Ages:

Jim - 32
Delia - 30
Melinda - 28
Ned - 6
Katie - 3

"Fifi! Fifi, where are you?" A shrill female voice cut through the soothing silence of Melinda's summer afternoon.

She had just returned from a prolonged but successful information hunt with Eli. She set her foot on the driveway, breathing in the peacefulness of the day. Small white butterflies were dancing in the sunlight from the flowers she'd planted in the spring with Katie. That little girl had searched high and low for the prettiest flowers they could find at her mother's flower shop.

She'd recently gotten in touch with her mother again after Katie asked about her in a picture. They weren't close by any means, but they got together sometimes. She would never hold back loving family members from her little girl, and Beth had been reaching out for some time anyway.

The garden was still in full bloom was a rare sight to behold in the middle of July. But Katie said it was her birthday gift from the sun. It was her third birthday today after all. She peeked through the backseat to smile at the sleeping girl and heard the woman start yelling again.

If that woman woke her up, she was going to rain hellfire on her. She needed to keep her daughter asleep until she could finish decorating the downstairs for her birthday party later.

She closed the car door as Ruby Granite, clothed in shorts and a tight-fitting black tank top, squatted down and appeared like an intruder in that scenery, a trespasser who didn't understand the unspoken rules of not peeking under other people's porches.

"Hello Mrs. Clancy," the young woman shouted when she looked up to see her out of her car now. "I'm not trying to be snoopy or anything. I just saw Fifi run under your porch."

Took her long enough to realize she wasn't alone. Melinda suppressed the urge to press both hands over her ears when she walked silently over to Ruby. Anything to stop that shouting.

"Have you seen her? My kitten? Oh, her short hair is silver-colored and she has a small scar over her left eye." Ruby rambled. She wore her unruly black curly hair in a braid, her complexion dark. Her grey eyes, however, appear pale and ghostly. "I just saw her. I swear she ran over here."

Melinda shook her head. "Haven't seen her, Ruby. I'll keep an eye out, but if you could keep it down though that'd be great. Katie is taking a nap and I have to move her inside."

Ruby nodded and looked nervously around, checking under the porch again before looking into the street. "She couldn't have gone into town, right? If she did, I'm afraid I'll never find her again."

"I'm sure someone will call you if they find her. She has a collar right?" Melinda shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she stepped onto the lawn. "I think focusing in town might be your best bet. Sometimes even cats need a bit of time to themselves."

Melinda turned around in the direction of her car, leaving Ruby and her issues behind. She had enough to worry about. She opened the car door, unbuckling Katie from her booster and softly picking her up. The little girl moved with her, comfortably falling asleep on her shoulder as her mother grabbed her sippy cup and favorite stuffed lamb.

She felt another headache coming. This ghost's energy was so draining. She had to get inside and put Katie down before this got any worse. Lately, she had been feeling unwell and woozy every time this ghost came around. She hadn't felt this way since that missing girl case a few years ago. That time had turned out to be because of drugs and after all the information hunting today it looked like it was going to be the same thing.

It didn't feel as heavy or drunkenly at all, but it didn't help. Her head spun as she pushed the car door closed and Katie stirred a little. "Sleep baby," she whispered in her ear, kissing the three-year-old's cheek.

Her daughter mumbled a half-coherent mommy before she was out again. She had never felt so in tune with someone as she did her little girl. Nowadays, she was tired all the time, especially when she was home, in her natural environment after working at her ever-busy store.

It was tourist season from now until it starts to snow. That would drive some of it away, at least for a little while. But what hurt her the most was that she didn't have the energy to run around with Katie or read her an extra book at bedtime.

And she certainly hadn't had enough energy to stay awake for Jim when he'd come home from his long hours of being a resident sometimes. Her husband would never complain about her lack of energy, but it didn't keep her from worrying about the well-known possibility of someone's husband straying after his wife had a baby.

But Jim wasn't like that. Melinda shook that thought from her brain and entered their house, immediately going up the stairs and into Katie's room. She laid the little girl on top of her bed, smiling at the way she curled onto her side and pulled her precious stuffed lamb close.

She leaned down, kissing her forehead and pulling off her birthday tiara that she'd insisted on wearing all day, and put it on the small table to the side with her sippy cup. She left her on top, placing a light blanket on her because of the hot day and turning on the overhead fan on her way out. She ran back downstairs and into the dining room where the bags of decorations sat.

Now she had two hours to set up all the Minnie Mouse decorations in the dining room and kitchen and backyard before she'd have to wake Katie for the party. Great. She better get started.

Melinda went out into the backyard, seeing that Jim had set up the tables like she asked and she turned around, seeing a familiar gray cat lying on the railing near the other side of the deck. Ruby's cat stretched, following her movements with indifferent, cloudy eyes. She walked over to Fifi and caressed her lightly, scratching a spot behind her right ear.

Her grandma's old cat had loved this particular way of petting and she began purring just like Whiskers used to. "You can come whenever you'd like," she whispered to the feline. She must get tired of Ruby's voice too and need a place to hideout. She was more than welcome and understood. "I get it."

She turned around and went inside, pulling out the banners and black and pink streamers she planned to hang. She wondered where Delia was. The woman was supposed to meet her here before she went to pick Ned up from school.

Melinda returned to the kitchen, pulling out the neatly cut sandwiches and fruit salad. She'd gone for kid-friendly snacks or at least one she knew Katie and Hannah would eat. She didn't know much about her other friends. They always ate the snacks she brought for their turn in the soccer and class rotation.

She was about to go back to the streamers when she heard a girlish laugh through the open window above the sink. Surprised, she looked up and sure - out there in her backyard now stood Ruby, holding the grey cat in her arms.

In front of her, with his back to the kitchen window, the steady figure of a black-haired man could be seen - Jim was home. Early.

She wanted to call out a greeting and lifted her fist to knock on the window when he started to talk in a low, husky voice, good and simply her husband.

"Look at you! You're such a pretty kitty, right? Yes, you are! Aww...I can't help it, I just have to pet you." He laughed deeply and gently scratched the small animal resting in Ruby's arms under the chin. "Oh, my daughter would just squeeze you if she saw you. She loves cats too."

Melinda's mouth fell open and she couldn't help but stare through the window, unable to cope with what she just heard, her cheeks flaming red - even though nobody was present to witness her embarrassment.

Jim was using that voice. The voice nobody was allowed to hear, nobody but her. His wife. Or so she thought. His bedroom voice.

She thought his voice only got like this for her. When he was really mad or incredibly turned on and wanted her. When he wanted her to lose control, to jump his bones and moan in his ear.

The voice he used when he laid between her legs and opened them up to get her ready, licked his lips, making eye contact, and shortly before he took that last step, that first tentative taste with the tip of his tongue.

"Thank you for helping me find her," Ruby gushed, kissing the cat's cheek. "I don't know what I would've done if she'd gotten hurt or lost."

She shifted uncomfortably to the left side of the window, not wanting to be seen. It had been too long since she'd heard Jim talk like that, and it wasn't even with her. What was she supposed to think?

The young woman looked at him with adoration, a faint pink blush tinting her cheeks. "If there was any way I could repay you I would," Ruby touched his forearm and Melinda raced out toward the back deck.

No one touched her husband like that.

"Hey, you found her!" Melinda acted cheerfully and Jim caught the burning look in her eyes, chuckling to himself as he turned to Ruby.

"You keep an eye on her now," he said and then turned to kiss her, but she ignored him, walking over to the kitchen table and bringing a banner to pin up above the sliding glass door. "Are you seriously mad at me right now?" He followed her, his arms wrapping around her waist and his lips touching her neck. "Mmm, you smell so good."

She ignored him again, moving out of his arms. He sighed, turning around. He watched her as she put up another banner and then began unraveling streamers. She turned, seeing he was still standing there, in her way now. "Are you not going to set anything up, Jim?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "Because I could use the help since Delia is late."

"Yeah, sorry." He came up to her, kissing her cheek as her eyes met his. "You know I love you, Mel, and I would never do something stupid like that."

"Yeah, well. Until you apologize for the right thing I'm not forgiving you." She sighed, walking past him and out the sliding door.

Melinda took in a deep breath, went to the railing of the deck, and wrapped the black streamers around it slowly. Just picturing Ruby touching his arm again, simply talking as the girl sweet smiled at him, made her blood run hot.

She felt the heat creeping up her neck and closed her eyes to calm herself down. She was being irrational; she knew that. But it didn't change the fact that Ruby was openly flirting with her husband.

"It's just hard for me," she whispered, breaking the tension once Jim came over with the pink, following her streamer pattern down the railing. "I know you would never cheat on me Jim, but that doesn't stop my insecurities from being there and when she touched you like that... it was like the worst nightmare come true."

She shouldn't be blaming him. He hadn't even done anything.

"I'm sorry," he said and came behind her, pressing a soft kiss on her shoulder all while he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I should've moved her hand before you even came outside and that's one. How can I make it up to you?"

"You didn't even do anything wrong, Jim," she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to reason with herself. "I overreacted."

She felt a hot breath on her neck. Then the tender brush of his lips, burning as they made contact with her neck. "No, don't do that. You have every reason to feel like that and I'm sorry. Now let me make you feel good."

And he did. It'd been too long, far too long. She felt that wonderful swelling between her legs. Arousal had been drowsing in her since she overheard his conversation with Ruby and the cat. Thinking of the girl and her stupid cat made her uneasy again, burning with jealousy.

Melinda had missed that low voice of his, aware that this was entirely her fault because she was too gunshy to tell him that she wanted to be the only one who gets to hear it. "You didn't think, did you? About how I would feel when he heard you talking to that- that girl. Can't you see how that must've hurt me? I thought that deep, low voice you get when we're like this was special, but then you go and tease your voice to Ruby. Ruby of all people Jim?" She let her fist connect softly with his chest, her voice hoarse with uncried tears. "You know how I feel about that girl!"

Melinda turned to storm out on him, to leave him to set up the party and curl up in a nap with Katie, but he pulled her back. "Hey, come back here," he said, in that same tone of voice. Slowly, she turned to face him, her stubbornness melting at the sight of him. "I'm sorry, Mel. It's only for you. I didn't even realize."

Their eyes met and she saw understanding dawning in his. She felt small, petty and so unworthy of him that her heart ached physically. Turning away again, she wondered if he'd finally had enough of her.

He came up behind her and she knew before he even touched her that he was there. It wasn't his shadow or the feel of his body heat nearby, it was the way she felt him touch her with his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he told her again and she turned around, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. She'd never felt this jealous before. Jim still wore his scrubs from work, his ID which was clipped to his pocket stood out to her. "I only love you."

James Clancy, MD - General Surgery

She was so proud of him. He just continued to stand there, his hands coming out to hold her face as he looked into her eyes without saying another word. The air outside was humid, too warm. It was only seconds before he pulled her into a kiss. It was soft and sweet, and she latched onto his shoulders, pulling him closer. His mouth opened readily over hers, and she tasted him urgently, desperation taking over.

They were never going to go this long without sex. Ever again.

And as much as she didn't want him to, he pulled back. "Listen to me," he said, holding her face in his hands still. "You have nothing to worry about. There is only one woman that gets to feel this..." He leaned in and gave her a long, warm kiss. "And that's you."

She laughed and tugged him closer, their lips crashing together again. She pushed him backward until he sat on one of the many sturdy tables he'd set up that morning.

"The house is right there," he chuckled, her hands going to the bottom of his scrub shirt and pulling it up and over his head.

"Don't care. I want you right now and I don't want Katie to wake up if we go inside," she breathed huskily in his ear and he groaned, angling his face to draw her back into another heated kiss. His tongue dipped into her mouth as palmed him through his pants.

"You are killing me," he said, throwing his head back to look at the sky. "You want her to hear us don't you?"

She ignored him, but he was right and she didn't care. "You're mine. All mine, right?"

"I did pledge myself to you," he smiled at her.

"Yeah, you did." She shrugged, then grinned at him. "I'm sorry for overreacting."

"I should've paid more attention to my tone," he said, sighing. "I didn't even realize my voice changed that much."

"It does." She averted his eyes, stepping back, wetting her lips. "And it matters to me."

"What?" He stepped closer, his arms wrapping back around her waist. "Does it turn you on?"

Her feelings bubbled up in the back of her throat. On how much it hurt her to hear him talk like that in front of Ruby. "Yes, it does. And hearing you like that with that fucking girl? It hurt my feelings when we haven't had in weeks." She met his eyes then, just as he pulled tightly into a hug.

Melinda felt so full, so happy, so at home in his arms, and the way he smelled instantly calmed her. The feel of his skin under her lips was warm as she kissed his neck and traced her hands over the ripple of his back muscles, hugging him even tighter.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to make fun of you before. I just didn't know my voice affected you that much."

She rolled her eyes, pulling back and smiling at him. "You affect everything," she whispered and kissed his lips. "Now come on. We've got a party to set up and then I'll think about giving you a present later."

"And it isn't even my birthday," he whispered, kissing her neck. "I guess it would be my gift to you. It is the third anniversary of the day you gave birth to Katie."

"Yeah. All that pain and suffering. I do deserve a present." She winked at him, pulling him up from the table and kissing him. "But just a night in with you and our girl is the best gift anyone could ever give me."

He smiled and kissed her once more, needing to reminisce on their lost time from each other these past few weeks. God, he wanted her. And then, sometime later after the party, he had her. Over and over again.