Jamie chuckled at Ryan’s slight exaggeration and said, "Yeah, but I spend the rest of the time crying, ‘Oh God! Oh God!’"
"She’ll think we’re just saying our prayers," Ryan grinned. "Again, I don’t want to pressure you, but she won’t know a thing, even if we do wake her up. We just have to be prepared to stop if she does wake."
"Stop?" Jamie raised an eyebrow, but it was too dark for her partner to see it. "Oh, no, no stopping, Tiger. Once the train leaves the station we’ve got to get to the next stop." She was chuckling as she said this, the low sound making Ryan smile in response.
Giving her a hug, Ryan said, "You might just have to go into the bath to bring the train home, Babe, but I still think it’s worth the trip."
After a short pause to make up her mind, Jamie sighed and said, "All right, Buffy. I’m game, but we can’t stay under these covers. I’m suffocating in here!"
"You increase the level of difficulty," Ryan smiled, "but I’m up to the challenge. Let’s do it!"
"My little romantic," the smaller woman smiled, patting Ryan’s cheek fondly.
Tossing the covers back, Ryan took a massive breath, the cool air filling her lungs. Jamie cuddled up against her side and started to draw little patterns on Ryan’s overly-warm body. Caitlin turned over in her sleep, muttering an adorable little bit of gibberish. "She’s talking in her sleep," Jamie giggled.
"Awake or asleep, that ain’t talking," Ryan whispered as she started to laugh, having to put the pillow over her face to keep quiet. When she calmed down she pulled the pillow down just far enough so that Jamie could see her eyes. "I can’t do this," she mumbled. "There’s no way I can relax enough, Babe."
"I can’t either," Jamie agreed. "It might be different if she was our child, but it just seems...I don’t know…too odd."
"Yeah…that’s a good way to put it. Besides, you never know what she takes in while she’s asleep. I’d be embarrassed as all get-out to take her back to her parents and have them find out that her first words were …Oh, God!"
The next morning, at a little after six, Jamie woke slowly, blinked at the clock, and snuggled closer to her partner, deciding to delay the onset of the new day as long as possible. Surprisingly, something kept her from falling asleep again, and it took her a few minutes to realize what it was. It feels better to remain awake and feel how wonderful it is to be held like this, she decided. She had no idea how Ryan managed it, but not infrequently Jamie woke to the delicious sensation of being completely enveloped by the strong, smooth arms of her beloved. It was puzzling, since they rarely fell asleep like that, but she so enjoyed the feeling that she just chalked it up to O’Flaherty magic.
She was lying on her side, with Ryan cuddled up tight against her back. Her cheek rested on Ryan’s firm left bicep, her head nestled between soft swells of breast. Ryan’s right arm encircled her waist, and her hands were clasped together, seemingly protecting Jamie from all harm. The scents that emanated from the dark woman surrounded Jamie like a warm, humid cloud. A little soap, a little baby powder, just a touch of musk, and a smidgen of the aromatic Ryan-ness that was impossible to describe, but altogether intoxicating.
Her moist breath was coming in long, smooth streams, blowing softly over the top of Jamie’s head. She could feel a few strands of hair propelled on the breeze that wafted over her, and once again she thanked the gods that Ryan rarely snored. With as much air as goes through those lungs, she’d wake the dead if she ever did!
She lifted her right arm and covered Ryan’s, wrapping her hand around her partner’s clasped ones. For a few minutes she merely observed the marked difference in their skin tones, marveling at the rich, deep burnished color of her partner’s skin. Even with her chronic use of sun block, Ryan had darkened up during the summer. Maybe Ryan’s right, she mused. Maybe she should just have all of our children. She has such good genes, it seems a shame not to exploit them. Involuntarily, she thought of her own cousins, aunts, and uncles. Drug addicts or alcoholics, all, she thought regretfully. It doesn’t get much better on the Evans side, either. I can look forward to giving birth to a controlling, manipulative philanderer!
She lifted her hand and started to stroke up and down Ryan’s muscular arm, breathing deeply of her scent. You don’t see the O’Flahertys running around with other women, she scoffed. Not one divorce in the entire clan—on either side! That’s quite a statement when half of all marriages end in divorce.
As she snuggled closer, she felt the hard tips of Ryan’s nipples rub against her back. Sighing heavily she prayed, Please, please don’t ever cheat on me, Baby. I couldn’t live without your love.
Her hand continued to stroke, finally dropping to draw a smooth path from Ryan’s hip to her knee, reveling in the feel of her lover's soft skin.
Slowly, the dark woman opened her eyes, then grasped the hand and placed a gentle kiss on the warm palm. "Morning, Love," she yawned as she immediately went into her stretching routine.
Jamie continued to stroke her all over while she stretched and purred. When the questing hand wandered a little too far into dangerous territory, Ryan gently stopped her with another kiss. "Don’t tempt me, Baby, you know my resistance is weak. My tank is still empty from last week."
"Honey, you know I have needs," she purred, dipping her head to nibble on Ryan’s collarbone.
Turning over to face her partner, she gently trailed her fingers over her face, causing a shiver to run down Jamie’s spine. "I know all about your needs, Hot Stuff. As I remember, you were the one to drive me to distraction last night with those torrid kisses."
"And you were the one who gave me that arousing back rub," she reminded her as she kissed her nose. "Getting me all turned on and then trying to compromise my virtue with an innocent child in the room."
"Wasn’t my first choice," Ryan smiled. "You were the one who wouldn’t do it on the sofa in the living room," she recalled.
"My mother was in the next room," Jamie moaned.
"Didn’t stop you on Tuesday," Ryan reminded her. "Is the sofa more scandalous than the floor?"
Jamie giggled, thinking that her appropriateness meter did tend to jump around a bit. "No, it’s not. I just felt a little uncomfortable doing it with my mom so close. You caught me by surprise on Tuesday, Tiger. It’s when I have time to think that I get prudish."
"You’re far from prudish, Love." Ryan’s large, warm hands were slowly running all over her body, and Jamie’s libido decided that it needed an outlet.
"Bathroom?" she asked hopefully.
A slow shake of the head was Ryan’s answer. "We won’t hear Caitlin when she wakes."
"Hallway?"
"Now that has possibilities," Ryan agreed with a growl as she tossed her onto her back and climbed aboard to nuzzle her neck. Jamie’s wild giggling woke the baby and after she had a second to orient herself, she cried to be picked up. "Now aren’t you glad you weren’t seconds from orgasm?" Ryan asked smugly as she lifted the infant from her crib.
"I never thought that was a question I’d say yes to, but I suppose I am," she admitted as she flopped back to the bed with a thump.
"Don’t worry, Love. We’ll be in our snug little bed tonight, and I’ll fulfill every fantasy you have."
"Oh I know you, Ms. O’Flaherty. You’ll be so tired tonight you’ll have no interest in my aching body."
"I’d have to be a lot more than tired to lose interest in that masterpiece," she corrected her. "Comatose, unconscious ..." she trailed off as she went into the bath to start the shower.
They were just packing up the last of their supplies when Catherine came popping out of her room, showered, dressed, and ready. "Let’s go," she said brightly.
"You want to go with us?" Jamie gaped, having assumed her mother had satisfied all of her amusement park fantasies on her earlier visit.
"Of course I do. It’s our last day here, and I want to enjoy myself. I might even go on a ride or two," she declared, grasping Caitlin and leading the way from the room, her startled comp
anions trailing along behind.
They decided to have breakfast in Goofy’s Kitchen, located right in their hotel. Catherine had not experienced the earlier visit with the big dog, so she was bubbling with delight as Caitlin greeted her old friend Goofy. The huge dog was standing by the entrance to the restaurant, and an automatic camera caught an adorable picture of the pair, both blondes smiling broadly. Catherine didn’t know that her picture had been taken, but Jamie saw the image flash on the monitors over the reception area, and she remained behind to purchase one of the large color photos.
The restaurant, while crowded, was well designed, and it didn’t seem as noisy or as packed as it truly was. The fare was served buffet style--never one of Jamie’s favorite things, but right up Ryan’s alley. Looking around the various serving areas, Jamie nodded her approval. There were quite a number of items designed for kids, such as peanut butter and jelly pizza, but they also stocked many things to appeal to the adult palate. Never liking to eat much in the morning, she grabbed a fresh croissant, some raspberry jelly, and an assortment of fresh fruit.
Ryan shot her partner a pleading look, silently complaining that holding Caitlin interfered with her ability to feed herself. The smaller woman prepared a plate for the larger, managing to pile many of Ryan’s favorites onto one plate, adding two Mickey shaped waffles when Ryan made eyes at them. They were heading back to the table when the bright blue eyes lit up in glee as Ryan saw the large clear dispensers for various cereals. "Jamie! Can we get these for our house?"
Jamie’s brow furrowed; there was no way in hell she was going to have four or five massive cereal dispensers on her counter, but she didn't have the heart to disappoint her partner. "Sure, Honey," she said, knowing that the idea would flee Ryan’s mind by the time they left the restaurant. Taking the biggest bowl she could find, Jamie filled it with one helping from each of the containers, creating a very satisfactory helping of "Ryan’s Jumble."
Catherine settled Caitlin onto her lap, insisting that Ryan and Jamie have a moment to enjoy their meal in peace. The baby happily ate from the huge bowl of cereal, repeatedly sticking her chubby little hand into the bowl. They had wisely decided to add milk later, much to Catherine’s pleasure, and Ryan began to doubt that there would be any cereal left for her. Caitlin often ate very little, but sometimes her hunger seemed inexhaustible, and this morning was one of those occasions. By the time everyone else was finished with their first helping, the cereal bowl was almost empty, and Cait was looking around for more.
"Boy, some people don’t know when to stop," Ryan chided her, receiving dramatically rolled eyes from her partner.
Catherine was in a very perky mood, and with a jolt Jamie understood why. She hasn’t had a drink since we’ve been here! Not waking up with a hangover for two days has got to be nice! Before the trip to Rhode Island, Jamie had considered talking to her mother about her drinking, but the upsetting events of that week had made her reconsider bringing up a topic that she knew would be difficult. Seeing her mother abstain for three days made her question her drinking habits. Could it be that she just drinks because she’s bored? It seems like she’d need to drink here if she was an alcoholic, yet she hasn’t even looked for any alcohol. Deciding that she couldn’t resolve the question today, Jamie put it into the "for later discussion" pile and tried to focus on the present.
Entering the park they immediately got in line for the Matterhorn, since they hadn’t ridden it the day before. Ryan explained that it was a much tamer ride than Space Mountain, but since it was a landmark they should probably do it. "How do you know so much about these rides if you haven’t been here?" Jamie inquired suspiciously.
"There’s tons of sites on the net dealing with all things Disney," Ryan said. "These rides aren’t really considered coasters by the purists, but I still found out a lot about them the other night when I was surfing."
"I always think you’re doing some heady science stuff when you’re at your computer. I guess I’d better keep a closer eye on you," she threatened, giving Ryan a narrow-eyed glare.
"Eyes, hands, mouth…you can come closer with any body part you wish, Hot Stuff."
"Mother will hear you!" Jamie whispered, her eyes wide.
"Over Caitlin’s babbling?" Ryan asked, casting a fond glance at the pair. Caitlin was indeed talking loudly, albeit nonsensically, right into Catherine’s ear.
"Good point," Jamie observed wryly. "I’m afraid Mother will have to make an appointment with an audiologist when she gets home."
Catherine and Caitlin waited in the line with them after Ryan explained that they could exit through the ‘chicken gate’ right before she and Jamie boarded. Just before it was their turn, Jamie stood on her tiptoes and whispered something into Ryan’s ear. The dark woman gave her a little smirk and shrugged her shoulders, showing mild agreement. Reaching out to take the baby, Jamie turned to her mother as she said, "Ryan’s going to take you on this one, Mom. Have fun!" And with that she scampered out of the chicken gate, leaving a dumbstruck Catherine and a laughing Ryan.
Ryan placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as she assured her, "This one is not bad, Catherine, but if you don’t want to do it I’m happy to ride alone."
The stunned woman took in a deep breath and steeled herself as she confidently replied, "I’m no chicken!" Ryan laughed and patted her soundly on the back as their car pulled up. The little car held only four passengers, two in the front seat and two in the back. Ryan got into the back seat first and Catherine gamely stepped in and settled back against her. She was a little uncomfortable to be sitting between Ryan’s long legs, and more than a little scared, but before she could change her mind the bar came down, locking her firmly in place.
"Okay," Ryan said into her ear, her deep, warm voice very reassuring. "This one does a lot of up and down motion, but you’re never upside down. Just try to relax and let your body move with the car." Catherine was sitting so rigidly that Ryan was afraid she would snap in half once the ride started. "Would you like me to hold you?" she asked softly, her warm breath strangely reassuring.
The frightened woman shook her head, not wanting to appear helpless in front of Ryan. "I’m okay," she muttered, her voice sounding high and tight even to her own ears.
The car pulled away and immediately began a rather steep ascent. Gravity thrust her back against Ryan’s chest, which should have embarrassed her, but strangely, she found that it comforted her. Ryan felt so sturdy and soft and warm that she somehow felt mothered, even though her mother had been none of those things.
Their little car reached the crest of the hill and as they started to tumble over, Catherine grabbed Ryan’s arms from the sides of the car and flung them across her chest, not even bothering to be embarrassed by the gentle laugh that bubbled up from the amused woman.
Her hands grabbed onto Ryan’s forearms as they flew down the side of the mountain. The little car zigged and zagged as it turned and banked and dipped. She held on tighter as the ride continued to bounce and spin, holding her captive just a bit longer than she wished. Finally, they flew past a small waterfall that sprinkled them lightly as they drew to a smooth stop.
Catherine let out a breath as the bar lifted and they were allowed to depart. Ryan waited for a moment, then another, looking up at the attendant who was giving them a wry smile. Leaning over, she softly reminded Catherine, "You can let go now."
Pulled from her daze, Catherine barked out a laugh as she immediately released her death grip on Ryan’s arms. "I’m so sorry, Ryan, but I just had to hold on! I thought I was going to fly out of that little car, and if I did I was taking you with me!"
Ryan slid an arm around her shoulders as she escorted her out to an expectantly waiting pair of blondes. "Was it fun?" Jamie asked excitedly.
Caitlin held out her arms to Catherine who gladly claimed her. As they walked along she kept repeating, "Fun. Was it fun?"
They were a good 50 yards down the path when she finally turned to Jamie and said decisively, "Ye
s. It was fun! It was enough fun to last a lifetime!"
The next stop was Fantasyland, and on the way Catherine caught a glimpse of the vivid red fingerprints on Ryan’s forearms. "My God, Ryan, I’ve hurt you!" she cried.
"Nah, I won’t even bruise," she said. "You just put a little pressure on my skin. It’ll be gone soon."
"Goodness!" Catherine cried, "I swear I haven’t grabbed anyone that hard since I gave birth to Jamie!"
Never having heard the story of her birth, Jamie ventured to ask, "Was Daddy with you?"
"Oh, yes, for part of the time," Catherine allowed.
Must have had to leave for a hot date, Jamie groused to herself, her image of her father now intrinsically melded with another woman.
Ryan was still able to converse about Jim in a normal fashion, so she asked the follow-up. "Just part of the time?"
"Yes, they finally asked him to leave," she said. "There’s something about the sound of your husband retching that makes labor even less pleasant."
She gave Ryan an amused smile, showing that it didn’t bother her to talk about it, so Ryan asked, "Was that when you were about to deliver?"
"No, Dear," Catherine said lightly. "It was when the doctor came in to examine me just after we got into a labor room."
"How long were you in labor?" Ryan gaped.
"Close to a full day…around 20 hours."
"And when did Jim leave?"
"Around 20 minutes," Catherine smirked. "He tried to come in several more times, but he was more distracting than helpful, so I banished him."
Jamie had been listening intently, unable to keep a smile off her face. She knew in her soul that if she ever gave birth, her partner would be right by her side, no matter what.
"Don’t go getting any ideas, Jamie," Ryan warned, not as confident of her partner’s constitution. "Only men can get away with that ploy!"
Ryan was dying to ride the teacups, and she had been reminding them of that fact ever since they had first ventured into the park. Jamie was willing to wait in line with her, but she refused to ride, knowing that Ryan’s need for speed was tremendously greater than her own. Even though she trusted her partner with her life, she wasn’t sure that she trusted her with her stomach, so she tried to beg off.
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