February 28th, 1997

There was something indulgently luxurious about waking up slowly to the sound of birds and scent of tropical blossoms wafting in through an open window, as the morning light finally splashed across the huge bed in which Bonnie lay, swathed in soft, silky sheets, Ian's warmth joining with hers for the perfect temperature for sleep, and cuddling.

Ian's breath brushed the back of her neck, and she could feel the firmness of his chest and abdominal muscles pressing against her back, his left arm draped over her, and his hand resting loosely below her chest. His whole body was relaxed, and the even breathing told her he was still sound asleep.

Which was a good thing. Sleep was something Ian had not gotten nearly enough of lately, or that Bonnie had, for that matter. Though they had both certainly made up for it on this amazing trip. Tomorrow, they would be leaving, but they had one more day of their nine days in this beautiful place to enjoy themselves.

As much as Bonnie found herself missing her children, the past several days had been heavenly, not just for the ability to sleep as much as they wanted, and whenever they wanted, but because it was all time she had gotten to spend as the sole focus of Ian's attention, and all of it doing activities they both loved, but had not indulged in much over the past several years.

The first night's magnificent dinner, with a show and dancing, had just been the start. They had spent several afternoons at the beach of the lake, not just playing around in the sand and the water, but trying new things. They had gone out in small boats that were a traditional form of canoe made from the local trees, with a group, and sailed around the perimeter of the lake and partially up and down the small, slow-moving river that fed it. There had been a fascinating nature hike up a well-cultivated trail that wound around the mountain, with a guide who had pointed out over two dozen species of birds, several lizards, a snake far up in a tree off the path that looked large enough to eat her children, and at least forty or fifty different types of plants that Bonnie had eventually lost count of. They had dared to sign up for the longer hike, which had a small group, and it had been worth the experience, though they had both come back tired.

The resort wasn't far from a local village that had some fascinating shopping. Bonnie knew it was there for tourists, but they frequented the stores that had authentic items—because Ian insisted that he would rather pay for the quality of the real thing than cheap knockoffs. Bonnie agreed. She would rather support the artisans who still worked at their crafts. They picked up small gifts for the children—mostly for Zachary and Joanna who would actually want something—and the family members kind of enough to watch the kids. They had also shopped for themselves. Bonnie hadn't planned on buying much of anything for herself, but Ian had practically begged her to indulge him in letting him spoil her a little. After that, how could she say no?

It was a good thing she had packed lightly, and that most of her preferred purchases were smaller items, or they would never have gotten their baggage home.

The highlight activity of the trip, at least for Bonnie, had been the trail rides that had taken them all the way around the lake, and several miles through the jungle. There were several different ride options for different local scenery, and Ian had signed them up for all four of the rides. They had seen waterfalls, beautiful vistas, more wildlife, and Bonnie had loved every minute she spent on the horse she had been assigned for the trip; a playful young bay mare named Alegre. Ian road a handsome roan gelding, named Travieso. Both were apparently not the easiest horses in the bunch, but riding levels had been considered in horse assignments, and none of the trail horses were particularly challenging. Certainly not to Bonnie. While she hadn't been able to ride much lately, that didn't mean she had forgotten how.

With all the physical activity by day, Bonnie was amazed at how much she didn't hurt. Though she had to credit that to the magnificent hot tubs, spacious showers, and the spa part of the resort that offered the most amazing massages.

Not that they were more amazing than Ian's. Her husband delighted in any excuse to have his hands on her still, and she was happy to let him when it meant working the soreness out of her muscles.

Soreness he had definitely helped put there. Without having to worry about waking the kids, or being walked in on, or interrupted, there had been quite a bit of spontaneous lovemaking, and Bonnie had been quickly reminded how much she missed it. Without having to worry about the risk of getting pregnant again, there was no reason to limit themselves.

Behind her, Ian shifted, and then his hand tightened a little as his arm lifted up… his fingers catching on her breasts.

Bonnie smiled, even though she couldn't see him. "There's no way you will ever convince me that's an accident."

Ian grunted. "Guilty as charged," he chuckled. It was a lazy sound. "Your magnificence is impossible to resist."

"Well, you'll have to relearn some self-control in a few days," Bonnie reminded him, feeling a bit wistful about it.

"Only in front of the kids." Ian kissed her neck. "Don't tell me you haven't enjoyed this."

"Oh, I never said that." She had enjoyed the whole week. It hadn't all been tourist activities and sex. They had talked at length, and often, about themselves, about what they wanted, and about the best ways to fit more relaxation and connection back into their lives. "I was more thinking about how indolent you've been. Sleeping in. Taking indulgently long showers. Stuffing your face at every meal with enough food to founder a horse." The last was said playfully. In truth, she was glad to see Ian back to his normal self. With all the stress of the last few months, he really hadn't been eating enough to keep up with his abnormally high metabolism. While he looked fantastic for films, she worried about his health.

"It's all you can eat." Ian shrugged, his hand loosening and sliding down her front instead. "Might as well take advantage of not tanking the budget and finally get my fill."

"Easier said than done, but a good point." Bonnie shuddered a little as his fingers tickled her. Twisting, she rolled over to face him. "You look better. Less underfed."

"But still underfed." Ian smiled. "I know. I'm trying, and I'll take better care of myself when we get home."

"The real miracle of this trip." Bonnie leaned in and kissed him, enjoying the heat that filled her at his passionate response, even if they were both too sleepy to do anything.

Or at least… she was. It was soon abundantly clear that Ian was more awake. I did wish for him to be back to normal.

"How much time do we have before the trip to the temple?" She asked when their lips parted. That was today's final activity, and it involved a bus ride for almost an hour through the mountains to reach the site. The ancient temple—and the modern museum built nearby—were a local highlight they had both wanted to see. Especially as the museum had an extensive historical costumes of the Aerugean peoples exhibit.

Ian grunted as he moved enough to glance over at the clock. He looked immediately disappointed. "Not enough, unless you want to go naked, without showering, or without breakfast. I didn't realize how late we slept."

"We've tried to catch up a year's sleep and activities into nine days," Bonnie pointed out, smiling as she wriggled out of his embrace. "And as amazing as I feel, and as amazing as you are, I have no intention of going out in any of the states you just listed."

"You can't blame me for hoping." Ian chuckled, and kissed her again briefly before sitting up fully and letting her go. He reached for a robe. "You can have the shower first. I'll put on the cacao."

That was another amazing discovery Bonnie was grateful for. On top of coffee and teas, one of the more popular brewed drink options in Aerugo that had apparently not really caught on in Amestris—though Bonnie could not think why—was the same beans used in making chocolate. It gave amazing energy, but without all the caffeine that had been chewing up her husband's insides and that he'd been using to stay awake when he should have been sleeping. It also didn't keep them up at night. Bonnie had already purchased a couple of bags of the beans to take home, in the hopes that she could replace Ian's perpetual coffee intake with something better for him. Seeing as they both liked it, it was a fantastic idea, and she was sure if she asked around, she could find it imported in one of the specialty markets in Central.

So, she nodded as she reached for her own robe, preferring not to walk around naked getting her things. "You do that. You know… I could always use someone to help scrub my back."

Ian's eyes lit up. "Anything you wish."

The ancient temple, and adjacent, thoroughly modern museum, turned out to be a highlight of the trip, Ian thought, as they walked through the exhibits. As anticipated, Bonnie was raptly absorbed in the clothing exhibits, though she enjoyed the rest of it as well. At one point, Ian was almost sure she was counting threads on a piece of cloth. She took copious notes in a little notebook, and photos where permitted.

Ian enjoyed it as well, though he had to admit he'd spent a good bit of the past several days more distracted by his wife. There were things he had noticed, that he suspected he was supposed to notice, that were different. Not at all in a bad way, but they gave hints to what she and the girls had been up to leading up to the trip, and his wife's frame of mind leading up to it.

Being attentive to details was part of his job, and Bonnie was an expert on minute details. Every outfit she had brought on the trip was new. Ian would never have expected his wife to spend that much on clothes, but he hadn't objected. She didn't own much of anything that fit her outside of her older maternity clothes, even though she was not all that much heavier than she had been before her last pregnancy.

Not only were they new, but they were fashionable. Still in more classic cuts and not incredibly flashy, but it wasn't her usual comfort casual. The dress she had stunned him in on the first night was not the only piece in the wardrobe that had been eye-catching. Ian could sense the input of several friends and female family members in the choices, because he knew Bonnie would never have tried some of them on without someone else suggesting them first, or nudging her in that direction. She had impeccable taste, but she usually reserved the design eye for the things she was putting on other people.

So, the purpose of the clothes, Ian suspected, was not just to attract his attention, but to make Bonnie feel confident. When they started dating, she would never have worn anything that drew the male gaze by design. Hard, of course, given she'd had a killer figure, but she'd always dressed down and functional, even in her professional wear. For most of their trip she had seemed not to care if she got attention. She had been focused entirely on enjoying each activity, and spending time with him. Which was all right by Ian.

The new swimsuit she had brought stunned him more because he hadn't known she'd bought it even though he should have thought about it. She had definitely needed a new one. Or, she could have worn the one maternity suit she had, but that would have, apparently, run counter to her plans for this trip. It was a single piece, of course. Ian had never been able to talk her into a two-piece of any sort again after the debacle over a decade ago when he'd accidentally embarrassed her by suggesting to Tanner she sub in for a missing extra during a pool scene. The bikini—little more than strings really except in the critical places—had shown what a knock out she was, but she'd been mortified even though she had agreed to do it for the good of the production.

Ian had never made the mistake of suggesting something like that again. Though he very much appreciated the elegant simplicity of the dark green swim-suit. It flattered Bonnie as much as the other outfits.

There were other little details he had noticed. Her hair had been trimmed and styled. Nothing dramatic, but it wasn't just uniformly long everywhere except her bangs anymore. The subtle layering gave it a little more wave and body. Though it was still long enough for her to pull back and play with in a variety of styles. Which was probably why he hadn't immediately noticed. Then there were her nails. While she always took care of her hands, and they were still natural and uncolored, they had obviously seen a manicurist. There was the make-up, which he had noticed the first night. Never a lot, or heavy, but more than she usually wore.

He had complimented all of these things, and while she seemed to appreciate that, he was grateful she didn't look more relieved. He didn't want Bonnie to do things because he liked them. Besides, he thought she looked beautiful without all of those things. Still, if she wanted to dress up, he was hardly going to complain. Bonnie should do whatever made her feel good about herself.

Which was why he hadn't said a word about the biggest surprise, which had hit on their first night in the hotel. He might not even have noticed if they hadn't managed to get that alone time before they left. As he had removed her dress and taken his beautiful wife to bed, he had discovered something that could only have been done, as far as he knew, with alkahestry. After the triplets—especially after her womb had shrunk back to normal size, and she had lost a lot of the weight gained that had gone into breastmilk for three—there had been a lot of loose, wrinkled skin that had been stretched to new levels, that remained. That, and much more dramatic stretch marks on the sides of her chest and stomach were now faded, smaller. The smallest marks were completely gone. Ian had never minded them. They were like battle scars; badges of honor, and visible reminders of what she had survived. The patterns were, actually, kind of fascinating.

When they'd arrived here, he had been momentarily startled to find that the marks were dramatically faded, and the skin tightened and reduced back to more where it had been a couple of years ago. There was no real notable change to her overall shape, but he had felt a momentary twinge of guilt at having not realized how much they apparently bothered Bonnie.

In that moment, he had run his hands over her… let her know he had noticed, then simply gone back to what he had been doing earlier, getting them both lost in the moment.

But should he say something? Bonnie didn't seem disappointed that he hadn't. In fact, she had been much more vibrant and confident and herself lately. He hadn't realized how much the pressure of working both of her jobs and mothering five had weighed on her. Yes, they were both parents, and Ian tried to do as much as he could to be an involved father, the way his had been, but his work hours and filming schedules made it difficult.

Ian watched Bonnie sketching out the detail of a trim pattern on a five-hundred-year-old garment, and couldn't help smiling. They had reconnected on this trip. He couldn't let that get lost again. When they had first been dating, Ian had told Bonnie he'd be willing to give up his acting career if it meant they would be together. Bonnie had never asked him to make that sacrifice. No more long location shoots, not without Bonnie. It would almost certainly mean turning down roles, but as long as he could get enough work in Central, it would be worth it to ease up their schedules, to be home more, to have time to breathe and spend time with his children, and especially the woman he loved.

"Ian, are you even looking at the exhibit?"

It took him a moment to realize that Bonnie had straightened up from her crouched position and was now looking at him with an amused expression.

Ian smiled sheepishly. "I was, but your beauty and enthusiasm are distracting."

Bonnie chuckled. "I suppose I should take that as a compliment. It's almost time for our tour of the temple itself. Do you need a snack before we hike? I don't think there's time for lunch."

There wasn't, but that was fine. "Actually, I think I'm good for now. Breakfast was filling." And as much as he had eaten this week, even with all the physical activity, he was hardly starving. "Though I wouldn't mind something to drink." It was warmer here than at home, and hydrating before the hike was smart.

"Good idea." Bonnie joined him as they headed out of the costume exhibit where they had spent most of the morning. "I'm really going to miss some of the drink selection down here," she added as they strolled back through the previous exhibit towards the café. "I love some of these fruit juices."

Ian nodded. It was too bad most of the fruit that grew locally wouldn't survive in Amestris except in hot houses. "When we get home, I'll see if I can find any in the specialty markets," he offered. It was possible that, as an occasional treat, they wouldn't be too expensive.

"When was the last time you had time to shop for groceries?" Bonnie asked, though there was no venom in the question.

She wasn't wrong. Lately, Ian hadn't had much time when the stores were open. "I'll make the time," he promised. "I'm going to start turning down roles that require out-of-town location shoots. At least, for a little while," he told her the decision he had been thinking on earlier. "We're doing fine right now, and I've got enough work at home, that it's not necessary."

Bonnie was startled enough she stopped walking. "Even if it's an AWA worthy script?"

"Not unless you tell me I have to take it," he assured her as he stopped as well, stepping out of the flow of people next to an exhibit that held a stuffed jaguar in mid-lunge. "There will be plenty of time to take more of those roles when the kids are older. What our family needs right now isn't my industry… it's me; a functional, not horribly overworked, present me." He reached out and took Bonnie's hands in his. "I've been so wrapped up in trying to take care of everything that I've started dropping the ball on the things that matter most."

Bonnie squeezed his hands, smiling up at him with a bemused expression. "Like your health?"

Ian managed not to blush. "Among other things. I don't want to undo all the good of the past couple of weeks when we go home again; let us get lost in the details and the chaos. Life used to be… less complicated."

"When we had only two kids," Bonnie agreed, chuckling softly. "It's already a bit better, you know. I love how the new work focus is working out. I don't think I'd realized just how stressful the studio work had gotten until I'd been away a bit. Working out of the house except when I go over to the department store is so much better, and I know the kids like it better."

"And I'd like to be there more to enjoy it with you." Ian stepped in closer to her. "I'm sorry I've been a bit dense."

Bonnie kissed him lightly. "The one thing you are not, is dense. But you have been a bit too focused and stressed. I'm glad we came, and I want us to have more time together—relaxed time together—too."

Ian smiled. "Glad we're back in sync. Now, we should probably move before someone reports us for being inappropriate in a public setting."

Bonnie chuckled. "Why do I think you'd secretly enjoy that?"