to go upstairs.

Patrick stood under the stream of hot water and took his time letting it warm his skin. Part of him was still waiting to wake up and find all of this to have been a perfect dream. Latent images of his and Emily's night together still tumbled in his head, distracting him from noticing the bathroom door opening and closing. He turned when Emily joined him, slowly stepping into the shower behind him. She stroked his face as they indulged in a kiss as the steam from the shower drove the humidity up. Patrick turned them so that Emily was beneath the shower head and went to work kissing her neck and stroking her skin. Emily moaned softly as Patrick worked his way down to her collar bones and then carefully knelt to the floor of the tub, pressing his kisses to her belly as she ran her hands through his hair and held him to her. Where he placed his lips next made her gasp as much in surprise as in passion. Emily tossed her head back as he worked his magic, making her dizzy in the heat of the shower. She very nearly collapsed as her knees gave way, slipping to the floor in Patrick's arms. He caught her skillfully, setting her on her knees before him and taking some of the shampoo in his hands. He shared some of it with her and they took turns washing each other's hair before doing the same with the soap. They kissed hungrily as they smoothed the soap over one another's skin, igniting reactions in both of them as the soap and hot water made touching effortless and erotic.

After they'd rinsed off and shut off the water, they were barely dry before Patrick led Emily into the bedroom and pressing her to the bed beneath him. It was nearly noon when Emily stirred, sitting up on her elbow to watch Patrick sleep. She smiled and took a deep breath of the clean scent that Patrick's shower soap had left hanging in the air. She leaned down and softly kissed his lips, chuckling as he smiled before opening his eyes.

"Good morning, again," he murmured.

"Nearly afternoon," Emily bantered back. She shifted her weight and snuggled back down beside him, pulling a thick, soft blanket from the end of the bed over them.

"It's so nice to have you back in my arms, Em," he murmured, kissing her forehead.

"Just nice?" she asked playfully, lightly tracing designs on his chest with her fingertips.

"Wonderful…incredible…amazing…" he added as they laughed. "I love you, my Emily." She kissed his mouth as she cuddled closer to him. "I love you, too, my Patrick."

Ben and Abigail sat down to eat lunch in a sunny café but Ben's mind couldn't have been further away.

"Earth to Ben," Abigail said from the other side of her menu. "You are one distracted guy! Are you still dwelling on this thing with your mom and dad?"

"I can't help it, honey, I'm sorry. I promise, I'll be more present for the rest of the day," Ben said apologetically. Abigail put the menu down, reached across the table and covered Ben's hand with her own. When he looked up, she smiled sympathetically and said, "I love them, too. I understand." Ben smiled back but said nothing for a few heartbeats.

"It's just that they've been fighting for most of my life and I can't help but feel a little apprehensive about this. I mean, one trip to the City of Gold and they reconcile thirty-two years of bickering and criticizing and putting each other down? How can things change so fast?" Ben gushed.

"We did," Abigail said gently. "You and I were dividing up the furniture and you moved out, remember? They're no different than us, Ben."

"Thirty years is a long time, Abigail," Ben said.

"I know," Abigail replied. She was quiet for a moment and then looked at him again and said, "Will you be all right if this is a permanent arrangement? If they reconcile or even remarry?"

"Remarry?" Ben asked.

"Why not?" Abigail said.

"Who's getting remarried? Why doesn't anyone tell me these things?" said a familiar voice. Riley Poole strode up to the table, took up a menu and dropped into one of the empty chairs at Ben and Abigail's table.

"You're late, Riley," Abigail teased.

"I spent the morning on the phone with Jacqueline," he said. Jacqueline was a lovely young lady who had bought Riley's book and recognized him when she saw him at Mount Rushmore. The two hit it off well and had exchanged phone numbers and emails that night.

"So, do you know what you want to eat? I think the waiter is coming back," Ben said.

"No one answered my question. Who's getting married?" Riley said, wrinkling his brow in confusion. Abigail couldn't fight a grin as she turned and leaned a little closer to Riley to whisper to him what had transpired for them that morning. Riley's smile spread faster than a summer wildfire and he looked up at Ben who was very intently studying his menu.

"Please tell me that you're happy about this," Riley said. "Your folks patched things up!"

"Of course I'm happy about it," Ben said. "I'm just a little unnerved. You would be too if you discovered your long-divorced parents had suddenly spent the night together." Riley appeared to actually contemplate this a moment before Abigail spoke again.

"It was really cute," she said with a smile. "She was wearing his shirt and everything." Ben finally put down the menu.

"Could we stop talking about this, please?" he said in exasperation. Abigail wasn't done yet.

"Before you got here, I was asking him if he was going to be all right if they made it permanent," she said.

"Permanent…" Riley said. "Wow…that really is something, isn't it? They haven't spoken in 30 odd years and then one near-death adventure brings it all back. It's the stuff of great movies!" Plainly, the two were trying to get a rise out of Ben and it was working. Riley snorted, Abigail giggled, and finally Ben cracked a grin and started to laugh with them.

"Okay, okay," he said, taking a sip of his water, "I admit, I would be thrilled if they were to patch it up and remarry, but I'm not counting my chickens till they hatch. Can we order now?"

***

"Something in here smells absolutely divine," Patrick said, emerging from his den and making a bee-line for the kitchen. Emily was busily preparing lunch and looked up to acknowledge him. She paused for them to share a quick kiss and then turned back to the concoction on the stove.

"It's a good thing I went out and did some shopping. You have next to nothing in this house!" she said. Patrick chuckled, tenderly squeezed her shoulders and kissed her neck on his way to the cupboard to start setting the table. Emily had made a trip home to change her clothes and then had gone to the grocery store to find things for lunch. Short of restocking his entire refrigerator and pantry, she picked up a few essentials and fixings for a good cool-but-sunny autumn day meal. Tomato soup simmered in the pot she was stirring and toasted cheese sandwiches sizzled on a griddle nearby.

"Where did you get to while I was gone? You were missing in action when I got back from the store," Emily asked idly.

"Oh, I was upstairs looking for something. It was something I put away for safekeeping and having you here with me reminded me about it," Patrick said. Emily turned, one graceful eyebrow arched in confusion.

"What are you up to?" she asked. He smiled and said, "You'll see." Emily wasn't satisfied with this answer, but turned back to the soup before reminding him that lunch was almost ready.

"Em, can you come in here for a moment? I have a question for you," Patrick said. Emily sighed as she took the soup off the burner and shut off the griddle, wiping her hands on a towel before joining him in the dining room.

"What is it?" she asked, coming to stand beside him. He was sitting at the table with a velvety black jewelry box, too big for a ring and too square for a bracelet. What was he up to?

"I bought this in Paris years ago, after an expedition. When I got home, you were upset with me, as you were more than justified to be, and I forgot about it. By the time I realized I still had it, our marriage had ended. It's been a long road that's led us back together, Em, and I still want you to have the gift I bought for you all those years ago," Patrick explained, slowly pushing the box across to her. Emily looked at him, speechless, and gingerly opened it. Inside was the most beautiful diamond necklace she'd ever seen.

"I chose the stones myself. I wanted to make sure that they were as brilliant as I could get them and high grade to boot. It's the only one of its kind…kind of like you," Patrick said. The necklace was set in platinum and held three diamonds. The center was a full 1.14 carats and each side stone was a half a carat in weight. All three stones were flawless and ideally cut. Patrick stood to put it around her neck and fasten it for her as she sat stunned in her chair.

"You said you had a question for me," Emily said breathlessly.

"Would you give an old man a second chance to be your husband?" Patrick said, holding Emily's left hand between both of his. "Will you marry me again?" Dizzy with surprise, Emily shook her head to dispel the feeling and smiled brilliantly as she said, "Of course! Yes!" Patrick opened his arms and Emily slid easily into them, kissing him soundly. They sat for a moment in the rapture of the promise they had just made before Emily remembered that their lunch was getting cold. They were still smiling when they meandered back into the kitchen to eat.