Intuition

by Jennis Slaughter

  Reaching down Rae brushed the front of her slate grey trousers straightening the non-existent wrinkles. Heading down the stairs she finished buttoning up the men’s dress vest that she’d layered over her white oxford. Taking a deep breath as she rounded the corner into the hallway she pulled her gently curled hair over one shoulder and stopped dead when she saw Del standing in her dress uniform scowling at her reflection and picking at every piece of her uniform she could find.

  Seeing Raelin’s reflection behind her in the mirror Del turned quickly, her breath catching at the sight. “You look beautiful,” she breathed.

  Looking down, the witch shook her head. “Darlin’, you’ve seen me in this outfit before. It’s nothing special, but thank you. You on the other hand, if we didn’t have to be at the ceremony, I’d take you right where you stand.”

  “I don’t know why I can’t wear a normal suit. I can just go as your spouse; Kasey is going to be there anyway. She can represent the department,” the blonde complained yet again pulling at her collar.

  “Babe, if you don’t want to wear it, don’t. There’s no one forcing you to.” Raelin leaned forward to place a gentle kiss against Del’s lips.

  “No, if I don’t the Mayor will never let me hear the end of it. I’m the Chief, I guess I can act like it for once,” she sighed. “How are you feeling?” she asked, tugging the taller woman closer by her vest.

  “I’m good, I’m sorry for waking you last night. I just had the jitters.” Reaching out, she brushed a loose hair from her face. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m always happy to help you, you know that.” She gave her witch a loving kiss before pulling away with a smile. “Let’s go get this show on the road. Jeep or your truck?”

  “I was thinking both. I don’t know how long I’ll end up being there, and I know you want to get out of your beloved Bonobo suit,” Raelin joked.

  “I wasn’t planning on taking off the first chance I got. I want to be there for you, even if it means putting up with this get up.” Del smiled back. “We can take both though.”

  She turned and grabbed both sets of keys of the hooks next to the door, holding Raelin’s set out to her.

  “I know you will, but I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Besides, I’m sure that you have a change of clothes at the Department. I’m heading straight to the Foundation, are you following me, or do you need to go by the Department first?” Raelin asked.

  “I need to head to the Department. I’ll meet up with you at the Foundation once I’ve got the boys sorted. They are on security detail so everything goes smoothly for you. So much for showing up together huh? That should give the rags something to munch on.” Del shook her head wryly.

  “I’ll give you something to munch on later Darlin’.” Taking her keys the witch quickly kissed her wife and headed out the back door.

  “I’ll hold you to it,” Del said, giving Raelin’s bottom a pat as she passed by. She locked up the house and met Raelin as she was hopping into the truck. “You’ll do great and I shouldn’t be too long at the department. Good luck and I love you.” She smiled, leaning in the open window of the truck to give her wife a kiss.

  “I love you too and I love you in your monkey suit.” Reaching up, the witch caressed her wife’s face.

  ”Thanks Darlin’. Drive safe, I’ll see you in a few.” She leaned in for another kiss deepening it slowly, giving her wife something to hold onto while they were separated.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The ceremony was a large affair with every big member of the community present. Del was proud to be on the arm of her wife who had done so much good for this community. Kasey was there as well with a stunning Jenny on her arm. Both couples glowed as they mingled with other VIPS. The town had shown up in droves to watch as the ribbon was cut and Del had nearly teared up as Raelin spoke fondly of her father and the vision she had for the town during her speech.

  As the Mayor of the town was giving his speech, Del caught a flash of fear even through the small hits of the emotions of everyone present. She leaned over. “You okay?” she whispered discreetly.

  Clearing her throat, Raelin nodded her head and smiled for her wife. She glanced out into the crowd again to try and find the face that she had seen the night before in her dream.

  “Did you see something?” she asked, fully prepared to contact Douglas and mobilize him if needed.

  “No Hun, it’s just the excitement of everything,” the witch reassured her wife. “As soon as the Mayor’s finished let’s get the kids inside and show them their rooms.”

  “Could be a while if his meetings are any indication,” she chuckled so only Raelin could hear. She gave Raelin’s thigh a pat and checked out mentally, well-practiced in the art of tuning out the Mayor. A quick glance behind her showed that Kasey had done much the same.

  Seeing the children fidgeting and sweating in the heat even though they were underneath an awning, Raelin drew a little power from the lines while muttering beneath her breath, and flicked her wrist at the speaker. Tiny sparks and static started coming out of the equipment.

  Feeling the pull of magic Del wasn’t at all surprised when the equipment cut off the Mayor. The man jumped back in surprised and Del heard not only surprised murmurings, but a collective sigh of relief out of the crowd. She leaned over and once again whispered to her wife, “Have I ever told you how hot your naughty side is?”

  “You can show me later, remember?” The brunette stood up and ushered the children and the rest of the staff inside. Turning to Kasey and Jenny she smiled and asked, “Would you two like a tour?”

  “Yeah sure. If you wouldn’t mind.” Kasey smiled as she watched a few of the children gasping over the estate they would now be living on.

  “Raelin, you still plan on gathering them in the library and having a meeting with them?” Del asked.

  Placing her hand on top of a small boys head as he walked by Raelin smiled. “Yes, we’re scheduled to meet in about ten minutes. I would like to introduce you three to them. I’m hoping that you’ll be spending some time here helping out. Some of these kids are older, and they need some guidance.”

  “Sure. Maybe I can set something up with my guys, if any of them ever need anything. A phone line maybe,” Del suggested.

  “That would be a good idea Del,” Kasey agreed. “I wouldn’t mind helping out around here.”

  “Well, I kinda figured that you would say something like that and I had one installed. All it needs is your okay to be hooked up with the department.” Raelin look at her Chief. “I hope that’s okay.”

  “Perfect. Have them hook it up.” Del smiled.

  “Okay, let’s go.” Raelin turned and led the way.

  Some of the smaller children were sitting cross-legged on the floor, while some of the older ones were standing at the back of the room. Raelin had decided to have ten kids in the starting group. That way she and the staff could work out the kinks to the programs before adding more people to the mix.

  Doing a quick head count Raelin saw that everyone was present and she stood in front and called everyone’s attention to her. “Hi everyone. I’m Raelin and I’d like to welcome you to the Foundation. I promise that this won’t be a long speech; you’ve already heard enough of those. I just wanted to introduce myself, the staff, and a few other people that will be here from time to time. I do hope that everyone has found their rooms and has had a chance to walk around a bit. Tomorrow will be a free day so that you can get better used to the Foundation and everything here. Now there are rules that are posted in every room, and we do hope that they will be followed.”

  Turning she introduced the staff, and then she introduced her family. “This is Chief Delacroix, Deputy Spaulding, and Jenny LeBlanc. They will be helping out from time to time and have offered their services as mentors to those who request it.” Looking out over the group of fresh faces she smiled and asked, “Does anyone have any questions?”

  Jenny stepped
forward. “Hi, I’m Jenny, but my last name isn’t LeBlanc. It’s Montrose. I had a family problem and well, one thing led to another, so I changed my name, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m here for anyone that needs to talk or wants to learn to play piano.”

  Raelin was barely able to keep the shock off her face as she looked at Delaney and saw the same look.

  Grinning, Del gave the small wave and a smile to the group of kids. “Hey guys, welcome to Leroy. As Raelin said, I’m the Chief around here so if you guys need anything you can come to me or any one of my deputies. I have three great people helping me out around town. Deputy Spaulding here is my partner, you’ll probably find us together, and Deputy Michaels and Douglas are my Junior Deputy’s. I’ll have them come up in a few days to say hi. They were nice enough to volunteer to work today so my partner and I could come say hello. There is a phone number set up so you can get a hold of us if you need it, Raelin will make sure you guys have it.”

  “Chief!” A younger girl asked raising her hand. “Your job is pretty dangerous huh? Does your husband worry about you while you work? I noticed your ring,” she asked sheepishly. “I want to be a police officer, but my mom says men don’t like women who are in charge.”

  Del’s eyes went wide at the kids comment. She’d normally be okay with coming right out and saying she was married to a woman, but this was a child and she had no idea how to go about this subject. “Well, that’s a good question,” Del stuttered looking helplessly at Raelin.

  The witch had hoped to get to know the children better before coming out but she refused to lie, so she stepped forward. “I think that I should answer that question as I’m married to the Chief. Yes, I do worry about her every day but I know that she is well trained and has a great partner and other Deputies backing her up.”

  “But same sex marriage isn’t legal in America. Did you go somewhere to have a wedding?” One of the older kids asked.

  “Oh did you get to wear really pretty gowns?” Another of the girls piped up.

  Del just looked at her wife, unsure exactly how to proceed on this one.

  “No we had a joining ceremony with just a few friends present and though it’s not legal we are committed to each other just like every other couple.” Raelin nodded at the first child, before addressing the second young girl. “I wore a dress and Delaney wore a suit, and looked very beautiful. Any other questions?”

  A younger boy in the front shot his hand up and waved it eagerly in the air squirming anxiously.

  “Yes sir. What is your name and what is your question?” Raelin wasn’t even going to try to keep the smile off her face for this young man.

  “It’s Ryan ma’am. Are those guns real?” he asked eagerly, smiling widely up at the two officers.

  Kasey stepped forward to answer this one. “Yes Mr. Ryan, they are and both Chief Delacroix and I hope that we never have to use them.”

  “Can I see it?” he asked.

  “Sorry Ryan, not today. You see whenever we take our guns out of our holsters we have to write a report on why. That’s kind of like homework for police officers. I don’t know about you guys but I hate doing homework.” Del chuckled, enjoying seeing the little guy smiling so wide.

  “Deputy Spaulding, how long have you been working as a Deputy here in Leroy?” A tall brunette asked from the back. She was leaning against a desk next to some of the other girls near her age and it was obvious she was one of the older kids here.

  Kasey stared at the young woman for a long moment with her mouth slightly opened trying to believe what she was seeing. Kai was here...her baby sister was in the first group of kids. “Umm, I’ve been here for a little over six months. I was sent here first as an FBI agent to help investigate a slave trafficking ring but decided to stay here once the Deputy position opened up. It’s a bit slower than I’m used to since I used to live in New Orleans and am originally from Houston, but I decided that I like it.”

  Jenny knew something was up she could tell the way her lover was starting to babble. She discreetly laid a hand on Kasey’s arm to reel her in smiling slightly when the Deputy got the hint and stopped talking.

  Meanwhile Del also knew something wasn’t as it seemed. She’d felt a blast of anger so strong she’d unconsciously reached up to rub at her chest before she was able to use the techniques Raelin had taught her to block unwanted emotions.

  “What made you leave a good job with the bureau?” Another of the older kids asked.

  Raelin once again stepped forward. “Kasey made a decision to leave the Bureau for her own personal reasons. It is something that she would rather not talk about and I ask each of you to respect that wish.”

  “Okay then. Lunch will be served in the dining room in about an hour so make yourselves at home and we’ll see you all there.” Raelin ended the meeting and stepped back to place her hand on her friends arm. “Are you all right Kasey?”

  “Yeah, yeah I’m good. Just um, you never mentioned my little sister was going to be here,” she said quietly as some of the kids swarmed around Delaney or Jenny and others filed out of the room.

  “What? Which one is your sister?” The witch was surprised. “I didn’t know?”

  “The tall brunette in the back who’s glaring this way,” she chuckled ruefully. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice, we usually get mistaken for twins. Sorry, I just figured you would have had a file on her or something. It just caught me a little off guard.”

  Raelin shook her head. “She must be the replacement to the one that died in a car accident. I haven’t had the chance to look over her file. Why...why do you think that she is here?”

  “Mom’s been saying that she’s been pulling in on herself a lot lately. She didn’t take it well when Daddy died. She doesn’t cause trouble, she’s just a little lost I think. Mom told me she was going to get her help, she just never mentioned where,” Kasey replied watching as her sister approached them.

  Kasey braced herself for a seething lecture but was relieved when her sister simply smiled at her and gave her a hug. “I so want to be mad at you for not coming home, but I remember how happy Mama said you sounded whenever you called her. Funny that we’d both end up in the same out of the way town,” the younger Spaulding smiled.

  “Yeah well, I’ve learned that everything happens for a reason in this town.” Kasey smiled back, squeezing her little sister. “You’ve gotten taller. Almost as tall as me now.” She grinned, releasing Kai.

  Raelin extended her hand. “Hi Kai, it’s nice to meet you.” The witch looked between the two women. “You do look almost like twins. I hope that you enjoy your time here.”

  “Nice to meet you too. Thank you for having me,” Kai replied, gently shaking the witch’s hand. “We get the twin’s thing a lot. She’s actually quite a few years older than I am.”

  “I see, well I’ll let you two get catch up with each other. Please feel free to call on me should you need anything Kai. Being Kasey’s sister makes you family.” The brunette excused herself and went to find her wife.

  Jenny walked up and placed her hand on Kasey’s arm. “Kasey, Del told me to tell you that she’s ready to head back.” Turning to the younger Spaulding, the auburn haired woman smiled. “Hi, I’m Jenny, your sister’s fiancée. I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet you. She has told me so much about you.”

  “Shit,” Kasey breathed.

  “My sister’s what?” Kai laughed.

  Catching the look of her girlfriend’s face Jenny’s face fell. “Oh my...I just outed you, didn’t I?”

  “Something like that,” Kasey replied.

  “Whoa, hold on a second. Outed you? What about that guy you were seeing a year ago. Jamie I think it was?” Kai asked with a confused look on her face.

  “Jamie was a woman. You and Mama just assumed it was a guy, and I figured it was easier to let you guys think that way,” Kasey answered.

  “You lied to me? I thought that we had a deal that we would never lie to each other,�
�� the younger Spaulding shot back.

  “Kai, I didn’t lie exactly. You guys just assumed something and I didn’t bother correcting you. You and I both know it would break Mama’s heart if she found out that I wouldn’t ever be bringing a good Christian boy home,” Kasey replied sadly. “I was going to tell you about Jenny. I promise, I just didn’t know how.”

  “How about just saying it? Do you really think so little of me that you would assume I’d hate you for it? Give me a little credit. I understand you not wanting to tell Mama, but I’ve always made it clear that I love you and trust you. This isn’t just a tiny little thing Kasey, you’re getting married for God’s sake,” Kai replied back quietly, not wanting to draw attention to themselves.

  “Umm, I’m really sorry for interrupting, but Delaney’s waiting,” Jenny reminded Kasey. Turning to Kai, she suggested. “Why don’t you two hold this discussion for a later time and place? We would love for you to come by the house and spend some time with us.”

  Kai gave a nod acknowledging Jenny’s invitation but kept her eyes on her sister. Kasey turned to Jenny running an agitated hand through her hair. “You want me to drive you home or are you sticking around here and getting a ride with Rae later?”

  Standing in front of her lover Jenny kept her hand on Kasey’s arm. “It’s okay, I’m gonna stay here and catch a ride with Rae. Everything will be just fine. Now you better get before Del comes and starts chewing on your ankles.”

  Kasey nodded and she was aware of Kai’s gaze on her as she leaned over and kissed Jenny’s cheek, whispering her love in the smaller woman’s ear. She gave a hurried goodbye to Kai as she turned saying she’d finish this talk later.